Chapter Text
Aizawa Shouta’s instincts were nearly 100% accurate, as was his eye for small details. They were skills honed through years working the Underground, and only broadened when it came to dealing with 20 incredibly powerful teens year after year. He could tell something was up with Midoriya since the class returned from their internships and pegged it as shock from the rather eventful fight with Stain, the Hero Killer. After a few weeks, however, it was clear something more was going on. Mentions of the villain no longer caused reactions in the boy, but his odd behavior continued. His training started to plateau instead of increasing along with his classmates; he wore his school jacket every day, despite the heat of the summer; and, strangely, Midoriya failed to bring his lunch to school multiple days in a row.
The first time he noticed Midoriya without lunch was Monday, two weeks before final exams, when Uraraka gave him the apple out of her bento. The next day, Midoriya claimed he got so busy with homework the night before that he forgot to make one. The third time, Aizawa almost didn’t notice except that the majority of the class were showing off stickers on their bentos, and called out to Midoriya to show off as he was quietly slipping out the door. He said he left it at home. So, when Aizawa saw that Midoriya didn’t bring lunch for the fourth time this week, he resolved to get to the bottom of it.
As Class 1-A packed their things in preparation for lunch, Aizawa eyed the green-haired teen who made no move to walk to the lunch room with his friends. Midoriya concentrated deeply on the notebook he carried with him everywhere. Aizawa noted this one appeared to be newer and a different style than his typical notebooks. The class filed out quickly, everyone chatting with each other in excitement.
“Deku! Did you forget your lunch again?” Uraraka bounced over to his desk, her eyes sparkling with humor and a large degree of concern. Her expression was light and friendly, but deep worry lines creased on her forehead.
Midoriya jumped slightly at her approach, wide green eyes staring up at his friend as he pulled himself out of whatever deep thought was on his mind. “Wha…? Oh!” He immediately looked down sheepishly at his desk. “I m-must have l-left it on the counter this m-morning.” He chuckled. Aizawa noticed the teen biting his lip hard and stuttering badly as he spoke. He stored the thought away for later.
Uraraka frowned, looking down at her own small bento, then back at her friend as she shuffled her feet. “Do you…do you want to share mine? You’re getting really skinny!”
Hands immediately started waving frantically as Midoriya nearly yelled, “Oh no! P-please d-don’t worry about it. You g-go enjoy your lunch! Heh…” He smiled brightly at the girl, telling her he would meet them at their table when he was finished with his notes.
Still unsure and with a worried crease between her brows, Uraraka managed a small smile back and nodded. “Alright, Deku! But you better come sit with us! I’m not sure I can handle another day of Iida lecturing me on proper nutrition.”
She winked at Midoriya laughingly as Iida burst out in full lecture mode by the door, “A hero should always be getting the proper nutrients to ensure they are at their top form in the field! Why, when my brother…” Midoriya’s friends trailed out the door as Iida continued, Uraraka rolling her eyes and waving at Deku as she left the classroom, that worried smile still across her face.
Midoriya continued smiling at them and waving cheerily until they were out of sight, then the smile vanished and he hunched back over his desk, bringing his hand down to clutch at his stomach. A cloud seemed to cover the brightness in his eyes as a loud growl sounded through the empty room.
Aizawa frowned. This kind of behavior was unlike the teen, whom many of his coworkers called the “Sunshine Boy.” Lying to his friends and avoiding their company? Very odd. Standing and removing himself from the garish yellow bag, he called out “Midoriya.” The freckled teen, who returned to whatever was taking his attention in his notebook after Uraraka left, jumped hard enough to bang his knee into the underside of his desk. Bright green eyes stared wide at Aizawa, shock and embarrassment filling them as he realized he forgot his teacher was still there.
“Um...y-yes, sir?”
The underground hero motioned with a finger for the kid to come stand in front of him. Once Midoriya stood at the front of the class, Aizawa pulled a small notepad and pen from one of the many pockets in his hero costume. He scratched the pen across the pad rapidly as he spoke, “I can’t have you passing out in training. Give this to Lunch Rush. He’ll get you something to eat.” He ripped the sheet off and held it out to his student.
