Izuku was dreaming again.
He knew he was dreaming but didn't dread it this time. It wasn't one of the impending nightmares. It was one of the ever-rare, easy dreams.
He couldn't help the calm that washed over him as he settled down in a broken-down van. It was raining. Not the harsh, frightening thunderstorms one would think of but instead a soothing drizzle. He leaned against the wall, using his backpack as a cushion.
Sleep evaded him, so instead to took to watching the rain outside. A few things could be seen flying by, plastic bags, papers, and a few stray leaves. For now, he was safe in this broken-down van. No Nomu were chasing him. Nobody was yelling at him to leave. There was no danger.
It was funny how safe being alone felt.
He continued to stare out, basking in the relaxing atmosphere. Just as he began to wind down and slip into a light rest, he heard a yowl. He jumped and looked around until he saw a wet cat drag itself into the van. He stared at it as it ignored him and plopped itself on the other side of the seat.
The cat glanced at him every now and again but didn't do much else. Izuku eventually looked away and focused back on the outside. The cat dragged itself over and settled beside him at some point. It curled into his leg and began to purr.
Izuku smiled and reached down to pet it, but instead of touching the cat, his hand went through it. He gasped as it dissolved into mist, along with everything around him.
He was suddenly left alone in a familiar place, where he was all alone. A dark, barren field where nothing could live.
He got to his feet and looked around, his soothing dream long gone now.
He walked around the field, hoping to find an end. Hopefully, at the end, he could either wake up or return to that good dream. He didn't walk very far when he froze in his tracks, there was something different. Something shifted.
He looked around, fearing the worst for a moment; and then he spotted it. Flickers of a figure in the far distance, seemingly made of pink mist. He began to walk first, before breaking out into a run. He called out, but his voice made no noise. He raced towards the stranger, they were new, he had never seen them.
Never in his field.
Before he could approach them, they faded away; ribbons of pink mist floated away and dispersed into the void.
He was alone.
Again.
He looked up as the void began to close in around him, everything was disappearing. He watched the field crumble around him, giving way to an endless abyss.
Just before the ground beneath him could give away, he slammed back into the waking world.
He gasped and looked around. Izuku realized he wasn't where he had been when he fell asleep. There was no cold ground or flickering campfire. Instead, a soft bed and a moonlit window. But instead of laying down, he had been sitting up and facing the wall. His hands felt sore.
I was in that place again…but something was different.
He shakily laid down and gathered the blanket around himself. Even when he made himself comfortable, he couldn't bring himself to close his eyes just yet. His mind was buzzing, turning and demanding he stay awake. So all he could do was stare at the ceiling.
Something changed.
-FH-
Honestly, Izuku probably should have expected it. Ever since he had come back from his out-of-town trip, things had been pretty uneventful. The only real thing of interest was everyone's reaction to Katsuki and his bad attitude.
They had been surprised at first to see another talking cat. They figured Happy was the only one, a true one of a kind. Now to see another?
Most of them had been expecting him to have a good manner about him.
Izuku was pretty sure it was the equivalent of getting hit with a metaphorical freight train when they first heard him speak. Granted, a few people got too close for his liking, and he wasn't a fan of having his space invaded.
Izuku ended up plucking him out of the air at some point when it looked like he was going to start a fight. As much of a spitfire as he may be, he's still a cat. And Izuku didn't really like his chances against a full-grown person. It earned him a couple of scratches and bites along his arms.
After that, most kept their distance from the cat, who insisted on staying by Izuku's side. Why he did that, Izuku wasn't sure. But he didn't mind the company.
Once the buzz had died down, Izuku continued life as normal. Making mail runs, now with a flying cat in tow. Once that was done, he usually spent his time in the library or walking around town.
It had been uneventful.
But then Erza asked to come along on a mail run and had given him a lecture about how lucky he was that Lucy and Natsu were there to save him. Which he was well aware of, he honestly wondered how his luck hadn't run out yet. She said that she, and others should have considered the possible dangers of carrying documents belonging to a guild like Fairy Tail. Not just monsters but members of dark guilds or thieves.
The best way to rectify the situation was to train him, and teach him how to fight.
Izuku didn't even get to object or accept before she dragged him off.
And that was how he ended up on the outskirts of town, on the ground, with a sword pointed at his face. He didn't even get a chance to ask what was happening, she just summoned two swords and went to fight him.
"Your form is sloppy, but I can see you were improving during the fight." She lowered the sword and watched him get up. "And you've never been in a fight before?"
Izuku looked down at the practice sword Erza threw at him. "Not necessarily with a weapon."
"Of course, I wasn't expecting you to know everything right off the bat. I just wanted to see where you might be in skill level."
"So what level constitutes being able to stab a Vulcan and not even landing a scratch on you?" Katsuki lazed about in a tree nearby.
"Beginner."
Izuku laughed nervously. "I guess I've got my work cut out for me."
Erza nodded. "I do hope you're aware that this is going to be a daily thing unless I state otherwise."
"Huh?"
"You heard me. Unless I'm out on a job or tell you it's a rest day, then I expect you to be here after your mail run. And don't even think about making a mail run later to try and postpone it, am I understood?"
"U-Uh…yes. Crystal clear."
