Work Text:
Eri was having nightmares again.
They were just so scary! The birdman... Chisaki, she thought they were finally going away! But they just wouldn't. They made her sad, why did nightmares keep happening? She just wants them to stop! She was so tired too, she wanted Deku to read her a bedtime story again, the one about pressing the dots and them changing, that was her favorite.
So, Eri got out of her bed, pink fluffy sheets falling off the floor as she picked up her raggedy unicorn stuffed animal (Aizawa had gotten her it once she had gotten out of the hospital,) and made her way to her bookcase, pulling out two bedtime story's for Deku to read to her.
She loved it when Deku read bedtimes story's to her, he was so warm too and comfy and knew how to make her happy, he did funny voices too.
She clicked open her door, her room was on the bottom of the 1-A dorms so it was easy to get to everything else without using the elevator since Eri couldn't reach it without going on her tippy toes, now at least, she was 7 now! She also grew 2 inches, she remembered that nice girl Momo said.
After clicking the elevator button, she made her way to Izukus room, she remembered Izuku saying to just walk in if she ever needed something, like if she woke up from a nightmare. Remembering that, she opened the door to his room.
-*-
Izuku had a rough day.
His dad had been trying to get in contact with him again, he got scolded by Aizawa for "slacking off during class" (He was really trying though!) He failed his exam for Midnight-sensei's class, overall, everything just piled up throughout the weeks, and he was at a breaking point.
He couldn't sleep, it was around 2 am, he was pretty sure. His thoughts were running like crazy, he started hitting himself in the head and whisper shouting to himself how much of an idiot he was, and other insults. Izuku felt like it was a way to cope, even if it wasn't that healthy.
But doing this didn't calm his thoughts still, 'normally his thoughts would be calmed down by now, why isn't it working?' he thought to himself. Angry tears built up in his eyes, as he started hitting himself more.
He stood up out of his bed completely now, and opened the drawer next to his computer, and pulled out one of his thumbtacks. He'd stopped using razorblades for self-harm, his mom was starting to notice he was picking up his old habits, and thumbtacks are easy, cheap, and a normal thing to own, so he began using them instead for self-harm.
Picking one up, the clear cap of it on his finger, he pushed down hard and dragged across his thigh, spitting angry words again and again as blood started to ooze out.
Then his door opened.
-*-
"Mr. Deku..?" Eri spoke, in question, as she opened the door to peek in, only to see Izuku dragging a piece of metal across his thigh, "Mr. Deku your bleeding! Do you need me to get Mr. Aizawa or somebody, are you okay-"
"Eri, you weren't meant to see this, don't worry I'm okay! It was just an accident, here, let me clean it up now." Deku spoke calmly, his voice wary and thick from the tears before. It cracked a little bit too as he spoke calming words while patting Eri on the head and pulling out a bandage, wrapping his leg. "See? All better now!"
Eri looked down at his leg, it was now wrapped in a thin bandage, blood was seeping through a little, but if Mr. Deku said it was okay, then it was.
"Now, what did you need Eri?" He said, looking at Eri, she noticed his eyes were red and puffy but she didn't question it too much.
"I... I had a nightmare about the birdman again." She spoke, pulling out the bedtime stories she picked out earlier at her unicorn-themed bookshelf.
Mr. Deku picked her and the books up, and he tucked her into his bed. His words were always so soft after nightmares, knowing Eri was always delicate at times like this, so he didn't use funny voices too much.
Eri slept well that night, but Mr. Dekus's bloody thigh was still in the back of her mind.
-*-
It was Saturday now, Izuku had picked up Eri and placed her down on the couch while he went for his run, Jiro was downstairs drinking her early morning tea that Momo had introduced her to.
Izukus thigh felt, sore, it normally felt that way after he self-harmed. But something felt wrong in his mind too.
Eri had seen his thigh.
What if she's traumatized by it? Is she gonna be okay? Izuku sped up his run. Chugging his water, he started to race back to the class 1-A dorms.
-*-
Nothing had happened so far.
It was just a normal Saturday, Aizawa-sensei drinking his coffee, Denki and Kirishima both chatting, Kacchan making breakfast, while he mindlessly chatted with Ochako and Iida.
"Iida-kun, we both know that strawberry flavor is the best mochi!" Ochako chuckled, she was always giddy in the morning.
"I respect your opinion, Uraraka, but I believe that melon flavor is the best," Iida exclaimed, chopping his arm in an up and down robotic motion, Izuku had always wondered why he did that.
