The World Changes: Stronger.
I took one look at my dorm, and everything was coming together. The Heights Alliance was a new dorm building, turning UA into a boarding school. We were all required to move in, and I settled in easily enough, making it look lived-in.
My bed was a messy ball of sheets and blankets, mostly wrapped around me. My walls were plastered with drawings of support items and portraits of my family and posters of Endeavor, my stereo was playing some casual jazz number.
I lovingly put a portrait of Momo next to mine. I knew that things would be better, but my facial scar was something I was scared of. It was jagged and deeper than the others. It seemed to be… crack-like. Almost as if my body was warning me.
My reckless combat style and 'Damn the missiles, full speed ahead' attitude might get me killed. No matter what happened. I sat at my desk, seeing my sketchbook laying there and inviting me back inside. I drew, I sketched, I wrote.
Everything was changing, and the class was at the epicenter of it all. Momo and I carried each other, partners, best friends, always knowing what we wanted to do. Yet now? I knew my calling. I knew my duty.
To rise. To become the hero of the people without a voice. So here I was, fighting on. To become the hero that kids like me would look up to, breaking away from what was holding them back. Following their dreams like me.
Breaking barriers, smashing expectations, breathing and biting, fighting to change the world. That was my duty. I went out into the common area, happily humming a little. Seeing the others all gathered around with everything handled.
The only problem was that I was the last one to get settled, I didn't like to rush. I was still pissed about the bet. What if Sero didn't come in the clutch? What if I just went in without anything? I was still worried about how everyone was taking the loss of All Might and my cracks… they were disturbing.
"Hey, guys! I just got a cool idea!" Ochako piped up, "Since we all got our rooms ready… how about a contest to see who's got the best?!" I froze.
"Uh… Uraraka? Wait a minute… what if… hypothetically, if we were having a room contest… shouldn't we go through all of ours? That way we can get an accurate comparison?" I asked everyone looked shocked that I had such an extensive vocabulary.
"What? I used to know how to get to my mom's place from the train station minus traffic, and you guys think I'm 'xactly like my brother?" I scoffed.
We started with Izuku's room, and from the way, he was acting it was like there was some sort of bad stuff in there… it turned out to be stuffed full of All Might merch!
"Wow! It's a fanboy's room!" Ochako squealed.
"W-well… y-yeah… I… uh… admire him," Izuku mumbled. I smirked.
"It's alright! It's okay to show your passions!" I encouraged, "Besides… it reminds you of home, right?"
Izuku nodded with everyone moving on to Tokoyami, who blocked the door with his body, "This is stupid, I don't want to do this," he said. Mina and Tooru pushed him out of the way and everyone beheld a black light lit room with all kinds of oddly gothic stuff. I think I saw a… longsword?! Why does he have one of those?
We went on to Aoyama's and the first thing we saw was…
"MY EYES! OW! OW!" I screeched, rubbing them.
"Dazzling and bright, non?" he asked.
"More like, how the hell did you make your ROOM brighter than one of my Flash Shells?!" I snapped, rubbing my eyes and blinking the brightness out.
"Okay! This is starting to get fun! The last one on the second floor is…" Ochako segued, seeing Mineta emerge from his little dorm, "C'mon… c'mon in… I'll show you guys somethin' amazing!" he cooed.
I peeked in, "It's normal! Moving on," I snapped, seeing nothing of note. Then I noticed that mine was the first on the second floor next door to Ojiro's. I ran ahead.
"Wait wait wait wait!" I yelled, spreading my arms out and protecting my door, cheeks red and me looking down at the floor.
"Huuh?! You got something to hide in there?" Mineta drawled.
"Sh-shut… Shut up, Mineta! I just… dunno…" I mumbled, "I dunno if anyone wants to see it,"
Mina and Tooru tried to push me, but I remained stalwart. "Okay… Momo, I think your boyfriend won't move for us," Mina sighed, Tooru steered her to the front.
"Renaru, can you move, sweetie?" she asked, "It's only fair that you participate,"
I resisted, "Nah! I don't wanna show it off! I just don't like people bein' in my space!" I snapped harshly, Momo grew stern and got right in my face, her eyes piercing.