Erza smiled and held her sword up. "Good. Now that that's cleared up, pick up your sword. I'm going to teach you how to hold and swing a sword properly."
Izuku looked down at the weapon. When Erza had tossed it to him, he had expected it to be heavier. It had some weight to it but not enough to weigh him down, it had been lighter than what he was expecting. Without a word, he picked up the sword and held it up.
"Oi! Armor Lady!" Katsuki called from up above. "Are you just training with swords, or are you losers allowed to use magic?"
"My name is Erza, Katsuki. I would like you to use my name."
"...Not happening, Armor Lady."
"Kacchan, be nice." Izuku looked up at him.
"I am being nice, asshole! What would you rather me call her Armor B-" He quickly stopped himself when he saw the glare Erza was giving him.
"What else would you call me, Katsuki?" She narrowed her eyes.
"...No, I think I'll save that name for later." He glared back at her as he flew to a slightly higher branch.
"Kacchan."
"Get off my ass Bush Boy!"
Erza shook her head and looked at Izuku. "We'll be addressing that later. But no, it doesn't just have to be weapons training. If you so choose, you can also use your magic in training. I'm interested to see what you can do, on top of that, it doesn't hurt to mix sword training with other abilities."
Izuku felt himself blush and shook his head. "I-If it's okay with you, I'd rather stick with weapons training for now."
"Come on Bush Boy."
"Please."
Erza raised an eyebrow and looked between the two. Katsuki glared at Izuku, who kept his eyes to the ground.
"No one is going to force you to use magic in training, but I won't be opposed to you using it. But if you prefer this to be non-magic training, then that's just fine."
Izuku nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that."
Erza smiled and held up her sword. "Alright then, let's start with your stance."
As they continued with their first lesson, Izuku felt Katsuki glare at him. He wouldn't have been surprised if the cat had decided to throw something at him. Thankfully he didn't cause any trouble, seemingly wary of Erza. The only time he did come down was at the end when she finally deemed it time to go home.
Katsuki flew over and sat on Izuku's backpack, eyeing Erza all the while. He may act like a brat, but he wasn't stupid.
Izuku felt like giving up right then and there and wanted to let himself fall onto the ground. Everything felt like jelly, and he couldn't hold himself up. Meanwhile, Erza wasn't even winded.
"You did well today, I trust that you'll get the hang of this in no time." She patted his shoulder.
"Uh, yeah, I guess." He shrugged. "I guess I should return this to you now, right?" He held out the sword Erza had given him.
"No, keep it. That sword will be yours from now on."
Izuku frowned. "But, you summoned it? It's yours isn't it?"
"It's fine, I have plenty of weapons at my disposal. I'll admit that sword is one of my older ones. You'll get more use out of it than I will. Plus, moving around with the new weight will help you adjust to it."
"I'm gonna have to get something to carry this in." He muttered.
"It's called a scabbard, dumbass." Katsuki chimed in from his seat.
"I know that!"
Erza smiled to herself. "Now that the day is over, let's get you back to the guild. It'll be dark soon."
Izuku looked around, he could see the sun was beginning to dip towards the horizon. Promising night and the darkness that comes with it. Izuku grimaced and went over to his bag and grabbed it up. Katsuki grumbled and got off it, before resting on it again once Izuku pulled it on.
"I can make the run back real quick, you don't have to worry about me." He smiled. "I'm sure you have to get home too."
Erza raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I'm sure."
She seemed reluctant, but after a moment she nodded. "Alright then, get home safe. I expect to see you here tomorrow."
"Right!"
He waved goodbye before running off in the direction of the guild. As sore as he was, it wouldn't stop him from running as fast as he could in order to get home. He wasn't stupid enough to let himself get caught out in the dark. Not after he had made that mistake dozens of times before.
At some point during his run, Katsuki sprouted his wings and flew beside Izuku.
"Hey, dumbass." When Izuku gave no acknowledgment that he heard him, he growled and swatted at him. "Hey, listen when I'm talking to you!"
"Oh! Sorry, Kacchan! I'm a little focused on-"
"Focused on what? Running towards the guild? What are you so stupid you can't multitask?"
"I-I can multitask! I just want to get home. I just don't want to get lost, and it'll be dark soon."
Katsuki rolled his eyes. "Are you telling me you're scared of the dark? Seriously? God. I'll make fun of you for that later, but right now I wanna focus on why you didn't use your magic on Armor Lady!"
Izuku raised an eyebrow. "My magic? Kacchan, I don't know what you're talking about?"
The cat sputtered. "What is that supposed to mean? Don't fuck with me Bush Boy! You have magic, I know you do. I saw you use it on that Vulcan!"
"Huh?" Izuku stopped running to look at him. "What do you mean?"
Katsuki's eye twitched. "You know, your gravity magic. The same kind that whats-her-face used. You used it to hold down the Vulcan before it could get to us."
"I…No? That's not what happened. That's impossible, are you sure you didn't see Ochako use her magic? I mean, she passed out a little bit after that, right? She probably used the last of her magic to-"
"No! Bullshit! I know what I saw, and what I saw was you!" Katsuki pointed at him.
