On the Ledge [Complete]

Part 3

He can feel everyone's eyes on him as he walks through the hallway. Sure, he's never really missed school before, but it was only two days! When he woke up that morning, a couple days after his talk with Yagi, he finally felt ready to return to school. That, and if he missed anymore, the school would probably get in touch with his mother. Either way, missing another day seemed to cause more trouble than it was worth.

Despite his two-day absence, Izuku is quick to jump back into the fray. Like he expects, no one offers their notes to him, which isn't as bothersome as he feels it should be. He's thankful he's such a top student, otherwise, his grades would be sinking. The beginning of the day passed in a normal fashion. Homeroom, lecture, notes, lecture – all of which help him fall back into the synchronization he had lacked the past several days.

All that changes when Izuku leaves for lunch. He's prepared to eat by himself outside, as per his usual routine. He's barely out the classroom door when he's shoved up against a set of lockers. The breath is knocked out of his lungs and his bones groan in protest. Izuku doesn't need to look up to know who his attacker is.

"Deku," the other boy snarls, his spikey blond hair aligned with his mood. Even though he's said it over a thousand times by now, it's no less jarring. Izuku looks up to see blood-red eyes glaring at him.

"Hey K-kacchan..." he stutters. Kacchan glares at Izuku like he's the gum stuck on the elder boy's shoe. Glancing over Kacchan's shoulder, Izuku can see his two lackeys not far behind.

"Not gonna lie, Deku, I was getting kinda worried there for a little bit. To be honest, I didn't think that I would ever notice if you were to disappear. That is, until we didn't have to listen to your stupid ideas anymore and could actually focus on important stuff for once. At first, I thought that maybe you were hiding away. When you missed a second day, well, I thought that maybe you had taken my advice to heart... but no. You may be weak, but you're not a coward."

'You give me too much credit, Kacchan.'

"Imagine my surprise," he continues, "when on the news, I hear about a villain attack at the shopping center downtown and a green-haired, quirkless loser trying to be a hero. Only, he failed miserably and had to be saved by All Might. I would say I'm jealous you got to meet the number one hero, but just imagine how you must've looked to him... how much of a failure you are."

'Stop it.'

"Hopefully this embarrassment has finally gotten it through your thick skull."

'Please.'

"You'll never be a hero. How are you supposed to save anyone when you can't even save yourself? You're just Deku. You're worthless."

Of course he is. Does Kacchan really think that Izuku doesn't know that? That he doesn't understand how much of a waste of space he is? He knows. He knows all too well how useless a quirkless son is to two parents with amazing quirks. His mother never says anything, but Izuku knows that's why his father left. She doesn't have to, he's not stupid. What a disappointment he must've been to a man who can literally breathe fire and a woman who can move things with her mind.

Kacchan seems to get whatever it is that he was after because he lets go of Izuku's shirt with a shove and disappears down the hall. A moment passes, two moments, and Izuku forces all of this... murkiness back down into his chest. He shoves it down until it physically hurts. A bright, fake smile plasters itself on his face on autopilot. None of this is new. Kacchan's been picking on him for years. This is all just part of his normal school routine. Izuku doesn't know why he's so much more upset than usual. Maybe it's because of what Yagi said to him Saturday, because the ex-pro hero had given him hope.