Chapter 3: Glass Heart
Izuku
'Kacchan has been gone for a while…'
Already first and second break have passed without him returning.
The rest of the mock exams carry on, but even with his presence gone there is still an air of discomfort knowing what he'll do when he returns. It'd be easier if it was already next week and they were taking their real entrance exams, even Katsuki then wouldn't jeopardize his chances by creating a ruckus.
"Alright, final break everyone! You have until 11:30 am then you must be back in and seated!" Mr. Sato announces as people move to stretch and stand.
The same gossip will be discussed again, Izuku taking the opportunity slip out of the classroom quickly for fresh air. The hallways are just as congested with other students from the neighboring rooms, some discussing the more difficult questions while others talk of what they'll do once at home.
"Man, someone fess up already! Who had the balls to finally put Bakugo in his place twice now?! He's been gone since class started!" He hears Hamada shout from behind him.
"He'll just recover the same way his hand did. Nothing to get excited about knowing how pissed he's going to be over this happening again. Takashi yawns in reply, rolling his eyes.
'Nobody in our class can use dual quirks as far I know.' Izuku notes, squirming at feeling the weight of a couple of stares on him.
'I don't think anyone suspects me though, right?' Izuku considers further.
He risks a glance over his shoulder, seeing only Takashi and few others still watching him before returning back to their own conversations.
It made sense to believe it was him, a revenge for everything Katsuki has done to him over the years...
But he's been quirkless for too long, too afraid to even properly speak up for himself and it's this that hopefully will prevent any of his classmates digging further for the truth. He circles the hallways to the bathrooms on the opposite side, grabbing a drink from the water fountains. Nobody pays him any mind from the other classes as he slowly walks back, for now he is still just another face in the crowd. Invisible.
And hopefully it will stay that way until the exams are over, until he graduates and finally leaves these days behind him.
"We'll begin your training as soon as you finish with your exams so that you're not distracted by too many things at once! There's much I want to discuss with you that I want you to think about carefully!" All Might relates, meeting him on his school's rooftop. As eager was he was to get started on his exercise regimen, it was best to not put too many things on his plate at once.
He especially wanted to see if his other quirk would show up again and where, he never wanted to discuss it for long however he needed to gain control over it.
"Like what?! You can tell me now!" Izuku asks before he can even mull on it, glancing away from the evening skyline. Just the idea that All Might is willing to train him, acknowledges him as someone capable of being a Hero like him has been enough to keep him up late most nights picturing the days when he'll soon be properly working by his side.
Toshinori laughs aloud at his eagerness, so young and naïve to the darker sides that came with being a Hero...
He didn't have much time left now, he couldn't even keep his buffed form for half a day.
'I've fully decided now who I want to inherit One For All.' He determines at seeing Izuku's bright grin waiting for his answer, it will cause a stir among U.A.'s staff but this is who he knows he wants to carry on this ability.
"In time Young Midoriya. In time." Toshinori repeats.
Close to lunch time Katsuki finally returns, hands wedged deeply in his pockets as he plops down into his seat silently. He brings with him a storm ready to erupt at any moment, people scooting their desks a few inches away.
He doesn't have to talk immediately for Izuku to know he's far from calm, fingers sparking with the urge to lash out. His rage has been subdued and kept in check for now it seems, but it will return.
It always does.
"One of you doesn't even have the guts to face me in a true fight with that quirk of yours. Just know this, you can only keep it a secret for so long before you eventually slip up." Katsuki announces abruptly making the classroom grow eerily quiet, scarlet orbs roaming over each of his peer's faces.
His gaze lingers a second too long on Izuku, scowl marring his face growing darker. It's clicks then whatever happened in the principal's office involved him in some or fashion...
'I can't use this quirk on school grounds as often or even anymore.' Izuku realizes.
Out of all of his classmates the one most suspicious of him now is Katsuki.
-X-
Katsuki
"What if he actually did kill himself? Is that how you want to be remembered as a Hero?"
He's heard this message more or less before many times from his teachers down to his parents, though it sounds much more painful hearing it from All Might.
These questions All Might had posed to him weighed at him like rocks, tugging his thoughts into grisly and dark scenarios...
He gave him visuals of the effects of his words, of the repercussions of Izuku's death on their classmates, his mom, himself.
"There is no coming back from death. If you found Young Midoriya dead from a fall bleeding out staining the pavement red how would you react? What would you tell his mother? His classmates?" Toshinori further probed.
Bile swims at the back of his throat, burning away any response he could utter back. Izuku never takes any of his taunts or remarks seriously, why would he suddenly now?
"He wouldn't. I've known him long enough to know he wouldn't end his own life, not when he talks of wanting to be Pro Hero still." Katsuki finally manages out after a moment. It's all they ever used to talk about in their days roaming the forests during the summers, of the moment their names would be the ones mentioned on the news that saved the day.
