Chapter 25:
Walking into UA's main campus should have made him happy. Should have made him feel something, anything, and everything really.
However, as his feet led him towards the gates and through the metaphorical threshold his mind had conjured up, he felt nothing at all.
UA's used to dominate his dreams. His eight-year-old self would stay up hours upon hours gathering whatever information he could about the school. Wanting to find some kind of way for him to make it there without a quirk.
That dream was shattered a long time ago. Along with all his other hopes for the future.
Aizawa squeezes his hand as they walk. Izuku's arm is safely nestled in the crook of the man's elbow as he leads him through the campus and toward the bus that was waiting for them.
He didn't need the help, he was grateful for it nonetheless.
1-A was gathered near the vehicle, chatting and mingling like the teenagers people tended to forget they were.
He expected to be bombarded with questions the moment any of them laid eyes on him. However, they all seemed satisfied with greeting him without the awaited flurry of questions.
Shinsou immediately makes his way towards him, standing as if on guard next to him. A shield against the rest of the world. He feels his face pull itself into a small smile at the thought.
They must've been informed of his situation beforehand. Or at least they were told he was coming with them.
Aizawa didn't allow their mingling to last long though. The man immediately calling for them to get on the bus so that they could leave for the training camp.
He wants to move, his mind screams as his body to comply, but with the already present dread he feels for what probably awaited them at the training camp. His feet remain stuck in place. Legs unwilling to step onto the van.
His hands tremble, squeezing the walking stick in his hand with an iron-clad grip. He pushes forward nonetheless. He couldn't freeze up every time. He needed to get over his fears.
Taking one step after another, he soon finds himself safely settled beside Shinsou near the back of the bus.
The teen, probably sensing his anxiety from a mile away, takes his hand into his own the moment his back hits the seat. It makes his heart stutter in his chest but he elects to ignore it for the moment.
Focusing instead his attention on the conversations happening around them.
It was going to be a long ride.
A weight settles on his shoulder and it takes everything in him not to flinch violently as he's pulled abruptly into awareness. Murmurs and low chuckles reach his sensitive ears as he focuses on his surroundings once more.
"Izuku?" Shinsou's voice is gentle as he addresses him, hand hovering in the air between them as if wanting to touch him but afraid to so again. "The bus stopped, we're at a resting spot, you fell asleep."
More giggles sound around them and Izuku's face flushes as he realizes the position he's in. He's curled in on himself, his head resting on Shinsou's lap.
Hurriedly straightening up, he barely avoids knocking his head into Shinsou's. "A-Ah sorry."
"No worries, you looked like you needed it." He wants to say something, thank the boy in front of him, but just as he opens his mouth to speak, a voice pipes in.
"Guys! You can be cute later! Aizawa wants us all off the bus." He can practically feel Ashido's smirk as she says that. It doesn't help the warmth he feels spreading down his neck.
Without needing to be told twice, they make it outside. Izuku's senses immediately taking in the empty space ahead of them, signaling some sort of end to the road. A cliff maybe.
He feels for a familiar heat signature and tugs Shinsou until they're both standing next to the blonde-haired teen. Backs to what Izuku can only describe as emptiness.
The pussy cats, a relatively popular hero team shows up shortly after. Introducing themselves with their signature flamboyant catchphrases, emphasizing their cat-like features and penchant for rescue missions. Izuku can practically feel Shinsou buzzing with renewed excitement as he spots them.
He hears Aizawa calling for him to come and stand by his side. Almost at the same time, he feels the ground ever so slightly start to vibrate under the soles of his feet. It's minimal, almost entirely imperceptible to anyone else but him. However, like pieces of an incomplete puzzle, everything falls into place. His mind immediately forming the connections between their sudden stop and the motif behind the Pussy cat's sudden appearance.
It makes him want to get some kind of payback for what Shinsou's classmates were about to go through at the hands of their teachers.
Aizawa was probably going to regret bringing him here after this. He knows he shouldn't, knows it was probably the worst possible idea he could come up with. But as the grin slowly forms on his features, he can't help but want to live on the edge.
