"Did you follow us all the way here?" Hawks asked in disbelief.
"Err…not exactly. I mean, we couldn't see you." Amajiki was unable to make eye contact.
"We had a map!" Nejire declared, holding up the object in question. "Don't worry, we were totally approved to be here. Though, I guess we'll leave if you don't want us around. Is there a plan already and you can't fit us into it? If you can, what's the plan? We want to help!"
Izuku grinned despite himself. She seems happier than before. That dazzling light had come back into her eyes.
All around the hospital lobby, the civilians were murmuring, taking stock of the new arrivals.
"They're teenagers…"
"UA students?"
"We're UA graduates!" Nejire announced, overhearing some of their comments. "Fresh! We were part of the Big Three." She gave them a thumbs-up. "I'm Nejire-chan, and this is Suneater. How are you guys feeling?"
Izuku raised his eyebrows and looked back at all the people in the room. The crowd had a strange, awkwardly silent reaction to her question. Some of them seemed downright shocked. A few people shifted on their feet, looked down at the floor, or crossed their arms uncomfortably.
"I'm…doing okay, I guess," said a younger girl, probably in middle school.
Nejire jumped on that like a cheetah on prey. "Okay is better than not okay! What's got you feeling okay today, girl? Was there something today that made you happy?"
More murmurs from the crowd. The middle schooler straightened her back a little and announced, "Well, they brought in a brand of crackers that I like with the supplies. They were a little stale, though."
"Mmhmm, mmhmm. You must have missed the crackers, huh? Is there anything else you miss?"
"Err…new uploads from my favorite youtuber, I guess?"
"Aww, dang. What did they do?"
"She was a beauty channel…I really liked the way she braided hair. I was going to ask my mom to do it, but…"
"OH! RanaLockes?" Nejire bounced. "I love her! My hair used to be longer and I took her style suggestions all the time! You know what, if I have some time later in my schedule we can do each other's hair if you want!"
The girl brightened. "Uhh…sure. Maybe. That sounds good. Do…do you really think you'll have room in your schedule?"
Nejire looked at Hawks and Izuku. "Like I said, we're here to help!"
Izuku had watched in awe as the mood in the room slowly grew more positive over the course of that conversation.
"Big Three?"
"It's like, the best of the best from their graduating class."
"They seem to know better than the old-timers, anyway…"
"I think I remember seeing them at the sports festival. Hey, you!" A man called to Amajiki. "Suneater, was it?"
"Err…yeah, that's me."
"What did you place at the sports festival this past year?"
"Umm…not great. Mirio…I mean, Lemillion, a former classmate of mine, he took me out pretty quickly."
"Oh, yeah!" Someone else laughed. "That was the guy with the pants falling trick!"
Some other people chuckled. "I remember that!"
Tamaki snickered a little. "He's a player of mind games, that one."
All of a sudden, it was like a positivity flower had bloomed in the room and was spreading its vibes everywhere. A few people walked up to Nejire and Tamaki and began to interact with them. Nejire was a bright flurry of force, answering and asking questions with total ease. Tamaki less so, but it seemed that people were impressed with them anyway.
Hawks, Izuku, and Rei had been in the center of the room, questioning the two newcomers, but they moved to the side now, just watching the scene unfold. Endeavor had been near the back, and he joined them now.
"This is good," he grunted.
"It's better than good," Hawks laughed.
Endeavor looked at his wife, then at Izuku. "Can you vouch for them?" he asked.
"Me, sir? Yes, I'd say so. You'll remember Hado from the battle." Izuku nodded at Nejire. "And Suneater is just as strong as her."
"Good. Good." The flame hero sighed. "Sometimes I do wish I could do it all. The way All Might could have…"
"You're getting better," Rei told him. "But this crowd…what I think they needed is some youth."
"At least, some youth that aren't as jaded as me or Deku," Hawks quipped, making a show of stretching. "I have a notion, actually. Talk to you guys later." He walked off.
Izuku frowned. I should have been capable of making these people feel better like this. He wanted to fully feel grateful that two of the Big Three had shown up, but…
They're not your classmates. They're pros in their own right, said Nana.
But surely-! Izuku cut himself off. He couldn't articulate why this was bothering him without sounding like a resentful prick, so he just didn't bother.
Rei nodded at Nejire. "Did Dabi burn her face?" she asked quietly.
"Yes," said Endeavor. He frowned. "I hope that's not why she came."