Cobalt orbs pierce at him and he resists the urge to fidget. His parents watch him too in quiet surprise, in disbelief over his change in demeanor.
A long minute passes before All Might speaks again, straightening up in his chair. "How do you know that for sure?"
Katsuki frowns, grimace slipping back into place before he can help it.
He doesn't, but All Might already knows that...
"I'd keep an eye out on Young Midoriya, don't count him out! Despite your cruel actions over the years he still seems to consider you his friend." All Might beams.
Friends.
When was the last time he referred or even thought of Izuku as that?
His warning threat to find the mystery quirk user of their class made Izuku stiffen as normal, though he watches him carefully now for any new changes in his posture or movement. Maybe it was Izuku who had broken his hand and twisted his ankle, a small part of him could even acknowledge he had it coming from the way he constantly put him down.
Though that would mean Izuku wasn't actually quirkless.
The very idea makes his hands twitch in annoyance, eager to create a series of deep crimson blasts encompassed by billows of smog. Izuku is too nice to do such vicious actions, too friendly to have such a cold side he's kept hidden all these years...
He didn't back down from his earlier stare though, the aggression in his tone in knowing his statement was really just for him alone.
All he needed was a bit more proof, the certainty that it was Izuku who caused those various incidents.
And then he'd properly confront him.
'Whatever you're hiding Deku won't stay a secret forever.'
-X-
Ochako
"I'll take one...no two green teas to go please!" Ochako chimes out to the barista who smiles with a nod calling out her order to her coworker manning the teas and lattes section.
She's heard green tea can be good for studying in helping with memorization and comprehension, hopefully the few health articles she browsed over on the way to this coffee shop rings true for this afternoon.
'And it will help keep me calmer than drinking down a cup of coffee!' Ochako inwardly muses.
Had she'd been too pushy with Izuku? Ugh, that hadn't been her intention at all! While she saw his courage in rushing to face those two villains he only doubted the good he had done being there that night at the train station, wanting to avoid said topic altogether it seemed.
'Why?'
The question spins in her head, startled at the loud calling of her name indicating her order is ready. Telling by the barista who took her order's expression it isn't the first time they've been yelling for her to pick up her drinks.
'I need to keep remembering where I am before I go deep into my thoughts like that!' Ochako sighs, tacking on a weak smile and a string of apologies before heading back into the cool afternoon air.
The sky is free of clouds, blue going on for miles as sunlight pours over towering skyscrapers washing them in a golden yellow. Cars beep and zoom past her from all directions, leaving wisps of gray and black smog in their wake. It's still hard to not feel so tiny among this sea of people and sites, even her hometown isn't this busy during the summer months.
"Am I late?" Ochako whispers to herself at seeing Izuku already settled amongst a pile of books as she makes her way into the library. She pauses at seeing his concentrated expression as he mumbles to himself, grin etching up her lips peering over his work.
Formulas and definitions have divulged into drawings of Heroes and their descriptions.
'Wow, he knows so much!' Ochako marvels.
"Is that what you want your costume to look like?!" She asks excitedly, pointing to a hooded design making Izuku jolt.
He slams his hands quickly over the pages, books sliding and toppling around them. Ochako sets down their drinks, helping to align everything back together before they can crash to the ground.
"Ah, I didn't know you were already here!" Izuku whispers in alarm, cheeks flaring red. How long had she'd been standing here? He hates people seeing this side of him, his fascination with studying Heroes has always been looked at as silly or nerdy...
Ochako shakes her head, smile widening as sets her backpack down. "Sorry, I keep startling you! You looked so deep in thought I didn't want to interrupt."
The grin slips slightly from her face seeing Izuku's uneasiness remain, watching as he buries the notebook beneath a stack of others. "Oh, you didn't have to stop! You make such detailed notes on Heroes, I haven't even given such thought to my own costume!"
Izuku pauses, weighing what to do. She wasn't going to make fun of him? "It's nothing special really."
There is only curiosity in her gaze and he gives in letting her review over his Hero Analysis notebook. The laughter and mocking he expects never comes, warm auburn eyes roaming over each page.
"Ooh, you even have a section on Thirteen! She's one of my favorites!" Ochako hums out. There is a lot of care and effort within these pages, worn to time with ink and crinkled sections.
When she looks up again Izuku is watching her carefully head to his palm, as if she is a puzzle.
'What's wrong?' Her stomach flips, perhaps she's acting odd being so amused and giddy over his old drawings.
"You actually came." Izuku notes softly answering her thought.
Ochako sits up properly then, frowning. "Well yeah, we agreed to meet at 2:30 pm. Right?"
