Author Note: Originally I had planned to leave this fic somewhat open-ended, but then I realized that this was a choice Marie had to make. She's had her decisions taken away so many times, she needed to pick this one herself. This is it, hold on to your butts!

It seemed like ages, but it was only hours later that I left the hospital for good. After my close call, Eraser wouldn't let me out of his sight, so he rode in the car with me to the school. It was nice to have his company on the drive; he didn't try to fill the silence with idle chit-chat.

Once we pulled up to the front entrance, Eraser gathered my things from the trunk, then helped me out of the backseat. For the time being, I had to walk with a cane, and I still felt awkward with it.

As we approached my room, I noticed that there were a few trinkets propped against the door. I gave Eraser a questioning look, but he said nothing as he scooped them up for me. When I opened the door, I was stunned to find the place covered with gifts from the students. There were balloons, cards, flowers, plush toys and figurines, an assortment of candy and treats, and more. Someone had even made a little bobblehead of me, in the gear I had worn to face the League of Villains.

"I'll leave you to settle in," Eraser said, and then I was alone.

While I looked through everything, I realized that a lot of the items had already gathered dust. These gifts weren't recent; they had been here for weeks. The kids must have started leaving things by my door soon after I'd first left with the League. The thought struck me with a fresh wave of guilt.

Later in the lunchroom, they swarmed me.

"Miss Marie, you're finally back!"

"I can't wait to show you my new moves."

"We missed you so much!"

"Did you see your room yet?"

I hugged them carefully, some of them forgetting not to touch my skin. I did my best to commit their happy expressions to memory, so I could remember later in moments when I wasn't sure I had made the right choice.

After most of them had gone off to eat with their friends, one of the girls stayed behind, looking worried.

"What's wrong, Momo?"

"Miss Marie, I did something without asking. Please don't be mad, I was just trying to help!"

"What happened?"

"Before you went with the villains, I put a tracking device in your bag!" She burst into tears. "I shouldn't have done it without telling you."

I wrapped my arms around her. "Hey, it's alright. They searched my bag right away, I'm sure if they found a tracker, it would have been destroyed."

"No, I disguised it so they wouldn't suspect anything!" She cried harder.

"You disguised the tracker?"

"As nail polish!"

My jaw dropped. I pulled back to look at her face. "Wait, you're telling me that you made a tracker that also doubled as real, usable nail polish?" She nodded tearfully. I remembered her hugging me in the cabin before I left; that must have been when she slipped it into my bag. "Did you tell the other teachers?"

She nodded again. "I gave them the monitor for it, to help them find you."

I laughed. "Momo, you are a genius."

She sniffled. "What?"

"I used that nail polish and I had no clue. If you had told me what you were up to, I might have given something away. Oh my god, you're brilliant!"

Momo wiped her face. "So I didn't cause you any trouble?"

"No, not at all! Honestly, you might have saved my life. How else would they have known where to find me after the building fell?"

She blinked in surprise. "I hadn't thought of that."

I pulled her into another hug. "Amazing."

I wasn't scheduled to resume training with the students until the following week, so late one afternoon I decided to hit the gym on my own. I worked through the physical therapy routine they had started me on at the hospital, but it didn't seem like it did much. To push myself a little, I got on an exercise bike while I listened to music.

Soon, however, I realized I had overdone it. I climbed off the bike, reaching for my cane, but I bumped it instead, knocking it out of reach. I sighed, frustrated at my own clumsiness. I held tight to the bike frame for balance as I stepped over, but my knee gave out, and I landed square on my ass. I slammed my fist on the ground and swore. Then I tried to pull myself up, but I couldn't get any leverage.

I heard footsteps, and I cringed. I had thought the place was empty. I looked to see Bakugo, the first student I'd borrowed a quirk from. I wasn't sure what to expect from him. He'd been so angry with me after that initial training session, and we hadn't really worked together since.

Bakugo looked down at me and smirked. "Shouldn't you have Life Alert or something?"

I laughed in surprise. "You know I can still give you detention, right?"

"Do you want my help or not?"

"Yeah, come on," I sighed.

He easily hauled me to my feet, then retrieved my cane from the floor and handed it to me. "Are you good, or do I need to walk you back to the nursing home?"

"Very funny," I said dryly. "Thank you."

He shrugged. "It's nothing." I expected him to leave, but he hesitated.

My smile faded. "What is it?"

"Where were you?"

I stared at him blankly, not understanding.

He sighed impatiently. "When I was with the League, I thought I'd run into you."

My chest went cold. "What now?"

Bakugo looked uneasy. "You didn't know…"

"Didn't know what?" My voice was high and strained.

He scowled, hesitating for a moment. "Yeah, so, villains attacked our summer training and took me. Turns out they wanted me to join them. Didn't work."

"I had no idea."

"Obviously."

My heart was racing. I wanted to cry or scream. "I'm so sorry."

