I do not own these characters or the world, that belongs to our lovely author of MHA, Kohei Horikoshi. Also, cover art was a commission by me from the artist Krumbs. Follow them on or Twitter—though I guess that's called X now—if you'd like! They are extremely talented!

A/N: Small trigger warning. I depict a panic attack in this chapter. My depiction comes from my own personal experience with them so it may not necessarily reflect what a textbook defines a panic attack to be like or what other's have experienced. I tried to convey the spiraling and catastrophizing that sort of happens in the mind when someone experiences them—or at least, what my mind did when I had them. I have no idea if reading about a panic attack will give others anxiety or panic which is why I'm calling it a trigger warning.
Thank you for all reviews/follows/favs—they are much appreciated. Please enjoy.

Sixty-Seven

Griefs' Pound of Flesh

"But Earth, you've always been so happy—what happened to you?" Princess Andromeda asked.

"Andromeda's right—what's bothering you?" Spiral asked, echoing Andromeda's sentiment.

On the television screen, the blue haired Earth Galaxy Princess's face was ashen and bitter. "I failed to save them…I wasn't strong enough and so I failed."

Shoto Todoroki watched the scene unfold and felt oddly moved by it but at the same time a swiftly mounting panic. Why was he feeling panic? He wasn't in danger; his life not threatened; he was simply watching an anime that he liked and that Hagakure had kindly left on for him when he'd not been able to sleep. Yet here he was, watching the show that usually made him feel a small amount of joy but now, all he could feel was a mounting dread.

Why am I feeling so tense? So nervous? I don't understand. Is this because of everything that happened with my father and…and Toya? Or is it because Midoriya is gone and the state of the world is currently in peril? It didn't matter how many times he asked himself logical questions to try and sus out the source of his turbulent emotions; they remained dark, treacherous, and dangerous.

The three Galaxy Princesses on the TV screen continued to talk to each other—Andromeda and Spiral attempting to get Earth to open up to them, but Shoto could hardly focus on it. All he could think about was the twisting of his stomach and the events of the last two weeks that wouldn't leave his mind.

It had been about two full weeks since the catastrophic failure on the League of Villains and the Paranormal Liberation Front. He'd spent about half a week in hospital to recover from his injuries before being released back to UA. The anxiety he was currently feeling seemed so strangely timed and out of place. He'd not felt this feeling when he been in the hospital and he'd not felt it when he agreed to help his father take down Dabi…his big brother. There had been some unease about the reactions of the civilians taking refuge at UA and his relation to Endeavor and…Toya…his big brother...your dead big brother; no, your alive big brother; alive and a villain; alive and insane. Not dead, but alive, alive and eager to kill both you and Endeavor…

The discovery of Midoriya's letter had been the first real time he'd felt a true stab of anxiety but that had subsided a short time later. It'd been about a week and half since Midoriya had left UA and the faculty was irritatingly silent about what was really going on. They'd confronted principal Nezu about it on Bakugo's and Uraraka's urging but they were now in a state of limbo; waiting to be granted more information on the state of their wayward friend.

Shoto had tried to reach out to Endeavor since he knew that his father was out and about with Best Jeanist, Hawks, Edgeshot, and Mt Lady…and with someone who looked suspiciously like Izuku Midoriya. Though, that person looked…different and not very much like his friend. In his heart of hearts Shoto knew that it was Deku that he'd occasionally catch a glimpse of on the TV when film crews for the news happened to catch sight of him. He had changed dramatically since he'd last seen him. His face was never visible, his clothes torn and bloodied, and black whip was often projecting from him like some sort of frightening spider legs or demonic boney wings.

Why couldn't you have shared the burden you were carrying? Why? You helped me…you willingly took on some of my burden despite the fact that I never asked you for that. Why, why couldn't you have reached out? I would've reached back, all of us would've…why did you insist on going it alone?

Thinking of Midoriya and the changes he'd seen there made him start to think of his father and his family…and his not so dead big brother…Toya…

The image of Dabi—not Dabi, his brother—during that fight made his stomach churn with nausea and bile rise to the back of his throat. The wild and unhinged smile on that creature's face—not a creature, your brother—got stuck in his mind like blood on white sheets; he couldn't dismiss it. All he could hear was that scratchy voice, those brilliant blue flames—far hotter than Shoto could ever hope to generate himself—the white hair so eerily similar to his mothers, brother, and sisters' hair, the blue eyes identical to Endeavor's eyes and to his left eye; the fiery embrace of his big brother, the first and only embrace he'd ever gotten from Toya.

