Disclaimer: The following is a nonprofit fan-based parody all rights reserved to Brandon Sanderson and Horikoshi Kohei. Please support the official releases.
Izuku stretched his arms over his head as he looked out over the beach. Mr. Yagi had just left with the last load of the evening, so Izuku planned to start heading home soon. As he contemplated this, a breeze blew in from the ocean making him shiver as it touched the sweat on his bare torso. He looked down at his chest and his hand idly rubbed the center of it. There was no scar, no blemish, no sign that he had been impaled just a few hours ago. No sign that he had almost died…
He had been able to easily avoid thinking about the event while filled with the light that came from his bond, but when it drained, the memory began to feel like a ledge that hung over a bottomless pit of panic. He pushed the thoughts away by focusing on his work. Though as his light had continued to dissipate it became impossible to ignore the sticky, wet feeling of the blood-soaked fabric clinging to his chest and the chilling caress of the air that came in through the holes in the front and back. That was why he had taken off his shirt and thrown it into one of the loads that Mr. Yagi took to the dump.
When Mr. Yagi had arrived and saw Izuku, he had given a shout of alarm which turned into a coughing fit that left the man gasping for air as he spat out red-tinted globules of phlegm.
"Midoriya my boy, what happened? Why are you covered in blood?" Toshinori shouted worriedly.
Izuku was at a loss for words as he tried to think of what to say. As much as the bully may deserve it, Izuku didn't want Nagai to get in trouble for what had happened. Something like this could brand someone as a villain for life in modern society, and Izuku hadn't sustained any lasting damage, physically at least.
"When we arrived here Izuku was-" Sera began but was cut off by Izuku.
"I had an accident," Izuku said, putting on his best, embarrassed smile, "I fell and, unfortunately, a piece of rebar was in the way, and this happened."
Mr. Yagi looked at Izuku suspiciously and Sera stared at him in disbelief.
"What are you doing?" Sera hissed quietly, "You got seriously hurt because of that jerkwad and he left you here to die. Why are you not telling the truth?"
"I can't do that to him," Izuku whispered back, "What happened was an accident, and if it got out he would be ruined for life. I can't take away his chance for a better future."
Sera fumed, her face showing frustration with her bondmate, "You are too noble for your own good," she finally said before zipping away as a ribbon of light.
"What was that about?" Toshinori said as he came closer to Izuku.
"She is frustrated with me for getting hurt," Izuku said, feeling bad about the half-truth but still thinking it was the right thing to do.
"Regardless," Toshinori said, "your shirt shows that you lost a lot of blood, how are you still standing?"
"Oh, um" Izuku stalled, "I-I learned about a new aspect of my quirk. Apparently, the light heals me when I am filled with it. Look," Izuku pulled his shirt up, "I don't even have a scar. It must also regenerate lost blood, though I am starting to feel the hunger that comes when I fill myself with so much light."
"Well then, you should take a rest and eat something," Toshinori said, pointing with his thumb back to the parking lot.
The two of them walked back to the truck, Izuku grabbing his bag on the way so that he could pull out one of the Tupperware containers his mother had filled. It had rice with a piece of fish, and he smiled when he saw that all of the ingredients were listed on the lid for him. As he pulled out the Tupperware he recorded the food in his journal, planning to note how filling it was. He still didn't know how food interacted with his powers exactly so for now he was just recording everything he ate hoping to find a pattern.
"So you can regenerate using your power," Toshinori said as Izuku ate, "You need to be extra careful with an ability like that. There have been many heroes who thought they were invincible because they could heal from wounds, and got themselves killed when someone was able to either disrupt their quirk or attack them in some indirect way."
"I know," Izuku said seriously, "when I was healing I could feel the light inside of me draining away as it took care of the wound. I am guessing that if I take too much damage with too little light stored up I could still be permanently injured." Panic threatened to well up inside of him, but Izuku mentally fought the feeling back as he changed the subject. "B-but hey, w-won't strength training be way easier now. I can lift a bunch of stuff then use a little light to speed up the recovery period."
