Warning: Cussing. Queerness.
Chapter 6: What family really means.
Nico's POV.
"Oh, what game?" Momo asked, turning to the pink girl.
"Truth or Dare!" Mina announced. Oh shit.
"Yeah! that sounds like a grand idea!" Denki said, pumping a fist into the air. I sighed.
"Sure. But we need to set a few boundaries." I stated.
"No daring people to do anything illegal." Iida stated right away.
"And no daring people to do anything that might get them killed." Momo added.
"You have to do the dare or truth or else you're out of the game." Mina announced.
"Alright. Anything else we need to add to this list?" I asked.
"Nope!" Deku said, grinning. "I think that's good!"
"Alright then, who gets to go-" Denki was interrupted by a knock on the door. Izuku stood, and walked over.
"Oh, hello? Can I help you?" he asked, opening the door to reveal Hitoshi. I stood.
"Shinso? What are you doing here?" I asked, walking over.
"Nico, I need to talk to you." He said, giving me a glare. Ah shit. Aizawa told him didn't he.
"Um, we were actually about to play Truth or Dare. Why don't you join, and we'll talk afterword in my dorm?" I offered. He glared at me, but dipped his head.
"Fine." He growled, and came in. I sat back down on the floor, and Hitoshi sat next to me, with his arms crossed.
"Um, you guys might remember him, this is Hitoshi Shinso from the sports festival." I said, as everyone looked at me and my 'brother'.
"Yeah, I remember this guy. He's the one with the mind control powers right?" Mina asked.
"Yeah, that's me." Hitoshi said, looking her in the eye. "And just so you know, my quirk only activates if I want it to."
"Hey! This is great timing bro!" Kaminari announced. "If someone says truth, you can make sure they tell the truth!" he stated. Yeah, that was true.
"Sure. I don't mind." Hitoshi said, leaning back against the wall.
"Well, I think Nico should go first." Mina said, looking at me. why Mina, why?
"Um, ok. uh, Sue, truth or dare?" I asked the frog girl.
"Truth." She said, turning her head to the side.
"Umm, do you have a crush on anyone in class 1-A?" I asked,
"Hey, Sue. What's your favorite color?" Hitoshi asked.
"It's green." She replied. then her eyes went blank.
"So, do you have a crush on anyone in class 1-A?" he asked, smirking.
"Yes." She replied in a monotone. Then, her eyes went green again.
"Who is it?!" Mina demanded.
"I'm not telling. Sero, Truth or dare." Sue said, completely shutting down Mina.
"Uh, Dare." Sero said.
"I dare you to do a backbend." Sue said.
"Um, ok?" Sero stood, and did a backbend. We all cheered.
"Hm, Denki. Truth or Dare?" the tape man asked.
"Dare, I'm not telling you nothing." Pikachu stated.
"I dare you to do renegade." Sero said with a smirk.
"Wow. Bro, I told you that in confidence!" Denki pouted.
"Do it!" Mina shouted. Denki stood, and did the renegade. He did it pretty well too.
"Ok, Momo, Truth or dare?" Denki asked.
"Alright. It's almost 2 in the morning. We all need to go back to our own dorms." Iida announced.
"I agree." Momo seconded.
"Alright. See you all tomorrow!" Denki announced.
They all went back to their own dorms. Hitoshi and I were the last guests to be there.
"Thank you Izuku. You have no idea how much this meant to me." I told the green haired boy.
"No problem Nico! We're friends! That's what friends do for each other." He said with that cute smile of his.
"Alright. You still owe me a talk." Hitoshi stated, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, I know. let's go back to my dorm." I waved goodbye to Midoriya, and Hitoshi and I rode up the elevator in silence. Neither of us said a word until my door was shut and locked. Then, he exploded.
"WHAT THE FUCK NICO?!" He demanded. I flinched.
"What do you want Shinso? Or are you just here to yell at me?" I asked, sitting on my bed, where only a few hours ago I'd slit my wrists.
"I want to know why you didn't come to me. I'm your brother, even if not by blood. I'm always here for you. No matter what." He said, sitting next to me, and hugging me.
