Chapter 2: The Jitters

Izuku swiftly moved towards his home. He did his best to avoid staying in the light for long. He didn't know how much blood still remained on his clothing. Izuku had briefly looked over himself for obvious patches of blood, but didn't find anything. He didn't dare spend too much time thoroughly checking himself over.

He did his best to keep his hands in his pockets. He knew there was still some splatter on his hands, splatter he couldn't wash off until he got home. He'd likely need to toss the case covering his phone by the end of the night.

His heart was still beating fast. His emotions all over the place. He felt as if he could run a marathon, filled to the brim with limitless energy. Moments later, he wanted nothing more than to collapse on the floor and vomit his guts out.

Izuku fought back the urge to cry. His head was constantly pounding as if he had a migraine. His lips felt swollen, the inside of his mouth tasting coppery. The blood on his hands was easy to hide, the bandages on his face from Katsuki and swollen lip from his "accomplice" would not be. He dearly hoped his mom wasn't anywhere near the front door. He had to rush to his room, grab a change of clothes, and rush into the bathroom to wash himself all without her bothering to check on him.

He didn't know how long his high from Trigger was going to last or the potential aftermath of it fading. Izuku had zero experience with drugs, only vaguely knowing of Trigger from the news and internet. He knew it took roughly ten minutes to reach his house from where he had been attacked.

He increased his pace, moving at a light jog, his backpack keychains jingling as he tried to reach his home.

Before long, he reached the apartment complex he lived in. He lived on the second floor of the second building. The stairs of his complex faced the balconies of the first building, meaning the stairs he would need to rush up to get to his home would be out of view of the street. He was only at risk of being seen by neighbors, not that he expected much if any to be outside with it being dark out.

Izuku made it to the front door of his apartment unseen. He hesitated at the door, pulling his keys out of his pocket. There was no way he was going to knock when his mom was home. The key chain, containing his house key and key to their apartment mailbox, lightly shook in his hand.

Izuku took a quick breath, before he unlocked the door and swiftly entered his home. He could hear the television playing in the living room further down the entrance hall. A blessing and a curse. It meant his mother was in the living room instead of her room a few feet to the right of the entrance.

His bedroom was a little further down the hall, on the left. There was only one bathroom in the apartment. The only way to reach it would be to enter from the entrance in the living room. Considering the television was on, his mother was in the living room. He hoped her attention would stay firmly on the television, either that or she was in the kitchen making a late night snack.

"Izuku, is that you?"

Izuku wanted to curse. She knew he was home now. He needed to answer her calmly or it would draw her attention to him.

"Yeah. I'm back from Katsuki's house!" He called out to her as he lunged for the handle to his bedroom door.

His mom spoke once more, "I made dinner if you're hungry. It's in the fridge, just don't steal my bento I made for work tomorrow."

"Okay," he enthusiastically responded before shutting his bedroom door.

He flipped his light switch, lighting up his room as he rushed to his dresser to ransack for a pair of pajamas. He was on a timer, the threat of his mother dropping in on him at any time a constant worry. Despite that, he found himself continuously glancing at the wall behind his dresser.

Hanging above the dresser was a poster of his favorite hero, All Might, posing heroically with a large smile. It was irrational, but he felt the poster was judging him. He couldn't stop glancing at it.

He finally found a set of pajamas. He took a second to toss his backpack aside before he turned his attention back towards his closed bedroom door. Another poster of a hero mocked him as he moved to leave his room.

Izuku hesitated as he stared at the poster of Mirko striking a bunny-like pose in her hero costume. She looked irritated in the poster, her red eyes judgingly staring at him. It was tempting to rip the poster off of his door. He ignored the temptation, opening his door to rush towards the bathroom with his pajamas in hand.

He had to momentarily pass through the living room, thankfully his mom seemed to be looking at the television.

"I'm going to take a shower," he tried to keep his voice calm as he kept his back turned to her to open the bathroom door.

"That's fine, I don't need to use the restroom," his mom replied.

He entered the bathroom, locking the door behind him. The bathroom had a small closet-like cubby near the entrance. He opened the divider separating the cubby from the rest of the bathroom. Within the cubby was the washer and dryer.

Izuku stripped off his clothes, nearly tripping as a wave of vertigo struck him. The migraine he had intensified. His swollen lips felt uncomfortably dry. His stomach churned as a chill went down his back.

He momentarily shook as he felt his senses dull. He could no longer feel himself automatically taking in the cold air of his surroundings to maintain a perfect body temperature. The inbuilt safety mechanism of his Quirk returned as he slowly felt the boost from Trigger drift off.