He made a gruff noise, brushing off my words. "It's fine, forget it. I'm gonna finish my workout." He turned to go.

I tried to think back, but my emotions were muddying my thoughts. Was Bakugo the reason Shigaraki summoned me on that final day?

Why hadn't anyone told me? They probably thought I couldn't handle it. Maybe I hadn't exactly been very stable or rational since I woke from my coma. Still, it was unacceptable that no one found it important to fill me in on this huge piece of information.

Fuming, I left the gym and headed straight for the faculty dorms.

Eraser's room was on a different floor than mine. I took the elevator up and pounded on his door. "Just a sec," I heard from inside.

He opened the door, and I stormed in. "Did you think I wouldn't find out? How could you keep this from me! Did you all just assume I was too fragile? You thought I'd lose it? Well guess what? I'm sure as hell losing it now!"

Eraser closed the door, staring at me, unflinching.

His calmness made me want to throttle him. "Don't you have anything to say?"

"Who told you?"

I laughed dryly. "That's rich. Who told me? That's all you-" I rubbed a hand over my face. "You wanna know who told me? Bakugo. He asked me where I was. He was expecting to see me, you, know when he was kidnapped by the villains! And I had no idea any of this even happened. Meanwhile he assumed I knew and did nothing. How does that look?"

"We were going to fill you in after you were more settled."

"Little late for that!" I started to pace the room. "Tell me about the attack."

"A squad of villains ambushed our training camp. They had seen Bakugo win the school sports festival, and thought they could turn him. They couldn't have been more wrong about that."

"Was anyone hurt?" Eraser looked away, but I stepped closer. "How bad was it?"

"Over half the students were injured, and a few were hospitalized. No one was killed."

I started to pace again, shaking my head. "You said a squad of villains. Was it the League or not?"

"It was a faction of the League. Toga and Dabi were there. Shigaraki didn't show, but he was behind it."

My hands were trembling. "We had a deal. I did everything they asked, and they still went after the kids. I'm gonna…" I clenched my hands into fists, shaking with anger. "I'm gonna kill them," I said. Eraser reached for me, but I pulled away, clutching my hands in my hair. ""Everything I did… was it all for nothing?"

"Marie…"

I was hysterical. "Was it all for nothing?" I demanded.

Eraser reached for me as I dropped to my knees on the floor. Overwhelmed with rage and helplessness, I let out a scream. Eraser knelt beside me and wrapped his arms around me. Suddenly I was crying. I let him pull me against his chest, and as ragged sobs shook through me, he held me tight.

He started to speak, and his voice was soothing. "You know, Marie, pretty much all of the faculty here have been through some kind of hell. Not everyone has scars like mine, but we all have something we carry with us. We all have to lean on each other once in a while." He sighed. "I know this isn't your first time up against something like this. You've probably been through more than most, but it seemed like you'd been trying your best to avoid this kind of trouble for a long while. I'm sorry if we dragged you back in."

"Nine years," I said softly.

"What's that?"

"I was able to go nine years without killing anyone."

"The League didn't give you much choice."

"Even if they hadn't made me, I wanted to." I pulled back so I could see his face as I explained. "So, when I drain someone for long enough, I start to get personal things from them. It can be ideas, memories… urges. The things I got from that guy... I'm glad he's dead. I would do it again if I had to."

"So he was a monster, and you stopped him."

I sighed. Once again, Eraser was being far too understanding. "Then why do I feel like this?"

"Maybe because you took a life, even if he deserved it. I would be more concerned if it didn't bother you."

"I guess." My joints were starting to ache, and I shifted my position.

Eraser let his hand drop from my shoulder to my knee. I started to reach out, to touch him, but I stopped myself. My hand hovered near his, not quite touching.

"Marie, I'm glad you came to talk to me about this. I hope you won't hesitate to reach out again. If there's something you'd rather not discuss with me, then Midnight, Present Mic, or any of the other teachers would be happy to listen." He pulled his hand back.

I shut my eyes, sorry he had moved away. I laid my hand on my knee, in the spot where his had been. It was obvious to me that I had gotten spoiled to being touched regularly, and now I craved it more than ever. It was almost painful.

Then Eraser's fingers brushed over my face, and I opened my eyes. His hair was wafting around his head; he was using his quirk. I gasped as he gently cupped his hand against my cheek. I leaned into his touch, putting my hand over his, not wanting it to end. All too soon he had to pull away to blink, and I had to catch my breath.

His hair dropped to his shoulders for a split second, then floated back up. I stared for a moment, confused. Then I understood, and I leaned in to kiss him. He ran his fingers through my hair and drew me in closer. When he pulled back again, I whimpered softly at the loss of his touch. I waited, my lips a fraction away from his, giving him a moment to rest his eyes and power up for another go. After a moment I opened my eyes to see that his were still shut. "Aizawa," I whispered. I touched his shoulder. "Aizawa?"

