Sick
Midoriya Izuku was never good with colds. Or the fever. They usually attacked together, the cold first, followed by the fever and everything else in between. The warnings signs would be a persistent itchy throat, followed by his body feeling a bit too warm for comfort. Then it would be the groggy tiredness that overcomes him, forcing him to retire to bed early.
Midoriya should have known better. He had ignored the itchness in his throat that morning because it was a busy day. The class had an afterschool combat training excerise, and Midoriya was pumped. So was the rest of his class, as they all started their morning routines a little earlier and a little faster in the dorms.
Then, after physical education had ended, Midoriya had felt his body warm up a little too much, but had once again brushed it off, blaming it on the unbearably hot summer afternoon sun. He had asked Todoroki to cool his water bottle and stood a little closer to his left side, but nothing more.
Then, after the combat training excerise, everyone was exhausted and longed for a nice warm shower. Depsite all of the warning signs, the adrenline running through of his systems made Midoriya once again pay no heed to the warnings.
It was finally after the warm long shower did Midoriya realized something was wrong. After stepping into his room, he sneezed. Once, twice. Rubbing his starting to get sniffy nose, Midoriya went out of the room to the kitchen, to try to get some medicine.
But, Uraraka and the girls were in the kitchen, making jelly desserts for everyone. Seeing them so excited and happy, Midoriya didn't want to intrude and burst the bubble just because he was uncomfortable. And so he left, trying to hold down the threatening cough in his throat and resist the urge to sniff.
After dessert and a good long class bonding time, everyone went to bed. It was almost twelve, and Midoriya could literally feel himself crashing soon. The groggy monster was almost upon him now. He had barely managed to reach his bed before collasping on it, his eyes already closed and asleep before he knew it.
After a short, seemingly peaceful sleep into the late hours, Midoriya woke up. Feeling feverish and warm and just plainly sore everywhere, Midoriya really couldn't find the strength to get up. His limbs felt like lead, and his mind told him to get back to sleep. But his body complained of being too hot and too uncomfortable to sleep. Mind still hazy and groggy from sleep, Midoriya reluctantly got out of bed.
Heading towards the kitchen with heavy footsteps, trudging one foot over the another, the sluggishness making everything seem more tiring. Reaching the kitchen, Midoriya didn't even bother to flip the switch and just barge in. He could still see vaguely the sihoulettes of the kitchen, from the tabletop to the sink to the drying utensils.
Reaching for a drawer, Midoriya dipped a hand into the drawer, his hand rummaging amongs the various medicine boxes and bottles. Squinting his eyes, he thought he saw the words 'fever' and 'medicine', and without much consideration, grabbed the pill bottle in his hand. Midoriya just mindlessly opened the cap, shaking out the pills into his hand. In his groggy and sluggish state of mind, Midoriya didn't notice that the pills were different in shape and size, or the amount of pills in his hand. He just wanted to get this over with so that his body could stop complaining to him.
Swallowing them dry, he placed the pill bottle back into the drawer, closing it and trudging out of the kitchen. On the way back, even amongst the haziness and grogginess of his mind, Midoriya had started to wonder why he was suddenly so, so very sleepy.
But as he reached the door, all coherent thoughts were out of the window, for sleep was once again threatening to engulf him.
At 4.30am, his alarm clock rang loudly, piericing through his sleep. For once, Midoriya did not want to get up. His mind told him to go back to sleep, his body seemingly melting and part of his bed. But his groaning and aching body was telling him to get up, the more discplined side of him was telling him in a very Iida like tone to start training. Midoriya knew that he had ate the fever medicine, but why was he still so feverish and sore?
Groaning softly, Midoriya once again went to the kitchen. At least his mind had cleared up enough to on the light this time. His throat felt parched and clogged up, his nose too itchy, and his body felt all wrong. Grabbing a glass of water this time, he grabbed the box containing the fever medicine. His mind itched suddenly, as if to tell him something was terribly wrong, but Midoriya shrugged it aside seeing that his body was already sick. Gulping two pills down, Midoriya decided to head back for a short nap, bringing a glass of water with him.
He could skip training for once. A short nap seemed alot more tempting to Midoriya's mind, and his body too. Before dozing off, Midoriya barely remembered to set his alarm to 5.30am.
Something is wrong. There was just something very wrong. Midoriya knew it the moment he had woken up for the third time in the morning. The feverish warmth in his body had subsided, and the soreness was almost gone. His throat was slightly better, and his nose was no longer so stuffed up. But his mind was still so very heavy, his eyelids constantly closing and he felt sick to the stomach.
Midoriya wondered if he should actually go check up on Recovery Girl, but decided agaist it. Everyone was starting to wake up, he couldn't worry them by pulling a disappearing act. He couldn't bother them, be a burden to his friends. Midoriya then left his room to start his day.
However, by the time school rolled around, Midoriya was filled with dread. His feverish warmth had returned twofold, and he felt the urge to vomit. His head hurt so badly, throbbing, as if he did not have enough sleep. He had managed to cover up enough for Iida and Uraraka to not notice it, but Todoroki was more observant.
