One by One

If We Told The Truth

Izuku Midoriya couldn't remember the last time he had gotten proper sleep. If he went to bed normally, he would wake up to nightmares and uncontrollable sobbing. The only way he didn't wake up to nightmares is if he passed out from panic induced exhaustion or over exerting himself. Midoriya tried everything he could think of, soothing music, different brands of tea, he even tried doing special stretching before he dived into his blankets. Absolutely nothing could push away the memories that would continue to haunt his every moment. Phantoms climbed all around his room, their faces contorted so Midoriya couldn't recognize them, only feel a sense of familiarity as they laughed, chiding him for past mistakes, big or small.

Maybe it was his lack of sleep that allowed him to agree to seeing Ashido at such a late hour. Most everyone else was tucked in their rooms, with maybe a few still surfing the web in their beds. Midoriya knew that Aizawa and Shinsou were asleep, at least, and Yaoyorozu was busy working on some project. Midoriya was worried about her, but Aka, that little spy, told him that it was about the Yaoyorozu business and not some school project. Midoriya had his reservations about that, but he elected to ignore that issue for the one Ashido would present him with.

Midoriya liked to believe that he was a friendly person. When he was deep in his self loathing, he could face the prospect that he had influenced his class in some positive ways. Midoriya knew that while he was willing to be friends with anyone in his class, him and Ashido weren't that close. That didn't stop Midoriya from admiring her, from finding her incredible dance skills mesmerizing, but Midoriya could exactly give an in depth analysis of her deeper personality, past the front she put up. Midoriya wanted to be a friend, but he knew that this conversation wasn't going to end in friendship bracelets. If Ashido wanted to talk this late, it must be important on some level, whether to her or for his sake.

Midoriya saw Ashido standing at a window, her hand fidgeting with her phone but not doing anything on it. She sighed to herself, foot tapping against the floor in some rhythm. She hummed quietly, her feet stomping into different positions as she waited. Midoriya, hoping to lighten the mood, straddled up beside her to copy her movements. She was better than him, obviously, but they soon fell into sync, Ashido cracking a smile as she threw in more complicated foot patterns and arm work. Midoriya rolled his eyes, but he still followed suit, stumbling over his feet a tad bit, but the pairing was having fun so neither cared.

Ashido finished with a spin, before her body hunched over in silent giggles. She gripped her heart, trying to even out her breathing. Midoriya joined in, his own laughter making the room brighter than it was before. Ashido stood mesmerized as Midoriya had his hand covering his face. Ashido scowled playfully as she realized that no matter what he did, Midoriya would always be a cute, tiny bean.

Ashido froze up at that thought, her brain back tracking to awful places. Midoriya didn't look cute when he was falling, his body slamming onto the concrete with a wet splat, his blood shooting outwards. Ashido looked at the window, fragments of that day coming back to create splinters in her senses. She could smell the food Yaoyorozu was cooking, but she didn't hear the food sizzling on the stove. She saw the blood all across the lawn, but she didn't see Midoriya's body. She felt a strain in her throat, but her mouth wasn't opened, she wasn't screaming.

Everything came back to the present when Midoriya placed a hand on her shoulder. Ashido looked up at his concerned face, but for a second, brief as it may have been, his face was half covered in blood, bruises forming across his forehead, eyes going blank as his lips twitched into a smile. Ashido jumped back in horror, slamming her hand over her eyes. All she saw was darkness, colors making weird shapes across the pink tinted darkness. Ashido gasped for breath, peeking between her fingers to see a confused Midoriya.

"I'm sorry... Da- I mean, Aizawa-sensei said I needed to talk to you. I'm still haunted by that day. I was playing- how stupid was that- with Yaoyorozu cooking. She... I don't remember what she said looking back on it. All I remember was seeing you fall, seeing you... out there, covered in- covered in blood... I was terrified. I still am, I think. I can't get that image out of my head!" Ashido explained, her voice shaking at different volumes. She started out soft, ended up with a rocky middle where her voice went up and down by a few octaves each time. She ended with a borderline scream, her voice darkening as tears slid down her pink cheeks.

"Ashido-san... I'm sorry I made you feel that way. I wasn't in a healthy mindset. I knew my Dad... I wanted to be in control, I think. I wanted all my pain, my suffering, to be by my own hands, and not anyone else's. I didn't realize that I was making someone else upset," Midoriya apologized, reaching a hand towards Ashido who flinched away, hands rubbing against her cheeks to stop the flow.

"But I saw your letter, damnit! You- you don't believe in yourself as much as you should! You told me, you told everyone, that you were going to be the number one hero! So, act like it! Quit screwing yourself over!" Ashido yelled, her voice alerting everyone in the house that it was time to wake up or step in. Midoriya bit his lip, hands falling to his sides in fists.

"I won't give up on my dreams, but if I don't recognize those better than me, my rivals in life, than I'm no more than an egotistical asshat. At least Kacchan can see when he's facing someone equally powerful as him," Midoriya retorted, his voice being pushed out between gritting teeth. He looked up at Ashido, pain and anger flickering in his emerald eyes. "I didn't lie about anything I put in any of the letters, I didn't lie to you. One day, I'll need to take you down, Ashido, to be the Number One hero. What do you say to that?"

"Game on."

***

Blame Xenolis for my interest in the Midoriya and Ashido dynamic