"Renaru Bakugou, stand aside… otherwise… otherwise I'll!" she faltered, her cheeks pink, losing steam, "Uhm…" she mumbled.
She grabbed me and kissed me in front of everyone, making me shut down.
"Greeaaaatttt… you blue-screened him…" Katsuki snarled, opening the door. It revealed my cozy, somewhat chaotic room with the overabundance of art on the wall. I had an Endeavor poster on my wall, it was one of the only pieces of merch I had.
"Oh! So cozy!" Tooru piped up.
Momo was carrying me, "See? What were you so worried about?" she asked.
"Just… uhm…" I mumbled.
"Oh wow! Look! He's got the first few seasons of Super Sentai Squad! Ooh! And Final Blaze's rare commentary edition!" Izuku gasped.
"That…" I sighed, "I'm not much of a… nerd," I admitted.
"What's this?" Mineta wondered, digging through my closet. He came up with an album of the pictures I used for the pictures I drew.
"AHHHHH! Hey hey hey! No! Get the fuck out!" I snapped, hopping out of Momo's arms and grabbing the album from him. It was full of important pictures. Pictures I didn't want to get damaged or stolen. I put it back and Katsuki patted me on the back.
"Hey, it's okay…" he sighed.
"No, it isn't! This album's all I've got of you guys!" I snapped, seeing Momo looking at her portrait next to mine. She seemed a little amazed at it. I went red-faced and got up.
"You're saying that this is from a photo?" she asked.
"No… the ones on my wall are from memory…" I mumbled.
"No way," she decided, "There's no way,"
I blushed, "Well… let's move on!" I spat, Momo grabbed my hand and led me out, I shyly plodded along, she was still able to amaze me. We saw Ojiro's normal room and Koda's bunny. Once all of the guys were done, we went to the girls' dorms. I didn't like to invade other people's privacy.
I saw Jiro's room, "Whoa! So many instruments!" I yelled, going up to her electric guitar, "M-may I?" I asked.
"Go ahead, Explodo-dork," she said, seeing me smirk and pick it up. I smiled, remembering learning how to play from those lessons Mom strong-armed Katsuki into going to. I was happy to learn how to play guitar.
I strummed madly, riffing out a mix of Chop Suey and Toxicity. "Man, Jiro, where the hell didja get the equipment?" I asked.
"My dad's got contacts with some stores, if you want one, I can getcha one," she said, "Especially after that riff… you learn from somewhere?"
"My mom strong-armed Katsu into lessons, and I went along and learned guitar, I don't play much, but… maybe I was a little rusty…" I mumbled.
"Shove it, Ren! I know that you practiced like a madman after you started datin' Momo!" Katsuki snarled, "Besides! Let's wrap this up!"
"What? One way to a woman's heart is to pluck 'er heartstrings, am I right, Ren?" Jiro teased, ribbing me.
I smirked, "Ehh… I kinda just stumbled around until I figured out how to date 'er…" I drawled. We moved on to Hagakure's room, and it was pink and girly, like everyone kind of imagined. Mineta went right to the dresser and started to waft the scent over to him.
"Plus Ultra…" he mumbled.
"Seriously, Mineta?! You went right for it, huh?!" she snapped, "Ren! Get him!" she demanded.
I rolled my eyes and grabbed Mineta by the shirt collar, tossing him out and Flash Shelling his eyes. We smelled something good coming from Sato's room, it turned out it was cake and Denki was talking to him.
"So, you know Yaomomo and Renugou are together, yeah?" he asked.
"Uh… yeah?" Sato ventured.
"How about… and this is all a shot in the dark here, you make their wedding cake?" Denki wondered, "You'll be wonderfully compensated, I bet!" he said, winking. Sato looked at me and Momo, who were holding hands again.
"Are you two… okay with that?" he mumbled.
I went red-faced and Momo blurted, "Maybe! We haven't gotten that far…"
I started to giggle and I covered my face, giggling and flustered, 'Momo in a wedding dress… no, a wedding kimono! So pretty!' I thought laughing was my natural flustered reaction.
