The repercussions of the fight against the Hero Killer have come full circle, and Izuku has fled into the cold night. Now, its up to whoever finds him to hopefully help him find control, and a final resolution to this new effect.
I am SO sorry for how long this took. I've had a helluva a few weeks and goddammit it SUCKED. Works been killing me and I have just not been in my best headspace, and this chapter was an absolute pain to work through...but we're finally approaching the end of this arc. I hope you guys enjoy!
To say the class was confused and upset was an understatement of epic proportions. It made no sense. Ochako had already pulled out her phone to call Aizawa, and Himiko was currently being held back by Tsuyu from trying to chase after Izuku, the green-haired teenager reminding Himiko she had no chance of catching Izuku when he was speeding off like that. Katsuki was also about to chase after him, but Eijiro was standing before him, telling him they had to be smart about this. They had no idea where Izuku went, much less why he'd bolted. Something had triggered Izuku, that much was clear, but none of them had a clue…save Shoto.
The split haired teen glanced towards Mei, the support student still swaying slightly. Mina had approached her and was gently pulling her towards a seat, her expression lost as to what had gone on yet wanting to do something to help while they tried to decide what to do. He was putting things together in his mind, trying to backtrack the exact moment Izuku panicked, and he could tell it was right after Mei had slumped over…but why did she?
"Hatsume?" Shoto asked quietly, his voice cutting through the clamoring students.
"Mmm?" she asked, her eyes blinking blearily.
"You seem very tired all of a sudden. Do you know why?"
She shook her head slowly, jaw opening wide for a yawn. "N-not really. I just tripped and Ten Mill caught me, but suddenly I felt really sleepy."
Shoto nodded at her…the final pieces were falling into place. He turned back to his classmates. "How many of you feel less tired now that Izuku is out of the room?"
The silence that fell over the room was both confused and contemplative. The worst part, in Shoto's mind, was watching it 'click' in the minds of those he expected it to…Momo and Tenya, both excellent students with good deductive reasoning. Katsuki, also one of the top students and Izuku's brother. Ochako and Himiko, perhaps the two closest to Izuku and the ones who likely understood how his power worked better than anyone else save Katsuki…the dawning horror on their faces, the concern, the fear, and…
"T-that's impossible. That can't be what's going on, that…no! No, Izuku would never!" Himiko argued, denial writ plain on her face.
"I am not blaming him…merely explaining what I believe is going on and why he reacted as he did," Shoto replied.
"Can someone please explain to the dumb ones what you guys are talking about?!" Toru pleaded, her visible form flickering for a moment as her emotions got the better of her. Denki nodded at her, his own face twisted in worry and confusion.
"...The nightmare Quirk he absorbed," Tenya whispered, staring down at his own hands in horror as he remembered what he faced and what Izuku had done to save him from it.
Shoto nodded. "We never did learn why the nightmare Quirk did what it did. What good is giving other people nightmares, after all? But Izuku had a dozen theories about it while we were recovering in the hospital, and I remember one of them was that it 'fed' off the nightmares, for lack of a better term. But Izuku doesn't feed off nightmares, nor did he cause any for us after absorbing that. But he does feed off something else."
"Energy…he absorbs energy," Momo replied, the words fighting to leave her mouth even as she said them. It made sense. A sickening, twisted type of sense that she hated every second of.
"So wait, you're saying he was…what, feeding off our energy?" Rikido asked.
"Yes. That is exactly what I am saying. The strange dark tower he spoke of in his mind. It was reaching up into the 'sky', remember? From what he told us, we are in the sky of his mind. We are the stellar bodies in his mindscape, and the tower was reaching for them…for us. That is why we have been so tired, why we've been cold and unable to muster our strength."
"But…but Izuku wouldn't do that!" Mina cried out. She couldn't, wouldn't believe he'd do that to them!
"As I said before, I do not blame him. It was unwilling…of that I'm sure. He didn't know. Not until now," Shoto replied softly.
"...the fucking moron ran because he felt guilty, again!" Katsuki seethed, his hands popping with orange sparks. He shook in place for a moment as the rage built, before he spun about with a roar and punched the wall as hard as he could. An eruption of heat and flame appeared in his clenched fist, the scent of burning flesh filling the room a moment later, Katsuki seemingly unflinching as he leaned against the wall, his shoulders shaking.
