Chapter Text
Despite the traumatic incident, Izuku was determined to go back to school. He practically begged his mother and Toshinori, but both parties were reluctant to accept. They were both worried about him, but Midoriya insisted he go.
"Kid, you need time to recover." Toshinori said earnestly.
"I know, but most of my physical injuries aren’t serious, and they’re healing up well.” Midoriya replied.
“Okay, but have you taken your mental health into account?” He wondered.
Izuku’s eyes wandered to the floor.
“Please sir. I think it would help if I had other things to focus on. I keep seeing everything in my head." He admitted his face serious. "I want to try to move on from that."
Toshinori and Inko eventually gave in, only agreeing if he went to see Recovery Girl beforehand to give him the ‘all clear’.
When they brought Izuku into her office, she gave him a welcoming smile. She knew about the situation beforehand and treaded carefully. She asked him a few questions about how he was feeling and gave him a kiss on the back of his hand after examining his injuries. Despite not having many open wounds, his back was still sensitive, and the skin was still raw.
She healed him any way she could, but because he was still a bit underweight and was lacking quite a bit of stamina, she wasn’t able to safely heal all his remaining injuries in one sitting.
“If you want to rejoin your class then it’s fine by me. Please, just remember to take it easy and try to rest as much as you can in the meantime. You don’t want to exert yourself or reopen any wounds.” She instructed.
Izuku returned to his class without any visible signs of injury. Aizawa had also been filled in on the situation, but he decided not to speak with Izuku until the end of class when everyone else had left.
"Midoriya," he began. "I know about your situation. I'm sorry I didn't realize sooner that something was going on."
Izuku's eyes went straight to the floor.
"It's fine Sensei. I’m safe now."
"I’m relieved to hear that. If you need someone to speak to about the matter, I’d like you to know that any one of us at U.A are willing to help. And if you find yourself struggling, I hope you understand that you can talk to me." He emphasized. "That is all."
Izuku gave him a small grateful smile in return.
---
P.E is where it all fell apart.
Recovery Girl warned him not to strain himself, but he couldn’t afford to sit out anymore. He’d already missed a week of school recovering from minor injuries, and he was falling behind. Family issues or not, he wouldn’t allow himself to stray off course. He needed to pick up the pace. He knew All Might wouldn’t agree with him participating in a rock-climbing exercise but, lucky for him, it was Aizawa who was giving the lesson, and All Might wasn’t in the room to say otherwise.
Only seven minutes in and his body was already protesting. His back was on fire and his muscles ached painfully with every push and pull. Unfortunately for him, Izuku reached a little too far, causing a sharp stabbing pain to shoot through his back muscles. He gasped in shock, and lost his grip on the rocks, causing him to fall to the ground below him. Although there were mats below them, it wasn’t enough to soften the blow to his very sore back. As soon as he smacked onto the spongey material, Izuku was unexpectedly launched into a flashback.
The belt buckle slammed ruthlessly on top of him, his father's angry words piercing his ears.
"To think you are my son! A quirkless little shit, thinking he can become a hero! You'll never be a hero!"
The belt buckle strikes him again. This time with a heavy boot on top of him. He hears his mother's crying.
Run away. Run! Please. I can take the beatings but I can't risk getting you hurt.
"Midoriya?"
His skin burns like acid. A harsh kick to the ribs distracts him for a brief moment.
"Shit- He's having a flashback-"
"No- don't!”
He feels his father's breath burn his skin. The stench of charred flesh filling his nostrils. Izuku screams.
His ears are ringing. His body is on fire. His mother is yelling. He can vaguely feel the thumping of footsteps approaching-
"Young Midoriya!"
He snaps out of his stupor, taking in new stimuli piece by piece. All Might is in front of him, a heartbroken and worried look plastered on his face. He then hears the labored and erratic hyperventilation of someone's breathing in the room.
He realizes to his own horror, the sound is coming from him.
Tears are burning his eyes and he also begins to realize that he can't breathe-
"Izuku. Focus, focus on me. Take a deep breath. You’re safe." All Might reminded trying to keep him from spiraling.
He also realizes that he's not in P.E anymore, and that he somehow ended up in the U.A infirmary. His back still burns. The pain is enough to almost send him back into his flashback. His vision swims, and he swears he begins to hear his father's angry voice before All Might cuts in with his gentle one.
"You're having a flashback. It's okay. You aren't there anymore; the danger has passed. You are safe Izuku." He reassured, his voice calm. "You need to breathe okay? Can you copy me? Can you try to do that?"
Izuku tries his best to nod in between his frantic gasps and blurred vision.
"In though the nose..."
All Might guides him through the breathing exercise until he's sure that he won't pass out. The kid's eyes are far away and distant, his brain still simulating the remains of the flashback.
"Can you tell me where we are?" All Might asks.
"My house..." He answers robotically.
