Disclaimer: I don't own Boku no Hero Academia
Chapter 10:
The Day After the Sports Festival, Noon
Knock knock.
Zach lowered the volume on his tv to nothing but other than that he stayed laid on his side. He listened for the door, not moving an inch in case someone on the other side could hear him. Jirou would be able to hear me in here, but she's the only one I don't have to worry about.
"Hey, Zach," Kaminari's voice came through the other side of the door. "Um, Aunt Maye," he called out, knocking again.
She's not your Aunt. She's barely mine, Zach thought, then he smiled at the tv. Some guys on the game show trying to run up the slippery steps slid off and knocked down everyone behind them as they slid away.
"Zach," Kaminari tried again, but he sounded like he was about to give up. "Are you in there?" Kaminari wondered, his voice quieter and making Zach shift his head back a few inches to make sure he could hear him. "I'm sorry," Kaminari said, his voice quiet but loud enough for Zach to hear while the room was silent. "I- that Class B jerk he- he told me he knew it was you, and I, I asked how he knew. I'm sorry. He was just trying to get me to… Am I just talking to myself?" He mumbled the last part, and it was the last thing Zach heard.
Two Hours Later
Knock knock knock-
Zach felt like the person out there wanted to knock more times, but they were holding themselves back. "Young Sazaki," All Might began.
"Is that All Might?!" Zach heard a shout through his door, and he shook his head as he realized the hero was there in his muscular and public form.
"I'll come back later," All Might said, his voice softer like he was speaking out the corner of his mouth while facing out towards the street and whoever called to him.
"Don't," Zach called out, then he shut his mouth fast as he did that on impulse and without really thinking. He meant it though, and he said in a softer but colder voice, "Just, don't come back All Might."
An Hour After That
"Zach-"
He heard the voice before he heard any knocking. His tv was still on mute, as he got pretty much the same feeling from watching the gameshow with subtitles on and his apartment completely silent as he did when the volume was on setting '1.' The soft girl's voice continued after a second, "I, gathered your things from the arena. I saw you forgot them…" Yaoyorozu trailed off, then she leaned her head towards the door and said, "Are you in there?"
Zach shook his head no, though for the first time he felt bad as he just sat there and ignored them. "Your phone has a lot of texts. Most of them are good- but I couldn't get past your passcode. So, I mean, I could just…" she trailed off again. "Everyone took the festival seriously until the end. We thought, a reason you may have left was because you didn't want the mood of the festival to shift. By the semi-finals, it was really loud again- but I couldn't cheer with the others."
Zach clenched his eyes shut and put his hands over his ears. He did not press them on tightly though, and his eyes opened back up wide as Yaoyorozu said, "If Snipe sensei didn't arrive when he did. You would have saved our lives." Zach said nothing. The mail slot on his door opened up, and Yaoyorozu slid his phone, wallet, and keys in in a plastic bag. Then she took a step back from the door and turned, only for her eyes to widen at the sight of someone walking towards her.
That boy had his head down though, and he lifted it only to stop and say in surprise, "Y-Y-Yaoyorozu." Midoriya walked towards the dark-haired girl whose look returned to a grim one. "Is Zach home?" Midoriya asked.
Yaoyorozu opened her mouth to say 'no,' but then she glanced back and said, "I don't know."
Why does everyone think I'm back here? They're so confident about it too! "She doesn't know?" BS! Zach rolled over on his other side and he actually covered both ears this time, deciding he did not want to listen to what Midoriya had to say. If he was going to just ignore them anyway, he did not need to feel guilty about ignoring the things they told him. Zach fell asleep while Midoriya was still there, talking to a door in a motivational way, with no one listening.
Two Hours Later
Zach got hungry around five o'clock, but as bad luck would have it, someone came around while he was in the kitchen. He had to avoid any movement so as not to be heard, but if he did not turn off the stove now, the water would start boiling too much. Turning off the stove required twisting the knob past the spark switch though, and that would make a clicking noise. He decided to risk it, and he flipped it fast right as the person knocked again, and he sighed in relief as the two sounds cancelled each other out.
