Reset and Rewind

Chapter 48 - Rewinding the Damage

Izuku stared down at the ground, unable to look up and meet their eyes. He knew this was coming, knew there would be consequences, a punishment for breaking Tenko out. So here he was, the morning after the facts, on his knees, his fists digging into the fabric of his pants. It didn't take the faculty long to find out, and even though they had no concrete proof it was Izuku, both Aizawa sensei and All Might intercepted him at the dorms that morning.

Yes, he'd been expecting punishment. What he didn't expect was for them to make him sit here in the middle of the common room while the rest of their class watched in silence. They weren't told to stay, nor to leave, and most people wanted to know what this was about anyway but were too scared of a pissed off Eraserhead to ask. Therefore listening in was the next best thing.

"Midoriya, please be honest," Toshinori started. "Did you do it?"

"...Do what?" Izuku asked, trying to calm his nerves.

"Don't play dumb, Midoriya," Shouta demanded. "We know it was you."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do!" Aizawa hissed, his eyes flaring red, his hair shooting up at the same time. Izuku flinched, his head dipping down even further. Yep, those floorboards sure are interesting! Oh, look, scratch marks! He remembered having to move the couch a few weeks earlier because Yuga dropped one of his gems when he was showing them off to the girls. Dark Shadow had pushed the couch over the wood before anyone with a strength enhancing quirk could pick it up. Izuku wasn't surprised it scratched the floor.

"Uhm, sensei, if you don't mind me asking," Momo interrupted, clearly the bravest person in the room right now. "What is this about, exactly?"

She wasn't the only one who wanted to know, even though some people already knew what the answer was going to be. They were there, after all. And the fact neither of them were being treated the same way told Izuku they had no idea whether he handled alone or not. It was for the best that way, though. If they thought he acted alone, none of the others would get in trouble. People wouldn't know he brought Toru back, that he went as far as breaking that rule too.

"Fucking hell," Katsuki huffed when the teachers didn't respond. "What has Deku done this time?"

Izuku tried not to be too hurt by what Kacchan said, knowing it was all just an act. A poke, to test the waters, see how angry the faculty truly was before deciding whether to tell them he was involved or not. That didn't mean Izuku had to like it, though.

"Eraser, I think it's best if we continue this in private-" All Might started, only for Aizawa to interrupt him.

"I know most of you know what this is about, or have at least a hunch," he spoke. "And if any of you were involved or knew about this stupid stunt then I'd like to know about it now. Those who lie to me will be expelled-"

"I acted alone!" Izuku stated before anyone could react. "I broke into the teacher's dorm and forced the locks with my quirk and talked Hawks into helping me get him off campus! I broke him out! And I'm not sorry about it so I'm not going to apologize to you!"

He took a shaky breath, steeling himself before looking up at his homeroom teacher.

"Punish me however you see fit, I fully accept the consequences of my actions," he stated. "That's all I've been doing here, anyway."

Yeah, every action has consequences. That's the lesson he'd learned the hard way in this life. It held a strong second place to the harsh truth he learned when he was four. That not all men are created equal. And didn't all this come down to fate when thinking about it? A random spin of the wheel deciding your entire life. Luck and chance and decisions set in stone- It was cruel and unfair and impossible to change because that's just how the world worked, right? Some people got more chances than others. Some people were born into fortune and others had to work for it. Some people could easily achieve their dreams and others died trying.