His outburst made the room fall silent once more, the silence broken by the door opening and Aizawa and Toshinori rushing into the dorm. Aizawa cast an appraising glance over the gathered students, his jaw working as he tried to decide the priority.
Toshinori had not hesitated, immediately moving to Katsuki and gripping his shoulder to pull him away from the wall. Katsuki did not resist, letting the taller blonde pull him over and examine his now burnt palm from letting one of his explosions go off with a clenched fist. Luckily for Katsuki, his Quirk partially protected him from the effects of his power so he did not blow his hand apart…but it didn't stop the burns. Eijiro was hovering, unsure what to do, his hands helplessly in the air as he stared at his currently silent boyfriend.
"Fill us in," Aizawa commanded. He wasn't trying to be cruel, but he felt like a firm hand would help the students focus so he could get to the bottom of the issue and begin the search. Shoto cleared his throat and began to lay out his theory to their teachers…hoping one of them knew what to do to find Izuku and bring him back.
Izuku wasn't entirely sure where he was anymore. Perhaps he should be worried about how easily he escaped campus…the UA barrier even activated, but it wasn't like it could stop him from flying. Especially since he activated Gear Shift…wasn't sure when, but he had. At least, he assumed so, considering he was gasping for air as he stumbled along the sidewalk, one hand pressed to his chest at the pain echoing. It felt like his entire rib cage had been crushed, from how much pain radiated from his heart and lungs.
The rain wasn't that heavy, but with how dark it was it still lent itself to a lack of visibility. He couldn't see, couldn't feel, his skin cold and wet and his entire body in pain, but it was nothing compared to the storm inside. Compared to the knowledge he had been hurting the ones he loved most, that he'd been slowly killing them over time. He was a poison, an insidious disease at the heart of the hero course, a worse foe than the damned League of Villains or All For One.
The strength in his body left him, drained (like he had drained from his friends) from his form like water seeping through the cracks, the pain from his flight coming to roost and making him collapse upon the street, cool, wet concrete beneath him as he fell. His breath came out in puffs of mist, his eyes unfocused and unseeing, the dim light from a nearby streetlight just barely visible in the softly falling sheets of rain. His body thrummed with both power and pain, the stolen energy combined with that which he was absorbing from the rain continuing to replenish what he'd lost in his frantic flight from campus, while his body ached from usage of the Quirks he'd been given.
He wanted to lift himself up, to pull himself to his feet and continue to get farther away. He couldn't trust himself not to hurt others anymore, he had to get away from everyone…but he couldn't find the strength in his body. His limbs felt like jelly, electrical jolts of pain shocking through him every time he tried to move. But he needed to get away, he couldn't let anyone else suffer his presence…he had to move.
"...shit, kid. The hell happened to you?" a voice said. The noise made Izuku notice the rain had ceased above him, the green-haired teen barely able to roll over enough to look up and see the concerned face of Ryoya above him, holding an umbrella overhead. He glanced about, realizing that somehow he'd collapsed in front of the diner he'd been at before. The chef sighed, reaching down with one hand and grasping Izuku under his shoulder. With little effort, surprising the green-haired teen, the chef lifted him off the ground and steadied him, gently pulling (carrying)him into the diner.
"D-don't," Izuku managed to mutter, the act of speaking even more painful than he had expected, but he had to warn Ryoya how dangerous he was!
"I'm not letting you lay there in the street in the rain. Whatever reason you have for that, I don't care. Let's get you warmed up."
"Y-you can't. You can't be near me," Izuku managed to gasp out, even as he felt himself being gently dropped into one of the booths. His head lolled to the side, leaning against the wall as he almost lost all semblance of balance.
"And why's that?" Ryo asked casually, as he strode around the counter and began gathering up a couple towels.
"Cause I'll hurt you," Izuku murmured, still a little dazed.
Ryo snorted as he set the towels in front of Izuku. "You cannot hurt me more than you'll hurt yourself, kid."
"I-I don't mean on purpose," Izuku protested, a bit of heat returning to his tone at how dismissive Ryoya was about his concerns.
"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's fine," Ryoya replied, rustling around under the counter. "Dry yourself off, you'll get sick if you're not careful."
