Izuku subconsciously hummed along with the song that was stuck in Todoroki's head as they browsed the shelves together. Not that it generated much sound. The green head had joined his friends on the weekly grocery shopping trip, silently picking things from the list Iida made them.
"Do you think we need any more of these? Last time I checked the pack was almost finished" Uraraka asked, taking a box of cereal from the shelf.
"No, I think there's still some in the pantry room" Tsu answered as Izuku scanned their list for an answer. Nope, Iida hadn't put down cereal.
"Alright" Uraraka hummed, putting it back. The girls continued to chat and browse the shelves as Shoto pushed the cart, Izuku silently walking next to him.
"Oh look, they have a hero merch section" Todoroki pointed out, instantly catching Izuku's attention. And sure enough, there was a hero corner in the supermarket.
I already thought Midoriya might find that interesting. Not sure if there is anything he doesn't already own, though.
"You wanna go check it out?" Uraraka asked, seeing the stars in Izuku's eyes. Deku is such a hero fanatic. Oh, but he gets so adorable when nerding out about them! Even though his muttering can be really scary... Well, he can't talk right now so that leaves adorable fanboy Deku!
Izuku didn't really know what to think about that, and decided to push those thoughts away for a moment as Asui spoke up.
"I can go with Midoriya while you two continue the shopping. There's a hero doll that came out recently and I want to buy it for my little sister"
And with that Tsu saved Izuku from embarrassment!
They browsed the little hero corner together, Tsu mentally describing what she was looking for. Izuku subconsciously helped her search, picking out the doll before Tsuyu found it.
"That's the one I was looking for, how did you know?" she asked as she took it off his hands. Oh fuck. How was he supposed to react to that?!
"But then again, I'm sure you're aware of every new hero merch release... Thank you for helping me find it" she added, making Izuku sigh in relief.
"Is there anything you want to buy?"
Was there? Izuku wasn't sure. Todoroki was right when he assumed he already owned most of what this store had to offer. His eyes fell on a bright red feather, a Hawks themed night light. He already wrote an entry about Tokoyami's fear of the dark in his notebook, but he hadn't done anything to help his classmate out. Tokoyami likes Hawks, right? The red would tie in well with his room interior...
He decided to buy it. Even if Tokoyami didn't want it, it was still a fun trinket for his collection. Izuku didn't own a lot of Hawks' merch anyway. A night light huh? That's cute. Wonder if Midoriya-kun is scared of the dark... It was a genuine thought, not meant to make fun of him. It was one of the things he liked about Asui: she wasn't one to judge quickly. Always calm and cool, assessing the situation before acting.
Quite the opposite of him, to be honest. Izuku tended to rush into action without knowing all the variables, took the path that first came to mind, which wasn't always the safest one. At least, that's what Aizawa sensei mostly lectured him about. And now Kacchan was confirming that every time they spared together.
"Let's join back up with the others" Tsu suggested. Izuku nodded, following her around the store until they were back with Uraraka and Todoroki.
Later that day, Izuku would place a small box in front of Tokoyami's room, holding the night light and a small note attached to it. There's no need to be afraid of yourself. It's okay to trust others to protect you. Hopefully the light would help him, give him a little peace of mind.
><><><><><
Quirkless sparring was something Izuku looked forward to. Aizawa sensei made them do this exercise about once a month to make sure his students didn't only rely on their quirks. There are scenarios where you can't use your quirk, after all, and Izuku found some kind of silent recognition in the training exercises. It made him realize that quirkless people aren't as useless as society says they are, something he came to believe after being told countless times. Yeah, quirkless sparring was something Izuku liked to do.
"Alright, I'm going to call out this class' pairings. Go with your partner to your assigned fields after you get called, you know the drill" Aizawa sighed as he glanced down at his paper.
"First pair, Bakugou and Kirishima, field A. Jirou and Aoyama, field B, Midoriya and Ojiro, field C-"
Izuku tuned out after that, his eyes darting over to his classmates in search of Ojiro.
It wasn't the first time they got paired together and Izuku liked fighting him in class. His martial art skills were something to be amazed by and not nearly everyone in their class was as good at close combat as he was. Izuku had quite the extensive entry about it in his hero analysis notebook.
"Hey Midoriya, let's have a good match, okay?" Ojiro smiled as they arrived at their assigned training field.
