Chapter 32: We Can Hope For The Future, But We Don't Know If There Is OneNotes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Long before the sun rises over the horizon, Toshinori is up and at the school. It's unusual for him, and he's well aware, but the fact is, his secret is out.
Everyone now knows that All Might has become a teacher at UA.
Of course, he knew it wouldn't stay under wraps forever, but he isn't any more prepared for it. Maybe he's a coward for coming to the school early enough to avoid the untoward press that will surely flock to the place like hungry vultures. But he deals with the reporters and public enough as All Might, he deserves to cut himself some slack here.
Now, however, he has retired to the staff lounge and it's...boring. He has nothing to do. He'd been fretting over the Battle Trials for so long prior to this, how the lesson would go, that now that it's over he's left with nothing to occupy his time. Toshinori finds at times like this that it's blatantly apparent heroics is involved in every aspect of his life. Perhaps he should take up a hobby...
He picks distractedly at the papers on his desk- evaluations from the trials yesterday as well as personal notes. Toshinori had given copies to Aizawa, as well as the footage to review. He'd also had a rather awkward conversation about young Bakugou's behaviors during the exercise.
While Toshinori had thought about following the young boy and speaking with him about the animosity he held towards another classmate, in the end, he hadn't. Part of the reason was because nothing terrible actually occurred, so it might have been a one time thing. The main reason though, was that Toshinori wasn't sure if it was his place to step in, when Bakugou was in Aizawa's class. So he left the punishment for the young boy in his fellow teacher's hands.
That lesson revealed many things to Toshinori, not just about the potential of UA's top hero class. He realized he was still out of depth when it came to teaching (rather expectedly), and that he still felt strange whenever he watched Midoriya Izuku use his quirk.
By all means, it doesn't make sense. But, like the same feeling he had at the entrance exam when he saw it in action, he can't shake its familiarity.
Toshinori knows he's never met Midoriya before. He surely would've remembered. But, there's something about the boy, that makes Toshinori feel like he should recognize him, somehow, and he can't pin it down.
He's already drawn the parallels between Midoriya's quirk and his own. It's similar, in the sense that it can draw out large quantities of both speed and power, but Toshinori has definitely never produced electricity over his skin like that.
And that could be the reason for the strangeness- some imagined connection with the boy because his quirk reminds Toshinori of One For All, but that isn't all. It's Midoriya's face as well. While there's no chance it's true, something tickles at the back of Toshinori's mind, a memory, he thinks, or perhaps just more delusions.
But, unfortunately, that isn't the most concerning thing regarding Midoriya. Toshinori knows it's only because of his own fears, that he's only being paranoid, but One For All is not the only quirk he can compare Midoriya's multi-faceted one with.
The boy's quirk is an energy manifesting one. Toshinori knows this from Midoriya's file. By all means, he should be able to do many things with it. It's not weird for him to be strong, fast, covered in electricity, psychic (?), and also able to produce black tendrils...is it?
Surely not.
Toshinori is just being overdramatic. He's just looking at things a little too closely, trying to find a connection that simply isn't there . It's mere coincidence that the quirk feels familiar to him, and that Midoriya's face tickles at the back of his memory. It's only his worry of a long dead nemesis somehow being alive that sees him searching for non-existent evidence.
He just needs to move on from it. Focus on Midoriya's actions, on how even with the weirdness, and the bizarre quirk, Toshinori continues to see his merit as a hero. And how, within him, he still wants the boy to...
A knock on the staff room door startles him from his thoughts. Toshinori glances up at the door, staring at it as if he could see who waits beyond. He knows some of the teachers show up rather early, but he wouldn't normally expect anyone at this hour. It is strange too, that a fellow faculty member would knock , and not just walk right in.
But surely a student wouldn't be here hours before the first class?
"Come in?" He calls tentatively, curious as to the visitor.
The door creaks open and on the other side of it steps out...young Midoriya. The very person who has been on his mind.