Izuku didn't bother arguing with him…he needed to go. He just wasn't sure how he would be able to…he could barely move, with how much his body quaked from the pain and the backlash from Gear Shift. But still…he needed to go.
"I-I need to leave," he murmured.
Ryo sighed, giving Izuku a look. "I don't think you know what you need right now. Slow down, breathe. You seem a bit hysterical right now. You can walk back out there, if you want. I don't recommend it though. It's cold and harder than you think. I'd rather not have to physically stop you, but I can if need be."
Izuku…wasn't exactly in the best mindset, but he also wasn't stupid. He knew the chef wasn't wrong, both about his condition…and from what little Tenko had told him of Ryoya's abilities, he knew he couldn't escape the chef in his condition. With effort, he tapped into his Quirk, forcing his energy vision on…and sighed a deep sigh of relief when he noticed there were no trails of energy seeping into him from Ryo…or any, really. That was…enough, he supposed.
"...fine," he said, defeated. With aching limbs and winces of pain, he managed to grab one of the towels and began slowly rubbing it through his hair to try and get some semblance of rain out of it. Not that it meant much, when his clothes were as soaked as they were. He shivered, cold for one of the few times in his life, as if his Quirk wasn't working right. He blinked as that thought hit him, panic starting to surface within his chest once more.
'Chill, kid. We're doing that,' Daigoro's voice sounded in his mind, breaking through what wall he'd placed before.
Now he was going to panic more, they could force themselves into his mind and take over his Quirk?!
'You are the wielder. If you really wanted to control it, we couldn't stop you. But somewhere in your mind you know you're not in a place to access One For All right now. So we can hold it back from you,' Yoichi tried to reassure him…which only worked partially.
'D-did you know what the tower did?!' Izuku hissed mentally, needing to know.
'Not till you did. We're working on figuring out how to disable it permanently, or at least show you how to control it,' Hikage said.
'I don't want to control it, I want it gone!' Izuku growled.
'Yeah well, suck it up buttercup. We don't always get what we want. We're working on it, be patient,' Second growled back. Izuku could practically see the glare the Second wielder was giving him, but he had no patience for his attitude any more than the Second seemed to have for Izuku's. This wasn't a game! He was killing people!
'Izuku, you need to stop thinking that way. It's just a side effect of something you were forced into. I am sure we can-' Nana tried to reassure him, but he couldn't listen anymore. They just didn't get it! He slammed the wall shut once more, taking a deep, shuddering breath. Fine. He wasn't in a condition to escape right now. At least he wasn't currently killing anyone.
A plate of pancakes slid in front of him, breaking him out of his thoughts. He glanced up to see Ryoya sliding into the booth across from him, a plate in front of himself as well. The chef casually flipped the syrup over and poured a small amount on his pancakes, cutting into them with his fork with one hand as the other slid the syrup across the table to Izuku.
"Well? Go on. Tell me what you think. I guessed at what you'd like," Ryoya says, gesturing with his fork to Izuku's plate.
Izuku stared at the plate, then back up at Ryoya. His stomach felt like it was tied in knots…he didn't think he could eat. He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Ryoya holding up a hand.
"Can't eat? Figured. You should probably try though. It might not seem like much, but a little snack could help more than you think." Izuku didn't really think that was true, but he didn't think he was getting out of it. He poured a small amount of syrup on the plate and took a bite. The food tasted good…he thought. He wasn't really sure. It was like ashes in his mouth…nothing tastes right. Nothing felt right. He was still stuck, knowing he was actually hurting those he loved the most and not seeing a way around this except to leave. He was broken out of his thoughts once more by Ryoya's sigh.
"So. Wanna tell me what this is all about?"
Izuku stared at Ryoya through narrowed eyes, the chef simply returning the gaze steadily. Izuku really didn't know Ryoya well…but…maybe the chef would have something for him. He had been a hero after all…Izuku sighed, his shoulders slumping as he took another bite absently. With trepidation, he began to speak, Ryoya silently listening.
"So, let me get this straight. Your solution to this problem is to just…run away into the dark, rainy night without a single plan or goal. You didn't even control your Quirk as you ran, which is why you're still shaking. And now you think that the best way to deal with this issue is to just flee?"