"So.. Deku-kun, you're the tiebreaker! Which is better? Strawberry or melon mochi?" Ochako whispered to him.
"Huh- oh sorry! Hmm, well they both are good flavors, but I think strawberry is better!" Izuku exclaimed, blushing at how close Uraraka was to his face.
"Ha! Take that Iida-kun! I win!" Ochako exclaimed, before breaking into a fake villain cackling.
Once that ended, everybody had overhead the story Eri was telling Aizawa-sensei.
"Then I walked into the room and Mr. Dekus's thigh was bleeding! He was using a thumbtack to do it but he said it was an accident and patched it up so it's all better now, anyways then-" She started to speak mindless babble about the rest of the story, and the books Izuku had read to her last night.
Meanwhile, Izukus ears were ringing. He was panicking internally, everybody had heard what she said, Aizawa-sensei wasgoingtoquestionhimandherandeveerybodysgonnafindoutohmygodwhatishegonnado-
"Deku-kun..? What did Eri mean by that? Are you okay?" Ochako spoke, calmly, the rest of the room heard.
"Yeah bro, what happened last night? Are you okay?" He heard Kirishima say.
"Midoriya?" Shoji spoke, they all began speaking, Eri and Aizawa-sensei soon realized what was going on.
Izuku felt light-headed.
Then he passed out on the ground with a loud thump.
-*-
"Did nobody realize he was hyperventilating? He passed out from a panic attack." Recovery girl said, checking over the boy once last time.
"I suppose not, but Chiyo.. I think the kid is cutting himself. Eri said something about it, I don't think she realized but that's what caused the panic attack." Aizawa spoke, leaning over the unconscious boy.
"Do you have an idea as to where? I overheard people talking about how he's been out of focus lately in the teacher's lounge.." Chiyo spoke softly, fiddling with the sheets of the bed.
"I think it's on his thigh," Aizawa spoke, Chiyo nodded, pulling down the sheets.
"Lift him so I can pull his shorts down," Chiyo asked Aizawa. Once he'd done that, she pulled down his Midoriyas shorts.
His legs were covered in scars, bandages, and dried blood from the night before.
Chiyo silently unraveled the bandages, sticking to the wound, she determined it would need stitches, and began the procedure.
"This kid.. how didn't anybody notice sooner?" Aizawa questioned, muttering to himself.
"I don't blame you for not realizing, the kid hides everything from everybody. Not even All Might knows all his secrets" Chiyo said to Aizawa, trying to make him feel a little better over this.
'Nghh'
"He's waking up," Aizawa spoke.
Once he had finally woken up, Aizawa looked at him.
"You have some explaining to do."
-*-
Fuck. He was fucked.
They'd found the cuts, his body was littered with them, how could you not see them? They were gonna tell his mom and everybody was going to find out, he was so screwed.
"Kid, we aren't mad, we just wanna help you," Aizawa spoke softly, patting on Izukus leg.
Soft sniffling could be heard from Izuku.
"I'm sorry, it just all builds up, I've been doing it for years.. it just became addicting." Izuku said, sobbing while leaning his head back onto the soft pillow.
His scars were visible, thin white lines, thin scab lines, and stitch marks were all over his arms, stomach, everywhere. It looked like a hot mess.
He picked at a scab on his arm, only for it to be slapped away by Recovery Girl, "Don't pick them, it will make the scar worse."
Izuku held his head down in shame.
"We're gonna help you get better, problem child, alright? There are people who love and support you here, and we are here to talk to." Aizawa softly said into his ear.
Izuku sobbed louder.
"Come here kid," Aizawa said, pulling Izuku into his arms while he sobbed, rocking his back and forth as he let it all out.
"I-I'm s-sorry! I'm sorry S-sensei!" He screamed hitting gently onto Aizawa's chest, but he had lost all his energy from crying. Chiyo looked at the boy with a sad look.
Aizawa continued to rock him back and forth, rubbing circles on his back, feeling scars even there. He didn't mention it and continued to let the boy sob. "Let it all out kid, I'm not going anywhere."
He stayed like that until Izuku passed out from exhaustion, lying him down and pulling the blanket over him.
"Poor boy. He's been suffering in silence for so long and we didn't do anything." Chiyo whispered.
"We can help him now, Chiyo. He won't have to suffer anymore." Aizawa said, watching the boy breathe in and out, as his tears dried on his face.