It's time for the trio to try talking through their problems...and maybe some progress can be made, if they can find the courage to accept one another's help.

"So…" Himiko began, feeling incredibly awkward as she sat on the edge of the couch, gripping the seat beneath her so she had something to ground herself with. She looked up through her eyelashes, seeing Izuku and Ochako both looking as awkward as she felt…Izuku, ears flicking rapidly, tail wrapped about their waist to keep it from flinging about as they perched on the armchair across from her. Ochako, leaning against the wall, her arms wrapped around her stomach as she curled in on herself, her tail tangled between her legs.

Izuku cleared their throat. "So, um…yeah," they sighed, shoulders drooping.

"...'m sorry for snapping earlier," Ochako muttered, breaking into the awkward silence.

"No, 'Chako, please, don't apologize, I really shouldn't have pushed!" Himiko replied, waving her hands in negation.

"I-I think you did have to, Himi," Izuku replied in a low, soft voice. They twisted their fingers together nervously as they kept their gaze on the carpet. "Sensei…pointed out I should trust you two. Which, I do! I really do, that's not why I didn't want to tell you, you know? It's just…you have more important things to worry about than stupid me and-"

"Izu, stop that," Ochako growled, her ears twitching. "You're not stupid and not a bother! Please stop saying stuff like that!"

"That's the first time I said that to you!" they protested, to unamused looks from both Ochako and Himiko.

"No. No, it isn't. You do it all the time. Most of the time you're muttering and don't even realize it. We just don't call you on it," Himiko added, arms crossing over her chest.

Izuku wanted to protest further, but…well, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility for them to have done that. They sighed. "...screw it. I-I came back here to tell you two anyway. But I need your promise, I need you to swear, you tell no one else, okay? You can't, you just…just can't."

Himiko stared into Izuku's emerald eyes for a moment, before giving a hesitant nod. Ochako met their gaze and nodded as well, albeit she seemed even more hesitant than Himiko had been. With a deep breath, Izuku decided to just get it over with, and reached down to grab the bottom of their shirt. With another deep, bracing breath, they lifted it up swiftly, pulling it off and letting it fall from their now nerveless fingers as they closed their eyes, bracing for the reactions…which from the sudden flood of emotions coming across the connection, so many swirling together they could barely decipher any of them, they figured the girls had noticed.

Izuku's upper body was littered with marks, a patchwork of marred skin. Some marks they knew from memory…the burn on their shoulder, the divots in their side, the long scar across their abdomen from when they'd been pushed down the stairs and cut themselves on a piece of broken glass. Perhaps a dozen wounds from years that were scattered across their body, remnants of mistakes, of 'accidents', of someone testing their Quirk on the school punching bag. But beyond the marks others had laid upon Izuku were the ones they themselves had done.

Their lower arms were mostly free of markings. Izuku had known what people would look for, what was most common, and while they wore long sleeves just in case, they also knew they'd be safe without them. No, Izuku had stuck to one area mainly…their shoulders. Below where the neckline would be, but the upper part of their arms was nothing but pink scars and raised skin, cuts multiple centimeters long, times when Izuku had learned exactly what skin looked like deep down beneath the surface. Some of the scarring had long faded, just lines of pink, smooth skin, but others were much more recent, dark, redder, with small hints of scabbing at the edges.

Izuku, eyes still closed, spun about so their back faced the other two, revealing a half dozen long, painful lines across their back, ones that looked like they had been caused by something sharp and thin. Izuku could feel it in the girl's emotions, practically taste it in the air…there was no way that they had done those marks. Not that some of the others on their front weren't noticeable as not done by them, but the ones on their back were almost…deliberate.

Silence reigned in the room for a good half-minute, before Izuku's ears twitched, hearing someone approaching. The scent of vanilla told them it was Ochako, before fingers very very gently touched their back, the contact making them flinch slightly and making Ochako jolt away. She swallowed. "Izu…what…how did these…"

"...I was walking home from school and took a shortcut through an alleyway. I was…there were these guys, who wanted my money, and when they took my wallet and saw the Quirkless indicator on my ID, they decided to have some fun with the useless kid," Izuku muttered. They were surprised they managed to get it out, but they'd been preparing for that question since they decided to take off their shirt so it was easier to explain than they realized.

"What happened to them?" Himiko asked, her voice quiet but full of menace. Even with Izuku able to feel it wafting off her, they were surprised by the venom in their tone. They found their gaze lifting up to meet hers, able to see the storm of emotions in her eyes…fury, worry, fear, anguish, a dozen things mixed into one as they stood there, fists clenched. Izuku gulped.

"I don't really know…after they got done b-beating me, they just…ran off. I um…just snuck home. Mom was out at work so she never found out."

"Izuku, why…why wouldn't you tell someone?" Ochako whispered, still staring at their back.