Izuku wished he could work up the energy to snarl at the chef, but he couldn't find it in himself to do anything more than glare. The painful side effects of Gear Shift had faded down to a dull ache, but now he just felt drained. "Screw you! Am I not allowed to be upset about hurting people?!"
Ryoya didn't reply to the invective or the tone Izuku used, simply taking a sip of coffee. "I never said that. I said your solution to the problem is stupid. You have a problem with your Quirk…so fix it."
"Oh because that's oh so fucking easy!"
"Never said it was easy either. This is your problem, kid. You pick the worst possibility and jump on it, latch onto it like a leech. You need to let go and think about this logically. UA is the best place for you to figure out how to fix the issue with your Quirk, so why the hell would you run from it?"
Izuku sighed again, dropping his gaze to the table. "...didn't you listen? I killed people before. How is this any different? Does it matter if I get control, if I can keep doing these things? I already killed so many…I know everyone says it's not my fault, and I guess for a while I was starting to believe them but…even if it's not my fault, it's my responsibility! I am a threat! A danger! It is just not safe for me to be around people! Shouldn't I do the right thing and get away, for everyone else's sake?!"
Ryoya hummed contemplatively, setting his coffee mug down as he looked down at the table. "You know…I thought the same, once upon a time. I told you I got my hero license to take care of something. Truth be told, I'm not a fan of hero society. Too much pageantry and playing with people's lives, too much generalizing heroes and villains into titles rather than actions…but I still needed my license to do something. I was after revenge, kid. I sought out some people who had harmed me, harmed my loved ones, taken everything from me…and I took them down."
Ryoya looked back up to meet Izuku's gaze, his golden eyes tinted dark, molten. "I burned every bridge I had to do it. I lost the very loved ones I had left in the process. In my haste to avenge some of them, to protect those remaining, I did a better job of taking them from me than the ones I hated did. In the end…I accomplished my mission. But I was left alone. Cold. Lost. I had nothing left."
The older man sighed, cracking his neck as he glanced up at the ceiling. "You're not the first person with a troublesome power, one which could hurt those you cared about. I know what that's like too. And you know what I ended up having to do? Learn to control it. Simple as that. You're sitting here acting like you're going to lose the ones you care for because of your Quirk, but here you are losing them because of your actions. And take it from someone who made that mistake…it is not worth it."
Izuku stared at him, opening his mouth to protest but was cut off by the chef once more. "Stop. You're just a kid, Midoriya. First year of UA. You got the best and brightest teaching you there. There is no one more suited to helping you control such a Quirk, to helping you keep people safe. Take advantage of that. Maybe it's something simple and stupid. Or maybe you'll need support gear. Who knows? But until you actually use the things at your disposal, you're just running off half-cocked without a plan and without any chance in hell of figuring it out."
"...but-" Izuku whispered, his body slumping further into the chair, barely able to hold himself up anymore.
Ryo sighed. "I'm no therapist and no way I can just fix you in a single conversation. That's stupid. All I want is you to realize that your best chance to fix this is at UA. And that it's worse, so much worse, to abandon those you care about. I know you don't know me…but trust me, kid. You'll regret every second of it if you leave them like this."
Izuku…hated how much sense the man was making, but it still…he didn't think he could. Everything inside him hurt, and not from his Quirk…it was like his chest was going to burst from the weight and pressure of his emotions, of his guilt, that thing he'd finally thought he'd set aside when he started UA. Everything he'd worked towards, it was all going up in smoke. He thought listening to Kacchan was worth it, listening to Ochako, to Himiko, to Toshinori and Tenko, but…
"I saw the sports fest, Midoriya," Ryoya's voice interrupted his spiraling thoughts once more. The incongruity of his statement made Izuku blink, his brain temporarily blue screening at how it came out of nowhere. He lifted his gaze to look up at the chef, confused by the seeming non-sequitur. Ryoya continued as if Izuku's confusion was immaterial. "You made a big deal about how it was a bad idea to have society rely on one person, one pillar. You talked about having multiple of those to rely on, an entire army to 'hold the line' as you put it. Bit too on the nose for my taste, but I understand the message behind it. So here's my question to you…why won't you let others be your pillar?"
"What?"
"You heard me. You seem determined to face everything alone. That was my mistake."