Izuku stumbled away from the clothing pile on the floor, his hands shaking. He took a knee in-front of the toilet, just barely managing to lift the toilet seat. Hot tears ran down his face as he gagged. He vomited, emptying the contents of his stomach.

He couldn't stop. He kept vomiting.

"Izuku! Are you okay?! Izu!" He heard his mother pounding on the door.

He raised his shaking arm, wiping bile off of his swollen lips, "F-fine. I'm fine. Going… going to shower."

"Be careful. I have some flu medicine in my room. I'll prepare some honey tea for you. You'll feel better," she sounded worried to his ears.

Izuku scooped up his clothes, leaving his phone, wallet, keys, and the trigger injector on the counter. He didn't bother checking for small patches of blood. He tossed the pile of clothes into the washing machine with some detergent.

He felt disgusted with himself as he moved towards the shower.


He scrubbed his arms raw underneath the warm water of the showerhead. His hands still felt dirty, stained. He could still see it in his head, his hand bringing down the crowbar. He could hear the crunch, feel the splatter. He didn't feel clean.

He felt ill, guilty, "Self-defense. It was self-defense," Izuku muttered to himself.

He closed his eyes as he looked up towards the showerhead, warm water running down his chin and chest. He didn't know what to do. It was too late to turn himself in, even though it was the right thing to do.

Covering up the crime scene with the help of his accomplice escalated things past self-defense. It didn't help that his accomplice, Himiko Toga, was apparently following his attacker in the first place by her own words. That spoke of pre-meditation on her part. She likely always planned to attack him.

What would he even tell the police at this point?

Izuku mockingly whispered to himself, "Officer, a man tried mugging me with a crowbar, so I used my Quirk on him. That led to his stalker stabbing him in the side and me bludgeoning him to death. Instead of calling the cops, we did Trigger in the alley and covered up our crime scene."

If by some miracle he didn't end up in jail, the incident would follow him for the rest of his life.

Izuku exited the shower, grabbing a towel. He stood in front of the bathroom mirror, water dripping down his face. He removed the bandages covering his cuts, the bandages too wet to stick properly.

He stared at himself in the mirror, frowning in disgust.

He killed a man, a villain, but a man all the same.

He'd rather his crime remain covered up than turn himself in.

He was scared of being caught. Scared of no longer being able to achieve his dream of becoming a hero by having such tainted history.

He was a horribly disgusting person.

Izuku dressed lethargically, putting his pajamas on after drying himself. He stuffed his phone, keys, wallet, and Trigger injector into his pocket. He still wasn't feeling like himself.

He shuffled out of the bathroom, his head hanging low.

His mother moved towards him. He quietly looked up to see her.

His overweight mother was wearing pajamas of her own, a long two-piece dark green silk pajama set. She had let herself go years ago when his father passed away.

She reached towards his face, lightly cupping his cheeks, "Izu… What happened?"

He could see her eyes trace his face. Feel her eyes roam over the cuts, roam over his swollen lips. Her green eyes were filled with worry, with concern.

He grabbed her hands, gently pulling them from his face, as he lied, "It's nothing to worry about, Mom. Katsuki and I just did some sparring after we finished studying. You know we've been working hard."

He could see a flash of anger in her gaze, "Working too hard! Look at yourself, Izu! You were in there throwing up. Why are you doing this to yourself? I don't want you or little Katsuki to work yourselves into an early grave…"

His mother's eyes were filled with tears. Izuku knew when she looked at him she still saw him as a child. Still saw him as that little Deku that chased Kacchan around the park. She didn't see him as he was now. A hero in training, a killer.

He couldn't bring himself to speak, guilt gnawing away at him.

His mother wiped her eyes, "I… I left a cup of tea in your room."

He quietly whispered, "Thank you..."

He stepped away from her, leaving her standing alone in the living room.

The Trigger injector in his pocket felt infinitely heavier as he rushed towards his bedroom.

He shut his bedroom door behind himself, taking a deep breath. He moved to take a seat at his computer desk. He could see faint smoke coming from the tea cup placed on his desk. To the right of the cup was flu medication. Warm tears ran down his face as he logged into his computer.

He hated himself.


A Gentler World: I

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Topic: Triggered by Trigger
In: Boards ► Crime Watch
Mama Brava (Original Poster) (Administrator) (Verified Best Girl) (Verified Villain)
Posted On Jan 18th 2XXX:

This thread is a continuation of our discussion of Trigger and its impact on society at large. The original thread can be found Here.

