On The Inside

Pour Your Heart Out

They entered the school. Eijiro let out a sigh of relief as the door closed behind him. It was a nice temperature change.

Sure they were standing by a door with a draft hitting them, but it was much warmer than the outside.

They stayed by the door for a few minutes. Eijiro used the time to check himself for signs of frostbite.

His fingertips, ears, cheeks, and shoulders had lost all feeling while they were outside were beginning to burn a little. That was a good sign as any. He didn't have frostbite but rather frostnip.

This made him smile a little. At least he wouldn't have to get anything amputated. That was reassuring.

He pulled out his phone and turned on his flashlight once more. Remembering how the sudden flash had previously bothered Midoriya, he angled the light away from him and down the stairs.

It was incredibly dim, but he could see Midoriya leaning up against the wall. He knew he wasn't doing too well.

The sound of the wind howling outside was loud, but Midoriya's slow and scattered breathing were still audible. Moments passed before he broke into a fit of dry heaving.

Eijiro staggered over to him and put his arm around him, "C'mon, let's go."

Midoriya looked up at him weakly before falling onto Eijiro, "I-I d-don't... want to. I-I want my m-mama."

Eijiro rubbed Midoriya's back as he guided him down the stairs. They both had a little trouble going down the stairs, but they managed.

"I-I'm s-so... so c-cold," Midoriya moaned as they turned the corner.

Eijiro sighed and came to a stop. He shone his flashlight down at the floor, searching for his coat.

He finally found it and draped it over his friend's shoulders in a weak attempt to help warm Midoriya up.

"S-stop helping me," Midoriya slurred as he tried to shake the coat off, "I don't deserve it."

"Hey, keep this on." Eijiro tried to keep his coat on his friend, "Besides, you absolutely deserve this, Midoriya. I mean, you're this incredible person that always puts others first. You... you have this incredible talent for bringing the best out of people. Plus, you always put others first. Midoriya, you deserve the world."

Midoriya shook his head before shoving Eijiro away, "Stop. Stop it. S-stop patronizing me. I-I don't deserve it. I don't deserve anything you give me. I don't even deserve this stupid quirk."

Eijiro grabbed Midoriya's wrist, "Midoriya, stop it."

Midoriya screamed and snatched away. His screams echoed in the empty halls.

"I can't live like this. I can't live with this guilt."

"What are you talking about?" Eijiro asked as he tried to hold his friend's hand.

"Let go of me!" Midoriya screeched, "Stop it! Stop touching me!"

"Midoriya," Eijiro spoke calmly, "Calm down."

His words fell on deaf ears as his friend began thrashing about, trying to break away. Midoriya threw a few weak punches, but his attacks didn't do anything. He was still weakened by a substantial amount.

"Midoriya, hey, calm down," Eijiro said in a soothing tone, "Try to take a deep breath."

Midoriya shook his head, snatching away. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"Midoriya, you're okay," Eijiro assured him, "There's nothing for you to be sorry for. Just calm down."

He didn't respond. He just kept whispering faint apologies.

"Midoriya, calm down!" His voice was loud and firm. He gripped Midoriya's shoulders tightly.

The apologies ceased immediately. Midoriya tensed up even more.

He sniffled before sitting down.

"Why am I like this?" He questioned, "Why am I so pathetic?"

"You're not pathetic," Eijiro sighed as he sat down next to his friend, "You're amazing."

Midoriya whimpered before leaning against Eijiro.

"Hey," Eijiro said softly, "I know, this may be a touchy subject, especially right now. But I have to know. What made you think that you should jump off the roof?"

Midoriya whimpered and mumbled something practically inaudible. Even so, he could still hear the faint whisper of an apology, the frail boy whispered.

"Come on, Midoriya, you can tell me," Eijiro assured softly, "I promise I won't tell anyone if that's what you're worried about."

Midoriya whimpered before throwing himself onto Eijiro. He mumbled faint apologies as tears bled through the redhead's shirt.

Eijiro could feel his stomach churn as his classmate, no, his friend began to sob. He couldn't stand it. With each pained sob, the boy choked out, the more useless he felt.

He wanted to help his friend, but he didn't know the best way to help.

"He... he told me to... he said I should kill myself." Midoriya began shakily. His words muffled by Eijiro's shirt. "H-he told me I-I'm just a-a useless nerd, a useless Deku, a nobody and you know what? He's right. I'm nothing," He sobbed, "I'll never amount to-"

Eijiro pushed the sobbing teen off him and looked him dead in the eyes. Though the hall was dark, Eijiro could still see the glisten of Midoriya's tears. "Don't you dare say anything like that again. Do you understand? Because believe me when I tell you, Izuku, that you are amazing, I'm dead serious."

He could feel himself start to tremble as the feeling of realization hit him.

"Midoriya," Eijiro said as he let go of his shoulders, "I-I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to use your given name. I-it just slipped out."

Midoriya only shrugged, "Don't worry. I-I don't mind. I-I mean, if you see me leaning over a railing, about to kill myself, t-then I-I guess you can call me whatever you want."

"O-okay," Replied Eijiro nervously, "Now, can you please tell me who made you feel this way."

"K-kacchan... b-but it was a long time ago," He squeaked, "Back when... when we were in middle school. But that was a long time ago, so it's fine."

"Did he ever apologize?"

"Um... no? But he never apologizes for anything, so it's fine?" He answered nervously.

"Come here," Eijiro said, pulling him back into a warm and comforting hug. Midoriya whimpered and put his head on Eijiro's chest.

He continued crying, but he was beginning to relax a bit. It made Eijiro feel good to know he was helpful. After all, he'd do anything for his friends. They mean the world to him.

"You know, what's pathetic," Midoriya wept, bursting into tears again, "I... I had told myself that... that I-I'd be this sort of beacon of hope for others. But now, I-I feel everything but hopeful. I-I mean, I-I had ignored this... this voice that told me to 'take a swan dive off the school roof' for what feels like forever. I-I hand convinced myself that I had so much to live for, but now... i-it's all I... i-it's all I want to do. I-It's all I can think about."

Eijiro could only assume he was talking about Bakugou. He would have to speak to him about it later.

Eijiro put his arm around his distressed friend's shoulder, pulling him against his body. Midoriya sniffled and tried to push him away, but the Sturdy Hero held him tightly.

"Let's go back to the dorms," Eijiro suggested, "That's when we'll sort all this out. Okay?"

"S-sure... I-I guess."