"Haha… hahaha… oooh…" I faltered off. We came to her room, and Mineta shot in, "The room where it happened! I'm in the room where it happened!" he cheered. I saw her bed dominating most of her room, but she had my hoodie lovingly folded on her bedspread.
She also had the limited edition Renegade plushie sitting near her pillows. There were only five in existence. I blushed at the odd red lip marks on the mouth and cheeks of it. Momo went beet red and grabbed it, hiding it quickly.
"I was… just… practicing…" she admitted, "I used it to practice… things, yes, things…"
I started to nervously giggle again. I knew she created five of them and sold the other four. She kept one.
"Ooooh! If you couldn't share your bed with Brother Renaru… you had a re-" I wrapped my arm around his shoulders, smiling down at him.
"Hey Momo, what do you think? Should I… make him wine?" I snarled.
She started to giggle, "I don't think you should…" she said.
"Raisin, then!" I snapped, "HEY SERO! GO LONG!" I yelled, tossing him out of the door and Sero taped him up, he was less inclined to be pervy, but the rest of the 'planners' came in.
"So… uh… are ya done, Renugou?" Denki asked Mina edged over to Momo.
"So, when are ya gonna invite him over for a sleepover, Momo?" she asked, "I see you like having him around, you even have a plushie of him!"
Momo hid her face with a pillow, "Uhm… I… I…" she stammered. I growled and clenched my hands into fists.
"How long are you gonna continue to tease us?" I snarled, "Mind your own business! It wasn't right the first time we did it! That stupid bet had us up against the wall!"
"For the rest of your romantic love life, or unless we die of old age?" Sero asked, smirking. I turned away and walked back out, "I'm going to bed! Just leave me alone…" I sighed.
I tackled my bed, "Fuckin' busybodies! Mind yer damn business… I fuckin' hate that…" I growled, wrapping my blankets around myself and curling against the pillows. Sleep came and got me soon enough.
I was deeply asleep. Then… I felt like I did back in the rubble, legs pinned, chest crushing, I tried to wake up, seeing Momo, Mom, Katsuki, and everyone I loved around me, "I'm here! I'm here! Pull me out!" I tried to yell.
All that came out was nothing. I saw them all in black, Mom crying as they lowered a small casket. I tried to pull myself out, tried to yank myself free.
Yet I saw all of them go on without me. Katsuki never was the same, ending up a hero, but always visiting my 'grave' I was watching in the dark, trying to pull myself out. Mom fell into a depression, only staying alive because of Katsuki.
Yet what made me wake up… was what happened to Momo… she was… murdered. Or slaughtered by a villain that she couldn't stop. I saw it all. Stain standing over her, removing his blades, or All For One, creating a blade and cutting her into pieces, or the Nomu beating her to death.
In all of them, she was screaming for me, screaming for mercy, and I jolted awake.
"MOMO!" I yelled, feeling my fan going at full tilt and I was crying. I dried my tears, but they kept coming. I decided to go to her, I needed to know if she was okay, and that the dream wasn't some sort of bad omen of things yet to happen.
I forced myself out of my bed, and walked up the steps to her room, forgoing the elevator because that would make so much noise. The whole time, I was in tears, gasping and huffing, bile rose in my throat. I was panicking! I doubled over, letting out all the vomit I built up, panicking in the stairwell.
I couldn't stop hearing her screams, I couldn't stop hearing all the villains' laughter and taunts, I couldn't stop feeling like I was dying. I needed someone. I needed someone. I heard the door to the stairwell open, I shut my eyes.
Don't look.
Don't look and they'll never see your weakness.
Don't look and they won't see you cry.
Don't look and they'll never see Renaru.
"Whaddya doin' out here?" Katsuki growled.
"Gonna go…" I mumbled.
"Hell no, you're gonna sit right there and tell me what the hell's up with you," he flatly stated, barring any arguments.
"Ever since Kamino you've been actin' down," Katsuki sighed, "Now seein' ya shirtless an' covered in your own puke? That seals it,"
I pushed him away, "Mind your own business! So what if I puked up my guts?!" I snapped.
