Chapter 17: Pour From A Full Cup!
Izuku had stood toe to toe with a man that called himself the Symbol of Evil and personally put a hole in All Might's side. He'd fought serial killers and villains and bioengineered superweapons. He wasn't sure if any of them were as terrifying as Nemuri's driving.
"Oh god, I'm not sure I'll ever get used to that." Izuku panted, trying to make sure he didn't throw up on the sidewalk.
"What are you even talking about Izuku? You and Hizashi, I swear. Such sensitive stomachs sheesh." Nemuri gave him an unimpressed look from over the rim of her sunglasses. His teacher was dressed casually in a tank-top and jeans and tapped her sandals against the ground outside of Spring of Youth.
"Alliteration? Seriously?" Izuku pushed his hands off his knees to stand up. "Must you punish me like this?"
"Seriously. I soothe such sad setbacks with schadenfreude celery-head."
"Celery-head? Spinach was right there."
"No more questions, young pupil." Nemuri held open the salon door to let Izuku enter first. "All shall be revealed in time."
"What are we even doing here, Nemuri?"
"That was a question, Izuku."
"And a valid one. You basically kidnapped me at nine in the morning. I feel like I deserve an explanation here." Nemuri tsked.
"Kids these days. No appreciation for the build up of things. You all just want instant gratification." Nemuri flipped on the lights and led him over to a table in the corner. "Today we're going to be practicing some self-care. If I left you alone you'd just work yourself into the ground so I asked Inko if I could steal you for the day since I'm such a caring and wonderful big sister."
"I would not work myself into the ground!" She shot him a disbelieving look.
"You got out of the hospital yesterday and you've already tried to go for a run this morning. I know you hate sitting still but take a damn minute to decompress and sit down already."
Izuku sat down in the chair opposite his teacher. Admittedly he did feel a little worse for wear. The cast had come off but the doctors had warned him that he should take it easy until his next appointment with Recovery Girl. It was just hard to sit still knowing that even now villains were getting ready to take advantage of the power vacuum left by All Might's retirement. The number one hero was gone and it was only a matter of time until the reverberations came back to bite them. How could he not be out there? He was the successor. He needed to be training. He needed to be better.
"I know you feel like you should be doing more." She rolled her eyes at the surprise that showed on his face. "I have been around the block before, you know? You're a hero, Izuku. We all hate sitting still. I know Shouta tends to belabor the point but you do need to take some time for yourself. You can't save anyone if you're not sleeping or eating or burning yourself out. You've got to pour from a full cup, otherwise you'll have nothing left. And it's my job as your honorary big sister to make sure that you're taking care of yourself, so," she held up two nail polish bottles and rattled them. "Which color?"
Izuku let out a sigh. It didn't really seem like he was going to be able to get out of this. "Red, I guess?"
"Ugh, no. I know you love your red shoes but really, can you wear other colors? Red nails are for the sex symbols, the femme fatales. I'm not sure you're ready for that. No, let's go with a dark blue. This one will look good."
"Why did you even ask me if you were just going to go with the one you wanted?"
"Don't question your nee-san, Izuku. It's rude."
The quiet that fell was comfortable, occasionally broken by Nemuri's soft humming. Her brush strokes were precise and gentle. As she traded one hand for the other, his newly painted nails felt oddly heavy to Izuku. The color Nemuri had picked out was a dark blue, almost black in the places where the coating was thickest. Flecks of silver dotted the nails like stars. He could admit that it felt nice to take a moment to breathe. He had been moving at full throttle ever since final exams. Having someone else take care of him was a soothing change from the hectic battles he had been forced into.
"I know we've been working on your persona and keeping it up, but there's a time and a place for it. It's a hard lesson and I don't get it right all the time either. But you have to make sure that you have time for Izuku and Deku. Find people or spaces that you can take a break with. Get a hobby, go on some dates, do anything but train or be Deku."
Ochako's laughter echoed in his head. He remembered sitting with her on the roof, lunch forgotten between them. He thought about their trip to the mall, what he didn't know at the time was to be their first date. The first time he saw her, struggling to get away from the zero pointer. A hand squished his cheeks, disrupting his thoughts.
"I knew it! You're in love with Ochako!"
"What uh no, I'm not?"
"You are! You just mumbled her name!" Nemuri let out a dramatic gasp and clutched a hand to her chest. "You're in love and you didn't tell me?!"
"Maybe this is why I didn't tell you."
"How could you do this to your nee-san, Izuku?!"
"You're not actually my sister, you do know that right?"
"So cruel!"