"Sorry kid but there are no shortcuts for you," Toshinori said back flatly, his arms forming an "x." "You don't have a scar which means that you are regenerating, not healing. It is an important distinction when it comes to quirks. You aren't using the body's natural processes to heal but instead being healed supernaturally so your muscles would be returned to how they were before the damage was done, not develop further."
"Oh," Izuku said, disappointed at the discovery, "oh well, that just means I will still need to work extra hard to catch up to everyone else and be ready for the UA entrance exam."
Toshinori smiled at the boy's enthusiasm, but hesitated at his words, "you sure you want to keep working today, after your 'accident'." The way the man said the word made it clear that he wasn't convinced by the boy's story.
"Yes," Izuku said immediately, "I can't afford to take a day off, not at the very beginning of my training." In actuality Izuku felt that he needed the work, he needed to distract himself so he could push the panic back. Was it healthy? Probably not, but he didn't know how to deal with the overwhelming feeling so he would ignore it, for now.
As he finished the day's training, Izuku felt like he had successfully pushed the feeling down enough that he could function. Turning away from the beach Izuku walked to his bag and pulled out his towel, then put the bag over his shoulder and wrapped himself in the towel for a bit of modesty. During his trek home. Sera zipped up to him, her face expressionless.
"I see you are still upset," Izuku said.
"Of course I am upset. You are letting that bully off the hook after he nearly killed you," Sera said flatly.
Izuku shivered, her words causing the feelings Izuku had repressed to rattle the cage he had put them in. "I know why you feel that way, but this is the right thing to do. Yubi isn't a villain yet, he is a bully, he can still change, and I hope that the experience he just had helps him."
"And what about the experience you just had?!" Sera shouted back.
"I can deal with it!" Izuku shouted, before gritting his teeth and walking away.
"Liar," Sera said as she watched Izuku walk away with sad eyes before she started to follow.
Izuku's alarm clock went off at 5:00 AM only for him to immediately turn it off. He hadn't slept the night before. Every time he closed his eyes the panic was waiting for him, poised to strike the moment he let his guard down. He pulled himself out of bed feeling exhausted but forced himself to keep moving. He followed his usual routine of warm-up exercises then changed into workout clothes and left his room, grabbing his wallet as he went. Making his way through the house as silently as possible, he thought about how his mom had reacted when he had gotten home last evening. She had been shocked that he hadn't been wearing a shirt, but Izuku explained that his shirt had been ruined while he was working. She had tried to pry more into what had happened but Izuku had deflected her questions and assured her that he was fine. As hard as he tried however she still had a look of worry on her face when he had bid her good night before going to his room. He hoped to avoid her this morning until he had the chance to wake himself up more so she wouldn't realize that he hadn't slept.
On his way to the beach, Izuku stopped at a vending machine and purchased two cans of coffee, downing one and saving the other for later. As he ran, Sera appeared as a ribbon of light again, it was her favorite form for moving quickly. When she was next to him, she morphed into her girl form and eyed him with worry clear in her features.
"Izuku, you aren't well," she cautioned.
"I'll be fine," Izuku said as he jogged to the beach, "it will pass, it always has before."
"This isn't the same and you know it." Sera said, "I have seen you be sad because of the bullying and the names, and you may have gotten over it, but that was because you talked with me, or wrote it down, but this isn't just sadness, you have never a full night without sleep before. Why are you hiding what you are going through?"
"I told you, I don't want to ruin Yubi's life," Izuku said.
"No," Sera rebutted, "you could have told the truth to Mr. Yagi or your mom and left out the details about who did it, or just told them you didn't want to get him in trouble, but instead you lied."
"I didn't say anything that wasn't true," Izuku responded.
"But you avoided saying the whole truth so you would be misunderstood, lies of omission are still lies." Sera gave Izuku a disappointed look. Which the green-haired boy shied away from.
Izuku didn't say anything else choosing to avoid the argument with the spren. He knew that she was right, but there was something in Izuku that made him want to deal with this himself. He had powers now. He should be able to handle this on his own. Heroes faced danger all the time and you never saw them giving into panic. He wanted to be a hero, so he couldn't let anything stop him. Just as All Might said on the roof that day, about how he covered his pain with a smile, Izuku would follow his example. When he got to the beach, Izuku worked himself as hard as he could. He focused on the burn in his muscles and the feel of the junk as he moved it from the piles on the beach to the stairs where it would be hauled away that afternoon. And all the while the panic lurked in the shadows of his mind waiting for him to drop his guard.
