A line has no ends.
A timeline, thus, marks no beginning, no conclusion, but the continuation in both directions, ceaseless and unabiding to human perceptions or mortality. Eternal. Forever.

Where had we begun? Where did these events fall in the never-ending duration of time?

I'd never bought into the idea of time being an illusion; I could count the minutes as easy as my own heartbeat.

One
.
All Might fighting, distracted by the desire to keep Bakugo safe from harm.
Two.
Midoriya, Iida, and Kirishima bursting through the brick, flying into the night sky.
Three.
Todoroki's mountain of ice.
Four.
Carving my way through the mountain, reaping the unsuspecting villains for all their worth.
Five.
The Magician, taken down, the lizard barely blinking before my fist broke through his jaw like a sledgehammer to eggshell.
"Tsu...tomi?"
Six.
I rose.

"How many times do we have to go through this, kid? It's Miss. Miss Tsutomi."
Heart rate elevated, but stable. No signs of injuries throughout his circulatory system. Good.

I lifted an arm, watched the sabre of liquid return to my suit. "Though, actually, I think I'm supposed to be called Chiyonex when I'm in this get-up."

Katsuki Bakugo's face was alabaster, frozen in time. What had he been through? What horrors had the League shown him?
I can't focus on that right now. I have to get him to safety.
With my slow smile Bakugo blinked back to life, a flustered surprise staining his face red. I lifted my chin towards the sky.

"Your friends risked their lives for you. So get going."

The girl- Himiko Toga, suspected in a string of recent murders and particularly fond of syringes- sped in my direction. What use is a blood quirk against an opponent with complete liquid control?

Bakugo jumped at the sound of the teenage thug's body slamming into the cement. I couldn't- should've- attacked harder, but regardless of her malice, she looked barely older than my own students.

"Tsutomi-sensei, that guy- His face-" Bakugo ushered behind me, to where a skinny male was kneeling, seemingly unsure what to do. Tomura. "He has- on his face-"
He's in shock. Whatever Bakugo had seen, it was enough to break through even his arctic nerves.
What had he glimpsed, under that hand? And why did it strike me like a knife?

"Now's not the time. Go." Please don't watch what I'm about to do. I turned my back on him fully- the mightiest dismissal I could think of. My blood hummed with war, rallied my wavering heart. I breathed in, refocused.
"I've got this, Bakugo. Now go."

Only when I felt the heat of his explosion, the slap of wind as he ascended, did I allow myself to open my eyes. Immediately, they found those untied, dragging strings.
Tsutomi-sensei, his face-

Each step felt closer to the edge, to the brink of unknown.

If each person had their own timeline, where did I currently stand? Near the middle, the mortal end? Where stood Toshinori?

"You."
The same knobby ankles above those dirty, poorly-tied shoelaces.

I couldn't- I had to know.
To see what I'd feared this entire time.

The hand fell from his face with the slightest tug of submersion. He hissed, jerking back in surprise.
Submersion only outlined the inner architecture of a person's body for me; morphing the veins into a tangible, realistic picture wasn't something I'd ever even tried before. When I'd healed Tomura's skin, I hadn't thought to try and make out the physical appearance of his face.

And now I saw exactly what Katsuki Bakugo had recognized.

Frost crept up my legs, consumed me from the outside in, until I couldn't breathe, couldn't think.

No.

The turn of his nose. The point of his jaw.

No.

The mole, Nana Shimura's mole. The mole on my chin.
A mole identical to the one on Tomura Shigaraki's.

No.

A presence- too quick to see, only feel- moved from behind, in a deadly arc towards Tomura.

What repercussions would I pay? How would they affect my timeline?

The attacker froze, levitating inches from Tomura with a foot raised in a kick that would never land. He was old- too old to be here, fighting this war. A shiver cut down my spine when a deep, terrifying voice suddenly vibrated with laughter.

"What's this? A traitor among your numbers, All Might?"

They were looking at me; all of them. My ribs curled like talons, ripped into the soft flesh of my lungs, my heart.

No.