All Might feels a lump develop in his throat, but he does his best to fight through it.
"No...not your house... We're in Recovery Girl's office." He kindly corrects. "Do you feel the bed you're sitting on?"
Izuku suddenly questions himself. He's not on the floor on his hands and knees. He's definitely sitting on something cushiony. He notices now that he’s also shirtless.
"Do you feel how soft the fabric is beneath you?"
Izuku nods, and his vision warps. He no longer sees his blood-stained carpet. He only sees the clinical white walls of the infirmary along with the worried face of All Might.
"Hey. Are you with me now?" He asks.
More tears escape from his eyes, but he nods his head affirmatively.
"Good." He breathes out. "It's going to be okay Young One. Recovery Girl is here, and she wants to help." He says. From behind him, Recovery Girl steps out in front of him and give him a small smile.
Izuku brightens with embarrassment but doesn't bother with wiping away his tears. He expects them to yell at him for being foolish, but it never comes.
"Your accident in P.E caused you to reopen your wounds. Is it okay if I examine them?"
Izuku nods, now understanding why the pain seems more real to him. The fiery burn of his back muscles doesn’t ease up in the slightest.
Recovery Girl disappears behind him as All Might keeps an eye on him. He feels her healing kiss on his shoulder, and instantly feels drained. The pain ebbs, but the stinging is still there along with a new wave of exhaustion.
"There's still some swelling, along with a few minor cuts here. Your burns are looking a little better too." She said. "I wish I could do more, but you know how it is." She says sadly.
"Thank you," Izuku says, voice quiet.
"Now, let me-"
A knock at the door alerts all of them. All Might does the honor of opening the door, revealing Thirteen standing in the doorway.
"Recovery Girl," Thirteen asks, skipping the formalities. "I'm sorry to disrupt you, but there's someone on the phone who would like to speak with you." She says with a cell phone in her hand.
Chiyo doesn't take her eyes off Izuku and continues to treat him while she listens.
"Who is it?" She inquires.
"It's the local hospital. They need your help."
Recovery Girl sighs and puts everything down.
"All Might, be a dear and finish putting burn cream and ointment on Izuku please? And bandage him up if you can?"
"Of course."
Recovery Girl thanks him while she exits the room with Thirteen.
"All right. I'm not as experienced as Recovery Girl, but I think we'll get by." He says lightly. He goes behind Izuku and gets a good look at his back.
He chokes on a splash of blood that he tries hard to conceal. The kid's back is torn up, and shiny with recently healed pink welts. There is barely any bruising at least, but the skin where he got burned is red and inflamed with painful blisters.
If Hisashi was not in jail already…
All Might forced himself to stop thinking the invading violent thoughts for Izuku's sake. The Symbol of Peace should set an example no matter how terrible of a human being Hasashi was.
He shook his head and focused on the task at hand.
"Are you okay...Young Midoriya?" He asked softly as he reached for the ointment.
The kid was silent before he answered.
"No." He answers in a small voice. "I'm honestly not."
The admittance is, in an odd way, a relief for both of them. At least Midoriya wasn't lying. All Might takes a hand and gently places it on his back. He flinches at first but quickly relaxes into the touch.
"Would you like to talk about it? Maybe you could tell me about your flashback." All Might prods as he gently rubs in the ointment into the kid's wounds. Izuku fights against a groan that punches out from him, back sensitive with pain. All Might's fingers are careful however, and he hushes him soothingly, heart aching for him.
"It was just my dad hurting me." He manages out. "Same night you came...but a little before."
All Might hums in acknowledgement. He switches to the burn cream next.
"Is that when you got these?" He asks as he gently applies it to the affected area. He guesses Izuku was expecting it to hurt based on how tense his shoulders were, but the medicine actually brings relief instead of pain, so he relaxes.
"Yeah... It's his quirk. My dad can breathe fire."
He's glad Midoriya can't see him because his face falls. He keeps his concentration on taking care of his wounds.
"I'm sorry I got you wrapped up in this. You shouldn't have to be doing this." Izuku apologized.
"You don't have to apologize. I would prefer if you didn't actually. There is nothing for you to say sorry for. I'm sorry that nobody noticed what was happening sooner. I'm sorry that your father did this to you. But I am not sorry about being here now." He says while putting down the burn cream. He cleans off his hands and reaches for a roll of gauze next.
"I know you say not to say sorry but- but everything would have been avoided if I could just stand up to my dad. I was too weak to go against him. What kind of hero could I be if I can’t even do that?" He questioned, scaring All Might.
"He said it was my fault, and he was right. I couldn't do anything. I was just...just another person that needed saving. Again. Every time something happens, I always end up hurt," he sputtered, getting louder and louder. All Might stopped his ministrations and listened.
"And maybe, maybe dad would have loved me if I wasn't...born quirkless..." He mumbled. All Might put a firm yet gentle hand on Izuku's shoulder, snapping him out of his spiraling thoughts.