"Zach?" He heard a quiet voice, nervous and hesitant. Jenny. Her knocks did not sound like her normal ones. Her voice was more timid too than the last times she had come to his house telling him to eat with her and tell him how school had been or about the League of Villains' attack and why he was in the hospital. This time, she just spoke in a quiet voice and said, "I don't believe it you know- the rumors they're-"
"Go away Jenny," Zach said, his voice cold and harsh. He said it once, then he finished making his ramen as he heard running away from his door. His chest hurt at how fast she ran off. Just, get away from me, he thought, turning and heading for his couch once more. He was sitting in front of his couch for another twenty minutes before finishing up his ramen. He was bored with the show he was watching though, and he reached for his phone to check the time.
Zach stopped reaching, then he looked over his shoulder and remembered it was near the door. He walked over and reached down for the plastic bag, then he stumbled backwards as he heard a voice outside, "I can hear your heart beat, so don't pretend like-"
"Jirou?" Zach whispered from just on the other side of the door. She had used her powers to check for him a few minutes ago, but she had been hesitating since then for how to call out to him. His voice was much closer than he thought it would be though, from just on the other side of the door in front of her. Zach was too shocked not to say her name though. She hasn't said, two words to me since the villains. So, "What are you doing here?" Zach wondered.
"What am I doing here?" Jirou asked back skeptically, sarcastically. She said it like she had a good reply for him, an obvious reply. But she just stood there for several seconds without being able to say a thing. "I guess, to apologize," Jirou said. "For being a scaredy-cat," she added. Her tone was joking, but at the same time she meant what she said. "Enough people at that stadium were… without me looking…" Jirou scratched the back of her head and looked away. She stared out into the red sky to her right, then she muttered in a lower voice, "Someone left food out here for you."
Zach stayed quiet for a few seconds, then he said, "Do you want it?"
Jirou sweatdropped. "No," she muttered back.
"Oh," Zach said. They were both quiet for a few more seconds, then Zach said in a low voice, "Thanks Jirou. I really feel better." He turned with his phone in hand and headed back for his couch. Zach lay back and threw his blanket back on top of him. I bet if I opened that door, you'd take a full fucking step back, Zach thought, while lifting his phone up over his face.
Twelve texts from Kaminari. Eight from Yaoyorozu. I guess those two were kind of, my friends. They showed up pretty quickly too, despite never being here before. Zach opened his phone and scrolled through their messages. They both tried asking for my address, but they managed to get it anyway. No texts from Jirou. Guess she just showed up here. Zach leaned up and looked towards his door, wondering if there was still someone standing on the other side. Jenny brought me food again. I should take it in and refrigerate it. I've made the mistake before, and as long as she gives me extra meals, I won't have to leave the house. They'll be like my keepers, at a zoo, or feeding the monster in the basement, or some shit like that.
Zach walked back to his door and stared through it at Jirou, waiting for the girl who looked so frustrated to leave. She opened her mouth several times in the next few minutes, before finally she humphed in aggravation and stormed off, an upset and confused look on her face. He watched her go, waiting a few seconds once she was gone, then his door opened a crack and his hand shot out. He snatched the bowl and slid it into his house, looking through the clear plastic cover on top and nodding as he made the right move grabbing it before it had been too long. Twenty, thirty minutes isn't too bad. Just toss it in the fridge, he opened the door and shoved the dish in. And there's a midnight snack.
An Hour Later
It was darker in Zach's house again with barely any light coming in from the windows. He turned his tv brightness up a little so he could watch from the couch, and he turned the volume back on too since it was straining his eyes watching a dark tv with subtitles. Knock Knock. "I'm back," All Might's voice came through the door. Zach did not respond, but he did turn up the tv a few notches since he had already let All Might know he was in there earlier.
He thought raising the volume would be a good sign, but All Might continued anyway, "I'm a hero, so I can't just knock your door down, even if I could do that right now." So he's in his weak form, Zach thought, while flicking the channel to sports, watching highlights of the day before's Sports Festival. There were some epic fights that he missed from his own class, but also some good ones in the second and third years' divisions too. "Young man, talk to me," All Might continued.