"It's my business when yer bein' an ass!" Katsuki growled, grabbing my shoulders, "The fuck's wrong with you?"
"A hero's not supposed to have… this…" I mumbled, motioning to myself, "Right?"
Katsuki sighed and reached out, ruffling my hair, "Ren, it's okay…"
"No, it's not! I just… had a dream where I was so useless! I watched you and Mom live on without me! It was like… It was like I never existed at all eventually! Then… then… Momo… she…" I mumbled. Katsuki knelt.
"Then… Stain and All For One… that, Nomu, thing… they all took turns killing her… I just… couldn't do anything!" I snarled. Katsuki treated me like a bomb, and I shut my eyes, not realizing that in my run to the stairwell that I was in Full Salvo.
I barely felt it. But Katsuki stuck by me, and I slowly extinguished, with Katsuki calming me down. We heard the upper door open and we didn't see who it was, only hearing some footsteps, my sparks were completely out.
Katsuki and I saw Momo sleepily plodding down the steps, eyes closed, she was asleep? She went down the steps and stopped in front of us. We glanced at each other and back up. She peacefully went past us and we followed, with Katsuki on guard, but she stopped at my door and landed on my bed, letting out a blissful sigh.
"Uh… what in the hell?" Katsuki asked.
I shrugged, "S-she's never done that before… Sleepin' in my bed, I can get it. But SLEEPWALKING to my bed, that's a first," I said, I heard her shift and let out a small sigh in disappointment. Katsuki huffed.
"Welp, this is where I bow out, whaddya waitin' on? Go sleep with yer princess!" he stated, pushing me in. He shut the door quietly behind me, and I sighed heavily, going over to the bed and seeing her stir. Momo's eyes opened.
"Mmm? How did I… end up in your room?" she asked, I sat down on the bed and she grabbed me, pulling me down, "Oh well…" she sighed, "I think I felt wrong without you with me…"
"The real you is better than plushie you…" she yawned, pulling me to her chest and resting her chin on the top of my head, "Warmer too…"
I smiled, knowing what to do, I wrapped my arms around her. Burying my face into her chest, hearing her heartbeat, relaxing.
"So… What's this about a nightmare?" she asked, "Sometimes I hear things when I'm sleepwalking,"
I went quiet.
"Renaru, sweetheart… you can tell me…" she said, "We need no secrets, right?"
"O-of course n-not… it's… it's just, I had a nightmare. A bad one. My first one since Kamino Ward," I huffed.
"Okay… so what happened?" she asked.
"It started with me being crushed by the rubble, and I couldn't do anything but watch… Mom, you, and Katsuki had my funeral, and they moved on like I never existed, sure, my mom was depressed and Katsuki was angry at points, but it was like I never affected them, then came the reason why I woke up," I sighed.
"Then Stain, All For One, and the Nomu all fought you, and you were doing well at first, but they… they started killing you over and over again, and every time you were screaming for me, screaming for anyone to help, All For One took your quirk, then killed you with it, then Stain would slice you up. The Nomu took its time, beating the shit outta you, breaking your bones slowly… and I saw every minute of it," I whispered, squeezing her gently.
"No one came to save you, no one…" I started to cry again, "I wanted to DO something… but I woke up before I could,"
Momo held me, and I continued to cry, "Being a hero is no walk in the park, baby…" she sighed, "Sometimes you have to face the worst things imaginable…"
"What… what if I can't… What if I can't face seeing you die? What if I can't face anyone I love dying?" I said Momo moved me back, tracing my face scar, her expression one of sympathy and slight sadness.
She sighed, remembering what happened, "You mean so much to me, you know that?" she asked, "Back at Kamino, I didn't want to stop digging up the rubble with your brother until I found your body… I was depressed hearing that you were dancing on the razor-thin line of death…" she took a deep breath.
"I… I thought I wasn't fast enough, I thought… I thought we'd find you broken and… and dead… so that's why I was all buried in your hoodie and greasy... I thought you'd die…" she mumbled.
