Chapter 60: unexpected visit
"Did you hear about that prisoner transport? That's kinda freaky, not even the bad guys are safe from even worse guys anymore."
Izuku tried to ignore the voices coming from the other side of the room. He pulled at his lower lip and tapped the back of his pencil against the table, a bad habit that had grown worse over the past week. Uraraka was watching his nervous movements, he expected her to ask him to stop any second. Iida would have done so a long time ago.
There. The girl parted her lips but before she could speak, the opening and closing of the door caught his attention. Iida and Todoroki stepped in. The latter let his gaze wander across the room until it landed on Izuku. He marched straight up to them and pointed on the free chair across the table.
"Is this free?"
Izuku nodded. Beside him, Uraraka pouted. He knew she felt left out, which made him feel guilty, but he wasn't allowed to talk about most of the internship stuff. Sighing, the teen finally put his pencil down. "Any news?"
Todoroki shrugged. "Not really. Coldhands isn't talking and they're still working on the sample."
Good thing he hadn't been naïve enough to get his hopes up. Izuku gave a nod, eyes directed at his notebook. A rough sketch of one of Endeavour's sidekicks stared back at him. It had taken almost a full week, but he managed to add detailed entries on all of them, leaving only a handful of free pages in his notebook. He should get a new one. Especially since he decided to dedicate some space to villains as well, which would help him a lot in the future, should he have to face Nightmare again-
Izuku felt a sharp pain spike in his chest. He clenched his teeth hard enough his jaw cramped.
"Thanks for the update, Shouto-kun." He rose to his feet. "I'm going to finish Present Mic-sensei's assignment."
"But that's not due until Friday, is it?" Uraraka piped up, looking after him. Izuku forced a smile on his lips before turning back to her, "I just had a little burst of motivation, that's all. I'll see you later!"
"Midoriya!" Todoroki hurried after him, taking two steps at once. Izuku, in desperate need for some privacy, had to force himself to come to a halt. "Shouto-kun?"
"There is something else." The double quirk user stared at him intently. "Shikogane is going to be released today. I just thought you'd like to know."
"Oh." Oh. His mouth went dry. Izuku gulped. "Thank you."
Shouto nodded, not noticing the other's hesitation. He bid his goodbye and disappeared back in the stairway, leaving Izuku behind in the brightly lit, but empty and unusually cold feeling hallway.
He should be happy. He should be excited. But Izuku felt bitter. He felt guilty, angry, confused, sad - a strange mixture between everything he shouldn't be feeling.
Hikari stared at her bandaged arm. A week. She had spent most of it passed out, faintly remembering being asked questions. Her first clear memory was from three days ago, after she received the last transfusion, and the doctor explained the situation to her. It still felt surreal.
Aizawa-sensei examined her for what felt the fiftieth time. He hadn't said much so far. "Have you contacted anyone yet?"
She nodded, still eyeing the bandages. She hadn't found the right words and been so close to cracking a ghost joke but wasn't sure they'd appreciate that. Instead, she sent a picture of the hospital room ceiling and her hand forming a victory sign with the words 'I lived, bitch'. Not the best idea either, in retrospect.
Iida hadn't been happy at all. He scolded her, rightfully so, but seemed as relieved as the rest of 1-A in the end. Some did get angry, but it was worth it. Memes were a way to cope with trauma. Maybe not the best, but a way, nonetheless. Aside from relief, it also left her with a slightly bitter taste on her tongue. The one person she looked forward to the most, was the only one who hadn't replied.
"Come on, up. Recovery Girl wants to see you." Aizawa helped her onto her feet. Her injuries hadn't been that bad, the parts of the skin that burst had been patched together and the only physical consequences would be a few more scars. Not that they made any difference. But she felt weak, and her headaches hadn't disappeared. Recalling the words of the doctor, the girl felt another wave of dread wash over her.
It's going to be alright. I'm fine. I'm alive.
"You're lucky the right people were around, I wouldn't have been able to help you," Recovery Girl concluded. Hikari didn't want to be scolded. She didn't ask to be shot with that drug. Okay, it might not have been meant for her, but still… She shivered.