Izuku hadn't even thought of that. Oh, no. He looked at Nejire with renewed alarm. The crowd was just beginning to dissipate, and she was waving goodbye to some of them.
Tamaki, meanwhile, was walking off with a couple of people. "You said the problem was a camp stove?" he was saying.
"Yeah-"
"I can help with that," Endeavor cut in, stepping over. "If you need any heat."
The civilians looked slightly intimidated, but then Tamaki said, "Sure, Endeavor, that'd be great," and they seemed to go along with it.
And they all scattered, leaving Izuku alone with Rei…wait, no, Rei was going over to talk with Nejire.
! Uh oh. Izuku awkwardly hurried after her, not wanting this to go badly.
Nejire nodded to Rei in greeting. "I saw you before. You must be Shoto Todoroki's mom."
Rei nodded. "That would be me."
The blue-haired heroine looked back and forth between her and Izuku, as if wondering why Izuku was standing there. Her mouth twitched. Does she have a question she wants to ask?
"Where'd Endeavor go?" Nejire finally said.
"To help some people out. Hawks also ran off. I guess we can talk strategy when we all regroup," Izuku chuckled, a bit nervously.
"Have…" Nejire lowered her voice a bit, as there were still some people nearby. "Have the people in this hospital seen the message?"
Izuku shook his head. "I don't think so. They'd be a lot more hostile to us right now." He turned to Rei, their faces a bit closer than he intended. "Hado here was the one who helped us take a measure of Dabi's motives."
Rei put one hand up against her chest, looking up at him with concern. "So you really think he intended to…turn civilians against heroes here?"
"If that's the case, then it's something I intend to help with, ma'am," said Nejire.
She did help. And she is clearly capable of exercising more discretion than she lets on. She knows that Rei is the kind of person who'd be overwhelmed with a question onslaught, and she knew not to breach the true topic of why she showed up to the civilians, since they haven't seen the video.
Izuku decided to swallow his conflicted feelings for now. "I'm really glad you're here, Hado. You've helped a ton already."
Nejire beamed. "Thank you, Midoriya-kun."
He was surprised at how much his words had apparently meant to her. Even if I'm not sure I mean them. That smile…that smile was worth seeing, at least.
Rei seemed to agree. "Oh, aren't you just a bright and cheery young lady," she chuckled. "I, umm…well." The older woman stared at Nejire's face. She cleared her throat, and then…she bowed. "I apologize for my son Touya's actions."
Nejire gasped, her already-big eyes getting even bigger. "Oh, no. No, no, no, ma'am, that's okay." She leaned forward and helped Rei stand back up straight. "I, umm…" She laughed nervously, and looked to Izuku with mute appeal. Help me? her expression said.
Izuku stepped forward and helped Nejire lift Rei up. "Err, Rei? I don't mean to speak for Hado here, but…I really don't think you have anything to apologize for. Both her and I fought Dabi and we understand that his actions are totally his own. He's a grown man with his own agency."
Rei looked up at him, her eyes shimmering a little. Nejire had stepped back, leaving Izuku to be the only one physically close to the white-haired woman. Once again, a bit closer than he'd intended.
"I…yes. I know. It's just…as a mother…I still feel like my performance left a lot to be desired."
Izuku then realized that what Rei was really thinking about was how she'd scarred Shoto. Of course. Nejire's scars are basically the exact same. Of course it would remind her of that. Daringly, he put a hand on the woman's shoulder and stared into her eyes. "Anything you regret, you've already made up for, Rei. And you've already been forgiven, too. See?" He nodded to Nejire. "Hado forgives you."
"That's right! Even if I don't think you've done anything wrong, I still forgive you!" Nejire put her thumbs up.
Rei managed a weak laugh. "Thank you, dear." Her eyes flickered back toward Izuku, and she did not seem to shy away from his hand.
Nejire clicked her teeth, bouncing her leg a bit antsily. "Well, I'm gonna go find Suneater and Endeavor. So we can like, actually talk about what we're gonna do. Deku, you coming with?"
"Uhh, yes. Definitely. I mean, umm…" He blushed. He'd made it sound like he was a bit too eager to go with her. "In a second."
Nejire whistled and tilted a teasing expression his way. "Alrrrrrighty then." And she hopped off.
When Izuku looked back at Rei, she was now grinning.
"What? What is it?"
"So you're like that with every girl, then?"
"Ah, huh?" Steam practically shot out of his ears. "Like what?"