"Watch me dad! Flashfire fist!" The words echoed in his mind like a foul stink and he could not dismiss them. Toya's patchwork face smiling at him, the scorching heat of his embrace. My big brother died, he's dead, whoever that is it isn't him, Shoto thought to himself desperately but a darker inner voice shattered his attempts to self soothe. Oh, but Shoto, that is your big brother; he's not dead, you can't lie to yourself and pretend like that thing isn't your own flesh and blood. He's the embodiment of your father's cruelty, the purest product of that man's madness. Don't you see yourself in him? That rage, that blind hatred, the obsession—you understand it because you've felt it too; you've been Toya, parts of you still are. Every day you can't find it in your heart to forgive him, that part grows and it'll fester like a gangrenous wound until you can do that…unless you're never able to and then, well, then maybe you can be just like your big brother; wouldn't that be nice? That dark inner voice continued to whisper to him, even as Shoto desperately tried to focus on the characters on the TV in front of him.

His inner voice had always been his own voice, but the voice that whispered to him now sounded dangerously close to Dabi—Toya's voice. Shoto could practically see a wide, unhinged, patchwork face grinning to him in his minds eye. Push past it—forget this wasteful, anxiety inducing voice. You are stronger than th—but are you? Or are you just a scared little boy cowering in the shadow of Endeavor? That's what you've always been hasn't it? A scared helpless little brat crying for Endeavor to stop it; tugging at your mother's skirt in fear…and what good did that do? Endeavor still beat your mother to the point of insanity; still ignored and abused Toya, not to mention your other siblings. What did all your useless childish crying accomplish? Nothing.

He was alone in the dormitories common room. It was late at night—past midnight so there was no one around that could help distract him from the inner turmoil that was ripping through him like an out-of-control wildfire. It didn't matter how much internal self-soothing he attempted; that dark inner voice reigned supreme and the anxiety he'd felt earlier was growing to levels he'd never before experienced.

Midoriya's gone. All For One is out of Tartarus. So many good people died in Tartarus—could we have avoided that? Heroes are giving up being heroes left and right…there's practically none of them left. The school is on lockdown and yet we're still training and pretending like everything is okay…but things aren't okay; far from it. There are civilians seeking refuge here that stare at me and whisper—I know they're talking about me being Endeavor's son and Toya's brother. Toya. Toya is alive. Toya is a villain. Toya has killed people…no, not killed; murdered. Toya will come back for me and for Endeavor. Toya. Toya. Toya. Toya is coming…

The anxiety he'd been feeling suddenly rose up through his belly and to his throat and for a moment he thought he might throw up. But then the sensation passed and was replaced with what felt like a bolt of hot dread that seemed to rocket down his spine. That dread blossomed up and into his chest to the point that it felt tight; unbearably tight. His hands began to sweat and he suddenly felt icy cold with even his left side feeling the chill. The tightness in his chest seemed to spread out as if following the pathway of his bronchioles and his breathing became strained.

Shoto was vaguely aware of the sound of the TV now muddied with the short, panicky gasping sound that he was making. Was that really him making those sounds? Why was he breathing like this? Was he sick? What was happening?

Breathing was difficult and he suddenly became acutely aware of the rapid, pounding of his heart. It must've easily been 180 bpm or more with how fast he could feel it beating. The sound of his pounding heart beating away in his ears overtook the sound of his gasps and the chatter on the TV. His vision narrowed and his left arm suddenly started to tingle and feel cool. Was he having a heart attack? These were hallmark heart attack symptoms…was that what he was experiencing? How could he be having a heart attack? He was barely sixteen years old and incredibly physically fit; how could he be having a heart attack?!

…but what if he was having a heart attack? It wasn't out of the realm of possibility and he'd recently suffered major stress. Stress produced cortisol and cortisol did bad things to the body if those levels weren't decreased. Cortisol could be a killer. It could be a heart attack, certainly. Definitely not out of the realm of possibility. Statistically the chances were low but they weren't zero.