The hero outside of Zach's door reached forward to knock again, but then he just put his fist against the door and leaned his head forward while continuing in a lower voice, "There are times, when a hero has to use lethal force." Zach turned his head to look at the back of the couch, but he was really looking through it and towards his door he imagined on the other side.
"Like you've ever killed anyone-"
"I have," All Might said. "Or, maybe, I've tried," All Might said, his voice lower as he continued with that. Zach lowered the volume on his tv with a confused look on his face, but All Might did not elaborate with what he just said. Instead, he continued on his original train of thought now that he had Zach's attention. "The public always looks down on it though. Heroes go through extensive review when a fatality is involved. Because of our Hero Licenses though, it is accepted in society that sometimes it is impossible to save people without taking the lives of the ones threatening them." All Might paused, then he continued, "But many times, Hero Licenses are suspended, even when a large part of the community thinks the hero made the right call. They have to reapply, face fines, pay cuts. But when they reapply for their Licenses, and they get back out there as heroes, I have never heard of a hero who the public has turned away because of his or her actions against villains."
Zach rolled on his back and stared straight up at the darkness above him. He lifted his right hand and gazed on his black glove. "It will stay in the minds of many for longer, because you are still a child. But by the time you are an adult, and you have a hero name, and a Hero License, no one will remember it."
"So in three or four years, I can live my life again?" Zach asked, raising his right hand higher up like he was reaching for something. There was a pause on the other side of the door like All Might was trying to think of something to reply with. "Don't bother," Zach said, dropping his arm back down and laying there limp with his eyes half-open. "I can't handle their pity," he muttered. "More than anything else, imagining what it would look like walking into class now." Zach could not even finish the sentence. They all saw, how much it really… He thought about how he ran down the tunnel and cut right as hard as he could, turning his back to the few faster kids who had gotten close already. He remembered how their expressions changed when he caught glimpses of them, and they saw his. I'm a man. I want-ed to be a hero. If I showed back up there, they'd just treat me like a victim, like a joke who ran off crying when he got his feelings hurt.
Zach stopped thinking so hard on it, because it was making his face scrunch up in so many different frustrating emotions. "I hope you can be the Symbol of Peace, long enough for Midoriya to take your place."
A gasp escaped All Might's lips on the other side of the door. Wow, that does work, he thought. Kaminari got duped by that Monoma asshole, but I didn't think someone like All Might would-
"Midoriya told you?" All Might asked in a shocked voice.
"No," Zach said, and he smirked while putting his hands up behind his head. "But you just did."
All Might dropped his jaw and stared at the door in front of him, wondering why the boy he was talking to sounded so smug about that after saying something so genuine right before it. "Young man, that is a secret-"
"Whatever," Zach muttered. "I'm not leaving this room anymore, so who am I going to tell? The ghosts?" He cracked a small grin, waited for a few seconds, then he said, "I'm just fucking with you All Might, I'm not really seeing ghosts."
"Zach Sazaki, you are-"
"Get out of here All Might!" Zach shouted at the top of his lungs.
The man outside the door opened his dark eyes wide. He spun his head, then he bit down hard while glancing back at the door, before running off down the hall outside of the boy's room. He made a mad dash and ran down the stairs right as two doors opened behind him. That boy, All Might thought, after getting into the shadows and panting while blood seeped between his teeth. Has he lost it? Is he finally, after everything, is this what breaks him?
Two Days After the Sports Festival
"Hey Zach," Kaminari hit his fist on the door hard a few times. "Jirou said you were definitely holed up in here! Talk to me man!"
Why do we have so many days off after the Sports Festival? Are people going to keep showing up here? At least Aunt Maye didn't even text me, so it doesn't look like she cares enough to swing by. In fact, now that everyone knows, she's probably more intent than ever about staying away from me…
"Dude," Kaminari said, knocking again and groaning when he heard no response. "I'm sorry. Just tell me, it's okay or something."
My life's fucking over, idiot, Zach thought, though he was immediately glad he did not say that out loud and kept it in his head. What a shitty friend I'd be then. I knew Kaminari was stupid. At least he didn't tell Monoma all about what my Quirk was. If people knew my Quirk was Death, they'd probably be freaking out that such a Quirk existed. Hell, they'd probably be after my head. The mob fears what it doesn't understand. Philosophy on the Origin of Quirks, it was a good book.
