There were many things that didn't feel right.
Time felt as if it was fast forwarding but going in slow motion at the same time; whatever that meant. His body felt loose. Almost as if he was entirely weightless. However, he didn't feel as if he was the one controlling his movements. Everything that he was able to perceive felt like he was experiencing it in the third person.
His very depth of recognition made him feel like he was lazily flowing with the current of a gently river. It took a great deal of effort to focus on the things around him; let alone even realize what it was.
Bits and pieces of information leaked into the dense fog of his consciousness. It was noticeably… dark. Dull shapes stood tall in every direction. Trying to find any significance in the labyrinth of mixing figures made him feel dizzy. Not that he already wasn't, but to a near unbearable degree.
This endless scene completely surrounded him at all angles of wide and tall structures that sprouted into the sky.
Those were… trees… right?
And then that's the moon.
Izuku's tired eyes trailed up to the large pale orb in the sky that didn't give off any light that was anywhere proportional to its size. Like a flashlight running on batteries that were on their last precious minutes.
So… that meant he was in the forest… that was in his head… where his quirk lived.
But even after finally discovering his location, Izuku found himself not caring that much. Right now, it was hard for him to really care about anything. The emotions that he knew he should be feeling were rather difficult to embrace. All he could feel was the small bit of relaxation from sitting on the small clearing that lay under the kissing light of starless sky.
Izuku couldn't even bring himself to present annoyance in his expression. Only that of a mild sigh escaped his slightly parted lips, and his eyelids dropping lower. He wasn't sure how he knew, but Izuku was no longer the only one basking beneath the cover of the moonlight.
Seems he could never get a break from this endless cycle.
Izuku didn't even bother to turn around. It wouldn't even help. It never has. No point in running. There was nowhere to go. Trying to communicate in any way has led to wasted time as well as a large portion to his death count.
Might as well as add one more.
Looking to the ground, Izuku could see his own shadow completely blanketed by an even larger one. Rather than feeling a hot breath crawling down his neck, there was that usual dreading presence that followed the walking nightmare that was Izuku's quirk.
He's pretty sure it can't even breath anyway. Not that it had lungs or anything.
Izuku just sat there on the patch of grass he grew to be so familiar with and closed his dead eyes.
He embraced death.
"Midoriya!"
Like a curse has been lifted, the drowning fog in his mind was swept away; like the shout of his own name was the one powerful gust strong enough to clear his head. Izuku shot open his eyes and spun around.
In a remarkable transition that was too smooth to recognize, the world around him relighted.
"Midoriya!"
The dark forest that trapped Izuku was suddenly one of color and brightness. There was a short filter of blurriness that quickly faded into a clear picture that he could finally find himself to understand. Mina was looming over his with a worried expression written in every detail on her face. Next to her was Koda; while he always had a somewhat afraid look, it was now much higher degree. Upon meeting both their gazes, they both calmed down slightly. Looking past the both of them, Izuku could see the ceiling that indicated that he was still in the building of the battle exercise.
The battle exercise…
"Where's Tokoyami?" Izuku asked in a dry and stern voice. It visibly surprised the other two teens just how suddenly serious the greenette got.
"W-we don't know. You were the last one with him." Mina's answer didn't sit well with Izuku. Both nearly fell backwards when he suddenly jumped up to his feet and ran down the hall; not so much as giving any explanation to what he was doing or where he was going. "Hey! Wait! Come on, Koda." The girl and the quite boy both chased after the green-eyed teen.
It was difficult enough as it was when Izuku was considerably faster than them, despite him not using his quirk; let alone that they were just barely able to spot him passing another corner just in time for the pursuing pair to stay on his trail. After having ran for almost a minute, their mad dash was abruptly ended when they nearly crashed into the back of the greenette who had stopped at the entrance of another hallway.
"*pant* Sheesh, Midoriya! *pant* You could at least give us a reason before you just go running off… like…" Mina trailed off as her attention was diverted to what was past the boy's shoulder. All three teens watched the pair of robots haul away the still unconsciousness form of Tokoyami on a stretcher.
It was fully surprising for Mina and Koda to see that Tokoyami, one of the strongest students of their class, had fallen. The condition of their surroundings was quite evident of their skirmish. Dents and cracks littered the walls and floor. There were even a few drops of blood further down the hallway that stood out to clearly against the light grey tiles.
Izuku couldn't help but feel uneasy. There has been a growing pit in his stomach that had now dropped significantly the moment he laid his eyes on the previous battleground.
His battleground.
He did this.