Izuku shook his head, he tried to think back, but that night was a mess. Everything blurred together in a mess of fear and desperation. The moment Katsuki was referencing felt like a blur like it never really happened.
"And what do you mean that it's impossible? It sure as hell ain't because I saw you, and I'm not wrong. I'm never wrong!"
His gaze snapped back up to Katsuki before he looked away sheepishly. "It just is…."
"Either give me a reason, or I'll keep calling you on this bullshit until you admit I'm right!"
Izuku felt his face turn red. "Well…you see uh…it's impossible Kacchan. It really is, I swear."
"Why?"
Izuku ducked his head down. "Because I can't use magic…"
There was silence before Katsuki began to laugh at him. Which quickly turned back to anger "Are you serious? Are you seriously going with that excuse? You have got to be fucking with me because-"
"It's true!" Izuku shouted, feeling his face turn another shade of red. "I-It's true, and I would rather you stop with this topic because I don't wanna talk about it. I can't use magic, nobody else knows, and I want to keep it that way. I'm only telling you because you won't leave it alone…and I trust you not to say anything."
Katsuki rolled his eyes. "Why's that?"
"...Because you have nothing to gain by telling the others? And you're my friend? At least I'd like to believe that."
The cat froze.
"You yell at me and call me names, sure, but that's just how you are. I'd like to think that you're my friend, or at least you respect me enough to keep something like that to yourself. So please, just drop it. Please."
Katsuki watched him, looking him up and down. Izuku, meanwhile said nothing, his face bright red as he looked down. After a moment, the cat huffed before swatting at him.
"Fine. Whatever, I'll drop it for now. But I know what I saw, Bush Boy, and I won't tell those losers. I don't give a shit whether or not you say you can't use magic because I know what I saw."
Izuku looked up to see Katsuki start to fly ahead of him, back to the guild.
Izuku took a shaky breath, he could feel tears beginning to build up. For a brief moment, he had been so ready to lose whatever friendship he had built with this other version of his best friend. He was so ready for a repeat of history. Some sort of visceral reaction, instead it was brushed off. Like it didn't matter.
Izuku took a moment to wipe his eyes, then followed after Katsuki.
"Keep up dumbass!"
"Right. Sorry!"
"And stop apologizing!"
"Sor-"
"Stop it!"
-FH-
Katsuki didn't get Izuku. Really, he didn't.
He glared ahead as he ate the curry in front of him, it wasn't spicy enough. Even though he was half tempted to complain about it he didn't, there wasn't much anyone could do to fix the disaster in front of him without having to remake it entirely. It only served to piss him off more.
He glared ahead; he chose not to join Izuku on his stupid training today. The Armor Lady was slowly ramping the intensity. He was probably going to come home all beat up.
Katsuki had only been with the idiot for a little while, and he was already starting to annoy him. It was arguable whether or not that was a good or bad thing that it took this long.
He was…weird.
In so many ways, he was just off.
For one, the idiot didn't sleep at night. And if he did, it was restless. The first few nights were alright until he started waking up with a start and pacing the room. He wasn't as quiet as he thought he was, usually waking up Katsuki with his muttering and pacing, especially when he bumped into a wall or something.
Then the scribbling at night. At least the asshole had the decency to put the backpack Katsuki used on the bed when he took the desk. One time he had been rude enough to wake him up when he dug around in the bag, while Katsuki was still in it.
The stupid nerd's new notebook and arm were scratched up as a reward for that stunt.
And he didn't even react! All he did was cry out in pain and backed up, apologizing for scaring him and promising it wouldn't happen again. Then Katsuki had to deal with him scribbling away at all hours of the night. He was able to ignore it and go back to sleep.
Honestly, he preferred the scribbling, the pacing, and muttering, it was better than waking up because he felt uneasy. Then crawling out of the backpack to see the idiot staring at a wall blankly, hands holding onto something, anything so tight that his knuckles turned white.
The first time it happened, Katsuki hadn't said anything. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to do anything. So he just watched until the nerd collapsed onto the bed again and was out like a light. Weirdo.
Katsuki hadn't been shy about throwing something and yelling at him the second time it happened. Bush Boy had been staring straight ahead again, teeth chattering and holding his chest like he was about to fall apart. When Katsuki threw something at him to get him to stop being creepy, Izuku lashed out.
Looking back, it wasn't necessarily hostile. It was more so out of fear than any kind of aggression. Izuku had lunged at him but didn't get too close. He stopped himself before he was too close to Katsuki, hand outstretched. A moment later, he collapsed onto the ground and began dry heaving. A few minutes later Izuku had gotten up and looked around, he checked on Katsuki, who glared at him from the bag.
The next morning he looked frazzled for a while, until whatever nerves he had settled down.
Come morning, Katsuki had been expecting to be yelled at for throwing something at him. For scaring him bad enough for him to lash out like that. Instead, he got an apology and promised not to do it again.
That was one of the biggest things that annoyed Katsuki. Something that really ground against his nerves.
He didn't get angry.
Never!
It was infuriating!
Even when Katsuki called him names, took food off his plate, or even just threw something out of his bag under the excuse of making room- he didn't get angry. He didn't get upset. He didn't even look annoyed. He'd just sigh, or smile.
The smiling was the worst!
