I Blame Me (Tododeku) [Completed]

81 ~ We Aren't Invincible

Todoroki's POV

I could feel Midoriya's breath on my lips, making me smile. I tilted my chin up just a bit, placing a small peck on his lips. A small giggle was the reply I got in return. "If I am enough, than so are you. If either of us ever need anything from one another, we have to tell each other, okay? No relationship, romantic or otherwise, can grow if there's no communication." I spoke in a whisper, not wanting to break whatever it was that made us both feel so much better. Midoriya nodded, slouching his back so he could curl up in my neck.

"I'm glad you two worked it out on your own, but we still need to make some things clear." I physically jumped at the sound of Aizawa's voice. The happy air around us shattering like glass due to the suddenness. "May we come in?" Mic asked, popping up from behind Aizawa. "Sure." Midoriya grumbled, still hidden in my neck. I chuckled as I moved up towards the pillows, making room for the two adults. Midoriya moved his hands to my back, gently rubbing circles with his finger tips. I moved my hands from his hips to his back, just holding him close. It was quiet for a moment while everyone settled. Aizawa didn't let the air get awkward and spoke up.

"You are both enough, as you established. But neither of you are selfish either." Aizawa was kind enough to skip the whole 'beating around the bush' thing. Midoriya seemed to deflate before muttering something completely inaudible, even to me. "Don't argue with me before you even hear me out." Aizawa scolded, leaving me confused as to how he heard what Midoriya said, when I didn't. Midoriya seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding from his safe spot in my neck.

"It's not selfish to feel like giving up. Nor is it wrong to give up. If you feel like you genuinely cannot go on, giving up is nothing to be ashamed of. You can feel sad and angry. After being strong for so long, you have every right to feel tired and like giving up; especially if you don't have anyone there to hold you as you crumble. I don't blame you for that and don't you let anyone tell you any different." Aizawa spoke softly now, almost reminiscent of a supportive parent. I wasn't entirely sure who it was aimed at but I felt myself tear up. Being told that it's okay to give up is something entirely new for me. Midoriya apparently thought similarly as he turned his face more towards my shoulder and sniffled.

"As heroes in training, more specifically, as class 1-A, it's common to feel overwhelmed. Your year is no exception, if not, only more so. The media having there prying eyes on you can feel suffocating. School work as it is can be stressful, and you are in the hero course and then adding villains at our every turn? Making it as far as you have is an accomplishment. The both of you have grown mountains. That is nothing to sneeze at." Aizawa's words made me feel something similar to how I felt at the sports festival.

Having some of the weight I carry acknowledged, makes it feel lighter. I sniffled a bit, trying to keep my bottom lip from trembling as tears pooled at the rim of my eyes. "B-But if we can't handle th-this, how are we ever g-going to be hero-es?" Midoriya asked, his voice breaking before a quiet sob sounds after his words.

"Everything has been so much harder for your class." Aizawa spoke, sounding regretful. Mic spoke before Aizawa could. "Normally, we would easy you into having to deal with villains. Normally, you wouldn't have your hero license until second year. Normally, you wouldn't be working with heroes for another year. Normally, training would be half as hard as it is now. Half of your load wouldn't have even been a thought until the end of the year, but circumstances made this first year so much harder than it had to be. The kids of class 1-A are much more advanced then they would've been normally. The 20 if you carry two years of stress at the same time. It's impressive." Mic spoke with a level head and a certainty in voice that was hard to ignore.

"And the both of you have been through some real shit. Stain. Cameo. You two and Iida have a bad habit, you know that?" Aizawa said, something close to a proud look hidden under his look of annoyance.

"And Todoroki? It's okay to want him to live. That's not selfish." Mic has a way with words and they always feel right. The way he speaks is special. "It's not selfish to want people to live long, full lives. It's okay to feel sad when that's taken away from someone. Neither of you should feel bad over wanting someone to live or wishing someone was still alive. There is nothing wrong with that." Mic was gentler than Aizawa was, but still ended up making me cry.

I felt valid and accepted. Everyone in this room was only human and that was comforting. Midoriya choked out a sob, clutching me close to himself. Hearing him break down, broke me. Despite how hard I was trying not to, I ended curling around Midoriya and crying again. Something released and I found myself crying just about as hard as the greenette in my arms was. Even as we were pulled into the arms of our instructors, the tears wouldn't let up. Everything that had unknowingly been building up shattered and spilled in the form as tears.

"I'm ashamed to admit, but a few times this year, the UA staff and I have admitted to sometimes forgetting you are just children." Aizawa spoke quietly, just loud enough to be heard over the sniffles coming for all four of us. "Sometimes, I have to remind myself that you heroes are human." I spoke back. Midoriya shook his head before pulling away from my shoulder. "I don't ever forget you guys are human or that we are kids. I forget that we break and that we aren't invincible. We have been through so much, I sometimes end up thinking that we could probably do anything and never die." Midoriya spoke, looking a bit down on himself. Mic nodded, frowning before speaking. "Especially Kirishima. He seems so strong, mentally, physically, and quirk wise. I have to remind myself that he's all of the above."

1111 words