How did it end up like this?
Midoriya Izuku stared at the ever-growing mass of flesh in front of him, writhing and expanding in all directions.
He couldn't move. It was as if his feet were stuck to the ground.
A distorted amalgamation of voices drilled deep into his ears and joined in with the throbbing pounds at the forefront of his skull. He felt a bead of sweat forming above his eyebrow and his vision got blurry.
Again. It was happening again. It definitely wasn't getting any easier.
He wanted to get away from here. To run to his home and maybe never leave his bed. But that wasn't an option. Why? It was simple.
He slowly spun his head around, trying to be subtle, when he found out that his gnawing suspicion was true. He saw her. Sitting on a table next to the window in the far corner of the room, frigid eyes bore a hole through the back of his head. As soon as he noticed, his facial muscles froze in a grimace and he faced forwards. It was clear to him.
There was no escape.
Even if he hid under the sheets of his bed, there was no doubt in his mind that she would somehow find him. And he didn't dare to ponder what exactly she would do to him. What kind of humiliation she would force him through. There was only one thing he was sure of, just one. He visualized those keen, disdainful, cold eyes of hers glaring straight through him. His body trembled.
Those eyes promised certain pain.
Thus, here he was, between the sharp jaws of monsters and an impossibly high wall. He drew a deep breath that filled his lungs with precious air. He had to take the first step. He had to or they would grow impatient. No way around it. He had-
At that moment, he noticed he had been trapped in a river of people moving towards…
The epicenter.
His mind went into panic only a second after, as the people surrounding him were way too close for comfort. He tried to push his way out of the flow, but he simply couldn't. His cries for help were swallowed by the boisterous shouts of "Combo 1!" through "Combo 5!".
Mom… I'm sorry… This might be it…
After an eternity of pulling, bumping, nudging, shouting, and other things Izuku didn't quite enjoy, it was finally over.
With wobbly hands, he placed a wide tray with an arrangement of different foods and beverages in the middle of the table before dropping down to his seat, exhausted.
"Geez. What took you so long?" Ferro-san asked, her voice slathered with honey. Izuku's senses honed in on her instinctually. She reposed her rosy cheeks on an opened palm as she scanned through the items on the tray. His gaze wandered down to her tapping finger, and the elaborated designs of pink flowers painted on her nails. Through his fatigue he felt a pit forming in his stomach. Did he somehow mess up their order? No. Everything but that. He pulled on his collar, suddenly feeling it too tight around his neck.
A moment later, she grabbed the grilled cheese sandwich and a natural orange juice. Without wasting any more time, she dug in her food.
"I was literally about to pass out from hunger," she mumbled with her mouth full. He wasn't certain if she wanted an answer or not, so he chose to play it safe and scratched his cheek while looking to the side. Just a couple of seconds after, he found her enthusiastically typing into her phone, already forgetting his presence. He exhaled a tiny bit in relief.
A relief that didn't last long, for he remembered where he was sitting.
Never in a million years would he have guessed that one day he was going to sit in the cafeteria, least of all with Ferro-san's group. Forget about the popular kids, this girl had been comfortably sitting at the top of the food chain for as long as he could remember. An apex predator. She lived in a whole different world.
A dangerous world that wasn't meant for people like him.
Someone cleared their throat and Izuku choked on air. He coughed a couple of times, doing his best to keep it down, when he noticed an extended hand in his direction. He followed the offending arm all the way to its owner, sitting directly in front of him. Sawada Koemi. Refined, serene, and composed were the words that came to mind every time he saw her. She was one of the brightest students, as well as the ace of the swimming team. Her lush, silky blue hair flowed like a crystalline river. She was tall, beautiful, smart… scarily perfect. And she was addressing him. What a surreal experience. "Aren't you forgetting something?" she said with closed eyes while gesturing to her open palm.
Forgetting…? Yes! Of course! He patted every single pocket on his person in an instant, before he found what he was looking for. He took out the loose change from his back pocket. "H-H-Here-!"
A single coin slipped from between his fingers.
His other hand shot towards the falling coin out of reflex, but it only served to push it downwards faster. It hit the ground with a soft clink, then rolled under the table. The green-haired boy didn't hesitate to plunge roughly to his knees in order to look for the elusive object amid the darkness.
Where is it…?
It was kind of hard to see, but it should be close.
Where…?
He crawled a little bit further into the darkness and his vision finally adjusted-
Shoes. That's what he first saw. There were several pairs of black shoes and NO!
Realization slammed into him like a speeding truck.
He was under the table.
The world began to spin and a debilitating vertigo flipped his stomach upside down.
He was under the table.
Tendrils of darkness began to eat away at his vision.
He recognized the telltale signs that he was about to faint.
However, a spark of something ignited the idle embers within his sternum and kindled his survival instinct.
If I pass out here that'll be the end of me. Come on, not yet. I don't wanna die yet!
Adrenaline pumped through his blood the following instant, pushing his senses into overdrive.
Veins popped above his eyebrows and his head whizzed as he turned in all directions, focusing extremely hard on the ground and nothing else above it, looking for that stupid little-
There! It! IS!
Something glinted at the corner of his vision and he immediately reached out for it. As soon as his fingers touched something slightly cold and metallic, he firmly grasped it and stood up with all of his strength.
Not a single second wasted.
GOOOOO-
He banged the back of his head against the table with so much force that his consciousness went white. He ignored it and stood up.
An oppressive, still silence welcomed him.
He could feel their eyes on him, but he dared not return their gaze.
Not one word escaped his lips as he gave a perfectly horizontal bow and dropped the exact change on Sawada-san's open palm.
He waited, focusing only on his own breathing. In and out. Again, and again.