Toshinori stares.
The boy walks in, slowly, and it's immediately obvious to Toshinori that he's out of sorts. His uniform is rumpled, as is his general appearance, and there are a few bandaids on his face from what looks like a fight. What worries Toshinori the most though, is the way the boy slouches, the look in his eyes that is both distant, and lacking the light it had the day before. He frowns unconsciously.
Midoriya casts his gaze around the room, one hand still on the open door as if he isn't sure if he wants to stay.
"Young Midoriya," Toshinori begins, and then hesitates, unsure of what to do in a situation like this. "Can I help you…?"
The boy looks around, attention flitting from object to object, and it doesn't seem as if he's really seeing or hearing anything. Toshinori is about to speak again, ask if Midoriya is alright when-
"All Might," He says, and Toshinori freezes, well aware he's in his 'Yagi' form. His eyes widen, a thousand questions on the tip of his tongue. Does Midoriya…?
"-Is a teacher here now, I guess?" The boy continues, almost in a rush. He smiles tiredly, nervous, and holds up his phone. "Permanently, I mean. I read the news last night."
Toshinori sags, glad that his secret is safe. Of course that is something a student would ask. And there is no way Midoriya could know about his other form.
He offers his own smile. "Indeed." He responds, scratching his hand through his hair, not sure what to say. Across the room, Midoriya mirrors the action. The door falls from his hold and clicks closed.
"Um... Yagi -san, I…" He rubs his arm, his eyes downcast. "I…" He pauses, licking his lips, and stares off into space for an uncomfortable amount of time. Toshinori furrows his brow, but waits patiently for Midoriya to finish talking. This is one of his duties as a teacher too, he supposes.
The boy sighs, deflating with the exhalation. "Do you think I could see Eri?"
While it isn't an abnormal request, Toshinori can't shake the feeling that the boy had, for some reason, changed what he was going to ask. But, he wouldn't know. Midoriya and him have spoken a few times, but never to such a personal level that Toshinori knows how to read the boy.
Toshinori smiles again, taking the subject in stride, and standing from his seat. "Of course. I can escort you there. Though I think she might still be asleep."
Midoriya blinks, then sighs again, his shoulders sinking even lower. "Oh. Right."
He doesn't say anything else, just goes back to staring, fingers unconsciously running up and down his arm. Surely this isn't...normal...right?
"Midoriya, my boy, are you...okay?"
He studies the teen, and the dark circles under his eyes. Toshinori has seen them before, but he thinks they look darker than ever. What could have happened between yesterday and today? Is the unknown relationship between him and young Bakugou more serious than he expected?
Midoriya glances at him, but doesn't hold his gaze. A far cry from how much he stared the first time they met. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just...fine."
Silence stretches in the small room, thick like a fog. Toshinori knows Midoriya isn't being truthful, but also doesn't know if he should press the matter. It might be too personal for him to expect an explanation, should he try to pry into it.
Toshinori clears his throat and Midoriya jumps a little, eyes flicking to him and then off again. "Why don't we take a walk?" He suggests. "To Eri. She likes to wake up early."
He waits for a response, and gets another shy look with a hesitant nod. Toshinori moves forward and opens the door for Midoriya, gesturing with a gentle smile for the boy to exit first. Midoriya walks out, stumbling a little, and Toshinori follows, schooling the troubled expression on his face.
There isn't an immediate attempt at a conversation. Toshinori doesn't have good experience with it, especially with the heavy atmosphere, so he holds back. But from the continued listless gaze of Midoriya, he realizes he ought to say something .
"I saw your performance in the exercises yesterday," He blurts out, the first thing that pops in his head. Midoriya cocks his head, not facing him fully but showing that he's listening. "Many of the teachers were able to see it." He explains. "You did well against your opponents."
Where he was hoping to cheer Midoriya up, it seems to do the opposite. The boy's face twists into a grimace that he doesn't hide fast enough. "Yeah," He agrees, his voice barely audible, even from Toshinori's place right beside him.