Of all things, my mind wandered to a lesson from high school over ancient Chinese philosophy, how yin and yang, though contrary forces, were dualistic in maintaining balance. The sun and the moon.
The fire in his eyes and the water of mine.

There is no such thing as love.

I discarded the jet-fueled hero to the side, ignored whoever had started to shout my name.
Tomura made a sound of surprise when I crashed into him, kicked his knees and threw his weight over one shoulder.

No one comes to save people like us.

All Might could only keep All for One at bay for so long; in mere seconds he would be hot on my trail.

"What do you think you're doing?"
Pain nipped where Tomura placed his hands on my back. I focused submersion into those areas, deflecting his desiccating touch.
The connection. The bond I couldn't place before.

Shimura meant hopes- Tomura, mourning.
How could I have been so blind?

Attempting to completely flee would be pointless- I couldn't outrun someone with more quirks than I had brain cells. My mind felt doused in flames anyway; I could hardly form a coherent thought, let alone an effective escape plan.

Tomura landed in a crumpled heap when I dropped him, staggering a few paces back to give myself room to gasp in a few mouthfuls of painful air. This abandoned building wouldn't be abandoned for long.

That day. The USJ incident.
He'd known.
I touched the mole near my mouth- the very one emblazoned on Tomura Shigaraki's own chin.
He'd known, as soon as he saw me.

My legs gave out. The tears I couldn't spare before, when I'd told my closest friend to sacrifice himself, alone, now flowed down my face like sulfuric acid.

"You're-"
"Did the little princess figure it out at last?" He let out a throaty cackle, pulling himself upright. "Imagine my surprise when I saw you, surrounded by all those heroes. Pathetic, weak." He snickered again. "In the end, I guess both our upbringings were a let-down, huh?"
My brain had wired itself shut, unable to process, to piece together what this all meant. He looked at me pitifully.
"You didn't really think dear old Dad would let her go without some sort of compensation, did you?"

Two.
There were two children born that day.

Gran Torino had been so careful in his wording; I never would have known. And Mom- she had been so distraught, tangled in trauma and fear and countless medications- she couldn't- she wouldn't have any idea what was happening.

"To- Tomura," I breathed. He jerked at my tone, slid into himself when I reached out. "Tomura, we have to go- You can't-"
"I can't what? You think this changes anything?" His skin rippled like a cicada's husk as he stood, eyes loathing in my direction.

How had they decided? Did they flip a coin? A girl for the girl, a boy for the boy?

Our timelines, continuing on in tandem, unknown to one another.

He could've been me. I could've been him.

"I don't need you. I have my master."
Was Tomura even his real name?
"You're...You're my brother, Tomura." I nearly choked on the word. My eyes were flooded, my mind in a daze. "I can't- We have to-"

They were coming. All for One's power practically bled out of him, suffocating in its mass. I grabbed Tomura's pale hand, desperate, pleading. He let out a scathing hiss before his grip tightened, threatening to snap my fingers like balsa wood.
And then he went completely still.

Tomura stared at our conjoined hands before those red eyes lifted, looking more lost than ever before.
Because in all his life, no one had ever been able to withstand his decay.

Only submersion, the parallel to his desiccation.

I took his other hand, clenched them between mine.
All for One knew. He'd known from the beginning.
Our connection to Nana Shimura, to All Might and One for All. To all of it.

"I know you don't actually know me. I know- our lives have been so different, and I'm sorry- I'm so sorry, Tomura, but you have to trust me, now. Come with me. Let me protect you-"

"Protect him from whom, exactly, Chiyo Tsutomi? The so-called heroes you've chosen as allies?"

The slam of air dented my body through the cement, back into the open road. Light burst into my vision like a meteor shower. An exhalation of air forced from the blow released a splatter of blood and bile into the rubble surrounding me.
My legs groaned as I stumbled to my knees, reaching out blindly with submersion. Where's Tomura?

"Forcible quirk activation-"
Kurogiri, regardless of consciousness, produced the yawning mouth of a portal. Black pillars pierced the body of a villain I'd taken out earlier. That crazed blonde, too, was suddenly up and mobile once more, glowing as those around her did.