Then, Ferro-san's barely suppressed laughter cut through the tension. "Hah. Anyway-"
She continued to speak to whoever she was talking to, then everyone followed suit and carried on with their conversations as if nothing had happened.
T-That was…
He collapsed back into his seat. He could feel his soul leaving his body and the cold embrace of death spreading through his shoulders all the way to his lower back.
How did it end up like this!?
For the last week, lunch had become remarkably more of a trial for his feeble heart. Crowds, loud noises, and no personal space, while surrounded by the scariest beings of them all.
Girls. Popular girls.
He was so out of his depth. Every little interaction felt like he was walking on a thin rope suspended hundreds of meters above the ground with no safety equipment on while standing on one foot and every now and then someone was shooting rockets at him and the ground was actually lava and there was no OXYGEN because all along he was actually in SPACE without a helmet and he hadn't realized he was doomed from the very beginning!
Something like that.
"That face again," someone said and made him jump out of his skin in fright. Gray eyes regarded him with boredom and his gaze immediately darted to the side. Sitting to his left, too close for comfort, was the one responsible for his predicament. Komine Oriana, the new transfer student. "You're probably thinkin' something dumb."
He laughed awkwardly in response, trying to get a hold of his rising emotions. "U-U-Umm. N-N-Not e-exactly…"
"What is it, then?" she said and he could feel her inquisitive glare on him. He gulped. He opened and closed his mouth a few times. "Wait, I know…" she edged closer and he froze, cold sweat dripping down his face, "Did you see something interesting down there?" she whispered.
Izuku shot upwards faster than the price of real estate in the 2020s, before waving his hands around while trying to expel excuses out of his mouth. "N-N-N-! T-T-Th-Th-! I-I-I-I d-d-d-did NOT! S-S-S-Searching f-f-for t-t-th-c-c-COIN! NO! LOOK-K-KING! I! SWEAR!"
The response to his passionate speech was an off-handed "I'm kiddin'," before Komine-san pierced a straw through her strawberry-flavored milk. Said carton depicted the hero Fat Gum giving out a thumbs up with the words 'Berry Moo' below. She took a couple of gulps while maintaining eye contact with him, then said "Not like you know what to look for anyway."
Izuku wordlessly sat down again. He was tired. He had already reached his limit 15 minutes ago. What was he still doing here?
His gaze met with a pair of green eyes a little darker than his own, eyes that were narrowed in clear distrust. Minamoto Nana. He had never interacted with the blonde girl before and this was the first time they were in the same class, but for some reason she didn't like him one bit. Well, he could hazard a guess as to why. He wasn't one-hundred percent stupid like some people thought. Anyway, it was more than obvious that Minamoto-san didn't want him here.
In fact, none of them probably did. They either ignored his presence altogether, made fun of him, or openly glared daggers at him. It had been like that the entire week.
So, why was he here?
Minamoto-san's scowl deepened and he realized he had been staring. He quickly looked down at the table.
Why was he here?
Well, it wasn't his decision. It was all Komine-san's fault. Every day she cornered him and dragged him here against his will! She was impossible to avoid!
He fidgeted with the hem of his jacket.
For what reason, though? Why him?
Of course, he knew the answer to that. Simply put, he was an easy prey. Even though he had tried his best to lay low and stay out of her notice, it hadn't worked out. It rarely did, to be honest. These kinds of people often had the ability to sense fear. Even if… Even if Haruo hadn't said anything about his affliction, nothing would've changed. She was like a voracious shark that had caught the scent of blood. There was no escaping it.
He just needed to endure until she grew bored of him. That was it. She would eventually grow bored and then he would be able to enjoy the peaceful tranquility of eating alone on the roof again. To think he would actually miss that. Incredible. From now on, he would be more careful about what he wished for.
So, for the time being, endure.
A jagged, shark-like grin flashed inside of his mind, wide and ecstatic, reaching into the corners of her gleaming gray eyes. "What do you think would happen if I broke your hands?"
He shivered as a freezing rush climbed its way up his spine. Terrifying. Although she hadn't done anything as radical as that particular event on her first day, her aggressive attitude tended to bare its fangs every so often. She had been labeled a delinquent in record time, and even people sitting at this very table steered clear of the new girl. Whatever they saw, he had seen it too. Glimpses of what lurked beneath her seemingly apathetic appearance. It was utterly terrifying. He gulped as he took a quick glance at the girl sitting next to him, quietly munching on a choco-croissant.
However, most of the time, she was like this. Silent. Simply watching. Apart from answering questions directed at her, she didn't speak all that much. It was almost like she was… waiting.
Though, waiting for what? What could she be waiting for? Maybe- ugh. Anyway, it wasn't like he was any good at this. He had never spoken to a girl before. He was just stupid, friendless Midoriya.
He sighed.
This world wasn't meant for him.
Well, at least they were playing nice so far. He was certain it could've been much worse. Thinking of Haruo, he couldn't help but feel awful. Granted, the guy was a jerk and he constantly mocked and hurt him, but still. He didn't deserve that. Nobody deserved that. And not a single one of their classmates had seen what happened. Who could've done that but-
"Aren't you hungry?" Komine-san asked out of nowhere and pulled him out of his thoughts. He replayed her question multiple times, trying to understand what she meant.
"U-U-Um-"
"I mean, you never get anything for yourself. Why?" she continued.
Once more, he felt her piercing gaze on him. He gulped. Crap. "I-I a-a-al-already a-ate," he lied. There was no way he was ever going to say that his mother prepared lunches for him. They would have a field day with that information. Nope, not happening.
