All Might is on the television when I return home. A few of the younger members line the floor in front of it. They stare incredulously at the screen. Yui-san grins at me and pats my head.
"So he's teaching you brats, is he?"
Niko, near the doorway, scowls.
I manage a smile, Akira flinches and Yui-san rolls her eyes.
I nod.
Kagura would have fussed. Yui-san doesn't. She's already moving away to the kitchen to start on dinner. Akira will probably join her, it's her night to help. I move to my room and start on my homework. Niko glares as I brush by.
"Freak."
My smile stretches wider and I stare past her as I stride up the stairs. She curses at the bottom.
"They'll see you for what you are eventually," she snaps. I close my door and ignore her, letting the smile fall.
.
.
.
I arrive at the school gates to chaos.
I stare in horror at the large number of reporters stationed at the gate. They squawk and wave their arms like a monstrous villain and my stomach drops.
I'd rather go home.
I spin on my heel, intending to do exactly that when I step forward and run into somebody's chest. Mismatch eyes stare back. I stumble and a hand grabs me by the shoulder.
"Are… you okay?"
I blink before escaping the hand, frowning at the large crowd ahead. I bite my lip.
"I don't like crowds," I manage. Dual-hair considers that, frowning for a moment before nodding with a sigh. Then he steps forward and starts pushing his way through. I blink, not understanding. He glances back. He frowns and gestures.
He expects me to follow.
I swallow and grab part of his jacket. He pushes forward and I hold my breath, feeling arms and cameras press into my shoulders and back. Someone steps on my foot, somebody else shouts, there's a hand on my braid, and a question screaming in my ear. I hear All Might's name, the loud growl of the crowd, and I push down the suffocating fear that roots in my chest.
If feels like tentacles wrapping around my lungs.
My chest aches with the need to breathe and I hold it tightly, following the dual-haired boy until we're past the gate.
And when I stumble in, I can't help but gasp for air. It's like rising up from the sea.
Mismatched eyes narrow, his lips curling into a frown. I control my breathing, hands on my knees until I can straighten myself and stand. He raises an elegant brow. I suck in a deep breath, shouldering my bag.
"Thank you," I mumble.
He nods and shrugs.
"It's fine."
He steps forward and I follow him to class.
.
.
.
Homeroom begins louder than normal. I manage to read nothing in the chaos of it and end up putting the book away early to stare quietly at the noisy children. Head settled on crossed arms; I watch with tired eyes as the different groups gather together.
Green, Bubbly, and Glasses all laugh at the news, their faces wrinkled and moving excitedly.
Explosive grinds his teeth, snarling insults as Red and Tape tell some funny story.
Pink talks animatedly with Invisible, the Frog and Tailed guy lean towards each other, the Electric blonde whispers at some book in Mineta's lap.
I sigh and watch them, their excitement, their silly laughs, and vibrant discussions. Beside me, dual-hair gives me the side-eye. He doesn't join in either, his hands joined together, his eyes narrowed.
"Alright, settle down."
Aizawa-sensei walks in and it's amusing to watch them all scramble into places. Packing away books, pulling out papers and pens. I sit up and pull the pencil out from behind my ear, tapping it on my chin.
"Today you'll decide your class representative. I don't care how you do it, just get it done."
I put it back and lay my head back on my arms.
The room erupts into chaos again.
When they finally settle on a vote, I stare at the blank ballot blandly.
I don't care.
I write it in a neat scrawl before stuffing it in the box ponytail creates. She counts them at the front, frowning every once in a while. After a moment, she hands the tally to glasses. He announces the winners. Midoriya and Momo. I don't know which ones they are. It's not like it really matters.
Ponytail and Green stand in the front of the room and make a little speech. Sensei rises from his caterpillar-shaped sleeping bag. Has he been in that thing this whole time? I shake my head and sigh, thankful when its finally time for class.
.
.
.
Lunch in the cafeteria is dreadful as usual.
