(WOAHHH LOOK!! This is by @emfriedrice on IG. I love this so much ahhh!!)
When Toshinori sees his protégé running up to him at the park only a few hours after texting the boy to meet him there, he nearly has an aneurysm. Because what the actual hell is Midoriya doing?
The hero deflates almost instantly with a puff of smoke and a bloody cough, which is probably for the best seeing as he's in public and not hidden from any wandering eyes. Now isn't the time for any media attention or impromptu interviews.
His gaze immediately zeroes in on Midoriya's right arm, which is covered in what looks like cheap bandages from a discount store. It looks like an entire roll of medical tape has been haphazardly wrapped around his arm, not close at all to the level of care one should normally use when dealing with an injury of that degree. The boy's entire limb is hanging limply at his side and swinging with every stride.
It's sickening, if Toshinori is being honest, and that's saying something considering he's seen and had his own fair share of horrible wounds.
Why is he running with an injury like that? Is he insane!
"Woah, kid!" He stumbles toward the boy, waving his hands frantically to get him to halt. "What are you doing?"
Midoriya stops immediately and takes a tiny step away from the hero. "Huh?" He winces suddenly, green eyes flashing. "Ah, sorry! Did—did I do something wrong?"
He says it like he's unsure, like he thinks he's going to get yelled at for whatever he thinks he's done. The thought makes something weird coil in Toshinori's stomach, because why would the boy ever feel like that with him? Toshinori has never raised his voice at him, nor has he ever raised a hand against him outside of sparring. In fact, the only time the man has ever so much as raised his voice was when the kid refused to take a break that one day when he looked to be on the verge of passing out, and even then Toshinori had only done so to get his attention.
He's never truly yelled at Midoriya before, nor does he ever want to. So seeing the boy cower like that, as if he thinks he's done something wrong, breaks Toshinori's heart.
"No, my boy, of course not, but—your arm! How did this even happen?" He closes the distance between them again and carefully takes hold of his wrist, not missing the grimace the kid makes. "You were just fine yesterday!"
The boy rubs at his neck with his good hand. "I, uh, tried it out like you told me to."
"One for All?" Toshinori asks, horrified. "You broke your arm using One for All?"
"Er, yes? Was I... not supposed to?"
And oh god, is he seriously asking that? Toshinori is so stupid, so unequivocally stupid that it's almost funny. But in this current situation, the hero can't bring himself to laugh.
"I am so sorry, my boy," he says instead. He gently releases the wrist and shakes his head. "I should've warned you about the repercussions of using One for All. You see, I had been under the assumption that your previous enhancements would have already strengthened your body."
Midoriya tips his head, quick to catch on. "So this is normal?" he asks.
What irks Toshinori is that he doesn't sound apprehensive or disappointed when he asks—merely curious. As if the answer to that question doesn't really matter as long as the kid can get some interesting information out of it.
"Well, not really," the hero tries. "When my master passed One for All down to me, I could use it almost perfectly immediately after receiving it. I fortunately never had an issue with breaking my limbs." He sighs and takes another look at the boy's bandaged arm. "But it seems I was incorrect in my assumptions. Your body is still too small to use it at full power."
For a moment, Midoriya looks indignant, as if he's about to protest the comment about his size, but then he thinks better of it. "That can be fixed though, right?"
Still so keen. There's a reason I chose you as my successor.
"Of course, but unless you can make yourself grow bigger, Young Midoriya, I don't think there is a quick remedy for this." Toshinori smiles at him. "It will take a lot more training, though I'm sure it won't be too much of a challenge for you. You just have to work at it, and eventually, I think One for All will grow alongside you."
The boy nods, seemingly deep in thought. "That's what I was thinking, too. It might take a while, but if you think I can do it, then I'll try my hardest!"
Toshinori looks at Midoriya, noting how the sun shines on his face and reflects in his eyes, and suddenly he sees himself. The hero swears he remembers saying something like that to his own master a long time ago, back when she was still alive, and doesn't that make him feel old.
Warmth blooms inside his chest, and it has nothing to do with the humidity of the park around them.
