Screen name: Deku (quirkless deku AU) ((discontinued/ maybe continued soon???))

learning to use a knife

izuku woke up from a nightmare, he wasn't sure what the nightmare was about but he couldn't stop holding his arms. he was crying and hyperventilating but he muffled it by shoving his face into his pillow. his panic eventually subsided and he slowly drifted back off to sleep.

he didn't wake up again until aizawa woke him up, a bowl of cereal in his outstretched hand. izuku hadn't eaten in the morning for years and the concept felt weird to him now. he felt a little sick while eating but aizawa made sure he ate the entire bowl. then they both went to get dressed and they headed to UA for another day of training.

today was knife training and they didn't practice on each other at first. izuku had to use a wooden knife with a blunt edge and train with the dummy. then aizawa done a few simple attacks and Midoriya had to dodge, then aizawa started to use multiple attacks consecutively. Midoriya didn't get it straight away and aizawa had to instruct him what to do when he attacked. that really helped and when aizawa stopped saying what he was going to do Midoriya started anticipating his moves. then Midoriya went and attacked aizawa which caught him off guard but he was still able to dodge.

that was the level izuku aspired to get to. seeing the way he dodged he took note and decided to attack him again. this went on for a lot of time and Midoriya was getting hit a lot but he was able to get key information.  he didn't care if he got hit, he just wanted to learn all the different ways he dodged as well as learning the way he attacked. he obviously wouldn't get hit during a fight with real knives but he took advantage of the fact it was just training. he spent the entire morning doing this. Nezu even watched for a bit, present mic and midnight came in to check on how he was doing too when they had a little free time. izuku didn't want them to see him losing like this but he needed the information nonetheless, if he changed his technique now his entire plan would be ruined. aizawa was disappointed in him and he could tell, Midoriya decided to act like he just couldn't get it.

"maybe we should change the training, knives clearly aren't your thing."

"no, I want to do it until I get it. you learn from your failures right? well if that's true than I've learnt a lot"

"you haven't, you keep making the same mistakes. change your rhythm, its predictable. your just going through the motions and not bothering to think."

"oh..." he was in fact thinking the entire time. he used that as a way to get experience in losing, he would rather lose in practice than when it really counts. "okay, ill try to think of something over lunch!"

"you will be going to recovery girl at lunch, ill bring you some food up."

"why do I have to go see recovery girl?"

"you literally broke a finger!!! what do you mean why?!"

this surprised Midoriya, then the pain set in. he didn't even notice, he was too busy thinking and running on adrenalin. he released the knife and knelt on the ground, holding his broke finger. this was a pain he wasn't new to but it still hurt all the same.

"you've really earned the nickname problem child Midoriya... how did you not notice you broke your finger?"

"I was so set on trying to win that I ignored everything else"

"Nezu and mic aren't impressed with your progress at all..."

"or midnight" izuku retorted mindlessly

aizawa game him a weird look, then he realised what he was doing. he was kind of impressed, he didn't even change his plan to impress the others when they were watching and that took some serious dedication. aizawa wouldn't admit it but he was proud of deku.