No, it isn't a heart attack…but then why do I feel like I'm actively dying? Am I dying? Oh God, I think I might be dying. I think I'm having a heart attack and I'm actually dying right now. The pain in my chest is so overwhelming—it hurts so much to even breathe and I can't think about anything else. But what if it isn't a heart attack, what if I'm like having a nervous breakdown? What if I'm losing it like mom did? Oh God I won't be able to do what I promised Endeavor, but I have to do that. I'm probably one of the only ones that can withstand some of that heat considering I'm a fusion of Endeavor's fire and mom's ice. I'll fail him—I'll fail mom, Natsu, Fuyumi and my classmates, my friends. All For One will come and take Midoriya's quirk, he'll kill him, he'll die—I, I can't live with that—I can't live with any of that! I don't want to! I can't…

His thoughts spiraled wildly and Shoto felt himself bend at his middle, leaning over his legs. He was sat on the couch in front of the TV, now bent over with both his arms wrapped protectively around his middle. Shoto squeezed his eyes shut and willed the thoughts to calm but they refused to obey and instead doubled in intensity.

There's no escaping what's coming. It's a storm that cannot be stopped. All For One almost killed All Might and now he's loose and has created an equally as powerful monster in Shigaraki…and they're coming for my friend and for anyone who stands in their way. Bakugo almost died during the fight with Shigaraki and Midoriya almost lost his quirk to him. This fight—it's too much; it can't be done! They're going to die! My father will die. He'll probably be killed by Toya. Toya will probably kill me too, but that won't really matter if I am actually dying right now. But even if I die, those bad things will still happen. All For One and Shigaraki will destroy everything they touch; kill anyone that resists them. The image of Bakugo's frowning face popped into his mind followed by the smiling face of Yaoyorozu before ending on the warm and kind face of Midoriya. A fresh stab of pain flowered in his chest making Shoto really think that he was having a legitimate cardiac event.

They're all going to die. All of them. You're going to die too. Nothing you can do about it. Just give up and die. But I'm dying right now…I think I am…I am dying. I'm dying. I'm definitely dying. I'm dying.

"Todoroki?" A voice that sounded far away called out to him which briefly broke through his haze of catastrophic panic.

He wanted to look up in the direction of that voice but couldn't. His chest was still aching, his arm felt numb and cold, eyes squeezed shut, heart still pounding away in his ears. Shoto tightened his grip around his middle, hoping that the pathetic little hug would somehow make things better.

They're all gonna die. You're gonna die. Toya's gonna kill them; kill you, kill dad. If he doesn't, then Shigaraki will. Everyone's gonna die—die horribly. Die. Die. Die. Die. It's all over.

And then seemingly for no reason at all, the doomsday thoughts passed and stopped repeating in his mind. His chest stopped hurting; his arm didn't feel cold and numb anymore. His breathing slowed and his heartrate started to return to normal. The only feeling that remained in the absence of the others was…exhaustion.

Todoroki stayed bent over, still hugging himself, though he was able to open his eyes and look around. The room was darker than it had been—most of the lights turned off with only a solitary lamp switched on that was bathing the room in a warm glow. The TV was off and the only sound he could hear was his own breathing which was much slower than it had been just moments ago. Shoto also became aware of something warm on his shoulder and the presence beside him on the couch. He turned his face in that direction and was surprised to see Yaoyorozu of all people sitting there beside him. The warmth on his shoulder was from her hand resting on him.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice quiet and calm.

Was he okay? He wasn't sure. "I…I don't know."

He slowly rose from his bent position to sitting. Sitting was too much effort though, so he abruptly flopped backwards against the back of the couch and closed his eyes. He was so tired; exhausted. They'd been working hard over the last week and a half but not so hard as to exhaust him. Was this fatigue because of what he'd just experienced? Vague memories of seeing his mother in a similar state came drifting back to him.

He'd never seen her like that very often but on occasion when he'd been a young child, he'd sometimes catch her bent over and holding her middle. When he'd try to find out what was wrong, she hadn't been able to say anything and all he'd been able to hear was the sound of her rapid breathing. It had frightened him as a child; the thought of his mommy being so ill that she couldn't talk to him was terrifying! But then she'd rise up and give him a weary smile and reassure him that all was well. In one of the many arguments he'd bore witness to, he could remember his father yelling at his mouther about her panic attacks and how she needed to learn to control herself. Rei hadn't said anything in her defense; she never did.

I think what just happened to me was that…was what mom used to have, panic attacks, he thought to himself. It was a worrying thought, but one he was too exhausted to think about in any detail.

"Were you sick or…was it something else?" Yaoyorozu's voice interrupted his thoughts.

