Chapter Text
POV: You
The afternoon blurred into evening, Midoriya had put on a show and sat on the floor in front of the couch, using the coffee table to finish his homework. You sat with a pillow clutched to your chest. His mother tried her best not to hover. You feel her worry lingering behind you after you had politely declined being hungry a third time. She had left the room and the boy in front of you broke the silence.
“Next time she asks, just say yes. She’ll keep asking otherwise.” He said, sparing a glance in your direction before turning back to the question he’d been stuck on.
“Okay.” You replied, shifting on the couch so you could see the problem over his shoulder. You chose to ignore the deep blush that began to gather at the nape of his neck. It was a hypothetical rescue scenario where you had found there was no good answer.
The hypothetical scenario: You are first Pro Hero to the scene where two children, siblings, are trapped under a concrete slab after a building collapsed during an earthquake. The parents are nearby begging for heroes to save both children. The way the slab is leaves no room for leveraging it off from above. To save one child is to doom the other. Which one do you save?
No wonder he’s struggling. It had stumped you for a while too. Poor Midoriya was still trying to find a way to save them both.
“There’s no way to save them both.” You said, anxiety pricking at your chest when the words felt too true for the situation you were in. “Lifting the slab off of one will crush the other.”
“But maybe…” He mumbled. “What if the slab is lifted all at once?”
“That might be possible if you had Uraraka’s quirk.” You said, relieved that it would be an easy answer for her. You could imagine her crying over this question, just as Midoriya was about to. “But with your Quirk, what would you do?”
He leaned back with a sigh before he answered. “Logically, I’d have to choose the one that has the best chance of survival. But how does one determine that? What if you choose wrong?”
A memory of fire and blood mixing with cake frosting flashes before your eyes.
“What if, indeed.” You mumbled, hugging the pillow closer and letting your eyes drift back to the TV. You don’t see that Midoriya notices the way a small shiver goes through your body.
“How would you do it?” Midoriya asked. You let out a sigh before looking back at his big green eyes.
“I would make sure the surrounding area is stable. Then, I would calm the children while checking them for injuries.” You close your eyes as if playing it out in your mind. You don’t mention that you may try healing them, you aren’t sure how you did it so it wasn’t reliable. “Then, depending on how much time the children have, I would work to calm their parents. If possible, I would bring the parents to the children for a moment so just in case, goodbyes could be said. Then I’d send the parents out and decide. Of course I’d try to save them both. But why give false hope?”
“If it were Todoroki or Kacchan, how would you choose?” Midoriya asked before slapping his hand over his mouth, shock clear in the air and on his face. You raised an eyebrow as your own shock surged out in a laugh. The air sparkled as the shock became visible with your laugh.
“The third option.” You answered, waving a patch of shock out of your face. Midoriya’s brow furrowed at your words but was momentarily distracted by the manifestation of your Quirk. He poked out at one of the shimmering patches of air before you could warn him against it and then clutched at his chest when his heart rate fluctuated with a spike of shock. You forced out a harsh breath and the shock melted from the air, puddled on the ground and disappeared. Midoriya blinked and then shook his head and an inquisitive look passed over his face.
“The third option?” He asked, his bright green eyes entirely focused on you. The blush had receded.
“Yep.” You said calmly, putting extra emphasis on the ‘p’. “I’d crawl under the slab with them and find a way to save them both.”
Midoriya’s eyes hardened at the implication of your answer. He simply stared at you, mouth hanging open slightly. His voice had a slight edge to it that you couldn’t place when he finally spoke again. “Good thing they’re not under a concrete slab then.”
“You’re the one that brought it up.” You mumbled as he turned back to write out his answer. He joined you on the couch after he finished but left a respectful distance. The silence was quiet and warm, comfortable.
His mother bustled back into the room a short while later. The TV hummed quietly in the background as she dropped onto the couch between you and her son. She pretended to watch the show for a moment before she turned to you with a look almost like pleading in her eyes.
