Vigilante

Mall

After the lesson had ended and Midoriya was safely in the hands of his class, Aizawa had practically dragged Yagi into an empty meeting room.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Aizawa growled.

"I'm sorry! It was supposed to be a compliment and I didn't expect him to take it like that - "

"He's sensitive to things like that! I know you're All Might! You're the number one hero that needs to teach lessons with a script and a Teaching for Dummies guide. It's one thing to not know how to teach students. It's another thing to be so completely ignorant to his feelings!" Aizawa hissed.

"But - "

"No buts, All Might. Look. You view things differently from him. Everyone praises you, everyone thinks you're perfect. You accept compliments because you know they're compliments. Those people think that Izuku is some kind of vile monster that needs to be controlled and tamed. Given his already broken sense of self worth, he already thinks he owes the world something. And he's trying to figure out what it is."

"He doesn't owe the world anything! He was forced into a situation and he's just trying to survive!" Yaji protested.

"Exactly. He can't find an answer to that question because there is no answer! But Izuku just seems to believe that the whole world is right and he's wrong, even though he knows, and we all reinforce it, that it's not his fault. He believes us, but he can't bring himself to be honest with himself about his feelings because he knows he's quirkless, and also believes that he is in some way inferior."

"That's why I was trying to encourage him - "

"You're way of encouraging is wrong. You told him you wouldn't want to face him if the situation was intelligence based. His intelligence goes both ways, and in this case is working against him. He can interpret it as encouragement, like you meant it to be, or that you're scared to face him because he's too smart. The fact that you're scared of him is the trigger."

Yagi's eyes widened when Aizawa broke his statement down into the plainest terms.

"He's a vigilante. He was forced to understand the multiple meanings behind statements in order to detect their true intent. When you said that, he probably got both meanings, and chose to take the second one because that's exactly how this society views him. As someone to be feared. He only accepts encouragement and praised when you practically tell him in the face "good job" because those statements don't have a double meaning, unless you speak with sarcasm." Aizawa groaned.

"Look. You might not realise it, but your status as a Number One hero means too much to him. After his close friends and teachers, your words take the most effect. Telling him you're scared, even unintentionally, terrifies him. Because if even the Number One hero is scared of him, then the rest of the world no doubt was scared of him too. He just wants to fit in. Please understand when I say this, but just stay away from Izuku. Keep an eye on him, understand him, but don't interact with him until you're very sure you know exactly what to say and how to act so you don't intentionally bring him down again."

Yagi hung his head. His words meant that much? To the poor child who just wanted to do good but was acting like a kicked puppy who was trying to figure out what he did wrong when it was just everyone hating him for a dumb reason?

He mutely nodded, before he walked out of the meeting room.

--------------------

His nerves were shot. His emotions were flying all over the place. The frustration he had felt during the trial that he was nowhere near getting out, followed by that pleasant surprise that he had passed, then Yagi subtly hinting that he was scared of him, then Aizawa's comforting hug had left Midoriya completely drained.