hero's shadow // mha

75) lonely but not inside

Many glands make up the endocrine system. The hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and pineal gland are in the brain. The thyroid and parathyroid...

Izuku's pen scratches against his wrinkled notebook paper. He spilled coffee on it earlier that morning during school, but he used a blow dryer (courtesy of Kayama) to quickly dry it off in the bathroom within minutes of it happening, so it's still usable.

He overheard Recovery Girl telling Aizawa that Izuku's hormones are out of balance, and that he may need to be prescribed another medication soon if things don't change since it might mess up how he's going through puberty. So, he's currently revisiting all the chapters of the Endocrine System in his stolen textbooks. It's not that he doesn't trust Recovery Girl (apparently she does have experience in endocrinology), it's just that he wants to know the exact details of what's wrong with him, and that means going back to the very basics of anatomy and physiology.

Right now he's reading a section on hormones in enhanced individuals. Maybe it can help him, or maybe it can't. Maybe it'll just make him paranoid.

The thyroid gland makes thyroid hormone, which controls growth and metabolism. If this gland doesn't make enough (a condition called hypothyroidism), everything happens more slowly. For example, heart rate might slow down. If it makes too much (hyperthyroidism), everything speeds up. The heart might race, and an individual might lose weight without trying...

"Kid, why are you on top of the fridge? It's midnight."

Izuku doesn't look at Aizawa, much preferring to stick to the shadows that are at the top of the refrigerator. "I'm reading."

"And you have to be on top of the fridge to read?"

"Yes."

Aizawa thinks about this for a moment and then takes a sip from his mug. "What are you eating?"

Izuku pushes the jar in front of him so the man can more clearly see its contents from below. "Pickled okra."

"Okra?" Aizawa asks, confused. "Where did you get them?"

"Ectoplasm. Said he pickled them himself. They're spicy."

"Naturally." Aizawa doesn't question it any further. "Can I ask you something?"

"Why would you ask me if you can ask something? That, like, defeats the purpose. You can ask. You don't need to ask if you can ask. That's weird."

"I ask because I want to make sure you're going to listen to me."

Izuku fishes out another okra. He crunches on it and sucks out the juice. "Okay."

"So, that's a yes?"

Izuku nods.

Aizawa slowly tips his head to the side, still holding his steaming mug. Izuku wonders if it's coffee or tea this time. "Hound Dog wants to reschedule your appointment soon. He wanted to ask if next Tuesday would work."

Izuku pauses in his writing. He moves his pen around, watching the plastic cat on the top of the pen spin. "Do I still need to do it?"

Aizawa quirks a brow. "By law, the school is forced to assign you a mandatory session. It's just protocol after what happened at Hosu. Again, you don't have to stay for the full time, but you do have to go."

The fluffy universe socks on his feet suddenly become very interesting to Izuku. He studies them, wiggling his toes around to calm his nerves as best he can. He's grateful once more that Aizawa can't see his face really well this far back against the wall. "Tuesday is okay."

"You sure?"

Izuku lifts a shoulder half-heartedly. "I should get it out of the way, right?"

"You shouldn't think of it like that," Aizawa says in disapproval, "but if it helps, I guess so."