Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Dammit, Urukai,” a young woman cursed as she scanned the ground for her quirk-suppression ring. “Why’d you have to throw it out the freakin’ window?”

Her classmate knew it was dangerous for people to touch her when she didn’t have it on. After all, since she couldn’t turn her quirk off, anyone she touched could end up doing something awful.

She caught sight of a glint of gold hiding beneath a bush and bent over to get a closer look. As she did this, someone came running out of nowhere and tripped over her, both of their bodies crashing to the ground.

“I’m so sorry!” the newcomer said, grabbing her bare arm and helping her to her feet before she could blink. “Are you alright?” The girl nodded and stared at the green-haired hero course student. “That’s good,” he said with a sigh of relief. “I’m glad you’re okay!”

And then he ran away, neon-green lightning racing across his body.

“W-wait!” the girl called after him. But he was too far to hear her. She paused for a second, then shrugged and went back to her search. What bad thoughts could a hero wannabe have? Most likely, all her quirk did was make him kiss whoever he was crushing on.

No big deal.

~~~

Midoriya Izuku stood, barefoot, on the edge of his dorm’s roof, the cold night air biting his skin. His green eyes, blurred with unshed tears, peered down at the concrete several stories beneath him. He took a shaky breath at the same time a gust of wind blew against his back as if nature itself was urging him forward over the ledge. Thoughts of suicide were not unknown to the boy. Ever since he was a small child and knew what death was, the thought of ending his own life had taken far too much space in his brain. And now, here he was. About to take that final step.

But there was a problem.

At that moment, Izuku didn’t want to die.

He hadn’t wanted to die since the day All Might told him he could be a hero. There were so many things he wanted to do. So many people he wanted to help. Eri and Mirio. All Might. His mom. His classmates.

His weight shifted onto his right foot while his left leg lifted.

I don’t want to die , he thought as the first of many tears slid down his face. His heart pounded in his chest. He wished there was someone who could stop him. Wished that one of his classmates would wake up and feel an urge to get some fresh air on the roof. Or that someone was watching the security cameras and saw what he was about to do. Hell, he wished he could control his body and just go back to bed.

Someone help me.

His left leg extended forward, past the edge.

Please.

His weight shifted again, following the limb.

Save me .

And then he was falling. The wind whipped around him in excitement, thrilled that he finally took action. As he fell, he absently wondered who would be the first to see his body. Would it be Iida as he went on his morning run? Or would a teacher come across his corpse? He didn’t want to scar anyone, but he didn’t have a say in how he died (which was funny, since to everyone else it would look like he’d taken his own life).

The cement was closing in on him, gravity moving him faster than he’d ever gone before--or so it seemed to him. He closed his eyes and braced for impact.

Surprisingly soft strips of fabric wrapped around him and he felt himself being yanked sideways. He heard a soft oof! as his body collided with another’s before his feet gently landed on the ground. Strong hands grasped his shoulders and Izuku looked up to see his homeroom teacher’s terrified eyes.

“Midoriya, what-?” the teen didn’t let him finish, lurching forward to bury his face in the man’s shirt.

“T-thank you,” he cried, his body--alive and unharmed--trembled in Aizawa’s grasp. “Thank you, sensei.”

Aizawa tensed for a moment, startled by his student’s reaction. He’d never heard of anyone thanking their savior immediately after their failed suicide attempt. Was this a trick designed to make him drop his guard? The man frowned and wrapped his arms around the boy--mostly to keep him from running away.