"Zach, I'm not gonna leave today until you say something. I know you're in there," Kaminari started knocking over and over again. "I don't care if it annoys your neighbors you know? So they'll start getting annoyed at you-"
"Hey Kaminari," Zach called out. He kept staring at the tv, but he just sighed after he had already started. He took a breath, then called out what he just thought, "Thanks for not telling him what my Quirk was too."
Kaminari leaned back from the door, a look of even more regret on his face now. He thinks I might have done it- of course he does. I just gave him no reason to trust me. "I won't tell-" Kaminari began, then he clenched his teeth together quickly, as he doubted anything he said at the moment Zach would believe. "I'm sorry," he just muttered again. He lifted his head and tried getting a more excited look on his face, "People have been recognizing…" he faded off, and Zach just shook his head at the other boy's lack of tact.
I guess the others who made it to the finals are probably being treated as celebrities out there now. And now that there's not the lingering doubt that one of them's a murderer too, they really are just the amazing class that fought off the villains. "Good for you," Zach muttered, though he did not know if it was loud enough for Kaminari to hear.
"Are you-" Kaminari began. He stopped himself, then he leaned closer to the door and called in, "You're going to come back to class, right?"
Probably not, Zach thought. "I'm actually going on vacation. My aunt wants to get me out of the country for a little while, make it easier for me to lay low until this whole thing dies down." Holy crap brain, high-five. That was amazing!
"Really? Oh, that's great I guess. Where are you going?"
"America," Zach replied, smiling at how easy this was coming to him. "I have another aunt out there, my Aunt Maye's sister." He paused before getting more into his elaborate lie he was coming up with on the spot, reminding himself to keep it as vague and believable as possible. He acted like the pause was an emotional one though, then he added in a lower voice, "I'll be back."
"You better," Kaminari said, slamming a fist into the door again. "I guess," he said after a few seconds, "I'll see you around then."
"Yeah, see ya' later," Zach said, his smile lowering back down and his eyes half-closing as he lay in a more comfortable way on his couch. Mid-lunch-afternoon nap time? How long have I been awake since last… what does it matter? Zach closed his eyes, and he went back to sleep.
A Few Hours Later
Knock Knock Knock Knock
"That's enough times I think."
"One more-" Knock
"Zach, are you in there?"
Zach's eyes opened and he stared at his tv that had a news program on. It was talking about U.A. and how security at the Sports Festival shows that U.A. is dedicated to improving it's security, but there are still doubts because of the invasion. He watched for a few seconds, then thought, Ashido, Hagakure, and… Ojiro?
The mail flap on his door pushed in and Ashido tilted her head while on her knees to get a better look inside. Zach's tv was on the other side of his couch, but he had turned the brightness up a little and the changing lights coming from over there confirmed Ashido's suspicions. "Hey! Stop ignoring us," she called straight through the flap so her voice would be louder.
"Zach, you okay?" Ojiro asked.
Ojiro, Zach thought, remembering him as one of the ones who spotted him right as he was getting out of the tunnel.
"You know, on the train to this station, we heard people talking about you," Ojiro said. Zach lifted up and his eyes widened, and he turned his head to look over the top of his couch in surprise. Ashido was still leaning down though with an eye in front of the mail slot, and her eye opened wide as she saw the hooded figure with a blanket over his head so he was completely shadowed over. She leaned back, and when she brought her head back forward, the strange shadowed creature she saw lift from the other side of the couch had dropped back down.
"I saw you!" She called in, while Zach stayed ducked on his couch, cursing himself that he was seen.
"Mina," Hagakure said, sounding like she wanted the other girl to stop for a minute.
"Zach, I heard them talking about you, but it wasn't all bad," Ojiro said. Zach blinked a few times in confusion while staring at the ceiling. "They mentioned the villain thing, but one of the guys said the villains deserved it. Not that I agree, and I know you don't either, but the other one nodded too. Then he talked about how you punched Shinso in the face." Ojiro paused for a second, and he added, "They said it was really cool, that even without using your Quirk- you managed to get into the top eight."
