Izuku looked at the limp body of Aizawa in shock, as did everyone else, unable to believe what had just happened. Izuku felt his breath begin to shock as shock took over and the anger faded to horror, his senses slowly coming back to him.

He'd done this…

He'd done….

Oh god. Oh god. He was going to be sick. He could feel his breathing become uneven and panicked and before he knew what was happening he turned on his feet, suddenly running.

"YOUNG MIDORIIYA!"

"MIDORIYA!"

"IZUKU!"

He heard many shouting for him to wait but he couldn't bring himself to, running further and further away, not even sure what he was really doing any more as the panic overwhelmed him.

All he knew is he had to keep going! Keep going! Get away, get away!

And eventually, his sprint into the unknown ended when his foot got caught on a root and he found himself, tripping up, falling right into a ditch and rolling over, likely with a bruised skull as he hissed in pain.

And now that he'd finally stopped moving it caught up to him. An extreme, overwhelming guilt, fear and sadness that ate him. That made his eyes sting more and more until the tears started.

And they didn't seem to stop, as he shook violently and cried his eyes out in that ditch. Cried for his broken childhood. Cried for the teen years that were being robbed from him. Cried for the state of his relationship with Tooru and likely for his likely upcoming expulsion.

He just cried for everything, and didn't stop shaking and sobbing until much, much later, where he just laid there looking dead in the dirt, wishing for the days of hanging out with Tooru and Kyoka without worry, of meeting Urachan and finding a new best friend, of the good days before things went to shit.

He wasn't even sure how long he was there for, all he knew is that when he was eventually found it had been quite a while since he had run off. He probably looked a mess but he was no longer crying. He'd heard their shoes crunching down on wood first.

He'd turned around, expecting to find a teacher. Instead he came face to face (or technically face to gym t-shirt) with Tooru. She was in the U.A. gym uniform, likely to keep warm and… even despite her invisibly Izuku could see she was shaking.

A horrible thought struck him. Did he do that?

"M-Midoriya?" She started and Izuku felt his heart break in many different ways. A part of him was happy to hear her say his name, another pained to know it likely wasn't to be followed by anything good and another even more pained still by her tone.

She sounded shy, reserved, her posture suggested she was curling in on herself slightly… and she sounded almost… fearful?

Things that she should never be, especially when talking to him. What had he done?

Despite everything that he wanted to say, that wanted to escape him, only a few words did. "Tooru? What's… happening?"

"….A-Aizawa is recovering." She began, clearly struggling to speak for some reason. "Recovery Girl was r-right there so it w-wasn't a big issue, although he'll n-need rest for a f-few days. He w-wanted whoever found you to tell you he had a message. To say he's sorry."

He swallowed down the lump in his throat.

"Everyone w-was worried about you, but we thought we'd better give you s-space for a bit." She sounded like she choked on her own words and it made Izuku feel sick. "S-So… yeah…."

If there was more to say, she didn't get a chance before a dry and broken laugh escaped Izuku. She flinched slightly. Maybe laughing was a bad choice but just… Izuku didn't know what else to do as he pushed himself up and pressed himself against a dirt wall in the ditch, before sighing, his gaze cast to the ground.

Too little. Too late.

He wasn't even sure what he was doing now, but all he knew is his mouth began moving before his mind. "Did you know I was g-gonna probably ask you out when the exams were over a week ago?"

"W-What?"

"You and Kyoka a-actually." He sniffled slightly, leaning his head back and groaning. "I hated this last week, everything that went w-wrong. Made me sick to my stomach how many misunderstandings and accidents happened. I'd never… I'd never want to hurt y-you or Kyoka. I never… I couldn't."

He took a shuddering breath.

"I…. f-figured out through empathy that I have f-feelings for both of you…. A-And I think they're returned. B-But I c-couldn't decide b-between either of you, ever. I couldn't r-risk hurting either of you. I couldn't live with myself, I c-can't live with myself with the past week and those were a-accidents!"

"Midoriya-"

"And…. And I looked into it a-and found out Polyamory is a thing. I w-was just gonna bring the idea up at l-least." He grabbed the grass on the ground tight and ripped it out. "J-Just so at least I knew w-were we could stand. I w-wanted to wait till the exams, I d-didn't want to ask when we w-were all studying and going to be stressed. I thought today would be the day we c-could all get on from the exams, feel better, and talk. Instead, I'm just s-so…. Angry, and bitter and the last w-week was a mess and…. I j-just wanted us to be happy. I didn't want anyone to get hurt, but now people I didn't even intend to hurt are being hurt bad! I just… I just…"

A sniffling caught his attention and his heart ached as he looked up, confirming it was coming from Hagakure as wet tears hit the ground after sliding down an invisible face. Then, those aches felt like they were making cracks as she began to slowly walk backwards, seemingly shaking what little he could see of her head from her outfit.