"THOSE WHO ARE STILL ABLE TO WALK, COME BACK TO THE OBSERVATION ROOM." All Might's words called out from the intercoms once more. It was enough for Izuku to pull himself out from his inner stupor. Taking one last look at the destruction around him the he caused, the greenette slowly trudged behind his classmates.
Izuku had made a grave mistake today. He promised himself that he would never let anything like this happen again.
But honestly, he wasn't sure of his own capability to keep that promise.
.........................................................…
All Might really wasn't sure what to make of the situation. Since it was his first time teaching, he had no experience or past times to look back on and compare. He was in the dark about this, and it was honestly a little nerve wracking for him.
Unlike his students, he was able to hear every last word that was shared between Midoriya and Tokoyami.
It first, it merely seemed to be a fairly normal fight between the two. But then, Dark shadow started to say some things. They didn't make too much sense at first, but after hearing Midoriya's answers, it started to connect dots inside the hero's mind.
Before he could get too into it, All Might was drawn to the screen once again.
The fight that followed was both brutal and questionable. Even for the short amount of time that All Might has known Midoriya personally, never in his life would he expect this sort of behavior from the boy. It was violent and hard to understand. For no longer than a minute would he stay the same; always changing his attitude along with his appearance. Perhaps they were linked somehow. If so, then what did that mean?
Midoriya looked to have problems either using or controlling his quirk, and it seemed that Tokoyami and Dark Shadow knew of that. Could it be that his suspicions were correct about the greenette having a sentient quirk?
If that were the case, then it could very well explain the sudden shift in his personality. At the start, Midoriya was calm and collected. It was after being taunted by Dark Shadow that it all began. What happened after than had led to All Might nearly stopping the fight on several occasions; especially when Midoriya seemed to be undergoing a mental breakdown and cutting his own face.
These were all questions that would be answered when the boy in question arrived through the room doors.
During their wait, the class had conversed amongst themselves. In the moment that Mina and Koda appeared through the doors, everyone went silent and turned to them. Midoriya was just behind and looked to be keeping a certain distance.
It was through his own years and experience that All Might was able to recognize shame and regret written in the deepest details of his expression. While it was a red flag for the hero, it was more preferred than a look of pleasure considering the situation.
Even though Mina had lost, she looked to be in high spirits. Her smile hardly even budged and was just as chipper as ever. Koda wasn't much of one to change either. Sure, he had a noticeable smile, but his shyness wasn't too far behind.
All Might watched as the two groups combined into excited chatter. Well, at least one from one of the groups. Mina was the only one to converse with everyone else who were eager to ask questions and congratulate on her efforts.
Meanwhile, Koda did his best to hide himself in the crowd as he wasn't one for attention; but did however obtain a few compliments and pats on the back anyway.
Midoriya was a bit of a different story. He had more of the class's focus than anyone else, yet he seemed to be ignoring them. Instead, he looked to be drawn elsewhere. All Might was able to see the trace of emotion in his eyes that suggested for the hero to follow his gaze.
At the endpoint was Katsuki Bakugo. With no one else other than All Might realizing their stare down, they shot each other quite glances. What these looks meant? He had no idea. But right now, it wasn't the time to ask.
"NOW THAT WE ARE ALL BACK TOGETHER, MINUS TOKOYAMI-" All Might saw the barely visible flinch from Midoriya at the mention of the raven. "WE CAN GET ON WITH THE RESULTS OF OUR FIRST BATTLE EXERCISE." All the students came closer to the hero as they listened intently. "BOTH TEAMS WERE COMPLETELY PICKED AT RANDOM WITH NO WAY OF ANYTHING BEING PREDICTED. THESE FACTS LED TO THE HEROES AND VILLAINS HAVING TO USE THEIR INTELLIGENCE, SKILL, AND COMBAT ABILITY TO COME OUT ON TOP. SO, TELL ME CLASS, WHO WAS THE ONE TO UTILIZE THESE FACTORS AND BECOME THE MVP OF THIS EXERCISE?"
"Midoriya, of course! Who else would it be!?" Kirishima practically shouted the claim with unfaltering admiration. "The way he fought and took down Tokoyami was so manly! I wish I could fight like that!"
Jiro briefly widened her eyes as she was the only one to hear the greenette whisper under his breath. 'No, you don't'.
"Yeah. Midoriya pretty much fought two people at once if you don't count him tripping up Mina at the end there." Ojiro gave his two cents while giving a teasing grin towards the pinkette pouted over her misfortune.
All around the class, more and more students were agreeing with the reasons. To them, it almost felt silly not to give MVP to the guy who pretty much did the entire exercise himself. Midoriya, on the other hand, was evidently stunned and confused to their reactions.