The silence between Izuku and Sera continued for the rest of the morning. The teen finished his workout and drank the second can of coffee as he started for home. Upon arriving he gave his mother, who was up and preparing breakfast, a quick greeting before heading to the bathroom to wash up. He took extra care while washing his face, making sure to use cold water around his eyes to try and shrink the dark circles caused by his lack of sleep. Once he was ready for school he went out to eat breakfast which he did at a hurried pace, claiming that he wanted to be early for school. Throughout the meal Sera stayed by Izuku's side, silent and emotionless. The spren's odd behavior had prompted a comment from Inko but Sera had just replied,
"Ask Izuku,"
Izuku deflected his mother's questions, saying that Sera and he had a disagreement yesterday and that they would work it out later. He left shortly after that with a cheery goodbye and a comment thanking her for the extra food she was preparing.
During the walk to school, the spren's unresponsive behavior created an awkward atmosphere between the two partners. Izuku would try to talk to her about several topics, such as what they should name their quirk when they got it registered, something that had slipped Izuku's mind the night before, or how her search for a weapon was going, but the spren was impassive to all his attempts at starting a conversation. In the end, he gave up deciding that he would have to wait for her to open up again before communication would continue. As he walked, Izuku's mood darkened further without the spren's bright attitude to lighten his day.
The toll that the change took on Izuku's nerves intensified further as he approached the school building and began to contemplate how he would face Nagai when he saw the long-fingered boy again. When he walked into his classroom it was mostly empty but that was to be expected as he was about 45 minutes early for the first period of the day. Taking his seat Izuku pulled out his notebook and started reviewing his notes on heroes and his own quirk. Every time the door opened, he would look up with his breath hitched only to sigh in relief when it wasn't Nagai. Izuku was shocked, however, when he looked up once more to see that the teacher had arrived. Scanning the class Izuku confirmed that Nagai Yubi was absent. He had even seen Katsuki arrive but the explosive boy only had one of his usual followers. As the teacher began his lesson Izuku couldn't help the question that bubbled to the surface of his thoughts. Where was Nagai? After the first two periods ended and the long-fingered boy was nowhere in sight, Izuku relaxed slightly thinking he could make it through the day without a confrontation. Then, halfway through the penultimate period of the day he started to feel his security evaporating as the disheveled form of the bully threw the door open and sauntered into the classroom.
"Hey teach," the boy said in a lazy drawl, "sorry I'm late but I couldn't bring myself to care this morn-"
The boy's cocky speech halted when his gaze landed on Izuku. His eyes widened and all the color drained from his face like he was looking at a ghost.
"Mr. Yubi!" the teacher said sharply, breaking the long-fingered boy's trance from seeing Izuku, "I know that if you are showing up this late you must have already spoken to the office, so I expect you to take your seat and join us for the rest of class, am I understood."
"Y-yeah sure," The boy said, his nonchalant attitude gone as he moved to his desk.
Izuku refocused on the teacher when the lesson continued. Seeing the other boy's reaction had helped him feel... he wasn't sure if better was the right word, but definitely different. Nagai had been just as scared by what was to come as Izuku had been and seeing it in his face helped Izuku to feel some relief, and begin to wonder if maybe he could muscle his way through the rough time he was having. That slight relief made finishing the day much easier and when the last class ended Izuku quickly gathered his things so that he could get to the beach and continue his training. As he made his way through the halls, however, Izuku was suddenly stopped by someone grabbing his shoulder, turning him around, and pushing him against the wall. When his vision stopped spinning Izuku was face to face with the wild eyes of Nagai Yubi.
"Wh-what… h-how… I killed you." The boy babbled out as he held onto Izuku. The boy's grip was tight but he was holding on to Izuku in a way that it was unclear if he was threatening the other teen or trying to make sure he was real. The tone in his voice was also a confusing mix of relieved and angry.