"We can work out the details of this new training later, as I'm curious to see how much of One for All you can use at this very moment, but first." The hero hopes he sounds firm as he continues. "We must get that injury of yours treated, and soon. UA is close by, and I know Recovery Girl is on the job at all times; I can take you there."
As expected, Midoriya stiffens at the mere mention of the last part. "I don't like doctors."
"I'm aware, my boy, but this isn't something you can deal with yourself. You should have immediately gone to get that treated, or at least contacted someone to help you!" Toshinori frowns as a thought occurs to him. "Was your father not with you when this happened? I can't imagine he'd let you continue on with an injury like this."
The boy blinks, averting his gaze. "He's been away for work."
Again? Every time I ask about him it seems like he's never home. How often does he even see his son?
"Did you at least text him to make him aware of your situation? This is something he should know about, Young Midoriya. You might not have told him about One for All, but I'm sure you could've come up with some excuse."
"Well..." The boy chuckles sheepishly. "It's not like he can do anything about it when he's halfway across the world. It's fine."
Toshinori can only stare at the absolute fool in front of him. But then again, he's the one who's teaching him, so maybe the real fool here is Toshinori himself.
He makes sure Midoriya's attention is back on him before continuing. "I guess that's reasonable thinking. But I do need you to promise me that if you get injured again, no matter how insignificant it may seem, you'll contact me. Trust me when I say that I don't mind what time it is or where you are. You are my successor now, and I care for your wellbeing, my boy. If you feel like you can't tell your father, please, tell me."
The teen stays silent for a few moments, and Toshinori is once again reminded of how hard it is to tell what's going on in the kid's mind.
"Can you do that for me?" He prompts.
"Yes," Midoriya says finally. He turns back and offers a mischievous smile, though Toshinori can still see some hesitance in those eyes. "But only if you let me ride on your back on the way to UA."
Toshinori lets out a guffaw. "Are you really trying to negotiate this?"
The hero gets a cackle in reply. "I am."
He sighs, and after taking a quick glance around to make sure no one is looking, he inflates into his larger form. "You're acting like you broke a leg instead of an arm, Young Midoriya!"
"I will snap my ankle right now, don't test me."
Toshinori doesn't doubt the validity of that statement, though it does raise his concern by that much more. The meter's been doing that a lot these days.
And as they jump through the park and into the city, going quickly so no one can snap a picture, Toshinori can't help but let his mind wander.
I'd care about you even if you didn't end up becoming my successor. Though I can't quite figure out why.
Izuku trusts All Might. He really does.
If he didn't, well, it's safe to say that the boy never would have said yes to him. He wouldn't have said yes to any of it. The training, the entrance exam, the quirk—none of it.
It doesn't matter what everyone else said or gave to him as advice, it's plain simple: Izuku would not have agreed to be All Might's successor had he not thought the hero to be one hundred percent trustworthy.
And All Might trusts Recovery Girl, so, by default, Izuku does too.
"She won't do anything you don't want her to," the hero reassures as he leads Izuku through the hallways of UA. "I know you're not a fan of doctors, but I must ask that you please give her a chance. She's not like the others."
Of course she isn't, Izuku thinks to himself. She's a nurse at one of the most prestigious hero schools in Japan with one of the most important quirks to ever exist.
In all seriousness, Izuku doesn't know why he agreed to come here. Well, it's not like he had much of a choice. It was either this or a real hospital, according to All Might. Obviously Izuku would rather go for this one.
But now he's starting to feel nervous. His good hand is starting to get shaky, and he wants nothing more than to cross his arms or do something with it to stop the obvious nerves. He also wants to run, but he stops himself on the off chance that All Might will go after him. He doesn't want to disappoint him.
It seems that the hero is having the same thoughts, as he keeps glancing at Izuku from time to time as they walk, not really out of suspicion, but probably more to reassure him.
Izuku clears his throat. "She won't take my blood, right?"
"I would think not. This is only to fix your arm." He tips his head. "Why do you ask?"
"I just don't like needles, that's all."
That's not a lie. It's more of a half-truth. So why does it still make Izuku feel bad?
"I don't either, my boy. It's an understandable fear."
Is it, though? Izuku doesn't care about the pain. It's only a slight pinch, after all. He's a lot more concerned about what's in the needle, although that's another issue entirely. Shots can be tolerated in certain settings; taking blood, for obvious reasons, cannot be.
