Marshmallow |BnHA|

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Zukun! You playing with us?!"

Izuku shook his head, grinning to his blonde friend while holding his book. "N-Not today K-Kisan! I'm lea-learning sign lan-language!" Denki frowned slightly, raising an eyebrow.

"Sign language?" He was aware of Hitoshi staring at him from the other side of the room, and watched as his bullies watched him from the other side. He felt like a chained dog, being tormented for entertainment. Izuku had seen that on a documentary before living with his Unkie. 

"Ye-Yeah! Uncle 'Shi l-lost his hea-hearing s-so I'm le-learning sign language so h-he knows wh-what I'm saying e-even without h-his hea-hearing aids!"

The blonde eyes blew wide, mouth dropping open. "That's so cool Zukun! Can I learn with you! It can be like our secret language at school!"

Izuku laughed, grabbing Denki's arm with his free hand as the two jumped excitedly. "O-Or when we're He-Heroes! A-And I've dec-decided on my He-Hero name!"

Denki widened his eyes even wider, jumping up and down and sending shocks to his hair - subconsciously letting go of Izuku.

"What?! What is it?!"

Before Izuku could answer, Denki's name was shouted by a boy by the door, and he looped an arm around Izuku. "Gotta go Zukun! I'll see you later!"

Izuku waved goodbye and watched his best friend run off, heading towards his seat. Hitoshi was there when he arrived.

"Shouta said to give you this because you ran off." Izuku gingerly held out his hand, flinching slightly when a chocolate bar dropped in his hand. 

"T-Thank yo-you." He dropped it into his bag and slid into his seat, putting the book down. Break passed quickly, and soon enough Denki was dropping besides him, snatching the book and mimicking the image on the page.

Hitoshi was watching the exchange of the boys, and the bright smile on Izuku's face as he whined for it back. 

"Fine! But only because you're being a child!"

Izuku giggled, kicking his friends chair and laughing at Denki's yelp. "M-Meanie!"

"Baby!"

"Z-Zappy!"

"smarty pants!"

"Alright class! Quiet down!"

Izuku stuck his tongue out before turning his attention to the teacher, giggling slightly.

Mrs Youta had a thin-lipped smile, eyes half-lidded and face pale as she dropped into her seat. "Mothers day is coming up, so for this lesson you will be writing a poem about the favourite things about your own Mama's."

Denki's eyes moved to Izuku, who had gone tense. The boy looked like a deer in headlights, all frozen without any clue hoe to snap out of it.

Izuku had tried hard not to think about his Mama for a long time. Every-so-often fake Mama would made his nights misery, but he'd tried not to think about the last few months of his Mama, or the way she turned off, or the way he'd never see her again. None of it.

So, he closed his eyes as they burned and stumbled to the front, where his teacher sat with hands pressed to her head. She didn't look impressed to see him.

"Yes Izuku?"

He wrenched his hands, pulling on his sleeves and looking down. "D-Do I hav-have to do th-this?" She sighed, nodding. "Yes, you do. You are no exception, you still have favourite things about your Mama even if you don't live with her."

Izuku was shaking, tears pooling in his eyes. By now he caught the attention of a few people in his class. "B-But Mama tur-turned off. I don't w-want to - wan-want to thin-think of th-that."

She sighed, squeezing the bridge of her nose. "Do as you're told Izuku, or I will send you to the principles." Denki moved forward then, gently grabbing Izuku's wrist and pulling him back to their seats.

He didn't know why Izuku didn't live with his Mama, but he knew it was a sensitive topic. 

"It's okay Zukun, you can use my things, okay? Zukun?"

Izuku's bottom lip wobbled as he picked at the skin around his nails, desperately trying to hold in tears. Hitoshi looked up from his paper, staying on Izuku. His eyes moved to the blood smearing his finger tips, and looked to Denki.

The boy looked as though he was begging him.

"Izuku?" The greenette didn't look up, murmuring a yeah, before his body froze, eyes clouded. Hitoshi sighed. "Stop picking your fingers." The command stuck with Izuku's weak mind even as the hold was released, and instead his hands clenched his hands into his sleeves.

Denki frowned, quickly writing down before taking Izuku's paper and making some things up. The class wasn't given anymore work to do throughout the day, and yet Izuku didn't make a sound, didn't move, not until Denki directed him out the school at the end of the day.

The reason why - fake Mama was watching him the entire time.