He's using magnetism. He's drawing them away.
Himiko Toga was the attracting magnet. I spun in a frantic circle, searching.
Where, where is he? Again and again, asking, searching, stuck on a singular path, a sole thought. I have to save him. I have to save Tomura Shigaraki.

A wisp of white hair breezed across my face.
Time, itself, stopped.

No.

My nails dug into his skin, drew blood as they clawed into his pale, dry arms. I couldn't hold my ground, flying towards All for One's summoning. Watery vines gripped my legs before needling into the concrete, seconds from defeat. My hair fluttered into the portal, where half of Tomura had already disappeared.

"Let go of me!"

"NO!" Tears showered from my face onto his, cracked skin softening where they landed. His eyes were wild, hands wrapping around my arms either to hold or harm me, but I felt nothing.

Desiccation and submersion.
Two sides of the same coin, the complement of one another.

Tomura Shigaraki, leader of the League of Villains, who had already attempted to take several of the lives most precious to me. All of my training- had it been to save him? This warped, forgotten boy, fed by lies and a deceitful master claiming to act in tenderness?

And then I saw it.

Two blue eyes, buried in the hollowed sockets of a skull.
His body half-beacon, half bones.
My friend, my first friend, who dauntlessly sacrificed himself to save the world, broken and alone.

"Do you believe in me, Chiyo?"

Every moment of my life- every event on the timeline I had thought to be the most painful- none of them compared to this.

Time, the greatest falsifier, laughed at me for ever believing I ever had enough of its sympathy.
Make your choice.

My fingers clenched around Tomura's skinny wrists, trembled like the words ripping from my throat. "I won't give up on you, Tomura!" His eyes widened; not with fear, but surprise, feeling the difference in my hold. A thousand cuts filleted my lungs at what I had to do. At the price these actions would cost me- would cost us. "I will save you!"

But I can't today.

His hold on my forearms, alone, proved too little to keep him grounded in this place.
And with that, Tomura Shigaraki disappeared.

There was no time to formulate a plan; an engorged arm had risen, aimed at his wavering, defiant opponent.
But there was a body, heart like a sparrow's, which immobilized my friend from fleeing; a civilian, caught in the crossfires.
And All Might would never leave a person behind.

"I won't stand by and watch you kill yourself."

I should've told him.
I should've clarified what I meant by that statement, rather than allow him to garner his own conclusion.

Gang Orca, if he were conscious, would indeed be proud of his pupil's conviction now.
I was no more than a flume of darkness as I moved, drew every last ounce of water from my suit, the air, and formed a barrier stronger than graphene around us.
All for One attempted to rid our existence from the world.

My ribs cracked with the impact. Blood snaked in rivets between my teeth.
But after the strike fell I was still standing, and so were the people behind me.

Alive.

"Well, well. Here to save your pitiful All Might, are you?"

Helicopters filled the night sky, burned the air with their cameras and scathing lights, drank in the sight of ravage and destruction surrounding us.
I might have saved Toshinori Yagi, but the world would now know his face, just as I did.

"Chiyo," He breathed.

Pain had been my primary companion for weeks now; only a wince marred my expression as I raised my hands, twisting vines of underground water around All for One.

He'd known- that bastard had used us- all of us- like pawns on a chessboard, made for his enjoyment.

All of this, for one.
One villain, and his one true opponent.
He believed Tomura Shigaraki would be All Might's undoing. A pawn, to take down the king.

We had only seconds before he evaporated my liquid cage. I breathed in through lungs of glass and expelled every word I should have said before.

"Listen, don't take this the wrong way, okay? But I love you. I believe in you- Toshinori Yagi- more than anyone else in this entire galaxy. More than I ever did as a kid looking up to All Might. I'm sorry for being a dick before, and not telling you this sooner. This is your fight- I understand that now. So fight. But you have to win, because I...I can't lose you, too."

Helicopters with greedy, lensed eyes caught our every move, the shadows drawn on All Might's thinned, fragile face, the volcanic eruption of All for One ripping through my watery hold with a ground-quaking roar.

But all I could see was my friend.