No one can have it or else they can find out about everything.
"This place always amazes me," All Might says, looking around the halls. "It's so beautiful."
"Didn't you graduate from here?"
The man nods. "It's changed quite a lot from when I attended, however. When I came here a few months ago to have my meeting with the principal, it was my first time seeing it since graduation. I must've spent an entire hour just walking around."
"Oh, that's cool," Izuku agrees. He felt the same way when he took the entrance exam, so he kind of gets it. UA is filthy rich, so it's only natural that it's as grand as it is. Izuku would be a bit disappointed otherwise. But he can't imagine what it must feel like to come back to your old school, maybe twenty or thirty years later, and see how much it's grown. "Was it smaller back then?"
"Oh, yes!" He laughs a little. "It was still fairly large compared to other hero schools, but if I'm not mistaken it's nearly tripled in size since I left."
"Probably to keep up with the decrease in quirkless people in the newer generations."
All Might gives him a sidelong glance, eyebrows furrowed a little. He's in his small form now, having deflated right after entering the double doors. "I never thought of it like that, but that's a good point."
Of course it is. It's only logical, right? Evolution and all that. All Might's generation is bound to have more quirkless people in it, especially since Japan's quirkless population of twenty percent is nearly all older people. Being young and without a quirk must have been a lot more common then, though.
Nowadays, not so much.
"This is it, my boy."
All Might knocks on the door even thought it's cracked open, and a voice comes from further inside the room.
"Come in, you two!"
Yep. That's definitely Recovery Girl. Izuku feels himself start to relax slightly at the fact. No one else is going to bother you. It's just her.
The number one hero gestures for Izuku to enter first, and so he steps through the doorway and glances around. It's a small room, but Izuku can see another entry leading to what's probably the nurse's private office.
Izuku stiffens when he hears the click of the door shutting behind him, but All Might is already leading him further in.
There's the sound of light footsteps, followed by a dull clunking. Recovery Girl hobbles out of her office with her cane and eyes the hero distastefully. "What have you done to yourself this time, All Might?"
"Chiyo, thank you for agreeing to this," All Might starts, "but I regret to say that it's not for me this time."
First name basis? They must be familiar with each other.
The old lady huffs, turning her watchful gaze onto Izuku. "Oh dear, you should've brought him here immediately, All Might. Or at least texted me in more detail." She gestures with her cane to the bed pushed to the corner of the room. "Have a seat right there, honey. I'll have to take those bandages off first."
After a reassuring push from All Might, Izuku hesitantly does as the healer says. "Thank you," the boy says, echoing the number one hero. "You didn't have to agree to this."
"Nonsense, dearie. I'm not doing much these days anyway, at least until school starts back up, that is." She hops onto a rolling stool and slides over, peering at Izuku's limp arm. "I'm going to touch it, is that alright?"
She's asking permission to touch his injury? That's a first.
"Oh, uh, sure!" He looks back up at All Might, who's standing a little awkwardly to the side.
The hero sends him a pointed look, as if to say see? This isn't so bad, right?
Izuku just blinks at him, being brought out of his thinking when Recovery Girl starts to peel off the bandages. She tuts when she sees the purple skin underneath.
"My, my," she says disapprovingly, glancing at Izuku with narrowed eyes. "How long have you left it like that?"
"Uh, just overnight?"
The healer immediately swivels around in her stool to glare at All Might. "You! Didn't you tell him what would happen if he used too much of it in one go? How irresponsible can you be, boy! You're supposed to be training him!"
Izuku's jaw drops. Oh my god, she's lecturing All Might.
"I told her about One for All a while ago," the hero says to him, obviously misinterpreting his shock to be for something else. He shrinks back underneath the wrath of Recovery Girl's cane. "And it was a slight miscalculation on my part, Chiyo! It won't happen again!"
The lady shakes her head. "Still so reckless, hm? I thought Gran put a stop to that, but I guess not." She turns back after giving the hero another warning look and sighs. "You managed to shatter your entire arm, dearie. I can heal it, of course, but it'll take a lot of energy out of you. You'll have to rest here for a couple of hours before heading home, alright?"