"I'm sorry! Okay?!" I cried, and hugged back, tears falling freely. "I couldn't take the pressure. I was weak. I didn't think of anyone else, just myself. And for that, I'm sorry." I cried out.
"Nico…" Hitoshi trailed off.
"I'm so sorry!" I continued crying.
Eventually, my sobs stopped. I sat back, and wiped the salty tracks on my face.
"Nico, please, tell me why." He said, taking my hands in his. I looked at my hands.
"It was just all too much. Most people don't know this, but I was actually really good friends with Shigaraki. I mean, it was hard not to be; I fucking lived with the dude! Then, stupid All for One made me pick a side. Made me split my family in half. Now, he hates my guts, and the only person who wasn't afraid of my power was taken from me." I confessed. "Then I found out that both of my closest friends have crushes on me. but I like them both, and I don't want to pick! I can't lose anyone else!"
"Wait, Bakugo and Todoroki, right?" Hitoshi asked.
"Yeah. that's why I acted so strange this morning. We were all asleep on my bed, and I didn't want you to get the wrong idea." I blushed slightly.
"Well, it's nice to know that I'm not the only gay at UA." Hitoshi stated. I blinked.
"I didn't know you were gay." I said, sitting back and staring at him. he rubbed his neck.
"It's not something I go around advertising."
"Yeah. I didn't exactly advertise mine either. Everyone kind of found out at the training camp. That was an awkward couple of nights." I told him, smiling a little. "I'm pretty sure Aizawa was disappointed in my outfit choices the second day."
"Why?" my brother asked.
"I had on a shirt that said: 'I'm gay, I'd screw you.' In rainbow letters." I said, Hitoshi chuckled.
"Knowing my dad, he was probably proud of you for coming out." Hitoshi said.
"Did, was he the one to tell you? Or does..." I couldn't finish my question.
"Yeah. my dad told me. and only because I used my quirk on him." Hitoshi revealed. Well, it was nice to know that Aizawa wasn't just going around telling everyone that I'd tried to off myself again.
"Um, he also told me about the training camp." Hitoshi said, looking down. I flinched. Great. just flipping great.
"So, now you know just how broken I really am." I said, looking at my ceiling.
"And yet I still walked here from my house to check up on you. Lighten up bro, I'm here for you." He said, giving me another hug. I smiled.
"Thanks Hitoshi. No one else has ever wanted to be related to me. they all stayed away from me because of my quirk." I said into his shoulder.
"I understand that. Until I made it into UA, everyone told me that I was a villain, and that I had a villain's quirk. I'm going to prove them all wrong. I'm going to be a hero, and I'll be a damn good one too!" he stated.
"You'll be a great hero. Me on the other hand, well, my quirk is super strong, but I can't always control it. I can use massive amounts of power, but I become unpredictable and could attack anyone close enough to me." I said, looking down at the bed. He hugged me tighter.
"You'll be a hero. Someday you'll be the best hero there is. And I'll be there too. Right by your side. We'll make it. together. Okay? Cause I need my brother to show me how I can be my best." He whispered, holding me close. I smiled sadly.
"Yeah, one day we'll be great heroes. Then, maybe I can forget about my past." I said, holding back tears.
"That's the spirit!" he said, pulling away, and giving me a smile. I sniffled, and rubbed my eyes.
"Hitoshi, um, would mind staying?" I asked, looking down. "I don't really want to be alone right now." I said, holding my elbows.
"Of course, I'll stay. That's what family is for." He said. I smiled sadly, and got up. I changed clothes to a short-sleeved t-shirt, and gym shorts. I got back under the covers, and flicked my hand. the lights went out. I curled up on my bed.
"Goodnight Hitoshi." I said, closing my eyes.
"Goodnight brother." He responded sounding half asleep already. I fell asleep with a smile on my face.
"Get up Nico!" someone said, pushing on my shoulder. I blinked, and sat up.
"Oh, hi Hitoshi." I said, remembering what was going on. he smiled, and stretched.
"How are you doing this morning?" he asked, stretching to the left, and then back to the right.
"Better. I, I think I know what I need to do." I said, thinking out loud.