And through all of it, I felt myself smile- the same stupid grin he always seemed to have no matter the circumstance, no matter the crowd.
"I'll take care of the others. Don't worry about us." With the last of my real energy I took his hand, clotted every wound submersion could sweep out. Toshinori- All Might- took in my face, my last fierce command.

"Kick his ass."


"A-Are you seeing this, viewers?"

The explosion threw every camera into obscurity.
When the smoke cleared, All Might was no more.

Instead a skeleton stood behind a woman of sharp edges and violent, raging eyes, donned in clothing made of night, moving across her skin as if alive itself. Her arms lowered; the cameras focused in.

"Who is that woman? What happened to All Might? He's...all shriveled up-"

An underground current took the villain by surprise before a dome of thrashing water consumed him with the twist of the woman's arms, her dark hair writhing with the movement, snaking from the confines like a thousand liquid tentacles. The cameras caught the slight movement of her jaw, her severe focus still on the opponent across from her, but was unable to pick up the words over the chaos.

"What's going on? Is she part of a support unit? Who is she?"

And then she turned, in full view of the cameras, towards All Might.
Far from the soft-spoken, nervous woman they had met all those months ago, tripping over her own feet and barely able to carry two textbooks at once.

"Eraser, did you know she was-?"
Principal Nezu's voice barely cut through his senses. Coffee singed his skin upon his abrupt rising, heart jumping into his throat.

Even through the distant cameras, the sharpness of her features cut like broken glass. It was only the chipped-tooth smile, now cracking across her face like dawn, which brought recognition to every student and teacher watching the events from afar.

Chiyo Tsutomi, the Ethics instructor of UA High School, guarding the world's strongest hero without so much as a shiver of fear.

It had been nearly reminiscent of Chiyo's abduction, the way he and All Might had quarreled over whether or not to interrupt her training within the Paradox and inform her of Bakugo's taking. Unlike before, it had been All Might who pushed and fought, desirous of Chiyo's full awareness.
What would he think now, as she stood between him and the world's deadliest villain?

All Might rose with her assistance. A slender hand cupped the bones of his shriveled face.

"Is she- are they-? What an odd development, folks! Our staff is hard at work gathering intel-"

Chiyo walked out of view, towards the rubble doubtlessly containing injured heroes and civilians alike. Trickling coherency allowed Aizawa to breathe once more.

He had to go; he needed to go.

Principal Nezu was already at the door by the time Aizawa loosed his hair.


Body after body.
Gang Orca, Mt. Lady, the civilians- they would all survive.
But even I, with all my clotting abilities, couldn't say what state of life Best Jeanist would have once this was all over.

Others arrived to assist in evacuation and clean-up. I shouted- perhaps too viciously- when they stopped to gape at the battle occurring behind us.
I couldn't turn, look back at what was unfolding.

Because I believed in him.

He will win.

So long as there were people to save, Toshinori wouldn't stop.
All the more reason for us to move as quickly as possible.
Submersion found every heartbeat hidden in the debris until the area was picked as clean as a scavenged carcass. Only then did I allow myself to catch sight of my friend- bony, bleeding, and determined- fighting in what I knew would be his last battle.
Please, please.

And with one final smash, the battle came to a close.

All Might, victorious.

There were still people- too many- in the surrounding area. Entire teams of rescue squads now littered the vicinity, composed of police and heroes alike. I called out as many locations as submersion allowed in my shaky state of energy before allowing myself to finally face him.

He turned, as if sensing my approach. My feet only moved faster.
He was the second person I crashed into today, but certainly the one who filled me with the most relief.

"You did it," I breathed into his golden mane, matted in blood and grit and yet still smelling of sunshine. I couldn't even remember to be anxious over his injuries as I crushed him against myself. "Toshinori, you won."
His entire body went limp in my arms.
"Chiyo, I'm so sorry- Tomura Shigaraki, he's- I had no idea he was- You must feel-"

"I know." Out of all the things to worry about, this was what bothered him most? I bruised him further with my embrace. "We'll figure it out later, okay? God, Toshi. You nearly fucking die, and you're worried about how I feel?"
He tried to pull away. I gave him a few comfortable inches, not trusting his independent stability.

