Chapter Text
Izuku sunk deeper into the bath, letting the warm water cover him up to his nose. His muscles stopped tensing as he closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh, relaxing for the first time since he had left UA on his own. Since he had left his friends behind. But while his muscles were resting, his mind couldn’t relax. Around him, his classmates were making light conversation, but Izuku could feel the tension that still lingered in the air. Kaminari, Kirishima, Ojiro and Sero had formed a casual circle around him, and even as they conversed with each other their eyes would flicker in his direction too frequently, as if to make sure he was still there. Beyond them, Sato, Tokoyami and Koda hovered at the edge of the bath, between him and the door. Their arrangement seemed casual, but Izuku could tell. They didn’t trust him to not run away again.
Why should they trust me? He thought to himself, sighing deeply under the water. I left in the middle of the night, no warning, no goodbye, no thank you for all your help, just a note barely explaining my origin story. No contact for weeks, I didn’t even try to let them know where I was. It was for their own safety though, can’t they see that, that I had to go, they had to be safe. They were my first friends, I couldn’t put them in danger. I couldn’t let Shigaraki get close to them, he is after me, not them. It was better this way right? I couldn’t let them get hurt, or worse…
An image of Sir Nighteye flashed through his mind, his body on a hospital bed, wiring and tubes connected to the gaping hole in his stomach as his life faded away while Izuku watched on helplessly. Someone who he hadn’t been able to save.
I can’t let that happen again. I can’t let that happen to my classmates, to my friends. They need to be able to smile, they need to have a future to look forward to. I need to be able to give that to them. I need to save –
“You trying to fill the tub with dirt?! Scrub his skin raw with a wide brush and industrial strengths cleanser first!”
Izuku’s eyes snapped open at the sound of Bakugo’s voice, his mental mumble session broken as he watched the blonde haired boy jump into the bath and approach him. Stopping by his side, Bakugo let his head droop and Izuku watched him stare into the water for a few moments before he finally spoke again, his tone softer than Izuku could ever recall hearing.
“I’m still aiming for number one. Haven’t given up on that. Which still makes all of you my rivals.” Bakugo swung his head around to face Izuku, his eyes softer than usual. “Including you, Dek-Izuku.”
Izuku barely flinched as Bakugo splashed water at him as he finished his statement, too tired to dodge. Inwardly though, he smiled briefly at his antics. Bakugo wasn’t challenging him for the number one spot, not like he used to when they first started at UA. No, Izuku could tell what he was really trying to say.
I am stronger than you. So I’ll be damned if you do this on your own you damn nerd. Don’t you dare try something that fucking stupid again.
Izuku looked Bakugo in the eyes as he responded. “Too challenging? Deku is fine, Kacchan.”
He barely even heard Bakugo’s reply and his classmate’s collective responses to their short conversation. Instead he had sunk back into his own mind, reveling in the warm water for a little bit more. But as he soaked, he couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe Bakugo was right…maybe trying to do it all on his own had been stupid.
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“I’m so thankful to all of you,” Izuku said, sitting on one of the couches in the dorm common area. “And I’m really sorry for the trouble.”
“Yeah, that stuff about One for All? We got your message,” Mina said, rubbing a small towel across the back of her neck as she entered the room, Jirou walking along behind her, the girls having just gotten out of their own bath. “The shock’s kinda worn off since we read that letter from you, but still…”she continued, trailing off as a number of their classmates chimed in with their own questions.
“What does it feel like?”
“Going from quirkless to a top-tier power, that couldn’t have been easy?”
“Why didn’t you tell us before?”
Izuku flinched at the last question. Class 1-A had become like family, going through so many traumatic experiences together in less than a year. He trusted them to have his back, the same way he knew that they trusted him. It was something he had never had before coming to UA, and it was a feeling that he cherished more than they could know. But he had lied to them. Even if it was for their safety, he had lied to them. It felt like he had betrayed them.
“I –“
“Midoriya must be exhausted, so let’s let him sleep. Why else did we drag him back here.”
Todoroki’s voice cut across Izuku’s, and he turned to look at the dual-haired boy with a look of tired relief.
“I’m okay…dunno if I could even fall asleep just yet.” Izuku said softly. His body was tired and the couch felt so soft, but his mind was still racing. Todoroki seemed to notice, and he sat down next to him on the couch. Izuku could feel the heat radiating off Todoroki; it felt soothing, calming him down slightly, and he shot a small smile of thanks to his friend. Todoroki just looked back at him with his normal blank stare.
“Why not?” he asked.
“I treated All Might pretty horribly,” Izuku sighed, staring down at the floor in front of him. “And I haven’t seen him since. I can’t sleep until I apologise, but he’s not picking up his phone.”
Izuku finally looked up, only to see Todoroki pointing over his shoulder, towards the windows at the front of the dorm. Izuku turned slowly to see what he was pointing at –
-only to be face to face with All Might, who had raced inside the dorms and skidded into a bow right in front of him!
“I am here…to say sorry for being of so little help, Midoriya, kid!!”
Izuku stared at him in shock for a moment while the words ran through his brain, trying to wrap his head around them. All Might thought that he wasn’t a help? His mentor, the hero who he had looked up to all his life, the man who had given him hope when no one else had, thought that he wasn’t a help?
“That’s crazy! You’ve always done so much for me All Might.” All Might jumped slightly at the way Izuku yelled, but then he slowly stood upright from his bow with an intense look on his face while Mina badgered him for an apology.
“The battle that will decide it all is close at hand.” All Might’s voice was deep, commanding, even in his weakened, small form, and the classmates that were awake in the common room were silenced as he spoke. “I am sorry for any anxiety I may have caused. I’ll skip the details, but I acquired new intel. And we’ll have some answers soon enough. It’s nearly time to muster all our forces.” His eyes unfocused and he stared off into the distance. “These days…my own body limits how much I can contribute…but even so…”
“All Might!”
Izuku felt All Might’s eyes snap focused onto his own as he interrupted the old hero. “Those tonkatsu bento boxes gave me the strength to go on! I got all messed up because I didn’t have you around, so…” he paused for a moment, sniffling slightly, wiping the tears from his eyes before clenching his first in determination. “Together! Okay? We shall protect all we hold dear.”
The rest of the class added their agreement, a chorus of determined voices resolving to stand together. Izuku kept his gaze firmly on All Might as his mentor’s steely expression finally broke into a hopeful smile.
“Thank you, my boy.”
With that, All Might said his goodbyes, informing the students that he had to leave to catch up to Endeavour and the other heroes that were still outside of UA. Izuku collapsed back onto the couch with a sigh, watching his hero stride out the door and into the night. No, not just my hero. My friend.
Glad that he had gotten that apology off his chest, and relieved that All Might had forgiven him straight away, Izuku felt the exhaustion finally catch up to him, and as his classmates talked around him, their voices drifted into a soft murmur as sleep took him. He only had one final thought before it claimed him fully.
I have to apologise to all of them.