She giggled. "I'm only joking. Sorry. I'll, ermm…" She put her hand up to her chest again, closed in a weak fist against her collarbone. "I think I'm going to go put my hat on and rest in the projection room for a bit. If you'd…like to…join me. After your meeting, if you can. I mean, you may. You may join me. If you'd like."
Then Rei hurried off, leaving Izuku baffled.
It took him a full minute of mental reset before he was able to follow Nejire to find the other heroes.
I have something I'd like to say, said Banjo.
Denied, Izuku told him.
…
"So, that's our strategy then," said Endeavor, clapping his hands. "We can expect whatever may come to come the day after tomorrow. With that in mind, I advise everyone takes the rest of the day to keep focus and stay level-minded."
Nejire looked awkwardly around at Deku, then Hawks, then Suneater. They're all seeming to accept this. It's very unlike Endeavor, but sure! "Erm, one more thing?" She raised her hand. "Don't you think we should tell the civilians what we're planning? That there is an attack coming?"
"Well…yes." Endeavor cleared his throat. "To tell the truth, I'm not sure how the three of us were planning to do it before you arrived."
"Maybe it should be you, Nejire-chan," Hawks put in. "Didn't you make plans with a bunch of them later?"
"Yeah, but…" Nejire swallowed. "That's a lot of pressure…"
"I'll be present to help you," Endeavor decided. "We can make an announcement tonight, and I'll cover any bases regarding Dabi that you wouldn't be able to. This is my responsibility."
That made her feel better. "Okay. I'll make sure they…I mean. I'll try to make them understand. And keep them from getting…mad." That is what I can do. I can do that. She was feeling anxious, but excited, too. Excited about all of this. Look who I'm working with! Look at this! We're gonna fight and we're gonna win and we're gonna take care of these people! She beamed at Amajiki. This is why we came.
"So are we dismissed, then?" Midoriya asked a bit bluntly.
"Yes. Dismissed." Endeavor clapped again, and the five of them left the private room.
…
Heart pounding, Izuku walked directly to the projection room.
Take the rest of the day to stay level-minded, Endeavor had advised. He laughed dryly. If Endeavor knew what he was impulsively doing right now…or at least, the reason he was doing what he was doing right now, Izuku would probably be…on fire. Yep. On fire currently, and burnt to a crisp a few seconds later.
I'm crazy! Am I crazy?
Yes, said Yoichi helpfully.
Izuku was sure he was letting his brain run too rampant. But that didn't stop him from feeling all fluttery when he walked through that door, his feet trampling the imaginary grass waving in the breeze.
As she'd promised, Rei was wearing the hat. She seemed fairly relaxed, sitting on the bench with her cane leaning against the side.
The only drawback? There were other people in the room. A young couple with a small child were playing in one corner, and two older men were in a different corner, using one of those unfoldable chess sets.
Izuku shrugged it off. That's what this room is for. It was foolish to wish for alone time with Rei, anyway, since what his brain wanted was literally never going to happen in a million years.
Besides, the spot next to her on the bench was empty, so he occupied it.
"There you are." Rei's face brightened a dangerous amount. She was currently peeling an orange, and offered it over to him. "Would you like a slice?"
"Ah, I'm good, thank-" His stomach growled.
Izuku blushed, and she giggled. Well, at least her laugh is lovely to hear. He sheepishly took a slice from her and began to eat.
They both chewed in silence for a moment, half-listening to the old-timer's chess-related conversation and the couple doing their best to play some imaginary type game with their kid in the other corner.
"It's nice, isn't it?" Rei commented. "Almost like a real park outside."
Izuku nodded. "I'm glad that they have this, at least." And they all seem happier than before. Maybe that's Nejire's doing. "I hope I can work to let them go back to a real park someday."
Rei's smile was sad. "I'm sure they will." Her gaze lingered on the young couple. "He can't be older than three," she murmured. "His Quirk will come soon."
Izuku didn't really know what to say. She's at such a different stage of life from me. "It must not be easy to raise a child in these times." He spoke in a low voice so the strangers in the room wouldn't hear him.
"I thought about asking if I could hold him, earlier," Rei mumbled, "but that may even be beyond me, haha." She made a show of lifting up her arms and doing a flex pose. "These guns aren't exactly what they used to be."
Izuku snorted. It was not what he'd expected her to say or do at all. But her happy face of victory at having made him laugh was so, so worth it.