Before leaving the dorms, Todoroki had tapped his shoulder lightly, and Midoriya had turned around to see Todoroki give him a look of worry. Midoriya as usual told Todoroki not to worry, that it was just him being tired from yesterday, and nothing else. He was just tired.
But Todoroki had noticed that Midoriya had subconsciously inched closer to his left side today as well. Yesterday too, but Todoroki waved it off as everyone was hot and tired from physical edcuation. When they had brushed arms on the way to school, Todoroki almost flinched at how warm Midoriya was. He was too warm. But Midoriya had shrugged it off with eyes that looked a little hazy, with a tired looking smile. Midoriya looked...a little sluggish today.
"Perhaps you should go to Recovery Girl and rest, Midoriya. You look really tired." Todoroki urged, grabbing Midoriya's schoolbag.
"But..." Midoriya didn't want to trouble Todoroki, he didn't want to burden him. Although, the idea of resting was strangely very tempting today, like his mind is hungering for it, as if he didn't sleep yesterday.
"Go, I'll tell Aizawa-sensei for you, now go." With a gentle push to Midoriya's back, Todoroki nodded, before entering the class.
"Then I'll go for a short while. I should be back before the end of homeroom." Midoriya weakly gave in. Turning away from the other direction, he headed for the staircase. When asked by his other classmates why he wasn't heading to class, his excuse was a quick bathroom trip, which kept the curiosity at bay. He couldn't let others worry so much about him.
But when he reached the staircase, his hand suddenly reached out for the rails. Wait, the world was spinning. Midoriya shook his head in an attempt to shake away the sudden dizzy attack. However, when his eyes opened again, his vision was so very blurry, and his mind was so very dizzy. His body felt on fire and his legs felt so very weak, like jelly.
Oh no, was he falling? No, not here, not now. His mind screamed, feeling his body fall forward. He tried to stop it, but his body wouldn't listen. He had a mind to try to steady himself, but a part of him was urging him to sleep instead.
And then his world went black.
"Iida, go check up on Midoriya at Recovery Girl's."
10 minutes before homeroom ended, Aizawa instructed Iida to quickly go see how Midoriya was doing. Because if he didn't do so, Uraraka might just fake an excuse to go to Recovery Girl. Furthermore, either Iida or Todoroki would ask to go to the bathroom, and Bakugou would literally explode his way out of here. Aizawa was not stupid enough not to notice the aura of the class right now. They were worried about Midoriya. He had told them he would be back before homeroom would end, but it was almost ending and Midoriya was still not back.
Nobody was in the mood for homeroom now.
Iida immediately stood up, shouting a yes sir and almost forgetting to grab the hall pass in Aizawa's hand before he was gone.
The clock ticked. There was the impatient tapping of someone's foot against the floor. Some fidgeted in their seat. Some shaked their legs. The students of class 1-A couldn't help but look at the empty seat of Midoriya Izuku. It was ominous, seeing the seat empty and not occupied with cheerful, bright Midoriya.
There was only a few minutes left before homeroom ended. The tapping was louder and faster than before. The fidgeting was more prominent now. Aizawa had started to pack his stuff, but he couldn't help but repeatedly tap his book against the teacher's desk.
And then, the door to the classroom opened with a loud bang rivaling Bakugou's explosions. The class was startled, shocked, surprised at Iida's panting figure. He had a look of pure worry and panic etched on his face, and the class dreaded to hear what put their usually calm and reasonable class president into such a state.
"Where's Midoriya, Iida?" Aizawa asked, as the apprehensive air in the classroom thickened.
"M-Midoriya, he fainted at the staircase!" Were the first words out of Iida's still panting mouth.
"WHAT?!"
The class had literally went into chaos after that.
Even when Iida had tried to calm them down by telling them he had safely delivered Midoriya to Recovery Girl, something in the class had already snapped. It took Aizawa's authorative and commanding voice to settle all of them down into not leaving the class. Along with bandages wrapped around a certain explosive boy at the door. The sight of positively, furiously angry Bakugou was one to behold, even when tied up and cursing.
When lunch break came, Recovery Girl was to say the least shocked when the students of class 1-A were at the door of the infirmary. They were all hoarding the door, with Bakugou holding Todoroki's collar, along with Kaminari and Kirishima holding back Bakugou. Iida and Uraraka were busy pushing themselves through the door, blocked by the courtesy of Bakugou's and Todoroki's arms. Todoroki was currently in front of them all, trying to enter the infirmary even with Bakagou's hand on his collar, seering it.
"Good afternoon, Recovery Girl, how is Midoriya?" Recovery Girl wondered how Todoroki could keep up the straight face when there was a hand literally trying to set his clothes on fire.
"All of you, come in first." Recovery Girl sighed at the scene in front of her. What a rowdy bunch.
"Drug overdose." Was Recovery Girl's diagnosis.
"Huh?" Confusion was etched onto every single student's faces, before shock and realization dawned on their faces.
"You mean..."
"No, that can't be..."
"Deku isn't the type to..."
"Midoriya..."
"Now, wait, wait. I'm not done yet. Don't jump to conclusions."
The group of students stiffen, confused. Recovery Girl shook her head, sighing.
"There was an overdose of sleeping pills in his body, along with the presence of fever medication pills." Recovery Girl explained further.
