"My boy," All Might boomed, smiling tight and blue eyes blazing in disappointment. Izuku felt his heart drop at the sight and fear paralyze his body, frantically getting ready to apologize for whatever happened, whatever he had surely done wrong. "You refused to show the world you were ready."
Slowly, through the dredges of the darkness they were stuck in, All Might walked towards Izuku and loomed over him more than usual. Izuku gulped and felt his anxiety spike. The last thing he could do now was disappoint his mentor, the man who had given him a fighting chance at becoming a stronger hero for everyone.
Izuku just couldn't mess up with this chance even if he was never properly trained, or broke his bones everytime he used All Might's quirk, or couldn't figure out what exactly was going wrong since every part of Izuku's struggles were part of a secret.
"Boy, you've been failing me. I've finally realized that you will never introduce yourself to the world as a hero they need. Soon, you'll be giving my quirk back to me." All Might said, glowering down at Izuku. The floor seemed to suck Izuku further down, making his mentor look much more menacing than usual.
With a sob stuck in his throat, Izuku fell further into the dark floor, surrounded by the loney void.
Izuku woke up groggy and annoyed, although that could be attributed to his dreams and memories that he was just surrounded with a few moments ago.
Antiseptic smelling air assaulted his nose, the blinding fluorescent stung his eyes as he blinked rapidly, a blurry figure moving around the room. Focusing, Izuku finally identified the blur as Recovery Girl and minutely-relaxed when he noticed it was just the two of them in the room.
Izuku sighed and sat up, drinking the water Recovery Girl had sped over to him and held to his lips. Satisfied, she pulled back the drink and furrowed her eyebrows.
"You need to be more careful with your arms. We had to do surgery on them to prevent worse damage but you may not be so lucky if there's a next time young man." She sternly lectured him as he nodded. Izuku watched as Recovery Girl just huffed and turned to the desk to sort out some papers.
"Could-" Izuku coughed and cleared his throat as he continued. "Could you turn on the awards ceremony?"
With a look shot his way, the heroine just grabbed the remote and didn't spare a glance to the screen as she bustled out of the room, presumably to grab more supplies.
If she would've seen the screen, the heroine wouldn't have left Izuku to his own devices. If she saw the screen, she would've sworn up a storm about how they were treating a first year like a dangerous and volatile villain.
Izuku, on the other hand, was watching the screen with his undivided attention. He was soon to be sick with horror as he watched his childhood friend, his brother in everything that wasn't blood, thrash wildly around in the chains surrounding him. Izuku grit his teeth at the unhindered rage that he felt when he saw Kacchan's eyes looking around, not taking in anything, clearly in the middle of a panic attack on a fucking podium like an animal .
Many people treated Izuku as if he had the patience of a saint. Even more people treated his mother the exact same way. Everyone he had ever been surrounded by seemed to forget one small detail. The tiniest detail that made all the difference in the Midoriya's lives; they were a part of the Bakugou family as well.
(People seemed to think that the Midoriyas were the family that calmed the Bakugou's down but they couldn't be more wrong. Where Katsuki is quick to anger, Izuku is quick to strategize a person's downfall. Where Mitsuki is prone to yelling a point at someone, Inko was prone to scathing remarks and long lectures. The boys grew up with both forms, both cold and hot anger.
That's not to mention their father's influence. They all have to work together to calm Masaru down whenever an incident happens. The man was strong in his conviction, could systematically and legally take someone down all while smiling innocently although his eyes would always sparkle with mirth.)
With every ounce of righteous anger and demanding rage that was coursing through Izuku's body and soul, he removed himself as calmly as he could manage out of the hospital bed, took the IV out from his good arm and left.
Through the corridors and hallways, Izuku's footsteps thundered with conviction. His footsteps were no louder than usual, no different than normal but if anyone had seen him, they would've turned the other way. Izuku kept a carefully built blank look on his face as he exited the tunnel, the tunnel that led to the entrance of the stage.
He could no longer hear the crowds, he could not care about his teachers nor the pro heroes that were no doubt calling into question his presence, because Kacchan was finally within his reach and panicking on national television .