Midoriya looked down at the note, eyes wide and hand slightly trembling. “I-I’ll be fine, sensei,” he stuttered. He tried to hand the note back, but the tired hero’s hands were shoved deep into his pockets and showed no sign of moving. “I j-just forgot my lunch is all. It’s f-fine, really.”
Aizawa stared at him with tired eyes, unimpressed, but said nothing, simply tilting his head sideways to nod at the door.
Midoriya gulped, pulling his hand back and staring down at his red boots. After a moment of silence he mumbled, “Um…Th-thank you, Aizawa-sensei.”
“Don’t mention it, kid.” Aizawa watched as the green-haired student gathered his things. He noted that everything was tossed haphazardly into his yellow All-Might backpack with the exception of the notebook, which was carefully slid into a separate pocket.
As Midoriya slumped past his teacher to the door, Aizawa called out, “And Midoriya.” The teen turned his curly head to glance nervously back at him, hands gripping the straps on his backpack and shoulders tense. The pro hero felt a lump form in his stomach as he took in Midoriya’s stiff and nervous posture, so he softened his gaze slightly. “If your lunch gets forgotten again,” he emphasized the word slightly, seeing Midoriya gulp and widen his eyes slightly, “let me know, and I’ll get you another note.”
The teen’s mouth dropped into a slight ‘o’ shape before he came to his senses and bowed slightly to his homeroom teacher and tripped out the door in the direction of the cafeteria.
Aizawa watched him go, eyes narrowing slightly as he felt an instinctual twinge that something wasn’t quite right. The pro hero slipped back into his sleeping back and pulled a jelly pouch out of the hidden snack pocket inside the warm cocoon, making a mental note to keep an eye on Midoriya Izuku.
---
Izuku never felt so dumbfounded in his life. Not even when All Might told him to eat a strand of the man’s hair in the middle of Dagobah Beach.
Was Aizawa-sensei just…nice to me? Izuku stumbled through the busy hallways, clutching the note like a lifeline. It wasn’t anything spectacular or impressive really.
‘Get Midoriya the Hero Special. He needs the calories. -Eraserhead’
That’s all it said. The Hero Special? He thought. Is that some kind of secret menu item for Lunch Rush? Or maybe it’s what he makes for the teachers? Oh no. Am I not supposed to have this? But why would Aizawa-sensei give me this note if it’s for the teachers only and I’m a student and of course I shouldn’t give this to Lunch Rush he’s going to look at me like I’m crazy or think I wrote it myself as a joke and…
Izuku continued this train of thought, unaware that he was mumbling out loud and somehow made it to the front of the lunch line without bumping into someone.
“Shouldn’t give me what?”
Izuku flailed slightly, letting out an embarrassing yell as he startled at the sudden question from Lunch Rush himself. “Ah! I’m s-sorry mister Lunch Rush, sir! I-I was just uh,” Midoriya paused as his eyes danced over the white glove held out for the note in his hand. He glanced between the glove and his note before comprehension dawned on him. “Oh! Uh, Aizawa-sensei t-told me to g-give you this,” he mumbled quietly, handing the note over to the UA chef and hoping he didn’t just made a complete and total fool of himself.
Lunch Rush glanced over the note, reading it quickly and, seeming to understand what Eraserhead wanted, he flashed a quick thumbs up to Midoriya before throwing together a plate with plenty of rice, pork, and vegetables, all smothered in a delectable smelling sauce. Izuku’s mouth watered, his stomach gurgling loudly at the sight of the first full meal in three days.
Lunch Rush placed a plate in front of Izuku on a tray with a small bottle of apple juice, a receipt taped to the bottle. “Order up!” He called, already turning to the next student in line. Thanking the pro hero chef again, Izuku hastily took the tray and made his way over to his regular table where Uraraka and Iida sat across from Jirou and Yaoyarozu.
“Deku! You made it!” Uraraka glanced down at his tray in surprise. “You got lunch? But you never buy lunch?”
