"I really can't believe you!" Toshinori repeated for the 100th time in the last hour. "That was a complete overreaction!"
"I think it was a perfectly reasonable reaction." Izuku rebutted, his voice slightly muffled as he laid face down on the examination table. His head laid in his arms, whether it was to make his position more comfortable or to hide himself, Toshinori did not know.
Though, considering today's events. He would be safe to assume the latter.
Toshinori rolled his eyes at the teens' theatrics and set down the Styrofoam cup he was holding. "Here's your water. Drink up, you have to stay hydrated."
"I'm not thirsty." The boy muttered, face still hidden.
Toshinori raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Then why did you ask me to bring you something to drink?"
"So I can drown myself."
The older man was pretty sure it was an empty threat, but he wasn't going to take any more chances with his student. So he moved the cup out of Izuku's reach, and sat down in a nearby chair.
After Izuku's near fatal...accident? The Symbol of Peace had no choice but to rush his student to the emergency room. Toshinori already hated dealing with hospitals for his own issues. Having to check-in a nearly concussed, overdramatic teenager, whom he had no relations with whatsoever, was a headache he desperately wanted to avoid.
Sadly, his responsibility as an adult and mentor made it impossible.
"Well," Toshinori sighed, defeatedly. "You're not being rushed to surgery so you're not seriously injured. Which, I'm relieved to hear."
"Glad one of us is."
Toshinori didn't have a chance to say anything on that matter, when the door suddenly slid open.
"Sorry for the wait!" The doctor chirped, an older woman with a kind voice and smile, as she popped in holding a clipboard. She strode over to Izuku, soft eyes trained on the bandaged teenager. "Midoriya, is it? How are you feeling?"
Izuku started to sit up but a gentle hand from the medic told him he didn't have to. He laid his head in his arms, looking quite miserable. "Sore. Head hurts."
The woman winced in sympathy, though her smile never faltered. " I see, doctors said you had a nasty fall. Don't worry, we're going to check you out as soon as possible, so you can get home and rest."
At first things weren't so bad. The doctor began her examination and Izuku gave little to no trouble. Though, that was probably due to him being too embarrassed to voice anything. Both were able to answer the doctors questions without too much trouble. Which made Toshinori hope that the rest of this visit would go smoothly.
That hope was dashed when the practitioner turned to him and asked the well meaning, innocent question: "Mr. Yagi, was it? Are you his father?"
By some miracle, Toshinori did not cough up a sea of blood. Though he couldn't stop himself from choking, and hacking. In the midst of his panic, he heard his student let out a sharp squawk. ""N-No! That's not it! He's not-were not-!" He could no longer keep the gates closed and a few strands of blood trickled down his chin. Out of the corner of his eye, a handful of tissues were being thrusted out to him. Shame coursed through his body as he knew who it was. " S-sorry!" Toshinori apologized. The sight of pure horror on the examiner's face was almost too much to bear.
After calming down, somewhat. He looked up and noticed Izuku had buried his face in his arms once more, body trembling and the tips of his ears turning bright red.
Perhaps, in hindsight, he should have gone along with it. Especially since he was so preoccupied with Izuku's new injury, he didn't get a chance to think of a cover story on the way to the hospital. Now that the easiest one was unavailable, he had no choice but to tell the truth.
Well, part of the truth anyway.
Swallowing his nerves, he explained, "I'm actually a friend of the family who is acting as his trainer for the UA exams."
It was pretty weak and he didn't sound very confident in the answer. Yet, if the doctor was skeptical she didn't let it show. Far more interested in the injured teen, and possibly his own, she gave a slight nod and continued with the procedure. It took a while to get Izuku to crawl out of his shell. For the rest of the examination, he just stared at the ground. Mumbling his answers, too mortified to look his mentor in the eyes.
"Let's just get a blood sample real quick." The pediatrician said, silkily. Toshinori felt his insides clench at seeing his student look quite frightened. For a brief moment, a desire surged in him to go over and comfort the boy through this. But he stopped himself at the last second, afraid that would be overstepping some invisible boundary. Before he could make sense of what that feeling was, the doctor had put away the syringe. Izuku was rubbing his arm, whimpering slightly.