"Good. I need to go home, before my dads start to worry too much." Hitoshi said, yawning.
"Ok, see you later bro." I got up, and rooted through my clothes in the closet. I pulled out a pair of jeans, and a long-sleeved grey shirt.
"Bye Nico!" Hitoshi called out. I heard the door open as he left. I sighed, took my shirt off, and turned to go to my bathroom; almost running face first into Katsuki.
"Hera!" I cursed, stepping back. "Jeez, you scared me. I didn't realize you'd come in." I said, trying to get my racing heart to calm down.
"Oh, sorry." Katsuki said, rubbing the back of his neck. I sighed.
"What did you need Bakugo? I'm trying to get dressed." I crossed my arms over my bare chest. He turned a little red.
"Um, I wanted to talk to you, about yesterday. But, uh, that can wait. I'll, um, come back when you're dressed." He said, stuttering.
"Now is fine. What do you have to say?" I asked, slipping off the gym shorts I went to sleep in.
"Nico, what are you-?" Katsuki asked, taking a step back.
"Getting dressed. Don't worry, I'm listening." I said, pulling on the pair of jeans I'd grabbed out of my closet. I pulled a belt off the shelf, and started stringing it through the hoops on my pants.
"I want to know why Nico. Tell me why." He demanded. I sighed, and stopped what I was doing. I looked him in the eyes.
"Katsuki, I'm not sane. In fact, I haven't been mentally stable since I was nine years old." I stated, finishing putting on my belt, and putting my hands on my hips.
"But why? Why now? Why not two weeks ago? Why not two months ago?" he questioned. I ran a hand through my hair.
"Two months ago, I had everything I ever wanted. I had friends Katsuki. I had people who didn't hate my guts, and weren't completely terrified of me. two weeks ago, I had a family. Whether its moral or not, the LOV was my family. They treated me with respect, and didn't care that I was broken. They accepted me for who I was." I stated, holding back tears.
"Nico," Bakugo started. I cut him off.
"Katsuki. I lost my sight for 72 hours. When you're blind, you have a lot of time to think. And in my case, that wasn't a good thing. When I finally did regain my sight, my only two remaining friends both told me that they like me and/or they think I'm hot. In my past experience, relationships with me don't end well. So, the way I saw it, I was going to lose one of you by picking the other, and then I'd lose the one I picked once they realized just how fucked up I am." I told him calmly.
"Nico, Todoroki and I wouldn't do that." He said, hurt in his eyes. I smiled sadly.
"I know that now. I wasn't thinking of others. I was being selfish like normal. I didn't think about how my death would hurt you guys, and if I did, I thought about it wrong. And I see that now. I realize that what I did was wrong, and I'm not going to be doing that again any time soon, if ever." I stated, cupping his cheek in my hand, and smiling softly. He went red. Like, cherry red.
"N-Nico, what are you doing?" he asked, blushing through the roof. I smirked.
"Oh, nothing." I stated dropping my hand, and turning around to grab my shirt off the bed where I'd placed it.
"Oi! Watch it!" Bakugo said. I'd hit him in the face with my wings.
"Sorry, my bad." I said, smirking. I did that on purpose.
"What's this?" he asked, tracing a scar on my lower back. I straightened up, and shivered.
"A scar." I said, stating the obvious.
"Wow. Very helpful. What's it from?" he asked.
"Someone who didn't like me very much." I said, tugging my shirt on over my wings. That scar was from Will. From one of the only times we'd ever sparred. He wasn't very good at it, and I'd turned my back. Looking back on it, that should've clued me in, but no; I was an idiot. I turned back around to face Bakugo again.
"Well, you should get going. You're not dressed to go to class, and it starts in just under half an hour." I stated, placing my hands on my hips.
"Oh, yeah. See you then." He left my room, and I heard the door to his dorm shut. I sighed, and slumped down behind my door. Gods, why did I touch his face? And he saw me change! Crap. I was such an idiot. I stood, and composed myself. It wouldn't do to go around the first-year dorms blushing my head off, now would it?
I took a deep breath, and left my dorm. I went downstairs, and sat at the breakfast table.
