Detective Midoriya

Chapter 17

"Todoroki, I'm so sorry," Izuku breathed.

The boy's face was nearly emotionless, merely the slightest bit quizzical. "I feel... strange. Sharing my story doesn't fix anything, but somehow I feel lighter."

'We'll see if something can be fixed.' Izuku thought to himself, ideas already rampaging through his mind. but Todoroki was expecting an answer so Izuku handed a paper with his phone number to Todoroki and said, "I'm glad you shared. If I can ever do anything to help you, or if you ever need someone to listen to you, you know how to find me."

Todoroki nodded before slowly rising from the couch. "I still don't intend to use the other half of my quirk."

"I figured as much. It takes time, but I hope you know that this won't last forever. Someday, somehow you won't have to worry about Endeavor anymore."

That was the closest that Izuku dared to promise that he would get Todoroki out of the whole situation. He already had a dozen half-baked plans to liberate the boy, and twice that if he was willing to resort to less than legal methods.

Despite that, the haunted look in the boy's eyes felt like a punch to the gut. Todoroki rose, walking to the door. Just before he left, he paused. He didn't meet Izuku's eyes as he said, "I appreciate the sentiment, but this world doesn't have anyone to save us from the heroes."

Izuku could only watch Todoroki leave, his heart breaking a bit more with every step. Kouta was fuming as well. "Is that stupid hero going to get away with this?" he demanded.

"Not if I can help it," Izuku said, clenching a fist.

"I knew heroes were dumb," Kouta sneered. "But her still wants to be one like an idiot. Besides, he was here forever."

"It was just twenty minutes," Izuku scoffed, flicking the bill of the boy's hat. "Besides, he needed to let his quirk rest."

The boy scoffed, but it didn't have the same venom that it had that morning.

Kouta and Izuku spent the rest of the day like that, playing however Kouta felt. At first it had been hard to believe that Kouta was only five years old, even younger than Kimiko. But it started showing the longer Izuku was there, like when he outed a bit whenever another student was sent to Izuku. After Monoma from 1-B was sent to him for the third time with heat stroke from his costume, Kouta threw a bucket of ice on the teenager.

Overall, throughout them training portion of the day there wasn't any disasters. Everyone made it out alive, they just looked dead. Izuku felt a little bad seeing how much they struggled making dinner. (He decided to blame it on their exhaustion. Surely Iida had peeled a potato before.)

He spent a few minutes before the meal dolling out painkillers like they were candy on Halloween. Kacchan didn't ask for any, though, and Izuku didn't offer. Uraraka brightened from where she saw him. "Midoriya! Do you want to sit with-"

Pixie Bob seeming materialized, slinging an arm around Izuku's shoulders. "It's mu favorite kitten! Once the food is done, you're sitting with us. It's too bad you missed out on yesterday's food, let's just hope the students made something palatable."

Regrettably, Izuku didn't get a chance to talk to Uraraka that night. Whenever he though he saw the chance, Pixie Bob would whisk him away, or Ragdoll would call him over to get his opinion on training for individual students.

Unbeknownst to him, each time this happened, the most entertaining emotions would play over Uraraka's face, emotions that the girl herself wasn't ready to name. Izuku wondered why Pixie Bob and Ragdoll kept snickering to themselves, but after enough thought, he realized he wanted no part in it, whatever it was.