Was he expecting a more negative response?
"I'm afraid I have to disagree." Many eyebrows were raised in an instant as each head turned to face Yaoyorozu who looked to be somewhat troubled. Her eyebrows were furrowed as she looked in the distance.
While it even surprised All Might, he was relieved to see that not everyone so easily agreed with all of Midoriya's actions.
"MMM. CARE TO EXPLAIN, YOUNG YAOYOROZU?" He said reassuringly so that the rest of the class will receive answers to their confused looks. Looking once again, All Might found there to be a couple who nodded with agreement.
"Of course. While I will say that Midoriya was indeed a major asset in his team winning, there were also a number of problems with how he did them. The first and biggest problem is the simple fact that this was a team effort. From the very start, Midoriya forced his own plan into action without so much as seeing if the partner that he was supposed to rely on had anything to say." Having been mentioned, Koda jumped within the crowd before shying away. "Although, I must admit: his idea of throwing off his enemies by making those marks on the third floor was smart. He had taken into account that he may not be able to take on both at once or have the chance of one running away while he is distracted; which happened to be the case. But that also lead to the second mistake shortly after. Midoriya had the element of surprise, yet he foolishly threw that away by placing himself right in the open." Throughout the room, each student was finding these facts to be undeniable. Just as Yaoyorozu, they were seeing the errors in the greenette's methods.
"Even so, when the battle started, things went accordingly with Midoriya's plan with Mina becoming lost and end up wasting a large portion of her time. While that was happening, Tokoyami and Midoriya did as they were supposed to: fight to progress. For some time, that is indeed what they did… until things began to get… strange." Most of class 1-A all thought back to the peculiar occurrence during the two student's battle. They all saw just how odd Midoriya started to act, and it even freaked some of them entirely. The boy in question was really beginning to feel anxious under all this pressure, but kept it hidden.
"Midoriya resorted to some rather bizarre tactics. While he did as he was supposed to by fighting and defeating Tokoyami, he did some questionable things throughout it. The one that I feel should be mentioned is the case of harming himself. Such an action would only be a hindrance." With that brought back into the spotlight, everyone found themselves wondering why there was no longer any trace of the cuts or even blood from Midoriya raking his claws down his own face. "I'm not fully saying that Midoriya can't be MVP in this exercise. He showed skill and had a solid plan. Because of it, he was able to win. But we also can't simply ignore the opposing factors as well as Mina or Tokoyami. Sorry, Koda." The black-haired girl wrapped up her answer with an apology to the tall boy for not meeting the standards of MVP for the match. He smiled weakly and waved her off.
"MY MY. YOU WERE RIGHT ON THE BALL, YOUNG ONE. EXCELLENT DEDUCATION SKILLS. AND I MUST AGREE." Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Yaoyorozu stated nothing but facts that made sense and were reasonable. It was only to All Might's trained eye that he saw a particular expression on the greenette's face. He expected it to be understanding and of realization of his own mistakes. In a way, it actually was. Perhaps maybe a little too understanding. Hmm… "MIDORIYA, DO YOU PERHAPS HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY OR MENTION THAT MIGHT EXPLAIN YOUR ACTIONS?"
Midoriya was once again in the spotlight. 19 pairs of eyes were trained directly on him. All Might, for one, was eager and interested as to what the boy's reasonings were. If he could get an answer, then that would just be another piece to the puzzle.
For only a moment where they all waited for his answer did he seem unsure. Then, it was nothing but calm.
Whatever it was that he was about to say was set in stone inside the teen's mind.
"All according to plan." It was thanks to the stunned eruption from the rest of the class that no one was able to see All Might cough with his own shock. Just like his students, he was not at all expecting such an answer.
"What!? You mean you planned all that out!?" Mina whipped to her side to look at the freckled boy with awe.
"Wow, Midoriya! I didn't know you were some sort of mastermind!" Uraraka was one of the many who were exclaiming their amazement.
"To be capable of developing such an efficient strategy an such a short amount to time. A truly astonishing trait for a UA student, Midoriya. Tell me, how did you do it?" Iida was much calmer in the unorderly fashion of the crowd.
"AHEM." The class's outburst was halted by All Might fake coughing into his fist. "YES, MIDORIYA. I'M SURE WE ALL WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO CLARIFY WHAT YOU MEAN." The hero still looked like he was still trying to process this, but then again, none of the other students were doing much better.
The boy who was at the center of all this attention was slightly perturbed by the predicament he had placed himself in. Not that anyone could see it though.