"Good morning Nico! Did you sleep well?" Mina asked, sitting down next to me. I looked at her.
"I did actually. How about you?" I asked, propping my head up on my hands.
"I slept great!" she exclaimed. I smiled softly, and nodded. That was good. I reached my hand out, and summoned a box of cereal from the shadows. Next came milk, and a bowl. I poured myself a bowl of cereal and then added milk.
"Mind if I have some? I don't have anything but shakes for breakfast." Uraraka said, sitting on my other side.
"Help yourself. I don't mind." I said, eating my own cereal. She got a bowl from the communal kitchen, and made herself a bowl of cereal.
"-Thinks he so great. damn Nico, he gets to sit with the girls." A very perverted voice whispered. I looked up, and saw Mineta muttering on the other side of the common room, glaring at me. I flipped him off like a responsible teenager, and went back to my cereal. I looked up from my cereal to see that Toru, and Momo were also seated at my table. Well, guess they didn't mind that I was a boy.
"So, you have a crush. Spill!" Mina said, as soon as Sue sat at the table.
"Let her at least eat first." I said, shaking my head.
"Thanks, ribbit." Sue said, setting her plate down. I nodded, and yawned.
"Fine. What about you? You're done eating. Do you have a crush?" Mina demanded at me. I almost died of a heart attack in that moment.
"Wha- what? Why would you ask that?" I asked, losing my composure. I could feel my face heating up.
"I was right! you do have a crush!" she whisper-announced. "Spill the tea!" she demanded. I stuttered. Why? Why now of all times?!
"I do not have a crush." I stated, red faced.
"Uh huh. I believe you." Mina rolled her eyes. "I will find a way to make you spill." She said, grinning, and jumping up.
"Well, now I have that to look forward to. I'm going to go now." I told the other four girls who were at the table.
"Bye Nico! See you at the training center!" Uraraka called out. I gave her a farewell wave, and walked out of the dorms. I needed some fresh air. I strolled around for a bit before flying up, and sitting on the edge of the school roof.
"Nico," I turned to see Mr. Aizawa.
"Oh, hello there. what brings you up here?" I asked, turning back to looking off.
"I saw you fly up here, and wanted to talk." He said, sitting down next to me. I closed my eyes. I bet I knew what he was going to say. He wanted to berate me for yesterday. He wanted to tell me that I wasn't mentally stable enough to train with the others.
"I was wondering what you thought of my family." He stated. What? That was not what I was expecting at all.
"I think that you're happy together. That Hitoshi is happy with you, and that you must be doing something right." I stated, looking at the dorms.
"Nico, tell me, have you ever had a family of your own?" Aizawa asked.
"A long time ago I had a mother. She died when I was barely nine though. Then, my sister died. Bianca was the only one I'd ever considered to be my family. Then I met my cousins. They were nice at first, but once they found out how powerful, and destructive my quirk is they quickly started to hate me. after that, I found Hazel my half-sister. She was my family then. The only one." I stated to laugh quietly.
"I screwed that up myself. That one is no one's fault but my own." I stated bitterly. But I wouldn't take it back. Not for anything.
"I see. anyone else you ever considered family?" he asked.
"Yeah. Shigaraki and his people were my family for a while." I heard a sharp intake of breath. "They treated me like an equal. You know Mr. Compress? He's like the dad of the group. Like Iida is for class 1-A. Toga was my friend. We would debate the pros and cons of drinking blood. Fun nights those were. Then there was Shigaraki himself. He wasn't like the others. He was, I don't know, different. I guess, if I'd stayed there, we'd probably have started dating." I said, thinking back to all the mornings I'd wake up cuddled with him in bed.
"Why are you telling me this? I'm a hero, and a teacher at a hero school." Aizawa stated. I looked over at him.
"I know. maybe, I just need someone to talk too. I mean, it's not like you didn't know that I lived there for a good month." I stated, looking him in the eye.
"Fair point. Well, is that all?" he asked.
"No. there are a few more people I would consider my family. The Yung family I consider my own. They took me in when I had nowhere else to go. the others are you, Present Mic, and Hitoshi. I think I'd consider you guys my family too." I said, with a smile.
End of chapter six.