"There we go! You took that very well! Now," She pulled out a thick roll that had colorful pieces of paper on it. Would you like a sticker?"
Izuku pouted slightly, obviously perturbed at being treated like a child. Suddenly, his frown morphed into his sunshine filled smile as he gazed at one of the stickers with longing. Tentatively, he ripped it off the roll and giggled to himself. Toshinori watched with a smile of his own, glad to see his student back his usual self. The moment was ruined when he caught his hero's eye and went rigid. He hastily stuffed the sticker in his pocket, cheeks flushing a bright pink. Much to Toshinori's curiosity.
He was snapped out of it when the doctor politely asked Toshinori to step out of the room, so she could ask Izuku a few "personal" questions. Toshinori complied, more than eager to escape the awkwardness.
No more than ten minutes went by, when Toshinori was allowed back in the room. Izuku was standing on his feet. Though, he was a little unsteady.
"Is he done?" Toshinori asked, relief seeping into his tone
The woman just gave another small smile. "Almost, I would like to take him down to Radiology. Make sure there's no fractures."
Toshinori's heart seemed to stop functioning for a second. "F-fracture?!"
"Though, I don't believe that is the case." The doctor reassured him, quickly. "It is merely a precaution. Once this is over, we'll just have to wait for the results."
"Do you think you're up for that?" The hero asked the teen. Izuku nodded quickly, but seemed to regret that action. Holding his head in his hands.
"Ah, y-yeah! I'll be fine! Ow!" He still wouldn't make eye contact. Toshinori was surprised that he felt his heart sink at that.
"Would you like me to go with you?"
"N-no, thank you! I'll be alright by myself." Izuku denied, waving his hands in front of him. It was spoken in his usual nervous titter but Toshinori knew when he was being pushed away.
"Sir, why don't you sit in the waiting room." The medic suggested. "I'll come get you as soon as we're done." Eyes switching between him and Izuku.
"...Alright." Toshinori relented. "I'll see you later then." Without even thinking, his hand reached up to ruffle the kid's hair, before turning around to walk away. Perhaps a little "space" is needed before they can talk normally, again. Well, whatever "normal'' was between them.
"Mr. Yagi?"
"Hmm?" Toshinori didn't remember closing his eyes, let alone falling asleep. Yet, he stirred awake at the sound of his name being called. He looked around, eyes bleary, before focusing on a familiar face standing over him holding a clipboard.
"We're finished with all the tests, and I have the results right here."
"A-Already?!" Toshinori spluttered. He glanced out a nearby window, the sun was still up but he could see the faint hues of a sunset. Just how long has he been-?
"For about forty-five minutes." The doctor answered, understanding the unspoken question. "I apologize. After we were done with the X-Rays, Midoriya laid down on the examination table and wouldn't move. Don't worry!" Toshinori sprung to his feet in alarm. "He's just resting, it appears all the tests had taken more of a toll on him than we realized."
"I was going to inform you right away but not soon after I had another patient." She continued to explain. "I had just finished moments ago and picked up the test results."
"I see." Toshinori was still standing. "How is he?"
"Quite well, all things considered." The medic began flipping through the papers in front of her. "He doesn't have a concussion, nor is he suffering any severe head trauma." A cool balm of relief soothed Toshinori. "He'll be plagued with headaches for the rest of the day and night but we'll give him some medicine to take. He's very fatigued and a little dehydrated but nothing a couple days of rest won't fix."
The woman looked up from her notes, bright smile ever present. "Now, all there is to fill out this prescription and you two should be good to go."
"...Thank you, for everything." The gratitude in his voice was overflowing.
The doctor shook her head. "There's no need for thanks! I'm just relieved that it wasn't anything serious."
You and I both.
"He's probably still asleep, but would you like to go back to the room and see him?"
Toshinori didn't answer, he probably didn't need to, going by the knowing smile on her face. Wordlessly, he followed her down a familiar corridor. Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed the aghast and worried looks of the hospital staff. They probably gave him those looks earlier but he had been so focused on Izuku's condition he didn't pay them any mind. He internally winced, he'll never get used to those stares.
They walked in silence. Toshinori stared at the ground, not wanting to catch anyone's eyes.
"If you don't mind, may I ask you something?" The soft voice spoke up after a few minutes.
