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It’s late when a knock echos through Aizawa's suite- Specific hour lost to the paperwork piled on his desk. But he knows it's late, long passed curfew at best.
He half expects it to be a student coming to tell him something's broken or that they’ve locked themself out of their room going for a midnight snack. Something annoying, but manageable.
Opening the door, the soft light from his desk lamp spills out into the hallway, illuminating the figure who doesn’t quite meet his gaze. Midoriya.
He seems anxious, unable to still himself, restless as if he doesn’t want to tell Aizawa what’s wrong- Even further proof that it’s probably something menial but ultimately forgivable, maybe a detention at worst.
But then he speaks, voice wavering.
“A-Aizawa I…” Midoriya meets his gaze for a moment, glassy eyes widening slightly- Something is wrong, gaze unfocused even in its return to the carpet. He bites his lip “A-actually it’s nothing sorry-“
“Midoriya.” He says, perhaps a little too firmly, causing the boy to flinch “What’s wrong?”
The kid probably just broke a bathroom tap or dropped something off the balcony or- Aizawa isn’t one for overthinking. But he can’t quiet the voice in his head telling him it’s something worse, and that if Midoriya goes back to his room unchecked it’ll only be so much worse when he finds out.
“It’s nothing, just being stupid.” He laughs, but it’s hollow and cold, stepping away from the door.
“Kid, you aren’t being stupid. Something is clearly going on, you came down here for a reason. What’s happening?”
Midoriya is silent for a moment, seemingly bracing himself. Taking a deep breath, he sighs, voice so small he barely hears it “I umm… I think I overdosed…”
And there it is. The bullet that lodges itself in his chest and lets the worry truly set in even if he still has to remain calm and collected because there’s no way he just thinks he did. Think, what’s the protocol here? What is he, not only a hero but this kid's teacher and current guardian, supposed to do? Is this something Recovery Girl can handle or should he call an ambulance? She’s probably asleep.
“Shit, kid. What did you take? How much and when?” He tries to pace the questions slowly, not letting the sheer quantity of his panic seep into his tone.
“Umm, I can’t remember?” He mumbles, squinting as if he’s at least trying to recall “Like the whole thing though, it was already half empty- What time is it?”
Glancing at his monitor, he sees the clock in the corner “2:47 am.”
Aizawa is already pulling out his phone as the kid ponders, tired and lackadaisical even through his nerves in a way he hasn’t seen Midoriya act before.
“Like... two hours ago?”
If Aizawa had an ounce less self control he might have started shaking him. It took him two hours to reach out. And he wants to think he’s misunderstood, but they both know it wasn’t an accident. He just took a while to regret it “I’m calling an ambulance come sit down here.” He pulls open the door further, gesturing towards the sofa against the opposite wall.
Midoriya does so without complaint, phone ringing until he gets through to the automated emergency service message.
While Aizawa makes the call, the kid remains silent unless prompted for information. It isn’t until he puts the phone down that he looks up at him, green eyes glassy with tears and something worse.
“An ambulance will be here in five minutes, try to stay with me, okay?”
Izuku nods, but won’t meet his gaze again as he whispers into the silence “I’m sorry.”
“Huh?” He replies instinctively.
“I- I shouldn’t have brought you into this.” He sniffles and it’s not as if he’s never seen Midoriya cry before, but it hasn’t been like this “Or bothered you this late.”
“Midoriya, you’re dying.” He says as softly as he can, crouching down beside where he sits on the sofa to meet his gaze “I’d never want you to suffer silently, or want you dying because you didn’t tell anyone about it.”
He’s quiet for a moment, mulling it over somewhere behind his eyes. Aizawa doesn’t know what brought him to this point, if this is something he’s fought on his own for a while or a recent development- But he’s beyond relieved that he didn’t fester in it forever. Even if fate still has time to pull him away, it’s a start.
“I’m proud of you, kid.”
“B- but I messed everything up- I…” Midoriya chokes, somewhere between actual words and a sob “I couldn’t do it…” Quieter, surely inaudible if the room had been any louder “I can never do it.”
“You still came to me, didn’t you?” A nod, meeting his gaze with a newfound confusion “It’s scary, and I won’t pretend to know what you’re going through.” No amount of hero training and field experience could not have prepared him for tonight “But reaching out is a big step, and I’m proud of you for taking it.”
Conflicted and rife with more emotions than even Midoriya can probably decipher, his eyes well with a new wave of tears. Aizawa worries he’s said the wrong thing, misremembered a hero training course or two he’s probably due a reevaluation for- But then he remembers who he’s talking to.
Aizawa has never been the best at comforting people, but this is his student, one of his kids (even if he’d never say that aloud). Someone so bright and full of potential, no matter how much chaos may follow- He's just lost sight of that himself Aizawa supposes. He opens his arms in a silent invitation that Midoriya practically falls into.
He holds on as if Aizawa will slip right through his fingers, and he lets him. It’s the least he can do, holding him tightly in return.
There’s still so much up in the air- So many things that could go wrong or complicate things. But it’s a start.
Midoriya is alive. Not quite well, but alive. And maybe that’s all that matters for now.