Whumptober Day 10: Bruises
Summary: Izuku has been on edge all day, jumping any time anyone gets near him. Ochako makes it her mission to find out why. After all, he didn't usually come to school with bandages wrapped around his neck.
Woohoo! My third Whumptober prompt! I feel so accomplished for actually finishing this thing on time. Hope you guys like it!
Ochako had never been more terrified in all her life.
Here she was, running away from Izuku out of her own selfish nervousness, only to come back to see this.
Izuku was with a guy in a hoodie sitting on a bench. The man's fingers were wrapped around Izuku's throat. Izuku looked up at her desperately, his eyebrows twitching with what looked like fear, and his eyes filled with tears. His hands were clenched and raised as though to claw at the man's hand around his neck, but couldn't quite reach them. This man was strangling him.
The hooded man finally lifted his gaze, and Ochako was met by red, crazed eyes. The eyes of a madman.
The eyes of Shigaraki.
"H-hey… let go of him…" Ochako said shakily, still barely believing the sight before her eyes. Her best friend was being strangled right before her, and suddenly she was at a loss of what to do.
Izuku looked down quickly, and suddenly looked terrified. "This is nothing, everything is fine! Stay back! No closer!" he yelled at her in a strained, wheezy voice. Shigaraki's fingers only tightened around his throat, abruptly breaking off Izuku's warning. Izuku's face pinched in pain, and he finally grabbed at the hand cutting off his air supply.
"Ah ah ah, I told you not to struggle, Midoriya!" Shigaraki said in an eerie, deranged voice. "Y'know, I was considering keeping you alive, but I'm thinking I may just have to kill you now…"
Ochako's eyes widened as Shigaraki's final finger lowered slowly towards Izuku's throat. The boy's eyes shot open, and he grabbed Shigaraki's wrist to wrench it away from his neck.
"Deku! NO!" Ochako screeched and thrust herself forward, her hands outstretched. Izuku made eye contact with her, his eyes wide and terrified. And then, Shigaraki's finger made contact with Izuku's neck.
"DEKU!" Ochako yelled, sitting upwards abruptly. Her heart thudded violently in her chest and cold sweat rolled down her face. She clenched at her sheets with balled fists.
Wait. She was in her bed?
Was that just a nightmare?
Ochako grabbed her phone, nearly dropping it because her hand shook so badly, and turned it on. Her screen flashed brightly, displaying the numbers "5:23."
Ochako sighed deeply, staring at her phone's lock screen for another moment. The picture displayed was one she took of herself and Izuku a couple of weeks ago, though Izuku himself had no idea that the photo was her screensaver. He'd probably have a heart attack if he knew. They took the picture right after Hero Training, and they were both in their costumes, huge smiles spread over both their faces. Ochako had her arm wrapped around Izuku's shoulders, and his was raised towards the camera in a peace sign.
She knew she was being silly, but she needed to make sure he was safe. After all, he did tell her she could talk to him anytime she was feeling upset, didn't he?
Before she knew it, her cell phone was already ringing, Izuku's contact photo displayed on the screen. Within only a few rings, he picked up. Ochako raised the phone to her ear shakily.
"Uraraka! Are you okay? You've never called me before since that incident in Hosu-"
"Y-yeah…" Ochako said as she clutched at her phone tighter. "I'm fine. I-I just… it's silly. I'm sorry I woke you up…"
"No, you didn't wake me up!" Izuku's voice sounded through the phone. It sounded rougher than usual, and slightly wheezy. Maybe it was just the distortion of the audio. "I was actually already awake."
"Really? What the heck are you doing up at this hour?" Did he have nightmares too? It would make sense if he did, especially since the… incident had just occurred the day before.
"I could say the same thing to you!" Izuku chuckled, and Ochako smiled slightly. Just hearing his voice calmed her nerves tremendously. "I was on a run. I usually try to get up early to do it since I usually run about eight miles a day-"
"Eight miles?! Deku, are you insane?"
"Uh, depends on your definition of insane, really," he said. This time, Ochako laughed, though it was a bit wobbly.
"Anyways, you never told me why you were up this early. Is something wrong?"
"N-no! Everything is fine! It was just a silly nightmare, nothing to worry about," Ochako said nervously.
Izuku was quiet for a couple of seconds. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not really… well, I-I… maybe later. It's not really something I wanna talk about over the phone," Ochako was quiet for a few seconds. "D'you think maybe I could see you sometime today?"
"I-I-I dunno… um… We have school t-tomorrow! You can see m-me then?" Izuku stammered.
"Sure," Ochako said half-heartedly. "I-it's silly… I'm sorry I bothered you."