He finished laughing, and then said, "My mom used to ask people if she could hold their babies. Even at like, the grocery store. It would embarrass me so bad. It was like she had baby fever or something! And what's worse, a lot of times the other moms were happy to let her do it! I didn't get it at all, haha."
"It's a mother thing. You wouldn't understand." Rei grinned impishly, and then leaned forward and patted his cheek gently. "Your mom probably just missed holding you."
Izuku's heart skipped a beat. Ahhhh.
Kid, Freud would have had a field day with you, I fear, said the THIRD USER of all people.
Rei was staring at the couple again. Izuku figured she was still thinking about the kid, but then she looked back at him, and seemed to stare at him for a long moment. I wish I knew what was going through her head. He had no idea how a woman in her forties thought. Probably extremely maturely. Izuku was positive that a bunch of the hints and weird vibes he'd been picking up were literally all from his side, and that they hadn't occurred to her at all.
Rei finished chewing another orange slice, swallowed, and said, "Do you miss your mom, Midoriya-kun?"
"Ah…yeah." It was the truth. "Yeah, I do."
"Is there anything you'd want to tell her? I was just thinking…well. I wasn't really…much good. As a mom. But I thought…" She shifted back and forth nervously and cutely. "If there was anything you really wanted to say…you could say it to me, instead. If you wanted."
Izuku gulped. Does she see me as…? He wasn't sure if this was a relief or a horror for his complicated emotions right now.
Like I said, kid. Freud. Field day.
Shut. Up.
"Well," he finally said. "I'd have to think about it for a moment."
"Of course. Take your time."
There was…a lot. A whole lot, he supposed. But he wasn't sure if he could spill it all onto Rei like that, even though she was asking. I don't want to just be someone who vents to her. Maybe that was stupid, but…
"I guess…" Izuku twiddled his thumbs and looked at his lap. "I would tell her that I'm trying my best out here, and that I haven't forgotten about her…and that while it does get lonely out here sometimes, I have found ways to counter that, so she shouldn't worry." He looked up into Rei's eyes. "And I'd tell her that I love her."
Rei's mouth was slightly open, watching him with a totally still face. Then, slowly, the slightest dusting of red crawled across her cheeks.
Izuku, ever the one to be slightly behind, felt heat flood his face a second later. Oh my God, I just said and did the most embarrassing thing ever! What is wrong with me? That had basically been a proxy confession, hadn't it? A super messed up one, sure, but…
Rei managed a weak, breathy laugh. "That's very nice to hear, Midoriya-kun." She blinked her pretty eyes and averted them from his, taking another bite of orange. "I'm sure she'd be even happier to hear it than I am."
Okay, okay, calm down. She didn't even see it that way. Of course she didn't. I'm being stupid. Stop being stupid.
He tried the first thing that came to his head to take the heat off of himself. "Is there…is there anything…you'd want to say to anyone who's not here? If they were here right now?"
Rei raised her eyebrows, as if she had honestly not expected the question at all. "I, umm…hmm." She was finished with the orange, so she set the peel down on the arm of the bench. "My own parents…my relationship with them was…complex. But I did have a friend in high school…she was very bubbly and energetic, not unlike that young lady that showed up today. And I, of course, was very distant and cool and…well. She was like the yin to my yang." Rei smiled fondly, visibly remembering. "One time she got locked in a service station bathroom. One of those ones that has the bathroom outside and locked unless you ask for it? You might be too young to know about those, now, I haven't seen one in years…"
"She got locked inside it?"
"Yes, haha! The clerk gave her the key and then she dropped it into the toilet. It was a two-way door for extra security. Villains were, well…common, at the time, and it wasn't the nicest area of town. In all honesty, I wasn't supposed to be hanging out with her." Rei grinned. "I froze the hinge and punched it to pieces to get her out."
"Haha, wow!"
"If I could speak to her now, I'd tell her that she better stay out of trouble! And that I've missed her, and…well. If she had any more of that spontaneity in her, could she lend me some? I feel like it might be what I need right now…" Her voice grew almost longing, and she stared at Izuku.
Wow. She must really miss her friend. "Is she…um…alive?"
A sardonic smile slipped onto her face. "I'm not that old, Midoriya-kun."
"H-huh? N-no, I didn't mean to-"
"Haha, no, she's alive. At least, she was when the war started. I just…didn't have a chance to talk to her. You know, with all that I…" Rei swallowed. "If she's out there, I hope she's doing okay."
It had worked well enough before, so Izuku put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "If she is, then I'll make it so you can see her. When this is over. If it's in my power."