Izuku gestured around at the diner, disbelief evident on his face and in his voice. "B-but, you got all this! You seem happy! Aren't you happy with this?"
"I got this in spite of what I did, not because of what I did. I almost had nothing. And it was because some of the people who I pushed away didn't give up on me that I was able to open this place and be happy, as you put it. So stop being stubborn and realize that shoving everyone away out of fear is a bad idea…trust me. When you get the chance, look up Mars. The pro hero. I doubt you would've heard of him but look him up. Tell me what you see and then ask yourself if that is the road you want to travel. Don't make my mistakes, kid. Learn from those who screwed up before you. You don't have to go it alone." Ryoya fell silent, leaning back in the seat as he met Izuku's gaze once more.
Izuku took what felt like the first non-pained breath since the whole debacle had started. He…he didn't really want to listen to Ryoya on this, but he had a great deal of respect for the man. Knowing he'd been a Hero, knowing that Tenko spoke so highly of him, knowing that the man had offered Himiko's friend Jin a place without even asking any details…these were all good things, in Izuku's eyes. But he just couldn't take the man's words to heart, not just yet.
"Look…it's late. Why don't you crash upstairs, and maybe after a good night's sleep you'll be thinking more clearly. I got plenty of rooms upstairs."
Izuku blinked at Ryoya. "...why? Why are you trying so hard to help me?"
Ryoya shrugged. "Does a hero need a reason to help someone in need?"
"I thought you weren't a hero anymore."
"Not a pro, not anymore. Doesn't change the fact I like to offer a helping hand when I can."
Izuku nodded absently. "I…I guess maybe I should sleep, or something. You'll tell me if you feel weird, right? I-I don't want to risk hurting you either…"
"First sign of that weird lethargy and I'll tell you, you have my word," Ryoya reassured him.
Izuku bit his lip, but nodded once more. Ryo stood up, sweeping the plates away and taking them behind the counter and into the sink. With a gesture, he silently asked Izuku to follow him. The green-haired teen stood up slowly and followed along, hiding his wince as his muscles protested against his movement. Ryoya led him back behind the counter, through the kitchen to a set of stairs leading up. Izuku followed along, up two flights of stairs. As they reached the third floor, Ryoya turned down a hallway. There were three doors on each side, to which Ryoya began pointing at.
"That one's the bathroom. I got people staying in that one, that one, and that one. But this one hasn't been occupied for a while. Don't worry, it's clean. Extra blankets in the closet here if you need them, but from what Tenko mentioned of your Quirk I assume you don't. I got some spare clothes that should just about fit you, toss yours out into the hall and I'll toss them in the dryer."
"...thank you," Izuku managed to whisper, feeling ashamed at how kind Ryoya was being to him and yet unable to really say no. The exhaustion was creeping in, his vision almost blurred from how tired and aching he was. Something occurred to him, the green-haired young man turning to look at Ryoya with guilt in his expression. "I…I should call-"
"I already messaged Eraser and told him where you are. He'll tell your class. Just go to sleep, kid. It'll be better in the morning."
Izuku stood stock still for a moment as he considered what Ryoya had said, before sighing, his shoulders slumping. He nodded, taking a step into the room as indicated and closing the door behind him.
Ryoya gathered the clothes as he said he would, a simple pair of cotton shorts and a shirt. He brought them to the room, knocking on the door. Izuku opened it, taking the clothes, closing it once more to change quickly and hand the wet ones off to the chef. He nodded, turning about and heading back downstairs to finish closing as he left Izuku to his own devices. After tossing the clothes in the dryer and taking a moment to take a deep breath, he picked up his phone and dialed a number he rarely called.
"Update?" came the voice of Aizawa across the line, skipping the pleasantries.
"He's in one of the rooms. Hopefully able to fall asleep soon."
There was a moment of silence on the line, before Aizawa continued on. "How bad is it?"
"He's likely had better days."
"But he's okay?"
"Physically? Cold and in pain, from quirk backlash if I had to guess, but he'll make it. Emotionally? He needs help, Eraser."
"He's been getting it…this was new. No one expected this."
Ryoya shrugged, even knowing the other man couldn't see it. "Maybe. Whatever it is, just be sure you take care of it. I think I convinced him his best shot is with UA, so we'll have to see."