"Izuku. You were fighting against your own father- the man who is supposed to protect you the most, not harm you. You shouldn't have to go up against him. You were hurt, sure, but could anyone really blame you? It's not like you have complete control over your quirk yet. It makes perfect sense to not use it against a family member. Especially one who holds a lot of authority over you." He reasons.
Izuku lets out a sad sigh as All Might begins to wrap his wounds. He continues talking.
"Quirk or no quirk, parents are supposed to love you unconditionally."
"Not if you're me!" Midoriya screams, whipping around to face All Might, startling him. There are tears in his eyes, and he looks so hurt- All Might can't help but mirror his facial expression.
"Not... if you had to raise...me." He reiterates, a little more quietly as his anger vanishes.
All Might is still trapped in a stunned silence, watching as Midoriya cries for a brief second and then quickly wipes his tears and steels himself much too fast for his own liking.
"I'm sorry. I know I need to be brave..." He says. "What kind of hero would I be if I cried all the time...right...? A-and I'm sorry for raising my voice." He adds almost looking like he's ready to move on.
All Might won’t let it slide this time.
"Izuku, you are already an excellent hero, and you're only in your first year at U.A. You saved your mother. You protected her-"
"She still got hurt-"
"-But it could've been worse! If you hadn't stepped in, your mother would have been more injured." He firmly tells him. "You're being too hard on yourself Izuku. You just went through a traumatic event. Although, heroes are put in danger regularly, it's a little different when the danger comes from your own home."
Izuku's eyes clear for a brief moment.
"I..." He stammers. "I...I just...wanted to forget about it and move on. It was so...awful..." He said, eyes watering. Izuku sobs and All Might brings him into a hug, being mindful of his injuries. The kid grabs onto him like a lifeline and he openly cries in his arms.
"I felt like- like if I just came here to U.A, that- that I wouldn't have to- remember that night, a-and that everything would be okay for a little." He sniffs. “It’s why I begged so much to come back. I couldn’t bare being alone with these memories.”
All Might pats him gently on the back.
"Young One... I'm sorry... I'm so very sorry." He soothes. "I understand. It was a terrifying experience for you. I understand wanting to distract yourself. You didn't deserve it at all- no matter what your father said."
Izuku nodded quickly.
"He's mean."
All Might lets out an amused huff.
"Agreed. And maybe just a few other strong choice words. But you didn't hear that from me." All Might supplies. Then it was Izuku’s turn to let out a wet laugh.
"I'm glad you were there to stop him. I never did properly thank you for that."
"It's quite alright. I was really worried about you. Even after you were released from the hospital." All Might shares.
Izuku wipes his tears.
“You’re a better dad to me than him.”
The words escape from his mouth before he even has time to think. Upon realizing what he said, he pulls away from All Might, eyes wide and ears burning from the admittance as he stares into the shocked face of his hero.
“Um- I- I’m sorry about saying that! I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable!”
All Might’s shocked face shifts into a wide and genuine grin. He lets out a hardy laugh.
“You don’t need to apologize for that!” He chuckles. “That was heartwarming!”
The apologetic look Izuku was sporting instantly melts away, and he gives him a shy smile, feeling a bit sheepish.
“Oh…Okay. If it doesn’t bother you…” He trails off.
“Bother? Not at all! I’m so proud of you. Not just because of the things you’re doing, but because of who you are. It would be an honor if you viewed me as a father figure in your life.” All Might says.
That gets Midoriya tearing up again. Through the developing waterworks, he shoots All Might a bright smile and they hug once more.
“I don’t like seeing you cry, but happy tears are okay!” All Might jokes. Midoriya laughs lightly, enjoying the warm embrace. After a few moments, All Might speaks again.
“Now…how about we get you something to eat? How does some rice from Lunch Rush sound?”
“That sounds nice.” Midoriya mumbles in his chest.
Izuku ends up taking the rest of the day off to recover from his episode. All Might, with no classes for the rest of the day, decides to stay with him. They look into mental health professionals that Izuku could talk to. The kid, much to All Might’s relief, decides it might be a good idea to try and find better ways to cope with the recent events he’s been through.
One candidate and two bowls of rice later, Izuku is out like a light. He’s sitting next to All Might, head resting on the hero’s arm, breathing deep and even. Between the flashback and Recovery Girl’s healing, he’s completely wiped out. All Might looks down and sees stray grains of rice stuck to the corners of his mouth.
“Come now Midoriya…was the rice that good?” He quietly says while laughing to himself. He picks them off from his face and puts them back into the empty bowls set to the side. As he settles, he reflects on today’s events. He had a mountain of papers to grade among other things to take care of, but that all could wait. There was no where else he would rather be than beside his boy.
With his heart and stomach full, he decides to take a nap.