Izuku shrugged. "...you're not going to like what I say, but…because I didn't want to worry Mom. She…she dealt with enough, raising me, you know? And I know she always felt guilty that I was Quirkless. I didn't want her to worry more."

"Izu, that-"

Izuku cut Himiko off. "I know. There's a part of me that knows it's stupid. That she probably worried anyways. I know she worried anyway. But I can't just…ignore that voice in my head that says these things! I can't, okay?!"

"...is that the reason for these?" Ochako asked, gently tapping their shoulders. Izuku felt the air escape them in a hiss, their shoulders slumping as they slouched, curling in on themselves.

Izuku nodded. "Kind of? Um…it's a bit of that. And a bit of just…I can forget, with that. I can just fade away and not be there. And…sometimes I just feel like I deserve it. I'm nothing but a useless Deku after all, so-"

Izuku was cut off once more, but not by voices. No, instead, they first felt a crash into their back, followed by one on their front, their arms now pinned to their sides by the sudden dual hug from the two young women in the room with them. They could feel Himiko trembling, her body shaking as she gripped them tightly, small whines escaping her. Ochako was silent, but the dampness they could feel on their bare back told them of the tears falling from her eyes.

"I'm not stupid enough to think just me saying it will make you stop," Himiko choked out, "but please…Izu, please please please please don't say that about yourself. You're not useless. You mean the world to me, and our promise is one of the only things that kept me going. Please don't…I can't make you stop believing that, but please don't say it. You're not useless. You don't deserve this, you deserve better. Please…please don't."

Izuku felt their throat closing up, a tightness in their chest that had nothing to do with the arms squeezing them. Their eyes began to burn, the telltale sign of tears beginning to fall, because no matter how much they didn't want to believe her, the sheer power of her emotions wasn't something they could ignore. They could feel the care and affection Himiko had for them, the truth in her words, and the matching pink-tinged feelings coming from the silent brunette behind them.

Izuku swallowed. "...I-I can't just…stop thinking like that."

"I know. I'm not asking you to. But next time you're feeling like that, like you can't take it, can you just…come to us?" Himiko pleaded, lifting her gaze up to meet their eyes.

Izuku hated the look in her eyes, because they couldn't ignore it. They couldn't set it aside. All her feelings, all of Ochako's, wrapped about Izuku like a suffocating yet comforting blanket that soothed the everpresent ache in their arms, in their chest, across their body from the marks that had been left and ones they had made. Finally…Izuku couldn't take it, and let out a minuscule nod.

The beaming grin Himiko gave them at that, even with tears visible in the corner of her eyes, was enough to make Izuku feel the tiniest bit better. Enough that they were willing to tell the full tale…and so, they carefully extricated themself from the girls (Ochako still silent), and once they had sat all three down and Izuku had retrieved their shirt, Izuku began to tell them everything. The way the teachers mocked them and wrongly marked their tests, the punishments they got for things others did, the way the other students would shove them, test their Quirks on them, push them over, trap their locker. The mockery and derision, the attacks…and the time Kacchan told them to jump off the roof.

Izuku had expected the reaction from the girls at that, since Katsuki Bakugo was one of the few people they did know personally. Even though Izuku had to explain that Bakugo only ever physically injured Izuku once (since they didn't want anything on their permanent record), it didn't change the surge of anger and hatred the girls felt about it…especially not once Izuku admitted that they knew Bakugo was in UA as well (Mistuki had told his Mom about it).

"...I can punt him into the sun, right?" Ochako asked, her voice oddly soft and controlled for how much rage was flooding across the bond.

"No 'Chako, you can't, you'd get in trouble. We just need to make it look like an accident," Himiko replied.
"No one is punting anyone to the sun or making it 'look like an accident'," Izuku sighed, rolling their eyes. Telling them had been strangely freeing, and for some reason they actually felt more stable after having actually said it out loud. Something to be said for not being entirely alone in their pain, they supposed. Still, they needed to nip this in the bud. "Kacchan…he's not nice, but he's going to be a great hero. And like I said, he only actually hurt me once and it was more of an accident, so-"

"Izuku Midoriya, just…stop," Ochako commanded, her hand slapping over their mouth. Her ears lay flat on her head, her slitted eyes glaring at them. She shared a glance with Himiko, letting out a deep sigh. "We're not gonna win this argument with you right now, are we?"

Izuku stared back at her, their gaze cool and collected, the feelings of stubbornness coming across the bond enough for Ochako to realize what was and wasn't going to happen. Not yet, anyways. She sighed again. "Okay. This conversation is not over, but fine. We'll deal with that particular bastard later. Is there anything else you wanna tell us?"

Izuku gently pulled her hand away from their mouth as they looked up, thinking. They shook their head. "No, not really. I-if I think of something else, I'll tell you, but…um…maybe you can talk now too?"

