Hello and welcome to the twenty-seventh chapter!

(This is the perfect rainy-night-starry-sky-tea-and-a-good-book song)

Deku's POV unless told otherwise. If a POV is switched mid-chapter and it is not indicated whose POV it is, it's Deku's.

Enjoy!!!

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When a knock at the door to my dorm wakes me up, it takes all of my strength to get out of bed. After yesterday, everything just feels... Empty. I throw on the school uniform and don't bother with anything else, the high-tech lock on the door whirring as it unlocks. I open the door and step out to meet whoever's supervising me today, which happens to be... Mezo Shoji.

His Quirk involved a bunch of arms, right? Well obviously, considering his appearance... Shoto said he was chill, so hopefully I won't have to say much.

He nods in greeting, a gesture I don't return as I wordlessly follow him out the door and down the path to the main building.

Today is the day the person in that note asked me to meet them on the school rooftop. I guess I have to figure out a way to get away from Shoji without getting caught. However, if I do get caught... I couldn't care less anymore.

All those people. All those lives. Enough people are suffering while I'm stuck here, but now... I'll never be able to be a vigilante again. It won't be safe enough for anybody anymore... All those kids I rescued, the L.O.V., and even the civilians I'll try to save. People will suffer because of my stupid mistakes...

...

Do I even matter anymore?

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Classes up until lunch are uneventful, almost all of which I'm positive I slept through, but nobody even attempted to wake me.

They probably pity me... Or they're just scared.

Lunch is at 12:30 pm, and it's currently 12 am. I didn't eat breakfast; I haven't had anything since the lunch period I had with Shoto. The lack of food is just making me more tired... But I don't really care anymore...

Aizawa: Izuku. Let's go.

Me: Wha...?

I lift my head from its previous position resting on my arms, and Aizawa is standing over me with an indifferent look on his face.

Aizawa: Did you not hear me? I said let's go.

Me: No.

Aizawa: What do you mean, "no"?

Me: No means no. Don't you already do enough, forcing me to do things I don't want or need to do all hours of the day?

I try to make my voice angrily sarcastic, or at least annoyed, but I can't bring myself to do anything more than a flat and slightly aggravated tone. Aizawa's eyebrows raise a bit, and he just looks at me.

Aizawa: Something up with you?

Me: No.

Aizawa: ... This is about the vigilante thing... isn't it...

Me: ...

I look down at my desk, a silence passing between us. The rest of the classroom is empty, as the rest of the hero students are in battle training. Out of nowhere, Aizawa's capture scarf wraps around me and lifts me out of my chair.

Me: H-hey!

Aizawa sighs and starts walking out of the classroom, dragging his capture scarf (With me in it) behind him. I don't have the will to struggle, so I just wait for him to arrive wherever he's taking me, getting odd looks from teachers and students passing by. Eventually, Aizawa makes a turn into a room and drags me in, releasing me and pushing me into a chair. I watch silently as he walks over to a cabinet, pulling out a cup of instant ramen; He simultaneously starts boiling water in an electric kettle.

Me: ... Are you going to explain why I'm here or are you going to keep making yourself ramen?

Aizawa: Why aren't you following the meal plan we've given you?

Me: Because I'm not hungry.

Aizawa: You are, your mind just doesn't realize it.

Me: It's not like you can make me.

Aizawa glances at me from his spot near the kettle, and I can see a bit of guilt in his eyes.

Aizawa: We can actually. Medically if we need to.

Me: You're not that desperate.

Aizawa: You have to eat. Your diet, if you can even call it that, is not even close to what you should be having. It could pose health risks.

Me: I don't care.

Aizawa falls silent again and a second later the water finishes boiling. Aizawa transfers the water to the ramen cup and puts it on the table in front of... Me.

Me: This is your food.

Aizawa: Who said it was for me?

Me: I said I'm not hungry.

Aizawa: Fine then, you're not.

Me: ... Wait, what?

Aizawa: Use your senses. Pay attention to the room around you.

Me: Why-

Aizawa: Do it.

His tone is always much more convincing than his actual words. Maybe it's because of my survival instincts.

Aizawa: And close your eyes too.

I huff as I reluctantly close my eyes. After a few beats of silence, this is starting to become aggravating.

Me: Now what, dumbass?

Aizawa: Language. Tune into your surroundings. Where is your body touching the chair? How cold is the air? Can you smell the cleaning solution the floor is mopped with every day?

I try to listen, and after a while, I can feel it all. The noise of students walking past the door, few and far between, steps nearing and receding. The slight hiss of the air conditioning system. The smell of the cleaning products Aizawa mentioned. The cool air temperature and my suit resting on my body. And the ramen. It isn't much at first compared to all the other sensations but by now...

Smells like chicken flavor. When was the last time I had ramen? 

The smell is tangy and familiar, from back when it was just me, Amalie, and Shoto in the apartment eating dinner on the couch. I know that the last time I had ramen was the last time the three of us had dinner together. I've almost preferred for it to stay that way. But my body disagrees with my mind, and I kinda feel a bit hungry.

Aizawa: You can open your eyes now, five minutes is long enough.

When my eyes open they wander to the ramen as opposed to Aizawa, who's speaking. I pray he doesn't notice, but I've been around him enough by now to know that he does. This was probably his plan in the first place, now that I think about it. I begrudgingly start eating the ramen with a fork that's been conveniently placed in front of me.

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I open the door to the rooftop, scanning for signs of anybody who could possibly be in debt to me. After Aizawa let me go once lunch started, I figured it was the perfect time to meet my shady debtor. I walk more towards the edge and spot Shoji, who's looking at the view.

Why is he up here!? Maybe if I slowly back away he'll-

Shoji: Izuku or Hero Killer?

Me: I... What?

Shoji: What would you prefer me to call you?

Me: Izuku I guess.

Too late now.

I cautiously walk closer to the edge and stand near him, looking out at the view as well.

Shoji: Well, as my note mentioned, I hope you'll accept my offer. I want to-

Me: Wait, wait, wait that was you!?

We both turn to look at each other now, our faces mirroring the same confused look.

Shoji: I put my name on it and thoroughly explained my offer.

Me: What? No, you said something like "Hey Hero Killer, I'm in your debt meet me on the rooftop two days from now."

Shoji: That's... Not what I wrote at all...

If that's not what he wrote, then...

Me: Somebody swapped the notes.

Shoji: That's... A problem that can be considered later. For now, I need to focus on this.

Me: Alright.

Shoji: A while back, you kidnapped a small-time hero. I won't go into details, but he had my mother trapped financially, and he was... Well... We'll say forcing my mom to try to have kids because he found his Quirk to be valuable. I don't know what you did with him, and I don't care. The point is that you basically freed us. So I want to help you. I can't do much for now. But my Quirk picked up the conversation you had with Todoroki. I want you to know that once you're back out there, you'll have a permanent spot in my mother and I's home. You could even live there if you want, my mother is the one that offered. She hopes you'll at least come over for one night so she can meet you, discreetly of course. We would be suffering right now if it weren't for you. So thank you. Here, this is our address.

He hands me a small piece of paper, and I put it in one of the secret pockets of my suit.

I'm speechless, but Shoji doesn't seem to mind, as he just goes back to looking at the view. I look at the view as well, the midday sun high in the sky, a cool breeze in the air. 

And for a moment, just a moment, I feel like I can still be something.

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Hello! Thank you for reading the twenty-sixth chapter. This story is open to constructive criticism, so let me know if you have any questions or feedback!

I know the end was corny, but the rest of the chapter was a bit depressive so it wasn't unnecessary

Words: 1538

Have an outstanding day!

:) :) :)