Silence descends again. Toshinori flounders internally for a way to fix the mood. This...isn't exactly what he's good at.
"And your quirk! It's very strong!" He tries, smiling again, and hoping it doesn't appear as strained as it feels.
The same thing, or perhaps an even worse reaction. "Yeah." Midoriya mumbles, hunching in on himself. He holds one arm in the other, and attempts to make himself smaller.
It's Toshinori's turn to sigh. He drops his smile. His attempts aren't working, although he doesn't know what he can do differently. Something is obviously on the boy's mind. Something serious.
Before Toshinori can offer another disastrous attempt at conversation, however, Midoriya stops walking.
"Look, All Miiii-y time, I mean you're time," He twists his face as if he tastes something sour. "I, uh, I'm...wasting it. I just…" He grabs either side of his head, taking fistfuls of his hair in both hands. He groans. Toshinori stands closer, holding up arms that he doesn't know how to use.
"I need to...go…be alone. Sorry." Another fleeting look, this one apologetic, and then Midoriya runs off before Toshinori can utter a single sound.
Well that was...something.
Toshinori drops his arms and tries not to feel as if he's failed. A hero is supposed to help people, and yet, it seems Toshinori was not able to aid Midoriya in alleviating whatever burden he seemed to be carrying.
He can hardly unwravel the boy on the best of days, but definitely not now, when Midoriya is so keen on hiding whatever's bothering him.
Toshinori shakes his head and turns back around.
There will be time to figure out Midoriya Izuku later.
Izuku leaves his house at an ungodly hour for the sole purpose of avoiding as many people as he can. His mother was already suspicious last night, and between Izuku's downtrodden mood and the remnants of his fight with Kacchan, he can tell she has a lot of questions. Questions that, frankly, Izuku is in no state of mind to answer.
So, like all of the thoughts he is currently shoving to the deepest recesses of his brain, he runs away from the problem.
He still leaves a note for her, explaining his early departure, and wonders exactly how long he can keep this up for. Probably not very long.
But whenever he looks at her, all he can think about is that damn note, and the real Izuku, and what would his mother think if she knew?
UA is empty when he enters the gate. The lights are on, fluorescent and haunting, and Izuku tries desperately not to think of the previous night, of entering a different abandoned school, of Kacchan or the notes or the fight or what it all means for him and-
He fails.
His feet eventually carry him to the staff room while he's distracted, and it takes Izuku a moment to realize where he is. He stands outside the door and stares at it for a long, long time. While his mind swirls with unwanted thoughts, it's also incredibly hard to think clearly. There's a floaty, fuzzy feeling he carries with him that he knows is from a lack of sleep. Every few minutes he'll blink back to reality and realize he's been staring off into space.
Once he registers, for perhaps the third time, that yes, he is in front of the staff room, and yes, he's had this realization twice before zoning out again, Izuku tries to think of why he's here. The answer comes to him easily.
Whenever he's had a problem before, or needed a place to go during school, or needed someone to talk to, there's only one place he's ever gone. One person he's ever gone to.
All Might.
And now...now when Izuku is in need of those things, that same comfort, he no longer has it. This isn't his timeline. None of this belongs to him. He doesn't belong here. And the other Izuku...the other Izuku...
He knocks on the door.
He doesn't know why he does it. Just to be polite? Just in case someone is actually in there so Izuku won't be breaking any rules? He doesn't know. Either way, he doesn't expect anyone to answer him.
Least of all for it to be All Might.
Izuku wishes that he hadn't knocked. He almost debates not going in entirely, but then enters anyway because he is a weak, weak person. The whole conversation blurs in his mind, the only things standing out being his slip of the tongue and All Might's concern.
It gets hard to be around him. His head swirls with memories that Izuku can't fight off in his sleep-deprived state. There's also the praise, and the reminder of all the secrets Izuku is keeping, and he doesn't deserve it, and it just becomes a little too much.