"Would you like to stay overnight? Your injuries were well taken care of, all that helps now is time. What you need is rest, and a lot of it."
No, no more hospitals. The girl shook her head.
"Good. I'll excuse you from classes for the remaining week. Studying from your dorm and at your own pace shouldn't be a problem. Just don't overdo it."
"Thank you," Hikari croaked before clearing her throat.
"Are you ready to talk about it yet?"
She shook her head again. The nurse sighed. "I expected as much. Go on, get some sleep. We'll have another check-up tomorrow, then we'll talk."
The common area was noisy. Hikari rubbed her temples. All she wanted was to fall into her own, comfy bed, snuggle her favourite blanket and get rid of the steady drumming in her head, but she felt obliged to at least let her classmates know that she was back. Not at full strength, but on the best way possible.
"Did I miss something?" She stopped by Momo and Kyouka who sat at the table. They seemed like the most civilized around.
"Oh, not much," Kyouka began, playing with her ear jacks, "We were playing UNO but Bakugou caught Mineta sticking his cards under the table with his- WHEN DID YOU GET HERE?"
"Uh, like, three seconds ago?" Hikari really had trouble thinking if they kept screaming at that volume. Momo rose to her feet. "Are you alright? You look pale."
The screaming faded. They noticed her return at last.
"Still got a bit of a headache and I'm tired, but I'll be fine," Hikari assured them a bit louder to make sure everyone heard it, "Recovery Girl told me to rest some more but there will be no long term consequences." A dozen relieved faces lit up around her. It made her feel warm and fuzzy and incredibly tired.
"Would you like tea? Or can I get you anything else?"
"Thanks, but not at the moment," she dismissed Momo's offer, "I think I'll head straight up. I won't be attending school this week, but we can talk after classes tomorrow?"
"Of course." Momo's expression grew a bit more worried and she gently placed a hand on Hikari's forearm. "Get your rest. Tell us if you need anything."
"And please, no more memes like that or I'm blocking you," Kyouka threatened, not really meaning it. Hikari couldn't suppress the smallest cheeky grin.
"Sorry, won't happen again."
The steps creaked under her feet. She halted and threw a glance into the dark corridor leading to the boys' side of the floor. Shaking her head, the girl passed the second floor and climbed up to the next. Her headaches were getting worse, it was for the best.
"You're back."
Ripped from her thoughts, Hikari stopped in her tracks and raised her eyes to the student up front. "Hey, Shouto-kun."
"Are you alright?" He halted two steps above, honest concern on his face. She smiled softly.
"Yeah, I still need some rest, though."
"Good." He stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I'm glad. What they said sounded bad."
Hikari scratched the back of her head, stepping from one foot to the other. "I'm really sorry about that. It's… Not an experience I'd like to repeat. But I'm back and they are working on the Overload sample, so everything's going to be fine." How often was she going to say that today?
Shouto nodded. He didn't say anything further, so the conversation came to an end. The girl folded her hands behind her back and cleared her throat. "Thanks for your concern, really. I'll be going-"
"Have you seen Midoriya yet?"
She grimaced. That was answer enough.
"He, uh, he didn't reply to my text, he seems… He seems mad, I don't want-"
"Shikogane," he interrupted her, "he's worried."
She gulped.
"Just go see him," Todoroki said and passed her. Hikari stared after him, suddenly feeling nauseous. There was no way around it, was there? She had hoped to get another night to mentally prepare herself, so at least her headaches would be better. But she didn't have a choice if Shouto of all people urged her, especially not if they knew about that. She still had trouble believing it herself.
The girl sighed and dragged herself back down. It was quiet, no sounds came from any of the rooms. Aoyama and Mineta were downstairs with the rest of the class and whatever dark brooding Tokoyami did in his room, he was better off left alone.
Hikari slapped her cheek. It's just Izuku. Even if he was mad, he wasn't one to hold a grudge for long. If they fought, it wouldn't last for more than a few days, a week or two at most. She knocked.