But Izuku wasn't fully listening. The sudden action had broken the unconscious hold he had on the emotions inside of himself, and now that it was free, it ran rampant through his mind. Perceiving the boy in front of himself as a threat, the feelings manifested as rage. Burning some of the food he had eaten for lunch Izuku filled himself with enough light that he just barely began to glow, but it was all he needed to give him the strength to easily rip the other boy's hands off his jacket and then spin them both around to reverse their positions. Though when he held Nagai against the wall, he took it a step further and lifted the other boy so that his feet dangled uselessly above the ground.
"Stop it Yubi!" Izuku said insistently, "Haven't you done enough. You nearly killed me and you would have if I hadn't unlocked my quirk." The other boy stared at Izuku dumbly, his white face showing how shocked he was at the current situation. "I was planning to meet someone else at that beach, they would have found me and, given the fact that we fought, I was covered in evidence that would have pointed the investigation straight to you. If you don't shape up, all that is waiting for you in the future is the life of a two-bit villain that barely gets mentioned on the news. You are a junior high student, you are nowhere near the top of the food chain, so wake up!"
When he finished speaking Izuku just stared at the boy in his grip with glowing green eyes until finally, Nagai's head began to nod up and down.
"Ok, ok," he said repeatedly in a fearful whisper.
With that Izuku released the bully letting him drop to the ground. The long-fingered boy walked around Izuku, never turning his back on him until he was well out of arm's reach, then he turned and bolted down the hallway.
"Wow," Sera said, reappearing at Izuku's shoulder, she had decided to make herself invisible to everyone, including him, about halfway through the day but apparently she had never been far. Now here she was again and her face beamed with pride. "You did it Izuku, I knew that you could stand up to those bullies if you just believe in yourself." She waited for a response but none came so she focused back on her partner. "Izuku?"
Again, Izuku wasn't listening. With no outside target, the overwhelming emotion had morphed back into panic and turned inward. Unbidden, memories flooded Izuku's head in a feedback loop of terror. The rebar piercing his chest, the feeling of suffocation as he tried to inhale but couldn't, the smell of sewage-filled slime as it invaded his mouth and nose, wriggling as it pushed further and further into him. The fear of thinking he was going to die, of having his consciousness slip from his grasp as he desperately clung to it, hoping that someone would save him. Izuku's eyes darted about looking at, but not seeing, the hallway, only searching for where the next attack would come from. It was too open here, it wasn't safe. On autopilot, Izuku bolted down the halls looking for somewhere, anywhere he could be safe. Finally, he saw the small dark space under the stairs. Like a child, he dove into it and curled up with his knees in his chest as he took deep gasping breaths but never felt like he could get enough air. A part of his mind registered that someone was calling his name but he couldn't focus on it, all that existed was the terror.
Katsuki Bakugou, sighed as he stood from his desk. He had decided to finish up his homework before leaving today. A part of him had wanted to scold that slacker Nagai for showing up so late; after all, people often associated Nagai with himself so he couldn't let the other boy act in a way that would tarnish his reputation, but the long-fingered boy had left as soon as the bell rang so Katsuki put it off for later. Throwing his bag over his shoulder Katsuki thought about what he would do that evening. His other underling had left earlier as well so he would probably go for a run then hit the weights in his garage. As annoying as his parents could be, he did appreciate that they supported him on his path to becoming the next number one hero, and had bought him some high-quality training equipment. As Katsuki exited the room and entered the hall however he heard something,
"Help, please"
The voice was quiet but he could tell that it was coming from the stairs down the hall. Katsuki's initial reaction was to ignore the call but, for some reason, the voice sounded familiar so he decided to check it out to sate his curiosity. As he walked down the hall the call got louder leading him to the stairs and Katsuki blinked in surprise at seeing the small blue form of the fairy that was supposedly part of Deku's quirk. Katsuki's eyebrow raised and he came closer until the fairy spotted him and a look of anger came over her face.
"No," she insisted, "you go away, you will only make things worse."
Katsuki's eyebrow twitched. Who did this little blue twerp think she was trying to tell him what to do?
"One side, Navi," Katsuki grunted as he walked past her to peek under the stairs.