"And we agree," Hagakure said, trying to do her part to make him feel better.
"You and I almost had a match," Ashido added. "If things had gone just a little different- I would have kicked your butt though!"
Zach slouched down in his couch and he turned to look at the tv in silence. He watched as it shifted from talking about the attack on U.A., to talking about him, and showing the picture of the villain he killed right next to his class picture where he was smiling. A picture of him smiling next to a picture of a guy he killed, it made him look like a crazy person. Stupid news, he thought.
"Hey, stop ignoring us," Ashido called in. "We came all the way over here you know. It wasn't easy to… well, okay we just asked the others."
Does everyone in the class know where I live now? "Guys, I'm fine. Did Kaminari tell you…"
"Tell us what?" Ojiro asked, which answered Zach's question.
"I'm leaving on a vacation with my aunt, going to America for a little while to lay low. Just a short vacation. I'll be back," he said it, but he grimaced after it all came out. That didn't sound as convincing as with Kaminari. Coming up with it on the spot was easier, and it flowed better. Trying to match up the details after a nap, not as easy. "Tomorrow I'm leaving."
"America?" Ashido asked. "Where in?"
"California," Zach said. "I have another aunt out there, the aunt I live with's sister."
"What about your parents?" Hagakure asked.
"Dead," Zach said. He froze and his mouth stuck open, and then he rose a hand and covered up his face with it. God I'm such an idiot. Did I really just, ughhhhhh.
"I'm sorry," Hagakure whispered after a few seconds, her voice cracking like she felt terrible for bringing that up.
Zach did not reply. He really, just did not know what to say. "Could everyone just, stop spreading stuff about me?" Zach said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Like, where I live. And what I did. And," he did not finish, but he hoped he got the real point of why he just said that in a voice barely audible through the door. As if I needed more pity. Just everyone, leave me alone, to go on my trip to America.
"Well, we're going," Ojiro said. Ashido opened her mouth to complain about coming all the way there, but Ojiro shook his head at her and the pink girl frowned in an annoyed way, and then a sad one as she looked back at the door.
"Hope to see you back at school soon," Ashido said. The three of them started heading off, Ojiro putting a hand down on Hagakure's shoulder and telling her not to worry about what she asked that she was sniffling about. Ashido followed for a second, then she turned and ran back towards Zach's door. She put her head up close and said in a softer voice when the other two were farther away, "Remember the entrance exam? I thought you were pretty cool back then too. Don't let this get you too down. Cool guys don't get moody for long."
"Cool?" What about me, is cool? I lie to everyone I meet. I have a Quirk I can't use. I've killed people. I killed both of my parents. I'm literally a couch potato right now. The difference between me and someone on life support, is that hospital rooms are more lit up than this. Ashido headed off after the other two waiting for her down the hall of the apartment complex, then when they started heading down the stairs, Zach heard a door open from the next room down.
Don't do it, he thought, glaring towards the door as he imagined who was behind it. There were a few knocks, and he heard heavy breathing on the other side, then as it stopped for a second and the girl took in a deep breath, Zach whispered, "Don't." He did not know if his word somehow reached through the cracks or the mail slot and reached her, or if she just had second thoughts, but he heard the quick patter of feet running away from his room after he said it. The one person, I just can't deal with right now.
Two Days Later
I should leave, Zach thought, sitting up on his couch and letting out a long sigh as he came to the decision. They're gonna check to see if I really went on that vacation. They're all so nosy. I can't make it to America, not with the amount I can take out of my ATM at a time. Not that I wanted to go to California anyway. But I should get going. Spend another day here and I'll miss the first day back, then the teachers might get involved. Call my Aunt Maye to ask why I'm not in school. Show up at my house…
Zach spent the late afternoon and past dinner preparing himself. He was taking only a backpack, and at the moment he did not know where he was planning on going exactly. I'll just start running. I've been slacking lately… though, I was always only running, to train to be- He shook his head around and kept searching his apartment to make sure he grabbed as much as he needed. I joked about ghosts, but why did I want to stay in this house so badly? So many bad memories here. Zach glanced towards his living room and the recliner, then he looked at the tv still playing as he could not remember a time he had turned it off in more than half a week now. His gaze then shifted to the bathroom, to the mirror, and he shivered as he thought about a day two and a half weeks back. I just imagined it then too.