“Is there anything you’d like to eat my dear?” She said, her concern for you spilling out of her at all angles like a fountain. You catch Midoriya’s slight nod of encouragement from over her shoulder. You nod, despite feeling too tired to feel hungry. Mrs. Midoriya’s shoulders sag in visible relief. You ran through the very short list of easy foods you liked, not wanting to make her feel like she had to go overboard. Her eyes sparkled with an unfamiliar emotion as she listened to you. She was delighted to see your Quirk in action as your joy surrounding the simple food accidentally manifested as a layer of pale yellow drifted lazily around you. Just like her son had, she reached out curiously, gently running a finger along the color in the air. It was so gentle, you could feel the awe in the touch, almost like she had run a finger down your arm. You barely suppressed the shiver but couldn’t hide the goosebumps that covered your exposed skin. She pulled her finger back, a warm smile on her face as she stood and drifted into the kitchen to prepare dinner. A portion of serene joy went with her, following like a lost duckling. You could barely be surprised when it did morph into the shape of a duckling. New fucking party trick. You found yourself thinking while you turned to Midoriya. He had seen it all and was watching you like he was seeing you for the first time. Hell maybe he was. He offered a soft but genuine smile, you hoped the one you gave him in response matched.
Soon dinner was ready. Sitting at a table with a family was an entirely different beast than eating alone. The warmth of the joy and love in the room was like a balm for your weary soul. You’d be lying if you said it didn’t make your heart ache to imagine that you had missed out on this kind of life. It wasn’t the first time you wondered what your life would look like if you had never been in that car accident. Or what would have happened if paramedics had arrived before the strange man. You ate quietly, listening as Midoriya chattered animatedly about his plans for training for the sports festival. His mother looked concerned, often wringing her hands.
“That sounds like quite a bit of training. When will you have the time to rest?” She asked.
“I can rest after I win.” Midoriya deadpanned. She frowned and gently smacked her forehead with her palm. You couldn’t contain your laugh any longer and it came out as a violent snort. Embarrassment colored the air and your cheeks as you smacked your hands over your face.
“You disagree?” Midoriya asked, voice shaking with barely contained laughter. Another garbled laughter broke out of your throat as the lingering amusement in the air infected you. You pulled your hands away from your face and sheepishly scratched the back of your neck.
“No, it’s not that. It’s just…” you said before another giggle makes its way out of you. “That’s just so something Bakugou would say.”
He made an indignant noise then, mouth hanging open when he realized that he couldn’t deny it. Another ‘Bakugou’ thing was the noise. It makes you laugh harder, wincing as the heartiness of your laugh causes pain to flare in your ribs. Your hand fluttered up to brace your rib cage and your laugh turned into a cough. Your Quirk had automatically flared and constructed a brace to hold your ribs in place, allowing you to draw a steady breath. Midoriya was still trying to come up with an argument for how he wasn’t anything like Bakugou, so he didn’t notice. Mrs. Midoriya however, did not miss a thing.
“Are you alright dear?” She said, concern spiking through the joy. You winced again and didn't bother with a lie.
“I think a couple of my ribs might be broken. But I’m okay.” You said quietly, eyes slipping closed so you didn’t have to see the outpouring of concern and protectiveness that flowed from the other side of the table. Midoriya’s utensils clattered to the table and his shock joined the tidal wave of emotions. It was quiet for a moment before Mrs. Midoriya let out a sharp breath and the intensity of her emotions dropped.
“Do you want to go to the hospital?” She asked, voice shaking with a type of rage that you hadn’t seen before. It stung your eyes like smoke but made you feel safe at the same time.
“No. I’m okay.” You said with a tone that said you were done talking about it and returned to eating. You missed the glance that occurred between the worried mother and son. You missed how the boy with wild green hair slipped his phone out of his pocket and typed out a short message.
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POV: Shoto
He hadn’t been expecting Midoriya to text him again, let alone to be added to a new group chat with Bakugou and the green haired boy. His flames wanted to flare to life at the contents of the message.
Midoriya: Her ribs are broken. She just said it so damn nonchalantly.
A queasy feeling invaded Shoto’s stomach. He was forced to drop his phone as his ice flared up like a suit of armor. His breaths came out in forced pants as he tried to regain control and melt the ice. His breathing was steady when he picked up his phone. His hands shook as he typed out a reply to the message.
Todoroki: Are you taking her to the hospital?
Shoto glanced around his room feeling helpless. He had crossed to the door when his phone chirped in his pocket again.
Midoriya: No. She refused.
Bakugou: what. the. FUCK.
Despite the situation Shoto felt a smirk leap to his lips at the thought of Bakugou marching back over to Midoriya’s house and dragging you to a hospital. His free hand slipped into the pocket on his hoodie and he brushed the shimmering patch of fabric. His heart settled in his chest. He typed out another message as he headed back to his bed.