"Yeah?"
The golden eyed girl took a deep breath but couldn't find the right words. What if he sent her away? Despite what Shouto said, everything seemed to tell her he didn't want to see her. But it was too late to turn back. She pressed the handle down and stepped inside without receiving an invitation.
"Hey, uh, I'm… I'm back."
Midoriya sat at his desk, head bent over a textbook. His eyes went wide.
"Sorry if I'm interrupting, I just… Shouto-kun…"
The boy's eyes travelled to her right side. She quickly held up her bandaged hand and clenched her fist a few times. "Everything is still working, got a few new scars but that's okay, no lasting consequences!" At least not physically.
Midoriya rose to his feet. Okay, that attempt counted as a failure. His face was blank. The boy took a deep breath before stating in a low voice, "You took that bullet for me."
Was that what he was mad about? She averted her eyes. "I… I did."
"Tomomo knew you would do that."
"Probably," she admitted, "when I saw him, my arm just moved on its own... And... I don't regret it, if that's what you want to know. I would do it again if I had to."
The air became thick, hard to breathe. Midoriya visibly didn't like her answer. He frowned, lips pressed into a thin line.
"I didn't ask you to do that." He spoke at last, bitterly.
"Y-you didn't have to! I know you would have done the same for me."
"That's not what I- That's-" He drove a hand through his hair, desperation replacing bitterness. "It isn't-"
It pained her to see him like this, especially since it was her fault. Hikari ignored the aching and shook her head. "It doesn't matter anymore! I'm back, we have new leads on Dragon, everything is going to be fine-"
"NOTHING IS FINE!"
She froze. Hikari had never heard him yell at someone like that, least of all at her. She screwed up big time.
"Hikari, when I got back, you were… You weren't breathing anymore!" He pressed his eyes shut. "There was so much blood and you were... you were... Do you have any idea what it was like standing there, not being able to do anything while having to watch them trying to reanimate you?! What if it hadn't worked?! I…I don't..."
Her face grew pale. Even if it only had been for a few seconds… She died. She didn't remember anything, but she had expected it to happen. If it weren't for that one paramedic with a quirk that allowed him to transfer his energy to another person, who happened to be there by coincidence, they wouldn't have been able to bring her back. It was the only reason she was alive right now.
But Glitch had sent Izuku away with the bullet, she saw him leave, why did he come back? How had he been there? If the had seen everything… No wonder he was mad and upset. She couldn't imagine how she would feel if their places had been reversed.
"Izuku, I..."
"Is it a bad time?" A deep, smooth voice piped up right beside her ear. Through the corners of her eyes she could see a pale, freckled face she swore hadn't been there a second ago. Fear paralyzed her.
Izuku moved. The papers on his desk whirled up, his pencil case and three All Might figurines were knocked over by the wind his speed generated. The door slammed shut. In another second he was back at the window, pressing his friend close, shielding her with his body.
Standing by the door, Dragon dusted off his suit. "My, aren't you fast and strong."
Izuku's grip tightened. Fingers clawed at his shirt. Impossible...!
"And you regained your original quirk, as I've heard."
"Stay away!" Izuku hissed, in denial. There was no way Dragon could be here. Never would he make it past security and into the dorm unseen. Where did he even come from?
"What kind of greeting is that? Where are your manners, son?"
"How did you get here? What do you want?!"
"Easy, my boy." He wasn't Dragon's boy. "Isn't a concerned father allowed to see his son? I heard some rather unsettling news, so I wanted to check up on you. Things may have gotten a little out of hand with Nightmare last week, I apologize for that."
He didn't mean it, Izuku could tell, equally shocked and surprised how easy it was for him to read that man. Through clenched teeth, he managed, "Stay away from us."
Dragon's eyes wandered down to the girl he protectively held in his arms, then back to him. Something akin to surprise flashed over the villain's face before his smile returned. "My boy, if you had told me that girl meant that much to you, I would have asked my men to go easy on her. Although, Tomomo-kun is a bit of a wild card. Makes him all the more interesting, though."