"Thank you for meeting with us, Midoriya-san." Shouta sat stiffly on the couch doing his best to ignore the shifting weight of All Might at his side. He itched to get rid of the stupid tie that was way too tight around his throat and go home to his cats and his husband but he had to get this done. He was honestly surprised at how well most of these home visits were going. So far every single parent had agreed to send their children back to U.A. and signed off on the plans to create dormitories. Even the Bakugous had been fairly easy to convince, but Shouta got the sense that this conversation was going to be much harder.
"We will try not to take too much of your time today. We are deeply sorry for the pain and worry we have caused you and your family."
"Please don't." Her voice was soft and almost broken. "My son is everything I have. There are no apologies that can make up for him being put in danger. I know that it wasn't your fault and I know that this is his dream but as his mother I need to put his safety first even if he won't. I will not lose Izuku. So you need to give me an incredibly good reason to allow him to return to U.A."
"I lost my best friend while at U.A. He died while on a work study our second year. I thought that I could protect my students from similar fates by pushing them and making them realize that the world can be cruel. But I'm starting to realize that's not what this group needs. That's not what Izuku needs." Shouta dropped into a bow, pressing his head to the floor. His back protested the motion, pulling at the recently healed burns and stitches on his body, but he refused to get up before his message was felt. "I apologize for failing Izuku these past few months. It will not happen again, I swear it."
Shouta felt Yagi join him on the floor. The taller man took up significantly more space on the ground and Shouta felt a pang of concern for his health. Despite his taller and lankier frame, Yagi's forehead also met the wooden floor.
"Midoriya-san, it was my responsibility as his mentor and as a hero to make sure Izuku got out before the fighting began in Kamino. It was because of my weakness that he was forced to hold his own against villains while I was fighting my own battle. I should have taken better care of him but please allow me the honor of continuing to train him. Izuku will be a guiding light in this world with or without my input. It is more out of selfishness that I ask to continue to help mold that light."
Mentor? Continue to train? Shouta thought. There's definitely more to his relationship with the Midoriyas than Yagi's been letting on.
"Please, get up, both of you." Both men took a moment to rise from the floor and settle themselves back on the couch. "All Might, you are my son's idol. I asked you to live for him and you did. Even you cannot be everywhere at all times, Symbol of Peace.
"I know that hero work will be dangerous and it's my son's dream. But it's been at U.A. that he's been attacked over and over when he should be safe. He should still be learning but he's been thrust into situations he is not ready for and been hurt by them. How can I, as his mother, permit this to keep happening?"
"We are using the dorms as a way to keep a better eye on students. The revamped security measures from after the USJ will also be applied to the new dorms." Shouta continued to explain the various improvements they had made to the security systems. Most of it had been explained to the parents in the update they had received after the USJ as well as the letter that had been sent to explain the proposed dorm system but it didn't hurt to go over it again. Shouta had finished explaining the new drone systems when Inko held up a hand to stop him. He trailed off, waiting for her to speak.
"You remind me of my husband, Aizawa-san. Always so focused on the trees that you cannot see the forest. I am sure that the security put in place by the school is top notch. You have given me reassurances that Izuku will be safe in the future, and if I have learned one thing over these past few months it is that Izuku is far stronger than I have ever thought he would be. But why should I let Izuku return to U.A. at all? Why would I not simply put my foot down and refuse to let my son put himself in these dangerous situations at all?"
"Because he won't stop." Aizawa looked down at his hands that tightened around the cup of tea he was holding. "The best heroes all share the same quality. I'm sure Yagi will agree with me. The relentless drive your son has shown, that innate need to be a hero and to do the right thing, that's rare. All of the best heroes I've ever known have that trait. They have that fire. I don't think there's anything that anyone could do to stop him from becoming a hero. Even you."
Inko was quiet for a long moment. She steepled her fingers underneath her chin, lost in thought. Yagi started to shift in place next to Shouta. It was long enough that Shouta's legs began to stiffen. He was definitely going to beg a massage out of Hizashi when he got back. Eventually, she spoke again.
"I have not been as encouraging to Izuku as I maybe should have been. His father worked in private security after he got out of the military. I know exactly how much it takes out of you to be the one standing up for everyone else. I wanted to protect Izuku from that life but I suppose that's no longer an option. I'll agree to the dormitories and allow Izuku to continue at U.A."
Once the paperwork had been filled out and returned to Shouta's bag, he and Yagi began to make their way out the door. He stopped at the exit and turned back to Inko.
"If I might ask, ma'am: what happened to your husband?" Her hand twisted the ring she still wore on her finger.
"He went missing sixteen years ago."