“Let’s . . . go inside,” Aizawa suggested after a long while. Izuku sniffed and nodded, then turned towards the front doors. Once his back was to the man and he began moving forward, Aizawa followed behind his left shoulder and placed his right hand on Izuku’s right. It was a safety measure, the boy knew, so he would have more trouble if he tried to get away. But he didn’t care. It was actually quite comforting. As that thought entered his brain, he subconsciously brought his scarred hand up to meet Aizawa’s.

Aizawa huffed as his student surprised him once more and they entered the building. Izuku was guided to the nearest couch where they both sat down next to each other. The teen leaned into his hero’s side.

“You wanna tell me what just happened?” Aizawa asked, his deep voice rumbling in his chest. Izuku curled into him.

“I- I don’t know,” he said in a soft whisper. He could still feel his body begin to shake. “I couldn’t stop myself. I’ve been feeling this . . . this itch since this morning to- to kill myself and-” he sucked in a breath “-it kept getting stronger and stronger and- and then I was out on the roof!” Izuku turned to face the man. “I can still feel it, sensei. It’s pulling me back. It wants me to try again.” For the second time that night, Izuku pressed his face into Aizawa’s shirt. “I don’t want to die,” his muffled voice whimpered. “Please don’t let me die.”

Aizawa frowned, gathering the boy in his arms, and pulled him onto his lap so he’d have a better hold. “Shh,” he said softly as he began to rub circles in his student’s back. “It’s alright, kid. I’m here. I swear I won’t let you get hurt.”

As he spoke, he slipped his phone out of his pocket and sent a group text to Nedzu and Nemuri (both of whom were probably still up) about what he’d seen and heard. Within a few seconds, he received a reply from the Principal:

I’ll look into it. It sounds like Midoriya shouldn’t be alone for long. Would he be alright staying in the teacher’s dorm until this “itch” is gone?

Aizawa asked the teen.

“I . . . I would be safe there?” Izuku asked, looking up at his teacher. “Promise?”

Aizawa nodded. “I super promise.”

The teen cracked a smile at his words. “‘Kay,” he said with a nod. “Trust you.”

Aizawa’s heart absolutely did not melt when he heard that. 

Shouta: We’ll head over soon. Nem, could you go grab the knife from my nightstand and hide it somewhere?

Nemuri: Sure thing. I assume he’ll be staying in your room then?

Shouta: . . . I won’t leave him alone.

“Do you want to grab anything from your room before we go, hon?” he asked, putting his phone away. “It’s okay if you’re not up to it tonight. We can come back tomorrow, or send someone to get your stuff for you.”

Izuku frowned in thought. “Can we get my stuff now?”

“Of course,” Aizawa and Izuku got up and went to the greenette’s room. On the way, the man kept an arm wrapped around the teen’s shoulders, both to keep him close and for emotional support. When they were right outside Izuku’s room, the boy hesitated.

“I- I have a razor in my room,” he confessed. “Haven’t used it in months, but . . . you know.” Aizawa unconsciously tightened his grip on his student.

“Yeah. I know.”

They stood in silence while Aizawa absorbed what Izuku was saying. On the one hand, he was devastated to know that the boy had resorted to self-harm in the past. But on the other hand, the fact that Izuku was telling him about the razor meant he must really not want to die. Aizawa would take what solace he can from that.

“It’s in my English textbook,” the teen whispered. “On top of my dresser.”

“Thank you for telling me, Izuku,” Aizawa said, letting his sincerity bleed into his words. The boy’s head bent down and he started playing with the hem of his shirt. Then, he took a deep breath and opened the door. Immediately after they crossed the threshold, Aizawa went straight to Izuku’s dresser and tucked the book under his arm. Once that was done, he turned back to see Izuku, eyes glazed over and filled with tears, staring at the object. Aizawa frowned when the teen’s hands started reaching for it.

The man turned to shield the book from his student’s eyes before reaching out with his free hand to grab Izuku’s. The boy’s hands shook uncontrollably, matching his increasingly labored breaths.