Anger boiled inside his chest.
"Don't worry, my son. I can't hurt anyone right now, not even if I wanted to. As you can see," he moved his hand through the bookshelf to his right, "I'm not really here. At least not physically. I am merely a projection."
Was he using a quirk? Either way, Izuku had enough. Green lightning flashed up around him. "I'll ask you one more time, Dragon. How did you get here? And what do you want?! One wrong move and I'll smash this window, alerting the whole school."
The villain's smile twitched. "You know that's not going to do anything, I don't have a physical form here. I'm telling the truth, I simply wanted to see how you were doing. And to answer your next questions, you might thank your girlfriend for that. Thanks to the info we got from her, my business here is done. Coming to see you off is just a little bonus."
"What did you do?" Hikari's voice sounded coarse, it was barely above a whisper. Dragon's grin widened. He threw a glance at his watch.
"My, look at the time. I'm a terribly busy man with a tight schedule, my time here is up. It was good to see you again, my boy. Hopefully, next time it will be in person."
"Wait-!"
Too late. Dragon was gone, leaving behind an unbearable silence. A strange cold filled the room that suddenly felt alien, like it wasn't Izuku's anymore. The floor was messy, littered by all the things he knocked over, it looked as if a storm had raged in the tiny space. The only thing he could hear were his own shaky breaths.
"Izuku," voice as panicked as he felt, Hikari tore at his shirt, "Izuku, we need to warn them. We need to tell the teachers."
He knew. Whatever Dragon had planned, they were too late. Something terrible had happened.
They didn't speak another word. The teens rushed out of the dorm, almost knocking a very confused Kouda over. The school grounds were empty, and it didn't take Aizawa long to appear in front of them, still dressed in his hero getup. He narrowed his eyes and asked in a stern voice, "What are you two doing here? Didn't Recovery Girl tell you to rest? Curfew is in a few-"
Whether it was their haunted gazes or something else, the teacher paused. "What happened?"
Izuku took a deep breath and whispered, "Dragon."
He had never even gotten close to the teacher's dorm, much less been in there. It didn't look much different from their own, except for the unusual sight of a few famous pro heroes in civilian clothes. Their stares were absolutely bewildered when Aizawa pushed the students inside.
"Uh, Shouta?" Present Mic spoke up but was shushed by his colleague.
"Everyone, stay on alert. And bring All Might." His tone did the trick. Cementoss hurried up the stairs, Mic disappeared where the kitchen should be, both Power Loader and Snipe cleared the couches. As soon as they were out of the way Aizawa ordered his students, "Sit."
Sounds came from the stairway. Izuku was fighting the panic, he couldn't let it take over.
"What happened?"
He couldn't speak before taking a few short breaths. "I… I was doing homework and Hikari passed by to announce her return and suddenly he was... He was just standing there." He gripped his knees strong enough his knuckles turned white.
Hasty steps echoed through the staircase, soon revealing the tall figure of All Might. The symbol of peace almost crashed into Present Mic who came out of the kitchen that exact moment, carrying a tray with glasses. He was about to yell at the previous number one, but All Might sent him an apologetic glance before rushing to his students.
"Young Midoriya, young Shikogane…!"
Aizawa ignored him and pressed on, "Dragon?"
"Yes- no, I mean, he was there, but he was not really there! It's like he had been waiting… Like... Like he…"
"... Projected himself with a quirk," Hikari finished his sentence, voice low. Aizawa-sensei's eyes narrowed.
"He said he just wanted to look how I was doing, and then... He said that we're too late, he already did it..."
"Too late for what? Midoriya, at least try to make sense."
"I don't know! But it sounded like he attacked Hikari because he wanted something from U.A. but all he said was that his business here is already done!" Panic was starting to take over. His hands shook.
"That bastard…!" All Might hissed, quickly being scolded by Present Mic, "Hey, language!"