"T-Toor-"

"I'm s-sorry… I-Izuku… I can't… I can't do this right now… I want t-to support you but… I'm scared okay?! You're s-scaring me! Everything that happens f-feels like you w-were just trying to chase me off and now this?! nothing makes sense and I… I need time away from you…" She choked out and the aching got worse, feeling like hot knives in his chest.

"W-what? Haga-"

"I'm sorry! B-But the a-abbey, the gunshot wounds, the angry rants t-that come out of nowhere! The secrets I know you're k-keeping from us, and now the l-last week! Now today! I h-honestly d-didn't know if we were s-safe! I… I need time… P-Please… Please don't t-talk to me for a while! I'm sorry!"

And with that, the girl turned and ran faster than Izuku had ever seen her run as she broke down into full on tears. For the second time that day, Izuku's heart shattered.

He slowly collapsed back, before his own tears started anew and he fell once more back into shuddering depressed sobs until he eventually fell into a catonic state, barely able to think, just repeating the same few thoughts over and over in his mind as if he was broken.

And he was broken. Inside, he was so, so broken…

He later found out it was Ectoplasm and Nezu who had found him. Who had ended up having to forcibly drag him out that hovel because he wouldn't willingly budge.

He expected to just vaguely register the words expelled at one point and that would be it. Instead he'd found himself face to face with his therapist, who had quickly pulled him down and checked him over physically first alongside Recovery Girl before agreeing to a more impromptu session once they knew he was physically alright.

He hadn't been that receptive to it himself, mostly sitting there in silence and just humming randomly to questions sometimes as he stared at the ceiling and a part of him wondered if he'd finally reached a point where Bakugou's advice from last year had some merit….

He shook his head at that thought. Despite all the pain in him, despite the sheer soul crushing nature of it all, the last thing that would help anyone was following that advice.

Still, he'd not given his therapist much to go on at all and when they eventually ran out of time, she'd confirmed she hadn't really expected to get much out of him on the day.

Once he was released he'd come face to face with Nezu and heard the first bit of good news he'd had all day, even if it only existed due to a mountain of bad news.

"I will not be expelling you, Midoriya. Many would look at your actions today and decide to, I'm sure, without looking at the cause or your past and situations. I paid attention to your words and noticed some disturbing but present implications." Nezu said, frowning. "I want you to know that despite how it may appear, no one had intended to antagonize you. I will be having a long conversation with Aizawa about how he handles his class going forward. I also wish for you to understand that your actions won't be held against you. We want you to keep going to counselling to control them, but they won't be held against you considering the many driving forces behind what lead to the catastrophe of the day."

"Bakugou never had to counselling for his outbursts." Izuku had grumbled out before he could control himself, but instead of getting Izuku in trouble he just nodded.

"Indeed, and that will now be rectified. There will be a lot of care put into the situation regarding you both, but I promise you mister Bakugou will not be without counselling himself going forward. As you said, others have tried to use you as a tool instead of doing their jobs. I won't allow this to continue."

Izuku looked down surprised before shrugging. A promise could be empty. He'd need to see action before he could really pretend it meant anything to him at this point.

"We have failed you, mister Midoriya. I do not intend to allow this to happen again." Nezu said simply with a sigh. "Please, take the next few days off to rest. The end of term is coming up anyways."

"But-"

"You're excused from all classes, and your practical exam, disaster though it was on many accounts, you passed it and considering the immense duress you were under, that will be honored despite the methods in which you did so. Mister Bakugou on the other hand will be suffering the same punishment as everyone else who failed atop his other potential punishments."

"Not going to summer camp?" Izuku asked with a bored tone. He wasn't even sure he could bring himself to go anyways.

"Oh he'll be there. It's mandatory for U.A. hero students."

…Izuku just sighed. Of course it was.

"But he'll be kept back in remedial lessons along with the others who failed their exams. Now please, go home and rest. I hope that maybe, it will help at least a little."

Two days later, Izuku sat staring at the phone on the coffee table, as though willing it to combust through his gaze alone. Maybe if he focused properly he could, a part of him said.

He ignored it and shook his head before taking a deep breath and ripping the bandage off he'd been trying to avoid since he escaped U.A. without anyone any the wiser.

He turned on his phone, and of course, an entire sea of text notifications came flying through. With a sigh, he laid down on the couch and began to go through them.

Many were generic in a way, just his classmates wishing him well, hoping he was recovering and whatever was wrong was going away. His closer friends had more detailed messages trying to cheer him up or find out what was wrong. Then…

The one thing that could bring a smile, albeit broken, to his face.

