The Strongest Coward (Zenitsu X bnha)

I Feel So minuscule

"Wake up kid! Get up you're going to be late!" Gramps shook me violently. Good to see he's still got it, but I just want 5 more second. Minutes. Hours.

"Ah! Why did you splash water on me!" Grampa cltutched his stomach as he was laughing. The bucket that once held the water that caused me to scream dangled from his cane.

I unstuck the covers from my body and began getting out the bed. Only to slip on some excess water on the floor. Gramps fell on the floor at the same time as me and began rolling around in laughter.

I just got up and headed towards the wardrobe. I wasn't going to entertain him or help him off the ground. By the time I was ready to leave, Gramps was still laughing his heart out.

"Is it just me or are the teachers purposely droning on and on?" Zenitsu muttered to Kaminari's back, as Ectoplasm continued explaining the pythagorean theorem.

Kaminari bent his head back and almost reached Zenitsu's desk. His face was horrid and Zenitsu wondered how a future hero could look so much like a villain.

"Blonde one and blonde two! Tell me what's the formula for pythagorean theorem."

Kaminari snapped up instantly, hitting the bottom of Zenitsu's chin, and sat stiffly straight. Zenitsu rubbed his chin in agony. The class chuckled at their antics, but Ectoplasm wasn't going to let this go.

"At least one got their act right! Blonde two with the red chin, come up to the board." Ectoplasm tapped the yard ruler on the board expectingly.

As Zenitsu walked towards the front of the class, he heard murmers of oohs and suddenly became hyper sensitive to the stares of his classmates. Ectoplasm handing Zenitsu a marker and turned towards the class.

"This boy here is going to be given a question! If he gets it right, congratulations. If he gets it wrong, number your papers from one to one hundred."

The class' murmers became increasingly louder as Zenitsu became more wary of them. All he had to do was prove the congruence of triangle JLK with triangle RSK. It's easy, absolutely not worrying.

Yet Zenitsu was frozen. He didn't know where to start. He slowly pulled the top from the marker just to buy time. Zenitsu's hearing wasn't helping either. He could hear Ectoplasm scoffing right beside him. In his thoughts.

The bell rung after five minutes of Zenitsu standing st the board. The class slowly shuffled out and Kirishima patted Zenitsu as he walked by. Ectoplasm took the marker from Zenitsu and held his hand out for the top.

Zenitsu decided to stay quiet for the rest of the day. All the way too dismissal. When Mr. Aizawa left the class, Zenitsu let his head fall on the desk.

Zenitsu felt a hand hover over his back. He wanted one of his friends to tap him, strike up a conversation, anything to get him out of this mood. But they decided not to, and soon after Zenitsu heard the door shut.

Slowly, he began to cry. A few silent tears pooled on the desk. Zenitsu was always sensitive, but that one accident wrecked him. He continued to cry until he heard footsteps towards the back of the class.

Zenitsu instantly snapped up and began to wipe his eyes. Quickly packing, he didn't slow down a bit until he heard a voice speak out.

"You move any faster and I'm sure your arm will fall off!" The man let out a boisterous laugh. Zenitsu didn't want to be rude so he turned to face the man.

"Oh, mister Present Mic." Zenitsu then slung his backpack on and sped walked towards the door.

"Hold on there listener! Sit down for a second, I want to talk to you!" Zenitsu didn't turn his head or halt on his steps, he continued for the door. Since when was the classroom this big?

"Listener! I know you can hear me! Or do I need to turn up the value?" Present Mic started to scream out causing Zenitsu to instantly flop on his behind.

Great something else to be embarrassed about. Zenitsu didn't want to stay at school and get lectured. He'd much rather be in bed and getting lectured by Gramps for not exercising.

"Mr. Present Mic, with all due respect, is there a way we can put this conversation off. Maybe until tomorrow. Oh! What about next year?" 

Zenitsu awkwardly chuckled while getting up. Present Mic did not deny his request nor did he say anything. Zenitsu turned to see Present Mic sitting down in his desk, holding his pencil which was forgotten.

"Sit down. I'm not asking this time." Woah, who knew Present Mic could get so serious? What happened to that boisterous attitude?

Zenitsu knew he couldn't dodge out of this situation, like the ones earlier today; so he sat in front of Present Mic. In the same desk Kaminari sat in when he hit him on the chin.

"Your teacher, Ectoplasm, told me about your behavior in class today. I also noticed that you looked off in my class."

Zenitsu grimaced. In English, he was chosen as Momo's speaking partner. While she had some experience with the foreign language, Zenitsu didn't.

All Momo said was "Hi, how are you?" To which Zenitsu replied "I like sanduwiches too." Momo burst into laughter, the class giggled together, and Zenitsu just held his head in shame.

"Sorry sir. I'll pay more attention in your class from now on."

Present Mic wasn't satisfied with this reply. Obviously he wanted an explanation as to why Zenitsu had such a bad day today. Sure, he's had his bad days before, but watching Zenitsu cry st the desk made Present Mic sure this isn't a regular bad day.

"Zenitsu when I was your age, I only had two friends. Even now when I'm more older, I only have one. However, you have two. Two friends that joke with you, walk with you, learn with you, comfort you. That's a blessing many people don't have."

"My two friends sure didn't comfort me today."

"Did you let them?"

Did he? Zenitsu didn't go to lunch after Ectoplasm's class. He also didn't take second break. At the end of school, Zenitsu didn't even say bye to his friends and only wallowed in self pity.

"I'll leave you. Zenitsu if you have a day like this again you can always seek me. That is if I'm not entertaining other listeners!"

The door closed once. Then it closed again.