"Nightmares are never silly," Izuku said in a now serious tone, which was an abrupt change from the nervousness before. But as quick as that, it was gone. "I'll see you tomorrow! B-bye Uraraka!" He hung up abruptly.
Ochako pulled the phone away from her ear and watched as the screen faded to her lock screen. She gazed at the photo of herself and Izuku, sighing.
"I wonder why he didn't want to see me?" Ochako wondered aloud. It wasn't like him to deny a chance to hang out with her. Maybe it was because it would be just the two of them?
There were less than two minutes left to class and Izuku still wasn't there.
Ochako really shouldn't have been worried. He'd texted her earlier to let her know he wouldn't be walking to school with her and Iida that morning, so she really shouldn't be fretting as much as she was…
It didn't help that the previous night Ochako had another nightmare about the mall incident. This time, she didn't wake up in time to avoid seeing Izuku's disintegrating neck…
A familiar mop of green appeared in Ochako's peripheral vision, and she snapped her head up. Immediately, she felt herself relaxing. He was here now. Why was she even worried?
Ochako watched as Izuku ran into several desks in his rush to get to his own. His muttered apologies fell on mostly deaf ears, as the rest of class was still talking, with the exception of Bakugou whose desk was directly in front of Izuku's.
"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, YOU NERD!" Ochako noticed Izuku flinch violently at the noise, his hand jerking up to cover his neck.
"S-sorry, Kacchan..." Izuku whispered, his voice far quieter than usual. Ochako frowned, watching as he seated himself at his desk. He immediately slouched downwards and pulled his shirt collar upwards, glancing around the room nervously.
"MIDORIYA! You do realize that you barely made it to class on time? It is improper for the exemplary students of our prestigious school to arrive so late to class!" Iida's energetic voice boomed as he marched over to Izuku's desk. Ochako noticed how Izuku grimaced once again.
"Y-yeah, I know, Iida. It won't happen again," he muttered, sinking down in his seat further. Iida seemed to deem this satisfactory, and he marched away to take a seat at his own desk.
Izuku reached up to touch his neck again, and Ochako saw a flash of something white. Were those… bandages?
As Ochako pushed herself up from her seat, planning to talk to Izuku, she was stopped when Aizawa rolled into the classroom in his sleeping bag. Immediately, the class quieted as everyone rushed to their desks. Ochako reluctantly sat down, casting a worried glance to Izuku.
She would talk to him later.
Izuku was avoiding her. That much was clear.
Ochako had been trying to pull him aside and talk to him all day, but each time he'd run off with some other excuse. Most of them were ridiculous. Once, he ran off, saying, "I forgot my socks were inside out, so I gotta go turn them right side out!"
It was pretty obvious he was avoiding her. But the real question was why was he? Did her breath smell? Did she say something wrong? Did it have to do with the way he'd been holding his neck and flinching any time someone got close to him?
Ochako noticed that for the entire day, Izuku had been extremely jumpy… at least, more so than usual. Any time someone touched him, he'd either flinch violently or pull one of his judo flips. He'd only done the latter once, when Kirishima laid his arm around his shoulder jokingly. Izuku had flipped out, and he'd immediately grabbed Kirishima's arm and thrown him over his shoulder. Afterwards, he'd apologized profusely, and Kirishima had laughed it off. Still, Ochako thought it was pretty… odd.
At the moment, Class 1A had just finished Basic Hero Training with All Might. Everyone was chatting freely, despite the intense workout they'd all just completed.
"Hey, Uraraka!" Mina called, running up to Ochako with a grin. "Wanna go to the arcade with us later tonight? We're doing it as a sort of last "hurrah" before we go to the training camp since our last trip kinda flopped!" She then turned to Izuku, who was standing a few yards away from Ochako talking to Kirishima. "You too, Midoriya! Wanna go?"
Ochako winced at the mention of their shopping trip. She glanced over to Izuku, who had a slightly panicked expression on his face. However, it left almost as soon as it appeared.
"U-uh, I'm fine! R-really, you guys go without me…" He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Oh come on, dude! It'll be fun!" Kirishima said, this time wisely not touching Izuku.
"I'm gonna pass… sorry, guys," Izuku said.
"Is it because of the incident that occurred a few days prior?" Iida asked. Izuku immediately stiffened.
"N-no, I just- I wanted to hang out with my mom for a bit!"
"Hey, Midoriya, are those bandages around your neck?" Todoroki said suddenly.
Izuku immediately jerked his hand up to cover his neck, but by then it was too late. "Y-y-yeah, t-they are… I k-kinda got a rash…" he stammered, pulling the metal respirator on his costume upwards to cover the bandages. Ochako narrowed her eyes. Now that she thought about it, he had been touching his neck a lot today… but he'd never once tried to scratch it, like he would if he had a rash. Could it be something else?