"Hmm? Oh, not at all." The woman had the same surveying look from earlier.
"I've noticed things have been rather...tense. Did you two have some kind of argument?"
Toshinori pondered on how to answer that question. "Not...quite. I sort of-he's easily-I'm not very…" Toshinori trailed off, uncertain. He didn't know how to explain without diving into the whole story. He snuck a glance at the pediatrician next to him, her eyes continued to drill into him, but her gaze held no judgement. Maybe...he could divulge just a little bit of information. He was way out of his depth after all.
So, what did he have left to lose?
"We didn't get into a fight." Toshinori responded at last. "Though, I can't say this isn't my fault."
The quiet resumed, neither person stopped moving but their pacing slowed. The doctor looked at the tall man beside her. A few more seconds of silence passed before he spoke again. "I walked in on something that's really...embarrassing for him."
Of all the things he expected for the woman to say or so, giggling was not on the list. "I'm sorry." Trying and failing to stifle her laughter. "But..is that all?"
"Yes, but don't say that in front of him ." Toshinori warned, a small smile appeared on his lips. "He thinks this is the end of the world."
"Most teenagers do, when it comes to stuff like this."
"Perhaps, but...he's very anxious and shy all the time. Not to mention, we've only been training for a couple of months now. So our relationship is...delicate. To say the least. I just don't know how to go about fixing this."
Another pause. "Well." The practitioner started, cautiously. 'I guess you'll just have to talk to him."
"...I don't think that's possible right now."
"Oh it will be difficult I'm sure, but avoiding the issue isn't working in your favor. So you should tackle it head on."
Hmm, it was sound advice, if a little simple. He had certainly thought about it numerous times.
They've arrived at their destination sooner than he would've liked. He wanted to go in and set things straight but some invisible force kept him from moving forward. The doctor sensed his hesitation and gave a comforting pat on the shoulder.
"I mean it. You should talk this out, I think he'd do it for you." Her tone had a touch of slyness to it. "He seems to think the world of you."
It took a full minute for the words to register in his brain. He choked on his surprise and looked at the woman almost helplessly. "Um, d-did he say anyth-"
"Sorry!" She said, without an ounce of remorse. "Doctor and patient confidentiality."
With that she opened the door and walked in. Toshinori followed, hollowly. As he stepped inside the room, Izuku began to stir awake. Whether it was on his own accord or the sound of the door, he didn't know. Sunken blue iris locked onto bright emerald orbs. Said eyes quickly looked away barely a second later.
"Sorry, for the delay, I hope you got enough rest." The doctor said, dutifully ignoring the tense atmosphere. "I have your results right here. First and foremost, you don't have a concussion. You should be happy."
"Of course, I'm not happy. I didn't use enough force." Izuku intoned, sourly. A dark shadow loomed over his flushed face, lips turned into a scowl. Or, what he thought was one anyway. Toshinori thought about scolding him, but he looked so petulant and dramatic. He couldn't help but roll his eyes and huff out a laugh.
Without even missing a beat, the doctor continued with her findings, though she smiled even harder than before. As soon as she finished relaying all the information, she cautioned Izuku to be more careful in the future. If Toshinori knew anything about his successor, that warning surely flew over the teens head. Before she could say anything else, a nurse burst in, looking rather frazzled.
"Sorry, to interrupt but you're needed."
The pediatrician nodded in understanding. She turned to Izuku, smiling in tow. "I apologize, this shouldn't take long." With that she turned on her heel and walked out the door. As she passed Toshinori, gave two quick pats on his shoulder. He didn't look her in the eye, didn't need to. The message was loud and clear.
Talk to him.
The door closed with a soft click. Silence stretched between them once again, with only the voices from outside and the whir of medical equipment breaking it. Izuku seemed to find the floor to be the most fascinating thing in the world all of a sudden. Toshinori simply stared at the hunched figure blankly.
Say something, damnit! "How are you feeling?"
"I wish to leave this plane of existence and have everyone forget about me." Izuku moaned, curling in on himself.
"...I-I meant physically."
"...I'm still sore and my head is throbbing." Izuku admitted softly.
The doctor had warned him that Izuku would be having headaches but Toshinori found himself frowning in concern anyway. "Anything I can do to help?"
