PROMETHIUM (mha)

four

The rest of the class leaves for lunch, taking the train of thoughts and voices with them. Instead of following, Izumi stays in her seat. Staring at the chalkboard as she bites her cheek.

1. Todoroki Shōto
2. Bakugou Katsuki
3. Shinso Izumi

It's not fair. Why is she falling behind? She's not a waste of effort, she swears! Izumi is great. Can be great—Izumi looks at the askew hand. Maybe if she was more careful this morning, she would've been first. If only Izumi had been better. Faster.

She clenches her broken fist so hard, bile rises in her throat. The dizzying black spots return, blinding her vision of the failure. Mistake. A waste lab rat. Terrible sister. Awful daughter. Clumsy hero. Childishly irresponsible.

"Battle Training is next." Her teacher's voice cuts through. Izumi swallows down the blood and vomit, forcing it back down. "Go to the nurse." He says, though his thoughts tell her to stop sulking. Stop being pathetic. Izumi only nods, flexing her shattered fingers, agreeing with everything.

—

"Oh my goodness!" Recovery Girl shrieks when Izumi walks in. Izumi wonders if it's the bloody, chewed lips or the swollen, protruding hand that causes this reaction. But either way, it catches the attention of her current intern, Azā.

"Sit." Azā orders, which Izumi instantly does. She sticks out her hand, palm to the ground as Azā inspects it. "How the- Your finger bones are completely broken. What the actual fuck Umi." Behind her Recovery Girl says, "Language."

"Just set it. Miss Chiyo can't use her quirk on me. And I've got battle training in—" Her eyes go to the clock on the wall, "-Thirty minutes."

"Let me take a guess. You're using your lunch time to get your hand fixed, but you haven't eaten anything." Izumi tilts her head, gently frowning, "Am I that predictable?"

Cue another groan. "Umi!" Instead of lecturing, Miss Chiyo cuts her intern off. "When's the last time you ate?" "Fix my hand and I'll tell you."

Azā sighs, beginning to set each finger. "You waited wayy too long, so your fingers may be a little bit jagged than they originally were." She impatiently explains. The spots invade Izumi's vision. She hates when that happens. It reminds her of the lab, with arms and legs crawling all over her. On her face, on her neck, in her mouth, all over her chest, and even worse in her eye sockets. It makes the former mix of blood and vomit rise in her throat. Once more she swallows. Izumi cannot be weak. Especially not when a fight is soon. So she buries that thought. Tucks it in Abel's arms and enshrouds it in her ever-aching heart.

When Azā gets to the pinky, Izumi says, "Monday." "Oh, one day isn't bad." Miss Chiyo knows better. At her desk, her eyes narrow. "But, today's tuesday?" "Yeah. Last Monday."

"What the fuck." Miss Chiyo doesn't even say anything this time. "I'm just not hungry." Izumi quickly soothes, feeling the need to defend herself. "It's a combination of—"
"If you say something scientific I'm going to break your hand again."
"You won't. Not with Miss Chiyo here." You bitch. Azā thinks, fuming in her current of thoughts.

"Izumi." Miss Chiyo cuts, making the two girls look over. "I know your quirk doesn't make you have an appetite. But you are a teenager, not a spider. You need more than one meal a week."

"Okay." Izumi responds after a moment, pretending like she'll take that advice. She must be a good actress, because Miss Chiyo smiles. Liar. Azā thinks, kicking Izumi's bandaged knee. Izumi's frown deepens. "Hush and bandage my hand." Cue an eyeroll.

A/N

curious to see if any of you pick up any of Izumi's habits.
Anyways, spiders usually eat their body weight, but some go without eating for weeks. Plus, radiation poisoning makes you loose your appetite.

Loss of appetite doesn't equal no hunger. Hunger is a physical need to eat, appetite is the mention of something or thinking of eating and then wanting to eat. Izumi's pretty much been stripped of basic human privileges, (notice how she has no human attachments. Viewing it as a childish thing, "When Izumi was young enough to have parents" she thinks of it as a privilege.) being regarded as an experiment for Nezu. Even the most compassionate people in U.A are desensitized to her abuse. (Aizawa) this lack of identity and legit just hubris she has isn't normal you guys.

Remember, you are human. Even if you don't feel like it, you exist. You are more than a number on a survey.