Seconds went by and the green-haired boy grew restless. Could it be that her Quirk was some kind of telepathy!? No, that was impossible. She had some kind of strength-enhancing Quirk, he had already established that. Then…
She placed a plastic bag in front of him. "Here. You can have this."
He studied the item thoroughly, then turned to look behind him, before quickly regarding every person sitting at the table. They were distracted by their own thing. So, it wasn't some kind of prank. The green-haired boy picked the plastic bag with extreme caution. It held a choco-croissant inside of it and it hadn't been opened. Why would she give this to him? What was she trying to accomplish?
She stood up for you, remember? the childish voice that lived inside of his mind said. Why would someone who defended you try to hurt you? That doesn't make sense. Maybe… Maybe she-
He shook his head to get rid of that voice. There was no way. He wouldn't allow himself to be hurt by impossibilities. Not again.
"T-T-Th-Thanks…" he muttered and placed the offered food back on the table. Denying it would probably be more trouble, so… this should be alright.
At that moment, he spotted ashen blond hair moving through the river of students. His thought process came to a halt. This time it was the right shade, the right shape, the right posture, the right anger- the right fear.
Kacchan.
He held on to the table for dear life, hoping, begging, to pass unnoticed. How would he react to seeing him sitting at this table? Him of all people? He would probably see it as some kind of challenge.
And Kacchan didn't react kindly to challenges.
Maybe he still had a chance to get away. If he was-
Narrow, red eyes found him and everything disappeared.
Everything but the two of them.
Izuku paled. It was too late. He could do nothing but watch as fiery rage filled his former best friend's eyes. He saw it clearly. Even if he wanted to look away, he couldn't. He was paralyzed. He waited for Kacchan's fire to burn out of control and engulf him.
However, the blond boy broke eye contact a moment after, his face one of absolute disgust. Izuku was able to breathe and move again, and the entire world materialized the following instant. He immediately looked down. His chest was about to burst open.
And to think that once…
Once, a lifetime ago, he felt overjoyed whenever he saw his face. Once, those anger-filled eyes looked at him kindly instead. That was before- before he-
He clenched his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut.
Stop thinking about it. Don't cry. Not here, not right now.
He had to ignore the searing pain of those old scars.
"Who that?" he heard Komine-san's voice and an awful feeling settled in his gut. No.
"Did someone pick your interest, Oriana-chan?" Ferro-san replied instantly, her tone overly curious and excited. He had heard that tone before.
"Mm. That guy," Komine-san said. Please let me be wrong. This can't be happening.
"Which one, which one? Oh, that one? I see. Who was he again?" Ferro-san wondered aloud and that brought hope to Izuku's heart. Surely they would know his name. It has to be someone else.
"B-Bakugo-kun, I think?" Minamoto-san's soft comment extinguished his short-lived hope.
"Yeah, that rings a bell. Bakugo. Could it be… Is he your type, Oriana-chan?" Ferro-san said, her voice dripping with excitement. He couldn't take it anymore, he had to open his eyes. He needed to see.
As soon as he did, he regretted his decision.
Komine-san had crushed the milk carton within her bandaged grasp, leaving the poor, wretched image of Fat Gum beyond recognition. Her slightly furrowed brow cast a grave shadow that outlined and exacerbated the already dark circles around her leaden orbs. Izuku's bad feeling heightened to a level he had never thought possible. Painful thorns twisted and constricted inside his throat, choking him and leaving him unable to speak. He couldn't begin to fathom what it would be like to be at the receiving end of this girl's fierce glare, one which made her other ones' look tame in comparison. "Something like that," she said, tucking one of her neat bangs behind her ear.
Izuku understood something right there and then. What lurked underneath was much worse than he had originally estimated. And it was in that profound state of fear that he realized that letting her and Kacchan meet would be disastrous.
He couldn't let that happen.
Her darker ashen blonde hair framed her deceptively cute features as waves of negativity essentially poured out of her body.
He wouldn't let that happen.
Unbeknown to both of them, Chaya's smirk widened ever so slightly.
"Wanna hang out where you used to?"
Izuku's thoughts short-circuited. He wasn't expecting that question. In fact, he wasn't expecting any kind of question.
He had spent the last ten minutes bracing himself for the inevitable high-pitched ring that announced the start of the lunch break which, since last week, meant being dragged by the arm towards an uncertain fate.
So why? Why was Komine-san standing next to his desk, twirling a strand of pale blonde hair around her finger? Did he do something wrong? Did she realize he was pleading that she forgot about him today?
Wait, what did she ask in the first place? Hang out? Where he used to!? What did that even mean!?
"U-U-Umm, w-what?" he laughed nervously, eyes darting from side to side looking for any indication that this was a setup. "W-What d-d-do y-you mean?"
"Like hang out. Eat. Where you used to, you know, before I transferred," she said, her raspy voice barely audible under the excited chattering of their classmates.
"Huh?"
Izuku pressed his lips together. Had he heard that right? There's no way. Unless…
Unless her patience was running out. She had been looking for entertainment and he hadn't delivered, so she was taking matters into her own hands. That was it. There was no other explanation. She was going to forcefully have her fun at his expense.
She was merely giving him the choice to pick the location of his suffering.
I know it's getting old, but I do think this is it, Mom. This is where I actually die. I'm sorry for lying to you. Like that time I used the PC after midnight to watch All Might's old interviews, or that other time I didn't want to eat my vegetables so I hid them inside my mouth before spitting them out in the trash. Also, remember when your laptop suddenly stopped working? It was because I pirated the All Might: Day of Reckoning movie from a shady website. It was all my fault. I'm so sorry for being an awful son, you don't deserve-
"You know, I can tell you're thinking something dumb again," her voice brought him back to his senses and he sniffed softly, brushing the faint tears out of his eyes. "Look, I'm telling you this because you don't seem… comfortable? Sure, let's go with that. You don't seem comfortable in the cafeteria. So I thought you had to have a place, right? Where you went to eat and stuff. Wanna go there for a change?"