"What?!" The group of students were stumped, before horror etched on their faces.
"Now, I know what you guys are thinking, but it's not that. Midoriya also has a fever, which explains the fever medicine. But for the sleeping pills, you have to ask him yourself." Recovery Girl pulled back the curtain, revealing a sleeping peacefully Midoriya on one of the beds.
"Midoriya!" The group of students imediately crowded around the bed, looking at Midoriya worringly. Iida heaved a sigh of relief, while Uraraka and Todoroki looked really relieved. Kirishima bumped a fist to Bakugou's chest, grinning as Kaminari laughed.
"Told ya he's gonna be alright."
"Fuck off, shitty redhair!"
"One of you pass this to the teacher after this period. He needs to rest for quite a while as the drug overdose took a heavy toll on his body, along with the fact that he had a pretty bad fever. The fever should be gone by tomorrow, but the side effects of the sleeping pills will linger for a long while." Recovery Girl finished off, scribbling on some notes before passing it to the nearest person, which was Iida.
"I'll send him home, so off you students! Back to class!"
"We will come and see you later, Deku!" Uraraka chipped up.
"Yes, Uraraka." Iida agreed, adjusting his glasses.
"Midoriya..." Todoroki said, relieved.
"Midoriya, buds, you had us worried there!" Kirishima grinned.
"Look, even Bakugou was worried for ya, bro!"
Kaminari snickered, before dodging a fist.
"Shut the fuck up before I make you, fucker!" Bakugou lurched at Kaminari, before Kirishima grabbed him and dragged him out of the infirmary. The other students filed out, leaving the infirmary quiet.
"You have nice friends, Midoriya boy. " Recovery Girl smiled.
After what seemed like an eternity later, Midoriya woke up to the familar scene of his bedroom back in the dorm. The All-Might posters pasted across his walls, the familiar green blanket around him, all so very warm and familar.
Wait.
Wasn't he supposed to be at school right now?
Eyes widening, Midoriya jumped out of the bed, his hands scrambling for the alarm clock.
"Oh my god, i'm a fool, I'm so stupid, Aizawa-sensei is going to be so angry, everyone is going to be so worried about me, Todoroki must be so confused and worried, I'm burdening everyone right now." Muttering under his breath, Midoriya sweared he heard his heart stopped the moment his eyes landed on the clock.
School was almost over.
Midoriya screamed inwardly.
"What do I do, what do i do, what do i do..." Mumbling and pacing back and forth, Midoriya wallowed in his panic and worries, almost not noticing the note on his desk. Stopping in his tracks, Midoriya gingerly picked it up, hesitating to read it.
'Dear Young Midoriya,
Are you feeling all better now, my boy? You fainted in school today, so Aizawa and I decided to give you a few days off from school. Young Iida will be bringing you homework from class, so don't worry about skipping school. I will come and visit you later in the evening. Until then, rest well.
From,
All Might'
Clutching the note in his hands, Midoriya heaved a sigh of relief. At least that's solved for now. Then, the waves of worry came crashing in. Midoriya panicked once again. He had brought on so much worry and trouble for everyone. He had burdened them with his sickness. He didn't know how to apologise to them for his selfish behaviour.
Plopping down onto his bed, Midoriya sighed. He glanced at the clock. He had skipped lunch and he was feeling a little hungry.
Well, his nose was more or less cleared up, his throat no longer felt raw, his body actually listened to him and his mind felt alot more clearer now.
So he was clear to leave his bed and head to the kitchen to make something.
Well never mind the fact that his body was still sore and aching, and that his skin still felt a little warm, nor the fact that his mind still felt heavy with sleep, nor the fact that he is still sick.
Midoriya would forsake all of that for lunch. He tend to be positive after all.
He was about to munch down on his sandwiches, nothing much just leftover vegetables and ham left in the fridge, when Midoriya heard voices. And footsteps.
They were back. Midoriya was still not prepared.
"Finally, we're back!"
"Let's go and check up on Midoriya then."
"How's he doing?"
"Probably still asleep."
"Hahaha, from the sleeping pills, right?"
"If Midori was sick he should have told us..."
"We should leave the boys to check on Midoriya, we girls should head to the kitchen."
"Yup!"
Uhoh. Midoriya could visibly hear the shouts coming, he was just waiting for them to come. He froze midaction, his fingers clenched too tightly on the soft white bread. He squeezed his eyes closed, bracing for impact.
"GUYS! HE'S GONE!"
And there it comes.
"What do you mean he's gone, Sero?!"
"Oi, oi, Midoriya's sick! If he's not here, then where is he?!"
"The toliet?"
"Not there,Tokoyami, there's nobody in the toliets!!"
"He's not in the common room either!"
"Deku! Deku, where are you?!"
"Midoriya!"
The frenzied shouts from the boys upstairs had sent the girls downstairs in a panic too. He could hear the rushed foosteps on the wooden floor clearly.
"Where the fuck is that shitrag son of an ass bitch?!"
Midoriya could hear the explosions and Bakugou's extremely loud voice resounding throughout the dorms. He should have expected it somehow, but not to this extent.
Midoriya was still taken aback by the panicked shouts and calls for his name. He was here in the dorms, you know. He didn't go anywhere except for the kitchen.