I could've followed Tomura into the portal, or given every last ounce of my power to rip him back out.

But I'd chosen the man who'd offered his hand to me first, who time and time again had put his life on the line, saved the world from the brink of collapse. Gave us a reason to hope- to believe in a better tomorrow.

And when he smiled at me, I couldn't regret my decision for even a second.

A nervous, familiar hand rose to a scarecrow's poorly-maintained hair. I squinted, attempted to hide the rising curve of my grin.

"Chiyo, I...I love you, too." He released a monumental sigh, as if uttering such a thing physically exhausted him. A blush immediately bloomed across his features at my dry expression. "Sorry! Sorry? I don't mean that in, you know, that way, just, as- like you said before- Not in love, just-"

I smothered the idiotic words coming from his delirious mouth, hoping the blood spurting around my fingers was due to his own making rather than internal bleeding.
"Can we get a medic, please? He should be taken to the hospital immediately!" A team- doubtlessly assembled for this very notion- quickly sprang into action, as if waiting for my go-ahead. I released Toshinori from my clutches with a teasing grin. "Maybe get your head checked while you're there, huh? Pretty sure you've always been like this, though."

"Thank you, Chiyo."
It didn't feel like he was referring to my command of medics now gnatting around him. I took up his mantle of bashfulness, suddenly unable to hold his too-earnest eye contact, nerves only worsened by his slow smile.

With the battle over and the area swarmed with trained crises workers, I found myself without purpose. My body ached; at the very least I had sustained a few cracks. Should I have followed Toshi onto an ambulance? But I still needed to find my students- Bakugo and those little fools who should be expelled for pursuing such a treacherous situation.
And Tomura.
At the very least, with All for One in custody, he would be out of that bastard's clutches.
What do I do?

Submersion mustered just enough energy to prod my senses towards an approaching heartbeat- different from the consistent ones milling around.

Another heartbeat I recognized.

With great disappointment I noted his unbound hair, but the very sight of his dark eyes and scraggly face was enough to pull a choked sob from my lips. There hadn't been time to retrieve my phone- not with the urgency of the mission at hand. Everything had happened so fast.

The issue of what to do next disappeared as Shota Aizawa materialized from my dreams and into reality.
Lean-figured, dressed in an increasingly-wrinkled suit. My heart gave a squeeze. I moved to meet him halfway, half sprinting, before a different sort of attack stopped me cold.

"Excuse me, ma'am!"
"Who are you?!"
"What agency are you associated with?!"
"Is it true you're a disciple of All Might?!"
I nearly fell on my ass as a swarm of reporters encircled me like some kind of warped purification ritual. My feet found purchase at the last second before I straightened, trying to look around them for Shota. Where'd he go? Even with the heeled boots that came with my suit, I stood nearly half a foot shorter than these praying mantis reporters, microphones held out at me like bowed legs. A particularly feisty woman nearly clonked me in the head with her offering.

"Please, how do you want the world to know you?!"

The world? I didn't want the world to know me; I wanted my bed, the safety of my friends, and maybe a hot bath. My buzzing brain tried to pull together all of Kugo's lessons about the media. Be civil. Polite. But hold your ground.

"Chiyonex-"
The title barely left my mouth before they all tittered with approval. Apparently, they hadn't actually expected me to answer. Shit, should I've just pushed through them? I still hadn't spotted Shota again. Was he helping in the disaster clean-up?

"Chiyonex! Chiyonex!" They called in a unified cacophony. Do I smile? Toshinori would. Would Kugo? I compromised with subtle friendliness; a few began to furiously scribble down the action.

Now I understand why Shota wears all the layers.

"You're a new hero around here Chiyonex, is that correct?"
"Er, yes." Hero? More like idiot-with-a-license. "And to answer an earlier question, I'm not affiliated with an agency-"
"A novice, then. Tell us, what made you feel comfortable enough to involve yourself in such a dangerous situation with no clear motive?"
"Of course I had a clear motive," That sounded snottish. I tried to save face with a demure grin. "Help save our student. Lend a hand to a friend. Kick ass. You know, the usual."
"Our? Meaning you're an instructor at UA as well?"
"Were there more instructors involved in this operation?"
"Do you feel this compensates for losing a student to begin with?"
"Tell us, what did you say to All Might after you saved him?"