(What Izuku didn't notice was that the crowds were actually silent and watching him as he walked stiffly but calm, not matching the deadly aura that was surrounding the boy. Izuku didn't know the crowd had been shocked into silence when they noticed he was just wearing his shorts and socks, showing off the scars he'd worn for years now that adorned his chest and back. He had no idea most of the crowd was horrified that a school-sanctioned event had led to his arm and shoulder being wrapped up in bandages that were still tinged red and pink.)
(Izuku was also unaware of how Present Mic and Eraserhead were stunned into silence as well. The two men looking at the boy who had been so reckless during the festival but had undoubtedly saved lives during the USJ attack and wondering to themselves where half of his scars even came from. Izuku had no idea Eraserhead was running a million different scenarios to help his students, his problem children who were scarred beyond his imagination. He had no idea Present Mic was two seconds away from screaming to break the glass and helping out Izuku with his quest to get his oldest friend away from the muzzle and chains that were guaranteed to throw Mic into a breakdown later that night.)
Izuku noticed the smoke coming from the chains, watching as Kacchan tried to get rid of the excess nitroglycerin so he wasn't in any danger of exploding himself or his classmates. Izuku continued his walk, determined to help and feeling unstoppable before a large hand came down on his good shoulder.
Izuku nearly snarled. That was not advisable for someone on national TV though, so he'll refrain for now.
"Young Midoriya," All Might boomed, laughing and smiling awkwardly. "You need to go back and get some rest."
Izuku's blank look shattered as his eyes glowed a dark green, unknown to Izuku at the time, and narrowed them at the man who was his mentor, the man who tried to be his father figure, and growled.
"Get your hand off me."
All Might, of course, didn't listen and continued to try and maneuver the boy away and down the tunnels but he stayed. Izuku didn't know where he got the strength to be unmovable for a hero like All Might but the crowd soon noticed that the boy was like a brick house and would not be moving from shoving alone.
Feeling his lips slip into a snarl, Izuku spoke again.
" All Might. " The teachers on the floor were finally stunned into silence from their, admittedly, weak protests as they listened to Izuku speak with All Might, painfully aware that the microphone hooked up the the Number One Hero was currently broadcasting the scene. "Are you so painfully dense that you can't notice when one of your students is in the middle of a panic attack because of your negligence or is this just yet another act of willful ignorance on your part?"
Out of pure shock, All Might loosened his grip on Izuku and he slipped away from the older man, ignoring how haunted his eyes had looked. Smelling ozone, Izuku glanced around and noticed his entire body seemed to be shrouded in golden-green lightning. Nodding to himself tightly, he launched himself to Todoroki's podium.
(Izuku didn't notice the dark clouds rolling in above the stadium. He had no idea the crowd was watching the golden-green lighting strike across the sky and washing them in another dangerous clap of thunder, sending shivers down their spines as they began to realize the extent of the power held tightly within the boy's body.)
"Help me ice his neck please." Although the words were strained and demanding, Todoroki just nodded to Izuku, obviously noticing his desperation, and let him grip Todoroki's hand as the shorter boy launched both of them towards the first place podium.
Izuku worked quickly, crushing Kacchan's muzzle in his hands before tossing it down, ripping the chains off his brother and walking back to the front of him as Todoroki kept his hand in place on the lower back of Bakugou's neck.
"Kacchan," Izuku spoke softly, not wanting to overwhelm the boy who was finally breathing right. As soon as Bakugou's eyes weren't distant anymore Izuku spoke again. "Kacchan, it's Deku. You have enough sweat built up, I want your arms above your head. Can you do that?"
(Katsuki didn't nod, or even acknowledge that he was being talked to but even through his post- panic haze, he could see the outline of his brother, his Deku, and kept his eyes on him while raising his arms up.
Katsuki didn't have panic attacks often but when he did, the two of them developed a system. Outside, Katuski's explosions are going up, no matter what. Inside, well, there's a reason Deku's back isn't what it used to be. Too many times, Katsuki refused but every damn time Deku would just smile and say that it was fine, not once crying or letting his smile become strained. So Katsuki trusted him. The two may not have been friends this entire time, he may have hurt Deku more times than he could count, but Katsuki trusted Deku and right now that was enough.)
