Seeking Comfort ( Izuku X Uraraka)

Chapter 15

"Alright. Now go take care of Uraraka. She needs a friend right now." Kirishima's expression and tone was completely serious when he put a hand on Izuku's shoulder. The freckled teenager nodded as the hand was lifted from his shoulder and Kirishima started trekking his way back to the stairs. He turned around and waved once before disappearing out of sight, and Izuku took a moment to steady himself for the conversation he was about to have. He and Uraraka were really digging deep these days.

A slight creaking sound made Izuku whirl around and notice a thin strip of light falling onto the floor. One eyeball poked out from the small crack that had appeared in the door and a chuckling could be heard in the corridor, making the hair on his arms stand on end.

"Midoriya... Two guys and a girl... I didn't think you had it in you..." Chuckles came from the short shadow in the doorway next to Izuku's. Shivers ran down his spine when he realized what Mineta was implicating and he could feel his face starting to grow hot.

"N-no that's not it!"

Ochaco hadn't moved from the floor since her two classmates walked out. She sat rooted to the spot, unable to stop thinking about Kirishima hurting himself. How could such a gentle and compassionate person ever do something so horrible to himself? Maybe his pain was the reason he became gentle, she mused.

'Like you're any better. Haven't you been doing the exact same thing?' The poisonous voice suddenly echoed in her mind, startling her badly. Ochaco grit her teeth in response and tried to push the voice out of her head, but it was too strong.

'You want to do the same thing, don't you? I bet Kirishima cut himself using his quirk, why don't you jump from the balcony and do the same?' An image of herself climbing onto the railing of Deku's balcony and letting her foot slip appeared in her head.

"Shut up!" Ochaco hissed under her breath and pushed even harder to block out the voice. Dark-Ochaco was relentless and kept whispering, her voice sugary sweet.

'Why not do it? You're useless, so no one will even notice that you're gone...' It kept taunting her. Ochaco wanted to scream. Why did this voice come out every time she let down her guard? It was frustrating and scary. She constantly had to keep a mental barrier up and if something disturbed her mental fortitude, the snake slithered forward and poisoned her mind. She needed to get a grip, she told herself. The voice only had power over her, if she allowed it to.

'Maybe Midoriya will be the next one to hurt himself. His quirk is pretty strong, he could totally do it.'

"No, Deku would never do that." Ochaco stated calmly. A sudden bout of clarification washed over her. This voice didn't know anything about her friends, it just twisted its words to target whatever Ochaco was feeling. At Deku's house, it had spoken when she had admired him from behind, something she had been doing a lot since the sports festival.

She admired Deku so much and the constant worry that he and everyone else were moving ahead and leaving her behind had been the incentive the voice needed to attack her. Now it preyed on her negative emotions and made her feel miserable at every given opportunity, but Ochaco wouldn't let it win. She would get ahold of her emotions and control her reaction whenever something happened. Until she worked up the courage to see the doctors, she would have to take care of it on her own.

The door opened again and Midoriya came back, muttering to himself. He looked disheveled, but there was something different about the way he carried himself. Giving him a once-over, Ochaco realized that he his shoulders were squared and despite not looking at her right away, his face was set in determination.

"Deku-kun?" She asked, head tilted sideways. The dark voice in her mind had gone quiet the moment Midoriya came back and Ochaco couldn't feel its presence any longer.