[Stretch first] Izuku signed, making Ojiro frown for a moment. Aizawa had given everyone a crash course in sign, teaching the class some basic words that could be used in hero training. Stretch was one of those words, but it took a moment for Ojiro to process.
"Oh, of course, stretching is important!" he exclaimed once he realized what Izuku was saying. And so they started stretching, getting into fighting positions when both of them were ready.
Izuku had an unfair advantage in their hero classes now that he was under the influence of the muted mind quirk. He could tell what his opponent was thinking of doing before they even made the movements. He was able to anticipate much quicker and even though he tried to ignore the voices, it was hard not to get influenced when you could literally hear your opponent think.
Damnit, he's reading all my movements! I haven't gotten a single hit on this guy! Even quirkless Midoriya is way better than me... Heck, everyone here is way better than me. They've all got amazing quirks and are super powerful and here I am with a tail! I don't belong in the hero course, not really, and they all know it too! How did I even get in? How was I in the top percentage at the entrance exam? UA must've made some kind of mistake...
Imposter syndrome. Izuku had read up about it after he found out about Ashido's trauma. About how she didn't see hers as valid enough because others had gone through much worse. It wasn't exactly imposter syndrome, but the term popped up during his research so now Izuku knew what that entailed, too. He didn't expect one of his classmates to feel that way though. But then again, there were a lot of things he didn't expect to find out...
Izuku signed for a time-out and Ojiro took him up on it, both of them tired and gulping down water now that they were finally taking a break.
[G-G] Izuku spelled out, knowing the class has also learned the sign alphabet so Izuku could talk in abbreviations that his friends would understand.
"Ha, thanks, I was pretty useless though" Ojiro chuckled, laughing off his poor performance.
Izuku had noticed he did that a lot. Ojiro needed to learn to take credit when credit was due. It wasn't easy fighting a mind reader, after all. They'll have to work on his confidence once his voice is back, that's for sure.
><><><><><
"So Tails has confidence issues huh?" Kacchan hummed as he read through Izuku's notes. Seems like a lot of these extras have them... Can't say I blame them.
[Kacchan, you're not supposed to read that] Izuku frowned, trying to grab the notebook, only to have Katsuki lift it up so the nerd couldn't reach it. They were supposed to be doing homework right now! And instead, Kacchan was nosing around in his personal notes!
"What was that nerd? Couldn't quite catch it" the blonde grinned, purposely looking away so he couldn't see Izuku signing. Imposter syndrome huh? Feeling like you don't belong, like you faked and lied your way up the ladder... It's not the exact same, but it's similar to me, right? Like feeling like a villain in a hero school..? Izuku frowned, whacking Kacchan over the head.
[Stop thinking like that!]
"Well then don't read my fucking thoughts!" Katsuki hissed, closing the notebook and handing it back to the green head.
[The whole reason you're here is so I can read your thoughts, Kacchan] Izuku deadpanned. It's true. Izuku couldn't focus or sleep in his room when Mineta was just a wall away, so he needed a meat shield that helped him clear his mind. And who better than his brand new boyfriend?
"You know we could always study in my room, right? Nobody would disturb us there"
Izuku felt his face flush at the thoughts that filled Kacchan's mind, instantly throwing a pillow as the blonde.
"Okay, okay! I get it!" he laughed, getting off the bed and sitting down next to Izuku. Wouldn't do those things before our first date anyway.
"So, you already started on the english essay?"
After that they gradually worked their way through all their courses, losing sight of how much time had already passed. They ended up on the bed again, simply cuddling, Izuku listening to Kacchan's ranting, well, more like complaining.
"And then Kaminari, the absolute moron, just had to try it after Jirou told him off" Katsuki groaned.
"He's lucky he just fried his goddamn brain, he could've been dead for all I know. Who the hell puts a fork in an outlet, Deku? Who does shit like that?"
Denki, apparently. Izuku was glad the new training methods were working out, but his classmate shouldn't get too reckless with electricity...
"Oh and Kirishima hasn't stopped teasing me. I already regret telling him about us" Katsuki added, even though Izuku could tell he didn't mean it.
"I mean, he's happy for me and shit, but it's...overwhelming, I guess? Fuck, I suck at this friendship bullshit, don't I? Kirishima is like a human puppy and I'm complaining about how supportive he is"
[It's okay to set boundaries, but sometimes you could open up more] Izuku signed.