Izuku let out a nervous chuckle as he hastily pulled the receipt off his drink and shoved it into a pocket, ignoring the line reading ‘Total 0.00’. “I uh…found a c-couple hundred y-yen in my b-backpack that I forgot about.” He smiled brightly at his friend, inwardly thinking Don’t question it don’t question it don’t—
“Well, that was lucky! I’m glad you didn’t have to go hungry.” Uraraka shifted to the side to make room for Izuku to place his tray down, a bright smile on her round face. The deep lines between her eyebrows smoothed over as she brought him into the conversation. “Momo was just trying to explain Yamada-sensei’s English assignment. I’m so lost!”
Izuku relaxed slowly as the conversation steered away from topics he didn’t want to speak about. He relaxed as his friends continued talking and he enjoyed his lunch. He tried not to feel guilty about the food he didn’t pay for. He quickly estimated the cost in his head and made a mental note to add it into his budget after lunch. He would pay Aizawa back for his kindness, at the very least.
As the conversation continued and lunch was nearing its end, Izuku felt a wave of nausea roil in his stomach. He frowned, swallowing more of his juice to soothe his stomach. A sharp pain lanced through his gut and he stood quickly. His four classmates all turned to watch him leave with surprise.
“Deku!” Uraraka called after him. “Where are you going?”
Izuku dumped his lunch into the garbage can and left the tray in a receptacle. He tried to smile, but a tremble in his chin and lurch in his gut sent him racing to the bathroom with a hand over his mouth. He only just made it in time to collapse against the porcelain as his stomach emptied itself into the toilet, a cold sweat across the back of his neck as his diaphragm spasmed with the force of his retching.
The door to the bathroom opened and Izuku heard two sets of footsteps click against the tile floor. He hastily shut the stall door, then returned to his position above the toilet bowl, his stomach twisting like a ball of worms.
One of the two boys spoke, “Man, did you understand that assignment for Ectoplasm’s class? I got like three of the questions right.”
“Really? I thought it was easy. Didn’t you pay attention during class on Friday? He went over how to do the whole thing.”
The first speaker cursed, “I fell asleep in class. Must’ve missed it.”
The second boy laughed at his friend. “You idiot! Next time go to bed before midnight!”
The two dried their hands and quickly left the room. Izuku sighed as their footsteps disappeared, his head heavy as it dropped against his arm. He felt awful. Only the prospect of hero training and the knowledge that Aizawa would never let him walk home without his parents to pick him up kept him from asking to go home. Izuku breathed heavily, willing his upset stomach to calm down. This was the third time he vomited this week. He hoped he didn’t have a stomach bug. A hospital visit right now would be too much for his already strained budget.
Izuku groaned as he heard the warning bell and blew his nose with toilet paper, then flushed the remains of his delicious lunch down into the plumbing. He stood on shaky legs, hobbling over to the sinks to rinse his mouth out. His green eyes caught sight of his pale face in the mirror. Wincing at his clammy skin and the dark circles under his eyes, Izuku splashed water over his face, scrubbing the skin to get some color back. He braced his arms over the sink and watched as his muscles shook heavily. I’ll go light on my training today, he thought as he pushed himself slowly upright and strode to the exit. No need to be completely useless.
---
Aizawa watched as his students filed back into the classroom and took their seats. He noticed Uraraka standing by Iida’s desk, looking worried. Both students were speaking in hushed voices and kept glancing at the classroom door. Midoriya wasn’t with them. Glancing around the room, he didn’t find Midoriya in his usual seat behind Bakugo either.
He waited. The final bell rang and the class went silent. Several sets of eyes glanced at the empty spot where Midoriya should be. “Where’s Midoriya?” He called. His expression was neutral but no small amount of concern hid behind his words. Though he often called Midoriya ‘Problem Child’ in his own mind, the kid was anything but. Punctual, attentive in class, never missed a homework assignment, the teen practically oozed responsibility, even if he was less than cautious with his own safety. Midoriya took schooling very seriously, something Aizawa appreciated about the superpowered brat.
Uraraka glanced at Iida, who appeared to be struggling internally. She raised her hand, face earnest and worried. “Sir?” She called, continuing when Aizawa nodded at her. “I think Deku had to throw up. He was looking really green at the end of lunch.”