"B-B-But-" Izuku was about to ask something, yet he caught the words in his throat before it was too late. He wanted to know, but at the same time... what if…
He lowered his head and bit down on his trembling lip. He heard her speak, "Just nod if you want to. I'll take it as a yes," she said.
Why? Why was she doing this? Why was she going this far? She clearly had an ulterior motive. She had to. Why else would she be asking in the first place? But what was she hiding?
Just endure. Until she gets bored.
Izuku nodded once, faintly.
"Cool. Hold on a sec," he heard her footsteps growing quieter, so he lifted his head to see what she was doing. He easily found her ashen hair weaving through the desks and noticed two things. One, she was no longer wearing her red ribbon on her head, and two, she was making her way towards Ferro-san and her group.
Oh crap. She was probably going to invite her friends. No, obviously she was going to invite her friends. What was he thinking, that it was going to be just the two of them? But then- Which was worse!? There wasn't a good option here! Actually, scratch that, involving Ferro-san was definitely the worst outcome!
"Hey Yaya," he concentrated fully on what she was saying, doing his best to filter out the noise, "I'm gonna have lunch with Midoriya-" He choked on air at that. Midoriya!? She remembered his name!? And no honorifics!? He struggled to breathe. Whatever else she said he couldn't hear it because of his coughing, but he saw their reactions. Minamoto-san took a couple of steps back, her skin paler than usual. Sawada-san stood up straight with a shocked expression as her blue hair glowed and twisted towards the ceiling. And Ferro-san-
There was a sudden shift in the atmosphere. His gut told him that something was wrong and that he should get out of here as fast as his legs could possibly run.
But, as sudden as it came, it also vanished.
Ferro-san beamed.
"Of course Oriana-chan! It's totally fine, don't worry about it," her hair seemed to entangle the sunlight and absorb its brilliance to glimmer in fiery red highlights. "In fact, want me to get you the usual at the cafe? I can ask someone to bring it to you, just text me where you at."
Wow. Izuku stared, almost shielding his eyes from the sheer brightness exuding out of the girl. It was so… so…
Incredibly scary.
"Sure," Komine-san replied, "Thanks Yaya. See you." With that, the shorter of the four girls strolled her way back to his desk. "That was weird. Anyway, let's get going. Oh- I forgot, did you want anything to eat? I can tell Yaya-"
"It's fine!" Izuku interrupted urgently. Absolutely not. He wasn't taking that risk. He could skip lunch, no problem, and quickly eat his food on his way home like he had done last week.
At that moment, his body tensed. A familiar feeling washed over him. He gulped. Komine-san's posture had changed. She leaned forwards, her straight hair falling at the corners of his vision. He could feel her piercing stare stabbing through the side of his head. Sweat poured down his forehead. It seemed that was the wrong thing to say. Did she know he was lying? Or was it something else entirely? No, he didn't have the time to figure that out. Even without looking, he could tell she was closing in. He had to find a way to diffuse the ticking bomb standing a couple of inches away. But how-
Something occurred to him. Food.
He really really doubted this would be a good idea. There was no time, though. Maybe if it was just the two of them it wouldn't be that bad.
"Actually!" he yelled, standing up and rummaging through his bag, before taking out a light-blue box. "U-Um, I… b-brought l-l-lunch," he said, staring at the ground.
"... I see," she said in her usual tone and that somewhat eased the tension in his muscles. He sighed, no longer feeling like he was in immediate danger. "Alright. Lead the way."
Right. He couldn't relax just yet. Taking a deep breath he began to walk out of the classroom with the slightly shorter girl in tow.
Leaning next to the door, a brown-haired boy pretended to listen to his friends talk, but his eyes were fixed on the odd pair as they left the room.
Walking in silence, Izuku continued to fight a losing battle against his rising anxiety. It didn't help that the other students were openly staring, giggling, and whispering among themselves when they saw them, and he could only imagine the kind of rumors they were going to spread. Rumors that would likely get him hurt. He restlessly rubbed his elbow, sensing a dark, ominous presence practically breathing down his neck. I mean, she should've known that this was bound to happen, right? The cute new transfer student, who was friends with Ferro-san, walking alone with Midoriya Izuku, the useless weirdo at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Of course they would gossip about it. She stood out way too much! It wasn't his fault!
His eyes widened as he noticed someone, a black-haired guy who was probably two years older, drawing closer with an easygoing smile. He was certainly planning to talk to Komine-san. However, as he opened his mouth to speak, Izuku clearly saw the moment when his survival instincts kicked in. The guy stopped dead in his tracks and the color drained from his face, as if he had seen a literal demon crawl out of a crevice in the school corridor. There was nothing left in his expression but absolute, visceral terror.
The green-haired boy's heart nearly gave out right there and then.
Holy- just what kind of face is she making to scare a senior to this degree!?
He was curious, but he wasn't brave enough to turn his head. So he simply quickened the pace.
A minute later they were standing in front of a familiar double-door that led to the school roof, his peaceful sanctuary. The only place he could eat without being bothered by anyone. None of his bullies had managed to find him here. And now…
He faltered in his step. Was this a mistake? If he showed her this, he would be out of safe spaces on school grounds, except for the restrooms on the fourth floor. Did he have a choice in the matter though? They were already here. He couldn't tell her that he screwed up and took her to the wrong place. She would-
"You're more pathetic than I first thought. Should I break your fingers?"
