requested by LilGrumpyBoi

(This story contains self-harming and gore, if you do not like these themes I strongly advise you to not read)

shoji and tokoyami had been friends for as long as their paths had crossed

they knew everything about each other

all their likes

all their dislikes

at least

that was what shoji had thought

but one night had changed that

the day had started as normal

the classroom was in the normal chaos

Mr Awizawa sleeping

bakugo shouting

Minetta being a perv

the girls beating Minetta up for being a perv

and so on

shoji and ojiro talking with Jiro while tokoyami stared out the window

shoji was about to beckon tokoyami to join them

when his eyes caught a glimpse of something red glistening on his friend's throat

he probably wouldn't have noticed it if the sun wasn't so bright

"tokoyami," he said with alarm, hurriedly walking over to the raven head

"you're bleeding" he finished pointing to tokoyami's neck

tokoyami didn't even look down

instead slapping shoji's hand away

looking around and sighing with relief that everyone was still occupied in what they were doing

"it's nothing shoji, I had a nose bleed and I guess it dropped onto my chocker" tokoyami said with a reassuring smile

but shoji swore he could see some fear inside tokoyami's eyes

shoji wanted to say something but the sound of their homeroom teacher waking up prevented him to do so

everyone getting back into their seats

and back to their studies

but there was something that wasn't adding up for shoji

the blood seemed to be coming from behind the choker

so why did tokoyami lie

after the bell rang shoji tried to reach tokoyami before he could escape

but tokoyami was to fast, running to who knows where

shoji suspected it he was heading to his room like every Friday after school

hurriedly marching to tokoyami's door room he knocked on the door in desperate need of answers

there was no answer

but shoji could tell his friend was inside

the shadow underneath the door confirmed this

shoji didn't know what to do

he didn't want to tell anyone of this as it seemed personal

but by tokoyami's reaction to his question had got him really worried and wanted to tell a teacher

the blood itself was worrying

making up his mind he left the door

but didn't leave the area

it was soon coming to dinner time

shoji was starving, his belly rumbling

but the action of a door opening told him that the wait was worth it

shoji hid behind a corner and waited for the sound of light footsteps to be on the move

they led him to the furthest toilets away from the rest of his classmates

he crept along the wall waiting for the perfect time to catch out what his friend was up to

gasps of pain and anguish filled the room

and shoji took this as a sign to act

"tokoyami" shoji announced

this made the birds head boy gasp in shock

and dropping something small silver and red onto the floor with a ping against the tile floor

what shoji saw went his entire body freeze

tokoyami

his best friend

had small droplets dripping out of his neck

and multiple engraved lined scars crossing every direction on his neck

was this the real reason why he wore a chocker

to cover his self-inflicted scars

"why?" shoji whispered

he could feel tears start to swell in his eyes

"why would you do this to yourself?" he asked again

he felt his body move towards the bloodied student

"you...you don't understand" tokoyami stuttered as he reached down to the bloodied knife

but shoji kicked it out to the other side of the room

"what don't I understand, you're harming yourself!" he yelled using his quirk to restrain tokoyami from running over to the knife to cause any more damage to himself

"I have to" tokoyami whispered, tears forming in his own eyes

"Why! what could make you do something so horrible to yourself!" shoji screamed

"BECAUSE IF I DON'T DO IT HE WILL" tokoyami screamed louder

tokoyami bursting into hysterical crying

shoji still holding him tight, pushing him to his chest so tokoyami could have someone's shoulder to cry on

shoji couldn't do any more until tokoyami calmed down a bit

shoji himself

who was "he"

who could be so cruel

so terrifying

that it would make tokoyami physically and mentally harm himself in fear of someone else doing it for him

tokoyami's crying soon settled down to soft sobs

and shoji knew it was time for words of reassurance and answers

"you don't have to do this to yourself tokoyami, we will protect you from whoever this person is, that's a promise" shoji comforted stocking his friend's hair/feathers in reassurance

"you...you can't..." tokoyami tried to stutter before the kiss was gently placed onto tokoyami's beak

"We can," shoji said looking into tokoyami's shocked eyes

"Now let's get you fixed up," he said going over to the sink

still holding tokoyami in his arms using extras to dampen a towel

"Soon as we wash away the remaining blood I'll take you to the recovery ward to get those cuts checked, ok," shoji asked as he began to gently rub the towel against tokoyami's injured neck

"ok" tokoyami muttered, trying not to grimace through the pain, he had been doing it for so long, but the deeper he got the more painful it became

when the two got to the recovery ward recovery girl soon got to work

Aizawa was soon called in

his eyes wide for a split moment in worry for his student but soon turned slant in anger

tokoyami explained that he had done it ever since his mother died and his father got back into his life

shoji holding onto his best friends shaking body as their homeroom teacher left, alerting the other teachers of this news

they were going to arrest "HIM" and get tokoyami the help he so clearly needed

tokoyami had never felt this safe in such a long time

"I told you," shoji said bringing tokoyami's attention back to the octopus boy

"we will keep you safe" shoji said happily holding tokoyami's hand

tokoyami returned the smile and gave shoji's hand a squeeze

"thank you"