Switched

chapter 3

Ochako looks down the hallway, tapping the pads of her fingers together nervously as she exchanges a long look with Iida. "Is it okay to just let him go off like that?" She worries. It's not that she doesn't have confidence in Deku or anything, but his actions today really haven't been the determined, kind boy that she's known since the beginning of the year.

Iida adjusts his glasses, but he's also frowning. "Aizawa-sensei is talking to Midoriya-kun it seems," he says. "I'm sure that whatever it is, he'll be fine. He's stronger than he looks… even after an encounter like what he went through last weekend."

The two lapse into silence as they watch Deku slink after Aizawa-sensei down the hall towards the teacher's room, and Ochako sighs. "I still feel guilty, though," she mutters.

"It's not your fault-"

"I should have found him sooner that day! I ran off and left Deku alone and- and- he got attacked by Shigaraki!" Ochako hisses. "I just- I feel like it's my fault. I don't feel like a hero, I… I feel like I let my close friend down."

Iida turns and looks at her for a moment, face solemn. "We all went as a group to the mall, Uraraka," he states. "None of us should have left him alone like that. It's equally my burden, for failing to coordinate groups. I wasn't acting like a class president at all, either. And Midoriya paid the price for my mistakes yet again."

"Oh, Iida..." Ochako says, but he doesn't respond, his jaw clenching slightly as he stares after Deku, expression torn.

The two stand there, until Kirishima yells down the hall at them. There's lots of other students chatting as they go to lunch, so it's hard to hear exactly what he's yelling, but Ochako picks up the later half as a reminder to hurry up before all the good lunch seats are taken. Bakugou is standing next to him and scoffs, already starting to walk and leave them behind.

"…okay!" Ochako smacks herself with both hands on the face, and Iida startles, jerking backwards. He stares at her, and Ochako grins at him. "We're not helping anyone right now, are we?" She asks. "Deku wouldn't want us to worry about him like this. We just have to be there for him, and accept that he's working through this. We know him, after all." She turns to look down the hallway where he had vanished for one last, lingering glance. "He's got this. Now come on, before Bakugou says we were too slow to save seats for at lunch again."

Izuku has to admit, he has absolutely no idea what he's doing. He swallows, forcing himself to try and control his breathing by counting how long he inhales and exhales. That's right, just breath. Breath and don't think about how close you are to having an absolutely train wreck of a meltdown, he instructs himself sternly.

The room is dark. The only thing Izuku can see is the bright light of a computer screen, its pale white glow leaving him with hints of the shape of the bed and the person next to it. In the stillness, a steady quiet beeping perturbs the atmosphere, exactly the same sound that Izuku has heard many a time in the hospital and in Recovery Girl's room.

"Ah, Tomura. Welcome back," a voice greets him. "Come sit down."

Izuku swallows, feeling sweat accumulating under the pallid hands that he is hiding under. He slowly approaches the bed, eyeing the chair next to it before gingerly sitting down. He knows that he shouldn't be showing any fear or hesitance, but he can't completely help himself. It's like One for All has imparted a deep, instinctual fear of All for One directly into Izuku's spirit, and he can't help but obey.

The figure turns towards him, and his breath shutters for a moment, his eyes widening. All Might might have received incredible damage from the last battle with All for One, but he certainly wasn't alone in that aspect. "Tomura," All for One says, voice level. "Haven't I told you it's rude to wear all of your hands inside?"