The teens met back up for lunch.
"Sorry we missed Morning Meeting." Midoriya apologized.
"You missed art therapy, too." Todoroki shrugged, as he kicked a pine cone that had been passed by everyone ahead. "We're headed to lunch now at the Health Lodge." They kept walking in silence before Shoto spoke up once more. "What did you guys do while you were gone?"
Bakugo was annoyed, still. "When did you get so talkative, Todoroki?"
"We, uh, went to the labyrinth in the rose garden." Izuku answered.
Shoto nodded and they took seats again. Katsuki stirred the fried rice and looked up to see that they sat alone again, several unused seats between them and the rest of the adolescent boys. "So if you've been here for a week- why do you have no friends?" The expolsion-quirked boy asked.
"Kacchan!" Izuku stammered.
Todoroki shrugged. "'Sokay, Midoriya. It's a natural enough assessment." He loaded his chopsticks and took a bite before answering. "I made a friend. His name was Kai, but he left the morning before you guys arrived. I didn't have roommates, either for the most part because I was kind of violent during the adjustment period, so they kept everyone away from me."
"But you'd never hurt a soul if they weren't mean to you first! That's unfair!" Izuku exclaimed, setting down his utensils.
"They were mean to Kai." Shoto responded. He looked down the table. "The boy who I fought, Ryuji, was changed to another lodge. His friends are still mad about it. I think they wanted me to go instead, but the staff didn't want me adjusting to something new again."
"Hmm." Midoriya said, quietly. "Why were they mean to that Kai kid?"
"He didn't have a quirk." Todoroki shrugged. "He wanted to be a hero. He even applied to U.A. last year."
Midoriya stole a glance at Katsuki, who was staring bullets into Izuku's green head.
"Let's change subjects." Bakugo said, abruptly, turning away and folding his hands.
Midoriya spoke. "The weather's nice-"
"How do I get the anklet off?" Katsuki insisted.
Todoroki looked tired. "They don't come off." He said. "I've tried."
Suddenly, a fight broke out somewhere down the dining hall at the end of a table. Staff was alerted and Tohru came directly- out of nowhere, seemingly,- to Shoto.
"Let's go." She said.
"Wha- why?!" Todoroki asked.
One kid was screaming. In pain. "My cheek! My fucking cheek!"
It was Ryuji from the other lodge, standing while the other kid squealed in pain on the floor.
"Shouldn't have messed with Ryuji." One boy said from down the table. They kept their heads low and snickered.
"That kid's demented." Bakugo said.
Midoriya got up to rush over, but Katsuki yanked him down. Hard. "Your quirkless again, remember?!" He frowned. "What're you going to do? Detroit Smash Ryuji in the face and get yourself sedated?!"
Speaking of sedation, Ryuji was backing away, arms up, as though he was entering a wrestling arena to tremendous applause- a "who else wants to try me" gesture, but truly, it was dead silent, save for the staff trying to calm the groaning and injured boy down, as another staff member pulled Ryuji away. Todoroki was frozen at the doorway, in the rear of the dining hall, and clutching his cheek. He sobbed.
"Shoto." Midoriya breathed.
"Aw, FUCK!" Bakugo shouted. "Now, I'm mad." He got up. "Hey!" He shouted, catching Ryuji's smirking face, as he was pulled out the door. "Hey!" Katsuki repeated, walking out of the dining hall.
"You may not leave without permission!" Nozomu Tanaka said, coming to collect his lodge kids from the dining hall.
"Shoto's freaking out." Bakugo said, dropping his voice down low.
Nozomu looked around. "Where is he?"
"With Tohru." Katsuki replied before following Tanaka, who ran to the emergency entrance. He stopped to grab a cup of ice off from the kitchen window that one of the chefs handed with an outstretched arm.
"Shoto-" Tohru said, soothingly. She stood back from Todoroki as he threw and landed bloody punches on the metal sign of the wooden door. It read "Emergency Exit" in both English and Japanese. "Shoto. Your Dad's not here. You're at T.T.I.- do you remember where that is." Tohru grabbed the ice cup. Nozomu restrained Shoto from behind and Tohru took an ice cube out and placed it into Todoroki's hands. "Here you go. Squeeze that."
Bakugo stood with Midoriya and watched their friend's eyes roll back into his head and focus before blinking twice. He nodded to something that was said to him before Nozomu took him away.
"Thank you for running to get staff." Tohru said, kindly. She seemed saddened by what had happened. The rest of the lodges were gone and the other boys from their lodge stared at Shoto.
"I wanted to kil-" Katsuki began.
"Yeah, we know to get staff." Izuku interrupted. Bakugo whipped his head over to look at Midoriya but was given a significant hint that they couldn't act too attached to each other or they may face separation.
"Where's he going now?" Bakugo asked.
"You're all going to your room for "room time"- pretty self explanatory." Tohru said, walking the boys out and down the hill. They would have great calves by the time they were done here, Izuku thought.
When they arrived, Todoroki had his knuckles wrapped up and was sitting at the lone desk in the room, writing to his mother- a letter he never intended to send, but was part of his therapy assignment. Bakugo took a nap and Midoriya asked to call his mother, but was sent back to his room. He did push-ups, shirtless, instead.
Eventually, Izuku stopped (he'd reached 600) and sat on the edge of his bed, wiping off with a damp towel from their attached bathroom. Katsuki sat up and looked around the room at the others. "You wanna know, don't you?" Shoto asked.
