Nonchalant

Chapter 4

Aizawa had only said what he thought. 

In a split second, the kid had started crying without seeming to realize that he was crying.

He didn't know that he was quirkless. He mostly just focused on making sure the kid didn't turn into a strawberry pancake.

Something in him urged him to give the boy a hug. To wrap his arms around him and pat his head.

Aizawa settled on offering him tissues. 

The green-haired boy hid his face in his hand for a while, not saying anything. Not a sound came from him.

Five minutes of silence later, the kid raised his hand and took the tissues. He dabbed at his eyes, letting the paper soak up his tears. 

Aizawa waited for him to feel comfortable. He didn't want to push the boy. 

A few minutes later, the boy raised his head and gave him a small smile. "Thanks."

"What's your name?" Aizawa found himself asking. He couldn't keep calling him 'the boy' or 'the kid' in his head.

He took a while before answering. "Izuku Midoriya."

"You should get home, Midoriya. It's late." Kids should be asleep at midnight.

Midoriya stared at him blankly. "There's a problem, sir." 

Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"The stairs are broken."

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Izuku was happy.

Eraser Head didn't hate him.

He's now his second favorite pro hero, right after All Might.

The underground hero had lowered him down the side of the building slowly and set him on the ground, before saying goodbye and darting back up another building. Izuku watched him with blank eyes.

Even if his face was empty, his heart was lighter. Eraser Head thought of him as a person.

But that doesn't mean that he won't find you useless.

At that thought, his heart got heavier.

Stupid, you're always thinking negative thoughts!

And that's because you know it's true.

Walking in the dark was definitely helping.

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⚠️TW: Self harm⚠️

This went on for a week.

Izuku would head up a building and 'accidently' fall over the edge and Eraser Head would catch him every time. After setting him on the roof, they would talk for a while before Izuku would leave.

He liked it, having someone to talk to.

But it didn't mean he wanted to stop dying.

He'd tried an experiment the moment he got home. Quietly, Izuku grabbed a small fruit knife from the kitchen and rushed to his room.

He was hesitant at first. Gently, he laid the edge on his arm before taking a deep breath and bringing it down. Izuku made a shallow cut. He didn't want it too deep. Just something light enough to heal on its own.

Izuku expected it to be extremely painful. Yet, this was nothing compared to Bakugo's explosions launched at him on a daily basis. It felt like a paper cut. He stared at the blood running down his fingers.  

For some reason, he felt a little happier. He made another line on his other hand before noticing the blood on the floor and decided to stop there for today. Grabbing some bandages and a toilet paper roll, he bound his wrists before wiping up all the red liquid on the floor.

He continued cutting after that. Five cuts a day was desired.

There was a time when Bakugo grabbed his wrist when Izuku tried to leave. He'd winced slightly and Bakugo seemed to notice, but he just wrenched his arm back and left the room.

Izuku was grateful for the long-sleeved uniforms, it hid the bandages he used.

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"Eraser Head, can I ask you something?" 

Aizawa looked over. He'd saved the kid from another unsuccessful suicide. Midoriya was rubbing his wrist with his thumb, and Aizawa narrowed his eyes at that. "What is it?" 

"Why are you even talking to me?" Midoriya looked over at the pro hero.

Aizawa shrugged. "Why not? It's not like it's wrong."

Midoriya stared at him for a while. Aizawa sometimes wondered what he was thinking. He turned his attention to his wrists again.

The silence was oddly comfortable. It was currently eight in the evening, since Midoriya had given up on doing it at midnight. He thought that Eraser Head's patrol wouldn't have started at eight.

Clearly, it wasn't true.

Midoriya's phone started ringing. He pulled it out and stared at it before blinking thrice and answering.

"Hey, Kacchan."

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Izuku hadn't expected Bakugo out of all people to call him. He pressed the accept button.

"Where the fuck are you? The hag forced us to visit you and your mom and she wants to know where you are."

Auntie Mitsuki and Uncle Masaru were people who didn't hate him because he was quirkless, and he appreciated that. But that didn't mean they thought he was useful.

"Sorry, Kacchan. I'm outside."

"Then get your ass over so I can go home! Fucking shitty nerd."

Bakugo didn't call him voluntarily. Of course.

"Okay."

Bakugo hung up.

Izuku pulled himself up and sighed, facing the pro hero. "Sorry, Eraser Head. I have to go."

The pro pointed at his phone. "Did your friend call you?"

Izuku almost cackled at the thought of Bakugo as his friend. 

He shook his head and bowed goodbye before heading down the staircase.  

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'Kacchan'. 

Was that a nickname? It didn't seem like a first name.

Aizawa could hear the kid screaming over the phone. He was the voice that Midoriya had recorded as the alarm on the first day he'd met him. Why was he calling then, if he hated him?

He was loud and cursed a lot. Midoriya obviously was surprised when he called. He phone was always quiet, after all. No notifications or message tones or calls.

Midoriya had shook his head when he asked him if that was a friend that called him. He did mention that he didn't have any friends and was bullied in school. His mood had significantly gotten duller, if it could be any worse than it already was.

Aizawa was left to wonder about the kid.

He shook his head. It wasn't his business to pry.

Why did he even want to know? He usually left people to themselves. 

Aizawa got up and continued with patrol. He still had a few hours left, and he wanted to get back to his sleeping bag as soon as possible.