Izuku had said he was running from his problems today.
The sound of feet slapping against tile is the only thing he can hear. His lungs heave. His heart hurts. He can't stop moving until he dislodges whatever unwelcome weight has settled in him.
Izuku rounds the next corner and crashes into someone, taking them both to the ground. He was going so fast that the impact is hard, and he sends a mental apology to the person he rammed into while he pushes himself away.
"I'm sorry…" He huffs, out of breath, rubbing at his forehead and nose, the places that received the most force from the tumble. The rest of his body is sore too, but that's probably more to do with Kacchan last night than anything else.
Kacchan...last night…and All Might...
"Midoriya-kun?" His name is called and he blinks. He looks at the person he ran into.
Present Mic stares back at him, rubbing a hand to the back of his head and hiding a wince. He isn't mad. Or at least, not that Izuku can tell. "Why were you-?"
But in Izuku's guilt, he cuts him off, hastily helping the man to his feet. "I'm sorry! I was...I didn't mean to-"
Present Mic chuckles, stopping Izuku from continuing a rambled out and otherwise useless apology. "No worries." He says with a large smile. "Just don't let Shouta see you running around like that." He winks.
Izuku opens his mouth, trying to place the name. Shouta, right, that's Aizawa-sensei's first name. His teacher would probably scold him for running.
"I, uh, I...okay." He finally gets out. "And I'm sorry again, I-"
"Ran into me on accident." Present Mic finishes smoothly. "Calm down, little listener. I'm not mad."
He's not mad, he's smiling, but Izuku still feels terrible. He hasn't interacted with Present Mic much either, in this time or before, and it's...strange. Not in a bad way though. Izuku isn't entirely sure how he feels about it. There aren't memories warring for prominence in his head, or an overwhelming sense of melancholy. It's all...new.
Present Mic raises an eyebrow at him. "Jeez, that crash must have done more damage than I thought." He does a once-over of Izuku's appearance, which is…
Kacchan. Last night.
Izuku cringes. "No. This is...it's, uh,...from something else."
The other teacher eyes him with suspicion or worry, neither of which Izuku wants, and he tries to straighten out his uniform under such scrutiny. He can't think of anything else to say.
"So,...where are you headed?" Present Mic asks, and Izuku feels relieved at the change in topic.
He scrambles for a location. "To see Eri." He supplies, the same thing he told All Might.
All Might.
"You're going the wrong way then," Present Mic informs him, and Izuku finds it's true after looking around. "Here I'll go with you." The teacher continues. "I was on the way over there myself."
Izuku stares at the man's smile. Which is genuine. He wants to refuse, because being around people does not sound good right now, but he also- he doesn't want to be alone. He knows he's being selfish. He knows he can't build this up- develop a friendship, talk happily, train together- with anyone , when it can't last. Not when eventually, or at least Izuku hopes, he will return to his own dimension. He should be keeping the fallout to a minimum.
But Present Mic keeps the gentle smile on his face, warm and inviting, and Izuku decides he'll be better at avoiding people later.
The time he spends with Present Mic and Eri, Izuku concludes, he doesn't regret. Despite the fact that he feels a little better after parting with them, in no way, shape, or form does he want to be around all his classmates. Unfortunately, Izuku doesn't have much of a choice.
He approaches the door to 1-A from one side and of course, it just happens to be when Kacchan approaches from the other. The last person he wants to see. They lock eyes, Izuku noting the bandages and bruising on the other's face, and the way Kacchan narrows his dark rimmed eyes.
The blonde never wears his uniform right, but today it seems even more hastily arranged. His hair is stiff and all over the place, like always, but it also appears wilder and frizzier. Most noticable, however, are the dark rings settled under Kacchan's glare.
Izuku's heart beats faster, but he doesn't speak. He feels bad, terrible actually, as all the words he said yesterday catch up to him. Oh god, he's so stupid. But even now, he doesn't want to apologise. So, he clamps his mouth shut and doesn't speak.