"Y-yeah. Even thought there was a reason behind everything I did, there was something that Yaoyorozu is ultimately correct at. I ignored the presence and assistance of my teammate, despite this exercise being the sole purpose of working with one another and learning how to do so. I simply gave him the task of guarding the bomb and left. Sorry." His last word was directed towards said teammate just shrugged meekly this time. "However, revealing myself from the very beginning was completely on purpose." This time, they all looked among each other with confusion and intrigue. "If the heroes weren't at all under the knowledge of a possible surprise attack, then would it be viable. Both Tokoyami and Mina could have had a plan to combat against this. Not to mention that Tokoyami could be hiding anything underneath that cloak of his. If I were to have gone through with a sneak attack, then he could have simply pulled out a gun and shot me." Everyone visibly jerked at that last assumption.
"He has a gun!?" Kaminari shouted with disbelief.
"I don't know." Midoriya answered casually before looking the blond in the eyes. "Does he?" The rhetorical question caused everyone to realize the example. At least Kaminari did as he smiled with a grimace.
"I think I'm starting to get what you mean now." There were a few nods along with the blonde's statement.
"Alright, then what the hell was that all about when you looked like you were being possessed mid-fight? Especially when you decided to give yourself a temporary face scar." Jiro looked like she was still skeptical about the situation. Midoriya couldn't help but clench his teeth at that question.
This was going to be the hard part.
"That was the second point behind my actions. Everything I did was to un-stabilize their concentration and teamwork. Any hero would be thrown off if they saw that sort of behavior from a villain. They're trained to achieve physical feats, such as saving citizens and fighting villains; not trying to communicate with a villain with mental problems as I tried to perceive myself as. It certainly did the job for Tokoyami." All around Izuku, his classmates were wide-eyed at the detailed plan that their own classmate was able to come up with.
"There's still one more thing that I don't get." Shoji hooked in everyone with his question that he was of yet to ask. "That fall you took after letting go of Mina's foot. While you were clinging to the ceiling, you just seemed to pass out on the spot. That didn't look like acting to me." Everyone, including All Might, perked up at that observation. With the match over, there would have been no reason for Midoriya to have just fallen like that. Looking back to the greenette, they were about to get their answer.
"Well… that's because it wasn't." The teen said hesitantly. Unlike the black-eyed teen, his classmates didn't hesitate to freak out over his well-being. Of course, All Might was one of them to be worried over his student. Although, it formed a certain question in his mind.
"Shouldn't you be going to Recovery Girl then!?" Hagakure practically shrieked in his ear; causing him to grimace slightly at the high-pitched sound.
"Yeah! You should have said something earlier!" Mina again exclaimed in a much closer space than before.
"Allowing yourself to go untreated could prove detrimental for your health. I strongly urge that you do as Hagakure says!" Iida took his turn ordering the greenette with chopping motions of his hands in the air like a malfunctioning robot.
Everyone was so occupied with just trying to get the teen to Recovery Girl, they hadn't noticed the current affect they were having on him now.
It was simply too much.
"Stop!"
The students who were the closest recoiled at the intimidating shout. It was the last thing they heard before the room became deathly silent. Worried looks morphed into bewildered expression in less than a second, and every single one of them were aimed at Midoriya.
He had both is arms raised outward to create a distance between himself and his classmates. It didn't seem that he could look at them as his gaze bore into the ground. Even so, they could still see he looked distressed and anxious.
A short period of this scene felt like it had been frozen in place; no one moving or saying anything.
"… I'm fine, guys. Really." Midoriya dropped his defensive stance and adopted a mixed expression of reassurance and apologetic. "It was just a short drawback of my quirk. That wasn't the first time and it certainly won't be the last, so there's no need to worry. I'm sure we all get a little quirk exhaustion every once in a while." Nearly everyone returned their own sheepish looks; seeing as they had made such a big deal over something that can be easily overcome.
"Oh, sorry about that, man. Just worried about ya." Kirishima was the first to recover in slightly awkward situation they found themselves in; the redhead giving a friendly tap on the greenette's shoulder.
"Thanks. Sorry about getting you all worked up for nothing." Midoriya took his own turn presenting a bashful face since he was the one to bring upon this reaction.
"NOW THAT'S ALL OUT OF THE WAY, I THINK IT CAN BE AGREED UPON THAT YOUNG MIDORIYA IS IN FACT THE MVP OF THIS EXERCISE." The room lost its somewhat gloomy atmosphere as the greenette's peers all congratulated him. "WITH THAT SETTLED, WE CAN NOW MOVE ONTO THE NEXT-"
"Actually, All Might?" The hero stopped as a voice interrupted him. Looking to the person, All Might found it to be Midoriya once again.
