Trust Falls

We'll be here for you

"I mean, sure, do that but it won't do much good since I'm quirkless."

Izuku wasn't sure what possessed him to use that particular fact to sass the former number one hero but the moment the words were out of his mouth he regretted them. The murmurs that had been building during the entire confrontation died completely at his words.

Tears that had threatened to spill when Iida of all people stood up for him built up again, burning at the back of his eyes. He couldn't cry right now! Not in front of All Might and surely not in front of the class. He couldn't be weak.

They probably hated him now anyway, though. No one ever treated him the same after finding out. It was going to suck so much worse this time, though. Everyone was going to side with All Might now because obviously he was a problem. .

He'd just hoped he'd have more time to be their friend before he was forced to tell them how broken he was.

His vision was darkening at the edges as his panic set in, breath stuttering in his effort not to break down.

The hand on his elbow loosened and gently slid down his arm to tangle their fingers together. The small squeeze the other teen gave his hand pulled him out of his panic a little, green eyes wide as they met the stormy red of Katsuki's.

Kacchan's expression was worried, obviously not liking whatever he saw in Izuku's own expression. He wanted to apologize. He wanted to run away. He wanted to not be in this situation.

Before he could open his mouth and put his foot back into it, Katsuki's gaze snapped away from him to scan the crowd of students once more. Something in his gaze relaxed at what he found and even though it made Izuku curious, he couldn't bring himself to look himself. It would break him to see any ounce of rejection on his new friends faces.

"Anyone got a problem with the nerd because he lacks a stupid damn quirk? If so, you go through me." The words were growled out, Katsuki's grip on his hand tightening for a second before becoming gentle again.

"Young Midoriya.."

All Might's voice drew Izuku's gaze to him again and what he saw there had his stomach dropping all over again. The recognition that the teen had been dreading in the beginning was now there and it just made the panic lingering at the edges of his senses that much worse.

"How many times does he have to tell you his name is Izuku." A hand came to rest on his shoulder as Shinsou spoke, giving a small comforting squeeze even while the purple haired teen glared at All Might. "You should choose your next words carefully, too, since you're coming dangerously close to sounding quirkist. For a second there, it sounded like you were accusing him of brainwashing us."

All Might's face drained of color and he cleared his throat awkwardly, seemingly trying to find a way to control the situation again. The class started to rise from their seats, a few more hands coming from all around Izuku to ruffle his hair or pat his back or shoulders as the students tried their best to comfort the teen. They didn't seem to have words yet, still processing the ongoing mess that this lesson had turned out to be, but the silent support brought tears back to Izuku's eyes.

"Be that as it may, a villain has no place among hero students. No matter what you've tricked these children into thinking." All Might's face settled back into the grim frown he'd been wearing before, drawing himself up to his full height. "And if you are quirkless, as you claim to be, then that's even more reason to find somewhere more suitable for you. Think of how they would feel if they were to injure you severely because you cannot protect yourself."

Three years ago, Izuku might have flinched at his words. He might have taken them to heart and shrunk into himself and made an excuse to step away from the comforting hands and people surrounding him. Three years ago, he didn't know that he could be strong.