He pulled on the collar of his jacket. No thanks. He closed his eyes and apologized silently to his sanctuary before he pushed the doors open. A chilly breeze attempted to shove him back, but he advanced, protecting his eyes from the sunrays. The rooftop was… exactly as he remembered. Dirty tiles, a rusty fence on the edge, two huge green water tanks, and several small A/C units. The noise of kids shouting and playing below. The eastern side of the city extending far into the horizon. It was mundane, but it did manage to soothe Izuku's nerves, however slightly, and for that it held a special place in his memories.
"Not bad," Komine-san said, breaking the silence they held since they left the classroom. The wind blew her hair to the side and what he saw wasn't the expression he expected. She looked… calm. Glad even. As she took in the view, those gray eyes of hers shone silver under the natural light.
Izuku looked to the floor, hugging his arm. He didn't want her to catch him staring.
"The sun's a little annoying, though," she added, walking to the right-wing. He didn't agree with that, but it was kind of strange to have such a sunny day in early spring. Although it was still cold. "So, you came here to eat every day?"
"N-N-Not e-everyday. M-Most," he answered.
"Mmm. You must've gotten tanned after a while," she said.
"U-Um. I… I ate u-under t-th-the water t-tank's shadow," he said, pressing the tips of his index fingers together.
"That's… clever," she said.
Izuku's knees almost gave out.
Clever?
He remained rooted in place, even as the girl continued to walk towards the fence.
Huh?
Had he heard that right?
She thinks I'm clever?
There was no sarcastic undertone, no snarky remark, no demeaning intent. Maybe there was. Maybe he didn't quite catch the joke. Yeah, that was probably it. It had certainly gone over his head. That had to be it… right? Right?
He was useless Midoriya. Dumb Midoriya. Crybaby Midoriya. Not clever Midoriya. He wasn't born that way. She had to be messing with him. He suffocated the small flame that was beginning to take form before it could hurt him again.
However, he wasn't able to smother it completely. That naïve, childlike side of him managed to salvage the tiniest speck of light at the heart of the storm, using his own body to shield it from the unforgiving elements. He held it tenderly within his grasp, for he knew deep down- it was only a matter of time.
On the outside, Izuku was unaware. That's why when the abrupt thought came it caused him to flinch.
What if she really thinks I'm clever?
An embarrassing heat burned his cheeks indiscriminately. He quickly hid his face under his hands, trying to conceal the redness that he could tell was only increasing in intensity by the second.
It just… it wasn't possible… was it?
"What's up?" he heard Komine-san say as she made her way back. His posture straightened at her voice.
"Y-Y-Yes!" he replied immediately.
"...O-kay."
"..."
"..."
They walked to the nearest water tank without saying a word, Komine-san now leading. Unlike the previous silence, this one was suffocating. He was unable to look anywhere but at the cerulean expanse above and the sparse clouds that decorated it like fluffy, soft, amorphous badges. He counted them over and over, ignoring the burning sting that he was beginning to feel in his retina.
There was no coming back from that one, huh?
The awkward silence stretched like a rubber band the size of Mount Everest, along with the added stress of knowing it might snap at any moment and crush him under its weight. Time slowed to a painful crawl on broken glass.
Maybe it was because he also realized the extent of the situation. He was alone. During lunch. With the new transfer student, who was a cute girl. Him. Alone. With girl.
What was he supposed to do in this situation!?
Where was he supposed to look!? What was he supposed to say!? Was it as awkward for her as it was for him!? He wanted to confirm it, but his neck was locked in place. Well, she probably didn't mind it. She never seemed to lose her cool. Incredible. Such was the power of popularity.
And she thought I was clever.
His mind went blank and he felt like smoke was coming out of his ears.
Where did that come from!?
But wait.
Would the awkward silence change her perspective of him? In the off chance that she really did think he was clever, wouldn't she find his social ineptitude unpleasing? What if she started to think he was creepy because of it?
No, even if she thought he might be clever, after that little exchange she most likely changed her mind. Definitely. She definitely changed her mind. Dumb, stupid Midoriya who couldn't speak properly, who couldn't hold a conversation. He wasn't clever at all.
"Oh you're so smart, honey! Thanks for fixing it. What would I do without your help?" his mom said, even though it was nothing special. She always said that to make him feel better. And worst of all? It worked. A little bit. Hearing her sweet voice lifted his spirits instantly. If only he could be those things. If only-
Just try it.
He gripped the fabric of his black pants. He wasn't any of those things. But, maybe, he could act like it.
Maybe he could try it just this once.
What… what would a clever person do?
Find a way to break the silence.
Of course, break the silence. The question was… how exactly!? What did he talk about!? His thoughts were all jumbled up and his tongue sat heavy and clumsy in his mouth. He would mess up whatever he tried to say, he was a hundred percent confident of that fact.
However, beyond the bounds of the unthinkable, inspiration struck him.
He quickly decided on using that, because the longer the silence stretched the harder it would snap when he opened his mouth. Now or never, Izuku. Brace yourself.
"S-S-So… w-wh-what d-d-d-did y-you d-d-do t-this, um, w-weekend?" he stammered, worse than any thus far. He hoped it was at the very least understandable, but there. He said the thing.
He noticed that the girl had turned to look at him, but his eyes remained glued to the sky. "Not much. I… enrolled in a boxing gym."
Eh? Boxing? That notion was frightening on a 'Getting Kacchan angry in the middle of a plane' level.
"U-U-Um i-isn't th-th-that…" he trailed and finished in a small voice, "...violent?"
"Yeah," the girl replied. She took a few steps away with a sudden burst of energy that made him recoil. "Check this out," she said and he nervously obeyed.