He opened his eyes to narrow slits, too tired to open them fully. She was looking at him, her brow furrowed with worry. He could see strain on her face and knew that the events of the last two weeks had taken a heavy toll on her as well. She'd been one of the last ones to hear Midnight's final words.

"I think…I think I might've had a panic attack," he said softly and closed his eyes again. The weariness in her face bothered him to see.

"I wondered if that might be what was happening." Yaoyorozu's voice was quiet and calm; the tone never rising but remaining low and soothing.

"Are you familiar with them?" Todoroki asked wearily.

"Not personally—I've never experienced one myself but I had an aunt that I spent quite a bit of time with when I was younger who suffered from them. I'm…familiar with what they can do to you," she explained, her voice taking on a gentle undertone.

Todoroki nodded and opened his eyes again to look at Yaoyorozu. She looked tired and her hair which was normally styled in a ponytail was down and flat, hanging limply around her face. She wore a chunky knitted sweater that looked well-loved and close to threadbare in a few places. A pair of ancient and ratty looking sweats covered her legs. Yaoyorozu was always quite fashionable; to see her in this attire was…unsettling.

"I'm sorry if it was bothersome to—" the clucking of Yaoyorozu's tongue silenced him. He turned his head a fraction closer to her and saw heavy lines of frustration on her face.

"Don't apologize for that. It's not something you can help. You should never feel the need to apologize for having a panic attack. It's like apologizing for having to go to the restroom or for getting sick or for having a congenital heart defect—they are things you cannot control. You've been through something extremely traumatic, Todoroki. I'm honestly surprised you aren't having a harder time or if this was only your first panic attack," she explained, her brows still knitted together.

Shoto was silent in response, uncertain what to say. Finally, he asked, "do you know why I feel so exhausted? I did absolutely nothing but feel anxious and yet I feel the most tired I've ever felt before."

"I'm not a doctor or medical professional, but what I do know of things like anxiety attacks or full-blown panic attacks is that it's like your mind becomes over stimulated—it's been in fight or flight mode for a prolonged state and can't handle that state anymore so the amygdala responds by throwing like a week's worth of adrenaline at you in a single mega dose. It's the primary reason you feel so awful during an attack—even just a few days' worth of accumulated adrenaline is a lot so to get something like a week's worth in a single instant is both excruciating and exhausting. They last only minutes but those minutes feel like hours to the person experiencing it," Yaoyorozu explained.

That explained a lot of what he'd felt and explained why he was so tired. How strange that the mind's response to sustained fight or flight was to dump a load of adrenaline on itself. It seemed…counter intuitive.

"Ah," he nodded. Shoto assumed the conversation would fade now that she'd answered his question, and honestly, he was okay with that because he was so tired that he felt like he might fall asleep here on the couch. But he was wrong.

"I came down here to get a glass of milk but then I saw you…and I knew something was wrong because you were all bent over and Galaxy Princesses was on the TV and you clearly weren't watching. When I called out to you and you didn't answer…well the position you were in was very similar to how my aunt would posture when she had an attack, so I tried to do what I knew helped her. I lowered the lights and turned off the TV; decreasing external stimuli when having a panic attack can help a little bit. I'm glad that you're a little better now and I'm sorry that you experienced something as unpleasant as a panic attack."

"Thank you," Shoto said softly, grateful for her company, explanations, and interventions.

"What you've been through…what your family is going through and Midoriya leaving, well, it's a lot and you haven't talked to anybody about it. At least, I haven't seen you talk to anyone. You're so stoic and cold—it reminds me of when we first started school. I could tell that that was just your way of trying to deal with such emotional turmoil…but that doesn't help, at least, I don't think it helps. These things, these painful feelings and emotions, it's best if they're let out; expressed. Think of it like a wound festering with pus—if you don't release the pus, it'll never heal, it'll just continue to hurt and spread and eventually cause permanent damage," she paused briefly, her worried brow softening just a little. "…so if you want to talk, if you need to talk, just know that I'm here to listen to you if that's what you need. And just remember, it's okay to talk about the things that hurt us. To give them a name, to say them, is to take away some of the power they hold over us."