Rei did something that made his heart skip. She reached up and covered his hand with her own. Cold. But not in a bad way at all.
"You're too kind," she muttered, unable to meet his eye.
They sat in silence for a bit after that, though not for too long. Their conversation started up again, and after a while, Izuku blissfully forgot a lot of what he'd been worrying about.
…
Nejire had had a nice morning and afternoon.
She'd talked to several families. She and Tamaki had joined some boys in a game that involved running up and down the hospital corridor with a ball. She'd visited an injured old woman and shown her her Quirk, which seemed to lift her spirits. She'd flown up onto the roof of the hospital and fixed some faulty machinery, with personnel shouting instructions at her. And she'd braided hair and even gossiped a bit with that middle school girl.
Now I know all the tea about Kuragano Middle, wherever that is.
A small skip in her step and a whistle on her lips, Nejire bounded through the corridor, and then she saw Tamaki up ahead. He was peering into a room.
"Whatcha doin'?" she asked.
Tamaki looked into the room for a second longer, then shrugged and moved on. "Nothing, I guess," he said.
Nejire followed him, walking past the open door as she went and peering inside, leaning back with her head on a swivel. It was one of those sensory rooms that most hospitals had. I'm surprised this one is even operational.
Then she saw Midoriya and Endeavor's wife sitting on the bench together.
Nejire's eyebrows shot up. She couldn't hear what they were saying from here, since it was a big room and there were other people in it talking, but it seemed like Midoriya had just said something funny, because he was grinning sheepishly and Mrs. Todoroki was laughing. They were fully turned toward one another, too, and quite close.
She quickly zipped past before anyone could spot her and caught up to Tamaki. "So you were curious about that too, huh?"
"Curious about what?"
"Oh, I guess you weren't there. Earlier in the lobby, I got introduced to that woman. She's…she's Dabi's mother."
Tamaki gasped. "...Oh."
"...Yeah." Nejire pursed her lips. "Earlier, I saw…well. I heard Midoriya call her by her first name. He called her Rei."
Tamaki raised an eyebrow. "Hado?"
"What?"
"Are you okay?"
"I mean, yeah. Wait, when did this become about me?"
"Well, usually when something like this happens, you'd get all curious and interested and excited. Or maybe…angry, I guess? I dunno. You'd react more. You know you don't have to suppress your feelings around me, right? We're not with Gang Orca anymore."
"I know that! I'm not…suppressing anything."
"Well…" Tamaki frowned with concern. "The only other reason you'd ever do this is because you're not sure how you feel. So that's why I'm asking if you're okay."
She took a deep breath. Banished the visual of those two on the bench from her mind. Put a smile on her face. "I'm okay. See? Just tired from all the things we've done today, and a bit nervous about making this announcement."
That seemed to distract him quickly enough. "Oh right, the announcement. Yeah, I can see why that would make you nervous…"
…
Izuku lingered near the back of the room as they finished up in the lobby.
"...gonna do our very best. I mean that from the bottom of my heart," Nejire promised the civilians. "Okay, are there any other questions?"
They seemed to have exhausted their supply. It had been a long and tiring event, with high tensions and a bit of escalated shouting, but Nejire and Endeavor (with a few interjections from Hawks) had finally calmed everyone down and gotten them to go along with this.
The refugees dispersed. Most looked worried. Others looked suspiciously toward Endeavor. But no one was arguing, at least. That's good.
Nejire had not told them the full extent of Dabi's message, though. Specifically the part about him asking for recruits.
Izuku sighed. If only All Might were here at full strength. He could have made them feel totally at ease. And I just don't have that in me.
He returned to the small room where he'd left his backpack, and began to climb into his hero costume. The sun was setting, and he intended to go out tonight and get a scope of the surrounding area. Maybe I can even catch some early arrivals to the rendezvous. There were other people hiding in the area around the hospital, according to Endeavor; they had no way of knowing how those people would react if a big fight started.
"Hey. Everything okay?"
He started. Nejire was leaning against the doorframe, watching him.
"Y-yeah. I'm just going out for a bit. F-field scouting."
"Do you want some company?"
"Erm…no, that's okay. I'm sure you have better things to do."
Nejire pouted. "Do you dislike me, Midoriya-kun?"
"Ehh?" He was taken aback. "What gave you that impression?"
"It's just…earlier, when you said you were glad I came. Your words meant one thing and your face meant something else. Like you aren't glad I came."