My mind spun with the attacks on all sides. The last question slipped through my calm demeanor, blood steadily rising to my cheeks; I hadn't even thought about media coverage at the time. Did they catch what I'd said? Worse- had they caught my traitorous actions prior, when I stopped a hero from attacking Tomura?

"It was clear from your body language you knew All Might prior to this event- how would you explain your relationship to those listening?"
"All Might is a very close friend of mine-"
"Is that why you risked your life for him?"
"What do you make of his new transformation?"
"Are you attempting to fill his place as the next top hero?"

What kind of question is that? Did they think I was trying to steal his thunder? Anger seared the edges of my lungs. I took a breath; an overly-emotional reaction was the last thing to display within a pool filled with carnivores.

"I have no interest in such matters. There is- and always will be- only one All Might. If anything, he's only proved his valor and uniqueness in this fight. There is no one in this world that matches him."

"What do make of-"
"Sorry, but that's all the time Chiyonex has for questions."
A heavy hand fell on my shoulder before an intimidating shadow cut off my view of the press-vultures. I tilted my head right before Gang Orca's dorsal fin took out an eye.
"But-"
His harrowing stare was enough to shut up the last badgering reporter. Luckily, Kugo blocked my peevish smirk from their sight.

"Thanks," His white suit had been sullied, rumpled along the seams, but I didn't see any signs of blood. "Are you okay?"
"I was knocked unconscious rather quickly, but I'm fine now."
"And the others?"
His severe face grew a fraction more somber. "We...don't know about Best Jeanist. He was taken by chopper to an emergency hospital."

Which reminded me of the slowly-growing pain in my chest. Kugo gently took hold of the hand I'd raised to rub my bruised ribs.
"Listen, Chiyo. The police would like a debriefing, starting with you. With the news coverage and unplanned turn of events, it is important to fully assess the situation before others misconstrue the occurrences."

Had someone seen my defensive attack against that old man? Toshinori had, surely, but I was hoping knowing Tomura and I's connection would've cleared the air for us. I deflated like a balloon. "Okay."

"Tsukauchi will assist you to the police station, if you require a ride."
Shota still hadn't resurfaced, and I was too tired to use my quirk to find him. "Great, thanks."

Where had he disappeared to? Maybe he didn't recognize me?

"Hey, Kugo?"
"Yes?"
"Am I, um," Miss Articulate, like always. I looked to my blue veins, hoping he didn't find me any more stranger than I found myself.
"Am I that different, from when you first met me?"

He considered me for a moment, truly digesting the thought.

"...Before, if I had asked you to jump into a fire to save a life, you would have stopped to consider alternatives." The red of his eyes lowered, as if to emphasize his oncoming point; "Now, I believe you would go in headfirst."
My face gave away too much; he chuckled, adding, "Perhaps, now, your outward appearance simply matches the inside."

I didn't respond- there was no time to as a pleasant-faced Tsukauchi approached.

"Chiyonex! Need a lift?"
"Yes, please. Only-" I pushed the water from my chest's veins. Purple-black skin peeked out between the dark fabric. "-could we maybe swing by the hospital? I think I might've injured myself-"

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Kugo roared so loudly I wasn't sure if he was speaking or releasing a hypersonic wave against my damaged skull. "Did you learn nothing from my teachings?"

I scampered away, Tsukauchi's arm raised in a defensive halo above my head as he hurried along with me, before a infuriated killer whale decided I was no longer worth the trouble and gobbled me up like all his other tentacle snacks.


Apparently, the police weren't afraid of my dual-allegiances because of "attacking" another hero; they were afraid I had done so in vengeance.

Because the person who leapt at Tomura was none other than Gran Torino, the pseudo-guardian of Kotaro Shimura and keyholder of my mom's twisted past.
If I had known that, I might've done more than dropped him like the dainty little old man I'd thought he was.