Was it not normal for someone to go to the kitchen?
"Midoriya! Midoriya! Midor--" Mina had ran across the kitchen, and Midoriya had watched her running, panicking figure until he had locked eyes with her gold irises.
Then she skidded to a stop. Asui collided into her back with a ribbit, before looking into the kitchen.
Both of them simply stared. Midoriya stared back. He was like a deer caught in the headlights. His hand was still holding the sandwich up in the air, waiting to be eaten. He had gotten up from his chair halfway, but Mina had found him before he could say he's here.
But really, the stumped and shocked faces of Mina and Asui continued on for a few moments. And then Mina screeched out.
"MIDORI! YOU'RE HERE!"
And was promptly tackled in a hug.
Iida was the next one to find him, hearing the screams from Mina. He had immediately launched into a lecture about why sick people should not leave their bed, even if its to get a snack.
Midoriya was tempted to rebutt Iida, but seeing Iida's glasses glint sharply, he stopped the thought. Then, as if on cue, Uraraka ran into the kitchen, stopping Iida in his words as she glomped Midoriya into a tight hug. The sandwich flew out of his hand to who knows where, but he'll worry about that later.
"Deku!" Hearing her voice of relief, he gently patted Uraraka's back, mumbling a soft apology. Then, more and more people came pouring into the kitchen, voicing relief when they saw his figure.
His hair was ruffled by Kirishima and Kaminari flashing wide smiles at him. A cold hand belonging to Todoroki patted his shoulder firmly. The girls took their turns to pamper over Midoriya, while the boys roughly ruffled his hair and heartedly patted his back. Bakugou's situation was a little more different, for the moment he stepped into the kitchen, he was immediately led out of it. By the courtesy of Kirishima, Kaminari, Iida and Todoroki for the moment he landed eyes on Midoriya, he had lunged at Midoriya, his hands exploding and his mouth spouting out vulgar words like no tomorrow.
"Now, everyone. Midoriya is still sick, so back to your rooms." Yaoyorozu had all of the boys leave the kitchen.
"Us girls are going to be the ones making Deku something to eat, as well as for the others too!" Uraraka elaborated further, her face sparkling with joy.
"That's right, no boys allowed in the kitchen!" Mina declared happily.
"That includes you, Midoriya." Asui gently reminded him, poking him with her tongue.
"You are not going to eat that while we are here, Midoriya." Yaoyorozu glanced at the sandwich on the table.
"You are still sick, Midoriya." Hagakure agreed, and Jiro nodded her approval.
"Well, if you say so..." Midoriya, along with the other boys, left the kitchen.
"Good for you, Midoriya. You have the girls making food for you!" Mineta dramatically conplained. Midoriya laughed awkwardly, as the boys headed back to their rooms.
"How are you feeling, Midoriya?" Tokoyami asked, as Dark Shadow loomed worringly over him.
"I'm fine...but..." Midoriya, seeing them pass by Sero's room.
"What is it, Midoriya?" Ojiro asked, placing the fluffy part of his tail on Midoriya's shoulders. They pass by Tokoyami's and Ojiro's rooms.
"Nothing much, but..." They pass by Mineta's room.
"But?" Sero pressed on. They reached Midoriya's room.
"I'm fine, guys. There's no need to escort me to my room." Midoriya made his point a bit too late, seeing as they all were already in front of him room.
"We have to make sure you get back safe and sound!" Mineta protested, and the rest nodded.
"That's right, Midoriya. You're sick, and the least we can do as your friends is to be with you." Tokoyami continued as Dark Shadow nodded. Midoriya felt his heart being squeezed tightly.
"Thank you." Slightly choked with emotion, Midoriya gave a small smile.
"No problem. Rest well, Midoriya." Ojiro chimed in, as Midoriya opened the door to his room.
"Call us if you need anything!" Sero offered, and Midoriya nodded back before the guys left. Closing the door behind him with a sigh, Midoriya suddenly felt himself drained.
Dragging himself to his bed, he let himself fall onto soft bedsheets. Everyone was so nice and kind to him. His friends were just so...good to him. Feeling a smile crawling upon his face, Midoriya's eyes closed peacefully.
Midoriya didn't even realize that he had fallen asleep until he heard knocking at his door. Blinking, Midoriya slided out of his bed, walking towards the door and opening it. He rubbed his eyes wearily, ignoring the slight wetness of his eyes. There was no need to worry his classmates any further.
That's right. He's in U.A now. He wasn't back in middle school. He's here right now, in the present, in U.A.
"Ah, Deku! Sorry to disturb you, but dinner is ready! Its your favourite Katsudon!" Uraraka chipped happily, her hand latching onto Midoriya's wrist.
"Oh, ah, thanks for calling me up, Uraraka." Midoriya smiled, letting Uraraka drag him to dinner while he gets his systems running. He was still somewhat sleepy, but that could wait until after dinner. As soon as he smelt fried pork cultets, Midoriya's mind cleared up amazingly fast, and his eyes were now shining with the thought of Katsudon instead of being hazy with sleep.