Izuku, whose mind is still stuck on am I thinking of the same Gran, can only nod. "Yeah, that's—that's fine."
Recovery Girl throws away the bandages and clasps her hands together. "Alright. I remember you from the entrance exam, so I assume you know how my quirk works. Since this injury is of a larger degree than your last one, you're going to feel a lot more tired than before. You can sleep here, and when you wake up you can leave after I ask a few closing questions."
Before Izuku can even open his mouth to ask what kind of questions, the healer is leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his shoulder.
It's just like the entrance exam, except this time the wave of exhaustion that hits him is more like a tsunami. He watches in awe as his arm glows green and then starts to reshape itself. It feels like a dull burn, kind of like how your legs feel when they fall asleep and start to prickle when you move.
His hand didn't exactly feel like this when she healed it at the entrance exam, so the side effects of her healing obviously depend on the severity or size of the injury.
"That's so cool," he whispers, and oh. He's falling backward.
His head hits a pillow, and then he's staring up at the too-clean ceiling. He wonders who they pay to dust up there all the time, as it looks like it was just recently cleaned. And maybe freshly painted, too. In fact, everything here looks brand new.
Or maybe Izuku is just used to poor neighborhoods and abandoned buildings. Huh. That could be a very good reason.
"That boy looks terrible, All Might, what have you been doing to him?"
"I think he's been overworking himself. I'll talk to him about it, Chiyo, I promise."
Izuku frowns to himself as the voices filter into his ears like he's underwater. His eyes shut on their own accord, and then he's being pulled into the darkness.
He is not looking forward to that talk.
Izuku needs to piss.
That's the first thought that comes into his mind when he wakes up. The second thought, however, is that he's alone. When he pushes himself up, he suddenly realizes just how much better he feels. He's used to pain, and so the lack of it now leaves him feeling kind of empty.
He can't tell if it's a good thing or a bad thing.
Extract tells him that there's nobody near him at this second, so he rubs the sleep out of his eyes and allows himself a small moment of vulnerability, a small moment to get back to himself. He yawns and slides off the surprisingly comfy bed. It's hard as a rock, which is just the way he likes it.
And damn, that was a good nap. That's the best nap Izuku has had in ages, though to be fair that's the only nap he's had in ages.
Somebody took off his shoes for him while he was asleep. There are neon pink slippers next to the bed, but he doesn't know if it's for him. It certainly wasn't there when Izuku first came in, but he still isn't sure.
Should he call All Might? Recovery Girl said he was free to leave after answering a few questions, but she's nowhere to be seen. Izuku guesses he could search for her with his quirk, but he doesn't want to invade her privacy.
And besides, what's the harm in finding her himself?
After a moment's consideration, Izuku puts on the slippers and pads quietly toward the door. There's still no one near him, so he doesn't have to be so quiet.
He sneaks out of the room—no, he corrects to himself, it's not sneaking around, he was invited here—and starts to walk around. He downloaded a map of UA right before he took the entrance exam, so he knows where everything is, but he hasn't actually gotten to know the place. The quick trek here with All Might didn't show him much.
Wouldn't it be impolite to start my education at a place I'm not even familiar with?
He finds a bathroom relatively quickly and ends up splashing water in his face after he's done to wake himself up more. But instead of continuing his search for Recovery Girl and All Might, he skips around and looks inside the classrooms. UA is quite a few stories tall, and there are multiple sets of stairs and elevators on each floor for public use.
As he said before: fucking rich.
Izuku flexes his right arm, and when he's satisfied that it's healed completely, he powers up Boost. He can get across the school much faster if he uses it.
He jumps at a wall and nearly slams into the concrete because of the extra force. Oh, that's right. He keeps forgetting that One for All increased the strength and durability of his other quirks as well. He has to try them out when he gets back home.
The boy proceeds to bounce between the walls like a ball in a pinball machine, occasionally sneaking glances into classrooms and closets he finds of interest.
New students are supposed to get their schedules in a week or so, meaning he doesn't know which room is going to be his. Kind of a letdown, but oh well. He can't have too much fun.
Izuku sees a flash of light above him and leaps upward, grabbing onto a vent hatch. He dangles in the air for a moment before popping it, letting it fall open like a trapdoor. When he swings himself inside, the boy can't help but give an appreciative whistle.