Ochako froze. She'd completely forgotten about that, and her first instinct was to deny and shove it away, but…she knew how disappointed and upset the other two would be if she didn't admit the truth. Besides, she'd already decided she'd tell them, she was sure they'd understand once she did!

Ochako rubbed her face, keeping her pinkies up as she did so. After a second, she spoke. "...Mom and Dad did everything they could for me. They really did. They worked super hard, all the time, working themselves to the bone, but hard work doesn't always pay off. Or pay enough, at least. People don't take kindly to you being poor, even in a backwater place like I came from."

She sighed, still rubbing at her face as she refused to look up and see the pity she expected from them, her accent slipping slightly as she continued. "People say money can't buy happiness, but only people who have money get to say that. Money may not buy happiness, but it buys a roof over yer head and food on the table. It lets you do things to make you happy, cause otherwise yer too busy struggling to keep yer head above the water. I knew from when I was little, how tough Mom and Dad had it. It took a while before I figured out the details, but once I did, I just…I had to do something, yanno?"

When she fell silent, Himiko broke the silence with a soft question. "What did you do?"

"I couldn't get a job to help, they wouldn't let me do much, and it weren't like lots of people had work for a dumb kid. Even with my Quirk, the place we lived wasn't great for money for anyone. But what I could do was make the bills a bit less, by taking up less space. Using less resources."

"...you mean you skipped food," Izuku interjected, their voice non-judgemental but the bluntness still making her hackles rise up. She swallowed down her instinctual annoyance, not wanting to snap at the other two again. With a deep, shuddering breath, she nodded, her hands falling from her face as she stared at the carpeted floor of the dorm.

"At first it was just eatin' less at dinner, skippin' breakfast, nibbles at lunch. Little things. Didn't take lunch to school, always made it out that I was forgettin' and stuff. Airhead, clumsy little Ochako, she forgets things I started doing some work for random people, and I'd get paid in food, and I'd bring it home for my parents. I told them I was eatin' before I got home, but…I wasn't. I didn't need to though, that's the thing! I was fine! I made it here, which proves I'm fine, right? A-and it made sense, it saved us money so I could come here! You get it, right? You get why I had to, dontcha?"

She lifted her head finally, frenetic energy coursing through her as she expected understanding in their eyes, the agreement that she had been doing the right thing all along. Even after everything Miss Kayama had said, Ochako had somewhere deep inside believed they'd get it…but honestly, she should have known better. The look on Izuku and Himiko's face was not one of understanding or agreement. It was of fear. A deep, abiding fear that she could feel pulsing across their connection, one that made no sense. What were they afraid of?

Izuku cleared their throat. Ochako could visibly see them shoving their fear down, as Izuku spoke softly. "If that's the reason, why are you skipping food here? Money's not an issue here. It's covered by the school, not to mention the extra money Toshinori gave us. So why do it now?"

"W-well, b-because I need to um, to uh, to stay in shape to be a hero, right? I-I've always been a bit heavy you know, and I'm supposed to be fit and-"

"But you're losing muscle mass, 'Chako. You do worse than me and Izu anymore," Himiko interjected, her eyes narrowed. Ochako had a sneaking suspicion Izuku and Himiko were both holding back what they really wanted to say, but she didn't have time to hunt that down. She needed them to listen.

"But see, it makes sense, I just have to do this for a little while and then-"

"How long is a little while?" Izuku interrupted.

"Well I, I don't know exactly how long but-"

"So your plan is to just starve yourself over and over until you reach a goal you haven't even set?" Himiko pressed.

"I'm not starving myself!" Ochako protested, glaring at Himiko. "I'm just not eating too much is all!"

"How do you define too much?" Izuku asked.

"W-well, if its too much, it's…there's a whole system and like, I don't think I need to explain it-"

"I thought the whole point of this was saving money for your parents, and now you don't have to, so why-"

"Because I have to!" Ochako shouted, leaping to her feet with her fists clenched. She didn't notice the tears forming in her eyes, didn't notice her ears lying flat on her head, didn't notice her tail flicking rapidly in agitation. She needed them to understand, she needed them to get it and they weren't! She wanted to scream and shout and shake them till they understood, but a sudden wave of dizziness rushed over her. Not now! She thought internally, wavering on her feet, but she couldn't help it. She'd gone for that run and been on a weird half-adrenaline rush all day, she found herself losing her grip on her balance and that was enough, she felt herself falling, legs giving out from under her.

A flash of green and gold had her flinching, finding herself being gently caught and sat back down on the couch. She glanced up, her vision doubled, seeing Izuku's worried face before her as Himiko's gentle hands were wrapped about hers, rubbing the back of them, her own worry both visible and sensed over the connection.