As Katsuki expected, Deku was there and he was glowing slightly in the shadow of the staircase. But Katsuki's focus was instead on the state of the other boy. Deku was curled up and shivering as he gasped for breath. What grabbed his attention the most were the green-haired boy's eyes. They were wide with fear, the pupils dilated and darting in every direction but never focusing on anything. They were nearly indistinguishable from the way his own eyes had looked just last Saturday.
A few people had asked why Katsuki had missed classes at the end of last week and he had kindly told them all to mind their own damned business. The truth was that he had missed that Saturday because he was in a state very similar to Deku's current one. Though he hadn't been curled up like a wuss, instead he had sat in his bedroom brooding as a proper protagonist should. Still, the panic had been real. As much as he still claimed that Deku didn't help, a small, honest part of himself realized that before Deku had run into the situation Katsuki had been on his last leg. Without the other boy distracting the villain, Katsuki would have become a lifeless meat puppet for however long it would have taken All Might to arrive. And the feeling of being suffocated, of losing control of his own body and the powerful quirk that he was so proud of had been so frightening that for the entire weekend Katsuki had been nearly catatonic. It was thanks to his loving parents and his own indomitable will that Katsuki had been well enough to return to school on Monday. Now, here Katsuki was being confronted with that same weakness, seeing another person go through something similar, and Katsuki hated it. So, he decided to go with his tried and true response: explosive anger.
"What do you think you're doing Deku?" Katsuki said as he approached the other boy.
Deku gave no response which only served to anger Katsuki more. Grabbing the other boy's upper arms Katsuki hauled him to his feet.
"Hey, I am talking to you," again no response.
Frustrated, but smart enough to realize he needed to calm the other boy down if he wanted to get in a proper scolding, Katsuki placed his hands on the side of Izuku's head and met the other boy's eyes.
"Deku, breathe you useless waste of space. You have to breathe." As he said this Katsuki began to breathe deeply in a controlled rhythm. Izuku slowly began to mirror him and gradually his eyes focused until Katsuki could tell he was actually seeing what was around him.
"Good," Katsuki said, "Now, what the hell was that Deku!"
The sudden change in tone made Izuku jump slightly.
"Just yesterday you were going on about how nothing could stop you getting into UA and now some garbage villain attack has you curled up under the stairs like a frightened civilian. Get a handle on yourself or give up on being a hero." With his piece said Katsuki turned away with a scoff and left down the hallway muttering
"Useless Deku, making me take time out of my day. What a waste of space…"
Izuku stood dumbfounded as the explosive teen marched away.
"Did Kacchan just… help me?" Izuku thought to himself.
"Izuku, I was so worried. He didn't hurt you did he?," Sera suddenly zoomed into Izuku's field of view, her face filled with concern.
"No, he didn't," Izuku said, still looking after the other boy with a puzzled expression. Then shaking his head he turned to Sera. As he watched her for a moment, Izuku came to terms with what had happened. He had a panic attack. He was no stranger to anxiety but this was much more intense. He had thought he could hold it in but one shock was all it took to trigger those memories to take control of him. He was past it, for now, but he could tell that the problem wasn't solved.
"I'm sorry Sera," Izuku said, "you were right, I'm not ok." As he spoke Izuku began to feel tears in his eyes. "I was so scared. I have almost died twice in less than a week, and I don't know if I can handle it."
Sera's eyes filled with sympathy for the boy in front of her and she floated forward and landed on her shoulder in the hopes that her presence would help bring some form of comfort.
"Izuku, you need to talk to someone. Part of strength is knowing when to get help."
"Who can I talk to?" Izuku asked, "No one I know has experience with this."
Sera, smiled chidingly, "What are you talking about, silly? You know the best person to talk about stuff like this with."
Izuku looked confused for a moment before he laughed at himself, "Oh, right."
Toshinori grunted as he carried another piece of junk up the stairs to the waiting truck. With a small shout, he heaved it up and into the truck bed then stretched out his back.
"Who even throws away a shelving unit?" He asked rhetorically as he surveyed his latest load.
Sighing, he looked back at the beach. It looked barely changed, but the hero didn't let it dishearten him. Midoriya and he had only been working for a few days, and with All for One needing to be reserved for emergencies he knew that this project would be labor- and time-intensive.