He could never get a reaction out of him.
The idiot was practically a doormat!
Not just towards him, but towards everyone! Whenever anyone did something stupid or annoying, especially if it affected him directly, he didn't do anything, the idiot just brushed it off.
Katsuki was sure the only time he ever heard the idiot say 'no' was if the pyro or the stupid cat asked if we wanted to go on a job. Which he always declined, which was stupid in its own right. If Katsuki asked or pressed, he knows Bush Boy would tell him that he didn't have magic, that he couldn't use it.
Stupid.
It was even more annoying to watch him spar without his magic. If he just used it, he was sure that he could knock Armor Bi- Lady on her ass. Knock her down a peg or two. That would be satisfying to watch.
But it never happened. Watching him get his ass handed to him was a daily thing now. It got old quickly.
"Not going with Izuku today?"
He looked up to see Waiter Girl, Mira-whatever her name was, looking at him.
"Why would I go with Bush Boy?"
She smiled and took his empty plate. "Well, you two usually come as a set. You've only been here a short while, but you're always with him."
"No, I'm not! Shut up!"
"There's nothing to be ashamed of, it's okay to have a close friend."
He snorted. "That idiot is not my friend. He's just a loser that I let hang around."
Katsuki heard the old man hum. "Ah yes, a 'loser' as you call him, whose bag you usually sleep in, whose room you stay in, and the only person you talk to."
"I'm talking to you right now, aren't I, old man?"
"Not necessarily in the way you talk to Izuku."
Katsuki glared at him. "That idiot isn't my friend. I don't have friends, I don't need them. Like I said, he's just someone I let hang around. Besides, if I didn't, he'd probably die or something. Idiot can't take care of himself."
Mira put the dishes down and glanced at the angry cat. "So you're taking care of him?"
"No fucking duh! I had to save his dumbass back then, it's obvious he'll keel over if someone like me isn't around."
"But he isn't a friend?" Mira asked.
"I like to think that you're my friend…"
Katsuki bristled.
"He isn't!" Katsuki hopped onto the counter. "I don't know why you say that he is when he's not! I'm not that idiot's friend! I don't know why you expect me to be, he makes no fucking sense!"
Makarov raised an eyebrow and looked his way. "Oh?"
"I don't know how he makes sense to you two. He's a weird fucking guy!"
The old man huffed and turned towards him. "People don't have to make sense for you to care about them. We can't always expect to understand others. Everyone has their own quirks."
"Tch. He should make sense. But he doesn't; he never fucking reacts to anything how doesn't that bother you?"
Mira and Makarov glanced at each other, then at the cat.
"What do you mean?"
He scoffed. "I'm pretty sure if I called you stupid shit and stole food from you, or even hit you, you chucklefucks would react to that. Right? Like you're supposed to. He doesn't. He doesn't even get upset or yells. Like a normal person! He just acts like nothing happens and talks like normal. Regular people don't do that!"
The two were quiet before Mira laughed. "Are…Are you confused about Izuku being nice?"
Katsuki made a strangled noise.
"No! It's that he's weird! He doesn't make sense."
Makarov rubbed his eyes before taking a swig from his mug. "Do you want Izuku to yell at you? To get mad at you?"
"I want him to act like a normal person."
"By all means, he is. Izuku has much more patience than others. He hasn't yelled at you or lashed out. He doesn't even scold you. You just aren't used to dealing with someone who is willing to tolerate your antics, are you?"
Katsuki glared at the old man. He was wrong! Bush Boy was not nice, he was weird, and Katsuku just wanted him to act like how he was supposed to. Doesn't anyone get that?
Bush Boy just didn't make sense!
Why didn't he yell? Why didn't he get upset whenever Katsuki did anything? Especially if it annoyed or hurt him?
At least Katsuki knew how to deal with the yelling, it was a lot easier than the other nonsense. It made more sense.
"He cares about you, you know?" Mira smiled. "I don't think Izuku really has it in him to yell at you. He considers you his friend. He cares too much."
Katsuki glared at them, he didn't get how they thought that. He didn't get why Izuku considered him any kind of friend material. Enough to tell him that he didn't have magic when that was a fucking lie. The little bastard hardly even knew him, and he went to save him from the Vulcan! Right after, he yelled at him and scratched up his hand.
But still, the point was that Izuku was…he just didn't get it.
"If you don't mind me asking. If you don't consider Izuku a friend, why do you spend so much time around him then?" Mira asked. "It doesn't make much sense to me why you'd be around someone you dislike."
"I only hang around because that idiot needs me!" Katsuki shouted.
Makarov gave a wry smile. "Of course, if that's what helps you sleep at night."
Katsuki was glad his fur hid any kind of embarrassed flush he had. "I don't need to worry about it helping me, I sleep just fine. Stupid old man, why am I even talking to you? This is none of your business!"
The fact the old man just smiled at him made Katsuki want to throw something at his stupid face. What did he know? He didn't know what he was talking about!
He hopped off the counter and sprouted wings, then flew towards the doors of the guildhall.
"Off to see your friend?"
"Fuck off!"
-FH-
Izuku was…comfortable…mostly
A shocking concept really, but it was true.
He was comfortable.