I petted her hair and let her cry, sometimes we all need a good cry. I pulled my blankets over us, seeing her dry her tears and smile up at me at this point. She wasn't rich when she was with me. She wasn't the girl with everything when she was with me. No matter how big our bed is, no matter what happens… no matter the distance or the injury…
There was nothing in heaven or hell or in this world that'd ever make me regret meeting her. There's nothing more precious than her love. God, I wanted to be by her side without all the pressure, to finally have time to relax and not worry about villains or dropping buildings, or even other people.
Just the two of us like right now. I closed my eyes and went to sleep again, this time, there were no villains, no nightmares, no dreams, just blissful sleep.
*PROMINENCE BURN! PROMINENCE BURN! PROMINENCE BURN!* I slapped my alarm off, seeing that Momo was gone, and my shirt from yesterday was gone. I yawned and grabbed a silky soft one and threw it on. I didn't sleep in, but I was so tired, the shirt was a little big on me. I shuffled to the bathroom with my toothbrush and toothpaste by my side. In my half-asleep stupor, I saw my best friends, Sero and Denki.
"Yo, dick," Denki huffed.
"Hey, bastards," Sero lazily greeted.
"Mornin', you horny fucks…" I sighed, starting to brush my teeth. They gawked at me as I brushed, seeing their incredulous faces made me curious. I looked down at the shirt, it ran down to my thighs. Momo was taller than me, while I was up to chest height with her. Uncle Shield told me that I stopped growing and gaining weight already.
It smelled nice.
"Dude, you're wearing Momo's shirt," Denki said.
"Yeah, so? I don't see what the big deal is, a shirt is a shirt," I reasoned.
"That's not what I'm referring to," Denki stated, "You're WEARING HER SHIRT,"
I still didn't know what he was getting at. When I realized what I was wearing, "Aw shit… it happened again…" I sighed.
"Say what?" Denki gasped.
"See, whenever I sleep with someone, I take off my shirt and their shirt and I swap, it happens to everybody who I trust," I explained.
"Aw, and I thought it was some kink of yours…" Denki huffed, I smirked.
"Well… seems like Jammy Boy wants to know the forbidden knowledge," I crooned, "I'm pretty sure I don't have one,"
Sero piped up, "Don't you like it when Momo holds you? You get this blissed-out face whenever she does it,"
I blushed and sighed, wondering how things were going for her.
I woke up earlier than Renaru, finding that his shirt was on me. It was tight and showed off my midriff a little too much. I found him snugly curled into a little ball and saw my shirt on him, I let him keep it, he looked so cute with the sleeves over his hands.
His hair was so messy, too! I smoothed it and planted a kiss on his forehead, seeing him smile. I stretched a little and went to get my stuff, once I got my hair tie and my toothbrush and toothpaste, I went to join the other girls, still wearing his shirt.
Jiro was the first to see me come in, "Hey, Yaomomo, good morning," she greeted.
"Good morning, Jiro," I said, brushing my hair.
"I heard from Pomer-boy that Ren had a tough night," she sighed.
"Yes, he did," I confirmed, tying my hair up in a ponytail, seeing Mina and Tooru come in and freeze, seeing Renaru's compression shirt that smelled like burnt sugar and some traces of the peppers he liked to eat. His smell reminded me of safety, of peace, of good things. I also put on the necklace he gave me, and it sparkled in the fluorescent lighting.
They squeed and jumped up and down, I looked at them quietly. Watching them freak out and dance around. I didn't get why they were doing that.
"Oh. My. GOD! NO WAAAAYYYYYY!" Mina yelled.
"Yaomomo, spill! You never tell us about how he is!" Tooru yelled.
"Oh, Renaru's doing fine, he needed me last night," I said, and they almost went ballistic. Ochako and Tsuyu came in. They didn't bat an eye at Renaru's shirt.
"Uhm… what's with Mina and Tooru? Why're they so… pumped up?" Ochako asked.
"Look at what Yaomomo is wearing!" Tooru gasped, "It's Renaru's shirt!"
Tsuyu just smiled, "It's cute that you two share shirts, ribbit," she stated.
I smirked a little, realizing that he must be getting hounded by the guys. I took a picture of his cute little face and his cute little sleeping position with my shirt on. He slept on his stomach or curled in a little ball, normally cuddled up against me.