Uraraka had brought him to the common room, which is really strange because they were supposed to have dinner. Until they reached the common room, and with a flabbagasted look, he realized he was about to have dinner here. In the living room. With all of his classmates and friends. Even Bakugou was here, what a miracle.
They were all staring the TV, playing a movie he faintly recognised at the back of his mind. Iida noticed the presence of the two standing individuals.
"Midoriya. How are you feeling?" The rest of the class had turned towards him, smiling and cheering his name as Midoriya headed towards his seat, suddenly shy of the attention on him.
"Better, Iida." Midoriya replied, his eye fixed on the bowl of Katsudon in front of him.
"Hehe. We knew you loved Katsudon, so we made them for dinner." Uraraka grabbed her bowl, smiling cheerfully.
"Thanks, you guys." Midoriya said bashfully.
"Then, let's eat." Yaoyorozu said, as everyone started to tear and dig into their dinner. They must have waited for him. Suddenly feeling tears, Midoriya blinked them away, and continued eating.
After a comfortable silence amongst the class, eating and watching at the same time, Iida had reluctantly broke the atmosphere. He wasn't the best at dealing with sensitive issues, and so he did it the way he only knew how to.
"Midoriya, what happened?" Bluntly and honestly. Midoriya stopped chewing the rice in his mouth, giving Iida a confused look. The silence became thick, except for the rather uncivilised sounds coming from Bakugou trying to angrily devour his food.
"What do you mean?" Confused at Iida's tensed face, Midoriya put his bowl onto the coffee table.
"You were feeling unwell, right?" Asui continued on more tactfully. Her gaze was rather piercing though.
"Well, yes. I really didn't mean to end up fainting. I thought I had ate medicine and was good to go but it didn't really work out." Midoriya started to ramble on, his hands moving about.
"Midori, you fainted because you had a fever. And also drug overdose."
"W-what?" Midoriya certainly did not expect that.
"Did something happened?" Todoroki asked, looking at him. He didn't touch his dinner yet, Midoriya noticed.
"N-no, nothing was wrong? How did I even get drug overdose?" Midoriya's confusion mirrored the face around him.
"Tell us what happened last night, Midoriya. Everything." Yaoyorozu spoke, and Midoriya felt like he should obey.
"W-well, yesterday I woke up feeling feverish and warm. S-so I went to the kitchen to take some medicine. Then, I went back to bed because I had felt really tired. T-then, my alarm rang and I woke up. But, I-I thought the medicine wasn't working as I still felt sick and feverish so I went to take more medicine." Midoriya rambled on.
"Midoriya." Iida's voice was threateningly tense. And thin.
"Did you see the medicine you took?" Iida asked, his hands on Midoriya's shoulders. Midoriya didn't feel like lying.
"Well, y-yes and n-no? The first time I didn't but the second time I did!" Midoriya squeaked out. Iida stared at him, his glasses glinting.
"Midoriya. It seems that you had mistakenly taken sleeping drugs as fever medicine the first time around. You took an overdose of sleeping drugs, Midoriya." Iida continued on, inferring as he let go of Midoriya's shoulders. Midoriya's jaw slackened.
"W-what?" He thought he heard the sounds of Bakugou eating his food stop.
"What the actual fucking fuck. You fucking overdose your shitty self because you didn't fucking see the medicine you were fucking eating?! Are you fucking with me, fucking bastard Deku?!" Bakugou roared, his hand threatening to blast the bowl into bits and pieces.
"I-I-I-" Midoriya was at a loss of words.
"You took too many sleeping drugs, and you took fever medication shortly afterwards too. Your body couldn't handle all of the medicine, Midoriya. That's why your fever got worse and you fainted." Todoroki continued on. Midoriya didn't think his mouth could be open any wider.
"I-I-I!" Midoriya's face was bright red. He actually caused them to worry over a silly, careless mistake? He couldn't face his classmates now.
"I-I'm sorry, really I am. I created so much trouble for all of you, really I didn't mean to, but I still made all of you worried. Really, really sorry." The feeling of shame and embarrassment overwhelmed him, as Midoriya found the half eaten bowl of Katsudon strangely interesting to look at. Fidgeting, he wondered if the silence looming around him was disapproval and annoyance and anger and frustration and--
"Deku. Deku, don't apologise. Its not your fault." Midoriya could faintly hear Uraraka's voice, but his mind was all clogged up hearing the same words over and over again.
Its my fault.
Its my fault.
Its my fault.
I'm so stupid.
I'm such an idiot.
I made everyone worry about me.
About me.
About this useless me.
About this worthless me.
Will they hate me now?
Will they avoid me now?
Will they look at me the same way as --
"Midoriya. Midoriya." The cold feeling on his shoulder startled Midoriya out of his thoughts with a jerk and a gasp. Todoroki was staring at him.
"You don't have to apologise for that." Todoroki repeated, his cold grip on Midoriya tightening.
"Yup, Midoriya buddy! Its not ya fault!" Kirishima's voice was a little more clearer now.
"Midoriya, you don't have to feel bad, kero. We are your classmates." Asui's voice was louder too.
"As your class president, your classmate, and your friend, it is my responsibility to make sure you are always alright." Iida said it with a huff of pride.
"That's right, Midori, when you feel unwell, you should tell us!" Mina huffed, pouting.