It wasn't a profound revelation, nothing that blew him away, just a small realization. He was comfortable. He was starting to feel normal, or as normal as one could get.
He had a roof over his head, a job that paid pretty well, and a relatively calm life. Much calmer than being on the run for all hours of the day.
The only thing he really worried about was surviving the training sessions with Erza. And keeping Katsuki from getting into fights.
Other than that, there wasn't much else to worry about.
He knew he couldn't use magic, but nobody seemed to ask. He wondered if it was considered rude to ask or if people just didn't care. He seemed to fly under the radar just fine.
It seemed like things were okay, well and truly. He isn't sure when he last opened the notebook that had the expenses listed out, his escape plan. Maybe he wouldn't have to open that up again.
He smiled to himself. Everything was fine. At least until the dull ache at the back of his head started up again.
He wasn't sure when it started.
It just did.
One day it wasn't there, and the next it hit him out of nowhere.
He hadn't noticed it at first. It was like something playing in the background, easily ignorable. He didn't even know it existed. But then it came creeping in, slowly seeping in.
At first, it had been like an itch in the back of his mind, like he was forgetting something. Then it had become more insistent, it wasn't quite an itch, but he wasn't sure what else to call it. He felt a weird pull, an incessant tugging inside of him.
He tried to ignore it, simply chalking it up to dread. Maybe panic was finally hitting him, he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. But from what? Katsuki knowing he couldn't use magic? Erza seeing he was horrible with a weapon, and just dropping it and giving up on him? Maybe whatever peace he had found in this place would be torn apart by a monster?
Everything was fine.
He didn't know, and if anything, that made the supposed anxiety spike. It felt like his chest had begun to crack apart, slowly widening and turning into a bottomless chasm trying to swallow him whole. He shuddered when he thought back to the dream, memory, nightmare(?) that's been bothering him incessantly. The one that left him staring at a wall blankly and shivering uncontrollably as something ate away at his insides.
It was like scraping at the bottom of an empty well. Clawing at the bottom, trying to find something but there was nothing to be found.
There was something different, but everything was fine.
It was just another bump on the road. Needless anxiety. He's getting used to normal life again.
He couldn't quite employ one of his preferred coping mechanisms when dealing with some form of anxiety or dread. He couldn't just hide away in a quiet space until it went away, or he was able to push it down. He was pretty sure not coming out of his room for hours on end wouldn't end well, especially if he was supposed to be with Erza.
So he did the next best thing.
He grabbed a recently bought notebook and began writing down…whatever. Anything he could.
It was funny how the original Kacchan was one of the last people he analyzed in his ruined notebook, and the cat version was on the first page of his new one. There was something weirdly comforting about it.
It was enough to set him at ease, granted a lot of the analysis he was doing felt more speculatory rather than hard fact. When Izuku tried to ask a thing or two about his magic, the cat refused to talk about his own magic unless Izuku talked about his. Which, obviously, wasn't a thing that would happen anytime soon.
Still, it was enough. It seemed to curb the suffocating feeling in his chest. It made him less jittery and made it easier to focus on everything else. The chasm was sated, and it would leave him alone for the time being. Mostly.
Sometimes it'd spike again, mostly whenever he was around people. He could feel his hands twitch and shake at random, like an annoying spasm. He just wanted to reach out and grab something solid, then hang onto it long enough to make the feeling leave.
Izuku jumped as he heard something snap, he looked down to see he had broken another pencil. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, that was starting to get annoying too.
"You have to kidding-"
"Here's what we need to send out today, kiddo."
He startled and looked over to Makarov, who held out a small stack of letters. Izuku took the envelopes and looked over them. "Anything needed out of town?"
"Nope. Pretty straightforward today."
"Thanks."
Izuku grabbed his bag and threw the letters in. He got up and went running out, only to crash into someone and fall over.
"Geez, you have to watch where you're going." Gray sighed. He hadn't even been phased. He leaned down and offered a hand.
"Sorry about that."
"Maybe you should watch where you're going stripper." Katsuki snapped from the bar. "Put on some pants!"
"Kacchan, be nice!
When Izuku grabbed Gray's hand, there was a weird…tug he felt. Like having to rip a pin out of a wall. It was quick, almost unnoticeable. He saw Gray jolt as he pulled him up to his feet. As soon as he was up Izuku pulled his hand back, and a chill ran up his spine.
"Thanks, and sorry about crashing into you. And…you probably should put on some clothes."
"Quit apologizing, you stupid nerd!"
"Watch where you're going next time," Gray shouted after him. "You're gonna hurt yourself!"
As soon as Izuku was out the doors, he looked around the hall.
"Where are my clothes?"
-.-
"Welp, there goes the kid."
Natsu looked over to Wakaba as Izuku ran out of the guild hall. After his mail run, it was going to be another day of training, obviously. Natsu had seen him run around through town a few times while on his way to the post office or the training grounds.
Honestly, when word got around that Erza was going to be training the poor kid, everyone sent words of good luck to him. Natsu included.
Erza was the one who forced him to sit down and study all those years ago. Three days with no food or rest as she hammered vocabulary into his thick skull. He shuddered at the memory, and after that, he kept his distance from her until he was sure she wasn't going to drag him off for another lesson.
