Swan Dive

Chapter 4: Hizashi

"Sensei?"

"You're hurt." Shouta's eyes were narrowed, and for a moment Midoriya honestly looked confused. "You're limping."

"O-oh." He pulled up his left pant leg to show a nasty bruise on his ankle. It looked sprained. "I forgot."

Hizashi and Shouta shared a look of disbelief. "You... forgot?"

"I-I'm just so used to ignoring it... I fell down the stairs at school today. I didn't realize that it did any damage." Something was definitely wrong, here.

"You fell or you were pushed?" Shouta leveled him with a serious look, causing the kid to shift uncomfortably.

"I was pushed down the stairs." Hizashi felt his chest tighten at the downtrodden look the kid had. "I didn't see who, they came at me from behind."

"I expect you to tell me if you're hurt, even if you don't think it's anything major. I'll be the judge of that." Shouta sighed as he had Midoriya sit down. He tenderly wrapped his ankle, applying a cooling pad to help with the swelling. "It looks like a sprain, not a break. Just to be safe, though, you should stay off of it for a few days. We'll work on other aspects of your training instead."

"Hai, sensei." The kid looked miserable.

"What's wrong, Little Listener?" Hizashi spoke up when Shouta moved away to gather some things.

"I... I just feel like I've disappointed him. Like I didn't try hard enough." Tears of frustration welled up in his eyes.

"Come, now." Hizashi shook his head with a soft smile. "He's not disappointed, trust me on that. He's worried about you. He wants to see you safe just as much as I do. He isn't angry or mad or disappointed." The kid blinked in surprise.

"I..."

"I know Shouta better than anyone. I can tell what he's thinking most of the time, and trust me. He's angry at the people who shoved you down the stairs. You aren't weak because you got hurt." He paused for a moment. "You know, I was bullied in middle school, too."

"R-really?! But you're Present Mic!"

"Yeah. But back then I was just loudmouth Yamada, or Yada-yada, as they called me. I was the class clown who didn't know how to be quiet. Nobody liked me, and people constantly made fun of me. Do you think I'm weak because I was bullied?"

"No! Of course not!"

"Do you think Shouta's weak because he was bullied?"

"Absolutely not! You two are amazing and incredible people and fantastic heroes!"

"Then why would you think you're weak?"

"B-because I'm Quirkless..."

"Now that sounds like an excuse. Give me a real answer, what you believe. Not what other people tell you." The kid stared at him with wide eyes. "Quirkless isn't useless. I know plenty of people who are strong without their Quirk. So tell me. Why do you think you're weak?" Midoriya opened and closed his mouth several times, unable to find an answer. "If you can't find an answer to that, then let me ask you a different question: What makes you strong?"

He was quiet for a long moment. "I... I'm determined... I don't give up?"

Hizashi smiled, gesturing for him to go on.

"You and Aizawa-sensei are helping me... helping me become stronger... a-and... I'm really good at analyzing Quirks..." He had a small smile playing on his lips. "People are supporting me... I've got three people, now..." Hizashi mentally winced at the small number.

"What's this I hear about analyzing Quirks?" Hizashi tilted his head.

"O-oh! It's something I do in my spare time. I'm fascinated by Quirks!" He smiled, lighting up the entire room. Hizashi couldn't help but be awed by the kid's aura. Once he debuted, he'd become a popular hero, even if he went Underground.

Midoriya dug around in his bag for a moment before producing a Journal labeled "Hero Analysis for the Future: Volume 12" and handed it over.

As he flipped through it, he felt his eyebrows go up. Whatever Hizashi had expected, this wasn't it. The kid's analysis was incredible! He felt himself enraptured by the information that innocently presented itself to him. Excitedly, he flipped through it before happening across his own page. "Holy shit... Hey Shou! Come take a look at this! This kid's amazing!"

Midoriya gaped at the unexpected praise. "I-It's not that good."

Shouta made his way over and took the proffered notebook from his husband. Hizashi watched in mild amusement as Shouta's eyes widened in shock. "Not that good...? Kid, this level of detail... I think this is what we're going to be working with until that ankle heals up." He decided. "Your analytical skills are incredible, and it'd be stupid to let that go to waste."

"Where did you learn to do this?" Hizashi asked, curious.

"I-I taught myself. Like I said, Quirks are so interesting, and I love thinking about how they work and what people can do with them!" Midoriya's eyes shone with passion, and Hizashi found himself grinning at the kid's enthusiasm.

"Honestly, kid?" Shouta flipped through the book, eyebrows rising further with every page he turned. "If I didn't know you were Quirkless, I'd swear you had some kind of Analysis Quirk. This level of observation and understanding is incredible, and honestly terrifying."

Midoriya flushed at the praise, causing Hizashi to grin. "Oh! Shou, can I help?" Hizashi suddenly spun around to stare at his hubby with wide eyes.

Shouta gave him a raised eyebrow. Help with what? It said.

"I'll train him academically, and you train him physically!" Hizashi grinned. "He'll still be your student, but I'll help out from time-to-time! Please? I wanna spend time with the Little Listener, too! And if he spends too much time around you, he'll start carrying around a sleeping bag and glowering at the world in no time! He needs some variety!"

Shouta stared at him for a long moment, contemplating the options. Finally, he sighed in defeat. "Fine. We'll set up a schedule to fit you in a few times a week."

"ALL RIGHT!!!" He smiled sheepishly as Shouta deactivated his Quirk, again. "Sorry."

Midoriya's laughter made them both smile, and Hizashi couldn't wait to spend some time getting to know the Little Listener.