Izuku exhaled through his nose and put his gloves on. "I…do you want me to be honest?"
"Yes. Please. I kinda sacrificed a lot to be out here, so…"
"That's the thing. I personally think that…it was a bit reckless for you guys to come. Why are you here, Hado?"
Her mouth worked. "Wh…what does it matter? I'm here, aren't I? You guys had no plan for doing all that difficult people pleasing without me. What would have happened if Dabi showed up and they had no warning?"
"I just…" We would have been screwed, just admit it. Admit that she's right and we needed her. "I just want to make sure that you aren't doing anything…too brash." Imagine Nejire with One for All. She's got all the natural charisma that I don't. "I don't want you to get hurt, Hado," he blurted.
Nejire inhaled and straightened her back. It was the most genuinely serious expression he'd ever seen her make. "You think I'm here to get revenge on Dabi." It wasn't a question.
Izuku couldn't say anything.
"I appreciate your concern, Midoriya. I really do. But…I am older than you, I've had more field experience than you, and I can do this. So…please, please…trust me? I trust you because you've proven yourself worthy of that trust over and over, and I'd like to think I've proven myself too. Can't we be colleagues? I mean…" She laughed bitterly. "What else would I have to do to show you I'm strong enough?"
Izuku's heart broke for her. It's not you, Nejire, it's me. I can't look at anyone from UA and get close to them again. All For One's horrible grinning visage flashed through his head. I just c-can't.
"You have nothing to prove to me, Nejire-chan," he muttered. "I'm not someone you h-have to convince. You're a great hero and a great person, and I see that as much as everyone else does, it's j-just…most things I do, I have to do by myself, okay? That's just…how it has to be."
She nodded slowly. "Okay. I understand. I…" She stepped aside from the door. "I'll let you go then. Be safe out there, and…" He walked past her. "...If you do need anything, anything at all…we're here for you, Midoriya."
I know. He kept thinking about her even as he left the hospital and went out into the evening.
…
It was entirely dark out. Nejire could hear crickets chirping out the window. She turned a corner of the hospital corridor.
The middle Todoroki brother, Natsuo, was taking some water from the one working water fountain. Nejire, deciding she could go for a quick drink, waited awkwardly for him to finish.
Natsuo cast her a suspicious side glance. "You sure convinced all those people that they have nothing to worry about," he muttered. "I'm afraid that my big brother knows exactly what he needs to do to hit us where it hurts. He's gonna focus on the people that can't fight if he can help it. Like me and my mom and my sister." He seemed glum about it.
"Oh yeah. Where is your sister? I haven't met her properly yet."
Natsuo laughed harshly. "Probably in Hawks' room."
Nejire reddened. "Are they…?"
"He's been working on her. And she's been falling for it. It'll happen any night now." Natsuo sniffed and took a sip from his water cup. "I wish my girlfriend was here," he muttered.
Nejire watched him leave, and then leaned over to sip the water straight from the fountain. She almost moved her hand to hold up her hair that no longer existed, then corrected herself. Quiet corridor, nighttime, and now every single person in the building knows that a fight is coming. She supposed it made sense to desire intimate company, either a significant other or something casual, in this kind of situation.
Not that I really have any options. Tamaki was like a brother to her, and…well. It wasn't like she intended to die in the fight. She intended to survive and win, so there was no point in getting desperate for some lovin'.
…
Izuku got back in the wee hours of the night. He'd found no one suspicious. Just a few people hiding in various buildings. He'd anticipated this and had taken them some food and supplies from the hospital that he'd picked up before leaving. That's all the heroism I can do for tonight.
He made his way up the stairs and toward the room where he intended to catch a little sleep. It had been over twenty-four hours since his last shut-eye, and even longer since his last proper shut-eye. That was the night with Iruka. How long ago was that now? A week? More? It had all started to blend together, in all honesty.
Izuku passed the projection room. It was turned off and dark, but leaning up against the bench, he could see something. Rei's cane.
Oh. She left that? That's unusual. I'm glad that she can walk so well now that she managed to forget it, but I should definitely get it back to her anyway.
He took the cane and headed to the Todoroki parents' room. He'd only been once before, when he'd said good night to Rei the first night he was here, before he and Hawks had left to collect Lady Nagant evidence. Still, he remembered the way.
It was just a basic hospital room, though it had a window facing the woods and a curtain drawn across the bedside, at Endeavor's insistence. Endeavor himself was not around. He said he'd be doing the same thing as me tonight, just a bit further afield. Izuku had wanted to take the more distant job himself, but Endeavor had insisted. He has probably barely slept in here. It's basically just Rei's room.