"...Ask the doctors if they have any medicine that induces amnesia?"
Once again, that wasn't what he meant. Well, at least he was speaking to him. So, he guess he could play along for now. "Well, they have stairs I guess-"
"Perfect." Izuku attempted to stand on his feet, but was quickly halted by two large bony hands.
"I was kidding!" To his surprise he found himself a little amused at the pout that was forming on his students lips.
"I wasn't."
"You're being ridiculous!" A laugh tickled the back of his throat and managed to smother it. He tried to hide his grin as well, but from the way the corner of the kid's lips kept moving south, he didn't succeed.
"It's not funny." Red cheeks flushed a deeper shade, as he looked away.
"Forgive me, my boy but it kind of is." The look on Izuku's face seemed to disagree wholeheartedly. Toshinori snorted and placed his hand on the mess of curls. Almost immediately the tension bled out from his students shoulders. Green doe eyes glanced up at him, brimming with shyness. Toshinori felt his heart swell at the sight, grateful that he'd gotten the boy to look him in the eye. His long, thin fingers accidentally brushed against the bandage, causing the teen to hiss in pain.
"Ah! I'm sorry!" He didn't move his hand, but was careful not to disturb the wound again.
"I-Its nothing I can't handle." I'm used to this, he wanted to say but wisely decided not to. "You don't have to worry."
Toshinori flicked the teens forehead, no longer looking amused. "Seeing as you nearly died on my watch, twice ." Izuku cringed, shame rolling off him in waves. "I believe I have every right to worry."
Izuku resumed his favorite hobby of floor watching, cheeks ablaze and apologetic mumbles falling from his mouth. The annoyance didn't last long.
Heaving out a sigh, he clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Well, you've already suffered enough for today. The important thing is you're fine now."
Izuku gave a short nod and wiped at his face, but still didn't look up. The awkwardness still lingered but it wasn't as suffocating. Toshinori still wasn't satisfied though, perhaps it would be better to remind him of the good news.
"Also," Toshinori added, sounding far too casual. "I'm going to have to look after you for the next couple of days. So you better get used to me being concerned."
For the millionth time today, silence introduced itself as a third party. However, for once, Toshinori did not find it unwelcoming. Instead taking the reprieve to brace himself for the explosion.
3...2...1
Izuku snapped his head up at him with an audible crack! Gargantuan green eyes stared at the Number One Hero in shock. His lips moved rapidly, but only stutters made they're way past the gates. "W-Wait! Y-y-you mean...you mean I'm still going to your place?!"
Toshinori was a bit surprised by the question. "Of course, I promised you after all."
"W-well, I know, it's just, um, I-I thought you wouldn't want me to, after…" Whatever Izuku said after that was lost in the stream of mutters, a red flush bloomed across his face and he ducked his head in an attempt to hide it. Toshinori wasn't having it, though. Not after coming this far.
"After…?" Toshinori repeated. His usual patience for his squirrelly student in full force.
"...I thought, after seeing my room, you wouldn't...want me around." Izuku admitted, trailing off toward the end.
...Ah.
All at once everything seemed to click for the hero. This wasn't his pupil dealing with a simple case of mortification. The teen had been working himself into a frenzy thinking that his over the top hero had driven him away. He vividly recalled the shock of seeing the room for the first time. Guilt devoured his remaining insides at the face he must have made when he brought it up.
"I-It..wasn't that bad." The words didn't even sound convincing to his own ears. Izuku snorted derisively, still looking crestfallen. "Okay, okay it was...a lot to take in. I'm sorry if I made you think I was put off by it." He actually was, at first but not for the reason Izuku thinks. "I wouldn't avoid you because of that. I already knew you were a fanboy." Toshinori smirked.
" Gee, thanks. " Came the sarcastic reply from the mop of green hair.
"I mean, the first day I met you. You nearly obliterated your spin from just thanking me for the autograph. Oh, sorry. What did you call it? A family heirloom?" He gently nudged the red faced teenager in the side.
"Oh, god. Please-"
"You rattled off a battle of mine from over 5 years ago off the top of your head, can imitate my laugh. Keep a stash of notebooks with rather detailed analysis of heroes and quirks-"
"Wait , what?! How did you know about that?!"
