Below the Surface - IzuOcha

Chapter 18- Compliments, Questions, and Answers: Part 2

"Are you okay?"

It was a question that sounded so simple, yet felt so complicated to Midoriya. It was a question that he'd be asking himself for a while now. A question that he should know the answer to. A question he does know the answer to but...

'What should I say? What should I do?' Midoriya thought before looking down at Uraraka.

Uraraka had a look of concern on her face. Midoriya looked to his left and his right to see Iida and Todoroki sharing the same look on their faces. Midoriya then looked straight ahead at the others in the crowd staring at him, all holding that same look on their faces, even Bakugo and Monoma were showing a bit of concern.

'I should be honest with them, they're all concerned about me.' Midoriya thought as he took a deep breath. 'I want to trust them more.' Midoriya thought as he prepared to answer the question, breathing out heavily. "To be honest with you all..." Midoriya said, changing the look on his face to one of despondency, further pulling people's attention to him, leaning in so they can hear him better. "I'm not okay..." Midoriya said, turning down his head and closing his eyes.

This shocked everyone in the audience except for Class 1-A and the staff. Midoriya had always appeared to be this bright, cheerful person that almost everyone could get along with. Is this what was hiding below the surface of that exterior?

"And I don't think I have been for a while now." Midoriya continued, still closing his eyes tightly as tears were threatening to come out.

The auditorium was completely silent. These words only broke their hearts further, hearing something like that a second time, seeing that look on his face, they didn't like seeing this, they didn't like hearing this.

'Young Midoriya, I'm sorry I should have noticed this.' All Might thought as he looked down at the ground in shame.

'I should have noticed sooner. What kind of Man can I call myself if I don't even notice when my friends are hurting?' Kirishima asked himself as he clenched his fists tightly.

'I should have been able to help, I should have been able to help you as you did me.' Todoroki thought, conscience-stricken from the fact that he couldn't do anything to help, a tear falling down his left eye.

'I call you my best friend and I wasn't able to do anything to assist.' Iida thought as he looked directly at Midoriya with regret in his eyes.

'Midoriya, we should have done more to help *Kero*.' Tsuyu thought as tears poured down her face.

'Midori, I'm sorry, I got distracted by what Uraraka was saying and the Music.' Mina thought as she looked down, a few tears streaming down her face.

'I got so caught up in the music and what Uraraka was doing I forgot about his issues.' Toru thought, her expression unreadable.

'I thought he had it easy, I was stupid, I need to apologize to him.' Shinso thought as he looked down, trying to avoid looking at Midoriya.

'I'll make sure you're okay from now on Deku-Kun.' Uraraka thought as she held Midoriya tighter.

'Is this my fault, was it what I did that caused this?' Bakugo thought as he looked away from Midoriya, unable to look at his expression.

'This is too dark, even for me.' Tokoyami thought, troubled over the fact that Midoriya was like this.

'I shouldn't have gotten distracted by the music. I knew there was something wrong with Problem Child and I still did.' Aizawa thought, continuing to berate himself before going to Midoriya and asking a question.