Need You (ShinDeku)

Ch. 91 - Mask

A/N: maybe I should have named this book "Izuku Midoriya's Misfortune, ft. Hitoshi Shinso" considering how much I've put him through the wringer... not to worry though, I've yet to plan any more serious angst for this fic so you can rest easy now. Probably.
Have fun reading!

Midoriya POV

     I wish I could say the doctor's appointment went well. If there's one thing I've learned over the past few months though, it's that no venture with me ever seems to go particularly well and that a little bit of paranoia is not entirely unwarranted. Don't get me wrong, nobody died, nobody was kidnapped, and there was no accidental quirk use or major injuries. So... technically successful?

     It started with me forgetting my mask. When we got back to the dorms I changed into a hoodie and sweats. I considered a t-shirt, or some athletic shorts, something more suited to the weather, but I really hadn't wanted to draw attention to the scars.

     I remembered the headphones—my gift from Hitoshi—and brought my student ID, dorm keycard, and phone. The process of gathering my items reminded me that I no longer had my wallet with my debit card linked to my account. I wondered if my mom ever froze my account. Not that there was much in it to begin with. How could I even think of that, have expected that of her while she was so wracked with fear and sorrow when her son disappeared? I felt a little sick, wanting something from her other than for her to have stayed alive, but it was time to leave and there wasn't extra time for a wandering mind or a pity party. I could dwell on my morals and the apparent shallowness of my love for my mother later.

     Back to the issue at hand, the lack of a mask really shouldn't have even been a problem. I had everything else, but when I left with Hizashi to go to the car park and he pulled up the GPS on his phone, it said that there was a villain attack just an hour ago. The resulting fight ended in some totaled cars on the main road, and they were still clearing everything up. Traffic was already bad due to the wreck and it was rush hour, so Hizashi reluctantly agreed that it would be best to take the train, which stopped nearby the doctor's office. So, we walked to the station.

     People noticed him first because, well, it was hard not to. Unlike myself, he hadn't changed out of his UA work clothes. You know, the ones that also happen to be his hero work clothes. He was pretty recognizable. There were no reporters or paparazzi, thankfully, but there was the occasional fan that was brave enough to come say hi or ask for an autograph. At that point I was very conscious of the fact that I was also somewhat recognizable, and had forgotten my mask, so I pulled my headphones from around my neck, put up my hood, and secured it down with my headphones over it. We continued on, and when we made it to the train it was very crowded.

     Thankfully, Hizashi seemed perceptive and purposefully faced slightly away from me, sticking close but not touching or speaking as we entered the train car. He made himself look like he was alone, and nobody bothered to even glance in my direction.

     The usually relatively quiet atmosphere of the train did not seem to exist in this particular train car. It was an increasingly cramped, confined space in which the nationally famous hero was immediately recognized, and fans seemed more emboldened to greet him in a place where he couldn't so easily leave. That meant that things were a lot more up-close and personal, and as I somewhat frantically looked around to take stock of all the people, make sure I was safe, Hizashi also seemed to be scanning for threats.

     About three stops later a somewhat rowdy but seemingly still well-meaning fan bumped me slightly and I stumbled into the bar closest to me.

     That seemed to be a bit too much for Hizashi, as he put a protective hand on my shoulder, keeping me close and secure. I'm pretty certain he had tried to make it look like he was just helping out a stranger but the look on his face must have been a bit too concerned, and his hand stayed just a tad too long.