“Izuku,” he said, lowering himself onto one knee. “I need you to breathe with me, okay? Just like the breathing exercises Cementoss taught your class. Remember? Inhale . . . hold . . . exhale. That’s it. You’re doing great, Love, keep it up.” As he spoke, Aizawa tapped a rhythm onto the back of the boy’s hand. He had to consciously keep himself from pulling the kid into a hug since that would mean the book would be within reaching distance. He waited until Izuku had calmed down and his eyes lost their fogginess before he dared to get closer. “Izuku, listen to me. I promise you won’t get hurt. Okay?”

The teen nodded and their hands separated. Aizawa waited and watched, his dark eyes analyzing the boy in front of him, trying to see if Izuku would make a dash for something. There was a tense moment where both of them waited to see what the boy would do, but when it was over--when Izuku felt the tug of death subside--Aizawa put the book down and pulled him into a hug.

“You good?” the man asked after a minute.

“Y-yeah,” Izuku answered with a sniff.

“Alright, Let’s get you packed.”

They spent the next eight to ten minutes throwing clothes, toiletries, and other knick-knacks into Izuku’s bright yellow backpack. Then, Aizawa tossed the bag over his shoulder (gave Izuku a look that said “you’re not carrying this bag so don’t even try”), and held his hand out for his student to take. Izuku only hesitated for a second before taking it and they made their way towards the teacher’s dorm. Aizawa had to walk slower than he normally would because the boy was hanging onto him like a lifeline, but he found he didn’t mind.

Once again, before they opened the door, Izuku stopped.

“You should . . . probably find a better hiding place for my English book,” he mumbled, looking up to meet his teacher’s eyes. “I saw you kick it under my bed.”

“I should’ve known you’d notice that,” Aizawa grumbled under his breath. “I’ll take care of it as soon as I know you’re safe.” Izuku gave him another nod and they entered the building.

“Hey, kid,” Midnight said as soon as the door creaked open. She was sitting on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her as she typed something on her laptop. “Sho told me what happened. You doing okay?”

“I-I think so?” Izuku answered honestly. “I don’t- It’s not too bad right now.”

“Hmm,” the woman gave him a sad smile. “Well, if you ever need anything, Sho’s door is always open.”

“Excuse me?” Aizawa asked, brow raised, but he was ignored with a wave of her hand.

“And if he’s being a grumpy old geezer-”

“Nem.”

“My room is right over there,” she pointed down a hall to a door with three flower stickers on it. Izuku smiled at her.

“Thanks.”

“Anytime, kid,” Midnight reached out and ruffled the teen’s hair. “We’ll keep you safe until whatever this is passes. That’s a promise.”

“In the meantime,” Aizawa cut in, “it’s late and Izuku and I need to sleep.” and before he knew it, Izuku was being taken to his teacher’s room.

It shouldn’t have surprised him that Aizawa didn’t have a lot of things to clutter his personal space, but it did. Inside the room was a bed with a nightstand, a few clothes hanging off of nails in the wall, and a spare capture weapon was piled in a heap on the floor.

“Where am I sleeping?” Izuku asked in confusion.

“On the bed,” came the blunt answer.

“But it’s so small.”

“You think you’re too big for it?”

“No, I-” the teen stammered. “I only meant- If the bed is mine, then- uh, well. . . Where are you sleeping, sensei?” Aizawa held up his sleeping bag. “Oh. Right.”

“I won’t be falling asleep until after you do, so try to pass out quickly, okay kid?”

Izuku was about to agree with him but hesitated. “Do you think we could have Midnight use her quirk on me?” he asked suddenly. Aizawa frowned at him.

“Do you think you’ll need it?” he asked, placing a hand on the teen’s shoulder.

“Maybe? I-it gets worse when I have time to think.” Izuku responded, leaning into the touch. Aizawa sighed.

“Let’s see if you can’t fall asleep on your own first. Then we’ll ask her for help. Deal?”

Izuku’s shoulders slumped a little. “Deal.”