Releasing his hold on Shinsou's hand, effectively garnering the other boy's attention, he makes sure his voice is low as he speaks. Hand slowly making contact with the railing behind them. Fingers slowly curling around the metal as his feet inches ever so slowly, closer to the edge. "Do you know what one of the things on my list was?" He knows he's got Bakugou's attention too now. Not to mention the fact that Aizawa was still calling for him to come stand by his side.
Shinsou hums curiously, still blissfully unaware of Izuku's plans. Unaware of just what was in store for the class.
"Bungee-jumping." And with that he volts over the railing. Heart leaping in his throat at the all too familiar sensation. The thrill of the fall forcing out an excited laugh out of him even as he hears several panicked shouts behind him. A variation of "MIDORIYA!" "IZUKU!" And "DEKU!" reaching his ears.
1, 2, and ah, there they were. Explosion sounds quickly catching up to him, strong arms catching him before he's even halfway to the ground.
"What the hell!" Kacchan shouts in his ear. Heartbeat raging in his chest as he brings them both safely to the ground. "ARE YOU CRAZY?!"
He tries to answer seriously but his body betrays him as he bursts into a new round of laughter. The adrenaline and the sheer freedom he felt still lingering in his system.
He's done this before of course, jumping from high places. His patrol consisted of constant parkour routes across the city, after all.
However, this felt different somehow. Knowing that the number of times he'd be feeling this again were dwindling with the hourglass that loomed over him, constant and relentless in its descent.
He tunes back into reality only to find that Bakugou is still shouting at him.
"Maybe." he finds himself saying as his laughter dies down. Sobering thoughts halting the fleeting insanity and happiness that overwhelmed him just a few moments ago. "But I'm alive, right?"
And that, that gets Bakugou to stop his rant mid-sentence. Posture shifting into something almost unreadable to Izuku's senses.
Before he gets to question his sudden silence, the cliff crumbles behind them. The entirety of the 1-A student body falling with it.
Aizawa was so going to kill him after this.
The class doesn't give him any space this time, immediately accosting him with several exclamations of worry and amazement as soon as they reach the ground. However, as the soil monsters begin to form around them, they don't have a lot of time to dwell on Izuku's recklessness.
For appearance's sake, he grips the end of Shinsou's capture weapon as they run through the woods, as if following the teen's lead. However, if one would just look a little closer to their movements, they'd notice the slight difference in their interaction. After all, it was thanks to Izuku's senses that they knew where to go and where not to.
So they run, following Izuku's lead without even realizing it as they make it through the woods. Dodging and attacking whenever needed to get through the hurdles in their way.
They make it to their destination just as the sun starts to set, or at least that what Shinsou tells him as they finally reach the clearing. Izuku can feel the anger practically oozing out of Aizawa as he walks closer.
He braces himself for the inevitable punishment and lecture he knows is in store for him. Ignoring the way Shinsou seems almost reluctant to let go of him. As if wanting to shield him from his teacher's wrath. He wiggles out of his grip and shuffles on his feet. Waiting.
Instead of immediately asking to talk to him or even confront him about his actions. The man instead launches into an explanation about the upcoming events awaiting the class. Introducing them to the dorms and asking them to rest up, enjoy the dinner and the hot springs while they could.
"The true training camp starts tomorrow," He says ominously as if the mad dash they just had through the woods wasn't part of the instance training. Izuku thinks that he may have underestimated the intensity of the hero courses.
Just as he starts to shuffle with the rest of the class towards the building. He feels Aizawa hand land on his shoulder. Barely suppressing the urge to gulp audibly he turns to face the man.
"Care to explain what the hell that was back there?" The hero's voice is dangerously low as he speaks. And it's almost enough to make Izuku regret his actions. He didn't want to disappoint or anger his hero. That was never his intention. However, how could he even begin to explain his reasoning without telling the man the truth about everything else?
Without telling the man in front of him that the boy he just welcomed into his home was dying.
He'd be lying too if he said this wasn't his way of testing the man's patience. His own way of testing how Aizawa would react to the stress and weight that came with being close to him.
When the silence stretches between them and it doesn't seem like Izuku was going to answer any time soon, the man continues.