[I never imagined I could talk to you like this]
"Yeah, well, that makes two of us" Kacchan sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. I swear if he's gonna slap me for thinking I don't deserve him, I'm gonna explode one of his All Might figurines. Izuku gasped, making Katsuki snicker. That's right nerd, who's got the power now huh? Izuku rolled his eyes, finding Kacchan's antics kinda cute even though they were childish.
Damnit! I'm such a failure! Why do I always end up here?!
Izuku's eyes widened, instantly sitting up right, startling Kacchan with the sudden movement.
"What? What's wrong? Heard something?" Katsuki asked, confused.
[A-S-H-I-D-O] Izuku spelled out before pointing down. He didn't have a name sign for her. He didn't have name signs for anyone except Kacchan, actually. Huh, he should work on that...
"Pinky is downstairs? What's she doing there at this ho-"
Katsuki cut himself off, realization hitting him the moment he asked his question out loud. Oh hell no! Not on my watch!
[Kacchan, wait-] Izuku tried, only to get pushed back as Kacchan got up from the bed and stormed out of his room. It was the middle of the night already but Izuku barely noticed as he rushed after his childhood friend. The only light on was that of the girl's bathroom, the same place Izuku had found her before, so it wasn't hard to locate her.
And just like before, she was sobbing on the bathroom floor. This time she was sitting against the cabinets under the sinks, her legs pulled up to hide her face, the razor blade laying beside her. Izuku could hear the self-destructive thoughts spiraling through her head, trying not to panic or freak out. Kacchan was having less trouble setting his emotions aside, only thinking of what was best for his friend.
"Oi, I thought you quit this shit"
Mina's head shot up, her tearstained face visible.
"B-Bakugou..? It's not... It's nothing, I swear! Girls and emotions, am I right? Just ignore me and-" he rambled, trailing off once she saw Midoriya was with him.
"You don't have to pretend to be fine, I've been informed on what's going on" Katsuki continued, walking over to the pink girl and picking up the razor blade before sitting down.
"What's the damage?"
He's...so calm... Izuku could tell how shocked Ashido was by Kacchan's reaction, needing a moment to find her words.
"I... I didn't..." she stammered, wiping away some of the tears.
"I didn't cut, if that's what you're asking"
"But you wanted to" Katsuki said, twirling the small blade between his fingers, staring at it so he wouldn't have to look at her.
"...Look, I know it's bad, okay? I know-"
"That's not what I was asking" Katsuki interrupted her.
"You wanted to cut, right? But you didn't"
"...No" she whispered.
"That's progress" Kacchan said.
Izuku smiled a little, carefully making his way over, not wanting to disturb whatever moment they were having right now.
"Cutting is a bad coping mechanism, you really need another one"
"Yeah, I know" Mina snorted.
"Kirishima has been trying to get me to work out with him to, and I quote, 'punch away my frustrations'"
"Has it been working?"
"Not really..." she sighed, glancing up when she saw Midoriya sit down next to Bakugou.
"Did Midoriya tell you about this?"
"I threatened him" Katsuki shrugged.
"I mean, I knew something was up after your impromptu sleepover, I'm not stupid"
"Midoriya, you pinky promised!"
[Sorry!]
"He says he's sorry" Kacchan translated. I'm not sorry though. All of my friends are fucked up and acting like they're okay when they're absolutely not. Why the hell aren't they being honest? If not with me, at least with someone else! Yeah, who would ever tell the monster of class 1-A that they're feeling sad-
"Aw! Oi, stop that!" Katsuki hissed after being hit by Izuku.
[I'm going to keep hitting you until you stop thinking of yourself as a villain] Izuku stated.
[And they're your friends Kacchan. They'll open up to you when they feel comfortable about sharing these things. You aren't telling them everything either, so you must understand them, right?]
"No, fuck this shit! I'm taking action right fucking now" Katsuki spoke, getting up fro the floor and grabbing his phone from his pocket.
"I'm calling for a squad meeting"
"A squad- No! No, I promise, this isn't a big deal, I swear I'll-" Ashido pleaded, not wanting everyone to know about this.
"It's not for you, raccoon eyes, so stop freaking out" Katsuki huffed, sending a message to their group chat.
"My room, right fucking now, no Dekus allowed, understand?"
[Of course! I won't listen in, I promise] Izuku signed.
"Good"