"There is no need to soldier on, Midoriya. When you are sick, you should rest." Yaoyorozu's big sister voice cut in.
"Or else Baku boy is gonna explode like no tomorrow, hehe!" Kaminari added in, running away from a steaming red Bakugou.
"GET THE FUCK BACK HERE! I'LL BURN YOUR PUNYASS ELECTRIC BRAIN OUT OF ITS FUCKING SHITTY ASS SOCKETS!" The bowl was already broken in bits and pieces, as Bakugou decided to chase the living lights out of Kaminari as he ran away, laughing. He could hear Iida indigantly squawk out a "No using Quirks in the dorms, Bakugou!", before sighing.
A few moments later, they all heard one rather large explosion rattling the floor, and a loud shriek ripping out from Kaminari's throat.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! HELP MEEEEE!"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP, ELECTRIC FUCKER!" And Bakugou's colourful language too.
The class burst into laughter afterwards, some saying how Kaminari had deserved it, trying to test Bakugou's already short fuse. Midoriya gawked at the scene, not knowing when a smile had crawled up to his face.
"See, a smile suits you better." Mina grinned happily, as Jiro nodded and smiled back.
"I like it when Midoriya smiles, even when he's sick!" Hagakure voiced out her opinion, her sleeve raised. Ojiro let out a small smile in his approval.
"Laughter is the best medicine after all." Iida shifted his glasses, letting out a small relieved sigh.
"Now, everyone. Let's continue eating. The food is going to get cold." Yaoyorozu clapped her hands to get everyone's attention, reminding them to eat their food.
Everyone continued eating without a single complaint. Midoriya digged in with renew gusto as well, telling Uraraka how delicious the food was and thanking Todoroki for a glass of warm water. Dinner continued on in a comfortable silence, and nobody said anything when Kirishima secretly sneaked a piece of pork cultlet from Kaminari's bowl.
These were his classmates. There were his friends. He had friends now. He had friends that were there for him now.
Midoriya realized his sore throat, his somewhat sniffy nose and his aching body were a little more easier to tolerate now.
However, things went a little downhill afterwards.
Midoriya hadn't realized how protective and pampering the class was towards him. The minute Midoriya had finished his dinner, Uraraka had immediately latched onto his bowl, offering to take his bowl to the kitchen. Of course, Midoriya refused the offer, and tried to got up.
When another hand latched onto his bowl. It was Todoroki's hand. Iida's hands were now on his shoulders, forcing him to sit back down. Well, Midoriya didn't really have the motivation to rebel against the three pair of eyes staring at him, and a pair of red eyes glaring daggers at him, as if daring him to try to stand up.
Furthermore, the familar sensation of sleep was crawling back to him now, and Midoriya resisted an urge to yawn loudly. He liked being with everyone here. He didn't want to go back to sleep, yet. A while later, while the class was halfway through their second movie, Midoriya could feel himself trying to fight off the temptation of sleep. Deciding to go to the toliet to try to freshen himself up a little, Midoriya went alone despite the attempts of Kirishima trying to tag along. He could do his business alone, no thank you.
Or so he thought. He didn't realize how far the toliet was from the common room. The toliet isn't very far from the common room, but the distance had felt especially far today. Or maybe he was imaging things. Yup, he was probably imagining his legs feeling like lead, and that his eyelids were so very heavy. The clutches of sleep was right behind him, clawing at him. He could feel himself trying to resist it. Maybe he had too much to eat. Just food coma. It'll pass, Midoriya thought.
But the monster was unrelenting, and Midoriya could feel his brain shutting down. No, no here, Midoriya weakly thought. He was just a few more steps to the bathroom. But as he tried to reach out for the bathroom, he couldn't walk anymore. He was too tired.
Midoriya realized groggily that his legs were falling. His body was too. His vision was spinning and turning black. And then somewhere far, far away, he heard the thump of a body against a wall. Ah, he should have taken up on Kirishima's offer.
Jiro heard a thump. Startled, she looked up at the direction where Midoriya went off. Mina looked at her in confusion, her expression asking her what's wrong. Jiro shook her nothing, whispering that nothing was wrong. She got up from her spot, taking her empty bowl with her.
She went into the kitchen, seeing a few bowls clattered in the sink. She placed hers inside, mentally reminding herself to wash them later. She headed out of the kitchen. And went towards the bathroom. Maybe she had heard things, but that excuse was quite redundant on her sharp ears. She did hear a thump. And the only person heading towards the bathroom now was Midoriya.
Her gut feeling turned into reality as soon as she turned around the corner, seeing a slumped figure against the wall. Gasping, she rushed towards the figure, her footsteps seemingly loud in her ears, but she didn't care. Her own thumping heartbeat was much louder.
"Midoriya!" Her hands latched onto Midoriya's limp arms. Her eyes scanned Midoriya's body and face for anything that went wrong. Then she stopped halfway when she heard the sounds of soft snoring.
'I-Is Midoriya sleeping?' Jiro saw Midoriya's chest rise and fall. She could definitely hear the soft snores from Midoriya's mouth, and the sound of air entering and leaving his nostrils.
'T-Thank god. Thank god Midoriya's only sleeping.' Jiro thought to herself, trying to lift Midoriya up. Which she couldn't.
