Izuku Midoriya stood in the bathroom, scrutinizing his own body in the mirror. A nightly ritual he hadn't been able to shake since he first received 'One for All' from All Might. The boy had been given a task to train his body to become the best host possible in such a limited time and while he was blinded by the prospect of having his own quirk, he'd stopped eating so that his body would be in shape.
The thoughts had started not long after this.
Don't eat the breakfast your mother has prepared, it has too many carbs. But I want to, I haven't eaten in almost week. You've been losing weight though, isn't that what you want? Maybe, but my metabolism has been ruined and the only way I can fix it- fix myself is to eat. But by eating, you're guaranteeing weight gain and you worked so hard to get rid of your chubbiness. Fine, I won't eat for now.
The cycle constantly in his head, never showing a sign of giving up but instead tightening until the thoughts were the only things occupying his brain. Midoriya had tried everything to fight it but in the end, he'd given in to the toxicity that he'd created by himself and was slowly being eaten up by it.
He'd seen the statistics: 20% of people suffering from anorexia will prematurely die from eating disorder related health complications… He just didn't believe he was going to be one of them. Midoriya thought he was strong - or at least strong enough to take on this extra hurdle in the race that was his life. But the thing is, he wasn't as strong as he'd thought.
Finally, he pulled on his uniform for UA and walked out of the bathroom, trying to not put another thought to his 'disorder'.
Aizawa-sensei was speaking to the class but Midoriya couldn't focus. He was too tired and the pain in his stomach was almost enough to blind him. His vision was going black at the edges and the darkness was slowly enveloping the entirety of the boy. But he kept looking forward.
Despite it being a fairly warm day in Japan, Midoriya was freezing and tugged constantly at his long-sleeved uniform in an attempt to cover his arms and warm them. However, he couldn't warm his body and sat there in his chair, shivering. But he kept looking forward.
The constant drone of his teacher's voice was somewhat in the background and Izuku was barely able to focus on it without being sucked into his inescapable mind. Thoughts swirled around his head and before he could turn his attention to one, something new took its place. But he kept looking forward.
He could barely take the pain that was building up inside of his stomach and his mind and his entire being. Midoriya's head swayed and he propped it up using his arm as a stand. He had no energy nor any warmth but he couldn't accept the fact that he was sick.
Sick is the word they use on people in hospitals or people who go to doctors. The label is there for those who need help and Izuku was a firm believer in the idea that he didn't need help. He wasn't sick because he didn't believe he was.
When the bell rang, signalling the end of his lesson and the beginning of lunch, the boy stood up and immediately started swaying as if his balance was non-existent. He managed to make it exactly three steps before his legs gave out and he collapsed, hitting his head on the edge of a desk on his way to the floor.
And just like that, Midoriya was unconsciousness in the middle of his classroom and no one knew why. Except for him.