Kacchan and him get closer, till they face each other just outside the door. There is no anger on the blonde's face, but the blankness there is just as disconcerting. They stop only inches from each other.
"You look like shit." Kacchan states after a few seconds, as soon as his eyes are done scanning Izuku. He presses his lips into a thin line and doesn't offer anything more.
A moment passes, where Izuku's mind crashes and then reboots trying to think up a response. Should he smile? Crack a joke? No. That's too far from how he really feels right now. He can't.
Izuku decides on honesty. "You do too."
Kacchan scoffs, but doesn't deny it. He holds Izuku's gaze for a few more moments in silence.
It's not an apology. Not even remotely. But, Izuku can't say he was ever expecting one.
Kacchan walks into the classroom, nudging Izuku's shoulder as he passes by.
Izuku blinks.
He reaches up and touches the place his shoulder hit Kacchan's.
That was...unexpected. He would have thought Kacchan would ignore him again. He's not sure if he would've preferred that, knowing what he does now.
He shakes his head and enters the room after his friend. As he does, Izuku can hear the questions directed at Kacchan asking after his injuries. Then, once Izuku's arrival grabs their attention, the moment when everyone puts it all together.
"Whoa…" Someone murmurs, but Izuku isn't sure who. Eyes are on him, flicking between the two bandaged boys, and he sighs heavily, dragging his weary body to his seat. For once- for one single moment- can he stop drawing attention to himself?
He tunes out the whispers, glad that no one is asking anymore questions, and focuses on Kacchan's back, staring resolutely. There's a large part of him, Izuku realizes, that simply doesn't care anymore. He just doesn't have the energy. Especially not today.
Thankfully, silence befalls the classroom as soon as Aizawa-sensei enters. His teacher sweeps his gaze around the room, narrowing his eyes at him and Kacchan. Izuku shrinks in his seat.
He slams a handful of papers down on his desk, making half the class jump in surprise.
"I received the assessments from the battle exercises yesterday. Most of you did well." His eyes find themselves on Izuku and Kacchan once again. " You two will see me after class." He demands, anger lacing his tone.
Izuku flinches. This is...today is not the day for this.
Aizawa-sensei massages his eyes, releasing his anger in a long sigh. "As for today, we have a very important order of business."
Whispers break out. The class looks around curiously and even Izuku wracks his brain for what is supposed to happen today. He's been so out of it. What is today anyways? Is there something…
He stands, his chair screeching against the floor, and rushes to the window. The media. That's what happens today. Izuku can see them now, standing outside the gate, and a little clarity finally slips back into his mind.
"Midoriya! What do you think you're doing?" Aizawa-sensei asks, sounding irritated, but-
"The media." Izuku explains, pointing. "Reporters are at the gate."
Almost twenty pairs of eyes stare back at him. Aizawa-sensei raises an eyebrow, clearly not expecting that.
"Yes…" His teacher confirms slowly, "They have been there since this morning, trying to get a 'scoop'." His tone makes it obvious exactly what he thinks of the media.
Izuku looks back and forth between his teacher and the reporters. He feels stupid. He doesn't know what to say or if he intended to say anything at all. Why did he stand again? Why can't he think?
"They...could get in." Izuku finishes lamely, regretting every choice that has led him to this moment. His teacher stares at him with furrowed brows, his gaze penetrating Izuku's soul. He looks confused, and also worried.
"Midoriya, take a seat." He orders, and waits for Izuku to do so before he continues. "No one can get past UA's defenses, least of all a few vultures." Aizawa-sensei drawls. He keeps his stare on Izuku for a few more seconds and then turns back to the class.
Izuku drums his fingers against his desk as his teacher goes on, his eyes on the window. His cheeks feel hot from embarrassment and he hopes no one is still looking at him. He blames this terrible day. He can't see the reporters from his seat, but at least it helps him focus and push down his shame.
