Chapter Ten: Dread

The rest of the day at the dorms, Izuku was on his toes, greatly unnerved over his conversation with Nakatomi. Clearly, the villain wasn't finished with him yet. And until he got his way, he wouldn't stop trying to convince him to let him out.

But no matter what, Izuku would never let Nakatomi be free, or not tell the court the entire truth of what he'd seen. Nakatomi was a villain, and he had to be punished justly. There was nothing that he could do to change his mind.

That night at dinner, All Might joined him and his class- a pleasant surprise, even if it was unexpected. Although Sato had prepared the meal himself, Izuku felt sick to his stomach and could barely force himself to take a bite despite Uraraka and Iida's prodding.

"You need to keep your strength up, Midoriya!" Iida insisted from beside him. "Recovery Girl wouldn't like this!"

"Exactly, Deku. Just eat a little, you must be really hungry after what's happened lately!" Uraraka pointed to the bowl of chicken and rice in front of him. "Sato worked really hard making it so you know it's going to be good. Come on, have a bite or two! You'll love it!"

Izuku gave his friends a waning smile. "It's okay, I'm not really hungry."

"Midoriya," All Might said in a warning tone. He was sitting across the counter from his successor and didn't look pleased with his reluctance. "You need to eat something. I promised your mother that I would take care of you, and she wouldn't want you starving."

"I'm not-"

"No, eat. Even if it is a few bites, you need something to run on. You don't want to burn out before the trial."

Grudgingly, Izuku picked up his chopsticks and poked at his meal before finally taking a small bite. It was warm and sweet, but he simply didn't have the energy to enjoy it.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Kaminari asked from further down the counter, "So, Midoriya, how did visiting that villain go today?"

Izuku choked on his rice while Iida sent the blonde boy an exasperated look. "Kaminari, you know you're not supposed to talk about that!"

The other boy's eyes widened. "Oh, right! Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it!"

Izuku shook his head, swallowing his bite of food as he put down his chopsticks. "No, it's-it's fine. Don't worry about it." His eyes roamed his classmates' faces- save for Bakugo, who was in his room upstairs- and he bit his lip. They only knew about the trial and him seeing Nakatomi. Nothing about Shigeru or him being targeted. He hated not being able to tell them more, but maybe he could clear some things up in the meantime. "I know you guys only know the basics of what's been happening, and… for now… I think it's better to keep it that way." He clenched his jaw. "Today, Nakatomi wasn't… wasn't what I had expected. He thinks I'll release him from jail, or at least not tell the court what really happened during the robbery. He thinks he's already won. But… he hasn't. And I'm going to make sure he never will." He clenched his fists against the table before he looked back up at the others. "I-I know that I'm scared… and I don't think that anything could change that until this is all over… but I know that I have to be strong. I can't let Nakatomi get out of jail, no matter w-what the consequences..." His voice broke slightly at the end despite his will to keep it steady, because as much as he tried to hide it, he was scared.

Wait. No...

He was terrified.

But, he knew he couldn't focus on that right now. Right now, he had to focus on the trial ahead. On the safety of all his friends. On keeping safe until he could give his testimony.

You wanted to be a hero, right? he told himself. Well, this is what it's going to take.

He tightened his jaw, fighting to keep his composure in front of his friends. He just had to get through this. For his sake, and for the sake of everyone else.

Quickly, he ducked his head over his plate as his chin trembled, and a moment later, All Might's hand was on his arm, lending him strength and reassurance.

"It's over, Midoriya," he said quietly. "Even though Nakatomi said those things, that man Shigeru can't get you anymore. He can't know that you've been moved. He'd have to been told by one of us."

"I know," Izuku said hoarsely. "But after what he's tried so far, I don't…" He shook his head. "I just hope he doesn't try anything else."

"He won't. After the precautions we've taken, he couldn't keep this up."

Izuku didn't respond. After a long moment, he made a move to resume eating, but it was clear his appetite was gone. He ate a few more bites out of his meal but it felt like swallowing cardboard. Unable to eat anymore, he pushed his plate aside and stood up.

"I'll be in my room," he said aloud, and before anyone could stop him, he rushed off towards the elevators, feeling that he was about to be sick.

It was only when he had reached his dorm room and closed the door behind him did he finally allow himself to collapse, falling down on his bed before trying to focus on the tasks in front of him. To start with, he had to listen to whatever Tsukauchi and All Might told him. That way, he would be safer than coming up with a plan on his own. Second, he couldn't do anything to endanger his friends. When Todoroki had found out more about Shigeru coming after him, he'd gotten targeted as well. No, he couldn't do that to anyone else. Especially not Uraraka or Iida.

And third… he had to keep a level head until the trial came. He couldn't let Nakatomi get under his skin, no matter what he threatened him with. Shigeru was out there, sure, but he didn't know where he was. He didn't have a way of coming after him.

Yet.

He shivered, burying his face into his pillow. Still, even if Shigeru did come after him again, would he be able to break into Heights Alliance? Unlikely. There were security cameras and monitors everywhere, and without a passcode to enter, someone would have to break a window or a door to get in.

He sighed. Until the trial, he'd have to hold on and keep a brave face. He couldn't let Nakatomi get out, or allow Shigeru to scare him any more than he already had.

Clenching his fists, he nodded to himself. He could do this. He would be a hero.

Ringgg!

Startled by the sudden noise buzzing from his pocket, he sat up in bed. It took a moment to calm down and realize that it was just his phone.

He dragged it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. It was Tsukauchi. Eyes widening, he swallowed. Had something happened with Nakatomi? Shigeru?

