Nonchalant

Chapter 34

Aizawa stood before the apartment, cursing internally at himself. He'd been at this place hundreds of times on patrols; how did he not realize the kid was here?

Midoriya was making his way up the floors, step by step.Aizawa followed him into his apartment, analyzing the space. It was a small room, but spacious due to the lack of possesions. Except for a futon, a coffee table patched with duct tape, a wooden dresser and a small minifridge, it was practically empty. 

Midoriya was currently stuffing what little belongings he had in a worn yellow backpack. All he had was some clothes, a first-aid kit, some books and stationery, and a stack of notebooks. Aizawa suspected that he wanted to take his futon and minifridge too, but they looked ready to dissolve into dust at any second.

Aizawa spotted a door, presumably the bathroom door. He turned the knob and pushed it open to check for more items. 

The bathroom was white and clean, so clean you'd never have guessed blood had been spilled here multiple times. Aizawa could tell by the blood that had seeped through the cracks between the tiles. He shut the door when he found nothing of significance inside.

Midoriya had slung his bag over his shoulder, scanning the room once more. He was about to leave his home for approximately a year and no doubt would be sad about it. The kid turned and padded out the room. Nezu would take care of the rest.

Now that his belongings were gathered, it was time to get him some necessitities. Aizawa looked through his backpack. He'll need new clothes, a new bag, new shoes-hell, let's just raid the department store. This kid needs literally everything. 

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Midoriya's eyes flew wildly as he analyzed the mall and everyone near him. Aizawa wondered if he would be alright, but the kid had said he would be fine. Still, he didn't look so good. His eyes were panicked and fearful.

They made their way to the department store, heading straight for the clothing section. Aizawa  instructed him on what to get.

"Get at least five shirts, four pairs of pants, some shoes, winter garments, and bedsheets. You also have to get at least three personal items that you like," upon seeing the hesitance on his face, Aizawa continued." I have two high paying jobs. This won't hurt my bank account at all."

At that, Midoriya sighed quietly and went to look, with Aizawa supervising from afar. As expected, the kid went for the cheapest items he could find, but this store was full of high quality goods so he wasn't too worried about the quality.

The personal items were what intrigued him. Midoriya picked out a pair of bright red shoes, a black hoodie, and a black denim hoodie. His choices were interesting, to say the least.

Midoriya was totaling the numbers in his head, looking increasingly worried whenever he added another price tag. Aizawa gently placed his hand over the kid's shoulder. He jumped a little, but relaxed slightly at the soft look in the hero's eyes. Aizawa pulled out his wallet and paid the cashier. He could sense the guilt and discomfort that Midoriya was feeling, but the kid hopefully understood why he was getting all this.

Because he's been deprived of love, affection, and real possessions, his mind supplies helpfully. 

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Izuku felt sick. Nauseous, dizzy, woozy. And it wasn't a stomach bug or anything like that. It was how much money Aizawa had spent on him. Even with all the cheapest things he could find, it still totalled to a large amount, and he knew the hero was aware of the guilt in his heart. Now they were in a restaurant, waiting for lunch. Izuku stared blankly at the dark wood table 

Aizawa sighed and put down his coffee. "I can see you're still worried about the money, so let me show you," he pulled out a pen and started writing on a napkin. 

"This is how much I make as a hero. It's much less than a normal hero since I'm an underground hero, but enough to provide me with a good life," the amount he had written was so much; it was five times than what his mother made.

"This is how much I make as a teacher at UA," the next amount was much larger, almost three times more than the previous one. "The perks of working under Nezu," Aizawa said sarcastically. Then he wrote the total amount they'd spent for the day. Compared to the earlier numbers, it wouldn't have even made a dent.

Izuku felt his guilt lessen. The actual data made him feel much less worried. Aizawa nodded, satisfied, and crumpled up his paper before tossing it into a trash can.

They ate in relative silence. Izuku tried his best to finish his meal, but eventually it had to be bagged as leftovers. Nevertheless, Aizawa was still happy he tried, judging by the small smile he wore on his face.

They were making their way to the entrance to leave when something caught Izuku's eye.

A head of blonde hair and the familiar smell of burns and nitroglycerin. Kacchan was there, carrying a paper bag in his hand and scrolling through his phone. He looked so calm, so peaceful. His face held no hatred, unlike every time he would look at him all those years ago.

Izuku tensed, tugging his hood over his fluffy green hair. Kacchan could not find out about any of this. Not now, not today. Not ever if he was lucky. He picked up the pace and moved faster to the door. He glanced through the corner of his eye at his childhood friend, hoping to catch a glimpse of him for just a moment.

Kacchan was staring directly at him.

Exams are over woohoo

Thank you all for being patient with me ❤️