Chapter 38

A freckled boy sat in a comfy infirmary chair, tense as he saw the long-ass needle Recovery Girl had in hand. The thought of having it pierce through his skin made him extremely anxious. He was never a fan of needles, they always terrified him. He couldn't help but think it would break inside his skin and stay there forever.

"Stop panicking," Chiyo scolded, looking at the greenette sternly. It was only her and Aizawa in the room, Katsuki having to take his lessons since he had missed quite a lot over the past three weeks. He had been able to catch up thanks to Kirishima giving him his notes, but the teachers have decided that it was time for him to actually go to school.

"W-Why does the needle have to be so l-long?" Izuku stammered, not even trying to hide his fear.

"The antidote is like some type of vaccine. Contrary to an IV or lab tests, the needle needs to reach the muscle. It is called an intramuscular injection," the old lady explained slowly as if talking to a child. Aizawa watched in amusement as Izuku pouted and Chiyo rolled her eyes.

"You need to relax, problem child. It will hurt more if you tense up," the raven-haired man said.

"Your needle phobia might cause you to faint since it makes your blood pressure rise and then suddenly drop. I need you to at least be as calm as possible to avoid any complications. There is only one dose of this antidote, and it was very hard to make," Chiyo explains, looking at the greenette sternly.

Izuku gulped but nodded, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself down. Recovery Girl prepped his upper arm, rubbing an alcohol pad over a spot and holding the needle firmly. "Take a deep breath in and clear your mind."

Izuku did just that, and not long after, he felt the needle piercing his skin. The sensation of the liquid burned under his skin, and he couldn't help but tense at the feeling. He could feel his heart rate increasing, cold sweat building in his forehead. His vision swirled and he immediately felt faint, not even noticing when Recovery Girl retracted the needle.

All he heard was a ringing in his ears before his body went limp on the chair.

Aizawa watched as Recovery Girl calmly placed a round bandage on the spot and then took a small towel to wipe the boy's forehead. He couldn't help but be annoyed of his own quirk. Yes, he was worried about the greenette although he would never really admit it, having to basically babysit him instead of sleeping was irritating. Even so, he would endure it and make sure to give the greenette one hell of a training once he's better.

Izuku's head felt like it was whirring and spinning, making him come to his senses. He gasped as he opened his eyes, disoriented, until his gaze landed on Recovery Girl. His forehead and body felt sticky with cold sweat, making him huff lightly. "This is why I hate needles".

Chiyo let out a chuckle, "It's just your body's response to your fear. You were unconscious for a minute only, so it's nothing serious."

"How are you feeling?" Aizawa spoke, looking at him as if he was waiting for something.

"Just a little dizzy," Izuku frowned, looking down at his hands. The antidote might have just been introduced to his body, but he expected...something. He was aware of the second effects the antidote had, yet they haven't shown up yet. It made him extremely anxious.

"The antidote had just been introduced to your body. When it reaches the core problem, that being the bullet wound, then you will start experiencing those second effects. It's going to take a toll on your nervous system, you're going to have to be mentally strong to endure this." Chiyo explained calmly, glancing at the clock.

"When do I know that it's going to start?"

"It won't take long until—"

"Aargh!!"

"—that happens," Aizawa sighed, watching as Izuku's eyes widened and his mouth fell agape in pain.

Everything was burning and his wound started pulsating painfully. It forced him to double over in pain, body trembling and screams leaving his mouth unconsciously. The pain was excruciating, the screams he let out leaving his throat sore, but he couldn't help it. He wanted it to stop. It hurt too much!

"M-Make i-it-aargh! P-Pleas-se ma-ke it s-s-stop!!!" Izuku gasped painfully, uncontrollable tears spilling down his sweaty face. He fell from the chair to the floor, clutching his side where it hurt the most with his good arm.

Recovery Girl and Aizawa watched with heavy hearts at their student, suffering from the after effects of a very bad circumstance. They were glad that the explosive blond was held back by his lessons, or they know he would've exploded just about everything and—

BAM

—Anything.

"What the fuck is going on?!" Katsuki shouted, alarmed at the sight of his boyfriend on the ground writhing I pain.

The sound of Katsuki's voice made Izuku open his eyes weakly, glancing in Katsuki direction. The small movement sent electrifying pain throughout his entire body, making him hiss loudly.

"Stay away, Bakugo!" Chiyo scolded, grabbing Katsuki's wrist to stop him from going forward. "You're supposed to be in class!"

"Fucking Dunce Face short-circuited and nearly fried his brain during training. All Might had me bring him here. Why the fuck are you not doing anything?!"

"We can't interfere, we must let it happen until it seizes," Aizawa explained, irritated. "If you brought Kaminari, then where is he?"

A faint yaaay could be heard just outside the door, making the raven-haired male run a hand down his face in irritation. "You can't just dump your classmates in front of the door."

"Shut it, you two!" Chiyo scolded, keeping a close eye on the almost passed out greenette on the floor.

"K-Kacchan," Izuku called out weakly, his body still trembling. He felt strange, the pain had died down, but he still felt uneasy. His vision became blurry, not being able keep it focused.