~~~

Luckily, Izuku was able to fall asleep rather fast. Thanks to the hard night he’d had, his body was too tired to make any more suicide attempts. When he woke up the next morning, he sat up in the bed and stretched his arms above his head. Then he glanced around the room, green eyes falling on Aizawa, who was still passed out in his sleeping bag beside the door.

Izuku felt a tug in his chest and frowned. It pulled him out of bed and towards the door as an image of his textbook lying beneath his bed lit up in his mind. He opened his mouth to cry for help, but the only thing that came out was a little squeak. His arm reached for the door and he fought like hell to keep his hand from touching the knob. He was able to hold his hand above the lever for seven seconds. But the longer he resisted the itch, the stronger it pulled. His hand trembled terribly and his eyes glazed over. Before he knew it, his hand closed around cold metal and twisted it. The cool sensation sent frost through his veins as he realized he was completely helpless against whatever force had taken control of his body. He barely heard the soft creak of the hinges as he pulled the door open.

But he did feel the familiar sensation of white strips of a scarf wrapping itself around him and a larger body pulling him into its embrace.

“Sensei,” he whimpered before breaking down in tears. “Why can’t I s-stop it?” he asked, pressing his face into Aizawa’s shirt. The man sighed and hugged him tighter.

“I don’t know, hon,” came the answer, so soft he wouldn’t have heard it if Aizawa wasn’t holding him. “I don’t know, but Nedzu is looking into it, so I’m sure he’ll have an answer before lunch at the latest.” Aizawa pulled back to look into the teen’s eyes. “Got that, Problem Child? We’ll have a solution before school lets out.” He tried to sound upbeat, but Izuku just frowned at him.

“What if I d-don’t make it to lunch?”

“Don’t say that.”

“What if there is no solution?” Izuku continued. “The f-first thing I did after waking up was think about how to-”

“Izuku,” Aizawa grabbed his student’s shoulders firmly. “There’s always a solution. No one has to die.” Izuku didn’t believe him but chose to keep his skepticism to himself. The man pursed his lips and made a low humming sound as he looked into Izuku’s eyes. “Why don’t you stay here today? I’ll make sure to have your classmates take notes for you. And I’ll come by to check on you during my free period and lunch.”

Izuku frowned, his bottom lip trembling. “Stay here alone?”

“No,” the man shook his head. “All Might will be here too. And Hizashi and Nemuri and everyone will come by as often as they can. You’ll be safe, Izuku. I promise.”

There was silence for a minute while Izuku thought about his answer.

“Okay,” he chose to repeat his words from the night before. “I trust you.”

The briefest of smiles flashed across Aizawa’s face. “Thank you. I won’t let you down.” The man gave him one last hug and handed him one of his jackets in case he got cold before leading him to the kitchen for breakfast.

“Hey, Little Listener,” Present Mic said as he made himself a cup of tea. He was the only person in the kitchen, but Izuku could hear people getting ready for work in some other part of the dorm. “Nedzu said you were staying over. Did Eraser keep you up with his snoring?” he asked with a crooked grin. Izuku blinked in confusion.

“Aizawa-sensei doesn’t snore,” the teen said with surety. He remembered many times when his homeroom teacher pulled his sleeping bag from out of nowhere and fell asleep in the middle of class. He couldn’t think of a time when the man had made any sound aside from a soft, even breathing.

“Oh, he doesn’t?” Mic asked, feigning surprise. “He used to. Back when we were students here, we’d have sleepovers and he snored like a chainsaw. It was so loud the police got noise complaints.”

Izuku startled himself by laughing, then clamped his hands over his mouth and turned to Aizawa as if he expected to get in trouble. But the man just stared at him with a stunned expression. Then his teacher smiled at him again and gently ran his fingers through Izuku’s curls. The teen closed his eyes and once again leaned into the man’s touch.