It's actually pretty wide in here, giving him a good amount of room to turn around if he needs to. It's the perfect size.
He replaces the hatch and begins his crawl around the entire school. It's chilly, but not too bad.
Izuku comes across a few janitors cleaning up the classrooms and hallways when he gets the chance to peek down. There aren't many people here other than them. The first teacher he comes across looks to be doing some preparations for his future students.
It's still a very large classroom, but compared to the ones Izuku saw just prior to this, it's more of a medium-sized room. Maybe for a support class, he reckons, since those classes tend to have fewer students.
He feels the man's quirk and hums to himself. He knows exactly who this is.
Power Loader; Quirk: Iron Claws.
Izuku watches the hero work for a bit before moving to continue his crawl. He wonders if that'll be his homeroom teacher if the man ends up not being a teacher for the support course this year. All Might won't tell him anything about the other teachers, so Izuku is left guessing.
The man sneezes, and Izuku instinctively lets out a bless you, instantly freezing after he processes what he's done.
Fuck.
There's a bit of silence before a quiet god? comes from below.
Izuku snickers quietly to himself and hastily moves on lest the teacher decide to check the vents.
He finishes the first floor and does his pinball method again to go up to the second floor. All the while he checks the classrooms and scans for any other teachers and staff.
It's fun. Kind of like a game of some sort. He then tries to see how fast he can go through the vents without bumping into the sides too much, and the answer to that? Pretty fast. Though it probably sounds like a raccoon bumbling around to anyone else.
He slows down after a bit and taps his wristband. "Hey, AINA," he whispers.
"Yes, Izuku?" She's always quiet when she needs to be. He programmed her to be that way in case he has to go on stealth missions.
"What time is it?"
"It is currently a few minutes past four in the afternoon."
Izuku's head shoots up and hits the roof of the vent. "Ow—shit! It's what? How?"
"You were asleep for approximately six hours. Would you like me to call All Might and inform him of your awakened state?"
Christ. Izuku needs to fix how she talks. Way too formal, in his opinion. They're supposed to be buddies, almost friends, not associates of a company.
"Uh, no thanks. I kinda wanna sneak around some more. Do some spy shit, y'know?"
"Of course. I am here when you need me."
Izuku rubs the bump on his head and moves forward. It's starting to get even chillier the more he goes. The air conditioners must be located at the top of UA, not the bottom like most other schools around here.
There's someone underneath him. He can feel their quirk; it's faint, but it's there. Which means they're either asleep and don't have their quirk active, or that their quirk is a mutant type and thus doesn't emit a lot of energy. But wait, it feels kind of familiar—
The vent gives way beneath him, and then Izuku is dropping like a rock. He tries to right himself in air to try and break the fall, but he doesn't have much time to do anything before he lands with an oof onto the classroom floor.
His head spins, as it feels like he'd hit the corner of something. Knowing his luck it was probably a desk. Wouldn't that be fantastic? He'd have to ask Recovery Girl to heal another injury of his.
"Fucking hell," he says to himself, glancing back up at the ceiling. There's a hole in the vents where he'd fallen, and Izuku is surprised to notice that it's actually a trapdoor with wires attached to it. Hm. So this isn't the case of faulty roofing—it was intentional.
The hatch is probably controlled via remote or signal. Which means somebody must have activated it.
Great. So he was being watched this entire time. The knowledge makes him feel creeped out, and also a little offended.
He shoves himself into a sitting position, only to realize that while his head had indeed hit the side of a large desk, the rest of his body actually landed on something soft.
Oh. Oh god no.
For a few terrifying seconds, Izuku is frozen in fear. Because there was someone below him before he fell, wasn't there?
He turns his head slowly, as if in a horror movie, and all but screeches when all he sees is a pale face surrounded by puffy yellow fabric.
Izuku scrambles back, fumbling as he tries to get away from the caterpillar thing in front of him. Soulless black eyes stare back at him, and Izuku chokes on another scream.
Holy fucking shit! Did I kill him? Or is he about to kill me? Please, I can't die like this—
"Midoriya."
