Music Selection: I May Fall(Acoustic) from the RWBY soundtrack. All songs can be found on the Short Temper playlist on spotify.

I yawn as I stretch my arms over my head again, shaking my head as I walk outside onto the porch. The Smash Bros tournament inside is in its final stages and I wasn't needed anymore. Besides, the longer I spend in there, the more I want to push my luck with Katsuki. That's the opposite of what I want to do right now. The last thing I need is for him to hate me more.

But it's nice being able to spend time with everyone again. I missed being able to just relax and hang out with someone without worrying about saying the wrong thing and ending up dead for it. It feels like so long ago that I was able to breathe without there being a weight on my chest. It's almost liberating.

The school grounds are peaceful too. The sun is setting and there's a bit of a chill in the air, but it's quiet. It's tense from everything going on, but at the same time, we're safe in here right? With all of our teachers and safety precautions, we're safe. We have to be.

"Salinsa?"

I jerk out of my thoughts as I see Izuku looking over his shoulder from the bench he's sitting on just below the porch. There's dark circles under his eyes and his shoulders are slumped. He tries to smile but it looks like it hurts him.

I know what this look is all too well.

"Hey, Izu," I greet, walking over to the porch's railing and leaning over it. "Why aren't you inside?"

"I…didn't want to get involved in the game today," he replies, shrugging as he leans back in his seat. He squeezes the gripper in his hand over and over again, staring down at it. It actually hurts to see him this way. What happened to his smile? What happened to that boy I met in front of UA last year?

Oh yeah. Trauma. Same thing that's happened to all of us. But like Dabi was targeting specifically his brother, father, Katsuki and me, Shigaraki was targeting him. From what I've been told by Shoto, Katsuki was stabbed trying to protect him. Like how Keigo was almost killed trying to protect me.

"I mean, I didn't either," I offer as I stand up off the railing and walk down the stairs. Plopping next to him, I lean back and look at the tops of the trees. Hues of orange, purple, pink, and red dim the tops of them, casting long shadows across the ground. "We could've sat there and watched silently. Ochaco got really into it until she lost to Iida."

"Yeah?" he chuckles, his voice empty as he keeps squeezing the gripper. "I bet that was fun."

"Kinda scary honestly. I forgot how intense she gets," I laugh, nudging him gently. "Izu. What's up?"

"Mm.." He stops squeezing the gripper, setting it on his thigh as he wrings his hands out. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What would you do if you knew you were the reason that everyone you care about is going to be hurt or killed?"

That's a loaded question if I ever heard one.

"Well…it depends, I guess," I say carefully, pulling my heel up onto the edge of the bench and hugging my knee against my chest. "But since you said hurt or killed…I think I'd probably distance myself from everyone. Not in the way I did when I left, but in a way that makes them understand why you're doing what you're doing." I tap my fingers against my leg as I hear his gripper start squeaking as he squeezes it. "Are you thinking of leaving, Izu?"

"Are you going to stop me if I am?"

"I dunno. I mean, would all of you have tried to stop me when I did?"

"Yes," he replies with no hesitation. It almost makes me laugh at how sincere his voice is. "But you also did it because you thought it was what was best right?"

"That's one of the reasons. I also wanted to kill Dabi and Mr. Compress with my own hands. We see how well that turned out," I scoff, looking at him again as he smiles a bit. "But I ended up hurting some of the people I care about the most by leaving."

"Is that your way of trying to convince me to stay?"

"Look, if your mind's made up, then I can't convince you to stay because you'll just find another way to slip away when we aren't looking. Or you'll go a drastic route like I did and I doubt our friends can handle another made up tragedy."

He's quiet now and I can see the gears working in his head. His hand is still squeezing and releasing his gripper, his other hand covering his mouth and chin as his eyes narrow. Around him, purple, red, and blue pulse in intervals like a heartbeat. He cycles through anger, pain, sadness, regret, and resolve as those gears crank and turn.

Sighing, I let my foot slip off the edge of the bench and stand up, rolling my shoulders back. After a beat, I turn to him and hold my hand out. He looks up at me, letting his hand fall away from his face.

"If you leave, just promise that you'll come back home alive," I tell him. His face flushes a bit. "I know we've kinda lost touch, but you're the first friend I ever made here. If you hadn't talked to me that day at the gate, I would've ran home with my tail between my legs. If you hadn't seen me that day, I would've never met Denki, or Eijirou, or Katsuki. I never would be where I am today. I have you to thank for that, Izu. So please, come home alive. And soon."

"I'll do my best, Salinsa," he says, shaking my hand before standing up. "If it means anything, I'm glad you're back. You didn't hear it from me but Kacchan's been...not Kacchan."

"Well, I mean, I don't want to sound self centered, but that probably has something to do with the fake suicide?"

"Maybe. Just keep an eye on him? He's icing everyone out right now, but you'll know when he's ready to open back up."

"Of course. You can trust me, Izu."

"I never doubted that, Sa-Leinei," he corrects himself, using my first name. "I'm glad you're back. Try to stay that way?"

"Don't worry about me, Izuku. Just keep yourself safe."

I doubt he'll actually leave.