He found her smiling, gazing at the distance, as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She lifted her hands up until her gray eyes barely peeked above her fists, her delineated eyebrows furrowed in ardent concentration.
She punched three times with her left fist in a quick, nigh imperceptible succession. He tried to follow, but it was astonishingly fast. The next second, she delivered a crushing blow with her right that displaced the air, and using the momentum, she spun and dislocated the imaginary opponent's jaw with a vicious elbow strike. Then, she pulverized the dude's sternum with a knee straight into their chest.
Finally, she took a deep breath and dropped her guard.
"Huh. I guess I needed to let out some steam after all," she said and he was able to blink again.
"What!? A-A-Aren't th-those moves i-i-illegal!?" Izuku questioned, horrified.
"Inside the ring, yes," she answered.
"You need to clarify!?" his vision was spinning and he had to take a seat, least he fainted. Every single time she found a way to raise her danger level. It was insane.
"There's no illegal moves in a fight," she said. He didn't have the energy to retort. "By the way, you can go ahead and start eating. I dunno how long it'll take Yaya's friend to get here."
He shook his head. "I-I-It's f-fine. I-I'll w-w-wa-wait."
Suddenly, she perked up. "There's other people here."
Wait, what? Other people? He followed her sight and indeed, there was a group of three boys gathered behind the water tank on the left-wing and they were currently watching them.
"Friends of yours?" Komine-san said and he quickly shook his head in the negative.
"N-N-Never seen t-th-them."
"Then-"
At that moment, the double doors blasted open and Izuku yelped pathetically, before covering his mouth. Quite the unfortunate sound there- but come on! Give him a break already!
"Delivery~" an awfully familiar voice sang and Izuku felt his legs tremble like twigs. No breaks for him, it seemed. On the contrary. As always, fate found its way to torture him in the worst possible ways. Ferro-san stepped in the rooftop like she owned the place, a perfect grin on her face while carrying a plastic bag in her hand.
"Hey Oriana-chan! Long time no see!"
He looked at Komine-san and found her with her arms crossed and a slightly surprised but unamused expression, judging by her raised eyebrows.
"Yaya, what are you doing?"
"Ehh? What's up with that greeting? It almost sounds like you're not happy to see me! That's mean! Even after I went through all that trouble to get you your food as quick as possible. I climbed the stairs two at a time, Oriana-chan! Two!"
Komine-san pinched the bridge of her nose. "And why the hell did you come here yourself?"
Ferro-san's smile broadened. "I thought it would be nice to have a change of scenery. You know, shake up the routine a little bit. The cafeteria was getting old. We've been eating at that same table for… how long now?"
"Almost three years," Sawada-san replied.
Ferro-san nodded. "That. So when you said you were on the rooftop, I got really excited. I've only been here, like, once. It was the perfect chance! Well, that and I thought it'd be hilarious to surprise you. Anyway, here," she threw her the plastic bag, "And before you say anything, don't worry about the money. I like to treat my friends."
"Uh huh." Komine-san looked unmoved as she easily caught the bag, "That's nice and all, but you should ask Midoriya if he's okay with this. It's his place after all."
"His place?" Ferro-san repeated. Izuku blanched. He had been thrown to the wolves. The auburn-haired girl turned to him and he already knew he was doomed. He looked down. "Well? You wouldn't mind us sticking around your place, would you Midoriya-kun?"
He took a quick glance at Komine-san. If he said no, would she stand up for him again? Would she defend him against her own friends? Of course not. She was simply playing along, getting him to lower his guard. That was all. "O-O-Of course n-not."
"Yay~" Ferro-san cheered. "You heard it guys. Make yourselves comfortable."
It was then that he noticed the presence of the others. There was Sawada-san, waving at Komine-san with a smile, her every move polished and deliberate. Behind her were three guys, two of which he recognized; chestnut-colored hair with blondish streaks and tanned skin, Kato-san, and dark, spiky hair coupled with strikingly light-blue eyes, Chisaki-san. The other guy was probably a senior if his height was anything to go by, plus he simply looked older. They were excitedly chatting with Minamoto-san, whose golden curls appeared to glimmer under the sunlight much like Ferro-san's fiery hair, and another pretty girl.
Sakurai Mio.
She had long, straight black hair with pink highlights on the ends that reached her waistline. Her eyebrows were thick and expressive, and when she smiled, like right now, two charming dimples appeared to further adorn her good-looking face. Of the members of Ferro's group, she was one of those that completely ignored his presence.
Thankfully.
It was heavenly mercy that he hadn't attracted the attention of Ferro-san's closest friend. He could only imagine what kind of person would be capable of maintaining that kind of position for as long as she had.
"But yeah, I sure hope we aren't interrupting anything," Ferro-san's voice registered in his mind and he instantly focused on her. "What were you guys talking about?" she said, her keen amber eyes pointed at him.
"...K-K-"
"Nothing." Komine-san interrupted and entered his peripheral. He glanced at her and caught a glimpse of a glare before he regarded the filthy tiles underneath. The words died in his throat. Understood. Nothing.
"Ow, that's so boring~" Ferro-san said, "But! It's alright. We'll have fun now. Come on, guys! Let's eat already! I'm soo hungry!"
"Same!" Kato-san yelled.
"Hell yeah! I was in need of fresh air after so many classes. Felt like I was in jail for years or something." Chisaki-san said.
"Dude. Jail?"
"I swear!"
Kato-san facepalmed. "I'm scared to even ask what your concept of jail is."
"Isn't it where they keep the baddies?"
"In very broad terms, yes," Sawada-san supplied, covering her mouth.
"See? I'm right."