"YES, MIDORIYA?" The tall blond gestured for him to continue.
"I know I said I'm fine and all, but would it be alright if I could head back to the dorms. I think it would be sort of hard for me to keep focus on the rest of the battles since I'm tired and all." The greenette was reluctant in his word choice as each sentence came out slowly and carefully.
All Might decided not to question.
"HMM. WELL, STAYING IN TIP-TOP SHAPE IS A MAJOR ASPECT OF BEING A GREAT HERO. I DON'T SEE WHY NOT. GO GET YOUR REST, YOUNG MAN." All Might spoke in a knowing and gentle tone. It was enough to arise a hint of a grateful smile from the boy as he turned and walked out the door. A soft sound of a click from the door closing behind echoed throughout the room.
Then, it was back to normal and excited chatter. Nothing but teens eager to take their turns in the exercise to show their strength. Everyone thought that Midoriya told the truth and nothing but the truth.
All except for two.
Katsuki Bakugo almost screamed at his teacher during several times of the fight between the black-eyed teen and the raven. The only thing that kept him back was his damn fear keeping him rooted in place. He couldn't look away from the screen that showed the demented face of Midoriya gently smiling with blood running down his face. One green pupil was nowhere to be seen while the other shown with such vigor.
Since when did he become so afraid of the bastard that used to cry and cower before him?
Since when did their roles suddenly switch places?
…
The second who couldn't admit their suspicions was none other than All Might himself. The hero had said nothing among the distracted crowd of teenagers as he eyed the door which Midoriya had left through.
Quirk exhaustion.
He knew that was a lie for the young teen had told All Might himself. Over a week ago on the beach, he remembered the exact words that Midoriya had told him about his quirk.
Actually, my quirk doesn't run off stamina like other's do
All Might kept those words close. He figured it could help him better understand how to help Midoriya if he was having troubles with his quirk in any way. Turned out that it would be the opposite as it really led the blond to catching onto something he wasn't supposed to.
But if it wasn't quirk exhaustion, then what was it?
.........................................................…
A short amount of time passed after that, not even twenty minutes. Heights Alliance was quiet as it was devoid of its usual occupants. Silence met every corner of the interior. Until suddenly, like a flashlight rupturing through the darkness, a sound filled the entirety of the commons room.
The metallic echo gave way to the newcomer who had taken residence in this empty building. An echo of the door handle announced itself once more to indicate it latching back shut.
The one to have entered through said door had the place all to himself, but there was only one spot he wanted to be. The symbolized uniform of the school he now attended hung loosely around his body. It was messy and ruffled to the point it looked like he had slept in the apparel. A red tie wasn't even fitted around his neck as it rather hung from his pocket.
His eyes continuously flickered between closed and drooped, but never above halfway. They endlessly threatened to stay closed each time his heavy eyelids made contact, but he pushed through.
He was so close.
Making it to his own room was a dragging task. He didn't remember the walk being so long before. But at last, the number that represented as his own address gave relief to his mind. He opened the door to met with the room he had been living in for only a couple days. Again, he shut the door behind him and set his eyes on his luring bed.
He took a step forward.
Izuku fell to the floor.
It was hard enough to feel the smallest vibration around him as was it loud to alert his classmates. Thankfully, they weren't here right now. The only thing he needed right now was to deal with himself without having to worry about them.
So, he lay there on the floor on his room; arms were just around his head that didn't quite shield his one eye peering over the ruffled fabric of his sleeve. The glow of his iris never dulled, but the energy they expressed indicated fatigue.
That was all Izuku could really feel at this point.
With every fiber of his being, he wished that it was simply quirk exhaustion like everyone else. Izuku wasn't so lucky to be given that gift. It never mattered how beat he was or much he used his quirk. The monster living within him always gave him power when he needed it.
But at a cost.
Control could be thought of as a mana meter with how Grimm works. Each activation and use of his quirk would slowly pull on the harsh leash of his skulking beast. This strain on the leash can leave him certainly feeling drained at times if he isn't careful. Izuku had never let his control reach 0, and he swears on his own life that he'll never let that happen. With the power he has, Izuku will make sure that his hold for dominance stays on top.
But today… something different happened.
Rather than just thrashing against the leash and fighting for his body…
Grimm pulled him in.
Instead of breaking out of the cage that Izuku had sealed tight; lock and key, that damn monster somehow managed to catch him trapped in there with it.
Nothing about what happened during that fight made sense. For the last 11 years, his quirk has only tried to physically take hold of Izuku; the never-ending twitches and jerks of his body at random was proof of that.
Until today.