Izuku got to the door and weighed his options. He considered just leaving the cane outside, but he didn't want her to wake up and panic about its whereabouts. Then again, he didn't want to disturb her right this instant, if she was sleeping. And a knock on the door would definitely be a disturbance.
Later, he would look back on this moment and consider it one of his dimmest decisions. But somehow Izuku got it into his head that the best course of action would be to just open the door and leave the cane just inside.
He opened the door. He peered in. He prepared to place the cane up against the doctor's desk.
…And froze.
Rei Todoroki was making noise.
Izuku was not an idiot or innocent by any stretch of the imagination, and he was even less so after his night with Iruka had awakened parts of his brain he'd actively tried to suppress for years.
He immediately knew what kinds of noises he was hearing…both from the movement of the bed, and from her mouth.
Fortunately, there was the curtain. But of course, since he could hear her, she could hear him. She could hear that he'd just opened the door. And in the two seconds that he had to process this situation, the noises cut off abruptly.
The curtain was thrown aside by Rei's outstretched arm, removing the visual barrier between them. She looked angry, as if she expected it to be Endeavor, and then pure terror nuked her face.
Izuku could only stand there like a deer in headlights. Sweat gleamed on her milky skin. It was soaking through her shirt. Her hair was disheveled. Most of the rest of her was under the messy bedsheet, including one arm.
Slowly, Izuku released his grip on the cane, leaving it where he'd intended to. "I'm…sorry."
He literally didn't know what else to say. His life was completely over.
"I…" He took a step back and prepared to bolt down the hallway.
"No, please Midoriya, wait!" Rei grabbed the air with the hand she'd stretched out to move the curtain, as if trying to pull him back. "Wait, I…" Tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. "Don't run off…"
His eyes darted sideways. Animalistic instincts kicking in.
"Please. I c-can't…we can't let this happen. We can't let…"
His legs twitched.
"We c-can't let something like this go unacknowledged," she managed, trembling. "I d-don't want to…to lose what we have. So please can we j-just…talk about it? Before you r-run away? Please?"
Izuku stared at her. His heart was racing a million miles an hour. He forced himself to take deep breaths.
The tears on her face threatened to flow, as she stared back, waiting for his answer. Begging him. All his instincts were telling him no, this was too awkward, literally too awkward to deal with.
Slowly, he stepped into the room.
Shut the door behind him.
And sat down at her bedside.
"Okay," he whispered. Trying to calm himself down.
Both of them inhaled and exhaled for a solid minute, as if mutually trying to gauge a good place to begin.
Izuku was terrified. He had literally no idea what was about to happen. This was something that hadn't even come to him in his wildest anxiety-driven shower scenarios.
"First of all…" Rei began, breathing, "I'm…sorry for not locking the door. And not remembering my cane. If I'd done either of those things, you…wouldn't have been put into that situation."
"Ah…that's…well. I'm sorry, too. For not knocking or anything." Now. That was out of the way. They still couldn't make eye contact with each other.
"I…" Rei's throat sounded constricted. She cleared it before continuing. "I know you probably think it's impossible for someone like me…but…I have…urges, just like everyone else. And sometimes I need to satisfy them."
"I understand," Izuku heard himself say. Whaaaaat is this conversation right now.
Sure, he'd taken to a dark alleyway or a super tall rooftop a couple of times since he'd gone rogue from UA, just to let off a little steam…but that had been it, a couple of times. He had never been much for that kind of activity.
"I'm sure I don't need to tell you anything further about what my relationship with my husband is like. My family…I love my children, but this is obviously not something I can discuss with them, either."
"No, no, of course not," he heard himself reply.
"But you, Midoriya-kun…" She finally lifted her eyes to look at him, even if he couldn't look at her just yet. "I feel comfortable talking to you about a lot of things. And I don't want to lose that."
"You haven't lost it," he told her, forcing himself to make eye contact. "I'm still h-here."
"I'm glad." Rei managed to smile, though her eyes were heavy and exhausted. "When we spoke today, I felt like someone was finally hearing me. I talked about things I either haven't talked about out loud for ages or have never talked about out loud at all. My kids mean well, but they don't always ask the right questions. They still see me as fragile, I believe. But you're different. You showed me real…affection, I suppose. So after today, and thinking about what the next few days might bring for me…" She gulped. "I was just trying to seek another type of affection. One that I haven't received very much. And I g-got carried away."