Todoroki: Is she alright?
He lay on his bed wishing that he could ask his sister why girls were so infuriating.
Bakugou: Are you fucking stupid? Her ribs are fuckin broken dumbass.
For some reason the insult didn’t land the way it normally would have. Shoto had seen the way the other boy had held you, had looked at you. He had been jealous at first, but then seeing the way the blond treated you had begun to warm something in Shoto’s chest. He wouldn’t allow himself the time to unpack any of what that might mean, not when you kept finding new ways to break yourself. His phone glowed in his hand.
Midoriya: She finished her dinner. Now she’s insisting on sleeping on the couch.
It sounded so normal, like this was something that had been done a thousand times. It felt like a weight lifted off of his chest. He felt the small smile as he typed out a response.
Todoroki: Good. She sounds okay.
Bakugou: Damn it Deku don’t make me come back over there.
Shoto huffed a laugh as messages zipped by between the exhausted human grenade and his childhood friend. As he understood it the term friend was used most loosely in this particular instance. He already intended to wake up early so that he could go with you and Midoriya to collect your school things. As he drifted off to sleep he wondered how he had found himself with friends so soon.
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POV: Katsuki
He had been drifting off to sleep when the first text came in. Now after arguing with Deku, Katsuki was wide awake. It irritated him that he hadn’t been the one to find you, if he hadn’t dragged his feet while leaving the house he might have been there too. He thought about all your subtle movements and wanted to kick his own ass when he realized you had been hiding your pain. A spike of adrenaline ran through him when he over analyzed each time you had flinched.
All that was his reasoning for doing push-ups on his bedroom floor at nine on a Sunday night. Anything to fight the itch that told him to march over and demand to sleep on the floor near you. To make sure you were safe, of course, not because the thought of you being alone in the same house as that damn nerd made him want to blow something up. The bracelet you had made for him had done little to keep him calm. Though he supposed that it was that little bit that the bracelet was helping that kept him from actually going over to Midoriya’s place. He ran a finger along it again and didn’t fight the shudder as the calm crept up his arm and ran down his spine. Katsuki got settled on his bed and tried his best to just focus on breathing. As the feeling spread, something in his chest loosened, the tension escaped his body in the form of a sigh.
He set an alarm earlier than normal so that he would be awake to go with you and Deku in the morning. He wasn’t leaving anything to chance. He never wanted to see you terrified ever again. He quickly gave up trying to convince himself that he would do the same for any of his classmates. No. You were different. You had somehow weaseled your way in between each of his thoughts. It pissed him off almost as much as it scared him. Before his thoughts could spiral too far, his phone chimed from his bedside table. He was less than graceful when he dove for it, landing in a heap on the floor. His nickname for you flashed across the screen and he just stared at it for a moment. Why the fuck did I just launch myself out of bed like that?
Mantis: I think I can hear you overthinking something. How far do you live from Midoriya?
His heart did something strange in his chest when he barked out a surprised laugh. His fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed out his response.
Bakugou: Far enough that your freak shit shouldn’t work. You should be asleep.
Katsuki got up off the floor and settled back on his bed, absentmindedly toying with the bracelet, a smirk on his face. He could almost see the pout through your next text when it came through.
Mantis: Says grandpa Bakugou. What are you worrying about?
His chest felt warm from something other than irritation at the thought of you worrying about him. The feeling soured when the reason he was still awake drifted through his mind.
Bakugou: Oh I don’t know, maybe about your broken fuckin ribs?
He worried you thought he was mad when a full minute passed between him hitting send and you replying. Thankfully that wasn’t the case.
Mantis: Oh that? It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt anywhere near as bad as when my ankle got decayed.
Katsuki felt the weight behind the text like a brick to his chest. Deku was right, the way you so casually talked about current and past injuries was unnerving. You acted like it was normal. His stomach sank like a stone when a single thought clanged through his head it was normal for you. The way you had touched his cheek earlier and whispered to him. You had been so quiet he didn’t think he had heard you correctly. Now he just felt stupid. He will try to kill you again, it was what you had whispered to him all those hours ago. It felt like the last puzzle piece clicking into place. The man who had tried to kill him, who hurt you at the USJ, was the same man that had been the friend of your guardian who had been hurting you. Fuck. His fingers shook with rage as he typed out his next message carefully. He tried once again to keep his breathing steady.