"If you ever do anything this reckless and thoughtless again," and here it is, Aizawa surely would send him back to the orphanage after the stunt he just pulled. "I won't hesitate to call Nezu. You'll be on the first trip back home."
Home? Did Aizawa still want him? After all the stress he surely just put him through?
His surprise and relief must have been palpable because Aizawa's next words are dangerously close to his train of thought.
"What did you think I would do, Problem child?"
"I- I don't- I thought you wouldn't-"He can't get himself to say it out loud. But the hero seems to understand anyway.
"You thought I'd send you back to the orphanage." And it's not even a question. As if the man is stating a fact, resignation, and a tinge of something unidentifiable in his voice as he speaks.
Izuku barely has it in him to nod. He expects the man to speak again, maybe scold him some more. So, that's why he's caught off guard when two arms pull him until he's safely nestled in the man's hold.
He doesn't react, body rigid as he feels the man's arm tighten around him. "Is that what this is about? Is that why you almost gave me a heart attack?" The man says and if that doesn't make his heart constrict in his chest, it's the hero's next words that finish the job. "I'm sorry if I ever gave you the impression that there was anything you could do that would ever make me want to send you back."
It's then that he finds his body moving again. Hands finally going to reciprocate the hug, clutching at the man's shirt like a lifeline as he whispers his apology. A low, barely above a whisper, stream of "I'm sorry"s
Sorry for worrying him, sorry for ever doubting him.
Sorry for the inevitable pain he was going to bring this man. That one he doesn't say out loud. But he thinks it with his entire being as his hands tighten even more around his guardian.
When he catches up to the others, they're already comfortably settled and ready to eat. The moment he steps into the main hall, Shinsou stands and ushers him to a table where Todoroki, Iida, Uraraka, and Tsuyu are waiting for them. Warmth spreads through his chest as he finds the space and the plate they reserved for him.
They eat in relative silence as most of them are too tired to make any coherent form of conversation. However, Izuku does notice when a small shadow makes his way to the edge of the room, exciting the building discreetly.
When he asks Shinsou about them, the teen explains that the boy is actually Ragdoll's nephew Kota. Apparently, the boy wasn't too keen on talking to any of them, immediately getting mad at any of their attempts to talk to him.
Izuku makes a mental note to talk to the boy later, to try and get him to open up.
Soon enough, the class separates into their designated dorms. The notion of the hot springs and their effect on their sore muscles and tired bodies, too good for them to pass up while they had the chance.
Izuku hesitates to follow their lead though.
He's already been too brazen today with his alternate identity. Having pulled a reckless move that no other blind person would've if not for his years of experience. He couldn't risk them seeing the scars that surely marred his body.
"What's up?" Shinsou asks casually as he stands next to him, probably sensing his hesitance.
"I'm not sure about this." When Shinsou doesn't seem to understand, he elaborates. "Going into the hot springs with everyone, I mean."
"You shouldn't be ashamed of your scars Izu." The nickname almost makes him pause as heat gathers at the back of his neck, but he chooses to ignore it for now. "It's proof of just how strong you are."
"I-it's not j-just that, I mean, they'll get suspicious right?"
"They'll be curious for sure and definitely a little worried but I don't think any of them will look at you and immediately link you to your nightly activities." And Shinsou has the gall to smirk as he says that last part. Like he wasn't the one who immediately linked him to Shadow when he saw him bleeding at work once.
"So, you think I should just go in there and pretend nothing is unusual?"
"Well, you defiantly need to relax after the day you've had, right? So just throw a towel over your shoulders and we'll sit further apart than the rest, okay?" When Izuku's hesitation doesn't subside enough, the boy continues a little more carefully. "You don't have to do anything you're uncomfortable with okay? Just say the word and we can just have a quick shower and go to sleep."
"N-no it's okay. I want this."
"Okay then. Shall we?" He can almost feel the cat-like smile that surely stretches the boy's features as he gestures for Izuku to step into the locker room first.
He waits for everyone to leave the locker room before he starts undressing. Shinsou stands by the door as if guarding it.