The police needed a recorded copy of my answers; instead of being interviewed at the hospital, Tsukauchi had waited for Recovery Girl to hurry out and give me a smooch big enough to make even the pleasant-faced detective wince before driving me on to the station.

I was bone-tired, picked clean by their questions, with no cell phone or car to help me get home. What time was it? The mission began at seven- how many hours had passed since then? And where was Aizawa?
Tsukauchi asked if there was someone I'd like him to call. Memorizing phone numbers had died with land lines; I had no idea what digits would bring forth Shota, Toshinori, anyone.

"So, how do you feel after your first hero appearance?" Tsukauchi asked as we glided from the station's parking lot. I made a show of clicking my seat belt into place- he was with the police, after all.
"Tired."
He laughed. "Yeah, and I'm sure Recovery Girl's treatment didn't help."
"That I'm used to," I gave my forehead a weary rub with the palm of my hand. "Even the danger is becoming the norm, working at UA. But I wasn't prepared for all the questions."
"The double-edged sword of the media," Tsukauchi was practically a veteran when it came to the press, I bet. How many questions did he field every time he left work?
"Do they ever let up?"
"Oh, sure. They follow the stories; once something else comes up, everything before is old news."

Good, I thought. If the camera crews only caught the ending dregs of the showdown, I would barely make the second page. I hoped they would be kind to Toshinori, though.
How would the world react to their hero's new form?

"Has All Might messaged you at all?"
"I checked in with the doctors while Recovery Girl was assessing your wounds. He'll be fine." Tsukauchi paused. "Well, as fine as can be expected."

I slumped back into the leather seat, feeling a new weight of exhaustion. Tsukauchi said nothing as he pulled onto the street of Paradox. He stopped right in front, ignoring the no parking signs.
I guess when you're affiliated with the police, you can do that sort of thing.

"Thanks for driving me,"
He shrugged. "Thank you for being there for All Might."

His car disappeared back into the sporadic traffic. I wondered where people were traveling this late. Or early, I guess, depending on how you viewed three AM.

Pollen dusted the hood and someone had stuck a flier for a new weight-loss program under a wiper, but my car purred back to life as easily as usual. One week in the real world hadn't been enough to do real damage to ole reliable.

My phone winked back to life halfway down the street, glowing with notifications. I illegally skimmed, brushing through the junk mail and Nezu's chipper reports and reminders, keeping an eye out for those needing a response. There were a handful of missed calls, most of which from earlier today. Clearly I'd forgotten to tell Kayama where I'd be- she alone composed eighty percent of the twenty phone calls. Toshinori had left a few voicemails and a handful of text messages.

Shota had texted me the most, but called only once; today, around four PM.

But he saw me later. Why didn't he call again?
Maybe he could tell my skin-tight suit didn't have pockets and therefore knew I didn't have my phone on me. But to just leave like he had-
Probably helping with the disaster, Chiyo. Quit being selfish.

The apartment was dark. Two shadows slipped across the floor to curl around my legs. I shushed Nasu before the whining began, feeling the real weight of my fatigue when I bent over to pet the eager felines and consequently collapsing onto the hardwood. I had more energy in the Paradox, but mostly due to the enhanced foods and energy boosters. Back to the real world.
But I would trade all the extra energy if it meant a real bed and showers lasting more than five frigid minutes. Nasu sneezed in my face, as if attesting to the urgency of said shower.

Shota must've been home before tonight; my claimed dresser was missing from the second bedroom. I trudged into the bathroom without a change of clothing, hopeful to find a laundry basket item not at least covered in sweat and blood. No such luck, but there was a clean towel still under the sink.

I nearly moaned at the feeling of hot water again. Recovery Girl's treatment closed up the cuts and bruises from being thrown like a ragdoll so pain didn't addle my washing. I still took my sweet time anyway, reveling in the first semblance of pleasure I'd had in weeks.
Eventually, I stepped out of the shower.

Two grey eyes watched from the doorway. My heart stopped.
"No scream? You didn't even burst the plumping," He said, disappointed.

