The whole day, the students were looking at Sam differently. They couldn't help but glance at him from time to time. Especially Bakugo, whose resentment was plain to see. Sam didn't care. He had already cooled down after the confrontation and mindlessly did his work.
Sam may not have been officially schooled, but his band didn't accept dumb soldiers, so they drilled the young recruits to learn math, language, and physics—anything that could be useful for missions.
'Why am I even here?'
Sam was currently on his way to the lunchroom. When he entered, all the students chatting stopped.
⸻
Izuku Midoriya was troubled. Seeing his old friend Bakugo getting slammed by Sam was terrifying. But what scared him more was the terror on Sam's face.
He thought of how lonely he looked.
'I can't be scared of him! He needs friends!' Deku thought to himself.
He was sitting in the lunchroom with Iida and Uraraka. Deku was troubled with Sam, but also with his responsibilities as the class representative.
"I don't know if I'm cut out for it."
Iida then revealed that he was the one who voted for Midoriya.
Before they could continue their conversation, the doors opened.
'Sam!' Midoriya thought.
He overheard many people whispering behind his back.
"Is that the quirkless guy who shot Endeavor's knees?"
"Yeah! He's the psycho who went on a rampage!"
"What's he doing here? Shouldn't he be in prison?"
"Shhh. He might hear you."
Izuku saw clearly that Sam heard every word and came up with an idea.
⸻
Sam was annoyed by all the whispering. He sighed.
'I can hear you. Cowards.'
Sam couldn't stomach these kids who had no guts to say what they thought clearly. He at least had some respect for Bakugo, Midoriya, and Iida, as they actually confronted him.
He got in line for lunch, but the students parted like the Red Sea did for Moses.
"Thanks."
Sam walked forward right up to the lunch counter.
"Hello! What can I get you?"
Sam had just made a sandwich yesterday and didn't have breakfast—just a breakfast shake. This was his first time in the cafeteria. He looked at the menu and sighed.
"Pick for me."
Lunch Rush was shocked but did so, giving him curry.
Sam sat down at a distant table and started eating it.
The taste?
'It tastes like sand. Again.'
Ever since Sam came back from Africa, his sense of taste had suddenly become dull. It seemed to be something tied to his PTSD. Food was just sustenance to him.
As he was eating, he sensed someone walking up to him.
"Hello, S-Suzuki-kun!"
He looked over and saw Midoriya.
"Yeah?"
"My name is Izuku Midoriya! It's… it's nice to meet you!"
Sam just looked at the kid.
'Another one with cajones.'
"Midoriya, do you need something?"
Izuku shook his head, waving his hands dramatically.
"No, no, no! I just… I wanted to see if you wanted to come and eat with me and my friends!"
Izuku said it while looking straight into Sam's eyes.
'This kid means it.'
Sam smirked a little.
"Thanks for the offer, kid, but it seems I'm not welcome."
He nodded toward the table where Iida and Uraraka were, both slightly afraid of what Midoriya had just done.
Sam got up, having eaten enough, didn't finish his lunch and left before lunch was finished. He patted Izuku on the shoulder.
"Take care."
Izuku just watched as he left.
He returned to his spot and noticed that the whole scene of him talking to Sam had been observed. Now that Sam was gone, they were talking normally again.
'I won't give up on you, Sam!'
⸻
Sam decided to walk back to his room, having finished lunch early. He got in and just sat on the bed.
He couldn't get Midoriya out of his head.
"How can one person be so hopeful?"
He shook his head.
"Doesn't matter. Nothing does."
While lying on the bed, alarms suddenly went off.
Sam fell off the bed and stood up quickly.
"The fuck?!?"
He heard the alarm and his heartbeat began to race. He held his hands to his ears.
'Not again!'
He started to panic.
Suddenly, he was no longer in his room—but in a small room with ten beds. Right by each bed was a kid. Kids he was far too familiar with.
"You guys? I-I thought—"
He heard his voice, and it wasn't his weary, low voice anymore.
He looked at his arms and saw he didn't have his scars anymore.
Finally, he once again noticed the alarms blaring. That meant only one thing.
"Everyone, we need to go! The base is being attacked!"
When he got no reply, he looked back and was mortified.
Standing by the beds were no longer kids, but withered corpses.
"A-ahhh…"
Sam fell down and backed up into the wall, alarms blaring overhead.
They all turned their heads toward him, showing pale, lifeless eyes.
"N-no…"
Sam put his hands to his ears.
Suddenly—
'Sam… why did we die…'
Then another voice.
'Did we deserve to die… Sam…'
"No… no… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
Sam was hysterical, staring at the decaying bodies of familiar kids.
'If you're sorry… why are you not joining us…'
'Join us, Sam…'
'Join us…'
'Sam… join us…'
Over and over.
"AHHHHHH!!!!"
The alarms cut off.
Sam was lying on the floor of his room in the fetal position, holding his ears as tears streamed down his face.
"I'm sorry… please… forgive me…"
Sam allowed himself this moment to cry.
⸻
When Sam returned to his final class, it was already almost time for the day to end.
He saw Izuku about to announce something, but he stopped when Sam arrived.
"Suzuki… you're late." Aizawa sighs.
"I didn't notice…" Sam said sarcastically as he sat down.
He heard something about Iida deserving to be the class rep and them calling him Emergency Exit, but Sam wasn't listening. He was too distraught and depressed.
After confirming the class rep was Iida and the vice rep was Yaoyorozu, Aizawa glanced at Sam. He was about to scold him for being late but stopped when he saw Sam's swollen, bloodshot, empty eyes.
He'd ask later.
⸻
At the end of the day, everyone packed up.
Sam listlessly packed his things.
"Suzuki-kun!"
"What."
Izuku approached him.
"I-I was just wondering if you wanted to walk home with me, Iida, and Uraraka."
Sam looked at them. Fear—but also willingness.
"I-I told them we should get to know you since you're our new classmate, and I just didn't want you to be alone—sorry if I'm being overbearing, it's just—"
Sam raised a hand.
"I can't. I live here."
That shocked them.
"Wait! You live here? Where?"
"A spare room next to the nurse's office. I'm not really allowed to leave due to… well… you already know."
He turned to leave.
⸻
Meanwhile, the class exhaled.
"Man, that guy's intense," Kaminari said.
"The pressure from his gaze alone was terrifying," Jiro added.
"I almost peed my pants!" Mineta squealed.
"He was scary, but isn't he kind of cool?" Mina said.
"Cool!? More like terrifying!!" Mineta screamed.
"Well, aside from the scars, he's kind of a hunk," Mina added cheerfully.
"He looks manly with those scars," Kirishima said.
"But Bakugo got dunked on," Sero joked.
"SHUT UP, FLAT FACE!" Bakugo yelled as he stormed out.
⸻
"Deku, what do you think of Sam?" Uraraka asked.
"I think… none of us know what he's been through," Deku said quietly.
Silence followed.
"Those eyes shouldn't be on anyone," Iida said softly.
"They looked like the abyss," Tokoyami added.
"But still… he needs help," Midoriya finished.