Izuku felt… manipulated.
During the battle exercise, Grimm had suddenly attacked his body when Dark Shadow taunted him. Just like every time before, Izuku was able to force it back down. Some times were harder than others, but there was never an instance where he had completely lost himself. And just like all of those times, it was a nearly hidden struggle over himself.
That was all it ever was. Nothing more.
Other than apparently having that strange reality that is the forest in his head, any kind of mental alterations were nonexistent. There have never been any side effects or unusual thoughts; nothing to indicate that there even could have been a doorway that leaked the mind of his quirk into his own. But why had it taken 11 damn years for it to happen, and why now of all times?
During his fight for control, Izuku felt his entire skeleton wash over with a wave of cold. It ached every part of his body against his warm flesh. That was the only warning for the sudden weight that invaded his head.
In less than a second, the world around him changed. The entirety of his perspective was shifted to fit his newfound ideals. Not once, has he made effort to keep his head in check that it all around caught him off guard. Before he knew it, it was too late.
Thoughts that were either pushed to the back of his mind or never even popped up in his head flooded his conscious. Ideas that he would never have considered before and found ludicrous were now the only things that he could see any reason in.
Izuku could remember everything that happened after that, but it wasn't quite right. He knew very well that he wasn't in complete control over himself.
No… that doesn't sound right.
Izuku was in control of himself.
But he wasn't the only one moving his body. During that fight, there was another entity pulling on his strings. Izuku followed them like a puppet being guided by a puppeteer. Inaudible whispers echoed throughout the fog in his mind. He did as they said without a second thought.
Izuku hated it.
He hated the feeling it brought.
The manipulation. The fact that he felt satisfaction in seeing Tokoyami look at him with fear. He felt dread upon remembering the pleasure it gave him. For a short period of time, Izuku and Grimm were in one mindset. It was a haunting realization that caused the teen to shiver on the ground.
The only thing that had managed to hold them back was when Tokoyami had said Grimm's name. From that, Izuku was able to regain a part of himself. But he knew that it wouldn't last long. He felt bad for punching the raven that hard, but it would have been better that way rather than giving Grimm enough time to seize hold on Izuku again.
Honestly, it was too hard to explain, even in his own mind. Izuku had no idea how that happened or why.
…
Actually…
He did know why, but just the simple thought of it caused Izuku to grimace with fear for what the future had in store.
Grimm was getting stronger.
.........................................................…
*Knock Knock Knock*
Izuku emerged from a world of pitch black. He immediately found his surroundings to be that of reality and not the dark forest. However, his own room nearly filled that lightless role as there was no sun seeping through his curtains. A moment of slowly dragging his eyes to the head of his bedframe where he found his clock in its usual place.
A groan rumbled through his throat upon seeing that he had slept for nearly 4 hours.
Peeling his face from his soft pillow, he sat up to wonder what had awoken him. If he heard right, it sounded like someone was tapping on wood.
"Midoriya, please answer the door. You're really starting to worry us." The feminine voice full of worry was muffled as it passed from outside of Izuku's door and into his ears.
A few questions popped into his mind; the first one being 'who is us'? Izuku arose from his bed; still wearing his uniform as he was too tired to change into any normal clothes. The only thing he really felt like doing then was just to crawl into his bed and sleep, which was exactly what he did.
Now, he was steadily pacing towards his door where he apparently had guests.
"Iida, you should go get Aizawa-sensei- "
"That won't be necessary." Izuku unlocked and opened his door just in time to cut off Uraraka as she and everyone in front of him turned to meet his sudden appearance. Before Izuku was the previously mentioned girl, Iida, Kaminari, Kirishima, and Mina. Once they acknowledged each other's presence's, both parties grew expressions of confusion. "What the heck are you all doing here?"
"We came to see if you were still alive, duh" Mina answered with a perplexed with a small tease in her tone.
"I came a couple minutes ago to let you know that dinner was ready, but when you didn't answer your door, some of us got worried." Kirishima had a trace of concern mixed with his hard-to-drop smile.
"Oh, I see." Izuku casually said. "Sorry for wasting your time. I'm usually quite the heavy sleeper." Technically, he wasn't lying. His alarm had to be set to a higher volume in order for him to wake up.
"While I do not approve of resting while wearing UA attire, it is good to have the proper amount of rest." Iida curled his right elbow upwards while sticking his palm upwards as if her were offering a treat to a dog. The blue-haired teen's body language sure was weird. "Although, I cannot say that you seem entirely rejuvenated."
"What do you say that for?" Izuku questioned with a slightly raised eyebrow.