"HAH! STUPID DEKU IS SUCH A WUSSY HE'S GOTTA BANDAGE A TINY LITTLE RASH!" Bakugou laughed, only to be slapped on the back of the head by Kirishima. The blonde immediately turned angry. "HEY, WATCH IT SPIKY HAIR!"
Ochako's eyebrow twitched at Bakugou's harsh remark, but she refrained from yelling at him. Bakugou was loud enough for both of them combined. Besides, Kirishima could handle it.
"Heh… yeah, it's a pretty bad rash though!" Izuku said nervously, turning away from his friends. Ochako frowned and watched Izuku's back as he walked towards the changing rooms. He wasn't acting like himself at all. She made it her mission to find out why after class.
The second Aizawa dismissed them, Izuku shot to his feet, grabbing his bag and rushing towards the door. Ochako also jumped up and packed her things quickly, running to catch up with Izuku. She finally caught up to him outside the school where he was starting to walk through the gate.
"Deku! Wait up!" she yelled. He flinched, and then stopped walking. He turned to face her with a slightly nervous expression.
"H-hey, Uraraka! Is something wrong?" Izuku looked everywhere but at Ochako's face. She frowned, perturbed.
"Actually, there is. Can I talk to you about something?"
"Uh… sure, I guess. Can we talk while we walk?" he offered, turning towards the road. Ochako nodded, and they started walking side by side.
After a couple minutes of walking without saying anything, Izuku broke the silence. "So, what did you want to talk about?"
Ochako bit her lip. What was the best way to go about it..? Should she be blunt, or just drop a hint? Izuku was a pretty smart guy, so he'd definitely figure it out if she hinted at it…
"Why are there bandages on your neck?" No turning back. She had gone with the blunt approach.
Izuku's cheeks immediately flared red, and he looked down at the ground. He reached up to touch his neck shakily. "I-uh, I told you guys! I've got a rash!"
"Then how come you haven't tried scratching it at all?" He winced at her words. "And, on top of that, your voice sounds… off. It sounds like you tried to eat gravel for breakfast and some of it is still stuck in your throat!"
He immediately cleared his throat. "R-really? Is it that bad?"
Ochako nodded. "Tell the truth. Why is your neck bandaged? And why have you been so on edge today?" He flinched again, turning his gaze upwards to the sky.
"Ah- you noticed?"
"It was kind of hard not to when you judo flipped Kirishima."
"Eh… I really didn't mean to!" he protested. "Besides, I apologized to him, and he activated his quirk before he could get hurt… I really think I damaged the floor more than him-"
"That's not the point!" she snapped. He flinched backwards, and Ochako softened her tone. "Hey… is it because of what happened at the mall?" Her tone was hesitant, but firm. She wasn't going to leave without an answer.
And his silence was all the answer she needed.
She stopped abruptly on the sidewalk before grabbing his hand. He stopped, but still wouldn't look at her. "Can I see?" she asked quietly.
After a few seconds, Izuku nodded stiffly. Ochako tugged on his hand and lead them over to a nearby bench at the entrance to a park. There was no one around them, not even any cars. They were alone.
She sat down and he followed her, albeit reluctantly. He sat with a tense frame and eased his hand out of her grip. Ochako tried not to feel disappointed at the loss of the warmth of his hand.
"P-promise not to freak out…?" he asked, finally raising his face slightly to peer into her eyes. Ochako could see the fear and worry in his gaze plainly.
"I promise," she said. He took a deep breath, then raised his hands to his neck. Slowly, he unwrapped the white bandages, revealing the dark purple, bruised skin of his throat. It looked so painful that Ochako's heart leapt into her throat and her eyes filled with tears.
"Oh, Deku," she whispered, raising her hand to hover close to his neck. The pale skin was marred by purple and red finger-shaped bruises. Ochako could see that they reached all the way around his throat, but they were the worst in the front. Izuku's head was ducked, so his hair covered his eyes. But his mouth was clearly twisted into a grimace.
She finally moved her hand so her fingers brushed one of the bruises. Izuku flinched slightly, and Ochako jerked her hand backwards. "I-I'm sorry! Did that hurt?" she asked fearfully.
"A little," he admitted, his head still lowered.
Ochako's face twisted, and her heart clenched horribly. She reached out again to touch his neck, this time barely grazing the skin there. Her eyes stung with tears and a choked sound came out of her throat.
"I-I'm so sorry," she sobbed, bringing her other hand up to touch the other side of his bruised neck.
