Whispers

Good to see you

The next few days Izuku dizzy and dissociated. He's been losing track of time and dazing off when someone speaks to him. It's been difficult to keep up with class like this and everyone constantly asking him if he's okay has been getting irritating. Yes, he's a little ill but asking him 'Are you okay' 10 times a day isn't doing anything. He got a call from his mother a while ago regarding his performance and mental health in school.

"Izuku...I've been told you aren't doing that well in school. I'm worried about you. Is something the matter? Has something happened? If you want to come home for a bit I can negotiate with the teachers about it so you can. Is there anything I can do?"

"Thanks, Mom. I'll...I'll think about it. Things haven't been that well and It's just been a little rough."

"Okay, honey. Please let me know if I can do anything. It hasn't been like this since your first 2 years of middle school. I'm worried."

"I know, Mom. I'm trying..." Izuku winced at the memories and slightly wished she hadn't brought it up, but she was right. He contemplated going home for a while and thought it might be good to get away and get a change of atmosphere for a while. They quietly chatted for a while before he hung up the phone. Izuku sighed and let himself sink into his mattress, staring at the ceiling.

Back in middle school, he had no friends and was looked down upon for being quirkless. He was at the lowest rank, the loser in the mass of losers. So he kept his head down when he walked, he never spoke up or made eye contact with people. His grades weren't the best back then either because being lonely and sad all the time didn't help his mental health which gave him no energy to complete the work. He felt heavy in the morning and constantly searched for energy to get up and go to school. He couldn't find the point in everyday life if people just ignored him and he would fail every class. It's begun to feel that way again and it wasn't the happiest feeling in the world.

"Awe... You're not lonely Izu! You have me! I'll always be around."

"Yeah, and I wish you weren't"

He'd prefer middle school all over again if that meant Mikumo disappeared from existence. He missed feeling comfortable though. He missed feeling content and happy. He sighed and pulled out his phone to text his mother and decided it might be best if he went home for a while to try and enjoy the comfort of his own home. U.A had begun to feel so foreign to him and he felt very out of place now. His mother happily responded and he packed his stuff up. The next day he had discussed his time off with his teachers, and All Might nodded sympathetically along with the other teachers. Izuku felt crushed by the overwhelming guilt when he faced Aizawa and All Might. The things that had happened with the two teachers made Izuku want to scream and cry and get onto the ground and apologize over and over again. He swallowed dryly and grabbed his stuff and walked to the train station to take the train home. Izuku hauled his slightly heavy bag onto the train and sat down with a huff of exhaustion. He looked around and sighed, holding his bag close to his chest. It had been a while since he had been on a train and the large number of people pushing and crowding their way onto the train at each stop started to make him queasy. At one stop, the person beside him got up suddenly and stood somewhere else and left him slightly confused. Someone wormed their way through the crowd and plopped down beside him, taking up the empty space. An arm draped around his shoulder and Izuku's blood ran cold. He slowly turned his gaze upward to look at this person and he shook as he met eyes with him. The dull red colour of his eyes, the sick grin plastered on his pale face, the face mask, the polo, and everything that made Izuku want to curl up in fear. Izuku wanted to get up and bolt out of the train despite it not being his stop. He screamed at his body to move, to run away, but the door had closed and the train had begun moving again. Here he was, face to face, in person with the one who tormented his mind daily, simply for his entertainment.

"Hey there Izu!" He spoke in his sickly peppy voice that made his skin crawl, "Wha- You- Huh-..." Izuku struggled to speak, not knowing what to say. Mikumo smiled in amusement, "It's nice to see you, finally! You hardly ever leave the campus for long and I can never find the right time to approach you so this is great for both of us!"

The train came to a stop and the doors opened, Izuku saw this chance to run and he started moving but Mikumo grabbed the end of the seat on Izuku's side with his arm in front of his chest, preventing him from getting up, "Now, now. This isn't your stop!" He smiled, but there was a threatening look of warning on his face and he looked at him, "Why are you so eager to leave?"

Izuku sat back and bit his tongue, trying to hold back a bitter retort, "Why are you here..." He said, timidly. It was as if he was walking around broken glass, trying not to say anything that would set him off and cause him to lash out and hurt someone, "Why not? I haven't had the chance to meet you in person yet! So this is a great opportunity!"

'A great opportunity my ass'

"I was thinking, why not spend some time together? Do something fun, I don't know! Hang out, right?"

Is he joking right now?

"Though, I do understand you're visiting your mother, correct?"

Izuku froze and his breath began to become ragged. He shook in fear, thinking about what Mikumo might do to his mother,

"Relax! I'm not going to hurt her! I wouldn't lay a hand on her, trust me. I had a mother once, too." He chuckled light-heartedly. Izuku was left a little confused after he had said that so casually but he felt a little relieved knowing his Mother would be safe. Mikumo was quite blunt at times and hopefully now was a time where he was honestly sincere. The train stopped and Mikumo moved his arm away from Izuku, "Looks like this is your stop. Tell your mother I said hi for me! Have fun!" He waved Izuku off after he grabbed his bag and quickly left. He glanced back at Mikumo who had an unreadable expression on his face before the door closed. The train sped away with a gust of wind, blowing Izuku's messy hair into his face. Izuku was still shaken from the entire event but hurriedly made his way home. His Mom threw open the door at his arrival and engulfed him into a tight embrace, "Welcome home, my baby!" She cried and squeezed him. He laughed and hugged her back, "I set up some food on the table in case you're hungry. It's your favourite!"

Izuku looked at the katsudon on the table and smiled in delight, "It looks great!"

Izuku ate his food and then stored his belongings away in his old room. He laid down on his bed and sighed, happily.

"What a cute room. Look at all those hero posters and All Might figurines. Dare I say it, but you seemed quite obsessed." Mikumo laughed in his head, "I know."

"Oh? You don't sound too enthusiastic about defending your honour as an otaku."

Izuku sat up, "W-what?! I'm not an Otaku!"

"Sure you aren't. Your hero posters and figurines are just a small and normal collection. Not to mention your piles and piles of Hero notebooks."

Izuku shut his eyes and turned away. The only way Mikumo can see this is if he's seeing it right?

"I wasn't lying about what I said on the train."

"Huh?"

"We should meet up again!"

Izuku stayed silent, "C'mon! It'll be fun!"

"Why...?"

"What do you mean why?"

"I don't know. Don't you just want to silently torture me? Isn't that all the fun you need?"

"Oh don't be like that! You're ruining my mood." Mikumo pouted,

"Oh, I'm ruining your mood?" Izuku retorted.

"Meet me at the cafe near the station at 11 am. That should be easy for you to find right?"

"H-huh?"

"Don't be late~"

Izuku sat up in frustration, "H-hey! I didn't agree to that!"

He huffed in anger when he didn't get a reply. He wasn't looking forward to this outing at all. It was probably a sinister plan to humiliate him or hurt him for his own benefit.

"Izuku?"

Izuku jumped and looked at the door of his room to lock eyes with his nervous mother,

"Who were you talking to?"