She fears she might die. It made sense to him now. He had never really been in a position to judge her. What she was literally experiencing…it was not unlike the future he'd imagined for himself before the night with Iruka, in terms of a lack of intimacy.
"I'm sorry," he repeated, but he meant it differently this time. "You…you deserved b-better."
A small bitter laugh escaped her. "I'm sorry, too. I'm going on and on about this when you really just want to leave. I just wanted to clear the air between us so we can at least still have our nice chats." She waved a hand. "I know you probably never wanted to think of me in this context, but I-"
"That's not true," he blurted.
Rei cut herself off. "Wh…what?"
Oh Christ above, Ninth.
The two of them stared at each other, wide-eyed all over again. There was a shift in the air.
"I mean, umm." Izuku blushed. "That's not true…what you said."
Rei took a deep, slightly-open-mouthed breath. A bit of color had come into her cheeks. "What did I say?" she whispered.
"Um. While we're…sort of, oversharing with one another. To make things even. I, honestly…have been…thinking of you…in that context…" He had to look away. It was too much. "So…yeah. That probably…ruins what you thought of our nice chats now." He stood up to leave. "I'll, just…"
Her hand shot out and grabbed his.
He looked back. His heart threatened to leap out of his chest. His entire body felt like it was daring him.
"Midoriya-kun…" Rei's grip on him was ice. "Do you mean it?"
"Eh?"
"Do you mean it? Are you messing with me?"
"I…I mean it. Really." She doesn't believe me. "You're gorgeous," he spilled.
Her breath hitched. Her face was fully colored now, pink and flush.
You know what you've gotten yourself into, right? Nana told him.
"If that's true, then…c-could I just make one request?" she asked him.
On autopilot, Izuku sat back down. This time he sat on the bed in front of her. He nodded.
"I…I would never ask you to…" She paused and grimaced. "Look. After you leave, I'm going to…honestly, I'm likely going to keep doing what I was doing. But…b-before you got here, I was having trouble. I was having trouble imagining…I dunno. All the memories I can use are so dim, and all the imagination I can use feels so fake."
He sensed what was coming.
"All I n-need is…Midoriya-kun…please just…give me a thing to…I can't even say it." A panicked, nervous laugh escaped her throat.
I don't care. I don't care! I'm doing it. I'm doing it, I'm doing it, no one can stop me. He ran his hand up her snow white hair until he was cupping her cheek, one finger under her chin. Her eyes lifted up to his. "Alright," he whispered.
He leaned forward and kissed her.
It was very different than with Iruka. It was very slow. Rei's lips were cold, but so, so soft. Her face had faint lines of age, but between those lines it was smooth as cream.
Her arms went around his neck, and she clasped her fingers together behind him. She did not use her tongue at all, so Izuku didn't use his…but he could feel her satisfaction, the sense of bottled-up needs ebbing away. It was present in how her muscles relaxed as she gently pressed against him, and how she sighed into his mouth.
They kissed for maybe a minute before she softly pulled back. Her grey eyes were half-lidded, and she gave the most satisfied, sensuous smile he'd ever seen in his life. "My goodness…" she murmured. "Did that make me feel young again."
"I'm happy to be of service." Her hands left his neck and traced down the front of his chest before returning to her lap. More than happy. His head was spinning. "Is…is that all? Is that what you wanted?"
Rei bit her lip and nodded. "It will suffice. More than suffice, really." She smiled and waved him out of her bed. "Now, off with you. Shoo."
"Alright…"
As he stood, a smirk crept across her face. "Go…" she whispered, "before my husband comes back."
Oh my God. Izuku was literally woozy. The reality of the situation, both in terms of how sexy and how terrifying it was, swept over him, replacing his prior wave of confidence. I need…I need some privacy of my own.
He fled the room.
Both he and Rei had a nice few minutes to themselves before sleeping.
…
In a dark, narrow street uphill from Annaka Hospital, a shadowy figure emerged. Peered around the edge of the intersection. Skirted the blinking yellow circle on the ground, cast by the buzzing street light that would have illuminated him.
He didn't go out onto the wider street, but he looked down at the big building, which he could see the corner of. The windows were dark, but there was a police car parked outside, and definitely some movement.
Well guarded.
It wouldn't matter, if the chaos was truly going to begin. He was early. Now he just had to wait. And out my targets shall come.
Stain retreated back into the gloom.