Izuku only shakes his head, leaning back in his chair. "Yes, it's just..promises for meeting up or hanging out have been broken for me a lot over the years especially when it became evident I was quirkless. People no longer treat you the same once that becomes known."
Ochako arches a brow, thoughts rushing in.
'So that's why he always keeps to himself...'
"Even if you don't believe it yet, I think your quirk can do good." She whispers.
And Izuku chokes midway on his tea, studying the mahogany designs of the table. 'It can only cause pain though, pain that can be unimaginable if I let my anger and spite get to me.'
Ochako would never look at him the same knowing this, nobody would.
She bumps their shoulders drawing their chairs close, ignoring the heat she feels rising to her face. "Since we're friends now I'm going to get you to realize your quirk isn't so bad!"
"What?!" Izuku sputters loudly.
"SHH!" A new voice snaps in, startling them both.
They twist to see an old woman glaring them down, silver hair falling in strands over sharp hazel eyes as she looks between them both rapidly. "You two keep it down or leave! Some of us are trying to read!"
"Sorry!" They whisper quickly in unison, waiting until the woman hobbles back to her corner out of sight before exhaling.
Ochako reaches for her Math study guides and booklets, peeking towards the center clock.
Almost an hour had already passed.
"Um, is starting on Math first okay?" She questions.
Izuku nods, reaching for his blank sheets of paper as he starts numbering it down.
They can still feel that old lady watching them now joined by her friend, both of them resisting the urge to laugh at their antics. It is as if they are heroes acting out a reconnaissance mission in waiting for one of them to become too noisy so they can be reported to the librarian.
Ochako beams as they manage to get through 20 questions over the next hour, Izuku already had the basics down. She peeks at him up from her tea watching him write out the solutions for questions 1 through 5, he hardly needed her help really...
But this was her first time seeing him fully relaxed. Calm.
It only made her wonder all the more what truly make him so uncomfortable about his quirk.
-X-
Izuku
"I'm home Mom!" Izuku calls out into the empty living room.
"In the kitchen!" Inko yells back after a moment, poking her head out watching as he takes his shoes off at the door.
'So there it is.' Inko smiles.
It's been too long since she's seen her boy truly happy, truly seen a grin properly reach his eyes. He's been gone most of the afternoon, returning just as the sky takes on it's last shades of fuchsia to deep amber-reds before nightfall. He smells of tea and ink, buried among his notes and literature to ensure he's ready for the approaching exams.
'That talk Mitsuki and Masaru had with the Principal must have really gotten through to Katsuki then!' Inko considers in relief.
Because not only is Izuku in a better mood, he no longer has telltale scars or bruises lining his hands or arms. She wishes she had pushed for this option earlier despite her son's reservations, the difference it made to his health and attitude was like day and night.
"How have the mock exams and studying been dear? I know you're still gunning for U.A. though it will be difficult knowing the competition you're up against." Inko questions.
She expects his typical response that no heroes' journey to the top is easy, riddled with obstructions and push backs but Izuku only becomes thoughtful as his eyes cloud over.
'I haven't told her yet...'
His mom has been his biggest supporter, always providing the right encouragement and support during his darkest days of upset and doubt in himself. It feels wrong to continue to keep her out of this loop in spite of his fear of her reaction.
"Ah, about that Mom. Remember when I went out to the train station that night?" He asks.
Inko scoffs lightly, nodding. "How could I forget? It may have already been over a week ago now, but moments like that stick with you."
Izuku swallows, forcing his trembling hands to be still resting them in his lap. "I went there that night to...to test out my quirk."
Inko drops her fork then, clatter of the silverware to the tile echoing out in the kitchen. A look of shock and concern mixes across her face and Izuku feels his stomach plummeting. "What do you mean sweetie? At the doctor years ago-"
"I know, I didn't forget what he said, however I'm sure of this Mom. I can do what I call a Pain Infliction on a person by looking at them and thinking of how to harm them." Izuku interrupts in one breath.
He rambled that all out so quickly he isn't sure if she heard him, apprehension in her expression only growing.
"How?" She finally breathes out.
Izuku squirms, unable to fully meet her eyes. "I just can Mom, I did it to those two B-rank Villains that night. At the time I just wanted to test it out to know for sure if I was the one causing it.'
Inko shakes her head, still puzzled and now skeptical. "Show me Dear, I think that's the only way I can believe this for sure. It doesn't have to be anything big, maybe like a tiny paper cut. You know I get those all time when sorting out files or chopping up the vegetables."
'No, to show her would mean harming her.'
And yet she doesn't believe him, he has to prove it.
'Paper cut her left thumb.' He concentrates, Inko blinking a moment later before taking a glance at her hand.
Indeed a thin trickle of red rests along the side of her thumb now, observing the way her eyes widen just a fraction in disbelief.
"You're really not quirkless." Inko whispers, tears blurring at her eyes she hurriedly swipes away.