Even so, seeing him being a little more active was nice. The first few weeks Izuku was here, he usually hid away in his room or somewhere in town. Even if he was sitting at the bar, he kept to himself, only talking with Mira or Gramps. Even then, that was rare. They were the ones who had to start up the conversation.
Nowadays, he usually talked with Katsuki, even when the cat yelled at him. How Izuku had the patience for that, Natsu would never know. He had been tempted to get into a yelling match with the rude cat once or twice.
Though recently, he noticed that when Izuku wasn't doing anything, he was scribbling away in a notebook. Sometimes he'd talk to Mirajane or Gramps before going back to writing. He was doing that a lot lately.
Natsu hadn't talked to him much ever since they came home from that out-of-town mail run. The next morning he had to carry him home. He had been dead to the world. Which seemed about right, given he hadn't slept much and was in tears when Natsu found him.
"I was afraid one of those things was going to find me while I was asleep."
He frowned, thinking back to that night. That kind of fear that Izuku had wasn't born out of nothing, he had been through something awful. Natsu couldn't even imagine what he went through. What kind of monster he was talking about, something that hunted all day and night?
"You know, I've been thinking. Something is bothering me about that kid."
Natsu perked up and shot a glance over to the adults.
"Who, Izuku?" Macao asked.
Wakaba nodded. "Yeah, the more I look at him, the more I swear I've seen him from somewhere. He reminds me of someone."
His drinking buddy shook his head. "I don't know what you're smoking…"
"Don't give me that, you know I'm right. I just gotta do some digging."
"Whatever, Wakaba. I'm more concerned about having another version of Erza running around."
"What? No way. The kid's way too laid back."
"Well he spends enough time with her, something is bound to rub off."
"By your logic, he should be swearing up a storm at some point, with how much time he spends with that cat."
"Ugh…"
Natsu huffed and looked back at the rest of the guild. It was a slow day, and they weren't going to go on any jobs anytime soon. Lucy had enough for rent, and everyone else was good in their expenses. It was more or less a nonverbal agreement to not go anywhere without Erza, they were a team now, and Erza was busy helping Izuku.
Natsu had been wondering how he was doing, not just in training but in general. He looked like he didn't get enough sleep. Honestly, Natsu should have thought about that earlier. Considering what he said about keeping watch at night and all that.
He supposed there was no better time to ask than now. Maybe asking Erza instead since she's been around him more often, and she wouldn't downplay anything.
Happy looked up as Natsu stood. "Where are you going?"
"I'm gonna go do some stuff, you wanna come?"
"Aye sir!"
A few people waved Natsu off as he headed out the guildhall.
"Where do you think you're going flame brain?" Gray asked. It looked like he managed to find his pants.
"None of your business. Why you wanna get in my way?"
"You know if you go and interrupt Erza while she's with Izuku, you'll probably die."
"Nah, I'll be fine. I just wanna see what they're doing. Worry about yourself, streaker."
Gray scoffed and rolled his eyes, Natsu had been expecting another jab. He raised an eyebrow as he leans against the bar, he looked winded.
"Are you okay? You look kinda pale." Happy flew over.
"I'm just tired. Don't worry about me." Gray waved him off. "Go bother Erza and let me know how that goes."
"Whatever, jerk." Natsu turned to leave. "Don't go losing your clothes again. If you walk around town naked, Erza's gonna kick your butt too."
"It was one time! Get lost Natsu!"
-.-
Something shifted.
He wasn't sure why but Izuku felt like everything changed. It was sudden. The dread was gone. The heavy feeling in his chest had settled down, for now, instead replaced by a cool sensation. There was nothing that made him need to cling to his notebooks or at least the thought of them to make him feel okay.
His head felt clearer than it had in a while, and he wasn't on edge like he had been. It felt like some kind of hunger had been sated. Maybe the dread finally wore off? He wasn't sure what changed, but he was thankful for it. He was actually making progress in training.
Then again…progress was being generous.
He huffed as he dodged to the side and backed away from Erza.
"You can't keep going on the defensive Izuku," Erza glared at him. "Attack me!"
He gritted his teeth and watched her, before charging forward and putting his all into a swing that was easily blocked.
"Come on, I know you can do better than that!"
He staggered back and ducked to avoid a swipe. The sound of ringing metal as it nearly missed him made his head spin. He flinched and put more distance between them. That was the only way he knew how to fight, keeping his distance until he absolutely had to attack. He had to stay away from danger, whether it meant Nomu, or the Vulcan…or in this case, Erza.
"Come on Bush Boy, kick her ass!"
Izuku dared a glance upwards to see Katsuki hovering over them.
"No offense Kacchan, but that's a little easier said than-" He yelped and blocked a strike before swiping back.
"You need to pay attention and focus on the enemy." Erza narrowed her eyes. "You can't let yourself be distracted."
"Right."
Erza seemed to be going harder that day, she refused to let up, giving him mere seconds to breathe or think. He wasn't sure if she was upset with him or if this was just her way of teaching the next step.
It felt…good to be able to defend himself. To know how to fight in some capacity. To be able to do something without any kind of power to call his own.
Granted, it wouldn't have leveled the playing field if he were back home. It would have just given him an inch to the miles that everyone has- had on him.