The return trip for Izuku was thankfully less adrenaline inducing. As he got out of Nemuri's car in front of his apartment building, he stuck his head back in the open window.
"Thanks again, Nemuri for everything. I had a lot of fun."
"Of course, kiddo. I had fun too." Izuku patted his pockets, making sure he had everything before turning.
"Izuku," Nemuri's voice called out. He stopped and turned back to the car. "If you ever need to talk, you can talk to me. Or talk to Hound Dog."
"Hound Dog-sensei?"
"Yeah. He's a licensed therapy dog. How that works, I truly have no idea, but that guy's got more jobs than me or Present Mic."
"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, nee-san." Izuku ignored the squealing from his teacher as he turned to go back inside. When he entered the apartment proper and toed off his shoes at the doorway, he turned to see his mom in the living room, a glass of wine in her hand. She looked a little drained though still popped her head up as she heard the door open. The television played some reality show that he didn't think he had ever seen his mother watch before.
"Mom? I'm home."
"Oh, Izuku! How are you darling? How was your self-care day with Nemuri?"
"It was a lot of fun. More relaxing than I thought it would be, if I'm being honest. I was going to grab dinner with Ochako if that's okay?"
"Sure, sweetheart. Just make sure you're home by curfew."
"Will do. Love you, mom."
"I love you too, Izuku." Izuku shrugged off his mother's strange behavior. She was probably still worried over his health. More importantly, he had a date to get ready for.
Himiko stumbled into the alley, transformed flesh melting away from her. She was alone again. The league had broken up, yet another family sundered leaving Himiko to pick up the pieces. Dabi had stormed off, Twice and Spinner said something about normal lives and wandered away, and even Magne had gone on her own. It was just Himiko now. There was a wave of darkness threatening to crash over her.
Alone again, Himiko, came her father's voice. You're a monster. You deserve to be alone. You could never belong in this world. Himiko's hands curled into fists, knuckles going white from the pressure. No matter where you run you'll always end up alone again in the end.
A crack sounded from her palm. She uncurled her fingers to find a single vial, the barest traces of red swirling at the bottom.
I'm not alone yet, father. She clutched the vial to her chest. She had managed to collect just a few drops of Izuku's blood when she scratched his cheek, but it was enough to keep her company for now. Seeing him in action flying above her was amazing, but she needed more answers. She could feel whatever that something was. Whatever spark he held inside of him that drew other important and powerful people into his orbit, she had felt it. And she couldn't wait to feel it again.
Wait for me, Izuku. I'll see you soon.
Ochako was nervous. It felt silly to be nervous just because her hand was in Izuku's, she and Deku had held hands on plenty of occasions before, but this time was special. It was their first official date and she wanted everything to be perfect. They had stopped for ramen at a stand by the park before grabbing some ice cream and Izuku was leading her to a beach so they could watch the sunset on the water. It should have been perfect.
But Izuku was being a lot more quiet than usual.
"That ramen place was a great deal. We should definitely go back." Izuku let out a small hum in response. Ochako desperately racked her brain to think of ways to fill the growing silence. The sounds of the city were beginning to fade behind them. The area closest to the beach was still scarcely populated despite Dagobah being clean once more. A quick squeeze from Izuku's hand in hers let her know that he was listening even if he wasn't paying full attention to her. "I'm glad we finally got to do something like this. I feel like it's just been one thing after another since finals ended."
Izuku still didn't respond. Ochako was starting to get worried. He had seemed fine when she visited him in the hospital but ever since he got out he was acting more withdrawn than she had ever seen him. He still had dark circles lining the bottom of his eyes. She wouldn't be surprised if he was having nightmares, she had had more than a few in the days since hearing of his capture. He had tried to hide it, but Ochako had also noticed his hands shaking. When he held his chopsticks and even now while he was holding her hand his fingers would twitch every so often. As they hit the boardwalk and stood closer to the railing, Ochako figured it was time to pull out her secret weapon. She angled them towards a bench near the railing that still offered a view of the ocean.
"Sit." She put her hands on his shoulders and put a modicum of effort into forcing him down. He could have broken free easily, both of them knew it, but he allowed her to force him to sit. She rolled up his right sleeve. At this, Izuku started to pull away.
"Ochako, what are you-" "Sit down, Izuku. Trust me." Izuku stopped struggling and let Ochako roll up his sleeve.
