Four years ago, beginning of the fourth service year.
His entire body ached, throbbing pain seemed to radiate from every joint he possessed. His muscles were raw and burning as though every nerve in his body was exposed. He was pretty sure he had dislocated his shoulder too.
Breathing through his nose, he tried to settle his racing heart. Wanting nothing more than to fall asleep right there on the dirty mud decorating the training grounds like a foul painting. He laid there, staring at the grey, cloud-ridden sky. It would rain soon. He knew that much. He just hoped he'd be back in his cell by then.
The lieutenant had scuffed at him the moment his body had hit the ground, having fallen from the higher structures of the drill. Exhaustion and overexertion had finally won out on three weeks of intense, unyielding training.
Axel had barely spared him a glance as he marched past his fallen form. Kicking dust into his eyes as he did so. "You are to go hungry tonight Private. I will not tolerate laziness or insubordination." He'd muttered, voice rough, and tone scathing.
It almost made him want to snarl back at the man. Tell him that his so-called punishment was null anyway. Since they haven't been feeding him for days. Not that he had the energy to actually spit the words out.
He stayed there for a long time. Just trying to breathe. Regain any semblance of composure and calm. It wasn't until the first drops of rain started to fall that he decided to move. He didn't need to get sick on top of everything else.
Getting up took longer than he'd like to admit. The cold served only to amplify the soreness he felt emanating from his limbs. His shoulder pulsed with a pain he was uncomfortably used to by now. His walk back to the gates leading to his room was slow and measured. His movements felt sluggish, as though he was wading through the depth of a murky lake, legs battling against a raging current.
Two guards immediately blocked his way as he finally got there. One of them appeared to be in his late thirties. He had no visible mutation quirk he could identify, while the boy next to him looked younger. Probably just out of his teens. Scales were scattered on the skin of his face like freckles. However, his eyes were what caught his attention. A striking yellow, with piercing green slits that seemed to tear through them vertically. A reptile-related quirk, he concluded.
They were both looking anywhere but at him, as if he was an invisible figure they could just gaze right through, ignoring his existence completely.
"Please, I- I need to get to my cells."
The two continued to ignore him, although he could feel the younger one twitch as if fighting against the urge to address him.
Trying his luck differently, he tried to wedge his way past them. His attempt was met with an immediate reaction. The older guard's leg came up at a speed he would've been able to dodge if he wasn't so tired. The limb hit him straight in the chest, knocking him to the ground with the force, leaving him scrambling to draw breath as he wheezed. The rain was getting stronger now, soon enough he'd be completely soaked.
"Orders are to keep you outside. You are not allowed access to your room tonight."
Ah, so his punishment wasn't just lack of food. He'd get no shelter either. How fitting, Axel. He thought sarcastically.
That night, he slept huddled under the thin branches of a tree he'd found nearby. Hugging his limbs close to his body to gain any semblance of warmth as he warded off the crippling cold.
His stomach rumbled with a hunger he was all too used to by now. An emptiness he'd learned to live with long ago. He shivered and trembled until he felt numb. A welcome feeling, really. Something he invited wholeheartedly after a while.
He knew it wasn't a good sign though. The heat he felt spreading in his skull couldn't mean anything good. He shouldn't be feeling this hot as his fingers turned stiff and blue.
He must've been growing delirious, for the last thing he remembers before succumbing to the pull of darkness is a figure appearing in his field of vision. Blurry and unrecognizable in the dark.
He'd covered him with something. His first reaction was to dodge. Try and ward off whatever it was. However, as soon as his skin made contact with the soft, warm fabric he'd unconsciously huddled into it, melting into the first semblance of comfort he'd gotten in years.
Dark spots were rapidly filling his vision.
The last thing he remembers before surrendering to sleep were striking yellow eyes, looking down at him with something he would almost call worry.
Still, he was delirious, surely he remembered wrong.
_______________________________________________
"Akatani Mikumo, please report to the principal's office immediately." The mechanical voice, distorted through the gate speakers, announced ominously.
He'd stopped in his tracks the moment his name was called. Back straight, posture casual, as he took a moment to contemplate the situation. Why would the principal want to see him? Had he been made? Was the mission breached? Movement registered to his left and he moved to the side to avoid the student hurrying along. Taking it as his cue to move, knowing that turning back around now would only seem more suspicious, he carried on his strides into the school.
He'd been called to enough meetings and status reports with the Dragon to feel completely at ease as he ascended the building's spiraling stairs leading him to the rodent's office.
It felt strange, mundane even. Greeting the secretary politely and sitting in the small plastic chairs positioned right outside the office as she gestured for him to make himself comfortable.
The doors leading to the headmaster's bureau were immense, made entirely of strong, reinforced metal.