He shoots the boy a hesitant look before finally discarding his shirt and pants. Leaving him in just the towel he'd wrapped around his waist beforehand. However, just as he turns to face the teen again, he hears the boy's sharp intake of breath.
All the bravado he'd gathered drains away in an instant. All the reasons he shouldn't be going out there making a reappearance in his mind.
"I told you it wasn't pretty." He mumbles dejectedly as he turns to put his shirt back on. Too discouraged now to go through with this.
"W-what? What are you talking about?" Shinsou's confusion is clear in his tone, his hand coming up to halt his movements.
"Y-you gasped! If you reacted this way, the other will definitely get suspicious!"
"Izuku. Trust me when I say that the last thing they'll be focusing on is your scars."
Before Izuku can begin to think about Shinsou's reply, someone calls out for them to hurry up.
Shinsou drags him out, preventing him from trying to get out of this, even if he wanted to.
Luckily, the boys are too busy goofing around in the water to actually pay them any mind as they make their way into the water. Settling themselves in the far corner of the springs.
He can feel a couple of curious stares aimed their way but other than that, the boys seem to leave them to their own devices.
"Midoriya." The voice startles him and he finds himself reevaluating his previous statement. Not everyone was leaving them alone. "What you did today was very dangerous," Todoroki says as he settles next to them. Voice as calm as ever despite the hint of worry he hears in his tone. "However, I think I understand the reasoning behind your recklessness." And yes, he keeps forgetting that Todoroki knows about one of his secrets.
"He knows?" Shinsou asks, shocked and probably a little betrayed by that new piece of information.
"I- uh- told him when we were at Yaoyorozu's. I just… needed to get it off my chest and he was un- unbiased I guess."
"Oh." The barely concealed hurt in his voice makes Izuku's heart clench.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
"No, I understand, don't worry about it." And after a moment. "Who else knows?"
"Just you guys and Kacchan. A-and my doctor too, but that was kind of unavoidable." He knows he's rambling but he can't help but feel a little nervous while talking about this.
Todoroki hums at this but Shinsou seems to have more questions he's been meaning to ask.
"Did you bring your list with you?" Izuku nods but at Todoroki's curious glance, Shinsou elaborates. "He has this-uh- a list he made a while back, like all the things he'd like to do before- yeah…" his voice breaks and it takes everything in Izuku reach out and try and comfort him. Shinsou soldiers on though. "We wanted to try and check all of the things out together. Try and make the most of it, you know?"
"Let me know if I can be of any help." And the determination in Todoroki's voice almost gets to him. "I'm curious though. Was jumping off a cliff on your list?"
Shinsou actually laughs at that, the sound breathy and precious as he tells Todoroki about the little conversation they had before Izuku literally threw himself off a cliff.
As he listens to their interaction and thinks about everything that's happened today. He's happy to see all the people Shinsou has in his life. He's grateful for every one of them.
It later that night. As everyone is already fast asleep in their futons that Izuku's head acts up. Having taken his medication a little later than he was supposed to and with all the exertion he put his body through that day. He's honestly surprised he wasn't feeling this sooner.
Scarcely managing to make his way to the bathroom without waking the rest of the boys up, he barely makes it to the toilet. Bile rising to his throat, hands clutching at the cold surface as he dry heaves, chest constricting with the effort. It's almost like he's standing on the edge but never crosses to the other side.
The pressure in his skull builds up and he thinks the hot springs were a bad idea after all. His whole body feels too hot, his clothes too constricting. Sweat gathers at the base of his neck, his curls still slightly damp cling to his forehead even more. His senses go from being too much to too little every few seconds. The constant change is overwhelming as his world shifts to opposites, too fast for him to adapt.
Another bout of dizziness overtakes him and he feels his balance give out. Making him fall back until his back hits the tub behind him.
He knows he should move. Should probably get his backup meds from his bag, maybe put some sort of cold cloth on his forehead for some kind of relief. However, his body feels heavier than ever, and it's almost too tempting to just let himself stay there. Slumped against the cold unforgiving surface.
