Hi all,
I meant for this chapter to be longer, but didn't want to rush through next part. Midoriya will still be going through it here, but I promise it will get slightly better for him in the climatic next upload. Will continue to edit as I go along.
I honestly didn't actually think I'd get this far with this fic, so thanks again for all the support! Please enjoy!
Midoriya didn't remember falling asleep on his bed last night, but he somehow happened to wake up in it, albeit still clothed in his uniform from yesterday. He assumed that all the fatigue and stress he built up from the last two days finally managed to knock him out. The only reason he woke up was because someone had been relentlessly knocking on his door. Who on earth needed to talk to him so badly at this hour? Wait, what time was it again?
A hoarse, muffled voice resounded from the hallway outside his dorm, followed by a strained fit of coughing. "Hey Midoriya? You in there? It's Kirishima! Bakugou told me to check up on you to see if you're still alive. You're alive in there, right?"
The redhead sure had a lot of energy for someone who was still supposed to be bedbound. Izuku blearily rubbed the sand from his eyes, picked up his phone from his bedstand and tapped it on. He missed nine calls, and the time was 10:34 am.
Shit! Midoriya sprang out of bed, almost tripping over himself while snatching his backpack up from the floor. He scrambled towards the door and whipped it open, just in time for Kirishima to inadvertently launch a sneeze directly into his face.
"Oh my gosh, Midoriya! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to- Here!" Eijiro apologetically fished out a fistful of tissue papers from his pajama pant pocket and spontaneously smothered them against Izuku's face.
Thankful that he kept his mouth closed when it happened, the greenhead stumbled backwards slightly in surprise before instinctively grasping at the napkins to make way for a breath. "I-It's no problem, really. I should be thanking you for waking me up. I figure if I leave now, I still might be able to make it before second period ends!"
He tried to side-step around his classmate, but the hard-headed teenager moved to block him. Izuku looked up at Kirishima's stern but pale face, which was framed roughly with long locks of frayed red hair with hints of black beginning to seep through at the roots.
"You sure you're okay? You look like you're in worse shape than me, and that's coming from someone who just shot a snot-rocket at your face." Kirishima remarked nasally, noting Midoriya's pronounced eyebags, his equally sunken pallor and how the unseasoned hero-in-training somehow managed to make his green mass of hair look more disheveled than usual.
Midoriya was getting tired of getting asked that question over again and having to lie about it, but he tried not to let it show and grinned reassuringly, "I've just been having some trouble sleeping recently, but since I finally got some sleep last night, I'm feeling great now!"
Kirishima tilted his head to scrutinize his appearance some more, "It looks like you need more of that rest, and… maybe a shower? I can just call Aizawa, tell him that you're not feeling too well, and you can take it easy for the rest of the day." He gestured to his phone, waving it in his hand.
Izuku couldn't help but recognize the irony of a sick person looking out for the needs of someone whose only problem was getting caught up in a spontaneous love triangle. And as tempting as Kirishima's offer was, Midoriya had to betray his survival instincts and shook his head. He figured he would have to face Bakugou one way or another, and doing so at a predictable time and at a public place was probably better than having to brace himself for an impromptu ambush by the blond.
"I appreciate it, but… to be honest, there's something important I have to be at school for today. Plus, I don't like missing class when I can help it."
"Does it have to do with Bakugou?"
Midoriya froze, "What do you mean? Did he… tell you something?"
"Not really. Just when he called, he sounded more angry than usual. I figured that only you can get him that riled up over something… no offense." Kirishima admitted.
"None taken." Izuku caught himself breathing out a sigh of relief, grateful that no more of his classmates grew suddenly savvy to the situation with rival. He treaded carefully with his next set of words to help the situation stay that way. "We're just… figuring something out right now, but it's nothing I can't handle, I promise. And if that changes, you'll be the first to know, Kirishima!"
Eijiro seemed satisfied with that answer and reluctantly allowed the sleep-deprived greenhead to sneak past him outside his dorm room. Midoriya gratefully waved back at him, hollering out warm wishes for the latter's speedy recovery while dashing down the hallway and outside the dorm building with a spritz of One For All to assist.
As he raced down the campus grounds and battled with the already blistering temperatures outdoors, he scrolled through the details from his list of missed calls and recognized familiar names from his close circle of friends, all probably out of concern for his sudden, unexplained absence today. Strangely though, out of the nine calls he received, five of them were from Bakugou.
Izuku couldn't remember the last time the radio silent introvert ever called him for anything, so to suddenly get five of them from him in under the span of an hour was more than unsettling. Did Bakugou think that Midoriya was cutting class on purpose so he wouldn't have to face him? Did he change his mind about something regarding his confession?
He was almost tempted to call him back to ask but wavered. What would he say when he still wasn't sure about his exact words for when they met up about his answer? He was just about at his wit's end with all the internal back-and-forth deliberation that gave him more headaches than studying for the final exams would. It was probably best to put this all to rest, let Bakugou down gently with a rejection and endure the subsequent beating with his sense of dignity intact. As for Todoroki… he would have to have a completely separate conversation with him.
The halls were starkly empty when Midoriya finally burst in through the high school doors, which meant that classes were still going on and, if he could make it in before the lunch bell, Mr. Aizawa might not be too hard on him for being unjustifiably three hours late.
He was dripping with sweat, his mind still hazy from exhaustion, and Izuku didn't realize how badly he had been holding off using the bathroom until he was approaching it. He checked his phone screen again - it read 10:45 am.
He figured he still had time to quickly relieve himself and wash up before heading into class. He casually pulled open the door leading into a nearby Men's room, just to unveil another student occupied with a similar problem. They were airing out their underarms with the hand dryer, only adorning a black sleeveless shirt while vigorously wringing out their soaked-through uniform over the sink. Midoriya didn't need to look at his distinctive hair, because the broad, sculpted shoulders easily gave away his identity.
Izuku tightened his grip on the door handle and held his breath as a gut-wrenching knot of dread twisted inside him. The entire world came to a standstill when he unintentionally made eye contact with the hardened pair of crimson orbs that turned his way and widened back at him. He gulped.
"DEK-"
Midoriya swung the door shut with an excessive amount of force and started sprinting as far as his adrenaline would take him.
