Ahhh, I feel bad. Here's the next chapter. I'll publish chapter four next too. ;-;

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Izuku winced as he was slammed into the wall. His back tingled with pain but he forced his eyes open, looking up at Kacchan with wide, fearful eyes.

"Deku," Kacchan growled, still holding him by the collar of his uniform.

"Y-yes?" Izuku muttered, refusing to look him in the eyes, already fearing their burning gaze. It was honestly a surprise as to how his eyes couldn't explode, considering how intense his gaze was and his quirk. (Which also led to the question whether Kacchan's hair could be set on fire or not.)

"What the fuck was that?" He asked. Deku stared at a pebble a little while away, finding its unusual structure absolutely amazing. (Note the sarcasm.)

"I-I don't know wh-what you're talking about, Kac-Kacchan." Kacchan's grip on his shirt tightened, lifting him into the air slightly. Squirming slightly, Deku managed to feel the ground again, as he remained on his tiptoes. Better than nothing. Where did pebbles even come from? There were no cracks in the structure of the building or floor, so that really was an interesting question, surely they'd come from-

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Deku. Look me in the eye when I'm talking to you, shit nerd," Deku's eyes remain fixated on the pebble, mind desperately analyzing the pebble in order to give himself a distraction - a mental escape.

"Look at me," Kacchan demanded.

"If you're going to beat me up, just do it," Izuku stated absentmindedly. How did rocks even structure themselves? Did the molecules-

"What the fuck is with you?" Kacchan started, pulling Deku towards him before slamming him back into the wall once more. Pain sprinkled across his back, but he refused to acknowledge it. "You're always disappearing, sometimes you're way too fucking confident, you have that weirdass scar from fuck knows where and - Wait a minute," Kacchan's eyes narrowed as he suddenly remembered. Inwardly, Deku screamed in both frustration and fear. Why couldn't he have just forgotten it?! How many times had he been beaten up because of that scar, because he refused to tell anyone? Not that it was any of their business anyways, but damn! People were always chasing him, questioning him and demanding an answer. People had tried everything, even asking teachers, which resulted in phone calls to his mom, demanding answers, but his mother never had any proper response to give. He had been accused of basically everything.

Secretly being a villain, getting caught up in a villain attack, hero training, bullying - honestly, he was quite surprised that one hadn't worked, he was always bullied, after all - getting too close to something dangerous, self inflicted, cross fire, home abuse, surgery - he didn't quite understand that one but rumors had been flying around - and so many other crazy accusations. Sometimes the accusations were so nuts, Izuku was generally concerned for whoever created it. One of those being that he was abducted by aliens. While, technically, it would not be impossible, considering how superpowers were once considered impossible and then suddenly, they just basically popped out of thin air, it was not too far-fetched. However, there was something about people asking about that scar that actually made Izuku angry.

They asked how he got a scar like that, yet they didn't care that they were always hurting him?

He was bullied, that was almost as clear as day - unless he was hiding it, say, from his mother, etc. - and he was physically hurt by people, beaten up on a daily basis, but yet... They suddenly cared when he had a scar like that? Where the heck was the logic in that? Not only that, but they tried to beat the answer out of him? What in their messed up minds made that even somewhat logical? (Mine.)

Of course, there was always the one person who couldn't be fooled, no matter what excuse Deku tumbled out with. Kacchan. They were childhood friends and had remained best friends until they were ten. After Kacchan had found out about him being quirkless, he hadn't abandoned him - no, if anything, Kacchan held him closer than ever. Although, there was still that one incident where he beat him up, but it was after that that Kacchan realised and changed his mind. He was always protecting him from other people after that, always shielding him from people's glares and sneers, making sure he never heard the hurtful reminders and words, scaring away the bullies - and sometimes, occasionally possible friends.

Kacchan had been so overprotective of him as kids, that it got to the point where Deku wasn't even allowed friends other than him. One too many people had tried to use him for his brain, so Kacchan had just decided to not let him have any other friends, he didn't need them after all. He had him and that was all he needed. Naturally, he hadn't told him about Tomura, although there were a few slip ups here and there. Even though Tomura and Kacchan hadn't met, there was a deep hatred between the two. After all, it was Tomura who had created the rift between the two, ending their friendship. It was because of that incident that Izuku lost one of his childhood friends.

