despite the scars

Chapter 31 - Ahisma

Izuku stared at the television in horror. It had been about a month since Aizawa had legally adopted Eri and Izuku, and a month since Izuku thought all of his problems regarding villains were gone. He had simply continued with his hero training, started speech therapy, regular therapy, and continued working as a vigilante, with the unspoken support of Nezu of course. It changed that day, on the one month anniversary.

Izuku was resting on the couch, playing the television in the background as white noise while he tried to take his hand up in knitting. He wanted to be able to craft cute clothes for Eri, and maybe Aizawa if he could force the man into them. That was when he heard it, the clear voice of All Might pierced through the haze of his mind, forcing his thoughts out of his craft and onto the bulky figure of the number one hero on the television.

The mere sight of the man brought back the memories Izuku kept, how brash he was, how manipulative, his fake smile, it all smashed back onto his mind like a truck of bricks. With it, along came the sense of hate Izuku felt for the man, he remembered how much All Might had put him through.

Izuku scowled deeply, grabbing the remote and increasing the volume of the tv, scrunching up his eyebrows when he could hear the man better than he did a few seconds prior. All Might was talking about his recent escapades, going over the crime rates, etc. Izuku squinted his eyes slightly, he knew there was something else to the video, these things were never aired on mainstream news, there had to be something more.

At the noise, Aizawa walked in carrying Eri, looking towards Izuku and panning up towards the television. When he saw who was on, he let down Eri, telling her to find Katsuki and play with him. Eri, happy to be allowed to bother Katsuki, ran off without hesitation. Aizawa walked over towards the couch, sitting next to Izuku. He turned up the volume slightly more, focusing on the screen.

All Might went on to describe a few major villains he had defeated so far in the year, gloating heavily, though it was sure to go over the heads of every fan he had. A few of the villains he had taken down, Izuku was absolutely sure that All Might hadn't actually defeated, in fact, he remembered fighting and turning in one of the villains All Might mentioned.

All Might paused slightly in his speech, taking a breath and pulling a sorrowful mask over his features. But his next were the ones that stopped Izuku's heart.

"I just want everyone listening to know, there is still a dangerous vigilante out there! We have seen now that the vigilante Noctis is even more dangerous than presumed, we have video footage of him defeating an entire villain organization." The screen cut to a video of Izuku fighting, showing when he had escaped a villains grasp, but it was cut in a way that exemplified the ruthlessness that he was forced to show.

"Citizens! Do not let your guard down! This villain may look like a child, but we don't know what he is capable of! I am worried for each of your safeties, so please, report this villain if you see him in public! He is a danger to us as a society, so please, if it's the last thing I say, stay safe."

Izuku growled lowly under his breath, looking towards his dad, asking an unspoken question. "Those will be the last words he speaks, Nezu will support me." Aizawa forced out, equally as angry as Izuku.

The news screen cut to a compilation of Izuku's escapades as a vigilante, highlighting the more brutal battle, even though a few were villains that needed to be taken down immediately. Izuku gasped as a short video of him pulling on the ears of a villain, a generally dirty fighting tactic that many civilians disapproved of. But Izuku remembered that fight, he remembered how the bulky villains' ears were abnormally sensitive, and how the man was charging a group of children off screen. Izuku had done the only thing that he could in the moment, he redirected the villain's anger, he wasn't proud of what he did, but in the moment he panicked and in that split second, his quirk was forgotten and he could see Eri standing there with the others. He realizes now that Eri wasn't actually there, that she was safe, but that moment was long enough for Izuku to act out of instinct.

Aizawa glanced away from the screen to take in the state his son was in, he wasn't going to stop Midoriya from watching, he knew he wouldn't be able to, besides, Izuku deserved to know what All Might was saying. It affected him the most, after all.

Aizawa could see how deep in thought Izuku was, and he knew how depressing those thoughts could be, so he decided to speak up to distract Izuku. "I will talk to Nezu, I am sure he has already heard of the news. We already know he will support you." Aizawa gave his son a small hug before starting his journey to Nezu's office.

Midoriya continued to stare blankly at the screen. He thought that all of his problems regarding All Might were gone when he defeated the villains, he thought that he had shown the public that he was worthy, that he was safe to be around. Izuku had defended a whole hero's school for heck's sake! But All Might turned that against him, out of the petty desire for revenge All Might had once again ruined his life. Izuku couldn't fight on behalf of someone else to try and defend his title, they would spin that into a tale of his unnecessary violence.

Hot tears streamed down Izuku's cheeks, he was just so frustrated, what was he supposed to do? How was he going to continue saving people if the number one hero was against him? How could he keep Eri safe if all of the heroes knew what his face looked like.

A sob broke out, Izuku cupped his eyes, trying to stop his tears, he knew those never accomplished anything. He knew he couldn't just be a bell of emotions and expect everything to be fixed, he had to go out and do something. But what could he do?

All Might was greedy, he couldn't just sit still with his perfect record, he had to ruin Izuku's life because he posed a pebble in the road. Izuku hardened his features, resolving himself to not get emotional until the fiasco was over. He still had to make it up to his family for being so reckless before, so he would do it now, he would save U.A's reputation somehow, but he still needed a plan. He wouldn't be fixing his prior actions if he didn't make a plan. Izuku would make Aizawa and Eri proud, he would fix this, with his reputation intact.