"Those are some pretty big bags you got under your eyes there, dude. You sure you're alright?" Kaminari scoffed in a friendly manner with some nervousness that better displayed how the other teenagers felt about seeing the greenette with dark patches around his voids.
Izuku didn't make it audible, but he growled with annoyance. He should have expected that to happen. The very few times that he and his quirk got into some of their more serious fights, it had left Izuku with some short-term bags. The reason why he dubs them 'short-term' is because there isn't anything that his quirk doesn't fix at the same time.
The dark spots under his eyes shift slightly as the flesh and muscle is rid of and replaced by new and fresh cells. It was a quick transition that his classmates almost didn't even notice it.
Almost.
"Just because you can heal yourself doesn't mean you should avoid getting help from Recovery Girl." Mina narrowed her eyes to accentuate the slight vex in her tone with how stubborn Izuku was being. She just wanted to see that the greenette was doing alright.
"I beg to differ." The freckled teen replied and ignoring the strange looks from his classmates. "Now, you said something about dinner, correct? I'll be down shortly. I just need to change into more comfortable clothes." Without letting anyone else get another word out, Izuku shut the door in front of them.
The small click of the door latch firmly closing it in place was the last sound before transitioning into an awkward silence. Looks of uncertainty were exchanged among the small group of teens momentarily.
"Well… he knows his own quirk better than we do. We just have to take his word for it." Kirishima broke the still quietness of the hallway. The others gave confirming nods, albeit they were hesitant.
Having finally confirmed that their green-haired classmate was indeed still alive, they headed back to the commons room where they were to see each other again soon.
.........................................................…
"Thanks for the food once again, Sato. It's delicious." Hagakure beamed her appreciativeness through her cheery tone. Nobody was able to see her expression, but it was easy enough to tell how from her radiance of personality.
And frankly, everyone easily agreed to her statement. Each student couldn't help but express their satisfied taste buds; at least the ones who weren't keener on keeping to themselves.
Todoroki sat in a more isolated spot as usual. Bakugo was in the same boat with him, or rather a completely different boat. Strangely enough, the blond actually did have company at his table that consisted of Kirishima and Sero. Hopefully they can last.
Izuku wasn't keeping himself away, however he was more quiet compared to the other teens at his table. Ojiro, Uraraka, and Mina were all having a lively conversation while Iida would occasionally pipe in every once in a while.
The freckled one of the five opted more to simply listening in on their excited chatter about today's events.
Apparently, Todoroki managed to do the exercise by himself as well. The difference being his partner didn't even have the chance to enter the building before the peppermint-haired boy froze the entirety of the building in a matter of seconds. Izuku would need to watch out for him.
Although it wasn't too much of a surprise, he felt bad when Uraraka and Aoyama singlehandedly lost to Bakugo. Make that three for the total of lone wolfs in this class. Wasn't really a fair fight to begin with as the explosive blond had a huge advantage over the brunette who needed to get close to Bakugo for her quirk to work. In Aoyama's case, he was greatly overpowered in terms of raw quirk strength.
Hearing about the rest of the fights concluded to Izuku that there was a reason everyone here was in class 1-A. All had unique abilities that made them superhuman in some way, shape, or form. It honestly didn't make Izuku feel like he stood out like a sore thumb anymore.
One of his classmates had 6 arms for crying out loud. Not to mention that another student had eyes that were nearly identical to his.
Izuku looked up from his plate to look at the pink-haired girl who sat across and over one to the left from him. Just like the first time he ever met her, she was just as high-spirited as ever. She spoke with an ever-exciting tone that flowed with every body movement she made. The girl was expressive and chipper to a point that it made it nearly impossible to not find oneself wanting to join.
All in all, Mina's appearance was so much more drastic compared to the simple black sclera that they share. It would have surely made her stand out compared to her peers she would have grown up with in school.
Izuku felt the small sensation of his eyes furrowing at the newfound thought that slipped into his mind.
Was… was she bullied because of her quirk?
"Something the matter?" Despite the room being filled with the chatter of the rest of his classmates, it was only that one question that was able to draw Izuku back out of his delving thoughts. Refocusing, he found himself to be making direct eye-contact with Mina who had a questioning expression.
Turns out, they had been staring at one another for several seconds; one teen lost in their own little world and the other trying to get the green-eyed boy's attention.
"O-oh. Yeah, just thinking." Izuku hastily said while looking away. It was odd enough that he had caught himself in this sort of interaction, and he didn't need to further lengthen their staring contest. Thankfully, somehow the table's other 4 occupants were busy amongst themselves to realize.