"Any chance you can get him on the line? His partners and brother are currently staring at me and it is quite concerning."
Ryo let out a snort, a tiny half-smile on his face. "He's either asleep by now or in bed. Let him rest for now. I'll make sure he comes home, you can tell them that."
"Alright. Thanks for the update, Ryoya."
"Take care of the kids. I'll talk to you in the morning." With that, the line went dead as Ryoya set his phone down with a sigh. He stepped over to the sink and began to absently scrub the plates, rinsing them off to place in the dishwasher. Not how he expected his evening to go…but oh well. Hopefully the kid would be okay.
Aizawa put his phone in his pocket, turning about to stare at the gathered students behind him, all of them looking at him in various degrees of concern. He decided to bite the bullet, but keep it short and simple. "Midoriya is currently resting in a safe place and will be returning in the morning. We'll have to isolate him for a bit while we work on whatever is causing this, but I'm sure we can figure out how to fix the issue. You all should get some rest."
"Isolate him? How's that going to be any better for him? That'll just make him more upset!" Ochako exclaimed, her arms out wide in protest.
"I know. I don't like it any more than you do, Uraraka. But until he has control over this…whatever it is, he won't be safe around you. And he will just continue to spiral if he continues to hurt any of you. For both his sake and yours, we'll need to keep him away. Just for now. I'm certain we can figure out how to fix this. The rat's already working on something. Just be patient."
Ochako stared him down, but a gentle squeeze on her shoulder made her look over to see Momo looking at her. The taller teen shook her head slowly, making Ochako slowly relax her shoulders. She turned back to her teacher and nodded sharply once, then spun about and stomped away from him.
Aizawa watched her go, unable to really give her any other answer and hating it, but accepting that was what they had to do right now. With a sigh, he turned about, grabbing Toshinori by the arm (the taller blonde having been silent this entire time), and pulled him along and out of the dorms, wanting to leave the students to try to come to terms with the issue.
The door shut behind the two teachers, leaving the dorms in silence as the gathered class sat there, trying to figure out what to do now. Himiko walked over to Ochako, the brunette in the corner of the room facing the wall, her fists clenched and shoulders shaking. Gently, Himiko wrapped her arms around Ochako's waist, placing her head on her back and hugging her close.
Like magic, the gentle touch and scent of her girlfriend made Ochako's muscles loosen just enough, but the tension was still clearly there. The brunette just kept her gaze affixed on the corner, refusing to turn about and face the rest of the room…afraid she'd see her feelings reflected on the faces of the others there.
"I do not wish to speak out of turn, but…I believe we should look at this from a positive standpoint," Tenya said quietly, drawing the attention of everyone to him. He cleared his throat. "We are aware of where Izuku has gone. He is safe. And though this…power…is an issue, it is one that I firmly believe he can gain control over. We just need to have faith in our friend."
"...I've got faith, Tenya," Ochako whispered, still refusing to turn around. "I've had faith in him since we met. I love him. That's not the problem. The problem is how he's going to take this. How he did. I've never been afraid of him…I'm afraid for him."
"...couldn't put it better myself, Cheeks," Katsuki muttered, his arms crossed as he leaned against the far wall, one foot tapping restlessly.
"I am aware he is overly self-critical and harsh to himself. But that is where we come in. This was an accident, and it only occurred because he saved us. We must merely reassure him of our intentions and our belief in him," Tenya replied.
"I'm just upset I did not piece it together before…if I had, perhaps we could have handled this better," Momo said quietly. Kyoka gave her a half-hearted glare, gently punching her in the arm and making the heiress look down at her wide-eyed.
"Don't start that. None of you start that," Kyoka said, a snarl barely hidden in her voice. "Blaming ourselves isn't going to get us any-fucking-where. Blaming anyone is stupid. This was just a shitty set of circumstances cause of Hosu. If anyone's at fault, it's that stupid Hero Killer monster!"
"Kyoka is right. If we want to be there for him, we can't blame ourselves," Shoto interjected. He was slumped on the couch, Mina next to him with Tsuyu sitting by his feet.
Mina nodded, leaning into Shoto's side to get a bit of warmth back into her bones, still feeling chilled hours later. "Midori's gonna be okay, and we're gonna be okay. We've handled worse, right? We can deal with a little Quirk accident no problem!"