Ochako took a couple deep breaths, feeling her sluggishness that came over her fade slightly as she focused. She gulped, feeling nausea bubbling up in her stomach, but forced it down as quickly as she could. She just had to focus, that's all, focus. Focus focus focus-

"That's it. Screw this. I'm saying what I didn't want to say before. 'Chako, this can kill you, you know that right?" Himiko hissed, forcing Ochako to blink bleary eyes up at her.

"What?" she managed to rasp out, confused about what Himiko was talking about.

"Eating disorders are one of the most deadly illnesses out there, 'Chako," Izuku murmured.

"B-but I don't have an eating disorder! I have a reason for this!" she protested.

"Reason doesn't change what you're doing hurts you. A lot. It can cause a ton of problems, even brain damage. Or other stuff, like heart failure, or other organs…one of the girls I went to school with had her kidneys fail on her. She would've died if the doctors didn't have some amazing healing Quirks! You can't keep doing this to yourself! Please, Ochako, we can't lose you!" Himiko pleaded, her hands still gripping Ochako's gently. Himiko knelt down before Ochako, amber meeting brown as she looked up at her, her face a desperate plea in and of itself.

"...I have an idea," Izuku muttered. They stood up quickly, gently running one hand down Ochako's back, before vaulting over the back of the couch and vanishing into the stairwell, green sparks following behind them. Himiko stared in the direction they went, blinking rapidly in confusion, mirroring Ochako's own confused feelings. They didn't have long to wait, Izuku bolting down the stairs in a rush, their body aglow with green as they skidded to a halt behind the couch.

Izuku's sudden nerves flared up across the bond, a strange combination of guilt, fear, and shame coming across as they carefully stepped around the couch, a small blue box in their hand. Izuku knelt down before Ochako, next to Himiko, and looked up at her. "What about if we make a deal?" they asked quietly.

"Izu, wha-" Ochako began, still confused and not wanting to argue about this, but found herself biting herself off when Izuku opened the box, showing…glittering, glimmering steel, razor sharp edges that her mind instantly connected to the scars dotting Izuku's arms.

Izuku swallowed. "I-if I give you this to hold onto, if I agree not to…do that, anymore, you agree to eat more. I-I did some research before we talked, so I know you can't just…jump back into full meals and stuff, but just start slow and work your way up. I-If you do that, I'll give you and Himiko these. To hold onto. You c-can't throw them out, I-I need them here, but I'll still not have them. If you agree."

Himiko's shock could be felt across the bond, mirroring Ochako's own shock and now slowly rising anger, anger she tamped down on because even if she was mad that Izuku was manipulating her this way, a small voice in the back of her mind reminded her she'd do the same if she could have. If she was in Izuku's shoes…would she do any different? Annoyingly…probably not.

"...that's not fair, Izu," she said.

"I know. And I want to say I'm sorry but I'm not. I'll give up anything to keep you safe. To keep either of you safe. You matter more to me than what these things offer me. So…will you take my deal?"

She stared down at them, unable to keep herself from shaking. She…she hated it. Hated the thought of eating more, of making this deal, of forcing herself into this, but…what mattered more? Her hangups around food or Izuku's safety? She let herself glance over to see Himiko's thoughts, and was startled to see the blonde staring at the two of them intently, her gaze flat and piercing. Which…that gave her an idea.

"I'll make the deal if Himi does," she said, watching as Himiko's expression went flabbergasted. The blonde teen opened her mouth to protest, but Ochako cut her off. "Yeah, I know, you don't hurt yourself like Izu or skip food like me. But you're still trapped back at your parents. You're still afraid of your Quirk and keep calling it a curse. So no more of that. No more believing those stupid bastards. You have to stop putting yourself down. You too," she turned and pointed at Izuku, eyes narrowed.

Izuku raised their hands up in surrender. "I'll try. That's all I can give you."

"I'll take that. Himi?"

Himiko was silent for a moment, before giving a nod. "...fine. But you both have to really, really try, okay?"

Ochako squirmed, her mind already rebelling against the idea, but…if it kept those two safer, made them happier? Unbidden, Miss Kayama's words about how her friends never forgave themselves filtered into her mind, reminding her of the consequences if she wasn't careful…fine. She could do this. Maybe?

With a gentle touch, she reached out and closed the box Izuku held, carefully pulling it from their lax grip and setting it between herself and Himiko. Izuku swallowed thickly, eyes still locked on the box for a moment before they managed to rip their gaze away to meet Ochako's. After a moment, they nodded, getting to their feet and heading to the kitchen, making Ochako realize they were about to test her commitment already.

She wanted to be mad, but honestly, she lacked the energy to be mad right now. She felt…drained. Strung out. Like clothing hung out to dry. She'd try…for their sake, if not for her own. That's all she could do.