"Something you need to talk about?" Mina asked again. He didn't need to see her to notice the humored nervousness in her voice. Although, he did end up meeting her gaze again with a confused look of his own.
"Why do you ask that?" Izuku pondered why Mina would suggest that something would be troubling him, although something indeed was.
"I don't think chopsticks make very good stress balls." A short chuckle bounced at the beginning of her answer as she glanced down from his eyes at the table before him. Looking down himself, Izuku found a rather perplexing sight. The pair of wooden chopsticks that he was so gently holding before was now snapped in half between his fingers.
When the hell did that happen? How did it happen without him noticing. Not that he could actually find an answer, Izuku would have to ignore it for now. Izuku quickly wiped away the trace of bewilderment on his face and set down the broken pieces onto the table.
"Uum… nerves?" Izuku practically wanted to slap himself at his poor excuse of an answer, but doing that sure would have grabed a lot of unwanted attention. That was something he really didn't want right now. Mina must have noticed his inner turmoil as she quietly chuckled to herself in a teasing manner.
"Well anyway, besides 'nerves', you can come talk to me if you need anything." After her amusement died down, she shifted to a gentle and caring manner. It sort of threw Izuku off for a moment at how fast this girl is able to switch between moods.
Then again, his current question is about what she had said to him.
"You would do that? Why?" Izuku didn't mean to make himself sound as disbelieving as he did, but he couldn't help but wonder why anyone would really do anything of such a favor for him.
"Because we're Black Eye Buddies, duh." Once again, she was as chipper as ever. It was as if just mentioning their one commonplace was what drover her. Then, it suddenly changed. The pink smile weakened just so slightly. Her eyes no longer looked at him, despite that their gazes were still locked. Where did this unusual personality come from? "We gotta look out for each other in this kind of world. You know?"
It may have not been direct, but it was the answer to Izuku's question. Mina had long ago already figured out what it was that they shared. From the first day they met, she could see past his eyes. She saw the years of hurt behind them. The same was for her.
Perhaps they had more in common than Izuku originally thought.
The pull at the corners of his lips was something he let happen. Even with his discovery of the pinkette's past of being discriminated against, it was her offer that managed to lift his mood. Was this what it was like to have a friend? Could he consider Mina a friend just yet? Well, either way…
"Thanks, Mina. I appreciate that." His words were soft and genuine; not to mention that he didn't realize this was his first time showing a real smile to any of his classmates. What he did realize that it brought an unexpected reaction from the other black-eyed teen.
Mina looked surprised for a moment before she quickly beamed her own smile that was obviously much more prominent that his own.
"Of course." Mina said confidently, although she had for some reason broken eye contact while fidgeting in her seat.
'Huh, she blushes purple… wait, why is she blushing?'
Izuku didn't know if he should ask that question or not, but before he could even try, something roughly brushed past his back. It wasn't hard enough to cause him to hit anything himself, but it was enough for Izuku to whip his head around to meet whatever or whoever had semi-hit him.
Green irises landed on the back of a mop of spiky sandy-blond hair. Bakugo was walking away from him as he headed towards the boy's wing of dorm rooms. Before the explosive teen could disappear from sight, he stopped. Then, he turned his head just enough to meet Izuku's confused gaze.
Like always, they were full of resentment. But that wasn't all. There was a strange look that took a moment for the greenette to identify.
Bakugo knows.
The realization struck him instantly. Of course he knows. He was the only one to have seen Izuku in a state like that before. What happened during the battle exercise wasn't just some quirk exhaustion, and Bakugo knew very well of that. The blond had that knowledge, and that hit on his back was a warning.
Izuku narrowed his eyes back at the other boy. They glared for a moment longer before the latter turned away and disappeared behind the corner.
'Constant harassment/bullying from my ex-childhood friend? Check.' Izuku turned back to his table where his classmates continued to happily converse to one another.
'People that are actually nice? Check.'
After that, he looked up at the ceiling above him, then around him. Even though he's been here for a few days, it was still hard to process that he was actually in UA.
'Finally going to the school of my dreams? Check.'
…
Slowly but surely, Izuku turned in one certain direction. He scanned through the small crowd of young teens his age. All were so special, but he was only looking for one. His green irises landed on the back of the head of one particular student.
Tokoyami had come back from Recovery Girl's office earlier that day. He was sitting at a table further away from him with his back turned. It wasn't even a moment where Izuku had set his eyes on him that he saw the raven tense in his seat.
Even with the distance between them, Izuku saw the slight shiver run across the other's body. Doing just as the greenette did, Tokoyami slowly turned his head. Their eyes met, and an invisible clash of green and red unfolded.
'Check.'