Izuku snapped his head up, his eyes wide and cheeks stained red. "W-what? Why are you apologizing?" He then noticed her tears, and his eyes widened even further. "W-woah! Hey, Uraraka! Why are you- w-wait, please stop crying! I-I-I can cover it up again! Is it seriously that ugly?"
"Deku…" she choked, throwing her arms around his chest and pulling him into a hug. He stiffened, but didn't pull away.
"I'm so sorry! It's all m-my fault you got hurt! If only I hadn't left, Shigaraki wouldn't have targeted you, and you wouldn't have been strangled! It's all my fault you almost d-died!" Ochako sobbed.
Izuku relaxed slightly, and he brought his hand up to hesitantly touch her back. "H-hey, Uraraka… it's not your fault-"
"It is my fault though!" she cried, pulling back to look Izuku in the eyes. She brought one of her hands up to cup his cheek, and the other touched his neck again. "I should never have left you alone! I shouldn't have let something so silly get in the way of your safety… if only I had just stayed with you! I'm so stupid, letting my feelings get in the way like this-" she cut herself off abruptly. Her face flushed, and tears continued to roll down her face.
"What're you talking about?" Izuku asked, his hand reaching up to rest on her shoulder. A huge blush covered his cheeks.
"I care about you a lot, Deku," Ochako whispered. He blinked at her in surprise, and his cheeks reddened even further. "I-I mean- you're my best friend!" she stammered, her heart clenching slightly. He was, but… why didn't that word feel right…?
A slight smile made its way onto Izuku's face. "You're my best friend too, Uraraka."
Ochako smiled, then realized her hands still cupped Izuku's cheek and neck. She ripped her hands away as if they'd been burned. "S-sorry for touching you like that without asking!" She rubbed at her cheeks furiously to get rid of the tears, but her eyes still felt swollen.
"I-it's fine!" Izuku said, looking away from her quickly and rubbing the back of his head. She noticed him wince at the movement, which probably pulled at his bruised throat.
"Did you ever get that checked out by Recovery Girl?" Ochako asked, guilt bubbling up in her chest again.
Izuku grimaced. "Eh- no? I-I thought it would've healed by now, since it's been a few days already…" He switched the topic quickly. "Why were you up so early yesterday? I've been meaning to ask you, since you never really answered. You said it was a nightmare, right?"
Ochako frowned, looking down at the ground. "I- uh…"
"It's okay, you don't have to tell me," he said reassuringly. "I'm sorry I brought it up."
"No, it's fine… You have a right to know, since it was about you," she admitted, clutching at her skirt.
"About… me?" Izuku said slowly.
"Yeah. It was about Shigaraki," she said, looking at Izuku from the corner of her eye. He seemed to be lost in thought.
"Shigaraki?"
"Yeah," Ochako swallowed. "I dreamed he- he used his quirk on you," she explained. Ochako felt tears well up in her eyes once again. "I know - it's silly, but I was so scared you were gonna die, and you almost did and I can't stop thinking about it-"
"It's not silly! I have nightmares about it too!" Izuku said, cutting her off. "Really, it makes sense that you'd have nightmares about it since it was a pretty traumatic situation, and you were there when it happened," Izuku rambled. "It was pretty scary for me too, but I can't imagine how it must've felt to you having to watch it! T-that's kinda why I've been avoiding you today..."
"Are you kidding?" Ochako interjected. "You're the only who was nearly strangled, and you're saying you think it was more scary for me?" She once again stared at the stark bruises that marred his throat. "Deku, why would you avoid me because of something like that…?"
He ducked his head lower. "I was scared you wouldn't want to see me after that happened… I mean, it might've brought back memories or something." Izuku laughed shakily. "At the time, all I was really worried about were the other people around us," he admitted. "Shigaraki said that if I struggled, he'd kill innocent people. I didn't really consider my own life much."
Ochako's gaze softened. "Deku… you really need to start caring about yourself more," she whispered, taking one of his hands in hers. She rubbed her thumb across one of the scars that marred his hand. "What would've happened if I didn't get there in time? What if Shigaraki actually did kill you?"
"The important thing is that he didn't, Uraraka," Izuku cut in. Ochako raised her gaze to his, and saw that he was smiling sheepishly. "I'm still here, and no one died! We can't change what happened in the past, so now we've got to think about the future." Izuku looked away, staring up at the sky with a warm smile on his face. His hair blew gently in the breeze.
Ochako felt a smile rise on her face at the sight of Izuku. He was alive, and she was alive. They were here now, enjoying this moment together.
She squeezed his hand, and then turned her face up to look at the sky. "I hope you're in my future, Deku," she said quietly. He squeezed her hand slightly.
"I hope so, too."