Shackles of the Past

Reunion

Class 1-A, Aizawa, Monoma and Tetsutetsu felt like they had just walked into some very, very personal. Kendo, Tokage, Kodai and Shiozaki had come over to take a look, and they were currently staring at the lone General Studies student as he looked at Midoriya.

Uraraka bent down to try to help Midoriya up, and Shinsou yelped, "Don't touch him unless you're in his line of vision! He'll -"

It was too late. Midoriya jumped at the contact and bashed his head against the table with a loud bang, startling Aizawa and he dropped his pen as Midoriya clutched his head harder.

"You little fucker! What did you do to him!?" Bakugou roared, grabbing Shinsou's collar. Shinsou didn't even seem to care, still looking stunned as he gazed at Midoriya's crying, vulnerable form.

"What... what did they do to you, Izu?" Shinsou gasped.

Midoriya was always emotional. He cried at the smallest thing, even though he tried to reign his tears in. So to see Midoriya so sad, so guilty, all his negative emotions rolling off him like waves of a tsunami and crashing into Shinsou full force. He was a lot more sensitive to Midoriya's emotions, since he knew the boy since they were kids and he had to be able to pick up even the slightest signs of negativity. The boy could be surprisingly good at hiding his true emotions, making you think he was just slightly down when instead he was breaking down inside.

"Why!? Why do you even care about someone as useless and worthless as me!?" Shinsou's heart broke when he heard Midoriya's voice.

Bakugou's grip on Shinsou immediately loosened as he looked back at Midoriya with an angry expression of shock etched onto his face.

"Useless!? What do you mean useless?! You're not useless Izu! You never were and you'll never be useless!" Shinsou replied, clenching and unclenching his fists in frustration.

"You saw what I did! I...hurt you!" He hiccupped,"You're not even real! I'm just hallucinating right now! I can't even see properly now?!"

Everyone turned towards Midoriya.

He seems so hell bent on convincing himself that Shinsou was just an illusion of his own mind.... why?!

"Why do you still care so much!? I couldn't even die right! I'm just a quirkless, worthless Deku! Why didn't you forget about me like I told you to in that letter!?" Midoriya cried.

"I can't forget. I can never forget. How can I forget the first and only friend I ever made!? The only person who didn't judge me based on my quirk?! The only person who saw me for who I was instead of my quirk!?" Shinsou himself was close to crying, "You're the only one who treated me like a proper human instead of a tool to be used and throw away or some sort of future villain!"

"Why - " Midoriya was interrupted when Shinsou spoke.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I left! I'm sorry I didn't notice things getting worse for you! I'm sorry I was too late to save you! I'm sorry I didn't come fast enough before they drove you to... that!"

Shinsou hastily wiped his eyes. Dammit, he wasn't even in the Hero Course yet and he was crying?

"Why!? Why... why are you so nice?! Why do you even care so much in the first place?"

Shinsou gulped when Midoriya looked at him with his remaining left eye, burning with sadness, guilt, insecurity and anger.

"Everyone is the same! Kids or adults! No one cares about me. The teachers hate me, my classmates treat me like I'm nothing! And they're right! I'm worthless! I hurt my best friend and I didn't even die from it! I should have died. I should have. Why -"