I May Be Sorry

Conflicted Hearts

Izuku Midoriya lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling of his dorm room, the faint glow from his desk lamp illuminating the clutter of textbooks and notebooks scattered around. The sound of soft footsteps echoed from the hallway as Todoroki Shouto, his roommate and closest friend, entered, a stack of papers in his hands.

"Hey, Deku," Todoroki said, settling down on his own bed. "You okay? You've been really quiet."

Izuku turned his head, forcing a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... thinking."

Todoroki raised an eyebrow, not buying the facade. "About Bakugou?"

Izuku's heart sank at the mention of the name. "Kind of," he admitted reluctantly, sitting up and running a hand through his messy green hair. "I just... I don't know, Todoroki. It's all so confusing."

"What's confusing?" Todoroki asked, giving him his full attention.

Izuku sighed, the weight of his emotions pressing down on him. "I used to look up to him, you know? Back in middle school, Bakugou was everything to me. He was strong, talented, and he could do anything. I admired him so much, but then..." His voice trailed off as the painful memories washed over him.

Todoroki shifted, leaning forward. "But then everything changed."

"Yeah," Izuku whispered, feeling a lump form in his throat. "He was my best friend. I never thought about romantic feelings back then. It was just Bakugou. I wanted to be like him, hang out with him, maybe even have sleepovers like we used to. But then he just... turned on me. He started bullying me, and it messed with my head. I started questioning everything about myself."

Todoroki nodded, his expression softening. "That's understandable. Being bullied can really mess with how you see yourself. It's hard to figure out who you are when you're constantly in that kind of environment."

"Exactly!" Izuku exclaimed, his voice rising slightly with emotion. "I didn't even know how I felt about girls or boys. I just wanted to be friends with Bakugou again. I miss those days when it was just us, you know? When everything was simpler."

Izuku's voice broke, and he felt the sting of tears forming in his eyes. He quickly blinked them away, but it was no use; the memories flooded back, and he could feel the pressure of his emotions building inside him.

"It's okay to cry," Todoroki said gently, his tone reassuring. "You're allowed to feel hurt about what happened. It's a lot to process."

Izuku looked at Todoroki, and in that moment, he felt an overwhelming urge to let it all out. "I just wish things could go back to how they were! I wish I could see his parents again, hang out with them like I used to, and maybe... maybe even tell them how much I miss their son. How I just want to be his friend again."

Todoroki stayed silent, letting Izuku vent his feelings. The weight of those memories pressed down on him, suffocating and relentless. "It's like I'm stuck in this limbo. I don't know if I like girls or boys. All I know is that I want Bakugou in my life again. But the thought of reaching out terrifies me."

"Have you thought about talking to him?" Todoroki asked, his voice steady and calm. "He might be just as confused as you are."

Izuku shook his head, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "He's not going to want to talk to me. I'm pretty sure he hates me for what happened. And besides, his communication skills are... well, non-existent."

"Then nothing's going to happen," Todoroki replied firmly, his gaze steady. "If you don't reach out, you'll stay stuck in this cycle of hurt and confusion. You need to be the one to take that step. Bakugou isn't going to magically figure things out on his own."