He opened his eyes, but his hair stayed still. "I'm sorry, Marie. You're vulnerable right now, I shouldn't have…"

"It's fine." I ducked my head, trying to hide my disappointment. He wasn't exactly wrong. "I ought to go, anyway."

"You don't have to. I finished my grading, I'm not busy."

He was being polite, but I could give him an out. "I need to shower."

"I'm not entirely comfortable with you going off alone. Can I at least walk you to your room?"

I nodded. "Yes, thank you." It felt like a good compromise. Except, by the time we reached my door, I realized I wasn't ready to be alone. I turned to face him. "Could you stay? I won't try anything, I promise."

A smile pulled at his mouth. "Of course." Inside, he turned on the flat screen and quickly made himself comfortable.

I took a fast shower and put on comfortable clothes, then joined him on the couch. We watched some brainless television, and he made dry remarks throughout, making me laugh. I found myself grateful for his company.

At some point I must have dozed off. Someone was carrying me, and I grumbled sleepily. I opened my eyes as Eraser lowered me onto my bed. I clutched at his shirt. "Don't go," I murmured.

He smoothed back my hair. "I'm not going anywhere." He covered me with a blanket, and then I was out.

When I woke again sometime later, I sat up in a panic, looking around. Eraser was curled up on the couch. I breathed a sigh of relief. Simply knowing I wasn't alone, I was able to easily settle back down. I slept deeply, and if I had any unpleasant dreams, I had forgotten them by morning.

Though I hadn't yet decided whether I would take Nezu's offer, it didn't take me long to fall back into a routine. The students treated me well, although they had gotten comfortable enough around me to start butting into my personal life again. On the weekends, Midnight asked me to go clubbing or bar hopping, though I didn't always take her up on it. Present Mic and I did our laundry together, blasting music and dancing as we sorted and folded. Eraser started taking me on patrols, which gave me a chance to use my quirk to stop criminals. I rarely had a chance to feel lonely. Though sometimes, in my bed at night, I dug my fingernails into my thighs, and thought of Dabi.

Before I knew it, I was in my final week of community service. A decision had to be made.

I greatly enjoyed working with the kids. It was rewarding, and I knew after this class moved on, there would be another, and another. The other teachers were warm and welcoming; some of them already felt like true friends. Maybe I could be happy here.

On my second-to-last day, instead of going to my room after class, I wandered the campus, deep in thought.

If I stayed, I would never want for anything. I had a roof over my head, I would never go to bed on an empty stomach. For the first time in ages, I felt like I might have a real chance at peace.

I went back to my room, got out some paper, and started writing. I continued long into the night, filling page after page, still going even after my fingers cramped up. When I finished, the sky was starting to turn a light pink.

I was sitting on a bench outside the dorms when Nezu found me. "Marie, you're up early."

"Well, I didn't sleep, so actually I'm up late."

He studied me for a moment. "You've made a decision?"

I nodded, then forced myself to meet his eyes.

He looked sad. "And were you really going to leave without saying goodbye?"

My mouth fell open. "How did-"

"What would you like me to tell the students?"

"I wrote them all letters, and some of the teachers, too. They'll find them after I'm gone." I sighed, feeling like I had disappointed him. "You've got an incredible school here, but I don't bring anything you don't already have."

"I'm truly sorry you feel that way. So, you're going back to the League?"

My jaw dropped again. "How do you keep-"

"A lucky guess. I am curious though; would you mind walking me through how you reached this decision?"

I looked off into the distance. "The whole time I was with the League, I kept thinking of the students I left behind, hoping they weren't too worried about me, that they didn't beat themselves up for not doing more. But I knew they would be okay, because they have so many amazing people here who look out for them and take care of them. I knew they'd be alright without me."

He nodded, waiting for me to go on.

"Since I've been back, I can't stop thinking about the villains I got to know. I don't know if they'll be okay. I think… they might need me."

"What if they ask you to kill again?"

Of course he'd figured that out too. "Honestly, that's been the least of my worries. They already broke our deal, so they can't force me to do anything. If it gets too hairy, I'll reach out, but I think I can do a lot to mitigate the damage from within."

He nodded. "I believe you could, Marie. How do you plan to find them?"

"I suppose I'll walk the bad parts of town and look for trouble."

"Reminds me of my younger days."

I laughed; he was full of surprises. "These kids are so lucky to have you. They might not realize it until… who knows when… but they're lucky."

"Well, if you ever change your mind, my offer stands. Take care, Marie. I hope we meet again."

"Thank you." I stood and started down the hill, away from Hero Academy, and towards an uncertain future. I had made a choice, and only time would tell if it was the right one.

Author note: Thank you all for reading! I love feedback, so please leave a comment and tell me what you thought! Con crit is always welcome. Also, if ANYONE wants the bonus hot tub scene, you have to let me know! Don't assume somebody else will ask, because I won't post it if no one is interested.