Izuku's panicked thoughts come to a stuttering halt as he recognizes the voice, and thus the face attached with it. His heart is still racing, and he's still backed up against what appears to be a student's desk, but the relief that suddenly runs through him is almost nauseating.
He feels incredibly dumb now.
"Eraserhead?" He asks. You know, like an idiot. "What are you doing here?"
The blank look he gets in reply has Izuku wincing. He works here, dumbass. That sounds suspiciously like Kacchan's voice.
"This is my classroom. The question should be what are you doing here."
Izuku takes a moment to catch his breath and take stock of the situation. Okay. So he just fell through the vents and landed on his caterpillar-of-a-hero friend-ish thing, and now he's being questioned as to why he'd fallen through said vents.
"Oh, well, I just thought I'd have a look around UA, sir!" He gives a nervous chuckle, eyeing the hand that's still holding onto one end of the hero's capture weapon. How the man is able to wear that inside of the sleeping bag is a question Izuku thinks he might just be murdered for asking. "So, uh, how are you? Nice day today, isn't it?"
Eraserhead hasn't blinked once yet, as if he thinks he can just erase this entire conversation from happening. He's still lying sideways on the ground, not having moved an inch.
Before the hero can reply, though, Izuku feels a sharp spike in his mind from Extract, and then the doors to the classroom are bursting open, revealing a disheveled All Might in his larger form.
The number one hero is panting and practically breathing smoke, and in the next second he's suddenly right in front of Izuku. "My boy, I heard you yell! Are you hurt? What's wrong?"
Was I really that loud? Damn. And how did he get here so quickly? Did he run here?
"Uh, I'm not hurt at all. Is there something wrong?"
All Might doesn't seem to believe him, as he checks over Izuku's body quickly to make sure there are no other injuries. He wipes a dust bunny from Izuku's shirt, courtesy of the vents, and only then does he seem satisfied. He deflates with a long-suffering sigh, resting a hand on the boy's healed shoulder.
"Why are you out of bed?" He scolds lightly. "You're supposed to be resting!"
Izuku fights back a pout. "I woke up and you were gone, so I just thought I'd explore. You told me this place was beautiful, didn't you? How could you not expect me to have a look around!"
All Might pauses for a second, as if to decide if he's kidding, and then lets out another sigh. "You are something else, Young Midoriya."
I'm going to take that as a compliment.
There's the sound of a zipper being moved, and both mentor and protégé stare in confusion as Eraserhead stands up and slinks out of his sleeping bag like a newly born butterfly.
All Might coughs. "Aizawa! I didn't expect to see you here!"
The man huffs in irritation. "Again. My classroom."
"Of course, I just meant that it's—"
Izuku tunes All Might out, his brain having brought back an important point: he had felt Eraserhead. He'd felt his quirk even before he saw or knew he was there.
He's never been able to do that before, even as Rabbit. Does that mean he can only be sensed while he's asleep? Or when he's extremely tired? It would make sense.
Izuku pauses and briefly wishes whatever god up above will strike him down. There are too many confusing things happening nowadays, and it's making him want to shrivel up and die.
All Might nudges him, and Izuku realizes Eraserhead is speaking to him now.
"Didn't think you'd actually end up trying out for the exam, Midoriya."
Why is he looking at me like that? I mean, sure, I did just fall on him, but that's not my fault. Or maybe he always looks like this when he's at work.
"Yeah, I didn't either until last minute!" Izuku dips his head quickly. "Again, thank you for the application, Eraserhead!"
The man just grunts. "I remember telling you to call me by my name when I'm off-duty, kid." He studies Izuku with narrowed eyes. "Also. Just because you set the new record for this school doesn't mean you can slack off. I expect a lot from you when you get here."
A lecture? Already? With the way this conversation is going, Izuku hopes he doesn't get him as a teacher. It wouldn't end well for him.
Eraserhead—no, Aizawa, sets his sleeping bag on his desk and raises a dark brow at All Might. "You two seem close." He skillfully ignores the blond hero's squawk. "You told me you only knew each other in passing, All Might."
"Ah, we do! This is just one of those times, you see!"
Izuku suppresses an eye-roll. The man is fumbling with his words. He obviously doesn't know how to lie, at least, not to Aizawa. Izuku decides to help out, as it is their shared secret now. "I broke my arm and he took me to see Recovery Girl, sir. She healed it a few hours ago!"