Seeing him so scared and so hurt… and so small reminded me that he was just human, like everyone else. He fought so hard, and now his rose-tinted glasses about the glamour of heroes were being torn off. I didn't know that he was scared of going to sleep and not waking up again.
We joined the others, and I saw Renaru pulling on his uniform shirt and jacket, yawning widely, "Man! I had a good night's sleep!" he exclaimed, with Sero and Denki snickering behind him. I noticed his facial scar a lot more now.
It worried me. All of his scars worried me, but that one… it was deeper, and every time he would spark… it would ignite, too. Yet, he kept the biggest smile on his face he could. He always pushed, always strived to be his best.
Yet his scar told me a different story, his crying, his sobbing in my arms last night told me that… he didn't have skin thick enough to take tragedy. He was too soft, too gentle, too childish. He needed love, and he needed someone better to protect him, he needed me.
He always said that I made him feel like a hero. I'm doing a real bang-up job of 'protecting' him. Most of the time I'm the one that needs it… Even Katsuki did a better job and most of the time, they bicker. Yet, he didn't need physical protection.
He needed emotional protection. Someone to lean on. He had Sero, Denki, Mineta, Shoji, and me. Even if he would explode Mineta and wrestle Denki and Sero. He would always come back with some happy stories to tell.
Yet… I noticed that his smile was smaller, his eyes would dart around, his quirk would activate at random times, and…
He'd grow distant. Or start to freak out if we went into an enclosed space. He hates it when I go out on my own now. He gets scared and worried more often. His strength was always his unbeatable optimism, but… even then?
It's gone. He tries to reawaken it, but it dies before he can stoke it. He became more vicious on himself and his training. I found him outside, his brother was throwing blasts at him, and I was ready to wade in and get him.
*Boom! BOOOOM! BOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!*
"Dammit! Again, Katsu! Hit me again!" he demanded.
*BOOOOOOOOM!*
"THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH! BLAST TO KILL, DAMMIT!" he howled, his sparks flaring. Katsuki hesitated.
"Come on! Come on! HIT ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!" he challenged his brother, I tried to find an opening, but now he was on his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks, looking down at the ground outside and punching it in anger.
He was silent, but… I found something of his. A journal buried right inside the 'album'. It was old and leather. Well-loved. I took it with me. Cracking it open with a penlight in my teeth to read.
Entry One: My Condition.
Mom took me to another doctor today with the same tired old shit of how I can't be a hero. I know I can break my limits. I know I can overcome this. I know I can. Endeavor is always the one breaking limits… maybe I can, too…
Entry Two: The Girl.
I saved someone during the exam today. She was pretty, and I'm not gonna lie and say she wasn't. She… made me feel like a hero, so I'll call her, 'Hero Girl' until I get her name.
After a legion of events marched by with things I already knew, the one dated for today. The one with the entry title that scared me to death.
Entry Twenty: I should be STRONGER.
Kamino Ward broke me. It… it did more than just break me. It cracked me, it shattered me. I should be stronger than this. I should be better than this. I don't understand why Katsuki and Momo stick around. I see the looks they give me. I see them and I ask… in my head of course, 'Why do you pity me?' 'Am I not good enough?' I should be STRONGER. I should be BETTER. Why aren't Stain and the Nomu and that BASTARD not leaving me alone?!
So.
Here I am.
Renaru Bakugou.
Sobbing into a fuckin' BOOK.
Momo… Katsuki…
I'm sorry I couldn't be stronger.
"Momo?" his voice said.
"Eep!" I squeaked, slamming the book shut, seeing him standing there. His blond hair was the same mop, his reddish-brown eyes snapped to the book in my hands. He turned to walk away but I grabbed his arm.
"Renaru, please… list-" he cut me off by igniting and glaring at me.
"No," he flatly denied.
"But… I…" I stammered.