Midoriya could easily spot three cameras positioned at various angles, although he was certain there were many more hidden behind unveiled surfaces. Watching the world from every possible angle. He could feel them if he closed his eyes. If he allowed his senses to expand around him, wash over the room as if by soundwaves.
He stood up as his hearing picked up movement, footsteps approaching the threshold. The person that walked out, however, wasn't who he was expecting.
Purple, lavender eyes met his own, widening with the surprise Izuku couldn't get himself to feel. A myriad of emotions flitted across the teen's features as he took in the soldier's figure, his eyes scanning him suspiciously, almost worriedly. Lingering on the bruises and scars still discernible on the few spots where his skin showed. His gaze settled on the eyepatch nestled on his face. Eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Wh-" Shinsou began, tone low, quiet. The door behind him opened further, however, interrupting whatever inquiry he'd wanted to voice.
"Akatani, please step in, we've been expecting you." Aizawa's voice was gruff, neutral. The hero stepped aside, his arm coming up to usher Izuku in.
With a curt "Excuse me." The soldier left his classmate behind.
Immediately, the teen's eyes flitted around the room, taking in all possible exits and measuring any unwanted threats. Nedzu was sitting behind a large, metal desk, his paws were clasped tightly in front of him, arms resting on the table before him.
In the chair opposite of him, sat none other than Midoriya's homeroom teacher. Present Mic. The voice hero was looking reassuringly at him, a kind smile stretching his features. A click behind him interrupted his train of thought as he looked back, watching the door close in on them.
The tension in the room seemed to increase, even though he seemed to be the only one to feel it.
Aizawa walked past him. However, instead of taking the seat opposite the voice hero, as Izuku expected him to, the teacher chose to lean against the wall behind the principal. Crossing his arms over his chest in an almost bored manner. Eyes never leaving Izuku's, gaze hard and serious.
"Young Akatani, I apologize for summoning you here so early, would you like to take a seat?" The rodent spoke loudly, his voice, despite its high pitch, was pleasant and calm.
"No, sir. I'd rather stand." His tone sounded monotone to his own ears, devoid of any inflection.
"Oh, well, if you're sure..." The principal's tone shifted slightly, yet, his smile never faltered. It felt practiced to the teen. As if it were a mask, stitched onto the animal, hiding behind its plastic merriment great knowledge. Power, even. This creature wasn't to be underestimated. "How about some tea?" He continued pleasantly. Gesturing to a small tea set positioned at the corner of the desk. The china was white, decorated with purple vines, shiny and perfect.
His mind flitted through the proper protocols for this situation, pulling up short as his memory faltered. Was it disrespectful to deny the man his pleasantries? Would it show weakness to succumb to such a request?
Deciding to throw caution to the wind, he responded, wondering if maybe he'd waited a little too long to answer. The strange look Present Mic was shooting him was a testament to that. "No, sir, thank you." The rat's eyes seemed to narrow in contemplation. If Izuku wasn't trained to catch the slightest shift in the behavior of an opponent, he wouldn't have noticed the slight, almost imperceptible break in the man's composure.
"Very well. Let's get straight to the point then, shall we?" He straightened in his seat, his back hitting the chair as he regarded the student standing before him. Eyes only momentarily catching on the eyepatch adorning Izuku's face. "You have been absent for over two weeks now." When Midoriya made no move to interject, the principal continued. "Given the circumstances and the fact that your father already contacted us, I, on behalf of the school and its teachers would like to offer our service and help with anything you may need in these hard times." The words were uttered with no trace of deception. Yet, Izuku couldn't help but feel an underlying tension in the rodent's tone. "However, we did not call you here just so we could say this." There it was. "Present Mic, if you would." The man, who'd been eying Izuku's figure intensely, snapped out of his daze, head snapping up to meet his gaze once more.
"Ah, yeah, thank you Nedzu-San." The hero began, as if grateful for the opportunity to take over. "Like he just said, little listener, we're here to help if you need It." The man swallowed before proceeding. "We just wanted to know if you were okay."
"I am doing well, Sir. My injuries have all healed." He stated neutrally, tilting his head slightly to the side. This entire interaction was confusing to him. Why would they go through all that trouble only to ask about his health and injuries? His physical state was of no consequence. Only then did it occur to him what the man might've meant. "You don't have to worry, I will be able to complete any task or homework you deem fit to assign or any punishment you wish to deliver."
His response was met with a heavy silence. He wondered for a moment if he'd overstepped or said something he shouldn't have. If he didn't know better, he'd think the look in Present Mic's eyes turned sad.
"A-ah, no, that's not-"
"Look, kid, we're not about to punish you for getting hurt. We don't expect anything from you either." Aizawa, who'd been quiet until now, spoke up, his arms finally dropping back against his thighs as he let go of his previous stance. "We just want to know how you're doing. A person's well-being isn't just physical." After a moment he added. "Although some details about the incident would be appreciated. Your old man didn't give us much to go on."