He faltered for a moment until Katsuki shouted at him.
"Pay attention idiot!"
Izuku shouted as the blade nearly grazed his arm, Erza took advantage of his surprise and threw him off balance before knocking him down.
He groaned and tried to get up, only for Erza's sword to swing at him again. He gasped and brought up his own to block it. The force of the blades colliding sent tremors up his arm. He gulped as he felt something in his chest rattle.
She glared down at him. "Just because you're down doesn't mean you're out of the fight. You can still turn things around like this."
She seemed intense this time around. Usually, she'd let him tap out and then they'd restart.
Not this time.
"Come on Bush Boy, knock her down! Use your magic!"
"I told you I-"
He blocked another blow and scrambled to his feet to get away. Erza was still quick to close the distance. She wasn't going to let him run.
She's not actually going to hurt you; she'll stop if it goes too far. Don't worry about dying. This isn't a Nomu.
He still treated the situation like it was, he couldn't help it. His senses screamed danger as he ran around and deflected her attacks. Occasionally he would try a counterattack, which she blocked with no issue. Every time she was so close to knocking him down again, only his running away kept him on his feet.
His instincts screamed at him to turn and run, but he kept himself there. She would catch him anyway, he reasoned. There was no point in running.
Like how the Nomu would inevitably catch up?
Ice filled his veins as the air around him got unbearably cold.
Stop it. You're training. This isn't like back then. Knock it off!
He was fine, everything was fine. This was just Erza. She's trying to help.
"Come on Bush Boy!"
He gritted his teeth and kept his eyes forward. Erza was coming towards him again. This time he steeled himself and refused to move, he could do this. He wouldn't win, but he wouldn't move away this time.
Once she was close enough, he went to strike.
"Your movements are obvious."
"Huh?"
One minute he was on his feet, and the next he was plummeting to the ground. He groaned as he hit the ground, that was sure to bruise later. He didn't get to relax, however, as Erza swung her sword down again.
"Block it, you idiot!"
She wasn't letting him go.
Izuku felt for his sword but realized he dropped it on his way down. He began to panic as he saw the incoming strike.
He supposed that was what the dread from the past few days had been. Trying to prepare him for this moment.
She was going to kill him. He was pretty sure she was going to genuinely kill him.
She's not gonna kill you. She's not supposed to. She's not going to. It's not going to kill you!
For just a moment, Izuku was back in the city.
For just a moment, he was going to die.
He threw a hand to try and grab the sword, at least that way it wouldn't be a killing blow.
The temperature dropped and he looked away until the cool sensation in his chest spread. He gasped as he felt it race through his body, then heard the sound of metal clashing against something.
He expected pain, only for it to never come. After a moment, he slowly looked up and saw frost covering his arms. What really concerned him, were the ice crystals gathered in his hand and the sword that got caught in it.
The crystals were malformed, jagged, and crude. But they were there, in his hand.
"What-"
"What the fuck?"
The cat had worded it perfectly.
Izuku shuddered as the crystals shattered and let go of the sword. Erza looked surprised but smiled to herself.
"I see."
When he was sure she wasn't going to attack him, he pushed himself up. She offered a hand to help him up, but he shook his head.
"I-I'm okay."
"Are you sure?"
He nodded. "Yup. I'm fine. Perfectly fine."
Katsuki flew down to hover beside him. "Yeah, right. You thought she was gonna kill you."
He laughed nervously. "You think I'd be used to it by now."
"I had no intention of hurting you." Erza dispelled her sword. "I'm sorry, did you see it that way?"
"Uh, I mean…you were kind of intense."
"Ah. Well, I was hoping a more aggressive approach might have encouraged you to go on the offensive. You can't always be on the defensive Izuku, there are times when you have to fight back. Running away won't always be an option."
He looked down. "R-Right…yeah. I'll try to work on that."
"Other than that, you did rather well. You're a fast learner, but you still have some bad habits that we need to train out. Your footwork is good, but you tend to leave yourself off balance when you shift. That's why it was so easy to knock you down."
He hummed and went to pick up his sword.
"I will admit, I wasn't expecting you to use ice magic."
He froze, before looking over at her.
"Y-Yeah?"
Why are you talking about it? Please drop it. I don't want to talk about it. I don't know how I did that!
"It actually reminds me of someone. I will admit your form of magic was less stable, but it still has considerable strength to it."
He nodded.
"If you want to hone it, I recommend talking to Gray."
He stopped.
"Gray?"
"The stripper?"
She nodded. "He uses Ice Make magic. It's rather beautiful and quite versatile. I'm sure he'd be willing to teach you a thing or two."
Izuku flinched at the cold feeling in his chest.
"Right…"
"I can talk to him for you if you'd like."
"N-No, it's fine. You don't have to."
"I can understand if you don't feel comfortable talk-"
"Hey guys!"
Izuku jumped as Erza summoned a weapon and threw it in the direction of the new voice.
They all got to see Natsu dive to the ground to avoid getting stabbed.
"Woah, easy!"
"What are you doing here, Natsu?" Erza turned towards him. "It'd better be important."
Natsu glanced at Erza, then at Izuku before nodding. "Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about something. I can wait if you guys want."