A small intake of breath alerts him of another presence, a figure standing just a few steps away from him. His senses don't settle enough for him to know who though. It doesn't help the panic slowly rising in his core with every second he remains in his current state.
"W-Who's there?" He asks, hating the way his voice breaks, vulnerability, and weakness obvious for anyone to hear.
The figure doesn't speak, instead electing to step closer until they're crouched right in front of him. Something cool makes contact with his forehead and he barely stifles the urge to cry out in relief. Instead, a sigh unwillingly escapes his lips as he leans into the cold touch.
"T-Todoroki?"
"What do you need? Is there anything else I can do to help?"
Just as he's about to ask for his meds, another voice joins in. Luckily he recognizes it instantly.
"Oi, what the-" when he winces at the volume of the explosive teen's voice, "fuck is going on here?" Bakugou finishes in a whisper.
"I- I just-"Taking a moment to breathe and regain some coherence to his thoughts, he continues. "I just need my meds, if you can just h-help me up I- I can go get them."
"Fuck that. Tell me where they are and I'll bring them for you."
"They're in a small pouch in my duffle bag. I- uh don't know what color it is."
Huffing loudly, the blonde makes his way back out of the bathroom.
"S-sorry if I woke you up." He barely manages to get out the words, another dizzy spell hitting him. His body hunches in on itself as he tries to ride it out once again. He can hear Todoroki say something but he can't concentrate enough to make out the words.
A hand rubs at his back, the rhythm helps to ground him until he regains enough composure to straighten up once more and slump against the tub. However, instead of the cold harsh surface, he finds his back connecting with something warm.
Startled enough to try and move, a hand on his shoulder stops him before he can go through with it.
"Settle down nerd, it's just me." It seems his episode lasted longer than he thought. When did Bakugou get back? "Just now, but here" Damn he said that out loud. He hands Izuku the pouch and a small part of Izuku is glad he thought to put his costume at the bottom of his bag.
He goes through the process of touching the small packets to try and difference them from each other. Finally, the third one, luckily, is the one he was looking for.
"Do you want me to get you some water?" Todoroki asks softly, already getting up to the sink and filling up a small cup. The loss of the coolness on his forehead almost makes him whimper, but he manages to suppress the urge enough for the half and half user to make it back.
Swallowing the pills is easy enough but it takes him a moment to settle his breathing to subside the urge to throw them back up.
"I'm sorry you guys have to see me like this." He whispers as the medication finally kicks in. The throbbing in his head finally descending as his senses slowly settle down.
"Stop saying dumb shit Deku." Bakugou says just as Todoroki replies. "We wouldn't be here if we didn't want to."
"T-thank y-you."
Silence fills the space between them as Izuku takes the time to breathe and regain his composure. Slowly but surely starting to feel like normal again.
"Does this happen a lot?" Todoroki asks, just as blunt as ever, if not for the slight concern that tinges his voice.
"N-not really. O-Only when I forget to take my medication on time. It tends to be stronger when I exert myself more than usual." He mutters that last part but they seem to hear it nonetheless.
"Serves you right for being so reckless," Bakugou growls with no real bite to his tone.
Sighing as the final bouts of discomfort slowly ebbs away, he can't help but slump into the boy's hold. Head falling onto his shoulder. He was just so tired.
"Did he fall asleep?" Todoroki asks almost hesitantly, his composed demeanor a little shaken from witnessing the pain the smaller boy was in.
"Yeah, I think so." Bakugou answers quietly, his voice softer than Todoroki ever imagined it could be.
"Should we move him back to the room?"
"Not yet, I'm going to wait for him to really be out before I move him." He needed all the rest he could get, after all.
Todoroki knows the blonde is trying to give him an out. Indirectly telling him he could go back if he wanted to. However, looking at the green-haired teen breathing softly in front of him. He finds himself settling back onto the ground.
Midoriya was his friend too after all. Or at least he'd like to think he was.
He's never met anyone stronger than this boy. He wanted to help, even if it was by just sitting there with him while he rested.
He just wished he could do something more to help the teen. Anything at all.
And by the faraway look that Bakugou's gaze held, it seemed the blonde teen's thoughts mirrored his own.