Now, what should she do so that the class wouldn't erupt in panic?
Just then, her earjacks picked up the sound of someone entering the kitchen. She knew that was Kaminari based on the horrendous humming coming from him. She would normally go and strangle him for uttering such terrible sounds but it wasn't the time for that.
"Kaminari! Kaminari!" Jiro called to him, mentally cheering herself when the humming and the footsteps stopped.
"Kaminari, here!" Jiro called out, and relief washed through her body as she saw bright yellow hair emerging around the corner.
Or at least until Kaminari had paled in horror seeing the slumped figure in Jiro's arms.
"OH MY GOSH MIDORIYA! GUYS, MIDORIYA FAINTED!" Jiro mentally screamed in frustration and facepalmed herself.
Well, it seems that Kaminari was an idiot even when he's not using electricity.
She should have known better anyway.
But first, she'll strangle Kaminari.
All Might and Aizawa certainly did not expect this...chaos. They had planned to visit Midoriya in the evening, seeing as he was like a precious son to All Might. Aizawa would never admit it but, he had grown a soft spot for Midoriya, for all of his precious students. Especially Midoriya, who would always injure himself protecting his classmates and just overdoing his body all of the time. But as soon as they had entered the dorms, the loud voices screaming and shouting pierced through their ears.
"WHAT THE FLYING FUCK THAT SHITTY DEKU! WHAT DID HE FUCKING DO NOW?!"
"Stop screaming Bakugou, he's alright!"
"He's sleeping for god's sake!"
"Even so, he shouldn't be just sleeping in the midst of a hallway!"
"Wait he didn't faint?"
"Stupid idiot Kaminari! Do you want us to have a heart attack again?!"
"He just collasped and slept!"
"Collasping is still not a good thing, right?!"
"He shouldn't be collasping in his condition! He's still fricking sick,bro!"
"Guys! Guys, stop shouting!"
"Everyone, calm down! Deku is okay!"
"Everyone calm down! You will wake Midoriya up!"
"Guys. Guys. Guys! All Might and Aizawa-sensei are here!"
As if by a miracle, Mina's shouting had brought silence. The bunch of students who were shouting and just panicking all turned and stared at the two figures staring back at them.
All Might was just completely flabbergasted and speechless with his mouth wide open. Aizawa had his usual bored look on, but a raised eyebrow did enough to express the surprise. He'll squeeze an explaination out of these kids for their rowdiness. But first...
"All Might. Your mouth is open."
Afterwards, the students of class 1-A were all summoned into the common room. They were all sitting on the floor, looking up at the thin, tired looking hero in front of them. All Might had decided to head to Midoriya's room. But they knew better than to do anything silly in his presence. Seeing as he had wordlessly whipped his head towards Bakugou suddenly, a red glint in his black eyes as he caught the explosive boy at the back trying to sneak out of the common room. Bakugou had immediately abandoned all thoughts of sneaking out and obediently sat down.
"Explain what is going on." Aizawa finally spoke out.
Sometimes, it was the quiet ones that were the scariest.
You're useless. Stupid. Good for nothing. Worthless. Waste of space.
Quirkless. Quirkless. Quirkless. Quirkless. You're nothing without a quirk. You're nothing.
I'm useless. I'm stupid. I'm good for nothing. I'm worthless. I'm a waste of space. I'm nothing.
You're quirkless. You're quirkless. You'requirklessyou'requirklessyou'requirklessyou'requirkless--
I'm not. I'm not. I'M NOT! I'm something with a quirk! I have a quirk!
So what if you have one?
You are still the same old useless Deku.
Midoriya woke up with a sharp inhale, a strangled gasp for air. The old demons of the past had crawled towards him with a proximity too close for comfort. His body was slightly shaking. Was it because his body was still too warm? Or was it because he was scared?
An itchness scratched at Midoriya's throat, and he started to cough, his hand grasping for the glass of water on his table. His nose was a little drippy with snot. His cheeks were a little wet. His eyes were watery.
Midoriya wriggled his toes, trying to numb the soreness and aches around his body. His old scars throbbed a little too much everywhere, and Midoriya couldn't help but wrap his arms around himself.
I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay.
Repeating those words like a mantra, Midoriya slowly uncurled himself. He didn't even realize the cold sweat on his neck, or the soft panting.
Ah, he must have fallen asleep. Ah, how embarrassing. Midoriya's cheeks flushed red.
How could he have just fallen asleep there and then?! Oh gosh, he must have worried his classmates so much. He had already caused them so much trouble, he just had to go and pile even more worries onto them. Oh gosh...
I'm really so troublesome to them.
You're a burden to them.
I should really try not to worry them so much anymore.
You should really try not to burden them.
I should probably go and apologise for all of the trouble.
You should probably go and curl up in your bed.
I should go see them now.
You shouldn't go see them now.
They must be worried.
They aren't worried.
They must be waiting for me.
They aren't waiting for you.
I should tell them I'm all okay now.
You aren't okay.
I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay.
You aren't. You aren't. You aren't.
I am!