"I mean you're not wrong but you're not right either. The baddies? Really? Bruh. And that's not even the point. This is our second week. The year has barely begun, dude," Kato-san said.
"I kinda agree with Chisaki-kun. Even if the year's just beginning it feels like it's been forever! And it's all because of Mr. T! Every time he says something my mind shuts down!" Minamoto-san said, her small mouth set in a pout. She was really cute when she wasn't scowling.
"That's three-to-one. I'm right," Chisaki-san said with a smug grin.
The group continued to laugh and talk, and Izuku felt his presence fade into the background. His shoulders slumped as the tension somewhat left his body, and he could feel the aches already along his back and neck. But it never failed to amaze him, watching them easily glide through conversations and jumping from topic to topic, joking and playfully making fun of one another, simply having fun like nothing else mattered.
It was because they shared a connection. Because they cared. They were… friends.
Could he ever have something like that? Could stupid, useless, ugly, weird Midoriya ever come close to having something like that?
Just like he used to?
"Mm? What's that on your hand?" Ferro-san's voice brought him back to reality and he realized he had let his guard down. The auburn-haired girl was near him, her hands clasped around her back and currently looking at- "Is that a lunch-box?"
Ah crap. Here we go.
"U-U-Um, it-it's-"
"Don't tell me… did mommy prepare lil' Midoriya-kun his meal? Aww," she cooed mockingly, "That's so cute~"
He barely acknowledged his nickname. There was no time. He needed to say something. "Um, t-th-tha-that's-"
"Guys! Check this ou-"
"I MADE IT MYSELF!" he proclaimed his huge, fat lie towards the emptiness above. "U-Uh, th-that is… y-y-yeah. I m-m-made i-it m-myself."
"You can cook!?" Ferro-san suddenly invaded his personal space with stars in her eyes. "That's super cool! I've been meaning to learn but my mom is, like, beyond overzealous of the kitchen! I swear, she treats it like it's her territory. She doesn't even let Lizzie cook!"
"Isn't that because your sister once forgot to clean the blood of a cutting board? And then she used it to cut vegetables. I remember her saying 'But doesn't it add flavor?' Haha. That was hilarious," Sakurai-san interjected and saved him from the auburn-haired girl's endless advance that had pushed his back to an impossible, gravity-defying angle.
"I know right!" Ferro-san practically bounced to where the black-haired girl was and he stood straight again with a groan, "Watching it happen was glorious. At first she thought it was a joke, then she almost fainted and after that she was so mad! I think-"
He heard a soft, raspy voice next to him and the other girls' talking appeared to recede as he focused on Komine-san. "You didn't seem like the type. But good for you, I guess," she said.
Not the type, huh? That's because he wasn't. He felt her eyes on him, but he refused to turn. Why? Why did he refuse to turn her way? Why did he feel so guilty about it all of the sudden? It's not like he wanted to lie. He was simply trying to avoid being made fun of. Because he was afraid. Just like always.
Spineless, lying Midoriya.
"U-Um, a-ac-actu-"
"Ah fuck-ow!" Ferro-san exclaimed, only to get a slap on the arm courtesy of Sakurai-san.
"Language," the black-haired girl simply said.
"Chill, geez- Right! We gotta hurry and eat! Twenty minutes left!" the auburn-haired girl said and approached him again, "And you, Midoriya-kun. What did you cook? No, even better! Show me! Can I try some? You wouldn't mind, right? Right?" He nodded quickly. "I thought so! Hurry up, I want to see!"
"Where are we going to eat, though?" Minamoto-san said, "Have you seen the floor? I'm not sitting down, my skirt will get dirty."
"Don't y'all worry. I got this," the senior said. He produced a red, slim device from his pocket and brought it to his lips. Then, he inhaled quite loudly and deeply. The device made some sort of hissing noise, and it stopped as soon as he stopped taking in air. Subsequently, he opened his mouth and released a wide cloud of white, condensed smoke that somehow retained its form and didn't dissipate. He repeated the process a couple of times, before the cloud was as big as a table, floating a foot or two off the ground.
That. Was. Amazing!
His Quirk probably allowed him to manipulate smoke to a certain degree, and not only that but it also added additional properties! The most obvious one was the fact that it maintained its shape and the somewhat strong wind wasn't dispersing it, but could he potentially alter it in other ways!? And where did the smoke come from in the first place!? Oh, probably that red thing he stuck in his mouth. So he needed to inhale the smoke before shaping it. Mm, most likely. But did that mean that he needed a very specific kind of smoke? Or would any do? And on that note, did it even need to be smoke? What if he could shape any gas? That begged the question, did his body mutate to prevent his Quirk from damaging his mouth, throat, and lungs? As far as he was aware, the human body didn't appreciate smoke all that much. If he did, however, his power would be extremely useful in any situation in which fire and smoke were involved. Maybe as a partner to a flame-oriented hero? It required further analysis, but from a superficial point of view, it sounded like an ideal team. Though it wasn't only the smoke that was a concern, but also the high temperatures- ah! There was too much valuable information! He needed to write it down!
"Mm~ That's handy," Ferro-san said and he spotted her poking the condensed smoke with her finger, her head tilted to the side, "And sweet of you. Is it to your liking, Nana-chan?"
The blonde girl sat down on the floating smoke and it was at that moment that he realized it wasn't supposed to be a table, but a bench. "It's better than sitting on the floor," she said.
Ferro-san giggled. "Thanks for the help. Can we sit or is it designed for just one person?"
The senior scratched his thin, bronze eyebrow before answering. "It's nothing. Ah- go ahead! It's fine as long as you don't jump on it. But we should hurry. The wind is strong, I think it'll keep its shape for fifteen minutes tops."