The media breaking in...it isn't important. It caused a panic, that was for sure, but no one had gotten hurt. It even helped Iida become…
"It's time to elect a class president." Aizawa-sensei announces, to a round of cheers and "pick me!'s". That's right. That's the other thing that happens today.
Lots of people have their hands up, just as Izuku remembers, each one clambering for the role. That was him too, once, before he realized how inept he'd be. He surveys the room, mentally analyzing whether any of them could do as good a job as Iida. He doesn't think so. A few classmates catch his eye and then turn away quickly.
"I don't care how you decide, but get it done by the end of the period." His teacher continues over the noise. Then, he climbs into his sleeping bag and rolls out of sight.
Iida suggests, as he had before, to hold a vote. And like before, a few people voice their reservations, but it still wins in the end. Obviously, Izuku knows who he will vote for. Iida is the best choice for class president and Izuku stands by that.
Slips of paper are passed around the room. ( Not the notes. Don't think about it. ) Izuku writes Iida's name on it and is the first person to stand from his seat and throw his paper into the pile. It isn't until he returns to his seat that he remembers...didn't he win last time?
While he only had three votes, it was still more than anyone else. One of those was his own anyway, during a time when he didn't know his classmates well enough to decide who would be the best leader. Now, if it goes the same, he'll only get two votes and tie with Yaoyorozu. Then if he ends up as president between them, the event in the cafeteria will happen and Iida can once again receive the position.
Except, when the vote happens, Izuku watches with mounting horror as his name gets not two, not even three, but five tally marks next to it.
"What…?" He utters, completely dumbfounded.
"I got a vote…?" He hears Iida say.
Yaoyorozu comes in second with two votes once again and Izuku is pushed to the front of the class beside her in a daze.
As Aizawa-sensei reveals their titles, Yaoyorozu smiles at him and leans over. "I'm glad you are the president, Midoriya. I thought about voting for you too, but I couldn't deny my own desire for the position. But if I have to lose to anyone, I don't mind if it's you." Her voice is low, inaudible to the rest of their classmates. Izuku is rendered speechless.
Who voted for him? Iida gave him a vote before, and he suspected Uraraka also had,...he glances at the chalkboard and the names that aren't present.
Tsuyu. Todoroki. Tokoyami. Kirishima. Uraraka.
One of them must have voted for Yaoyorozu, but the rest voted for him.
Why?
"Alright." Aizawa-sensei cuts through the ruckus. "Now that that's settled, let's continue with class."
Izuku and Yaoyorozu take their seats, Izuku wondering whether he can still pass off the position to Iida. Even if his classmates think he is good for it, he can't have it. He can't take anything else that doesn't belong to him. He's not exactly leader material anyways. Perhaps he can ask Aizawa-sensei to change it?
The bell rings later, and as everyone files out, Izuku lingers with Kacchan while Aizawa-sensei glares at them over his desk. The door barely shuts behind the last student- a worried looking Uraraka- before their teacher speaks.
"When I stopped you two yesterday, I didn't mean for you to fight each other off campus ." Aizawa-sensei seethes. "Did you really think you wouldn't get caught?"
Izuku is sure that he wasn't thinking about anything, actually, when the fight started, besides the anger he felt towards Kacchan and the desperation at his own situation. He doesn't think it would've changed anything though, if he'd thought about Aizawa-sensei's reaction to their appearances. He isn't even sure what to say now, if he should even bother to defend himself. Maybe this will make his teacher take back the class president position?
Aizawa-sensei groans. "Bakugou. Your behavior in the exercises yesterday was unacceptable. You acted like an immature child, and you disregarded the rules. Antagonizing another student is not permitted, under any circumstances, do I make myself clear?"
Kacchan glares at their teacher. He flicks his eyes to Izuku and then looks away with a huff. He nods.
Apparently satisfied, Aizawa-sensei turns to Izuku. "And you, Midoriya, do you remember what I told you would happen if you broke the law again? If you did something like, say...use your quirk illegally to fight someone?" His eyes are mere slits, somehow more venomous than Kacchan's ever are. Izuku pales. His stomach clenches and then drops.