"What?! Don't you GET IT?! I'm the one holding everyone back! I'm breaking and I don't know what's happening! I… I… feel so wrong… I messed up, I caused the attack on the Camp, I caused Miss Ragdoll's quirk to get stolen, I got captured and All Might lost his power to save me! I put all of you in danger, and you expect me to walk it all off?! That's what everyone thinks!" he ranted, flaring and marching over to my mirror.
"I…," he said, "I hate this…"
I got behind him and wrapped my arms around him, not caring one bit if it was burning me.
"If I was stronger… I… I would've… never gotten captured… I… I wouldn't've… hurt anyone…" he mumbled, I read a few entries that detailed accidental explosions, how many burns he gave to his mother and Mr. Shield, he turned to me.
"Why do you still believe in me? I could've hurt you! This scar, this crack? It means my body couldn't handle another blast! I wear my bands so I can't hurt anyone, but why?! WHY DO YOU BELIEVE IN ME?!" he started to sob. I held him tightly, seeing his sparks dwindle and die out.
"I don't understand… I don't get it… Why?" he mumbled.
I just held him, "You… you're not alone. I don't always see the hero, I don't believe in Renegade, I don't believe in the one they always see you as. I believe in you, Renaru. I believe in the man you are, your quirk isn't who you are. You aren't a weapon, you aren't a shield. You're a human, you bleed, you sweat, you cry… you break and shatter…" I grabbed his shaking hands and closed my eyes.
"You're never alone," I stated, "Every part of you, all you are… is so painfully human, is so painfully beautiful… and…" I leaned forwards, wrapping my arms around him, that shaking boy that ran into every fight with a smile, chucking his restraints away.
"I can't lose you… if you get hurt, I hurt too… If I lose you… I'll break," I admitted.
"You're stronger than you know," I sighed, "I don't care how many scars you get. I don't care about what other people think, you barely remember why you fight, all you focus on is the objective. But I know,"
"You do?" he asked.
"Yes," I said, pointing at the Endeavor poster.
"You fight because you want to be where he is, you want to be more than him… but you want to be someone who's accepted by my side… you work so hard and you fight so hard. You don't realize that… I…" I grabbed him and yanked him into a kiss, feeling his sparks explode.
"I love you, you dummy…" I sighed, "I don't care about our classes, I don't care about how rich you are, or how many cars you have… you… oh… you…" I sighed gently, feeling how his arms tightened around me, how he was crying, how he was shaking, so gently and so strong at the same time.
His tears burned away in his sparks, and he pulled away, jumped up and that smile was back, that bittersweet pain was still there, but I knew that I found what made me love him in the first place. His sparks danced, his eyes glew, the crack glew too, but…
I knew that in some way…
He was back.
Renaru grabbed me and spun me around, "Hey! Here's a crazy idea!" he cheered.
"What?" I wondered.
"How about… well… uh…" he stammered, "We uh…"
"How about you don't explode in your room, first?" I teased.
"Oh right! Sorry…" He sheepishly extinguished, and I took his hand.
"There's something I need to show you, something very special and dear to me," I said, leading him to my room. He was beet red, when we passed by the other girls and some of the other guys, they saw my determination and his sheepish following tactic made them gather around.
"Why're you so sheepish? Get in there, you dummy!" I snapped, trying to push him in.
"H-hang on! I thought we agreed on no rush!"
"That's not- ugh… sometimes I think you hit your head a little too hard when you decided to Heely off the roof with Denki and Sero…" I huffed.
"Look I was down a wheel! Wh- HEY!" He yelled, I pushed him in and slammed the door shut.
"Okay! Sit down," I demanded. He sat down on the floor, mostly because I misjudged the room dimensions and thought it was a TREMENDOUS idea to shove my king-sized double bed into such a small space… I went into my closet.
"Uh… why is mini-me covered in lipstick stains? And… aw fuck! Why is he heavy?!" Renaru called from outside.
"Okay… on three, Momo, one… two… THREE!" I coached myself, throwing the door open and seeing Renaru messing around with Mini-Him. When he saw me, he froze, his cheeks showing blazing red.
"Whoa…. WHOA! What the-" He cut himself off and grinned, "This is what you were gonna show me? It's beautiful… but, why'd ya need to close the… door?" he mumbled, I grabbed his hands and pulled him into my arms, holding him, he blushed beet-red and I smiled.