"Got it," the auburn-haired girl said and quickly sat to the right of Minamoto-san, while Sawada-san took her left. Ferro-san then patted the empty spot next to her with a wide grin, "Don't be shy Midoriya-kun, you can sit right here! Show me what you cooked! I want you to tell me how-"
Sakurai-san took the spot and threw an arm around Ferro-san's shoulder. "Give the poor boy a break, will you? He looks like he's about to cry. Besides, there's something I want to talk to you about," the black-haired girl said and he swore she winked at him.
At this point he couldn't take much more, so he merely felt grateful for the interruption. Perhaps Sakurai-san wasn't so bad after all.
Komine-san silently settled down on the smoky bench, already munching on a choco-croissant.
He followed suit. A faint, minty scent permeated the area close to the fluffy mist, as wisps of it were carried by the breeze. He placed a curious hand on the bench and found it surprisingly soft. Then, he sat down.
He knew that they were not allowed to use their Quirks inside the school, but as long as the faculty didn't find out they should be fine, right?
They wouldn't get in trouble for this… right?
Hopefully not. Well, Ferro-san was involved so that probably meant that even if they were found out, they would probably let them go scot-free.
That's how it worked, after all.
"Hey, Oriana-chan," Sawada-san started and his eyes flashed to her before they returned to look at the city. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but I've been wondering… what's your Quirk?"
Izuku's entire concentration was stolen by the question. His ears twitched, ignoring every little noise except for Komine-san's voice, yet he remained staring into the horizon.
"Ah. Well, if you have to know…" Komine-san said, "... I'm strong."
Silence followed the statement.
He waited.
And waited.
… and kept waiting.
…
Wasn't she going to elaborate!? Was that the answer!?
"That's it!?" Ferro-san said from the side, clearly listening to the conversation and sounding as flabbergasted as he felt.
"Yep," Komine-san replied.
"I see, that's- It's fine. But how strong are you exactly?" Sawada-san said.
"... the strongest," she said in a quieter tone, almost like she was talking to herself.
…
Well…
That didn't explain much! If at all!
Of course, strength-enhancing Quirks weren't that uncommon, but they manifested in several different ways! How much force could you exert, and in what direction? Did it affect a single part of your body, or several? One at a time? Everything at once? Was it an augmentation or a mutation? What were the conditions for triggering it? For how long could the user maintain the effects? Did it influence the muscle tissue? The skeletal structure? The chemicals in the bloodstream?
There were too many alternatives!
"C'mon! Throw us a bone! Give us something to work with," Kato-san lamented and he felt the boy on a spiritual level. "What's the name, at least?"
"What was it again?" Komine-san replied, "I think it was NYGB."
"NYGB?..." Kato-san repeated, confused, "What does it stand for?"
"None of Your Goddamn Business."
…
Izuku blinked.
A second after, Ferro-san choked on her food while laughing, accompanied by a hysterical Chisaki-san.
Wow.
Sawada-san released a subtle sigh. "What did I expect," she whispered.
"Where did you hear that one!?" Chisaki-san managed to wheeze out, red in the face.
"I just came up with it."
"Now watch carefully honey, you do it like this," his mom said before slowly repeating the motions. "Slice. You don't have to apply much pressure because it's very sharp, but you gotta be super careful. Always keep your fingers out of the way, alright?"
Izuku was practically vibrating from sheer nervousness.
His mom probably mistook it as a nod because she stepped back and gestured towards the wooden board with several vegetables laid on top of it.
He treaded forwards as if every single one of his joints was made out of stiff, rusty, unlubricated metal, creaking like an ancient door.
Okay, let's go.
He could feel the sweat on his palm weaken the grip he currently had on an extremely sharp object dangerously close to his fingers. A single slip and he would need to learn how to write with his left hand. Well, that was the worst thing he could think of at the moment, but there were probably worse consequences.
Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all.
It didn't seem that hard when he thought about it on the way home. He had seen his mom do it multiple times. In fact, she had been doing it every single day at least twice since he was self-aware. Of course, it was a grown-up thing to do for a reason. Multiple reasons. But he thought he could keep it simple and learn step by step.
How foolish.
It would've been a completely different story if he wasn't so terribly clumsy. Because of it, he could potentially hurt himself real bad. Just one mistake and bye-bye fingers, hello pain. He could already see it happening.
His breathing accelerated.
Exactly why was he doing this again?
He saw his face reflected on the glossy surface of the blade. There he was. Useless Midoriya stared back in all his fearful, quaking glory. He couldn't do it. Of course he couldn't do it. Why did he think that this time was going to be any different? Nothing ever changed. Useless Midoriya would never be able to do anything right.
But… what if…
What if he tried to be someone else? Someone who was clever, who knew how to talk to other people, who could potentially learn how to cook? Someone who wasn't afraid all the time. Someone who had friends. Someone worthy of being admired-
"You can cook!? That's super cool!" she said, staring directly into his eyes and looking at someone who wasn't him. Bright, uncaring yellow eyes that were once filled with disdain. But now…
He took a deep, practiced breath.
He knew he would never be anything like that. He was born this way. There was no changing that. But…
Maybe he could pretend to be somebody else.
His green eyes widened.
Somewhere deep down echoed a loud, ringing clank, and the noise of screeching iron soon followed. It had stirred awake.
Izuku's trembling came to a halt.
Chop.
Chop.
Chop.
Rhythmically he brought the knife down and cut through the vegetables in silence.
"There you go, honey! You're doing amazing! That's it! You don't have to hurry, take your time. Now, when you're finished we'll have to fry them so I'll show you how to turn on the stove, alright?"
Izuku was grinning wide.