Instantly, his mind went to debrief the General had given him the night before. The dragon had contacted the school, told them that there was a family emergency that Izuku had been in an accident and nothing more.
Izuku would have to come up with the details on his own. Troublesome but not problematic.
"I apologize, Eraserhead." Of course, they were going to ask questions if they only knew the bare minimum. Thinking on the spot, he continued. "I was injured while misguidedly wandering near a villain fight. I wasn't paying attention and a shockwave took me off guard. Fortunately, the extent of my injuries was limited to scrapes, bruises, and some shrapnel that got into my eye." He gestured to the eyepatch resting safely on his face. Covering the orb from unwanted attention. His response was delivered calmly with no trace of emotion. As if he were talking about the weather. And to him, he might as well have been.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Akatani-Kun. Did your doctor say if your eye would heal with time? Do you need any intervention from Recovery girl?"
"No thank you, sir. My physician believes there isn't anything to be done but wait. My eyesight might be beyond repair." Again, the silence settled, heavy with something he couldn't decipher. "Will that be all, sir?" His classes would've surely started by now.
"There is one more thing we wanted to discuss." The principal started slowly. "As you probably already know, your absence cost you your chance at participating in the annual sports festival." The rodent shot Aizawa a look as he proceeded. "Now, usually, for a general education student that wouldn't be of grave consequence. However, as both of your teachers pointed out to me, you, Akatani-Kun, have potential." Both heroes seemed to nod their heads at that. "They believe, that given the chance, you would have proved worthy of the hero course."
That... wasn't what he was expecting.
"You disagree?" Aizawa asked quietly, arms once again crossed over his chest.
"I am quirkless, sir." He replied simply, reminding them of his registered status. That alone should be proof enough he didn't belong in the hero course. He wasn't supposed to draw attention. He was supposed to keep his head down and pretend to be the quiet, quirkless, unproblematic student the General expected him to be.
"So?" Present Mic interjected indigently. "You are smart, smarter than you'd like us to believe. I've seen you during class. You already know most, if not all of the coursework." Slight pain began to radiate from his neck as the hero spoke. He could feel heat radiate from his eye and spread.
"You've also proven yourself to possess strong physical capabilities. Despite your hardest attempts at hiding your skills, any experienced eye could tell you've had past training." Aizawa continued without missing a beat." The pain intensified with every word the man uttered.
His body was growing rigid, tense with the effort to keep himself from reacting outwardly. His nails dug into his clenched hands, surely forming crescent-shaped cuts as he broke skin with the pressure.
"We will not force you to apply if you don't want to Akatani-Kun." The principal interrupted, his intervention seemed to quell the rising heat. "We are just informing you of the option. Aizawa will be training another student from your grade for them to transfer during the year. He has offered to train you too if you wish it so. However, a probationary period would be put in place in that case. In which you'll be tested and challenged. If you prove their assessment of your capabilities to be correct, the second spot in the hero course would become yours."
"What if I choose not to?"
"Then you will remain in the general course. You have one week to decide."
______________________________________________
Walking out of the principal's office felt like going up for air after a long swim. The heat in his neck had subsided for now, but he could still feel it prickling under his skin. The ghostly imprint of pain left in its wake.
However, his momentary solitude was ephemeral. The moment he turned away from the closed door, he was met with a familiar face.
"Excuse me." He tried, wanting to head to class, knowing he'd already gained unnecessary attention. He didn't need any more of it.
"That's it? That's all you have to say to me?" Shinsou spoke quietly, his voice grave, serious. His anger was palpable. Stopping in his tracks, Izuku took a moment to access the boy's appearance. The shadows under his eyes were more pronounced than usual. While the teen looked extremely tired and worn, his posture was straighter, the glint in his eyes even seemed to shine brighter. In other words, Shinsou looked proud. Dimly, Izuku wondered how the teen had fared in the sports festival. He hadn't checked the outcome yet, having been busy with his missions.
"I apologize, did you need something?" He asked, tilting his head to the side again. Was he missing something?
"What the hell happened to you? You vanish for two weeks and you can't even take a moment to explain?" His voice has risen slightly, however, it was still low enough not to draw attention. Given the fact that they were right outside Nedzu's office. "Friends aren't supposed to disappear on each other like that." The pain was coming back tenfold now.
"Friends?" the heat under his eyepatch was getting even more uncomfortable. His neck throbbing with the effort to form coherent thoughts. He didn't know what it meant to have friends.
"W-what. Yea-"He faltered. "You know what. Never mind, forget about it. I don't know why I bothered In the first place."
Shinsou walked away then, not giving the soldier any time to make sense of the interaction.
It seemed this day was only going to get more confusing.
He also had the General to think about. Would he even want Arctic to consider the hero course? Would he punish him for failing his mission so thoroughly?
Shrugging his shoulders, he made his way to class.