Ticked Off [Boku No Hero Academia]

34: SIBLINGS (3)

"Of course!" Tenya agreed immediately, nodding. "Take as much time as you need. I'm sure the teachers will understand if you're late for class."

He gave a tired smile, standing up and stepping away from the table. "See you later."

Was it a good idea to leave himself to the silence of his thoughts? Probably not, but he was exiting the cafeteria anyway, returning his bowl of katsudon on the way out.

He rubbed at his eyes and swallowed against the familiar tightness in his throat, focusing on getting far enough away from the loud hall before stopping in a random corridor and sitting down in front of the wall. Izuku let the tears flow, hot and wet on his face. He tucked his legs up to his chest and stared blankly out the window opposite, sniffling and hiccuping, allowing himself to release all the stress and tension that had built up in the form of muffled sobs.

Terrible things were going to happen, and he wasn't sure how he was going to stop himself from making brash decisions due to his overwhelming emotions. He was already playing a dangerous game with fate by helping Aizawa, Toshinori, and Tensei, and while luck seemed to be on his side in the sense that nothing had changed too much with his meddling, there was no telling what bigger alterations would do to the timeline. But the idea of just standing by and watching as horrors unfolded without helping... it made him feel sick.

There was so much going on, how was he supposed to handle all of it?

"...little listener?"

Izuku buried his face in his sleeve, knowing he looked a mess and feeling an embarrassed warmth rush over his cheeks. Hesitant footsteps approached, pausing for a moment next to him before the person sat down nearby, not too close but not too far. There was an uncertain silence.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Mic asked in a soft, genuine tone, his voice low and soothing.

The boy rubbed at his face one last time before lifting his head, slumping back against the wall and letting one leg extend across the floor. He set his sore eyes on the blond teacher, trying for a feeble smile before giving up, because he really wasn't convincing anyone. At least he was efficient at crying, as was the talent of every Midoriya.

"N-no, it's okay," he responded belatedly, wincing at the raggedness of his speech.

Mic looked conflicted for a moment before nodding. "Alright. If you ever do need to vent, we can book you a session with Hound Dog."

"Yeah, I know, thank you," Izuku said quietly, resting his chin on his knee and returning his gaze to the window.

"I know what will cheer you up," the man suddenly exclaimed, "how about we visit All Might?"

He cracked a small grin, letting the enthusiasm influence him. "I'd like that."

Mic beamed and sprung to his feet, spinning around and offering his hands for Izuku to take and pull himself up with. They headed down the corridors, and the teacher was talking enough for both of them, sharing funny stories about his past students until Izuku felt a bit happier. The door to the teachers' lounge loomed before them and Mic didn't even hesitate to fling it open extravagantly.

"I am here!" He yelled with an exuberant laugh. "With a small child!"

Vlad King snorted and went back to his work, chewing on the end of his pen. Midnight looked interested, her lips tugging up into an ominous smile, but Thirteen was quick to snag her attention. Ectoplasm and Snipe shared a glance before returning to conferring in hushed tones. Cementoss didn't even react, clearly used to such loud entrances. Power Loader stared for a moment longer before shaking his head and continuing to type.