"I Love You."

"I'm f-fine."

I positioned the blade against my raw skin, which was littered with past cuts that have healed or are scabbing. I let my hand slide in a swift movement, exhaling and feeling the new pain throw out the thundering one in my head.

Relief filled my body as I slit my wrists again and again, scared to let that peacefulness go.

The world had other plans for me, however.

Over the sound of me choking on my sobs, I could barely hear the bathroom door open and hurried footsteps approach my stall door.

I covered my mouth with my bloody hands, trying to suppress my sobs as they shuddered through my body, causing me to drop the knife.

It clattered loudly to the floor, and I held my breath as the footsteps halted outside my stall.

After a few seconds, there was a knock on the door.

"K-Kacchan?" the weak voice said, his voice echoing in my head and causing the aching to grow. "Kacchan are you okay?"

I sniffed and removed my hands, trying to sound normal. "I'm f-fine." I stated, my voice cracking.

Suddenly, the door opened, and I scolded myself internally for not locking it earlier.

"K-Kacchan!" Izuku – Deku, at the time – yelled falling to my side and grabbing my wrist.

I winced and snatched my hand away, curling in on myself protectively.

"G-Go away, D-Deku." I snarled, backing away into the corner of the stall.

Izuku froze and held his hands up, as if trying to convince an animal that he won't hurt it.

Slowly, he bent down and swiftly took the knife from the floor, closing the latch and placing it in his back pocket despite the blood. He then shifted closer to me, the movement making me flinch.

"Shh, it's okay, Kacchan," he soothed, attempting to close the distance between us. "It's okay, you're okay."

He hesitantly reached for my arm, and this time I let him take it, giving up.

There's nothing I could do that hasn't already been done.

He silently observed my wrist, looking over the cuts and being extra careful.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back on the wall, swallowing.

I felt pressure on my arm, and I opened my eyes to see Izuku placing a clean fabric over my cuts.

Where and when did he get bandages?

Upon seeing the question in my eyes, he gave me a soft, but sad smile. "I always keep bandages with me just in case I injure myself again." He lied.

I knew why he kept bandages on him at all times. It wasn't to help him if he overdid it with his flashy new quirk, but to have as a precaution if a student injures him.

If I injure him.

Again.

I nodded, knowing it wasn't worth putting up a fight at this point.

Izuku continued to wrap my wounds, and I was surprised at how well he managed to wrap my wrist. It was as if he had experience.

"Hey, Deku?" I said, instantly gaining his attention. "How'd you learn to wrap cuts?"

Something quickly flashed across his face, and he turned to me with a sad smile, green eyes looking dull. "Todoroki needed some help a few months back."

He said nothing more, but I was eager to find the truth.

"W-What happened to him?" I asked.

Izuku clenched his hands, sighing. "He . . . He got into a – um . . ." he thought for a second, and I knew that whatever he was going to say next was a lie. "He hurt himself, that's all."

Even though I knew he was lying for the second time in the past five minutes, I didn't pressure the matter.

But did Todoroki hurt himself or did someone else?

I would have to find out on my own.

After Izuku finished, we were faced with a new problem.

"What about my clothes?" I said to myself, looking at my shirt that was stained with patches of red.

Izuku thought for a second before pointing upwards, getting an idea.

"Here," he said, taking off his jacket. "Put this on and do up the middle buttons. We're close to the same size anyway so it shouldn't look questionable on you."

I nodded and took the jacket, carefully slipping my arms through and doing up a few buttons

When I was finished I washed my hands and walked out of the bathroom, Izuku trailing behind me.

"C-Can I have my knife back?" I mumbled, stopping my descent towards our classroom.

Izuku sighed, and surprisingly gave me a hug, even though he knew I could explode him to the moon.

I didn't, though.

"I'm not giving it back to you, Kacchan," he whispered before pulling away. "I can't."

I looked to the ground and bit my bottom lip. I shut my eyes tight, trying to stop a hurricane of emotion that made my nose sting.

I only opened my eyes when I felt Izuku's hands slip into mine, and a soft kiss on my cheek.

When he pulled away we were both a blushing mess, and turned away from each other, walking back towards the classroom.

Right before I opened the door, I was turned by Izuku's hand on my shoulder.

"By the way, Kacchan," he said, a smirk on his lips. "I enjoyed last night."

And with that, he walked into the classroom, leaving me flustered at the door.

I entered a few minutes later and sat at my desk, covering my still blushing face by resting my arms and head on the desk.

I ignored the stares I got for the rest of the day.

~End Flashback~

That was a long time ago, though, and Izuku and I both agreed that being good friends was enough for the both of us, especially with the reputation I needed to protect.

Even though I didn't look it, I was overjoyed that Todoroki and Izuku got together, and not just because of the bet I made with Raccoon Eyes. I noticed Todoroki's depressing behaviour from the start, and my silent concern for the boy only grew when he came into school seeming to look more tired than the day before.

The boy also always seemed to have some kind of injury, from a sprained ankle or a black eye.

Whenever the class or Uraraka asked what happened, he just brushed them off and told them that he was fine.

Only now do we understand what was happening to Todoroki at home, and honestly I'm not surprised.

The moment the dorms opened up, Todoroki seemed more bright, and not to mention healthy. Even though he still looked poorly sleep-deprived, he at least attempted to make more social interactions with the rest of the class.

He was slowly but surely crawling out of his shell, and Izuku only helped him more.

Izuku made him even happier.

Izuku to him, just like how he was to me, is an emotional support rock.

His presence manages to brighten anyone's day, and the sun can't compare to how bright his smile is.

I grin to myself at the thought of Izuku, sniffing and wiping my tears away.

This is okay, I thought, huffing a laugh. This is okay.

I1Don1t1Know

Thanks for the comment. This chapter's for you.

Please vote!