Worth

18 Chapter One: Emotion

Watching a grown man cry is a lot like watching a wounded animal.

It seems pathetic to watch a dangerous beast, fight for its life. Until you realize that it's not only fighting for it's own survival. But for it's child.

Izuku clutched his fist as he looked down at his father from where Shota had fallen to his knees before the boy.

The man's body trembled and his eyes burned as he cried to the point that Izuku nearly expected his tears to be blood at some point.

The boy had to remind himself that he wasn't who his father was mad at as he looked down and saw past the tears on the mans face, there was an expression of rage behind Shotas eyes.

"Dad... please say something." Izuku frowned as he looked away from his father.

His fingers twisted together as the anxiety built in his chest.

He knew his father wasn't mad at him. But the fear was still there.

Aizawa chest heaved and his fingers trembled in rage as he forced himself to stand back up.

As his arms lunged forward and he bared his teeth, Izuku flinched.

His body froze as he waited for the attack but soon, only felt arms wrapped around him, pulling him in.

The teens face pressed into his father's chest, his body being enveloped in the man's warmth.

"I'm sorry..." Shota cried and Izuku could feel him shaking.

The boy closed his eyes, burying his face into his dad's shirt, hugging him back.

"It's not your fault."

"I should have been there." Shota's fist gripped the fabric of the boy shirt, pulling him in closer. "I'm supposed to protect you."

"Dad, you sound like a movie cliche. There's no way you could have known. There's nothing you could have done."

Izukus father pulled back, looking down into his sons green gaze. "What do you want me to do?" The man asked.

The question too the boy by surprise. The deeper he thought about it, the less instanced he was with the answer and the more aware he became of just how perfect that response was.

He realized there was nothing better than his father could have said.

The boy smiled as he looked up at his dad. "I just want it all to go away." He told him.

-

And it did.

Shota Aizawa was a powerful man in certain aspects of his community and if there was one thing he'd use that power for, it was his son.

So when Izuku said he wanted it all to just go away, that's exactly what happened.

Izuku still stayed with Uraraka but he very quickly made observations on his way to school or when visiting his father.

For one, Shoto Todoroki was gone.

For two, nobody seemed to even know about the video anymore.

And lastly, his father was working on a new case.

And Izuku could only assume it had something to do with the absence of Touya Todoroki from the west-village apartment complex.

After that day, Izuku never once had to retell or even speak of anything that had happened to him.

Shota got all the information he needed from Uraraka.

He'd tried to find Toga to get information but that was another thing.

Along with Touya Todoroki being gone, so was every other resident of that apartment.

Neither Izuku or Uraraka had seen Himiko since.

-

Besides the mystery and heartache, Izuku was content with how life was going.

He had a job, he lived with his best friend, his dad was on his side and...

Katsuki was in his life.

Izuku didn't really understand his sudden infatuation with the man but he did understand that he was happy to know him.

He was happy to talk to him. To see him. To touch him. To...

Katsuki just made Izuku happy.

"Katsuki, I fucking hate this."

The teen groaned as he wiped sweat away from his skin, wincing at the sun that burned his eyes as he stood in the middle of the scrap yard at the shop.

"Your the one who asked me for the job." The blonde rolled his eyes as he pulled a wagon filled with rusted up car parts out from the shed.

"Yeah, but, like..." Izuku grimaced as he looked around. "I thought you would have me doing paperwork inside of something."

"... Fuckin rich kids." Katsuki shook his head, staring at Izuku in bewilderment.

"Rather be rich than old and broke." The boy shrugged and Katsuki scowled.

"I'm not old."

"Sure." Izuku grinned and the man rolled his eyes, walking over and shoving a bag in the greenetes arms.

"This is screws and nails. Sort them." He said, and Izuku frowned, rolling his eyes.

-

Hours into him sorting the mess of tools, Izuku was finally sick of it.

He screamed as he threw the bag at a wall, his chest heaving as the screws and nails rolled around on the floor.

When he was done he took a deep breath, standing up straight and calmly tucking his hair behind his ear.

Luckily for him, none of the adults came to yell at him.

But curiously, Kirishima poked is head around the corner.

He met Izuku's green eyes, the younger boy holding his breath when he saw him.

Izuku, who was still aggravated, had a resting glare on his expression that Kirishima failed to realize, had nothing to do with him.

"Um...Are you okay?" The boy still asked, having heard the sound of the bag being thrown and Izuku's scream.

"Yeah." The greenete shrugged. "Just annoyed." He told the boy.

"Katsuki got you sorting screws and nails?" The red head asked with a chuckle as he walked in, more comfortable now.

"Yeah." The greenete narrowed his eyes. "How'd you know?"

"He did the same thing to me on my first day." The red head laughed. "He's just being a dick."

Izuku smiled. "When is he not?" He laughed and so did Kirishima.

And there it was again.

That feeling in Izuku's chest when he saw the red haired boy smile.

It made his heartbeat fast and his brain go slow.

Out of all the drugs that Izuku had tried in his life, nothing had ever made him feel like this.