I Can't Hear You Today

Chapter One

The road rumbled beneath Izuku as he stared out the window. Trees sped by as he traced his finger along the rough surface of the door's structure. It felt like he had just taken off his long graduation robes and mortarboard hat when the letter had arrived. He had worked so hard, and for so long in hopes of receiving this letter. He was excited, sure, how could he not be. An opportunity to intern for the biggest producers of headlining heroes, S.P Heroes, the place to be. They paid the way for your guaranteed success and you promoted them, a fair trade he reasoned. And out of hundreds of heroes they had chosen him and only him. He smiled to himself slightly letting out a disbelieving sigh. And now only two weeks after he first laid eyes on such a precious piece of paper, here he was, his life packed up in the back of the car on his way to the city. And yet as he watched the buildings slowly grow taller and more frequent he felt a growing pit in his stomach. Something horrible was coming and he could feel it. The universe had shifted again and he couldn't see what it was just yet.

As the car pulled to the side of the street Izuku raced to unbuckle his seat belt. He felt the car lurch into park as he threw open the door, forcing a small change in the rushing peoples walking paths. His eyes raced up the side of the building. Endless glass panes reflecting a hot sun down on the streets below. He and his Mom had lived in an apartment building but not like this one. This one screamed to the world "I live here and I have money" whereas the one back home wouldn't even have been able to distract you from thinking about where your missing sock might be, or what you might have for dinner. He was already moving up in the hero ranks by looks alone. His toes curled in excitement ready to hit the pavement running. The driver stepped out of the car while there was a brief pause in the traffic and Izuku watched his figure from the corner of his eye walk around the car and open the trunk. The driver lifted Izuku's bags and stacked them on the street. Izuku took a deep breath of the hot air. It felt like breathing in the air from an open oven but Izuku couldn't help but love it. And finally he stepped out of the car into the street.

The car peeled away from the sidewalk and disappeared into the chaos of the afternoon. Izuku bent over and curled his fingers around the handles of his bags. Rolling his shoulders up he puffed out his chest and could feel the smile once more creeping across his face. "They picked me" he thought, spurring him into taking his first steps towards the entrance of the apartment. He pushed through the large glass revolving door, his sweaty hands leaving marks on the polished surface. His small section of door finally opened into the lobby and he felt a gust of cool air against his skin. The grandeur of the building only increased as he slipped out of the door and into the foyer. Straight ahead of him were two giant elevators, Izuku watched as they shot up and down the building. The full glass paneling allowed him to watch the people as they stepped on, some looking down to the lobby, some talking amongst others in the lift, and some leaning back into the railings with their eyes closed. It was strange, Izuku thought, somehow every person he watched in the elevators looked familiar but he was sure he had never seen them.He had never lived in this city and he had never been able to afford to visit. Sure S.P Heroes had obviously spent some money to get him into a nice apartment building, maybe a few he had seen on TV or in movies. But not everyone, that was impossible. He shook his head, he had made it one step into the apartment and was already distracted. He didn't want to give off the impression he was a small town hero... even if he was. He moved towards the receptionist desk.

" Hi, I'm Izuku..." He laughed uncomfortably as he rubbed the back of his head. "I'm the S.P Heroes Intern. They told me to come to the front desk and you would be able to tell me my room number and give me the key".

The lady behind the desk looked confused for a second. "That's strange," she muttered. "I could've sworn I'd already dealt with that". She wrinkled her nose in thought then looked up at Izuku. "Give me one second." She then flashed a gorgeous smile as Izuku nodded forgivingly. He understood why she was at the front desk, it would be hard to argue with a smile like that he thought as she slipped into a door behind the desk. A moment later she strode back to the desk a keyring looped around her slim finger, the small dangling key clinking against a tag labeled APT. 490. She dropped the ring into Izuku's outstretched hand before sitting back down. The hand metal pinched his palm as he closed his first tightly around it. It was finally feeling real. "Alright!" the receptionist smiled again "Had to check with my manager first but you are good to go! Head to the 14th floor!". Izuku beamed at her and as he stepped away he thanked her before turning to the elevators. He watched the gap between the sturdy floor beneath him and the suspended floor of the elevator as he passed over it. Wondering what would happen if the cords above him snapped and ended it all before he even really began. The door began closing slowly as he heard someone yell