He shook his head around and then looked towards his dining room. He thought about his first day of school, There were good memories too, he thought, before frowning deeply at the idea. He saw himself sitting at that table talking and laughing with someone, but he erased the image from his head before he could think on it harder. Then, his eyes shifted towards the bathroom again. They shifted to the windows above the toilet, where there was a small balcony outside. His gaze stayed plastered to that window for a few moments, imagining the windowsill on the other side. And things, that don't make sense…
Zach turned to his front door and he started walking towards it. He paused and went back to his living room, unplugging the tv, then he started for the door once more. All the lights in his house were off. Anything electric was unplugged. He wondered as he did a final check around him, while sliding his feet into his shoes, Wonder how long Maye will take to notice and stop paying for the water? She'll probably just drop the lease early when she sees. I could text her, but, Zach looked over his shoulder and to his dining room table where he left his phone. Don't need that where I'm going. Where, am I going? He paused while staring at his door right in front of him. Trains are still running, they will be for a while. I could go anywhere in the country. Just head to some random city, get a room- but then how long until I'm low on money? Maye won't finance me if I disappear, and my ATM card will get cut off fast… so then I'll have to get a part-time job? That's, I don't want to do that. Maybe I'll just come back here, maybe I just need as long as until she decides to cut me off. Or maybe, where I go people won't recognize me, in which case I'll never leave. I'll never, come back, Zach reached for the door handle in front of him.
The door next door opened. He paused with his hand near the handle and he clenched his eyes shut. Don't come over here. Don't come over here. He leaned back from the door as the footsteps got closer, louder than usual. What is she- "Zach." The voice on the other side of the door was stern, and Zach looked through the peephole while trying hard not to make a sound. Mr. Akers. What is he doing here?
"I know you're in there," Mr. Akers said. He was a thin man and stood just over six feet tall. He had short brown hair and wore a pair of glasses, and he was wearing casual clothes as it was already after dinner and he had been relaxing at home. The man continued in a stern voice when he did not hear a response, "This is from my daughter." He leaned down and placed a tin on the floor in front of Zach's door. "She's too scared to come here herself, but she still made you the dinner. She's more afraid, you aren't treating yourself right, because of the 'lies' the media is telling."
Mr. Akers stood back straight and he continued in a lower voice, "But you and I both know they aren't lies."
You, knew? Zach thought, his eyes opening wide as he stared at the door in front of him that he had leaned away from again.
"We have known, for a long, long time. One night, when your father was-" the neighbor cut himself off, then he continued after a pause, "We had been trying to help him through it, but hearing how she died, it really broke our hearts. But it also scared us. There was a boy, living next door to us, with that Quirk?"
Zach clenched his teeth and he tightened his fists at his sides so hard. His eyes closed in pain, because the neighbors had been more of parents to him than anyone in the past seven years. Mr. Akers continued in a lower voice, "Do you know, how many times we spent watching you and Jenny play so carefully? Watching your every movements to make sure you didn't hurt our precious girl? That you didn't kill her?" Zach's fists tightened harder and his eyes shut tight to prevent any water from forming in them.
"Once."
Zach froze and his mind full of anger and frustration and sad thoughts became just confused. His eyes opened up and he stared at the door in front of him while the man on the other side was quiet. "Wh-" he started, but he caught himself. He could not help it though, and he whispered at the door, "What?"
"One time," Mr. Akers replied. "I know, it was foolish of us. What parents in their right minds would take one look, and then leave their daughter in the care of someone so dangerous? But we never doubted it. When you came over to play, when Jenny asked to go to your place, when you went to the park together, not once were we concerned about you hurting her." Zach's eyes started watering up more, his arms shaking at his sides while his face filled with so much confusion.
"How?" He gasped out. "How were you not-"
"The very first time we watched you two, we saw you treat our daughter like she was fragile. Every time the two of you did something, you made sure your right hand was far away." Mr. Akers smiled and continued to the boy he knew was standing just on the other side of the door, "The look in your eyes when she tripped, and then how you instinctively moved towards her, but only used your left hand to catch her." The tears spilled out the corners of Zach's eyes. "I knew in that moment, I was looking at a future hero."