“You’ll be fine,” Aizawa said, more to himself than the kid. “Everything will be fine.”

~~~

Aizawa made sure to enter his classroom in his usual manner to keep his students from worrying about things they didn’t need to and told them to get in their seats.

Which they already had. They were definitely one of his smarter classes.

“Alright,” he began. “Today we’ll be running rescue exercises at the USJ. We’ll be joined by-”

“Sensei!” Iida’s hand shot up in the air. “Midoriya isn’t here yet. Would you like me to go get him?” Aizawa stared at the class president for a moment before answering.

“Midoriya isn’t feeling well. If you want to help him, you can take notes.” He turned to the rest of his class. “As I was saying . . .”

As he rattled off the day’s schedule to his class of nineteen, his thoughts drifted back to Izuku. He wondered how the kid was doing. Did he feel safe? Was All Might being careful around him? They had tried to hide everything that could be used for harm, but he still wondered if it was enough. Were they hidden well? Izuku was a smart kid and could probably turn anything into a weapon.

The teacher shook his head once to dispel those thoughts.

All Might may act like a blundering oaf sometimes, but he was, in reality, a pretty smart man. And Izuku really looked up to him. They’d be fine until his free period.

~~~

“How are you feeling, Young Midoriya?” All Might asked his successor, placing a small cup of tea on the glass coffee table beside the couch where Izuku was curled up. Then he sat down in a chair across from the boy. Izuku looked up at him for a moment before reaching out and taking the drink.

“‘M fine,” he replied and took a sip. He couldn’t help feeling a disappointed sting in his chest when the man used his family name. It almost felt like he was trying to put distance between them. Like he was still trying to keep the ‘successor’ thing a secret, even though they were the only two people there.

It was so different from the way Aizawa had been treating him. If he closed his eyes and concentrated, he could hear the man say his given name before promising that it would be alright. He could see his teacher’s real smile (which was so different from the one he had in class) and feel his arms encircle him, keeping him safe in a tight hug.

But then Izuku would open his eyes and everything would disappear. His eyes went to his mentor and he instantly noted that All Might had put the table between them. That made Izuku feel . . . alone .

He missed Aizawa.

“I’m going to be right here all day,” All Might said. “If you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask.”

Izuku made an affirmative sound and pulled his knees up to his chest. He knew that his teachers had tried to remove everything that could be used to hurt, but he couldn’t help but notice the spare capture weapon in Aizawa’s room was left alone. It was very much like a rope. And if he used his quirk to break the coffee table, he could then use one of the broken shards to slit his wrists. Without One For All, All Might wouldn’t be able to stop him.

Izuku screwed his eyes shut and started rocking back and forth on the couch, determining the only way he could stay safe was if he couldn’t see where the potential murder tools were.

“Are you alright, Midoriya-kun?” his mentor asked.

Izuku wondered if there were any knives left in the kitchen. Probably none. Aizawa had told him the other teachers had removed all the sharp objects while he was asleep.

They could’ve missed one, he thought. Maybe he could ask All Might to make sure? But what if the tug came back when if he found one? What if it was too strong to resist? Would All Might be able to keep him from taking it? Could he ask for quirk suppression cuffs? Then he could try to smash his head against the counter until his brains spilled out or try to make the fridge fall and cr-

Izuku’s hands flew to his head, tangling themselves in his ratted hair. “Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop!” he tried to say, but all that came out was a frustrating “Mmph!”

He tried again with the same result. To his dismay, no matter what he tried, the itch kept his tongue behind his teeth. He was about to give in to the urge to search for something sharp when the couch dipped beside him with an added weight and a long bony arm pulled him into All Might’s skeletal form.

“My boy,” the man said, his voice thick with emotion. “I am here with you. It’s alright.”

Izuku curled into his mentor’s side and sobbed into his shirt. All Might comforted him differently than Aizawa. The underground hero was a sturdy tree trunk, with roots deeper than the deepest cavern. When he held Izuku, the boy felt like, no matter how the wind howled, Aizawa wouldn’t let him blow away. All Might, however, was more like a plastic bag, following the wind everywhere it went and silently promising to stay beside him through anything and everything.

Izuku found both of them to be equally soothing and he was grateful to have the two men in his life.