Aizawa rubbed his front and concluded, "Whatever he's after, Dragon has access to everything Shikogane knows. We need to inform the principal and double security. We can't let him get anywhere near the students." He rose to his feet. "All Might, don't take your eyes off these two. Hizashi, you're with me, the rest of you inform the others."
Hound Dog, who sat somewhere in the back of the common area, grunted something, other than that no one spoke up against the underground hero. Efficient as the pros were, they cleared the area in no time, off to fulfil their duty. Soon the door shut, leaving the two students alone with the symbol of peace.
Izuku buried his face in his palms. "What did he do?"
"It's going to be alright, my boy, this is not on you."
He flinched at the nickname, what All Might luckily couldn't see. His mentor placed a large hand on his back.
The next time he opened his eyes, all the lights except for a reading lamp had been turned off. His neck felt stiff. Did he fall asleep? Izuku wanted to adjust his position but noticed a weight against his side. Right, Hikari had fallen asleep against his shoulder less than five minutes after Aizawa left. Someone had thrown a blanket over their legs.
Pure blue eyes watched him. All Might sat on the couch across, right underneath the lamp, a book on his lap. He smiled softly.
"How long…?"
"Just a bit over an hour. You should get more rest, young Midoriya, there's no telling how long you'll have to stay here."
"What about Aizawa-sensei?"
The door was ripped open, a cold breeze sent his hair stand on end. Speaking of the devil. Hikari startled at Izuku's side, eyes opening wide. Their homeroom teacher appeared, his face grimmer than Izuku had ever seen it. Not good.
"You can go back to your dorm," he told his students, "school is cancelled for tomorrow."
"Sensei, what's going on?"
"All Might will accompany you."
"Sensei, please!" Izuku begged. Something happened, he knew it. For U.A. to cancel classes, even if it was for a single day, it had to be something big, something terrible, there was no other explanation. He didn't know how long he withstood his teacher's glare, until the pro let his head fall and informed them, "Eri is missing."
Just like that, Izuku's world broke apart.
The desk lamp was still on when he stepped back into his room, the metal surrounding the bulb burning hot. Papers, figurines, the contents of his pencil case and his water bottle lay to his feet. What a mess.
Izuku stepped over his belongings, mechanically grabbed his pyjama from underneath the covers, threw his clothes on the chair, sat on his bed but… It felt so cold. Unsafe. The sounds coming from outside seemed twice as loud as they should be. His room always felt comfortable, it was his little cave, but tonight, the eyes of all his All Might collectibles seemed to watch his every move. They judged him for letting Dragon do all of that.
Izuku shuddered. He couldn't stay here. Not tonight. Not after everything that happened.
He contemplated if it was a good idea to knock at such an hour but found the door slightly ajar, inviting him inside. It was almost as dark as in the hallway. A bulky silhouette rested in front of the window, pitch black against the dim moonlight.
"I wondered how long it would take you to get here. Please close the door."
Izuku did as told. He stepped further inside and Hikari, a thick blanket wrapped around her shoulders, came to her feet. She didn't get further than two steps before her knees gave out and Izuku dashed forward, barely catching her in time.
"S-sorry, I'm still a bit shaky," she apologized, dragging both down to their knees. Before he could say anything, the girl wrapped him in a tight hug. He could feel the coldness of her fingers soak through the light fabric of his sleeping shirt. It numbed all the anger from their previous fight, if it could be called that. The underlaying panic disappeared. Instead, all Izuku felt was grief. He buried his face in her shoulder.
"Can I… Can I stay-"
"Why do you even ask."
Izuku tightened his grip. Eri had been taken. Just when he believed she was doing better, Dragon had to destroy everything they achieved over the past months. He couldn't imagine how scared the little girl was. Hot tears ran down his face, dropping from his chin onto Hikari's lap.
"I was supposed to protect her."
Hands gently caressed his back. "It's not your fault."
A single sob escaped him. How could his father be such a cruel man? Izuku drew back, wiped his face with his sleeve. He had to look pathetic. He shouldn't be crying, he should stay strong and-
Hikari seized one of his arms. "Hold still."