Youaren'tyouaren'tyouaren'tyouaren'tyouaren'tokayyouaren'tokayyou'rearen't--
"Young Midoriya?" The knock from his door startled Midoriya out of his trance, his trembling halting for a moment as Midoriya recognise the voice that called his name. Midoriya got up quickly, his arms subconsciously rubbing themselves and tightening their hold around his body.
Opening the door, Midoriya was faced with All Might's deflated figure, well he hate to call it that way but All Might said it was accurate.
"Ah, A-all Might. Hello." Midoriya let out a small smile at All Might's fatherly looking figure, now that was true whether he was in his hero form or not.
"Hello, Midoriya my boy. How are you? Are you feeling better?" Toshinori asked, raising a hand to pat reassuringly on Midoriya's shoulders.
Midoriya's face went red with shyness and embarrassment as he opened the door wider, his head looking at the ground.
"I'm all better now, really. Just really tired, that's all. Would you like to come in, All Might?" Midoriya rambled, allowing All Might to come into his room.
With a small fatherly smile on his face, Toshinori stepped into Midoriya's room. He had forgotten about Midoriya's admiration for him, and seeing so many posters and figurines of him in Midoriya's room, made Toshinori shuffled his feet awkwardly.
"S-sorry to make you come all the way here. I didn't mean to trouble and worry you so much. I'm really sorry!" Midoriya didn't know what to do but just ramble and mumble in front of his all time favourite hero. But amongst the ramblings, Toshinori didn't missed on how bloodshot Midoriya's eyes had looked, or the unusual tremble in his hands.
Midoriya had cried.
"Midoriya, my boy." Guiding the two of them to sit down on Midoriya's bed, which had a green All Might bedsheet on it, Toshinori looked into Midoriya's green eyes.
"Are you really okay?" As if struck by lightning, Midoriya flinched. His mouth went up in a hesitant smile, but his eyes showed desperate fear and panic. Midoriya was beginning to ramble with a fake smile on his face.
Toshinori preferred Midoriya rambling with a genuine smile instead.
"My boy, you have been crying." Toshinori didn't want to get brutally honest here, bit he had no choice. Midoriya froze, before raising a trembling hand to wipe his eyes. Toshinori looked on sadly, heartbroken.
"What has you crying, my boy?" Toshinori asked.
"A-ah, its nothing, r-really, it was a just a d-dream, a d-dream from the p-past. N-nothing really, j-j-just a b-b-ba--s-stupid dream." Midoriya was visibly shaking now. Toshinori's hands went to Midoriya's shoulders, gripping it as tightly as he could.
"Please, Midoriya my boy. I'm your mentor. The least I can do as of right now is to be here to listen to your pain, and comfort you when you are sad. How can I bear seeing one of my beloved students struggling and in pain?" Toshinori sadly said. Midoriya's shoulders had stiffened and a short gasp was heard.
"I'm here for you, and its okay to tell me when you're not okay. Because you're not okay now. Do not cry my boy, for I am here now." Toshinori let the cliche phrase slip from his mouth on accident, and Toshinori barely had time to blush and be embarrassed about it before a sobbing Midoriya was tightly embracing his sticklike figure. Toshinori let his bonely hands wrap around Midoriya's quivering figure.
It seemed like something had broke in Midoriya, as tears simply gushed from his eyes and his sobs became louder and his hands became tighter around his chest. As cliche as it sounds, hearing the usual phrase All Might always says when he saves the day had released of all the sadness and worries and fear and tension in Midoriya like breaking a dam.
After what seemed like a long long time, when Midoriya's hands were beginning to feel numb and Toshinori's shirt was soaked with tears, Midoriya's hold on Toshinori loosened, and Midoriya finally looked up.
His eyes were no longer clouded with overwhelming panic and desperate fear. Instead, it was surprisingly clear. There was still sadness lingering in it though, but Toshinori decided it would be a story for another day. Now, Midoriya needed someone to be there when he cries his tears. And he shall be that person.
For he is here now.
"T-thank you. For being here, I mean." Midoriya whispered out softly, his face still buried in Toshinori's drying shirt. Toshinori grinned, before a thin hand ruffled the green mop of hair on his chest.
He had said thank you instead of sorry. That's good. That's good.
"I'm always here, so there no need to thank me." Toshinori said with a little croak. Geez, was he getting emotional? Really, now of all times?
"Now, Young Midoriya, dry your tears. For your friends are waiting for you. Don't make them wait for you, my boy." Toshinori reminded Midoriya softly. Midoriya finally parted from Toshinori's chest, sniffing a little and coughing. But Midoriya had responded with an enthusiastic nod, and literally ran towards the door. Toshinori also got up, walking towards the door.
"Let's go then."
Toshinori would have to rack his brain for an excuse when Aizawa asks about his suddenly wet shirt.
When Midoriya once again entered the living room, he decided he could push away the old dreams of past away for now. The past was the past. And he wouldn't let them overwhelm him. For now. He'll rather think about the relieved faces turning around to look at him one by one, and focus on trying not to fall when all 19 students of class 1-A had decided to tackle him into a hug.
He was okay. For now. The demons would come back. They always would. The panic would never really go away. But, Midoriya feels that he could now stand up to them with a little more courage. Because he was okay now.
Because he has everyone now.