The Symbol of Peace hugged the teen tightly and rocked back and forth with him while murmuring reassuring things in Izuku’s ear. And the boy felt the itch slowly ebb away as they sat together on the couch where they stayed until Aizawa returned.

~~~

“Aizawa Shouta, please come to my office,” Nedzu’s voice sounded through the school’s speakers before the man’s only free period and if it weren’t for the previous night’s events Aizawa would’ve ignored it. But, as it was, he simply sighed and changed course.

“This better be good, rat,” he said as he entered the office. Nedzu handed him a cup of tea and had him sit down in front of his tv.

“‘Good’ is a relative term, Aizawa-kun,” he said as he connected his laptop to the big screen. “The only thing I’ll say is that I have ‘information’. You must decide their merits yourself.” He pulled up a security video and pressed play.

In the video, Aizawa saw a female student diligently searching the ground for something before a familiar head of fluffy green hair ran into her, sending them both sprawling to the floor. Izuku immediately helped the girl up and bowed as he apologized. Then he ran off towards the school.

Aizawa remembered seeing grass stains on his uniform the previous morning.

When his student ran off, the girl started after him, waving one hand as if she wanted to speak with him, but once it was clear to her that she wouldn’t be able to catch the running boy, she shrugged and went back to searching the ground.

“Do you think that girl may’ve used her quirk on him?” the man asked, wondering what power would make someone try to kill themselves.

“I don’t think. I know ,” came the answer as the video changed from the outside security camera to one in Nedzu’s Definitely-Not-An-Interrogation room “I had Yamada-kun talk to her earlier about her quirk.”

The video started with Hizashi handing the girl a cup of (presumably) tea.

“Hey, there, Little Listener,” he said in a calm voice. “How’re you doing?”

The girl took the cup and smiled. “I’m like, totally good, Yamada-sensei. You?”

“I’m doing well, thanks for asking. I actually had some questions for you regarding your quirk.”

“Is this because of that greenie kid?” the girl asked, frowning as she put her cup down on the table in front of her. “I tried to warn him, but he like, ran off too fast for me to catch him.”

“What were you trying to warn him about?”

The girl rolled her eyes. “Uh, my quirk? Obviously. Don’t you have a file somewhere that tells you what my power does?”

“We have basic information, yes, but I was wondering if you could explain it in a little more detail,” Hizashi responded. Aizawa could tell his friend was having a bit of trouble keeping his composure.

“Yeah, okay. My quirk is called ‘Compulsive Action’, which is totally not what I would’ve called it, but whatever. When my skin comes in contact with another person, they feel like, an urge to do something they’ve totally been thinking about for a while. Like for example, if someone was thinking about trying something new, like learning to play the piano, they’d look for a teacher or buy a book to help them. It’s actually really helpful if you think about it.”

She paused and took a sip of her tea.

“Is it possible to resist the urge?” Hizashi asked.

“Hmm,” she tapped her chin in thought and Aizawa saw her long nails were coated in nail polish. “I don’t think so. I like, usually wear a quirk-suppression ring to keep from accidentally using it on people, but the other day my boyfriend thought it would be totally cute to throw it out the window. But I totally told him off for it, so we’re good. Why? What did greenie do? Start a fight?”

“Would it go away after the first attempt?” Hizashi asked, ignoring her question. She sighed.

“No, it like, won’t stop until they succeed. Like with the potential pianist, it could go away after he performs in front of a crowd or when he’s good enough to totally be paid for his skill. If that happens, I demand royalties.”

“So you’re saying there’s no way to stop it? No time limit? You can’t just wait until it goes away?”

“Nope. The longer you resist, the stronger the drive gets until like, you totally can’t help but follow it,” she downed the rest of her drink and handed the cup back to the blond. “Look, I’m sorry if that guy made a mess or whatever. But he’s a hero course student, so I knew he’d be fine. If he was in some other course, like gen ed, I’d totally like, tell a teacher. But no harm no foul, right? I promise I’ll be super-duper careful with my stuff from now on.”

“Please do,” Hizashi said, his voice taking on a monotone aspect as he walked her to the door. “Thank you for your time. You may return to your class now.”

The video ended and Aizawa was left to stare blankly at his reflection on the dark screen. Nedzu eyed him and waited for his brain to file the new information away.

“We . . . can’t save him?” the man asked in a small voice.

“We don’t know that, Shouta-kun. Perhaps no one has really tried before. If anyone can get out of this, it’s Midoriya. But he’ll need our help.”

“But he- Sir, if what she said was true, then-” Aizawa stumbled over his words. “Then Izuku thought- He was thinking about-”

“Yes, that’s what appears to be the case. He may have even come up with a few plans. But I do not think he intended to go through with any of them. Midoriya Izuku does not want to die and we wouldn’t be able to call ourselves heroes if we didn’t try to help him.”

Aizawa nodded. “I-”

“Go ahead, friend. Your student needs you. I’ll cover the rest of your classes.”