"Know what?" Midoriya asked, unsure if he meant about his scarred eye or his freak-out in the cafeteria.
"Don't play dumb, Deku." Bakugo sighed, before turning to his other classmate. "Yeah." He decided. "Tell us. We're your friends."
Todoroki sighed. "I was six years old when my father decided to groom me into a machine..."
Tanaka stood outside the door as Shoto talked. It was unlike the boy to open up and since it was positive progress, he crumpled the roommate change notice and pocketed it instead, rapping his knuckles, lightly, on the door frame.
"Hey guys- it's time for Group and DBT skills. Socks on and make your way to the milieu, please. Hope Lodge. Izuku, you have therapy with Dr. Fuji, Healing Lodge, second floor."
Katsuki pulled on his shoes for the great adventure that was DBT skills. Midoriya suddenly felt ill and regretted his push-up training, feeling, for once, sore from a mediocre-at-best workout. He said his "goodbye's" to his friends and walked up the hill, escorted by a security staff member he'd never met to the Hope Lodge and found the second floor room that matched the room number on the piece of paper he was given. Izuku knocked.
"Come in, Midoriya." Came a deep voice before a quick cough. "Oh, excuse me." The doctor apologized. "You are Midoriya, yes?"
Izuku tried to think.
Was he? Yes. Oh! Nod!
He nodded. "Yes, sir. And are you Dr. Fuji?"
"Indeed." Strangely, the man laughed. "You look so frightened. That's not what I would have imagined a prospective hero to look like, but then again, I am old and what do I know, hm? Have a seat."
Midoriya sat across from the man on a cushioned arm chair and sat back. He answered some basic questions. At one point, Izuku's gaze wandered and he caught a glance of an All Might figurine. He stopped listening and eventually lollygagged answering questions for long enough that Dr. Fuji followed his eye gaze to the small statue.
"Ah, Yes. All Might. You like him?"
"I know him. He's my mentor." Midoriya said, honestly. I have his quirk. He thought. Better off not mentioning that...
"He's Japan's most powerful hero. Our Number One. The Symbol of Peace-" Dr. Fuji continued. "What do you see in yourself?"
Izuku straightened up. "I'm going to replace him." He said, proudly.
Dr. Fuji had deep crinkles near his eyes when he smiled, Midoriya noticed. He laughed again- a hearty chortle and sat back, mirroring Izuku's former posture to gain his trust and show he was relaxed with the boy. "Is that so? I suppose you'll have to outdo the current Number One, Endeavor. That's Shoto's father, hm? You know him?"
"We've met." Midoriya said, flatly and unenthusiastic. He thought back to the sports festival. Yes, that was when he met Enji Todoroki for the first time. He was a large man.
"Shoto isn't you."
Izuku told him. To. His. Flaming. FACE.
Oof. He cringed.
"And what do you make of your mentor's sudden retirement?" Dr. Fuji asked.
Midoriya continued. "I don't know how to feel about All Might's retirement." Izuku admitted. I don't know how much this man knows...And I already got found out by U.A.'s staff that we rescued Kacchan. Midoriya wiggled, uncomfortably. The psychiatrist-acting-therapist noticed Izuku's discomfort.
"What's the matter?" He asked.
Midoriya decided to trust him. "When I- we- uh- me and Shoto and some friends- rescued Kacchan... We all got a good bit of discipline. It's embarrassing." Izuku said, burning bright red on his face and scratching at the tag on the back of his shirt.
"Do you regret rescuing your friend?" Dr. Fuji asked after a pause.
The teen jumped, practically, out of his place in the chair and his eyes widened. "No!" He shouted "No! Never in a million years! I'll always do and stand for what's right... even if I'm standing alone." Midoriya said, making a fist with his typically-injured right hand. "Because that's what Heroes do."
A few minutes later, Dr. Fuji wrote a prescription for an ADHD stimulant to help also with depression. "You're a good kid, Midoriya." He said. "But I can tell you've had your fair share of distress. I'm handing in a medication. It's typically used for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, but will help you with depression, too, okay?"
"Oh- okay." Izuku stuttered, taking the piece of paper.
"Give it to your lodge staff, alright? You're headed to Group. Please send your other classmate, Katsuki Bakugo, okay?" Dr. Fuji assured. He received a nod back and showed Midoriya the door.
A man in green scrubs stood at the bottom of the stairs. "Security escort for Izuku Midoriya?" He asked. When he received a hesitant nod, the two walked out and Midoriya was taken to the Hope Lodge. Things were not going well for Kacchan, Izuku decided, as he looked at his friend's face.
Midoriya sat beside Todoroki in the room that the Lodges had Groups in. It was silent as they looked to see who was coming in late. Izuku handed in the scrip for "Focalin 15mg" and everyone continued. It was Shoto's turn to talk, coincidentally, as that was how the circle went. It must have ended with Kacchan. Midoriya decided.
People looked annoyed. Uh oh. "What did Kacchan say?!" Izuku whispered under his breath, as he sat on a folding chair.
Todoroki blinked. "Nothing."
"He shared NOTHING out of the ordinary?" Midoriya checked. Izuku was used to that kind of annoyance when Bakugo called people "extras".
Shoto sighed. "No, Midoriya. He wouldn't share. He shared nothing."
And that's when the static on the walkie-talkie went haywire.
"Code Green." Came Honda's voice. "We have a runner."