But this is nothing like her or her husband's quirks, not even can she recall if any his grandparents or any distant relatives have an ability like this.
A note of seriousness returns back to her face then and Izuku knows her mind is repeating again that fateful night from the train station.
"How...How strong can you inflict this pain?" She asks softly.
It's one of the first questions he had asked himself as well.
"I don't know yet." Izuku murmurs.
Nobody had pushed him yet to that brink.
-X-
Katsuki
'It's getting way too fucking hot out here waiting.' Katsuki growls to himself, beads of sweat clinging to the tips of his hair. Late afternoon sun burns at his neck, reminding him just how long he has been searching the crowds.
This is the path Izuku has taken home already 3 times this week, a path that is in the complete opposite direction of his home. He knew every one of his classmate's quirks and how they compared to his own...
Except for Deku's.
He wouldn't be doing this if not for All Might saying he shouldn't count him out yet, he knew something about him and had refused to completely divulge it. U.A. looks at more than just a student's academics, testing their capabilities to think under pressure and make fast decisions that can either save or lose a life.
So in that case it was up to him to find out on his own what Deku exactly had going for him that drew even All Might's attention.
He clicks his tongue impatiently, watching groups of people mull about going every each way until his eyes finally rest upon a pair leaving down the steps of the central library.
'Yeah that's definitely Deku alright and some Round Face girl with him.' Katsuki considers, he's too far away to hear them but he can see it in the boy's mannerisms and gestures he's spotted him.
About time.
He pushes his way through to get them before they can go on the move again, ignoring the curses and shouts sent his way over his rudeness. The only thing that matters right now is getting the question that has been stuck on his mind for days to be answered.
"Deku! I have a question for you." Katsuki calls out to him sharply, grinning at Izuku's stiffening.
Clearly the girl beside him has never heard this nickname for him, chestnut eyes narrowing.
"I think you have the wrong person-" She begins, though Katsuki holds up a hand to cut her off.
"No, I don't. You've been running off as soon as the last bell rings for the day nearly all week, now I know where you've been going all this time." Katsuki remarks, waiting for Izuku to properly turn around and face him.
And when he does he sees it. Beyond the fear in his expression is an annoyance he's usually always managed to keep hidden from him.
"What do you want Kacchan?" Izuku asks quietly, the girl beside regarding him with increased wariness.
"Tell me what All Might sees in you." Katsuki emphasizes, hands crackling with sparks and rising heat. His response will determine his next move, whether he'll need to force an answer out of him if he tries to lie/avoid the topic or if he'll be honest that his meeting with All Might at the train station wasn't their last encounter...
A silence falls over them, broken by the girl.
"Why is it your business?" She smartly questions him back, tone equally defiant and sharp.
His eyes twist to her then and she falters just slightly under his glare making him scoff.
She's no different than Deku.
'She's getting in the way. I'll probably get no answer out of Deku as long as she's here.' Katsuki realizes.
He lifts up his hand in her direction about to send her a simple warning flare to stay out of this and Izuku's expression alters in that second, fear vanishing into malice.
"What are you doing?" He whispers.
Verdant orbs harden into ice meeting his stare; gleaming.
'Break his arms.'
A whirlwind of noises surrounds them all in that next fleeting minute, from the sound of his bones cracking to the scent of blood imbuing the air...
The girl along with a few other passing civilian yelp in panic or call for help and it's this that snaps Deku back to his typical self; horrified. Meek.
All Might was right, he wrote off Deku far too fast in believing he was too fragile; like glass. So this was the viciousness Deku has been hiding from him and their classmates all along, a quirk powerful enough to even stop him in his tracks if only briefly.
Katsuki takes in the bruises and distortions of his arms, gritting his teeth as the pain courses through his body. It isn't anything like when he had dealt with his broken hand or twisted ankle...
This one hurts the worst.
And the pain is soon blurring at his vision, making it hard to focus on anything else. A duo of medical personnel scramble up to his side, forcing him to sit despite trying to shove them away.
'Damn it, I'm going to pass out soon.' Katsuki understands quickly.
But he got one answer at least, the one he'll force Deku to acknowledge before everything goes black as he snaps out a last remark.
"So it was you all along."
-x-
I haven't fully decided yet on a name for Izuku's ability; I'm stuck between 3 options. I like the suggestions made so far though so keep them coming! I don't want to fully reveal yet everything his quirk can do either lol.
Right now Izuku knows it can cause pain to a person he looks at directly and that the resulting injury only lasts for a few hours depending on the severity of what he thinks, how far away the target is from him, and his emotional state at the time of thinking it with a headache usually coming on afterwards. He will explore it more as time goes on, it's only matter of time before he's forced to! Let me know your thoughts as always!
Enjoy. Review. Favorite. Follow!