"It's rude to interrupt, young man." Toshinori quipped, smiling far too wide. "You're awkward, springy, and a crybaby."
"Are...are you trying to cheer me up right now?" Izuku was no longer hiding from him, indignation and skepticism being the fuel for his courage. Toshinori chuckled, he wrapped a skinny arm around the boy's shoulder, pulling him closer.
"What I'm trying to say is that I knew what you were like before taking you as my successor. I didn't regret it then, and I don't regret it now. So, you can have all the figurines, posters, undergarments-"
A sound resembling a mouse being trotted on erupted from beside him.
"In the world, and that still wouldn't be enough to make me leave. I'm here for you, whenever you need me." He took the teens chin and tilted it upwards. Watery eyes gazed back at his unyielding ones. "Okay?"
" ...Okay. " Izuku's voice broke. The tears that he had been keeping in, finally made their escape. Traveling down his cheeks and splashing on his knees. Toshinori said nothing, simply rubbing the teens back. Trying to coax all the pent up emotions out. After a few minutes the only sounds in the room were haggard breathing and hiccups, but both parties didn't seem to mind the quiet. Toshinori couldn't help but notice teen was starting to nod off a little. He was about to and let the boy rest again when-
Rattle. "I apologize for the wait. Now, where were-oh."
The doctor stopped short upon seeing the pair so close to each other. Izuku jolted and moved away from Toshinori, wiping his face furiously, blushing back in full force. The woman shot Toshinori a knowing smile, which made his own face rather warm. Ever the professional she strode over to them, clipboard in hand.
"Alright, you're both all set!" She handed the clipboard to Toshinori, smiling. "I just need you to fill out a few forms and then you're good to go." She turned to Izuku and bowed. "I hope you feel better soon!"
"Oh, um, t-thank you!" Izuku gave her his own smile, the one Toshinori missed dearly.
The medic hummed, happily. She looked as if she was about to leave when she let out a small sound of realization.
"I almost forgot!" She dug into her coat pocket and pulled a familiar small, colorful square piece of paper. "You accidentally left this in Radiology. Thought you might want it back."
Toshinori looked up from the papers, only really half listening. He glanced at the object that was being given to his student and-
-Nearly dropped the clipboard in his hands.
It was a sticker. A sticker with an iconic red, blue and yellow motif. With...All Might dead in the center, greeting everyone in the room with his usual too bright smile. Toshinori, holding his breath in hopes that he wouldn't cough. He felt his brain beginning to shut down. Though his reaction paled to his proteges.
Izuku's entire frame was a luminescent pink and he trembled like a leaf. With shaky hands he took back the sticker, mumbling another thank you that was far less enthusiastic. Not that it mattered as the doctor was already out the door, completely unaware of the damage she had done.
"Um, I'm here to pick a prescription for Midoriya." Toshinori muttered, to the pharmacist behind the glass.
A few clicks from the fingers hitting the keyboard was the only thing he registered in his brain before the man spoke. "Ah yes, some painkillers and a anti inflammatory." Toshinori nodded, or at least he thinks he did. He honestly wasn't sure about anything anymore. After he left the examination room, all of his attention had been on the teen. Who normally would've bemoaned his life and flailed in shame after what just happened, remained uncharacteristically quiet. Eyes vacant, face pale, practically resembling a walking corpse.
After everything that has happened, Toshinori didn't know what Izuku was planning to do now. He was like a ticking time bomb, one that was set to go off at the slightest provocation. So, he would have to be careful and try and weave through this mess.
"Excuse me?"
"Oh! Um, sorry, yes." The man held two small packages with Izuku's name on them.
"Here's your medicine, though before anything I would like to know if he has any allergies or existing prescriptions he's taking at the moment. Anything else he would need while you're here."
"Um…"
BAM!
Small palms made sharp contact with the counter. Normally, vibrant green eyes were hidden by a bush of curls. Both Toshinori and the pharmacist were stunned into silence. Then, slowly, as if it had weighed a ton, Izuku lifted his head to stare at the medical staff. Cold, dead eyes somehow managing to look pleading as he whispered,
"Give me something that'll put me out of my misery. Preferably a bullet."
...Aaaannd, back to square one.