Puzzled, he watched her fidget, unable to make out much in the dark. It wasn't until she fastened the wristband that he realized she had given him her tracker watch. "What are you doing?"
"Please take it."
He shook his head. "I can't! Aizawa-sensei gave it to you. What if something happens again? Hikari, you almost..."
"Izuku, please," she shut him down, "my brother was arrested. And you heard Dragon, he doesn't want anything from me anymore, he's not planning to hurt me. All he wants is you. So, please," she squeezed his hand, "keep it. If anything happens, if Dragon tries something, activate it, and someone will come to your aid. You need it more than me."
"I… I-"
The grip around his hand grew even stronger. Her hands were shaking. "Please, Izuku, I can't live with the thought of losing you. Why do you think I took that bullet for you?"
The synthetic around his wrist felt comfortable, albeit a bit cold. He shook his head harder.
"How can you say that after I almost lost you?" His heart ached. "I can't… I can't do that again," he barely managed, wrapping his right hand around the ones squeezing his left. "You got hurt so many times, I was so worried that one day you wouldn't make it back and this time you almost didn't!"
"But I did! I'm so sorry I'm causing you that much pain, I never meant to hurt you. Maybe you're right, and what I did was selfish, I caused you pain trying to save myself from suffering through all of that, that's… That's not fair. But I can't help it, I just want to protect the people I care about."
He found no words. Hikari's voice started shaking just like her hands when she spoke up again, "When I got shot, I… I realized that I wouldn't make it. I was so scared- I thought I would be okay with that, but I wasn't, and it hurt so much… I thought about all the things I never got to do, the promises I would be breaking, the things I never got to say…" A mixture of a laugh and a sob shook her, fresh tears glistened on the girl's cheeks. Izuku bent forward to wipe them away.
"One of the things I regretted most, was not being able to properly thank you. You saved me so many times, not just from villains, but whenever I felt down, whenever nothing made sense anymore, you were there for me. For so many years, I all I knew was pain. But thanks to you and our class I finally remember how it feels to be wanted, to be loved, to be happy. And thanks to you I was able to… I… I learned what it means to fall in love with someone."
Izuku couldn't breathe. The look she bestowed him was so grateful yet sad, it broke his heart.
"So… Thank you. For everything."
He knew that she needed to say it, but it hurt how much it sounded like a farewell message. He couldn't do this, it was too much, he had to close his eyes. Hikari slipped out of his grip. She wanted to back up, but he didn't let her, he crawled closer, his hands wandering up her arms until he reached her face. It was surprisingly warm, maybe even a bit feverish, and yet he drew her closer until he could rest his forehead against hers. The tips of their noses touched.
"Please, don't thank me... I... I wouldn't have been able to get through all of this without you, so I should be thanking you. So, please, promise me you'll never do something like that again, okay? I can't do that again, I can't bear to lose the people I care about either." He had to say it. "Because you're not the only one who fell in love for the first time." It was nothing more than a whisper.
The shaking stopped. For a few awful seconds, there was nothing. His mind already went into overdrive when a chocked whimper, followed by sobs, reached him, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Izuku! I won't do it again, I swear!"
It was too much. "I'm sorry, too," he hiccupped, "I'm sorry I didn't text back and got mad at you even though you needed me, I wasn't even mad at you, I was mad at myself for letting that happen to you, I'm sorry, I truly am..."
Shaky fingertips brushed against his jawline. They grazed the side of his neck until reaching the back of his head where they drove into his hair and anchored him in place, so he had no chance of drawing back. Izuku let it happen. He needed the closeness, too. He needed the warmth, he needed the way their sobs fell into the same rhythm, he needed to know this wasn't a dream.
It took him a while to calm down. The boy patiently waited for the girl to follow, he brushed her hair behind her ears and let his thumb wander across her cheek. Hikari had her eyes closed. He couldn't help but stare at the face that was closer to his than any had ever been before. Her shaky breath grazed his chin. Her free hand rested against his chest, there was no way she didn't feel the rapid beating of his heart. Too many feelings swirled inside, they were so close and yet it didn't seem enough. He only had one thought, and he couldn't help it.