The only difference between Kacchan and Tomura was that Tomura actually knew where to find Kacchan and not the other way around. Which often resulted in Izuku finding Tomura hiding out in the bushes, waiting to jump Kacchan - something that Izuku had luckily been able to stop or avoid. Yes, he was glad that Tomura was willing to go so far as his friend, but he'd fear that one of them would generally end up dead. Izuku wasn't completely blind, he had seen the signs of villain within Tomura, though he chose to ignore it. He had hope that Tomura wouldn't actually walk the path of a villain and he was just overthinking it. That was normally the case... Normally.

"Why won't you tell me where you got that fucking scar?" Kacchan demanded. Deku's eyes steeled - something Kacchan noted in his mind - and his stare practically turned into a glare as he refused to turn away from the rock. Deku stayed quiet, refusing to answer. No one would ever know. It was the secret between Midoriya Izuku and Shigaraki Tomura and it would stay that way. Deku tried not to shiver at the feeling of being found out when he thought of it like that.

"You're always fucking disappearing. You're always fucking lying and avoiding the truth. You always tell the damn truth when it comes to other things and you hate fucking lying, so why won't you tell me the damn truth?"

"Because you're not supposed to know," Izuku whispered. He could feel his body tremble slightly and a lump formed in his throat. No one is. He desperately stared at the rock, trying to come up with more analysis' to take over his brain and distract him from his childhood friend. One he could no longer consider a friend. Tomura had said so.

"What is so important that I can't fucking know?" Kacchan growled. 'The truth,' Izuku thought. "What are you hiding?! You want to be a hero, don't you? Even though you're fucking quirkless and you're no one's hero and never will be, you wanna be a damn hero. Heroes aren't supposed to lie, fuckmunch!" Kacchan screamed. Tears burned at Deku's eyes but he refused to let them fall. "Look at me in the eyes when I'm talking to you!" So, the pebble comes from a bigger structure like a rock which originates from- "DEKU!" Eyes still burning with tears, Deku slowly looked up to his old friend's heated eyes. Under the intense stare, Deku couldn't handle a single second before he looked past Kacchan, staring at the bushes in the distance.

"The fuck is wrong with you?"

"Just do what you want, I don't care," Deku wanted to be anywhere but here. Hell, if the choices were to be beaten up by his classmates or to be stuck in the middle of nowhere, he'd take it! Just as long as it was anywhere but here, with Kacchan and a topic he had worked so hard to avoid. Anywhere, practically anything, just away from this conversation.

"What?"

"Just beat me up already or something, I don't care! Just stop talking!" The tears finally fell and even though he wasn't looking directly at Kacchan, his gaze was far too intense and so he shifted it back to the pebble. He needed to make up his own distant world or something that he could escape to in his mind for situations like this. Or perhaps it was just best to be quiet? No, that'd either kill him on the inside or make the situation worse.

Kacchan stared at him, unnervingly quiet. Deku couldn't make out his face, and quite frankly he wasn't sure he even wanted to. Deku squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to be in that moment anymore. He waited, waited for the pain or even the words to come, but nothing came. He could hear birds tweeting, cicadas making the usual racket, and even Kacchan's surprisingly even breathing. The lack of pain or words actually bothered him to the point where he opened his eyes, just to double check he was still in the situation he thought he was. Upon seeing the pebble, he inwardly shrugged before actually turning to Kacchan.

Before he could even see Kacchan's face, he was thrown to the side, his side and head crashing into the wall. He winced and he was fairly sure there was a dull click within his head upon impact, and he slid down the wall to land on the floor. His ears buzzed and he barely suppressed a groan, confused and somewhat delirious. He opened his eyes, blinking, and looked up to Kacchan, expecting to see a fist, kick, or even explosion come his way. However, Kacchan's back was to him as he walked away, walking back to the opening of the alley.

"What?" Deku asked absentmindedly, his mind trying to draw up some kind of conclusion as to what the heck just happened, ignoring the warm feeling slipping down his head. Kacchan was just walking away like that? Walking away without saying or doing anything? What? He's... Never done that. Was he giving up? That didn't make sense, he was Kacchan. Kacchan never gave up until he was satisfied. Deku stared at Kacchan's back, his mind coming up with different conclusions and theories.

"Don't think I'm giving up, nerd," Kacchan stated, stopping at the end of the alley. Deku blinked, switching his full attention to Kacchan, who hadn't even turned to face him. "I'm still going to figure out what the fuck you're hiding, just you fucking watch," Without another word, Kacchan walked from the alley, stuffing his hands into his pocket and stomping off elsewhere. Deku blinked, processing his words slowly. So that was it?