~~~

After Aizawa entered the teacher’s dorm, he barely managed to remove his boots before the small body of his student crashed into him and he stumbled backward. Once the shock had worn off, the man lowered himself so he was about eye level with Izuku and embraced him. He knew he had to tell the teen what he’d learned, but he figured it couldn’t hurt to just take a moment to be grateful the boy was still alive.

“How’re you feeling, Izu?” Aizawa asked, pulling back a bit to see the kid’s face. Right away he noticed the teen’s eyes were red and puffy. Izuku sniffed and dragged the sleeve of his too-big jacket across his face.

“You-” sniff “-What took you so long?” the boy asked as he tried to calm his erratic breathing down. Aizawa gently brushed some curls out of Izuku’s face. How did the man not see how much his student was hurting?

“Nedzu needed to talk to me for a minute,” he replied softly. “We think we know what happened.”

“Really?” A spark of hope lit up in Izuku’s eyes. “What is it?”

Aizawa studied him for a moment. “Why don’t we go sit down?” he suggested, lightly jerking his head in the direction of the couch where All Might was. The light in Izuku’s eyes dimmed a bit.

“Okay,” he said, backing away from his teacher before going back to his spot on the couch. Aizawa followed him, somberly, and knelt in front of the teen, taking his hand.

“Izuku, do you remember running into a student the other day?” he asked, gently. The boy thought for a moment before nodding.

“I-is it her quirk?” he asked and both men could tell he was thinking about how unfortunate it would be to have a power that made people try to kill themself.

“Part of it is,” Aizawa confirmed, giving the hand he was holding a sympathetic squeeze. “But the other part is you,” he added when Izuku began to frown.

“Wha-? I don’t-”

“Honey, her quirk makes people do things they’ve been thinking about doing.”

The underground hero didn’t miss the way All Might tensed up at that and grabbed the boy’s other hand. Izuku paled and tried to pull back, but Aizawa kept hold of his hand, gently rubbing circles into it as he told them what he’d learned not even an hour ago. The more he talked, the worse his student seemed to get; his eyes slowly glazed over, his breathing shallowed, and Aizawa could feel Izuku’s body trembling.

“S-so I- I can’t- There’s no-” the boy stuttered terribly as more tears fell from his eyes. Aizawa’s face fell and he reached out to comfort him when the teen suddenly leaped up and ran to his teacher’s room, slamming the door shut behind him.

“Izuku!”

“Young Midoriya!”

The two men jumped up instantly and ran after him. Aizawa made it to the door first and tried to turn the knob only to find it locked.

“Izuku?” he called through the door. “Please open the door.”

The teen didn’t answer.

“Kid, we need to make sure you’re safe.”

Again, nothing. Aizawa shared a panicked glance with the blond and tried one last time.

“Izuku, I understand that you might want to be alone, but we can’t let you. Not right now. So I’m going to count down from three and if you don’t open the door I’ll have to kick it down.”

He waited for a few seconds, but when nothing happened he began his countdown.

