A Wallflower's Thorns

13

Izuku feels partially responsible when Todoroki loses the fight against Bakugou. He forced a 180 on Todoroki’s worldview, that kind of stuff tends to be jarring. Seeing him hang limp in Bakugou’s grip makes the guilt surge. He’s unresponsive, even with Bakugou yelling in his face. Izuku can’t see if Todoroki’s eyes are open or not, his hair’s in the way, but there’s a good possibility he has a concussion, second-degree at least. 

 

Recovery Girl looks up from her desk, “Oh dear.” She clicks her tongue and grabs her cane, “I best go and heal him. He’s got the award ceremony to sit through.” And like that, she’s gone, leaving a swinging door in her wake. For someone her age, she sure is fast. 

 

So there he is, sitting in his bed and staring at the tv screen with no phone to occupy him. It should still be in the break room. He could go and get it, but he doesn’t know if he’d make it back in time before Recovery Girl came back. Hippocratic oath or no, she’d find a way to make him feel awful. He’s already got a broken arm, he doesn’t need anything added to that. 

 

So, with nothing else to keep him occupied, his mind catches up to the fact he was just on live television. It’s a weird feeling, like realizing you could have died hours after the actual event. His hands are still shaking from adrenaline, or maybe hypoglycemia, he hasn’t eaten anything substantial for a few hours. Still, live television. Everyone in Japan saw him break himself in the arena.

 

Everyone in Japan. A televised event people have been looking forward to for weeks. 

 

What are the odds the League decided to not tune in?

 

If he wasn’t already sitting down, he’d be swaying with the dizzying fear. UA doesn’t release their class rosters to the public, and the League had no reason to be interested until the USJ. He didnt have social media and no one in his neighborhood was talking about how he got into UA, Izuku’s identity had been as safe as it could feasibly be. Now, his and his classmate’s names have been plastered on LED screens, painting a target on each and every one of them. Especially Izuku. 

 

Villains watched him stumble though his speech. They saw him fight, they saw him lose. They saw what his Quirk could do to him. He had the advantage of mystery before, when they didn’t know one student from the other. Now, he’s handed them his name and a base outline of One for All, including his limits with it.

 

Izuku sinks back into bed. Maybe he could disappear if he presses his hands against his face hard enough. He just had to go and make it to the semi-finals, didn’t he?

 

He pulls himself out of his pit of woe when the awards ceremony begins. All Might’s standing to the side. Bakugou’s...chained to the pedestal. He’s got handcuffs on and— is that a muzzle? Not for the first time, Izuku wonders what kind of school he goes to. 

 

Todoroki is next to Bakugou. He’s looking more alert than he did after the final fight, something that makes the persistently worried part of Izuku relax a bit. Even then, he can tell Todoroki isn’t listening to All Might speak, he’s too wrapped up in his own head.