Shoto watched her as she continued to look away from him. There was a faint blush in her cheeks. What would I say to her if I decided I wanted to talk to her about what I'm feeling? Do I even know how to talk to another person about my feelings? The memory of Midoriya's smiling face popped into his mind which made Shoto feel a stab of pain. He'd never really talked about his feelings, not like how he'd seen portrayed in the media…but he'd sort of been able to do that with Midoriya and it had helped his heart to feel less heavy…maybe he could try that here.

"I…I've never really talked about my…feelings…they are kind of messy and painful and if I think about the…bad things…that have happened to me, I am not able to focus on my goals as easily. Sometimes it's just easier to lock them away, I guess," he explained his voice wavering with uncertainty. "I've talked a little about it with Midoriya but I don't think even that was like what you're referring to."

Yaoyorozu's gaze flicked back to him; her brow no longer knitted together in a frown. "You don't have to talk about them if you don't want to. I think it'd help but it won't help if you aren't comfortable doing it," she paused briefly, her eyes darting to her feet. "I feel sad that Midnight died…I feel partly responsible, I know a lot of us do. Mina has taken it pretty hard—she loved Miss Midnight. I'm really sad that Midoriya left, that he felt the need to leave and that our teachers are keeping us mostly in the dark about it. I want to help him come back to UA because it's not the same without him and he's clearly hurting and it's…easier to bear pain if you don't do it alone. I wish Mr. Aizawa hadn't lost his leg or an eye. I'm angry that the League of Villains and the Front got away and caused so much damage. I'm scared about what the future holds…but I know I want to fight for a brighter future and part of bringing that into reality is admitting that I'm scared and sad."

What am I supposed to say to that? I don't think I know what to say, Shoto thought to himself, his mind struggling to come up with a decent response. No one had really plainly expressed their feelings like that to him before. What was the correct response? The world of emotionality was a confusing landscape of uncertainty and awkwardness.

"I…I didn't know you felt those things, I'm not sure what I can do to hel—" he started but when he saw Yaoyorozu shaking her head no, he stopped.

"You don't need to say or do anything. Sometimes silence is an appropriate answer, sometimes just a touch or a hug or simply acknowledging that you've heard what a person has to say is also the right thing to do. I feel sad—we all do—the times we're currently in are unprecedented and scary and everything seems really uncertain, but that's okay. It's okay to feel sad and overwhelmed about what's going on. I told you those things not because I wanted you to give me a solution to my problems but because sharing them with another person helps me to feel less hopeless about such intense feelings," Yaoyorozu explained.

Shoto let Yaoyorozu's words sink in. She was sad and had chosen to express those feelings with him; she'd shared a piece of her hurt with him not in an attempt to solicit advice or a solution, but simply for catharsis.

Catharsis was not something he was all that familiar with, at least catharsis through discussion. All through his childhood he'd achieved catharsis by making his heart into stone and honing his ice abilities…but far back into the reaches of his memories, he could recall a time when he willingly shared his hurts with someone; he used to share his hopes, fears, and dreams with his mother.

Mom is back now and we have a better relationship than we used to but…I still don't share my hurts with her like I did when I was little. Maybe…just maybe I can share a little bit of my pain with Yaoyorozu. I like to ease the burden of suffering in others, so why not allow that for myself?

"I…seeing…Toya," he had to pause because saying his brother's name almost seemed to cause him physical pain, "knowing that he's alive that he's…Dabi…it hurts me. Knowing that he is so full of hatred, so fueled by it, that he wants to kill our old man and because of what our old man did to him, to us, makes me…" his voice trailed off and he squeezed his eyes shut acutely aware of the feeling of tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. "…so very, very sad." It took him a few seconds to compose himself before he could open his eyes again.

Yaoyorozu nodded at him, her eyes soft and tender. She scooted a little closer to Shoto and very gently put her hand on his shoulder. "It's okay to feel sad about that. It's a very sad thing."

"I'm afraid that he's going to kill my father and I'm…uncertain how I feel about that. Admitting that makes me feel like a horrible person. What Endeavor has done to my family is unforgivable but I think I want to forgive him and think I've started to work my way towards doing that but seeing…Toya…and all of that fury and knowing that I'll have to face him again, maybe even ki-ki-kill him…makes it hard to breathe," Shoto explained his words strained, the tears that he'd managed to keep at bay now rapidly filling his eyes. "I think I had that panic attack because I couldn't stop thinking about that and all of the terrible things that have happened recently. It just became too much, too much to bear." The tears started to silently fall from his eyes, landing in fat splatters down his cheeks and onto his shirt and pants.

