Toxicity

CHAPTER FIVE:

The dying orange rays of the sun met his half-lidded eyes, his chest heavy with an uncomfortable weight as he softly let a sigh pass his lips, a faint rapping on the door that was barely audible. His gaze slowly traveled to the door as it cracked open, emerald eyes meeting his own as they swirled with a warmth that was as sweet as honey, thin lips curved into a caring smile that would always remain the same towards him. Her dark forest green locks semi-tired up as the loose strands framed her round face, her small figure moving into the room as she gently lay her hand upon his.

He grimaced as he looked down at his scarred hands, a frown twitching at his lips as this woman – his mother – gently brushed her soft round fingers over his knuckles as the frown on his lips quirked up slightly. He loved his mother's touch, it was caring and warm and felt as if she'd love him indifferently.

He turned over his hand, his fingers interlocking with her smaller one, hand trembling with a storm of emotions. Her other hand cupping his cheek as he leaned into the warm touch, the heat from her hand coursing through his body like a fire that would melt a frozen stream. His words soft and murmured as the warmth in the room slowly disappeared being replaced with a bitter cold feeling as if it was snuffed out like a fire. His lips trembled along with his words that rolled from his lips, "...Mum... I'm sorry..."

Izuku's eyes snapped open, a choked gasp leaving his lips as he looked around the darkening room. Trembling fingers shaking as he gently traced his fingers over the side of his face were his mother was touching, the skin cold compared to her touch and was interrupted with a mask being placed over his nose and mouth to vent out his poison gases. The faint hum of another person let his gaze snap over to Recovery Girl, a faint smile upon her lips, "Hello Midoriya, I was able to stop the eternal bleeding and heal the tissue, however you did have a punctured lung so your quirk has caused minor damage to some of your organs but that was easily fixed. However, due to this wound being relatively harmful, you'll have to take things slowly and allow your body to heal the remaining damage. You may leave but," She looked away to dig in her draws as she turned to look back at him, handing him a slip, "Give this to your guardian, it has my number and the schools if anything causes your condition at the moment to worsen. I'd also like it if your guardian came and picked you up. Can you tell me their number?"

Izuku let his uneven breathing slow as he slowly pushed himself into an upright position, back resting against the pillows as he relayed Kurogiri's number to the nurse. He turned away from the nurse as she shuffled out of the room, his emerald eyes watching as the remaining of the sun's rays sunk beneath the horizon. The faint warm glow causing his chest to flutter as he let a soft smile grace his lips.

He flicked off the sheets on his legs, swing his limbs over the edge of the bed as he let his sock cover feet touch the tiled ground. Slowly standing to his feet as he pressed his hand to his bandaged rib, breathing in slowly as he released the pressure with a mild discomfort. The mask still attached to his face was quickly disregarded as he kept his lips sealed, only letting small swirls of green release from his nose.

The door slid open to reveal Recovery Girl, a faint smile on her aged lips, "You're guardian will be here shortly, please take a seat and wait."

Izuku sat back on the bed, finger's nervously tapping against his thigh as eight minutes ticked by, a faint rapping on the door causing his actions to freeze. The door slowly sliding open to reveal a man in his mid-twenties; black locks that were hued with a faint purple that reached down to his mid-neck, honey gold eyes and a sharp jawline, his slender form being refined with a small number of muscles that were hidden under the formal clothes he wore. His deep voice rumbling in the air as a faint smile quirked at his pale lips, "Izuku, it's good to see you doing alright but please do be careful. You worry me sometimes."

A faint pout formed on his lips as he looked away from the man, fiddling with the sheets on the bed as he mumbled back, "I'm sorry 'Giri, I don't mean to worry you."

"Never mind that, I'm just glad you're okay. Now, come on, let's get home." Kurogiri ushered for Izuku to get to his feet, the boy doing so slowly as he followed behind the taller man. His gaze directed towards the floor as a tightened feeling filled his chest as if the oxygen had thickened and was slowly suffocating. He pressed his palm flat against his chest as his finger curled into the fabric, teeth grinding on each other as he breathing was ragged. A thick green cloud leaving his lip as his pace slowed, Kurogiri stopping to look at Izuku, a frown forming on his thin lips.

Kurogiri strode over to Izuku, placing his hand on the boys back as he rubbed circles, speaking softly to Izuku, "Is there a reason why you are fretting, Midoriya?"

The darkening halls of the school were quiet as his illuminating green wisps escaped into the air, his breath choppy as he slowly relaxed from the soothing rub on his back. His voice was soft, barely above a whisper as he clenched his fist until his knuckle were white, "I failed… I wasn't strong enough… I should have easily wiped the floor with him but in the end, I still haven't changed. I'm still nothing compared to him, I'm still weak."

"Midoriya," Kurogiri placed his slender fingers on Izuku's head, ruffling his curling green locks as he spoke soothingly, "Don't let one defeat keep you down, there are always other battles to fight and you will win some and lose some, but in the end… You'll always have us by your side."