"Nope!" Izuku turned to leave. "I-I uh, I'm okay. With ending it here for today. I have to do…stuff."
"Izuku…"
Izuku was already sprinting towards his backpack before Erza could tell him to stay. He was doing everything he could not to panic.
As soon as he grabbed his bag, he gave a quick wave to them and ran off.
"Hey, where are ya guys going?" Happy tried to follow after.
"Get lost you blue gumball son of a-"
"Kacchan be nice!"
-FH-
Natsu watched him sprint off before glancing over at Erza, who looked less than pleased. He took a step back.
"What is it Natsu? You'd better have a good reason for barging in."
"I do. I think it's a good reason anyway."
"It'd better be." Happy flew back over. "I didn't think we were gonna talk to her now. I thought you were gonna wait. I don't wanna have to watch her hurt you. It'll give me nightmares!"
"Get to the point."
The dragonslayer gulped and stepped back a bit. "Right. Uh, I wanted to ask about Izuku."
She raised an eyebrow. "Izuku? Why's that?"
"Well, I just…I wanna make sure he's doing okay." He said. "He spends a lot of time with you, is he doing alright?"
Erza looked surprised before sighing. "Yes, from what I can see, he looks fine. He does look tired though, but he doesn't seem fond of sleep."
"You sure you're not overworking him?" Happy asked. A quick glare was all it took to make him hide behind Natsu.
"He gets a bit jumpy now and again, but other than that I'd say he's fine. Why, what brought this on? And if you're so concerned, why don't you ask him yourself?"
"Well, I mean he kinda ran off. That, and I think I ask he'll just say he's fine. Even if he's not doing too good." He looked down.
"What makes you think that?"
"Remember when Lucy, Happy, and I went to go make sure he didn't get hurt delivering mail?"
"His first trip out of town, yes I remember that. I also heard you burned down a village."
Natsu looked away. "Yeah uh, that's beside the point. The thing is, he said some stuff that made me kinda worried. And I'm asking you because, like I said, I don't think he'd say anything if he's not doing okay."
Erza paused and sighed to herself. "What exactly did he say that's made you concerned?"
"Yeah, what did he say? And where was I?"
"You were asleep little buddy. And…he mentioned some stuff about his home. The kind of stuff he went through."
Erza perked up.
"I was sleeping until I woke up to hear him crying. I don't know if something scared him or what, but he calmed down pretty quickly. He said some stuff about having to keep watch, he's had to do it before."
"Keep watch? From what?"
"Monsters, apparently. He said that he didn't want to be asleep if those things found him. He was scared they were gonna drag him off or kill him. I offered to take watch, just so he'd get some sleep."
"And then you ended up carrying him home. I remember that you came into the guild hall and he was still asleep."
He nodded.
Erza couldn't help the shudder that went through her. She knew what it was like to stay awake every night, afraid something was going to sneak up on you. Take you by surprise while you were sleeping.
At least back then, she had the others, and Grandpa Rob would always promise to keep them safe.
She clenched her fists. It certainly explained some things.
"I think everyone back home…thinks I'm dead."
He had told her that his home wasn't safe. She hadn't been sure of the scale though. Monsters everywhere made him unable to sleep at night. Always living in fear of getting killed or snatched up.
It truly was a blessing that Izuku made it to Magnolia.
"I'll keep an eye on him if that'll make you feel better." She said. "Though I'm sure if you want a better update, talking to him would be best. Even if he says he's fine, the fact that you'll go to him to make sure he's okay will be enough. It'll let him know you're looking out for him. And if he needs to go to someone, I'm sure he'll consider you."
"He needs a best buddy!" Happy chimed in.
Natsu shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Well, I'm sure I'll see him at the guild. I can talk to him then."
"I suppose we should get going."
"Hey, if the others are up to it, maybe we could take a job. It's been a minute since we've done something fun."
Natsu grinned. "It sounds like a plan, buddy."
They began to make their way into town, with Erza listening as the other two talked on and on about the missions they could take. She recognized the ones they were talking about. They were still on the board and ripe for the taking.
Erza hummed to herself as they passed the bakery. Training did end a little early today, she supposed it wouldn't hurt to get a strawberry cake. It had been a while and she was dying for one.
She was about to bid the others goodbye when she heard someone calling out.
"Natsu! Erza!"
"Hey, it's Lucy."
The two of them looked over to see Lucy pushing through the afternoon crowd, pointed out by Happy.
"Hey, what's up?"
Lucy stopped in front of them and panted as she tried to catch her breath. "It's…something…"
The small group dropped their relaxed attitude real quick.
"Lucy, what happened?" Erza asked. "Did something happen at the guild hall Is everything alright?"
"Did someone come barging in or something? Or did someone say something?"
Lucy shook her head.
"N-No, it's not that it's…" She gulped down more air. "It's…it's Gray."
"Gray?"
"What happened?"
Lucy looked up at them.
"Gray, he…he collapsed! Something's wrong, he's really sick."
"What?"
Erza stepped forward. "Lucy, what do you mean something is wrong?"
"His magic, it's gone!"
-FH-
A huge thank you to my beta-readers KeeperofHounds and Bola!