Beside him, Yaoyorozu wordlessly moved closer to him and slowly wrapped her arms around him and gently pulled him in toward her. Shoto hardly realized that his own arms had also wrapped around his friend, his head resting on her shoulder, the tears now falling in earnest.

His heart hurt so badly. He'd suffered so many pains throughout his short life and the realization that his brother was in fact alive and a villain and that all he felt was hatred and rage, coupled with the overwhelming loss that they'd suffered during the raid, and then Midoriya's loss was just too much. As he wept into Yaoyorozu's shoulder, he realized that the anxiety and panic that he'd felt was really just a manifestation from a profound despair that was rooted deeply in his heart.

Yaoyorozu held him and rubbed his back and occasionally stroked a hand through his hair. The gesture reminded him of when he'd been a tiny child and crying over something that his father had done, and how his mother would soothe him by holding him, rubbing his back and stroking his head. He'd cried then too and not felt the need to hide his tears—no sense of shame had been instilled at that tender age with crying. When had crying become shameful? Something that needed to be hidden and kept locked away? He briefly thought of Midoriya again and how he was often easily inspired or upset to the point of tears. That was something he'd never understood and felt embarrassed for him but now…now, he thought there might be more emotional maturity and attuned sensitivity in Midoriya's willingness to cry than he'd given him credit for.

"It's alright. You aren't alone in this. I'm here, we're all here for you, Todoroki," she soothed, her voice gentle and comforting.

Her words were comforting but the hurt still remained deep in his heart. He knew that it was likely that some part of this pain would always be with him. The trauma of his childhood and the recent events, were too great to ever fully recover from. They were a scar that he would bear for the remainder of his days…but with time and with support that scar and pain would become easier to bear. The pain of his past and the agony of the recent events didn't have to define who he was.

The two stayed like that for quite some time; Yaoyorozu holding Todoroki and gently rubbing his back and stroking his hair while he continued to quietly weep. He wept for his father, for his mother, for his siblings, for Midoriya, for those that had died at Tartarus and during the raid…for Toya…for the big brother he was never allowed to really know; for the insanity that Endeavor's singlemindedness had birthed in him; for the lost childhoods and hatred that both he and Toya knew so intimately. He and Toya were two sides of the same coin and Shoto knew that and he mourned it and for the fact that while it hadn't destroyed him it had destroyed his brother. I wish…I wish I could've saved you, known you; loved you.

After some time of crying and soothing, Shoto managed to stop the flow of his tears and instead just rested on Yaoyorozu's shoulder. He'd never been one for physical contact but right now, being close to her felt comforting and safe. Had he not been dealing with profound sadness he might've felt flustered by their linked forms, but adolescent embarrassment was far from the center of his mind in the present moment.

"Thank you," he said at last, his voice gravelly and scratchy from heavy crying.

Yaoyorozu gently separated herself from him and smiled at him. "You're welcome. I meant what I said though, you aren't alone; I'm here for you, we're all here for you. Sometimes you just need to be held and allowed to cry and that's okay; that's human."

Much to Yaoyorozu's surprise, Shoto slowly reached out toward her and very carefully took her hand in his. Todoroki watched as Yaoyorozu's gaze darted between his face and their held hands, her cheeks turning rosy.

"Thank you for being here with me…for listening, for reminding me that I'm not alone. The pain is still there and I, I think it always will be, but being here with you, talking about it even just a little bit, it made the pain hurt just a little less. It's easier to breathe now," he said softly and gave a reassuring squeeze to her hand.

Yaoyorozu's cheeks were rosy but she smiled at him and Shoto saw the beginnings of tears in her eyes. He opened his mouth to say something but then thought better of it and stayed silent.

"I am so glad. It was painful to see you hurting that badly so I am glad if I was able to help, even if it's just a little," she admitted, her eyes still teary though her smile remained.

"Do you want to watch an episode of Galaxy Princesses before we go to bed?" He asked, his voice uncertain.

The unshed tears at last fell down Yaoyorozu's cheeks as she laughed at his suggestion. Not necessarily sad tears, tears of relief, he thought to himself as Yaoyorozu continued to smile at him.

"There's nothing I'd like to do more."

F/N: Good news, unlike with real panic disorders or generalized anxiety, Shoto will overcome his panic much more easily than a regular person does. If only a good cry was all it took to resolve things like panic attacks. Spoiler alert: it's not.