His wet eyes shot open huge and his breathing stopped short. He tried gasping for breath but he was unable to do it. Zach lifted an arm and rubbed his eyes over and over. "But more than we knew it back then, Jenny saw it when you caught her, when you asked if she was okay. I think ever since, you've been more than her friend." Zach tried to keep rubbing his arms to stop it, but he still had to gasp in as his neighbor added, "You're her hero."
Mr. Akers heard Zach's pained gasp and he lowered his smile down despite the feelings the boy on the other side of the door was having. "As her father, as a man, I want to be my little girl's hero. But even if I'm not, I'll still protect her. And right now, she's hurting. You won't talk to her. She hasn't seen you in weeks. Her dinners go in there though, and she keeps making them, even though you tell her to go away. Or, whatever you've been telling her, since she won't talk about it. Now I know it's tough, but tomorrow I'm going to tell her to come here herself-"
The door opened and Mr. Akers froze with his mouth open. Zach slowly reached his hand to the right and he flicked a switch that illuminated his apartment's entrance. Mr. Akers spotted a heavily packed backpack on the floor behind Zach, and he thought he had heard a thud at the same time as the door started to open. He looked up at Zach's eyes with wide ones of his own, but Zach rubbed his eyes once more while stepping out. He gulped and then said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, Mr. Akers." He got a more serious expression on his face, then he continued, "But could I talk to her now, instead? If she feels that way, right now…" What am I doing? "Then I can't just leave her…" What, was I doing? "I'm sorry," he repeated in a softer voice. He took some deep breaths, steadying himself since he could not cry once he went to his neighbor's apartment. I never have, cried in front of her. I knew she was watching the Sports Festival and I, I got in that tunnel as fast as I could. I, I've always wanted to be a hero. But, I always considered myself a hero to one person anyway, because of how I thought she looked at me! But it wasn't just me who thought it, I'm so stupid! What have I been doing, when my best friend-
Zach clenched his teeth hard and he blinked his eyes a bunch to dry them out. "Mr. Akers," he began, looking up into the taller man's eyes. He hesitated, then he said in a softer voice, "Can I tell her, everything?"
"I always hoped you would," he replied without hesitating. Zach's eyes widened again, and the man continued, "I don't like lying to my daughter. But it wasn't our secret to tell."
"Thank you," Zach whispered.
The man nodded, then he started for his room and Zach watched him walk that way. "Well come on now," he said, glancing back at the boy who hesitated after he started thinking about how he was going to do this. "We don't have all night. You have school tomorrow, don't you?"
Zach's eyes opened huge again and they darted back to his door. He imagined the bag lying on the other side of it, all the preparations he had made, the thoughts he had had before he heard Mr. Akers' voice. Then he turned back to his neighbor watching him expectantly, and slowly his head nodded once. It's not just my classmates, and my teachers, there are people- who care for me. People who would be hurt if I left. I always knew that. That was one of the main reasons why, I would never again consider killing myself. So why did I think leaving would be okay? Without telling anyone? Without telling, Jenny?
Zach followed Mr. Akers into his house, and he saw Mrs. Akers get up from a chair and look towards him in surprise to see him there. She smiled after a second though, and she nodded her head towards the hall where Zach knew Jenny's bedroom was. Zach looked back at the man behind him, but Mr. Akers was not going to take him there. Zach took a deep breath and then he walked for Jenny's room. He stopped outside her door and heard her voice on the other side, "I'm fine dad-"
"Jenny," Zach began, saying it before she could continue because the tone of her voice was contradicting the words coming out. Zach heard movement on the other side and he continued, "Could I-"
The door flew open and Jenny stared at Zach wide-eyed that he was standing in front of her. She stared at the gray hoodie he was wearing and the black pants that looked as dirty, then she focused on his face and into his eyes. Jenny reached forward and wrapped the boy a few inches taller than her in a hug. "I'm sorry," he said as she hugged him, and he put both arms around her, resting his right hand over his left arm on her back. "Can I come in?" He asked, pulling his head back. "I, want to talk to you."