His heart pounded in his chest as he accepted the call and held the phone up to his ear. "Mr-Mr. Tsukauchi?"

"Midoriya. I...I have some news."

He furrowed his brow and gulped. "What?"

"It's about the trial. It's been moved up to Monday."

"Wait, what?" This had not been what he was expecting.

"I know, it's a bit unexpected. There was an emergency and the judge was needed elsewhere on Saturday. The court said they can take the case only as soon as Monday."

Izuku stared down at his lap. "Oh."

"I'm sorry, I had no idea this was going to happen. Will you still be there?"

"...yeah. I'll be there," he said faintly. His mind screamed otherwise, but it wasn't like he had a choice. He had to give his testimony and put Nakatomi in prison where he belonged. It was his duty as a citizen and as a hero.

"Great, I'll see you then, Midoriya. Oh, and let me know if anything else happens in the meantime, so keep me updated."

"Thanks, I will."

"Alright, talk to you later. Stay safe."

The phone called disconnected and Izuku exhaled deeply, falling against his bed again. He thought he could last until Saturday. He could do Saturday, seeing as it was only Thursday and the trial would've only been two days away. But Monday… could he last that long? Would Shigeru let him last that long?

A shiver ran up his spine. With the trial being moved back, that gave Shigeru more time to strike. It gave Nakatomi more time to escape.

It meant things were about to get much… much worse.

The next day passed far too slowly for Izuku's taste.

He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, nightmares plaguing him every time he closed his eyes, and was more than ready for it to be Monday already. Aizawa's words blended together in class, Present Mic's English lessons required brainpower he just did not have, and he could hardly focus on the lectures about the Hero Work Studies coming up.

He hadn't seen Mirio around lately, either, which wasn't helpful. How was he supposed to learn more about his brilliant fighting style if he couldn't even talk to him?

Lunch came, and he found himself seated with Iida, Uraraka, Todoroki, and a couple of other U.A. students. Uraraka was chatting happily with Iida about how her parents planned to visit her again soon, while Izuku simply chewed on his lunch thoughtfully, contemplating what he could do before the trial.

He was safe at U.A. - at least, he mostly believed that - so he didn't have to move anywhere else. The weekend was coming up, which meant he didn't have to struggle through any more classes. Still, that just made the wait even longer.

What else could he occupy himself with? He was allowed to go around the city, but only if he was accompanied by his friends. Even so, he wasn't sure if he wanted to go outside until Monday. Shigeru had sprouted fear inside of him and it was growing… he just didn't know when it would go away.

"Midoriya?"

Izuku's head slowly turned to the left where Todoroki was sitting, his noodles half-eaten in front of him. The other boy looked mildly concerned but more confused as he stared at Izuku. "Are you alright?"

Izuku smiled. "I'm great."

"You look lost in thought." Todoroki furrowed his brow. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, of course not." Izuku swirled his chopstick in his rice absently. "I'm just tired, is all."

"Is it about the trial getting moved back?"

His smile faded as his hand fell back into his lap. He'd told his friend last night about it, although not much had been said. It wasn't like either of them could do anything about it. "I guess… maybe. It's just hard to forget what Shigeru's tried so far. Plus, he could be listening into anything we say through those tapes if we're not careful."

"I thought that Aizawa said the dorms were clean?"

"He-he did! I just mean, I don't not want to be careful. I can't afford that right now."

"So… you're worried about what he'll try next time," Todoroki said slowly. "The lengths he'll go to try and hurt you, and what he'll do in the end."

Those two painfully true sentences struck a familiar chord in Izuku. He was scared about what Shigeru would try next, if he'd go after his classmates after this- maybe even his mother.

"Midoriya, I just want to let you know something." Todoroki's bi-colored eyes pierced Izuku's green ones. "If this Shigeru does try something else, you won't have to face him alone. I won't let him get the chance."

"You don't have-"

"Yes, I do. If this villain wants to come after you, he can. But that doesn't mean he will succeed in getting what he wants. He's only one man."

"Todoroki, we don't even know what his quirk is and what he's capable of doing," Izuku argued. "Besides, he already threatened to come after you, too. I don't have to put anyone else in danger to protect me. And who knows? He might not come after me after all." His gaze fell back to his food, but suddenly he wasn't very hungry anymore. He shrugged. "I-I do appreciate you caring, though. It means a lot."

Todoroki didn't respond for a long minute. "Just remember that it's alright to need other people to rely on once in a while," he finally said. "Even heroes need help, remember?"

"Right." Izuku looked back up at his friend, this time with more confidence. "Let's not talk about this any longer, okay? I don't want Shigeru and Nakatomi to ruin more than they already have."

Todoroki offered a piece of a smile and nodded. "I think that's a good idea."

"Hey, Deku!"

Izuku's head turned to look at Uraraka who was across the table from him with Iida. An excited smile widened her face. "Iida and I were thinking that the whole class could watch a movie together tonight! Do you want to do it too?"

For the first time in days, Izuku actually gave a real smile back. "Sure. That sounds great!"

"What about you, Todoroki?" Iida asked.

Todoroki looked a little surprised to be asked but nodded after a moment. "I suppose so… although I'm not quite sure what to do at these sorts of... things…"

"It's settled then!" Uraraka cheered. "I can't wait!"

As the table resumed its normal happy chatter, Izuku realized that he was really starting to feel like his old self again. And he wasn't going to let Nakatomi ruin it. He wouldn't let him hurt anything else.

There would still be a trial, and he would absolutely make sure he'd be there.