The friends all piled into Izuku's dorm, their eyes automatically falling on their friend. He appeared distressed but otherwise unharmed. They were sitting on the floor, Uraraka on one side and Katsuki on the other. Katsuki had a protective arm around Izuku's shoulder, while Uraraka was holding one of the green-haired boy's hands in hers. Neither one appeared ready to let go anytime soon.
"Hey guys," Izuku said shyly.
"Izuku-kun! What's wrong?" Ashido asked, falling to her knees in front of him. The rest of their friends looked at each other before shrugging and following suite, settling on the floor in a semi- circle around where the original three were seated.
"You said it was an emergency," Sero said to Uraraka. It looked as though all three of them had been crying, if their puffy, red eyes were anything to go by. A bad feeling was already creeping up Shouto's spine.
It was Katsuki who spoke, his voice slightly tougher than normal. "So you guys know what happened. How I... how I thought Deku had cheated on me." He said it with detachment, as if he was mad at himself for even considering it a possibility. Shouto started at the odd statement.
"What?" He said, looking between the couple. His eyes settled on a tearful Izuku. "That's what you said, isn't it?" Had... had Izuku lied to them in order to regain their favour...?
Izuku shook his head. "Apparently I was wrong. I told Ochako-chan everything that happened and she cleared some things up for me. She... She suggested that I call you all here to get some support." He swallowed hard, looking vaguely uncomfortable. Shouto's heart was beginning to beat out of his chest from nerves. He wasn't the only one, as many of their friends were exchanging anxious glances.
"What are you saying, dude?" Kaminari asked.
Izuku looked down at his lap, seeming to muster the words up. His ears turned red beneath his fluff of curls, like he was ashamed of something. I... I went to a party with Uraraka-chan and Shouto-kun last week. They both left early but I decided to stay and hang out for a little while. I wasn't paying attention and..." he paused, taking a shaky breath. He didn't look at any of them. "And someone drugged my drink."
Shouto swore he could physically feel the blood draining out of his face. He could vaguely hear his friends' reactions to the news, but he was too wrapped up in his own mind and wrongdoings to care much. 'Oh my god, what have I done?'
Izuku explained everything then. How he'd felt strange after chugging the last of his drink, and
how a nice stranger had seemed worried about him and led him upstairs. He explained how his body felt heavy and his mind foggy, and how he couldn't resist what was done to him. When he woke the next morning, it honestly hadn't even occurred to him that what happened to him was rape. He was sure he'd fucked everything up all by himself, and he walked home from the frat house alone and scared. Once home, he'd called Uraraka and Shouto to come over.
Where Shouto had refused to hear him out and stormed away like a fucking child. What had he done? Izuku was his best friend. He'd listened to Shouto rant about his abusive father, had encouraged him to get out from under the man's thumb, and had even tracked down Shouto's mother for him back when they were still in high school. He's gone above and beyond to help Shouto heal, and what had he done when it was Izuku's turn?
He'd spat in his face and walked away like a coward. He assumed the worst of him instead of using his brain and realizing that something else had to be going on.
He felt sick.
"I knew it didn't make sense," Kirishima said miserably, more to himself than to the rest of them. "But I never thought..."
"Oh Izuku," Ashido whined, unshed tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry. What are you going to do?" "Do?" Izuku asked uneasily. "What do you mean?"
"She means, are you going to press charges? Report this to the police?" Shinsou asked. Izuku blinked like the thought hadn't even occurred to him. Shouto supposed if he'd only just realized what happened to him, it probably hadn't.
"I don't know," he confessed. "I think any of the... evidence... is probably gone."
The rest of them winced at the implication of what he'd said. Shouto stared down at his lap numbly, his mind still spiraling with everything he'd done wrong.
"I was pretty drugged too, so I don't really remember what he looked like," Izuku added.
A hand slipped into Shouto's, squeezing comfortingly. When the bi-haired man looked up, it was to see his boyfriend's soft black eyes looking back at him. Hanta was clearly trying to hide how upset he was in order to comfort Shouto, which only made him love him all the more. Todoroki squeezed his hand back.
He then took a deep breath and finally looked up at Izuku, hoping he didn't look as guilty and wrecked as he felt. "Izuku... I would like to apologize to you."
Izuku's eyes widened, like they always did when someone apologized to him. He always appeared a little shocked, like he wasn't a person who deserved an apology. "O-Oh. Shouto-kun, it really isn't nece-"
"Please," he blurted, cutting the boy off. He bowed his head respectfully. "Please forgive me for my unseemly behavior. No matter what, I should have stayed at your side and supported you, just like you did for me." His eyes burned hot. "Instead, you were suffering all alone."
"Shouto," Izuku said gently. "I was never mad at you. There's nothing to forgive."
Frustration curled in Todoroki's gut. He knew it was just a biproduct of the bullying Izuku had experienced all throughout his childhood, but sometimes it really bugged him how the boy didn't
seem to care about himself. Shouto had fucked up and he knew it, but here Izuku was, offering forgiveness that he hadn't yet earned.
"Well," Bakugou cut in, narrowing his eyes. "I don't forgive you, Half n' Half." Izuku gaped at his boyfriend. "Kacchan!"
Shouto straightened up, making eye contact with Katsuki. The blond's red eyes were cool and calculating, seeming to take in everything Shouto was feeling in a stride. The younger immediately understood what he was trying to do, and he couldn't help but rise to the challenge.
"Alright," he said firmly. "I'll earn your forgiveness then."
Katsuki huffed, leaning into Izuku to try and comfort him and stop his stuttering. "You'd better," he sneered, although there was no malice behind it. Izuku looked between them, understanding dawning. This was something that Shouto needed, and Katsuki was willing to give it to him when Izuku couldn't.
So, Midoriya let it go. Going back to their previous conversation, he ducked his head bashfully. "Thank you all for coming, and for supporting me."
Shinsou leaned forward trying to catch Izuku's eye. "It's not your fault, you got it? What happened to you... that's not cheating, Izuku. It wasn't consensual."
Izuku shook his head, taking a shaking breath. "I- I know. I'm still... trying to come to terms with it, but... I hope you'll be patient with me for a little while longer."
Ashido scooted forward, resting a hand on his knee. "We'll always be here for you, Midori-kun. For whatever you need."
The rest of the group murmured their agreements, shuffling closer to Izuku until they were all wrapped in an awkward, sit-down group hug. For the first time since the truth had fallen on his shoulders, Izuku's nerves settled down.
Surrounded by his encouraging friends, he felt much better about the healing process coming forward. For once, it didn't feel quite so hopeless. Katsuki pressed a tender kiss to the side of his head, and Izuku smiled.
He could do this. He would do this, with help from his boyfriend and all of their friends. He could work toward a future where all of this was a distant, bad memory. He wouldn't let this drag him down.
And he didn't. There were hard times of course, times where he couldn't get out of bed, or spent an extra long time scrubbing his skin in a steaming hot shower. But as time went on, there were also more and more days where he didn't think about it at all. Those were the best days.