Trust Falls

Ready as I'll ever be

Bit by bit as lunch went by, Izuku relaxed into the atmosphere of the entirety of class 1A. Sure, some people wouldn't exactly call the chaos going on around him as twenty teenagers talked and joked with their friends peaceful. Izuku, though? He was relaxed enough where he was sitting, leaning against Katuski, that he could fall asleep.

Katsuki, the good sport that he was, didn't complain when Izuku let his head drop against his shoulder. He didn't even pause his conversation with Kirishima, arguing about something or other to do with training.

Izuku let their voices wash over him, closing his eyes and drifting for a little while. He was safe. His friends were happy and rowdy. All was well.

Sure, there were still things lingering in the background that had to be dealt with eventually. The entire situation with All Might, his now uncertain parentage, the upcoming provincial licensing exam were all things that were going to ruin his peace but they could be dealt with later.

Now, though, he was going to bask in the comfort of the class being rowdy. It meant they were safe and free to be teenagers. It was a nice little bubble of chaos where he could put everything out of his mind and relax for the moment.

His phone, of course, had to ruin his happy place.

His alarm sounded from his pocket, the obnoxious ringtone cutting through his happy little bubble.

Katsuki paused his conversation and looked down at him with a raised brow as Izuku sighed and rolled his neck before grabbing his phone. Silencing the alarm that was beeping at him tauntingly, the put his phone back in his pocket and stretched carefully.

"Want me to walk with you?"

Izuku shook his head and gathered up what remained of his lunch.

"Nah, stay here and continue whatever argument you're having about dumbbells. I've gotta go help set up for the extra training we're doing this afternoon." He laughed at the grumpy look on the other's face, leaning up to press a quick kiss to his cheek before he got up. "I'll see you in a few, yeah?"

Katsuki nodded before turning to glare at their friends who were snickering and making kissy faces at them. Izuku huffed out a laugh and headed back towards the classroom. Let them joke and laugh, now, before the training for the licensing exams started. From the plans he'd seen Shouta making, there wasn't going to be much time for relaxing or goofing off once they got started.

His mind wandered as he made his way through the halls, going over the list of last minute adjustments that needed to be made to the training they were doing today. He needed to bring up concerns with some of the pairings for the exercise with Shouta.

He also needed to have a talk with a couple of the students privately. Kaminari needed to be gently steered in a different direction from frying his brain and Hagaruke and Momo desperately needed to talk to support about their costumes.

There was a lot of work to do, still.

So lost in thought was he that he didn't notice the one person he wanted to avoid standing in the middle of the deserted hallway.

He nearly walked into the skeletal man, stopping short a foot or so from him when he realized he wasn't alone.

For a moment the world seemed to freeze around him, breath caught in his chest. The phantom sensation of fingers around his throat made his blood run cold and his legs lock into place. In that moment he wished for his hoodie so much that it added to the almost physical ache in his chest. It at the very least would have hidden the shaking of his hands as he stared down the former number one hero.

"Young Midori-"

"I told you to stop calling me that." Izuku interrupted the man, words hissing between his teeth as he forced the air from his lungs.

The man's jaw clenched, muscle in his cheek jumping as he seemed to tamp down the urge to snap back. Interesting. So the man did know what self control meant. Izuku would clap for him if his hands weren't shaking so badly.

He couldn't tell if it was fear or rage anymore if he was being honest. The longer he stood staring at the man, the harder it was to tell which emotion was filling his chest and stomach right at the moment.

"Young man, I still don't approve of you having access to the future of heroics." The man started, voice booming through the empty corridor. "I understand that you have a problem with me, and that the position you are in is because I made many mistakes but that is not a reason to destroy these children and their futures."

Izuku forced himself to take a deep breath and take a large step back away from the man. The audacity that filled the former hero's whole body was pushing him closer to rage the longer he had to breath the same air as the blonde.