"...I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd like to stick together tonight, ribbit," Tsuyu said.
"I'm going to make some cookies," Rikido said abruptly, standing up and walking towards the kitchen. "This calls for cookies. Requests?"
Himiko squeezed Ochako around her waist once more, before lifting her head up enough to give the tall teen a sidelong glance. "Chocolate? Ochako likes chocolate a lot."
"Double chocolate chunk, got it. Anyone else?"
"I enjoyed the snickerdoodles you shared with us last time…would that be too much to ask?" Shoto asked softly.
Rikido shook his head no. "Not at all."
"Sugar cookies are my fave!" Toru said. "Do you need a hand?"
He shrugged. "If you want, I could use the help, sure."
"I'll help too. I do better if I keep my hands occupied," Mezo said, following the other teen into the kitchen.
Slowly, various members of the class made requests or offered to assist, while the rest started setting up for another class sleepover in the common room. Yet throughout it all, Ochako never moved from the corner of the room, and Himiko did not let go of her. Denki bit his lip, glancing at the two worriedly, before turning to look at Hitoshi, the purple-haired boy next to him just sighing and shaking his head in negation. Neither knew what to do to help their friends right now, and looking about the room and seeing all the gazes that kept shifting to the two girls in the corner, no one else seemed to either.
That is, until Katsuki finally pushed himself up off the wall. He gave Eijiro a quick squeeze on the shoulder, before walking past the redhead to the two girls by the corner. Himiko glanced up at him, her eyes half-open. He arched an eyebrow at her in a silent question, the other blonde shaking her head in negation as her gaze flickered back to the immobile brunette in front of the two of them. Katsuki sighed, tugging at his hair. He spun about, leaning against the wall next to Ochako, a mirror of his earlier pose.
"Talk to me, Ochako," he said quietly, softly enough the rest of the class save Kyoka and Mezo would not be able to hear.
For a while, he wondered if she even heard him. The silence between them stretched on for a good minute, before her voice was finally heard. "Why him, Katsuki?"
He didn't need to be a mind reader to know what she meant by that. He took his time in answering, contemplating her question. After a bit, he replied. "I wish I knew. He deserves a lot better than this fucking world gave him. But…he won't be beaten by this. He won't. He beat all those shitty thoughts back before, mostly thanks to you two, and now he has even more people who love him who'll help him deal. Listen to what Glasses said…we just gotta have some faith."
"...I know he will. I know. But it's still not fair! He shouldn't have to go through all this! He shouldn't have to worry about these things! It isn't right!" Ochako's quiet voice was lifted by the end, her fists clenched so hard Himiko's nose twitched as she smelled the faint traces of blood from where the brunette's nails were piercing into her palms. The others in the class glanced over, but stayed silent out of respect for the privacy of their conversation.
"You're right. It's not fair. It wasn't fair I lost my leg. Wasn't fair you couldn't afford shit growing up. Wasn't fair Fangs parents abandoned her. Wasn't fair we all got attacked at the USJ. None of it's fair and its bullshit. But that's what we're here to do, Ochako…we're here to be heroes. Our job's to kick the shit out of unfairness and make it fucking better. To kick the shit out of villains, save lives, and win the motherfucking day. And no little energy sucking side effect bullshit is gonna keep Zu down. Just…be there for him. Like you always are."
Ochako leaned forward, resting her head against the wall as she sighed deeply. Her hands relaxed just enough for Himiko to slide her own into them, ignoring the sticky sensation of the droplets of blood on her palms to just hold her girlfriend close. After another minute, she gently squeezed Himiko's hands and straightened up, separating the two long enough to turn about and face the rest of the room. She nodded wearily. "...yeah. Yeah, okay."
Katsuki reached over and gave Ochako's shoulder a squeeze, a moment later offering the same gesture to the silent blonde form of Himiko. "C'mon. Let's get to bed. Sooner we sleep the sooner this shitty day is over."
"Alright…thanks, Kats," Ochako replied softly.
Katsuki's expression softened just a tiny bit as he replied. "Don't mention it." With that, the three walked further into the common room, joining the rest as they setup for another sleepover, to await the return of Izuku…and the hopeful resolution of this final issue.