He holds up the appendage in question, as if to further prove his point.
"You broke your arm?" Aizawa repeats, and is it just Izuku, or does he sound suspicious?
Why is he acting like this? Izuku has done no wrong, ever. It's not like he was caught stealing government files the first time they met, so why is he so suspicious of him?
...Or maybe he's just suspicious of All Might. It seems like the two have a strained relationship at best.
"Yeah," Izuku continues. "I broke it while doing, ah, teenager things."
And okay, even All Might cringes visibly after hearing that.
Great, now who's shit at lying?
"Teenager things."
Izuku shrugs. "Yes."
"Well," Aizawa says dryly, "try not to make a habit of doing that. The old lady has other things to do than take care of careless injuries, understand?"
Asshole. Annoying asshole. But still a nice person and an amazing hero. Which makes him even more annoying. It reminds Izuku of Kacchan, minus the explosions and obvious temper, of course.
"Of course, sir! I'll be more careful from now on!"
That seems to be the answer he's looking for, as Aizawa turns away, not even sparing All Might another glance.
"Good. Now will the both of you please get out? I need to finish my nap before I start planning."
Izuku can only wish for another nap of his own, knowing he probably won't be able to sleep like that again for a very long time.
It's when they're almost back to the entrance of UA when All Might speaks for the first time after leaving Recovery Girl's office. "Aizawa is certainly a character, isn't he?"
Izuku hums in agreement, currently skipping alongside him from leftover nerves. "Kind of scary, too."
The blond shivers. "Indeed. Also, I have a question for you, Young Midoriya."
Oh no. Not another question.
The only things Recovery Girl wanted to ask was his full name, phone number, and his father's full name and contact information. It's apparently to start his medical file since his old one is outdated. He hasn't gone to see any doctors since he was a child. He has most of his required vaccines and shots, however, but that was all through a private company his father had hired. How that was even legal is beyond Izuku.
"Yes?" He says, hoping the question is nothing bad.
"What is that on your finger, my boy?"
And oh! Now that's something he can answer. It's a good distraction from everything that's happened so far.
"It's a ring I made last night!" Izuku explains, holding up his left hand. There, sitting on his middle finger, is a shiny metal band. "I had a few extra parts lying around, so I decided to make the most of it."
"It looks very nice," All Might praises, obviously noting the engraved bunny running around the edge.
"It's a quirk suppressor! I thought it would help with One for All's control since I broke an entire arm just by using it."
All Might chokes, stopping in his tracks to stare at him. "It's a what? You made that?"
Izuku frowns. "Well, yeah. I figured it would take a while to get control of the new quirk, so I sorta stayed up a bit to make this ring here. It was a lot of trial and error, but I'm ultimately happy with how it came out!" He bounces on the balls of his feet, not able to contain his excitement. "The rabbit glows in the dark, too!"
That last part was a pain to do, but not as painful as it was to try and make the suppressor only work on Extract and One for All.
Once he has the ring on, it acts as a duller of sorts. It only works on his strongest quirks, those being Extract, One for All, and Force.
Force was a surprise, though a welcome one at that. It's not like he ever uses that one. He never wants to use it.
"That's amazing," All Might says, breaking off into a frown, "though you really need to take better care of yourself, young man. You look dead on your feet most days, but today you look even worse."
Izuku wrinkles his nose. "It was only one night! I usually sleep more than that, I promise."
I promise? Where did that come from?
"Hm." The hero stops and faces him directly, looking much more serious. "Listen, Young Midoriya, I am here to help you the best that I can. I don't have much experience when it comes to training others, but I'll do my best."
Izuku doesn't know how to respond to the sudden kindness and topic change, so he stays quiet.
"I'm going to help you train One for All so we can get through this together, my boy! Right?"
Together? Izuku looks up at the man and sees something brighter in his gaze. There's a mixture of kindness and honesty in there that Izuku doesn't quite know how to deal with, and he's not even certain if he deserves it.
"Right," he says, and maybe this time he kind of believes it.
The boy has a feeling the few weeks until school starts will go by much quicker than expected.