An automatic expulsion. That's what he'd said.
No.
"But! I-"
"He didn't use his quirk." Kacchan cuts in, arms crossed with a defiant look on his face. Izuku shuts up, heart beating too fast as he whips his head to look at the blonde.
"Excuse me?" Their teacher asks, activating his quirk, ready to catch Kacchan on his lie. Because he is lying, and he knows it. Izuku did use his quirk off school grounds when it was definitely illegal to do so.
But Kacchan rolls his eyes and stares at Aizawa-sensei unflinchingly. "Deku didn't use his damn quirk. I'd be a lot more fucked up, don't you think?" He responds smoothly, voice clearly annoyed.
Izuku gapes, head swiveling back and forth between them. The two are locked in a staring contest, neither of them surrendering. Kacchan is...helping him out? Why? Not that he isn't grateful or anything, but…
Aizawa-sensei sighs, releasing his quirk. "While that is a relief, you two still fought each other and displayed behavior unbecoming of future heroes. You both have detention for a week, and will take over the cleaning duties in place of your classmates."
Kacchan scowls while Izuku grimaces.
" And ," He adds, "I expect you to work through whatever issues you have with each other civilly . If I suspect you are continuing this kind of behavior, you will be suspended, or possibly expelled."
Izuku flinches and nods, Kacchan nodding as well, his jaw clenched. Aizawa-sensei narrows his eyes.
"You can go."
They don't wait to be told twice.
Kacchan grumbles as soon as he leaves the classroom. "Fucking detention ? That's bullshit."
Izuku hardly hears him. He's too busy trying to stop his limbs from shaking and his heart from tearing through his ribcage. He was so close... too close...to being expelled. He...today...it's…
Is it better if he is expelled?
This should never have happened. He shouldn't have created this life for the real Izuku. He shouldn't be here. These...these memories he's making, these people...they aren't...they aren't his. Wouldn't it be better if he just...left?
"Deku. Are you listening to me?"
Izuku inhales shakily and turns his eyes to Kacchan. The blonde stares back at him stoically.
"I, uh...no, I wasn't."
Kacchan doesn't explode on him. He just twists his lips into a familiar frown.
"I asked what the fuck did Sensei mean when he said not to do anything else illegal? What did you do?"
Izuku blinks, and then bites his lip. His heartbeat, which he'd finally calmed down, picks up it's pace once again. He can't tell Kacchan about the vigilantism, or Eri. He doesn't want to find out what would happen if he did anyway.
"It's…" He shrinks away, bracing for a rise in volume. "It's a secret."
Kacchan looks shocked for a fraction of a second and then his expression hardens. "I just saved your ass and you're still keeping secrets?! The fuck?" He growls.
"You 'saved' me from a situation you helped cause!" Izuku snaps back. "Besides, I seem to remember you keeping a few secrets of your own."
Kacchan flinches, and then looks away, his fists clenching. Izuku sighs as the guilt stabs into him.
"Look, I can't tell you." He explains. "Even if I wanted to. Which I don't."
Kacchan's frown deepens, but he doesn't argue, he just clicks his tongue. He stays silent, long enough for Izuku to think the conversation is over.
"You gonna talk to All Might?" He asks.
Izuku flinches this time, stumbling in his next step, caught off guard by the sudden change of subject. Kacchan snorts.
Is he going to talk to All Might? He has to, right? That's what he's been telling himself. Even if...even if now it feels a little pointless. There's a large part of him that simply doesn't want to know. He doesn't want to know what could've happened, what could've been said that made the other Izuku...that made him...
"Eventually." Izuku answers with another sigh. In the end, it doesn't matter what he wants. He should be chasing every clue he can get. It's up to him to find out what happened, if the other Izuku is even alive after all that.
At the very least, he should give his mother a body to bury.