Izuku put his forearm in between Kacchan's head and the last of the chains and struck upwards, ripping the damned metal away from the trio.
(The crowd listened as the metal struck the ground, not a meter from where Cementoss was standing, and inhaled sharply. To them, to the world watching, that sounded too much like a final bell.)
Kacchan's explosion wasn't large, in fact, it was smaller than normal. No doubt that fact could be attributed to Todoroki's help and Izuku made sure to send his new friend a smile before Kacchan's forehead came to rest on Izuku's shoulders, breathing heavily.
"Yellow. Tired." Kacchan whispered. Izuku just nodded solemnly and beckoned Tokoyami to follow the three. Izuku knew that Kacchan's panic would last for a while and wasn't surprised at the admission of such, although he was surprised the boy had voluntarily told him he was tired.
(When Izuku beckoned Tokoyami and Dark Shadow, the duo knew without a doubt their classmate would become a force to be reckoned with, a force so strong they couldn't help but wonder if the people who attacked the USJ would even try to continue to target them.
Tokoyami and Dark Shadow had no hindrances of following the trio, not when they knew their heroics teacher was willing to endorse and overlook the muzzle that resembled the one they had been threatened with growing up, not when the clanking of the chains reminded them of the bird cage jokes and taunts they heard in the corridors of each school they'd attended. No, the duo was content to follow their heroic classmates away from the damned podiums.)
With Kacchan finally in his arms and safe , Izuku shot one last dirty look over to All Might. Izuku
doesn't think the glare was baseless, not in the least. He couldn't think that when he was so painfully reminded of how the two first met, he wasn't given the luxury of not knowing how much of the commission listened to the man and vice versa. Izuku had not been so lucky as to wonder why the man put a media event over the well-being of one of his students.
Izuku couldn't pretend to be friendly with the man anymore; not when they'd messed up his brother .
At least the others looked surprised. Midnight was definitely shaken by the events or perhaps just the sounds of the chains being torn off a student. Either way, she looked horrified enough to regret her inaction. Cementoss looked indifferent, although the pro hero had never taken his eyes off where the last chain was laying on the field, directly in front of him. No protests were being voiced from the two commentaries, Present Mic and Eraserhead, so Izuku could only guess they weren't opposed.
Slipping on his sunshine smile, Izuku jumped and let Kacchan koala around him. He felt Todoroki use his ice to get Tokoyami and himself down from the podiums. Izuku hardly noticed that when he landed, another thunderous clap of golden-green lighting streaked across the dark clouds.
(The crowd sure did though. Everyone within the stadium, the audience, the pro heroes, the students, his classmates, his enemies . They all noticed how the sky was working with Midoriya. They all noticed how fierce his protective streak was in this moment; the boy who shattered his hands during his second one-on-one fight was not only controlling the weather with no conscious effort, not only lighting his entire body up with the venomous green lighting without a thought, but he was working in tandem with it all .)
Together, the four boys made their way through the entrance tunnel Izuku had emerged from just a few minutes ago, ignoring the look of disappointment and annoyance from All Might, the scandalized look from Midnight, the slight frown coming from Cementoss. Yes, the boys were aware of the looks, but not one of them cared enough to stutter in their footsteps.
This turn of events was quite obviously not how All Might expected Izuku to show the world that he was here. Izuku's sure that All Might expected tight smiles and strong fists like his but Izuku can't care.
Because he showed the world exactly what kind of hero, what kind of protector , he would eventually become.
He refused to become a lone symbol, much less a symbol that represents peace. Izuku's never
known peace and he doesn't expect the world to be well-acquainted with the concept either, doesn't expect a world that values big fights and large amounts of property damage to care enough for someone to continue to fight for peace. To Izuku, it seemed like a dead fight anyways.
But, Izuku mused to himself as his classmates flanked either side of him and Kacchan, he wouldn't mind being known as a different symbol.
Afterall, the Symbol of Aegis has a nice ring to it.