More Than Just a Student (All Might and Deku)

No Longer Hidden

The afternoon sun rose over the horizon. Its bright rays shining across the city. Not that Toshinori noticed nor cared.

He didn't know how he found himself in his dorm room, lying flat on his back on his bed with an arm resting across his face, covering his eyes, but he didn't care. He didn't know what time it was, since his curtains were closed, or how long he had lied still like this, though the usual pulsing pain made him guess a long time. He didn't know how long he found himself sobbing to himself in the dark. But he didn't care.

He hated this. Hated this deep feeling that reached to his core. That he couldn't find the courage to teach his lesson today, having another teacher to sub for him, leaving his students in the dark once again.

But he couldn't today. He couldn't go, pretending everything was fine while his successor, his own student, was fighting for his life. Not while there was a chance, however large or small, he wouldn't make it.

Because of you...

He may die because of you.

He was broken. He could finally admit that to himself. He always was, but he was kidding himself the whole time. He couldn't hide anymore.

"I'm pathetic..." He clenched his hands into fists, feeling his eyes burning up again. He was broken, falling apart. He couldn't be fixed, no matter what. He was sinking into a deep hole, with nowhere out. He wanted to wake up, remove himself from this nightmare. But no matter what, he knew it was real. No matter how much he wished it wasn't, it was. His nightmare was his reality now.

"A phone call is here! A phone call is here!"

The booming voice of his Hero Form as his ringtone erupted, surrounding the dead silent room. It took a while before Toshinori finally removed the arm from his face, wiping away a fresh tear on his check in the process. Still lying down, he dug into his front pocket and pulled out his phone. Without looking at the caller ID, he answered the call.

"... Hello?" He didn't try to disguise his shattered voice, pretending to be OK. He was broken. There was no point in hiding that fact anymore.

"... T-Toshinori?"

The way Toshinori shot up from his lying position was like a whiplash on his old wound, causing him to cough up a good chuck of blood. Even by covering it, some still found its way onto the bedsheets beneath him. But he didn't care as he shifted his position onto the edge of the bed.

"Inko?!" He finally replied once the coughing subsided, but his emotions immediately felt on hyper drive. "Aizawa told me what happened! Just... t-tell me he's OK! Please... is he...?" His voice cracked at the last few words. The hand holding his phone was shaking, along with his whole body. He was taking deeper and shakier breaths each time that he felt like he could pass out. He was falling apart, but he wasn't trying to hide it. No point in pretending anymore.

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, which only made him fear the worst.

"I... Inko?" He didn't want to rush her. He could hear her sniffling over the phone, trying to compose herself. All of this was just as hard for her. More so even, considering it's her own son. But he needed to know. He was falling apart.

"H-He... He's OK... for now."

"For... For now?" He should be feeling relieved, that Midoriya was OK. But instead, hearing it was 'for now' felt like a shot to the heart, something even more painful than his injury could ever give him.

"Hmm-hmm. Izuku... got out of surgery... about an hour ago. They m-managed to... remove the Quirk inside him. But... because he... he had two surgeries... s-so close to each other... the doctors have to... keep a close eye on him at intensive care..."