Tea In A Bar

Chapter 12: Welcome "Home"

The next day of school Izuku did not bother to plaster on a smile when he walked into class. He didn't have the energy for it.

He missed how he slept so peacefully on Dabi. He didn't have nightmares when he slept on the flame user. But last night his dreams were painted red. Most of it came from red eyes looking down on him as he felt burns and a ringing in his ears. His vision would be blinded and before he could catch his breath, there was yet another explosion.

Suffice to say that Izuku did not get any rest.

So there he was in class, doing just the bare minimum. It really was all he could do. He made sure to pay attention to the lectures. Taking notes on what was being said so he could go over it later when he'd actually be able to process more information

Izuku hissed in pain when he felt his hand spasm after writing too fast and too much.

As he rubbed his hands he looked up and caught the eye of his teacher. Aizawa-sensei was looking at him but looked away. Izuku was reminded of how Aizawa-sensei had given him a small nod at the beginning of class when he saw that he was in Kirishima's seat. Kaminari had been insistent on him sitting there and Kirishima had promised him that he was okay with it.

It actually looked like Kirishima needed to talk to Bakugou about something, but Izuku didn't pay too much attention. He'd rather not involve himself more than necessary in what Bakugou does. It had never fared well for him in the past.

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It didn't take a detective to notice how Midoriya was so quiet. Which wasn't unusual, but there was a visible change in how he used to be. Because before the training incident, Izuku always had a nervous energy, he was always putting on a smile. But never was he so silent. Never did he look so blank in class.

It was obvious that Izuku was struggling with something. They weren't sure what to do though, and the look in Izuku's eyes made them anxious.

On Tuesday Izuku hadn't said a word and he looked like he didn't sleep. No one bothered him that day.

After that day, he seemed better but still distant.

They saw that he kept to himself, not speaking. Although he did spend some time with those in the class that were quieter. It seemed that he needed more silent comfort, and Tokoyami, Shoji, Dark Shadow, Koda, and Ojiro seemed to fit that bill.

But while they were worried, Class 1-A had to focus on preparing for the final exam on Monday. They were trying to study as much as they could before the weekend. Yaoyorozu held a few study groups in the library. On one of the days, Sato joined along with Midoriya. Sato and Momo shared a small smile when they heard Midoriya speak as he explained to them some of the topics they were going over in a soft voice.

It was nice for them to hear his voice.

He only spoke a little bit more, but only when he was explaining the material.

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Among his silence and demeanor, they noticed something else.

The marble.

Almost every day they had seen him take it out of his pocket and play with it. When he took it out, it was one of the only moments where they saw something in his eyes. Fondness, that's what Jiro had said it looked like when they had discussed it.

"Hey, Midoriya where did you get that marble?" Sato asked during lunch. Midoriya was sitting with him on Wednesday, Yaoyaozu, and Aoyama. All of them enjoying a larger than normal amount of food. Sato and Yaoyarozu due to their quirks while Aoyama simply had an affinity for cheese.