I'm not on EITHER side

"You always make it okay."

Izuku's POV

It took a while and a lot of pain suppression, but I eventually got into my costume. I look in the mirror and see a disturbing sight staring back at me. Me in my suit, but it's all disheveled and ripped, blood coving most of my hoodie. I can see all of my cuts and the stabs that Stain hit me with.

"Young Midoriya, are you alright?" I turn around and nod. I walk out of the room, making my way to the front door. Each step sends bolts of pain through my body. It makes me a little dizzy, but I power through it. Getting into my costume took a little over 45 minutes, so I just have to hold on for 15 minutes. I sit by the door, adjusting my mask to make sure it's covering my face so it's obscured.

The 15 minutes go by surprisingly quick. I hear someone knock on the door and stand up. I slowly make my way over, having to hold onto things around me to stay vertical. I open the door, only to see no one standing there. I look to the left, then to the right, setting my head back to dead center. I lower my head, feeling a sigh building, only to see a small old woman standing there.

"Uh, hi." She looks me up and down, taking note of every injury I have. She motions me aside, and I oblige. She makes her way in, and I follow her, somehow walking slower than her. She goes over to the coffee table and sets a bag down on it. I sit down on one of the chairs, having trouble staying upright.

"So, how'd you get these injuries?"

"Uh, I was in center-city Hosu when the attack happened yesterday. I got attacked by a villain and was stalling for time to get the civilians out of the way." She nods and explains how her quirk works. The nerdy part of me eats it up, every detail absorbing into my brain. After she's done, she tells me to roll up one of my sleeves. I do, and she kisses it.

Immediately feel a surge of relief go through my body, then nothing. The pain was slowly washed away. Afterwards, I feel extremely exhausted, barely able to keep my head up. "Th-thank you, ma'am. I'll walk you out." I go to stand, but my muscles contract and keep me seated. "Guess I won't."

"It's alright, young man. Aizawa told me everything. He also told me about how you were thinking about his offer. If you do take him up on it, he'd be a great mentor for you." I can barely hear her at the end, my eyes constantly shutting and fluttering open. She smiles at me and says something I can't hear before walking away. I feel my eyes close, and I drift off to sleep, dreams of patrolling with Eraser Head filling my head.

Time Skip

I wake up in my bed, unsure of how I got there. I'm still in my vigilante outfit, dried blood covering my sweatshirt. I stand up and take off my outfit, changing into another one of my other vigilante outfits. It's close to the time I should patrol again, and I need to make sure that everyone is okay. I look at my phone and see a lot of missed texts and calls. I should probably stay in tonight. I change into a more comfortable outfit and go downstairs.

There's no one around. It's surprisingly lonely. Usually I'm okay with being okay, but tonight I just need company. I can't be alone. The feeling of loneliness is crushing. Paralyzing. I can feel the walls closing in, closer and closer. I can't breathe. I walk outside, but that feeling of intimidating loneliness and pure anxiety don't leave me.

I start breathing deeper and deeper, but the air doesn't feel like it's getting into my lungs. My thoughts keep rushing and rushing, flooding my brain. I absent mindedly go into my phone and call someone, not knowing who. I hear it ring a few times before someone picks up. "Hello? Midoriya? Are you okay?"

The sweet voice on the other line brings me back to reality, and it calms me down. I put the phone up to my ear and take a few deep breaths. "Hi, Uraraka. I'm okay. I just needed to talk to someone. How are you? Are things okay at your internship?"

"I'm alright. Things are going okay at my internship. I saw what happened in central Hosu. Were you okay? Did anything happen over by you?"

"Nothing happened over here. I'm fine, I promise. I just couldn't be alone at the moment. I think I was having a panic attack or something, but you made it okay. You always make it okay." I feel my blush spread a little before heading back inside. It's dark out, and I should go to bed. It's silent on the other line, but I can tell that it's because she's processing what I said.

"Th-thank y-y-you M-Midoriya. Umm, I th-think w-we sh-sh-should g-go to b-bed." I chuckle a little at her stuttering. She's really cute.

"I agree. Thank you for being here for me, Uraraka. It means a lot to me. Goodnight, and I hope you get a good night's sleep."

"You too, Midoriya. And I'm always here if you want to talk." She hangs up and I lock the door, heading upstairs and putting my phone on the charger. I feel a sudden wave of exhaustion go over me. I must have lost all my energy when that lady healed me. I lay down and go back to sleep. It's dreamless yet deep, and ultimately satisfying in the end.

Word Count: 948

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'd love to know your feedback on it. Thank you for still reading my silly little book. It really means a lot to me. Let me know where you want this to go. I'd love to hear some ideas. Thanks for the continued support. Have a good day and remember to drink some water.