Thinking about Midoriya made the man glance down the path that led to the parking lot worriedly. He had arrived a bit earlier than usual today but he still expected the boy to get here before him. Toshinori hoped that everything was ok, the events of the previous day still worried him, and he feared that the boy was in danger. Over the years, it had become ingrained in Toshinori's subconscious that anyone he got close to would be targeted by his greatest enemy, and even though he believed the threat had been neutralized his old paranoia still plagued him.
As he was pondering his past, Toshinori spotted a figure approaching the parking lot. The hero cursed his lack of enhanced senses as he squinted in the hopes of discerning the identity of the approaching figure. He was unsure of who it was because it looked like the person was wearing dark clothing, and Midoriya's workout gear was usually white or some other bright color, but he believed he saw a small blue glow which looked like it could be Sera. After a few moments more Toshinori sighed in relief as the figure resolved into the form of his young friend. The worry quickly returned, however, when he saw the fatigue that filled the boy's face.
"Midoriya, my boy," The hero called when Izuku was close enough, "what happened?"
"All Might, can I talk to you about something?" Midoriya said, making Toshinori raise an eyebrow in surprise. Ever since they had introduced themselves to each other the boy had called him Mr. Yagi, now he was back to using his hero name.
"Of course, my boy," All Might responded, "let's have a seat over there and talk."
Toshinori and Izuku sat side by side in the same spot they had used during their first meeting on the beach. When they were both settled, Toshinori waited patiently for his companion to speak. After a minute of silence, the boy started talking.
"All Might, I am sorry but, I lied yesterday." Izuku explained, "What happened was an accident, but I wasn't by myself. One of the boys from school followed me here, he thought I was showing too much attitude after I got my quirk and wanted to remind me of my place. You know?"
Izuku paused looking to Toshinori to see if he was listening, The hero nodded his head to show he had heard and said, "I can imagine," prompting the boy to continue.
"A-anyway, we f-fought a little and I got pushed, and I was t-t-too close to the edge so I fell and there was a piece of metal that… that…"
"It's ok Midoriya, I already saw the aftermath yesterday, you don't need to describe it," Toshinori said quickly. The boy looked at him gratefully. He was obviously still terrified because of what happened.
"It's not only that though, just last Saturday, with the sludge villain. Before you showed up to save me I felt the same fear. Two times in less than a week I have almost died. How do you deal with it?" Izuku started to sound slightly hysterical as he spoke, "I tried to do what you said on the roof, how you hide it with your smile, but it just came out and I couldn't hold it back. All I could think about was that I was going to die."
Toshinori winced as guilt flashed through him, both at the fact that the sludge villain had attacked Izuku because it was fleeing him and that the boy had taken his words so literally.
"Midoriya," Toshinori said, grabbing the boy's attention, "That is a very good question for someone who hopes to be a hero to ask, but first you need to understand two things. One, neither of those events were your fault. The sludge villain attacked you because he was running from me, which I apologize for, I should have been more careful when fighting a villain like him, and in the events of yesterday you were assaulted by a classmate."
Izuku suddenly interrupted, "No, it was an accident, he isn't at fault, he had no way of knowing that the metal was there."
Toshinori raised a hand palm out to calm the boy down, "Very well, in that case, it was an accident so no one is truly at fault. What you must understand is that you shouldn't put any blame on yourself. The second thing you need to understand is that the feelings you are going through in response to those incidents are normal. You had two harrowing experiences in a very short timespan. The panic and fear you must be feeling are the same types of emotion anyone would feel, even me. How do you think I felt after receiving the wound that has left me in my current state. I had to go a few days before I could sleep at all and then it was only fitfully. You are not alone in how you have responded. Did I explain that well?"
Izuku looked at the older hero in awe before tears started to collect in his eyes. He scrunched his eyes shut and wiped furiously as he spoke, "Yes, yes I understand, and thank you."
Toshinori placed a comforting hand on the boy's back and nodded solemnly. He let Izuku have a minute to get his emotions back under control before continuing to speak.