I sit at a table, alone, and try to ignore the noise. Unlike normal, someone sits beside me. I blink as Frog-girl takes a spot at my table and smiles cheerily at me.
"Hi?" I manage, eyebrows furrowed and confusion coloring my tone.
"Hey, ribbit," she says back before pulling open her chopsticks.
Realizing I'm staring, I look down at my own lunch, quietly trying to puzzle out why she's here. She doesn't say anything, and I don't ask. Finally, giving up, I mutter a quiet thanks before digging in.
We eat in silence, and after a while, it almost feels nice.
"This was nice, ribbit," the frog girl says after finishing the food. I glance over to see her licking her lips, dark eyes wide. She smiles, a bit of tongue poking out. "You're so quiet, Hoki-chan. Sometimes I think we forget you're there."
I shrug, taking another bite of noodles. She smiles.
"Do you like it here at UA?"
I swallow down the noodles and consider it.
"Yeah," I say with a little smile. Frog-girl makes a happy noise.
"I'm glad," she says, eyes squeezing shut and head tilting to the side. She opens her mouth to say something more, but a sharp sound resonates through the room. It cuts through the cafeteria's noise with shattering efficiency, and I twist immediately towards the siren.
"INTRUDERS! ALERT! INTRUDERS!"
Chaos ensues and frog jumps to her feet. I stand to follow, but a mass of bodies presses suddenly against us and she disappears in the crowd.
The alarms blare and screams fill the mix.
I swallow, heart racing, as everyone rushes for the door. My throat constricts and I'm carried along. Jostled and pushed. Bodies press against me, dragging me down, pulling me forward. I feel the thick press of tentacles against my chest. I swallow, holding my breath.
Something pinches at my wrist, a hand grabs against my arm, and there's another scream. The press of bodies is too much, I'm losing my grasp.
I swallow down a breath, trying to hold it together.
It isn't working.
"No, no, no," I whimper, digging my feet in. Bodies surge around me. It's like trying to stand in a river, like trying to hold back the current. My feet slip and my shadows rise against the onslaught.
Smoke swirls around me, curling, I clutch for the flashlight—
"Hoki-chan."
I freeze, hands curled protectively around my flashlight, as the red-headed boy, the one with the hardening quirk, grabs hold of my arm and pulls me back towards him and against his chest. It takes me a moment to realize I'm shaking. Tears burn in my eyes and I struggle to breathe. He frowns, quirk active.
"Hey, you okay?" he asks, voice concerned.
If you want to be a hero, show them your strength. Smile.
I smile. It's wobbly and wrong. He grunts, focusing back on the crowd.
"Crowds?" he asks, pushing backward to give me more space. I struggle to breathe to calm. He doesn't seem to need an answer, he gives a rough laugh. "Man, that sucks. Guess it makes sense though, you're not really big on people, eh?"
He pulls us backward and towards a wall. People up ahead are shouting, and I think I hear our classmates. Red pushes me towards a wall and I lean against it, taking deep breaths and trying to regulate my breathing. My knees feel weak, my legs like jelly.
"Hey, it'll be okay," he says, he smiles his sharp teeth bright, before wincing as someone jostles him forward. His arm shoots out, bracing himself against the wall. "Oi, watch out!"
His face screws up in annoyance, and despite the nervous anxiety in my body, I can't help the little smile. He glances back towards me and raises an eyebrow, his own lips tilting. That's when I notice what's over his shoulder. I stare, wide-eyed, and blink. He turns and chokes out a laugh.
"Is that…"
"Oh..."
Glasses is plastered over the emergency exit yelling. I can't help but giggle. He snorts, his form losing its hardened shape and I realize my panic from early is disappearing as well. The people around me seem to feel the same, they back away and I can physically feel the sense of relief as they make more room.
We make it back to homeroom where Red rushes forward and leans on Legs, teasing him mercilessly. I make my way to my own seat, all the way in the back. I lay my head down and smile, watching them as Green gives up his position and Glasses cries.