"Well it's about time," Jenny said as she pulled back, frowning at him now that they were back on speaking terms. The red-haired girl glanced around him and towards her living room and main area where she knew her parents were, then she moved to the side so he could come in. She closed the door behind him and then put her back to it. "Tell me everything. The villain attack, the Sports Festival," she hesitated for a moment, then continued in a quieter voice, "and, did you really, I know I said I didn't believe, but are the rumors…"
Zach kept facing away from her, then he turned and sat down on her bed. He looked her in the eyes and he nodded his head. "Jenny," he began in a soft voice. "I'm really sorry, that I lied to you." Zach lifted up his right hand and Jenny looked at it with her eyes growing wide. "I'm not Quirkless," Zach said. "And this glove isn't holding back a deadly virus."
"What is it?" Jenny asked in amazement, stepping forward while her mind was being blown.
"It's just a normal hand," Zach said, as he could see she was staring at his glove like there was some crazy sci-fi thing underneath. "But, if my hand touches anything, anything alive," he spoke in a soft voice while Jenny's eyes were opening even wider, refocusing on Zach's eyes that he kept pointed at her face. "It dies," he finished. "My Quirk's name, is Death." He saw chills go down Jenny's spine and her breathing picked up pace.
"That's," she whispered, walking towards him and then turning and sitting on his right side. She looked down and to her left at the hand he pulled back away from her, as he always did to 'prevent getting her sick.' "Did my parents know about it?" She asked.
Zach smiled and said, "Apparently." She looked at him in surprise, and he continued, "Your dad just told me they had known since forever ago. I was pretty surprised too."
"They kept it from me," Jenny started in a low voice.
"Don't blame them, I'm really happy they didn't say anything. They were just treating me," he paused and bit his bottom lip, only to let go fast as it was still healing from the other day. "Your parents, wanted to let me tell you in my own time. And, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, years ago," he finished in a whisper, as he realized he really should have done this so long ago. "So, about the day of the villains' attack. Can, I talk to you about it?"
Jenny's eyes widened as she turned to look at Zach's face, seeing that he looked really hesitant about saying anything else. She reached over and grabbed him by the right arm, at his forearm instead of his hand which still made him flinch though at how close it was. She was not afraid though, and she said when he looked back up in her eyes, "You can talk to me about anything."
Zach took a deep breath and nodded at her. "Alright, so we had only just got to the dome, the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, or USJ." Jenny cracked a smile at the name of it, but she got serious as Zach continued, "Then they appeared. There were dozens of them. Dozens, of villains…"
A/N Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed. Leave a review below telling me what you think.
BloodySS2God chapter 9 . 18h ago
Oh my GOD! This story is soooooo good! Sucgh a great concept! What great execution! You my friend are one hell of a story teller! Just... wow! Cant wait to read more of this amazing story! Insta Follow and Favourite :)
Thanks a ton! I'm really glad people are liking it. Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter!
zerom1v chapter 9 . 14h ago
Poor Zach. That was intenseNow the league of villains have it's sights on him.
Can't wait for next chapter.
P/S: Not cool Monoma. Not cool at all
Zach had a tough time of it, but thing's might be looking up at the end of the chapter here. And yeah, dick move Monoma XD. Thanks for the review!
Roxas Itsuka chapter 9 . 13h ago
Brilliant chapter. OMG though, poor Zach. I hope things get better for him. Monoma deserves a good punch to the face. Interesting to see the League of Villains take an interest in him. Looking forward to the next chapter.
Thanks! League of Villains take notice, which is bad news... Glad you enjoyed, and hope you liked the new chapter!
LordOfTee chapter 9 . 12h ago
Duudee... they're gonna turn him into an accomplice. Damn now I feel bad for Zach.
Zach! Resist the dark side... Thanks for the review!
Colinpop5 chapter 9 . 10h ago
Honestly is you made him temp join the villains and then went back to being a hero that would be cool
Thanks for the review. Lots of people thinking the same thing with those last few sentences I added in last chapter, huh? Well, we'll see what happens with the League of Villains and Zach soon... XD Thanks for all the reviews everyone!