Mind still disorientated, Deku stood up, wiping the blood from his head.

"I doubt you actually 'tripped over and hit your head' Izuku, do you really expect me to believe that?" Kurogiri asked, wiping away the blood from Izuku's head with a warm rag. Izuku laughed lightly, rubbing the back of his head.

"I guess I should have expected that you wouldn't believe me," Izuku said lightheartedly. Kurogiri sighed, placing the moderately blood covered rag on the counter.

"Luckily, it's only a mild concussion, so it's not too serious but I still don't think you should go to school," Kurogiri stated.

"No, I have to go to school, Kurogiri. I can't just skip it whenever I feel like it."

"Whenever you feel like- Izuku, you have concussion, you shouldn't-," Kurogiri stuttered out.

"A mild concussion," Izuku interrupted. He was fairly sure that Kurogiri was glaring at him but he chose to ignore it.

"It's still a concussion, which is dangerous by itself," Kurogiri warned. Izuku shrugged.

"It's fine."

"It's not," Tomura growled out, clenching his fists. "It was that bastard again, wasn't it?" Izuku turned to stare at him, eyes calculating.

"It wasn't him," Izuku stated dryly. Tomura's eyes narrowed as he glared at him. They were currently in Kurogiri's bar, which happened to be just next to the apartment complex that Kurogiri also owned. Tomura was sitting on one of the couches near the wall, one leg pulled up onto the sofa while the other was merely resting on the floor.

"Why are you always trying to protect him?" Tomura demanded. Honestly, that was an answer Izuku himself didn't fully know. He should hate Kacchan for always picking on him, but he doesn't really bear Kacchan any hatred. Kacchan was cool! He was powerful and he was one of the main figures in his life that he looked up to. Of course, there was a small part of him that resented him because Kacchan had so much potential to become powerful, even with his personality, but that part had been pushed away to the darkest parts of his mind. Kacchan had been his friend for so long, had protected him for so long. Kacchan deserved to be a hero, even if he did bully people or think of them as unimportant "extras".

"Doesn't matter," Izuku turned to the counter, picking up the drink Kurogiri had given him. Silence passed through the bar, except for the sound of Kurogiri placing the First-Aid Kit away. After a couple of minutes, Tomura spoke up once more.

"You're staying here today and tomorrow," Tomura stated. Izuku turned to face him.

"Huh? What?"

"And you're not going to school tomorrow either," Tomura finished. Izuku blinked, before his damaged mind finally understood that Tomura was demanding it, not actually giving him a choice in the matter. "Kurogiri, call up his mother and tell her he'll be here for the rest of the week."

"Wha- hey!" Izuku whipped around to face Kurogiri, only to see the mist-like man was already disappearing through the door in search of his phone. "You can't just decide that without my permission!" Izuku cried, turning back around to face Tomura, who had crossed his arms as well. He still looked pissed, but Izuku could see the amusement in his eyes.

"Just did."

"But you can't!"

"Buuuut, I just did. You know where your room is. Kurogiri'll call the school and tell them your reason, it's fine," Tomura waved him off.

"Wha, but... It's...!" Izuku stammered. Tomura raised an eyebrow, waiting for his reaction.

"That's not..."

"Spit it out, Izuku."

"You can't just do that! I can't skip school for something like this!"

"It's not against the law, so stop worrying. Besides, you do have a reason," Tomura scoffed.

"But my attendance and school work!"

"Pft, you're smart. You'll catch up. Screw attendance."

"That's not the point, Tomura! You already make me miss school sometimes, I can't keep doing this!" Izuku wailed. Wasn't that part of the reason why Kacchan confronted him somtimes? Because he's never there? Although, technically, that doesn't make sense either.

"Too bad. You're injured and I'm not letting you go to school. That's that," Tomura stood up, stretching slightly, before leaving the room.

"Tomura-nii!" Izuku shouted.

"I'll be in my room!" Tomura waved him off, placing his hands behind his head as he walked off to his room. Kurogiri entered the room shortly after, slipping his phone into his pocket.

"Your mother knows you're staying here and she's fine with it," Kurogiri explained, picking up a glass and a rag from somewhere before cleaning said glass. Izuku let out a loud groan before face-planting the counter in exasperation and literally knocking himself out. His world went dark.