"I'm here," Katsuki said through gritted teeth, glaring down at the old lady who held him back.

Izuku's hand jerked, catching the attention of the other three. He started salivating, the taste of copper invading his tastebuds. Why could he taste blood? Is he bleeding?

"Take the time," Recovery Girl said urgently, just as Izuku's body suddenly started seizing. His eyes went to the back of his head, his arms and legs jerking uncontrollably. Katsuki stepped forward, alarmed, but Chiyo still held him back.

"I thought we only had to wait for the pain to seize, not for him to have a fucking seizure!!" Katsuki shouted, looking at the greenette helplessly.

"It was bound to happen, Bakugo," Chiyo said, not taking her eyes off the time. She already knew it would happen, so she had prepared the room for when it did. "Why do you think that the area is mostly cleared up and the floor is matted?"

Katsuki furrowed his brows, then took a look around the infirmary. What she said was true. The area where Izuku was currently seizing was matted and only had a chair some feet behind him. It was as if they were expecting it to happen.

"Three minutes and twenty-four seconds," Aizawa muttered, making the blond look at Izuku wide-eyed. He noticed that the jerking had stopped, meaning that the seizing was over. The greenette was unconscious, his chest rising and falling steadily.

"The seizures will be a normal occurrence until the antidote finalizes its job. Since the bullet effects and the antidotes are fighting each other, his neurotransmitters will send mixed signals through his nervous system. In other words, his brain will misfire frequently, resulting in seizures. As long as each episode doesn't last more than five minutes, he will be alright."

Katsuki listened intently to Recovery Girl's words, kneeling next to Izuku. He gently picked the boy up from the floor and laid him gently on one of the beds. The greenette stirred lightly from the movement, yet he didn't wake up. Katsuki softly brushed the damp hair that stuck to the boy's forehead away, a frown etched on his face.

There was a soft knock on the infirmary door, a very confused-looking Kaminari popping his head through it. "Uh, does anyone know how I got here?"

Recovery Girl and Aizawa both looked at the electric blond dumbfounded, having completely brushed off the fact that Katsuki had—in fact—dumped the boy there. "You had a minor inconvenience during training, but you should be fine."

"I almost fried my brain again, didn't I?" Kaminari whined until his eyes landed on Izuku. "Midoriya!"

"He's fine too, Kaminari, he's just resting now," Aizawa said with a sigh. "Go back to class."

Izuku's mind felt foggy, his eyes finally opening. He felt disoriented and confused, as he looked at the others in the room. "W-What are you all doing here?"

Katsuki furrowed his brows, looking at Recovery Girl in concern.

"What's the last thing you remember?" She asked the greenette, moving to stand next to him and take his blood pressure.

"I-I don't know. I just know that I was in pain, and I could taste blood, but nothing else," Izuku said with a small frown, wondering why his memories were fuzzy.

"Don't rack your brain to remember, your memory will return shortly. Give it an hour, at least. Do you remember our conversation about the antidote?" Chiyo asked, nodding to herself when his blood pressure came out alright.

"Wait, you gave him the antidote? That's great!" Kaminari exclaimed happily, earning a glare from Katsuki and Aizawa.

"Shut the fuck up, Dunce," Katsuki snarled.

"I suggest you return to class and stop wasting our time," Aizawa grumbled out, giving the electric blond a pointed look. Kaminari pursed his lips and nodded, casting one last look at Midoriya.

"I'll see you later Midoriya!" He chirped with an enthusiastic wave, making his way out of the infirmary. Izuku blinked once and waved back at the retreating boy, not understanding how he can be so energetic.

He sat up slowly on the bed, bringing a hand up to his pounding head. He did remember what Recovery Girl had told him about the antidote and its after effects.

"Are you alright?" Katsuki muttered, looking at the greenette with concern.

"I'm fine," Izuku told him with a gentle smile, before turning to look at Chiyo and Aizawa. "Did I have a seizure?"

The two adults nodded, and Katsuki spoke, "Yeah, you fucking scared me."

"You'll experience post-ictal confusion every time you have a seizure. It's pretty much a short-term memory loss, which is what you're experiencing now," Chiyo explained. "Take things slow and don't beat yourself up."

Izuku gave a nod, wincing when he felt a slight pain on his side. He looked between her and an almost fast-asleep Aizawa. "Thank you," he smiled. He appreciated their help and he didn't know what he would do without them.

"You are my student after all, problem child. It is my duty," Aizawa said with a straight face, making Recovery Girl roll her eyes.

"Men and their pride," she muttered under her breath with a sigh. "He meant to say that he's genuinely worried about you and he cares deeply."

"I did not."

Whack!

"Jesus Christ, old lady! Stop smacking people with that walking stick of yours!"

"Wow, that's the most emotion I've heard you express in a sentence."

Izuku laughed loudly, enjoying the very unexpected banter between the two adults. It reminded him of Katsuki and his mother whenever they were near each other. Everyone looked at the greenette, who laughed without a care in the world. It was as if his life weren't falling apart bit by bit. He sounded...carefree.

Katsuki smiled gently, a small chuckle leaving his mouth. It seemed that there could be calm during the storm, after all.