"I've been doing this for my dad ever since I was a little girl, I just need you to let me know if it's too much, okay?" She rubbed her hands to warm them up and began to press her fingers into Izuku's arm just below the shoulder. "I used to do this for my dad when he would get home after a long day at work. I floated him to the ceiling a couple of times, but he said he never noticed because he was floating on cloud nine." She started to rub her thumbs in opposite circles. Both up toward the shoulder then out, down toward the elbow and back in to meet together. With each pass she moved a little lower making her way from shoulder to wrist. Every so often she would pause to push a little deeper into a particularly tense knot of muscle. She was careful to avoid irritating the scars that littered skin and when she hit a patch that made him wince she leaned in to press a light kiss against it.
Ever so slowly, she felt Izuku relax into her touch. His posture slumped a little and she hid a smile by pressing a quick peck to his shoulder. Midnight might not be happy that his posture was slumping, but she was sure she'd recognize it was a worthwhile cause. When she reached his wrist she trailed her fingers back up his arm and pressed her chest against his back. She placed her hands against his traps, more pronounced now that he was slightly hunched over, and began to rub her thumbs in the same pattern.
"Talk to me, Deku." She whispered in his ear to avoid breaking the relaxed state her boyfriend had fallen into. "What's going on?" She felt his back start to stiffen again before he relaxed again in her grip.
"I'm scared, Ochako." She almost missed the whispered confession. He mumbled it into the air and only her experience with Izuku's mutter-storms allowed her to catch it. "What if I'm not good enough?"
"What do you mean?"
"There are a lot of expectations on me. So many people are looking at me and they're relying on me to be a great hero. But what if I can't? I barely saved Kota. I almost died against the league a dozen times over. How am I ever going to live up to them?" There was something Izuku wasn't saying. She could see it in the way he bit his lip as if to physically stop himself from letting it slip. His hands were clenched against his thighs, tension falling back into his body. "Everything just keeps changing underneath my feet."
She had never realized before just how much she didn't know about Izuku. For someone so open and warm he rarely spoke about himself. He never talked about friends from middle school or his father or funny quirk accidents he had as a kid. He talked about why he wanted to be a hero but it was always vague. He never talked about why Bakugou seemed so hell-bent on hating him or how they knew each other or why he had the pain tolerance to shatter his arm and then keep fighting.
But she also knew it didn't matter. Ochako knew Midoriya Izuku. She knew his kindness and his bravery and the fierce determination to save people that drove him to break himself over and over like the waves on a rocky shore. She knew that Izuku would walk through hell to save someone without hesitation, she just needed him to know that he didn't have to do it alone anymore.
"You don't have to be a hero, not with me." Ochako came around to sit next to Izuku on the bench. "It's enough right now to just be Izuku. You never have to be anything more with me." She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and brought him down into a hug. "You don't have to save everyone on your own. All of us are going to be right there with you. I'm going to be right here the whole time." Izuku leaned into the hug like a man desperate for a life raft in the ocean, but Ochako didn't mind bearing his weight. Izuku was the most heroic person she had ever met. If she couldn't save him from his problems then why was she a hero at all?
"I'm sorry for kind of ruining our first real date," he murmured into her chest.
"It's not ruined. I'm always happy to be there for you, Izuku." Silence fell between them but Ochako wasn't worried this time. If there was one thing she could count on about Izuku it was that he would always bounce back and persevere. She pressed a kiss to his temple and watched the sun fall beyond the horizon.
A hero's instincts were their lifeline. They were often the difference between life and death in the field and Nemuri's had been screaming at her since she left the Midoriya apartment. Someone was watching her. She had taken backroads and shortcuts and used every tool in her bag of tricks to try and throw them off but that slight heat at the back of her neck remained. Whoever was watching her was clever, which meant they were dangerous.
Nemuri drove away from her apartment. She, like many other heroines, had dealt with stalkers and crazed fans before and she had found the best way was to let Nezu handle them. Having others nearby was always useful and Nezu was nothing if not protective over the people and places he considered "his". U.A. was the safest place in the country and that was thanks in large part to the rodent running it.
Thankfully, the campus was deserted for the last few days of the summer break so even if her stalker was dangerous no students would get caught in the crosshairs. As she pulled into the teacher's lot beneath the front lawn, said furred principal was waiting for her.
"Ah, Kayama. I see you are too much like me today. You seem to have a tail!" Nemuri hoped her deadpan expression properly conveyed how little regard she held for her boss' warped sense of humor. "Do you know who it is?"
"No. They haven't made contact but I suspect they're still here som-" Alarms blared, interrupting Nemuri. The air was rent in two by a swirling miasma of purple and black. As an arm began to emerge from the void, static electricity filled the air. A small rod dropped from the ceiling and lightning blasted the mist-like form. When the rod retracted and the electric bolt ceased to punish the intruder, the body of Kurogiri laid motionless on the ground between Nemuri and Nezu.
"Well now, this is interesting."