Hello my loyal friends and enemies alike! A friendly reminder that Trigger was originally created to treat baldness and erectile dysfunction. If you're one of those junkies constantly searching for your next hit, I am here to point at you and laugh. There's a very clear reason you so desperately need it.

Trigger continues to be a pervasive problem for society at large. Don't fall for the temptation of quick power through a syringe. By purchasing illegal strains of Trigger, you are supporting criminals far worse than I and my hubby. Criminals we would never wish to host in our Gentle World.

You don't need disgusting drugs to gain power!

All you need is true love!

(Showing page 1 of 124)

Papa Gentle (Moderator) (Verified Gentleman) (Verified Villain)
Replied On Jan 18th 2XXX:

Well said my love.

You are only hurting yourself by getting involved with such a nasty substance. Trigger may whisper sweet words of temptation into your ears, however it is a trap. No two vials of Trigger are the same when it comes to those sold by criminal elements.

There are multiple cases of bad batches of Trigger leading to overdoses. Take a moment and reflect on who you would most harm by subjecting yourself to such a dangerous and addictive substance.

Would it be a parent, a sibling, the love of your life? Who would find you, a victim of hubris, unresponsive on the floor?

Happiness found through drug use is a sad, fleeting path.

Love is eternal.

GiantRat (Moderator) (Makes All of The Rules) (Wiki Warrior)
Replied On Jan 18th 2XXX:

Wisely said.

Indeed, the surge in Trigger usage in recent years has been worrisome. For those considering falling into that horrible rabbit hole, think twice.

Doctor Kleiner, of I-Island fame, has recently released a study in which he broke down the most common strains of illegally produced Trigger. His study, which can be found Here, concluded that there is irrefutable evidence of known long term harmful health substances being found within common street strains of Trigger.

Do not think you can cheat your way through life with borrowed power. Drug testing for Trigger has become more and more common in recent years. Your usage of Trigger will be discovered.

Keep yourself, your friends, and your family away from Trigger outside of pharmaceutical prescriptions.

Stay safe and have a wonderful day.

AspiringRapper
Replied On Jan 18th 2XXX:

•GiantRat
Lol, lmao even. Who cares about what some egg head said? Trigger lets me get shit done. It's only gotten better with time. Used to only last fifteen minutes a hit, we're up to thirty minutes now and it's gotten cheaper. Stay mad.

BurninUp (Verified Hero) (Banned)
Replied On Jan 18th 2XXX:

•AspiringRapper
(Content Removed)

Moderation Notice:

Please control your temper. Users are free to post their own opinions, regardless of how ill informed they are. There is no need for abusive language, name calling, and direct personal threats.

AspiringRapper
Replied On Jan 18th 2XXX:

•BurninUp
Reported :^)

AMightyOne (Verified Unofficial Official Hero) (Verified Unofficial Official Number One)
Replied On Jan 18th 2XXX:

Drugs are bad! Stay in school!

Mirko (Verified Hero) (Verified Shit Poster)
Replied On Jan 18th 2XXX:

Trigger is for pussies. Hit the gym if you want to ACTUALLY get strong. So what if Trigger gives your Quirk a little bit of a boost? 0x1.5=0. If you're such a bitch you need Trigger to make your Quirk better, your Quirk has to be pretty shit in the first place.

Trigger dealers are scum. Trigger users are losers. It's that simple.

If I catch any idiots trying to sell that shit to kids, I'm breaking knees.

Y_Mera (Verified HPSC Employee) (Verified Hero Janny)
Replied On Jan 18th 2XXX:

•BurninUp
Please remember what you post online tends to never disappear. I have been sent several screenshots of your rant within the last hour.

•Moderators
Thank you for removing her post in a timely manner.

•Mirko
Please stop making my job more difficult than it needs to be.

Mirko (Verified Hero) (Verified Shit Poster)
Replied On Jan 18th 2XXX:

•Y_Mera
I didn't break any rules since I didn't directly threaten anyone. If you don't like my posts don't read them. :)

Y_Mera (Verified HPSC Employee) (Verified Hero Janny)
Replied On Jan 18th 2XXX:

•Mirko
You and BurninUp are going to be the death of me. Do you know how many times a day I'm sent screenshots of what you've posted on this platform? I just checked your profile and you've posted in fifteen different threads within the last ten minutes. Please just go do a patrol and stop posting for a while.

Mama Brava (Original Poster) (Administrator) (Verified Best Girl) (Verified Villain)
Replied On Jan 18th 2XXX:

This is getting a little off topic. Please keep this thread focused on the discussion of Trigger. As funny as it is to witness Y_Mera get his day ruined with PR disaster after PR disaster, we need to move on.

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