“Three. . . ! Two. . . !”

A long skeletal leg kicked out from behind him and the door flew open with a bang. Startled, Aizawa looked back at his companion, who merely shrugged, gesturing for the younger man to enter the room.

Izuku was sitting on the bed, clutching the spare capture weapon to his chest, tears streaming down his face as he tried to control his increasingly sporadic breaths. In an instant, Aizawa entered the room and hurried over to kneel next to the teen.

“Izuku? Love?” he said, tenderly taking the boy’s hand again. “You need to breathe, hon. Can you do that for me? Just like before.” Aizawa coached his student through the breathing exercises once more while All Might timidly entered the room and went to stand next to his colleague. “You’re doing great, kid. Absolutely fantastic. I’m so proud of you.” He paused for a second as Izuku’s breathing calmed down. “We’re gonna find a way out of this. Okay, love?”

Izuku took a shaky breath and nodded. “O-ok-kay,” he hiccuped.

“Good,” Aizawa got up from the floor to sit next to his kid, All Might following him only half a second later. “Izuku, I know this might be hard for you right now, but . . . could you tell us why you were thinking about suicide?”

Izuku flinched, curling in on himself. Both men wrapped an arm around the teen, silently offering what comfort they could.

“I-I wasn’t going to do it,” Izuku felt the need to defend his thoughts. “I just- I’m s-so far behind everyone else. No matter how h-hard I work, I’ll never catch up to th-them. ”

Aizawa leaned into him, resting his chin on the boy’s curls.

“And I was thinking,” Izuku continued, “that m-maybe you made a mis- a mistake.” He glanced to where All Might was, but didn’t see how the comment broke his mentor’s heart. “I thought  maybe you’d get t-tired of waiting for me to be good enough and- and make me give it back.”

“My boy,” the blond choked out but couldn’t seem to finish what he was about to say. Aizawa wasn’t entirely sure what the kid was talking about, but he did know one thing.

“Izuku, nothing about you is a mistake,” he said with a level of certainty he didn’t know he possessed. “You’re one of the smartest kids I’ve had the pleasure to teach and your innate desire to want to help has made you one of the best heroes in Japan. And one day, when you get your pro hero license, the rest of the world will see that too.” Aizawa waited for that to sink in before he spoke again. “I don’t know what you’re talking about with All Might, but I know he adores you-” the other man coughed up some blood “-and he already knows you’re good enough.”

When he finished speaking, Aizawa pressed a kiss to Izuku’s head. The teen turned toward his teacher and caved into him, letting the scarf fall to the floor. Aizawa held him for a bit as he broke down, clinging to the fabric of the man’s shirt, before he looked tiredly at the blond. All Might sheepishly stared back, clearly wanting to offer the kid comfort, but feeling out of place. With a sigh, Aizawa held an arm out as an invitation, which the blond took without hesitating, adding his warmth to the embrace.

“We love you, hon,” Aizawa murmured. “All Might and me. Eri. All your teachers. Your mom and your classmates, too. We want to help you succeed.”

“But we can’t,” All Might finally managed to speak, though his voice broke several times, “if you don’t tell us what’s going on.”

Izuku sobbed, sandwiched between the two men as they soothed him. Despite his heart’s best attempts to keep him from believing their words, every one of them managed to slip through the cracks. And with each word, Izuku felt something inside him light up. Glowing brighter every second, it chased the dark thoughts away. The urge to harm himself diminished like snow melting when the golden rays of the sun ultimately broke through the gloomy clouds.

With a final gasp, the itch vanished.

“Sensei,” he said in awe, looking up at the two men. “All Might, I- I think-” he paused to make sure. “I think it’s gone! I don’t- I don’t feel it anymore!” He smiled at them. Aizawa and All Might both looked at the teen with shock before they smiled too.

The dark thoughts didn’t just go away then. In fact, they returned many times throughout his life. But with the help of these heroes, his family, and his friends, he learned how to fight them off.