"Hikari?" Nothing more than a whisper.
"Y-yeah?"
"Can I kiss you?"
He could feel her holding in a breath. She opened her eyes, if only to peak at him from narrow slits.
"O-okay."
All he heard was the loud and hasty beating of his own heart. The girl drew back ever so slightly, she tilted her head, and he did the same. Izuku ignored the screaming of his weak nerves. He leaned in but hesitated. What if she only said it because-
Hikari closed the last bit of distance between them and pressed her lips to his. They were so incredibly soft, taking him by surprise. He didn't expect that, not after experiencing how strong and rough her hands were for a girl. A shiver ran down his spine, his mind went blank.
It couldn't have been more than a second or two but when they parted, he felt like it had lasted for minutes.
"S-sorry, I never-" He stammered, suddenly aware of the poor state his own lips were in. They were rough and dry and-
"Me neither."
Their eyes met. Izuku gulped. His self-consciousness returned and he began asking himself what the hell he was doing, he was so bad at everything, what was he thinking-
"Can we… Can we try that again?"
He was not prepared for that reaction. His shoulders slumped. "Do you really want to…?"
She nodded. He couldn't see it in the dark, but he had a feeling she was blushing. One of her hands still rested on the back of his neck, the other one had wandered to his shoulder. His heart was doing somersaults. He leaned back in, this time not waiting for the girl to take the lead. Knowing a bit more about what was awaiting him, the second time felt different. It still blew him away, pushed all thoughts to the back of his mind, until he completely lost himself in the delicate yet needy touch. He dared to press on, wrapped his arm around her frame, completely indulging in those unknown but incredible sensations.
Izuku had no idea what he was doing. He wasn't even sure this wasn't a dream. Hikari's fingers were cold against his skin but the movement of her chest assured him that she was still breathing, still alive. It was all he needed to know.
They both gasped when they parted. Neither removed their hold on the other. Izuku rested his forehead against hers again, trying to catch a breath. He was an idiot, an idiot who made mistakes, who failed so many times, whose greatest achievement was having a supervillain for a father, but somehow, he was also the idiot Hikari had fallen in love with. And god, he loved her, too. He wasn't good with feelings or people, the bullying he had grown up with had mentally scarred him, and it would take a lifetime to learn how to figure out and deal with all that. But the one thing he learnt tonight was that this was what he wanted. He wanted to be with her, he enjoyed spending time with her, even when she teased him. He couldn't lose her. He would never let go of her ever again.
A crow cawed outside. He couldn't tell if it was midnight, early morning, or if only a few minutes passed. The hand on the back of his neck slipped down to his shoulder.
"We should try to catch a few more hours of sleep," Hikari breathed, barely able to keep her eyes open. As soon as the excitement subdued, Izuku felt his own exhaustion set in and agreed, "We should."
A/N: *runs away screaming*
(Things went a bit fast here, but that will be addressed. The last part wasn't even planned, it just happened… Characters be doing that sometimes.)
Yamajiji: Thanks so much for the review! We'll see...
Ryu: Thanks for the review! Yep, Nightmare was inspired by Pitch and Sandy. (I love Rise of the Guardians haha). He was supposed to be an evil mixture of them both, so there won't be a "good" Sandy.
To your second question: As soon as Izuku realised he was shot, he ripped the bullet out, not realizing it was sticking in Hikari's arm instead of his chest. Also, I must confess I just wanted the heroes to gain at least something from this fight, so I ignored all logic. Let's call it "artistic liberty".
On another note, I did plan for Izuku to get hit at first, that's how the whole setup with Tomomo came to be, but I couldn't find a way to make him survive without getting too much irreversible damage. It also seemed too similar to what happened to Nokobiri and, the most important reason of them all (attention! Kinda spoilery) I want to keep it open to the readers whether One For All will develop as it does in the manga or not, so I couldn't have the quirk expose itself.