The slow crinkle, his strained smile. I tried not to swoon but someone had pricked my heart, let all its syrupy contents melt across my ribs. Today was now yesterday; thirty-one days, then, since I'd last been this close to Shota Aizawa and his unkempt, attractive face.

"Hi," Came my eloquent answer. His smile grew a shy fraction.
"Hello."

How much time passed with us just standing here, gazing at one another like lovestruck fools? I finally busied myself with drying my hair out, wringing the rope free with submersion. My heart felt near ready to give out.
What was I going to ask him, again? "I saw you, earlier."

"I went as soon as I saw you on the news." He glanced around the bathroom- for what, I wasn't sure.
"Why did you leave before speaking to me, then?"
"You were swarmed by the press just as I neared," He was looking for my clothes. Noticing my lack thereof, he promptly took off his t-shirt, offered it over. "I'd already dealt with them once today."

So instead of trying to help me, you bailed?
Who cares?
We were here; we were both here, together. Alive and well and safe.

"I...can see why you dislike them so much. I felt like I was being cross-examined or something,"
"You're new. It's going to be worse for you, for the next couple of weeks- especially after tonight."

All the more reason I could've used you beside me for support.

Still, it was hard being mad at someone who'd literally just given me the shirt off their back. The sight of his pale, toned chest, detailed with proof of his heroic experiences, was nearly more of a gift than the clothing. I tugged the shirt over my head, unraveling the towel once the hem fell.

"Where were you? Did you just get home, too?"
"UA, then the hospital to check on Bakugo-"
"Is he okay?" I'd nearly, stupidly, forgotten about my students. "What about the others?"
"Fine, all fine. We'll deal with them later." His eyes roamed across my body, spreading heat wherever they landed. "I nearly didn't recognize you, at first."
"Yeah?"

Tired as I was, every nerve went to attention when he drew closer, took one of my hands in his own. He paused well before the USJ scar, his normal destination, an eyebrow raised at my wrist.

"I punched a killer whale in the face," I said by way of explaining the new silvered scar. "In case you're curious, an orca's teeth can be up to four inches long."
"You don't have...other bite marks, do you?"
"If I say no, are you going to give me some yourself?"

A muted blush tickled his neck. I couldn't suppress a grin, stepping onto the lip of the tub to better reach his disgruntled face. He made a very Aizawa-ish sound when I caught his jaw, pulled his face to mine in an awakening, quietly aching hunger. Then he seemed too caught up in running his hands through my hair, finding his favorite curve in my neck, to say much else. Whatever fear I harbored over muscle-weight gain dispersed when he pulled one of my thighs over his waist, pressed closer before lifting me with ease. I wrapped myself around him like a sloth, boneless from exhaustion, the bathroom fading behind us.

"I missed you," He softly admitted into my hair, legs already tangling under the sheets, one hand under my waist as the other roamed the steps of my spine, counted them one by one. My body relaxed at the touch.

"It was only a week for you. Imagine how I must feel," I mumbled back. Bristles itched my temple with his smile. "I expect a thorough report tomorrow. Or today- whatever. If there's so much as a single cat hair on your clothes-"

"Why would I be interested in anyone else, knowing I'd already found the perfect nap companion?"

I couldn't even produce a witty comeback, asleep before his words registered through my overworked brain.


Author's Note: Ahck, I couldn't wait! All the helicopter reporting comments were taken directly from the manga/anime; I tried to keep the actions and dialogue as close to the original as possible.
There's a lot to unpack here! So many ticking time bombs are hidden between the lines. I was terrified- terrified- of incorporating the idea of Chiyo and Tomura being so closely related; I hope it didn't come off as cheesy. I have no idea how old Tomura is supposed to be, but for the sake of Submersion, I'm going to believe he's in his twenties. Doing anything too non-canon wigs me out, but I promise this won't deviate much from the original. I do hope it starts your brain a'ticking though, trying to connect all the little hints and potentials interlaced through the previous chapters. Remember way back when, at the USJ, when he touched the mole on her chin? Yikes.
Thank you to all the favorites, follows, and reviews. I hope you enjoyed this chapter (and weren't too confused; I know action writing hasn't been my strongest suit in the past)!