"This is what I'll wear when we get married… I wanted to give you a little preview… and maybe a head start?" I teased.
"Uh… about that… these… walls aren't exactly soundproof… an' I DON'T wanna end up on Aizawa's body count…" he mumbled.
"Mm… good point, but still…" I whispered, "Maybe we should test my bed, huh?"
Renaru shot up, his hand sparking, "Sorry! Flash Shell!" he snapped, a bright flash blew from his hands and I covered my eyes just in time. He ran anyway.
Ah well, sometimes you gotta lose, Momo...
Run. Get back to you-
*THUD!*
I went for a date with the marble. I looked behind me, no pursuit, so what did I slam into? Rather, who? It wasn't Tooru, otherwise, she'd help me up… but who did… I?
"Bakugou… what're you doing?" a tired sounding voice sighed.
"Eep! M-Mr. A-Aizawa! I was… uh… uhm…" I stammered.
He sighed, "C'mon, let's talk,"
Aizawa took my wrist and led me to his office, which was between both sides and sat down at his desk. I sat down anxiously.
"Your brother's told me about your training… or rather, torture… what I wanna know is why," he stated, "why are you telling him to go all out? Why are you hurting yourself?"
I didn't answer, looking down at the floor, finding my shoes, or rather, lack of them, immensely interesting.
"Bakugou, listen, no amount of silence is going to help you…" he huffed, putting two glasses of water on the table for us.
"I just… ever since I got trapped I… thought I didn't deserve to be standing here… All For One did more than just look at my memories… he went through them, bit by bit… now All Might is gone and he's in jail, and I'm still here," I admitted.
"So from what I'm hearing from you is that you think you deserve punishment?" Aizawa guessed, "Sounds like something that'd come outta Midnight, not some sixteen-year-old kid,"
"Still… I… Ever since I won the Fest, people treat me like I'm unbeatable…" I huffed, "It's a pain…"
Aizawa chuckled, "Hah, never heard that before…"
"Then I got a fucking BUILDING dropped on me! Seriously?! Overkill much?! I'm a sixteen-year-old crippled kid who can fart explosions and piss motor oil dating a girl that's three times out of his league! Don't even get me STARTED on my dad… fucker comes out of Buttfuck Egypt again, and my Mom goes BALLISTIC!" I ranted, taking a deep breath, and Aizawa listened.
"I mean, I go to this gala, right? And I see my dad there, and his rich fuckbuddies, and I start to spark, you know? I'm rumblin' up, I'm ready to kick his ass, and what do I do?! I up and forgive that fucking sperm donor!" I spat, making Aizawa LAUGH. How?! What?! I thought he was a robot or something.
He shook a little with laughter, "Go on, go on, hang on,"
"Oh! Then I get pressured by a FUCKING BET to bang my girlfriend when I was saving it for her birthday! Candles, Dinner, the works! Then I find out that another CRAZY PSYCHO MANIAC has a crush on me! Seriously? First Stain, now that Himiko girl?! Fuck…" I sighed, slamming my head on the desk, Aizawa was cackling at this point, and he was making me laugh by extension.
"Man, our lives are fucked, aren't they?" I sighed.
Aizawa nodded, sliding the glass of water my way, "Yeah, that's what being a hero means, you have no privacy, hounded by fans, villains, the past… that's what I hate about the Hero job… it's a full-time commitment," he huffed, "Just know that if you need anything, either one of you, any of you, come find me, I'm not as closed-off as people think,"
"Have a good night, Renaru Bakugou," he said as I got up.
"Yeah, you too, Mr. Aizawa." I sighed, "Thanks for the water and the ear,"
"Anytime," he stated.
I smiled and got back to my room, shutting the door behind me and laughing, laughing until it hurt at the comedy of it all. Momo dating me, Katsuki supporting me, every villain made me laugh harder. Was it all just one big joke, was I just lucky?
I smiled and looked in the mirror.
Smile…
The camera's off.
Laugh…
Because you never know when death's gonna grab ya.
Yet you can just laugh it off.