Aizawa lifted an eyebrow and started to speak, but was interrupted as the teen in question hurried into the room and bowed deeply. “I-I’m sorry I’m l-late Aizawa-sensei!”
The pro hero’s dark eyes examined his student, noticing the pale and clammy skin, as well as the slight shake in the boy’s limbs. Midoriya’s bottom lip was firmly between his teeth, and his right hand was tightly scrunching up his uniform pants. Nervousness, embarrassment, and discomfort emanated off the teen in waves. Aizawa nodded at the empty chair, “Sit down, Midoriya.” The command wasn’t nearly as brusk as it should have been, but Aizawa wasn’t about to punish the kid for vomiting.
Midoriya hastily returned to his desk, eyes downcast and lip still held prisoner by his teeth. Uraraka tried to catch his gaze, but was unsuccessful. The deep crease between her eyebrows grew deeper, and she watched her friend sadly, worry filling her brown eyes as Aizawa called the class to order and gave them their training assignments.
As the class hurried to the gym, Aizawa called out to his green-eyed student, “Midoriya, take it easy today. Don’t overdo it.” The teen looked for a moment like he wanted to argue, but nodded and shuffled after his classmates, his shoulders slumping as he curled in on himself and looked down at the ground. Aizawa followed him with his dark eyes, only looking away when a quiet cough sounded to his right. He turned to see Uraraka standing by him nervously.
“Um…Aizawa-sensei? Can I talk to you for a moment?” The girl’s expression was earnest and worried, a stubborn tilt to her chin showing her resolve.
Aizawa nodded, motioning for her to follow him as they trailed after the rest of the class. He turned out the lights and shut the door behind them as Uraraka gathered her courage. She coughed, then hastily blurted, “I think Deku isn’t eating enough.”
Shouta paused as he locked the door, then slid the key into his oversized pocket, his hands disappearing into the black fabric soon after. “Explain,” he requested, his voice serious, but not unkind. He turned to face the short teen with what he hoped was an open expression. It seemed to encourage Uraraka, so she continued.
“Well…I hugged him last week and he’s so skinny! Which is weird because I could barely get my arms around him before the internships! I think he hides with his jacket, but it’s super big on him now. And…and this isn’t the first time he’s thrown up at school recently either!” Uraraka’s brown eyes gazed pleadingly up at Aizawa.
Shouta frowned at the last statement, feeling something settle uncomfortably in his gut. “That’s news to me. When was he sick before?”
Uraraka flushed, “I…Deku didn’t want me to tell anyone. I think he was worried you’d find out, and he would be sent home.”
“You’ve told me now, at least. When was it?” Aizawa watched his student, proud of her for coming forward. He noticed how skinny Midoriya was as well, of course, but frequent vomiting was a worrying sign regardless.
“On Monday, after English,” Uraraka admitted. “And…I think last Friday, before class. He said ‘no’ when I asked him, but he was really pale.” She frowned, eyes downcast as she shuffled her feet.
Aizawa pressed her, needing to know if there was further evidence to support her statements. “Uraraka,” he grunted gently, “if there’s something more, I need to know.”
The brown-haired girl sighed, shaking her head. “I…I’m just…really worried about him. He’s been so down ever since the internships, and he’s not taking care of himself. I just…I didn’t know what else to do.” She glanced up at Aizawa, eyes uncertain.
Shouta softened his expression, and nodded at her. “Thank you for telling me. I noticed he was thinner as well. I’ll look into it.”
Relief washed across the young girl’s face, and she bowed, saying, “Thanks, sensei.”
Aizawa nodded down the hall after the rest of the class, “Get going, then. We still have training.”
Uraraka’s eyes went wide, staring after her classmates disappearing across the green. She hastily called, “Yes, Aizawa-sensei! Right away!” She ran after the rest of Class 1-A, a lighter skip to her step than before.
Shouta followed at a measured pace behind his class, a subtle frown creasing his dark brow. Midoriya…He thought over his last few interactions with the teen. Painted in this new light, he saw the beginning of a pattern emerging. He just wasn’t sure what it was yet.
“What’s going on, Problem Child?” He muttered to himself, that familiar twist to his gut returning. Something was very wrong.