Broken Soul

Chapter 20

- THAT NIGHT -

Midoriya sat in the corner of his bed, hugging his knees as he waited for his mind to fall asleep. He had been given one of the rooms on the sixth floor. Apparently, ever since Nezu had the idea of a villain rehabilitation system, they had Cementoss build another floor on the dorm buildings they had recently opened to the students.

It was weird. The silence, mainly. Until he could find the league again, he had this whole sixth floor to himself. There were other rooms like his own, waiting to be filled. There were normal rooms like a kitchen, a living space and a bathroom.

But, it didn't feel right.

He wanted Tomura. He wanted Kurogiri. He wanted Toga, He wanted Dabi.

He needed them.

He hadn't seen them for a while, making him feel utterly lost and alone. Normally, if he was at.. home, he'd hug them as he tried to stay awake or lean against Dabi as he accepted the warmth he provided or become clingy with Kurogiri in the bar.

But, he wasn't with them.

Tears rolled down his cheeks silently as he buried his face into the sleeves of the hoodie, needing something to calm him down. He could still vaguely smell Tomura's scent on the hoodie, calming his anxiety down as he sat there.

He began to close his eyes, accepting the new-found motivation to sleep. He hugged his knees tighter and closer as he began to drift away in the vast void of darkness that his head had created.

Tomu.. Kuro.. I need you..

Izuku sat in the corner of his bed, much like the night before. He felt so alone here. Back at the base, he would always hear laughter or fights or at least some form of talking. But, here? All he could hear was silence.

A knock sounded at the door.

"Come in!" He tried to say as cheerfully as possible.

Shota Aizawa, better known as Eraserhead, entered the room. Izuku could see he was wearing his usual hero suit, the details of the clothing unclear in the darkness.

He closed the door before walking towards the greenette, settling himself down on the end of the bed. He took a deep breath as he looked at the boy, "We had some additional questions the other day that we had missed out. Is it alright if I ask those same questions now?"

Izuku nodded, though he was weary. If he answered these questions, could he go home? No, that was a stupid question. He had to stay here.

"Alright, first question." He got Midoriya's attention, "What is your relationship with the League of Villains?"

The greenette sat stock-still.

Well, newbie, my full name is Tomura Shigaraki. You will call me Shigaraki until I trust you enough to call me Tomura.

His breathing quickened.

Izuku, would you like something to drink?

His chest began to tighten.

Welcome to the League Of Villains, Deku.

Tears began to roll down his cheeks.

Izuku, would you like anything to eat? You haven't eaten much all day, you need to eat something else at least. Take a break.

He gripped at his chest.

Look, what I'm saying is, if you aren't ready, you don't have to force yourself to go out there. I won't think any less of you if you don't. Kurogiri won't. We will accept if you don't feel ready enough to attack a school as big as U.A.

He buried his head into the hoodie, desperate to stop thinking about their memories together.

You'll always be accepted here, Izuku. Don't forget that.

He stopped gripping at his chest.

Heroes are.. careless with how they treat people like us. They don't care about what lead us to this path, they just care about the money or the fame. It's just how society is nowadays.

He placed his hands over his ears, wanting everything to just stop.

I'm sorry, Izuku. I was just a little mad... and upset that I'd almost hurt you.

"Ku..."

You don't have to tell us if you don't want to, Izuku!

"Uku..."

What's wrong, trouble?

"Zuku..."

You sure you're ready for this, brat? It's a risky mission. I don't want you to get caught..

"Izuku!"

Midoriya lifted his head, feeling something covering his hands. He met the ravenette's concerned gaze, tears beginning to roll down his cheeks again. He forced his eyes down, ashamed of having a panic attack in front of the pro-hero.

"I-I'm sorry.." He apologized, feeling deeply ashamed with himself.

Aizawa took his hands away from his ears carefully before holding them in his own gently, "Why are you apologizing, Midoriya? I asked the question, resulting in you experiencing, what I assume were memories?" Izuku nodded, "If anything, I should be the one apologizing."

"R-really..?" He asked, not believing a word. It's hard to believe it when it's the opposite of what you've been told. The league had been helping him with it, specifically Tomura and Dabi, but then they were separated. He stared wide-eyed at the man, "It's n-not my fau-fault?"

"No!" Shota squeezed his hands, "Panic attacks are and will never be your fault."

Izuku lowered his head as he squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to let the tears fall. He hadn't ever been told this before. Growing up, his middle school teachers would always say he was 'being dramatic' or 'overreacting'. He thought that it was the truth. That was his normal. Now, he was learning that maybe this wasn't so normal after all.

"Midoriya?" He looked up, tears brimming in his eyes. Shota sighed, "I can tell you aren't mentally alright to answer the other questions we have."

He wiped his eyes, "N-no! I'm fine, see?--"

"You're faking it." Aizawa stated, shuffling closer to the greenette, "I can tell you aren't okay. You don't need to hide it, kid. It's okay to cry."

Izuku let the tears fall, jumping forward as he latched onto the hero. He wanted, no, he needed a hug. He gripped onto the back of Shota's shirt, quickly tightening his grip as the ravenette wrapped his own arm around him.

He rested his head on the pro-hero's shoulder, letting the tears fall as he relaxed into the hug. Shota began to rub his back, tracing circles to calm the greenette down.

"I'll always be here for you."