Jirou :):

Jirou: Hey dude? Look, I don't really expect an answer to this or anything considering you've been radio silent and I get it if you're worried or that. Especially... Well, look, as admittedly scary as your breakdown the other day was, you're gonna have to try a lot harder to scare me away. Just… talk to me dude. I know it can be hard, and you might not want to. God knows I keep quiet a lot, but… you're one of my best friends, and I refuse to just let you hurt on your own. Just, know I'm here for you, always. Please, let's talk soon. I don't want you to keep hurting. – 12:23AM

He smiled to himself as he read it, despite the pain some of it brought. He could always count on Jirou to be there to cheer him up somehow, it seemed. His smile dropped a bit after though, as if a mask was cracking.

Maybe it was. It felt more and more nowadays like his happiness was a mask, and one that way too heavy to keep wearing…

He just sighed at that depressing thought, not letting it spiral any further as he checked the final text and saw it was from Mina, inviting him to go with the others to Musutafu's Mega Mall to prepare for the upcoming summer camp.

Ashido:

You: Thanks for the invite but if Hagakure is going to be there then… I'll stay home for her. I lost the right to hang out with you all anyways when I did… that. – 5:43

With that, he sighed and put the phone down, ignoring the response he got back trying to desperately assure him he could still hang out with the class if he wanted to. That he'd lost no right to hang out with them.

He wasn't sure he could really believe that, nor could he bring himself to continue looking through the texts as he turned around with a quiet groan and dragged his hand over his face, trying desperately hard to not let flashes of Hagakure go through his mind and depress him to the point where he couldn't think of anything else.

And it seemed the mental toll of such a struggle did its number on him, as the next thing he knew he was jolting awake at the sound of his phone ringing and was surprised to see a few hours had passed, as it was now nine o'clock.

Checking the caller ID he was surprised to find it was Tokoyami of all people. Knowing the bird-headed teen didn't usually call people, he answered and put it to his ear. "Hello? Tokoyami are you okay?"

"Would it not make more sense for me to ask you that, my fellow shadow brethren?" Was the response he got. Ignoring the weird name, he narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"I g-guess? But you normally don't call unless it's important."

"Your health is important." Tokoyami shot back, clearly having practiced the response. Izuku groaned quietly and considered hanging up but before he could… "I wouldn't hang up if I were you either. As your friend I will not allow you to face this new bout of darkness take over you without an ally to help you. And if you hang up, I will not stop calling until you're forced to mute or block me, and then all you'll be doing is delaying the inevitable when I finally see you in person again. So hanging up would be a pointless endeavor."

"Right…. T-Then what do you want?" Izuku asked with a tired sigh, not sure what to say in response to Tokoyami's little speech.

"A more suitable question would be what do you want?"

"H-Huh?"

"A simple slice of normality, one would presume? Shall we not just talk and see what mad banquet of darkness we may stumble upon?"

"…" Izuku just took a deep breath and sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "Sure, why not."

"Excellent." He could hear the self-pride in the other boy over the phone, which if Izuku was in a better mood he might have been more willing to admit cheered him up a little. "Then a fitting starter question, according to Mineta: What are you wearing?"

Izuku nearly spit his drink across the room, choking on it in shock before blinking at his phone.

"Midoriya?"

And, for the first time in a while, Izuku managed the tiniest of chuckles. It was almost impossible to hear, but it was genuine. It was something.

And once Izuku explained the subtext of that question to his friend, the bird boy's anguished squawks of indignation helped that small little bit of joy he had to hold onto tightly, stick around.

It wasn't destined to last, a tiny ember would burn out soon enough, but at least for a while… Izuku talked, and talked and talked. The two boys talked about their day, what they were doing, what they planned to do and even found a camaraderie in their shadow based powers. Izuku didn't think it was possible to hear someone's eyes light up until he told Tokoyami about what his Shadow Brute form did.

He had a feeling he'd just given the mysterious teen an idea. Of course it couldn't last and Izuku eventually had to hang up, still hurting with many problems left to solve.

But at least for one moment, he could go to his bed and just briefly feel a small tinge of happiness away from everything else, that he could just have a normal conversation like a normal teenager with his normal teenage friend just once.

A small comfort, but one that meant that, at least for the start of the night, he had no nightmares about the horrible state of affairs that was his life now at all.

"You're sure about this?"

"Don't worry. Tell the bosses things will be fine." A skinny, grimy woman with a red Mohawk and tattered clothes grinned as she observed Izuku Midoriya from afar, looking into his window. Her eyes, including her sclera, were blood red. A demon. "So long as this Flash power works like you say it does, I got the perfect plan to take him down for good, regardless of if it kills him or not."

"Then it's all yours."

The red-headed demon grinned and suddenly, in a flash of light much like a camera, she was standing in an abandoned run down shop littered with bodies as her grin grew ever wider. She couldn't wait to fight that Midoriya brat and show him a real fight!