"Now, Midoriya, I feel that I need to apologize as well for my words on the roof. I didn't mean that I always hide the pain I feel under a smile. In the moment of the conflict, yes I do hide all the fears I face. Fear that I won't be good enough, that people will die, that the villain will be too strong. I hide the fear in those moments for the sake of those I am there to protect. But afterward, when the villain is beaten, if I didn't let those fears out I would be no good for anyone. When we bottle up the negative emotions caused by our experiences they do not go away. Instead, they fester like a wound. Even though a person may be healthy physically, mentally they can be torn apart. It is essential for a hero to learn how to heal mentally because they face off against the worst that life has to offer. I have friends I can confide in who will listen to my pains and fears and help me recover. You need to find people like that. People who believe in you and will help you through your hardship. I would be honored to be there for you when available but find as many as you can because the larger your support structure, the better you will be able to help others."
Toshinori paused so that his words could sink in. This lesson was an important one for heroes to learn. Especially if they were as empathetic as Izuku was. Many heroes never made it past a few years in the profession because they failed to find the proper support or develop a healthy coping mechanism. Most hero agencies even had a psychologist or two on staff so that the heroes and sidekicks always had someone to go to when they were in need.
"All Might, I mean, Mr. Yagi," Midoriya said, making the hero focus on the boy again, "Can I still be a hero? I have felt so weak because of the fear, and I am just not sure anymore,"
Toshinori didn't answer right away. He wanted to reassure Izuku, but he needed to do it in the correct way. Just saying yes with no reasoning wouldn't calm the doubt that had entered the boy's heart.
"Midoriya, when you described the events of yesterday's accident, your first instinct was to protect the identity of the other boy involved. Even though you were in pain you still worried for his well-being. That lets me know that, even with everything you are going through, you will become a great hero."
Izuku was silent once more before saying, "Thanks Mr. Yagi,"
That evening the two heroes didn't get any more work done on the beach. Instead, they sat watching as the day passed into night and let Izuku heal. As the sky began growing dark the teen bid the older man farewell and began heading toward his home. As Izuku walked away Toshinori couldn't help but watch the teen and shake his head in regret that he couldn't have made the boy his successor, yet at the same time he was happy that he had come to know the promising young hero.
As Izuku walked home he pondered the words of wisdom he had received from his friend and idol. He was better, but he could still feel the dregs of the panic. It was like Mr. Yagi had said he had been wounded mentally and it would take time to heal, and Izuku had come to accept that. As he walked his eyes moved to the glowing figure of Sera at his side.
"You know I think I am the luckiest person to ever dream of being a hero," Izuku said.
"Why's that?" Sera asked, looking curiously at Izuku.
"Because I will always have a partner who will be there to help me through everything." Izuku stated, "I am sorry for not listening to you before Sera, you were right, I shouldn't have held it in."
"I forgive you," Sera said with a kind smile, "We are both still learning, and as long as we keep moving forward we will become the best heroes we can be."
"Right," Izuku agreed.
They walked a few steps more before Sera perked up.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Smiling, she started floating in front of Izuku's face as he walked. "While you were talking with Mr. Yagi, I found the perfect thing for your weapons training. It's buried in one of the piles of junk though"
Izuku smiled at her excitement, "Then tomorrow we will have to dig it out."
Izuku's smile then turned a bit nervous, "At least I hope we will be able to go back to the beach tomorrow. I am worried that when I come clean to Mom she will ban me from ever going near there again."
"Don't worry Izuku," Sera comforted him, "she is your biggest support so I am sure she wouldn't do anything to block your progress."
"We'll see" Izuku sighed.
Acknowledgments:
I Need to thank User Maserx01 for inspiring this chapter. they reminded me in a comment that going through multiple near-death experiences would leave a mark on the psyche of a person, and made me consider how I wanted to address that. I hope I have been able to represent this kind of trauma well. I have been blessed to have lived a very safe and happy life so I didn't have a lot of personal experience to pull from while trying to write something like this. Please let me know your thoughts in a review, I read every one of them and they help me to grow as a writer.
Also, as always special thanks to ACreativeMindAtWorkHere for being the beta reader. They have been a wonderful resource and motivator in helping me to continue all my stories.