Bakugou: No one is going to hurt you again. Please get some rest.
Your response was immediate.
Mantis: I will if you will.
He took a deep breath through his nose and let it slowly out through his mouth.
Bakugou: Goodnight Mantis. See you tomorrow.
His fingers remained locked around the bracelet as he felt his eyes grow heavy. He was able to read your response before he drifted off to sleep with a genuine smile on his face.
Mantis: Goodnight Gramps.
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POV: You
You didn’t remember falling asleep the night before, one minute you had been curled on the couch watching a show and now? You were staring at a throw pillow that was shaped like All Might’s head in the low morning light. A small glance around told you that there wasn’t much in the room that wasn’t covered in something All Might related. You definitely weren’t on the couch. You blinked, still half asleep as you shoved yourself upright. The motion sent a painful twinge through you but you gritted your teeth and set your feet on the floor. With the pillow still clutched to your chest, you stumbled sleepily out to the living room, in a vain attempt to retrace your steps. The sight of Midoriya sprawled out and snoring on the couch jogs your memory enough. You remember trying to fight him for the couch while you were half awake. Obviously you had lost the fight. Some sort of technical bullshit about you falling asleep mid argument. Couldn’t be you. Never in my life has that happened, you thought sarcastically as you watched Midoriya sleep for a moment before turning around to shuffle back to his room.
A glance at your phone told you two things, it was ungodly early and yet two people were still awake. Messages already sent, letting you know that they would be joining you to gather your things. Bakugou made sure to give you ‘permission to wake the Damn Nerd by whatever means necessary’. You smiled at your phone and at the light feeling in your chest. You felt like you had actually rested for once. The day ahead didn’t seem so daunting anymore.
You changed back into your workout clothes and left the pajamas that Midoriya had lent you in a neat pile near his hamper. You had hesitated putting them inside the hamper, unsure if you would be able to go back to living in the apartment now that Toya had returned. The list of things you hated to do wasn’t long, but at the very top of the list was waking people up. Staring at Midoriya’s sleeping form again, you realized that you would rather set yourself on fire than wake him up, especially if he was going to be training as intensely as he had talked about. Anxiety slithered out of your chest and hung around your shoulders like a snake. Bakugou probably wouldn’t count sobbing on the floor as a part of his ‘by whatever means necessary’ plan. You signed and tried to shake the tension from your hands as you timidly approached the couch. You had reached out to gently shake his shoulder when he snapped awake with a small gasp. Heat flooded your cheeks as you leapt backwards with a startled squeal. It made you feel slightly better to see a similar embarrassment creeping up his neck as he clutched the blanket to his chest.
“G-good morning!” He stammered out, rubbing at his eyes. “Did you sleep alright?”
You didn’t trust your voice, the feeling of your Quirk buzzed under your skin like electricity, so you nodded. The sound of his alarm blaring fractured the silence, causing the both of you to jump. He scrambled to silence it before standing from the couch, blanket still securely wrapped around himself as he shuffled towards his room. This was an entirely different side of the normally anxious boy. Still half asleep but content. Uraraka would lose her mind. Amusement, forest green and harmless, floated around you.
“Thank you for letting me sleep in your room.” You said quietly as he passed you. You relaxed slightly when your Quirk didn’t activate.
“Anytime.” He said with a yawn. He reached the door to his room when he paused, red creeping farther up his neck this time as he spun around finger in the air, mouth hanging open. His brain seemed to be short circuiting because he stammered out a mix of “I mean— that’s not— wait a minute.”
You smile, unable to stop the laughter that bubbled out of your lungs. This time your Quirk activated smoothly, tendrils bracing your ribs. You could tell from the faint green glow and the tingling feeling that followed that your Quirk was trying to heal you again. With a sigh, you let it heal and watched how Midoriya’s gaze lingered on your smile.
“I know what you mean, nerd.” You said quietly. He shot you a grateful smile before he disappeared into his room and shut the door. You opted to sit on the couch while you waited and sent off a text to the only other people awake.
You: Midoriya is awake, I think. We’ll leave soon.
*
You don’t know what you expected but it certainly wasn’t being escorted to the apartment by three of your classmates. Todoroki had insisted on using the car that usually carted him from place to place. You had wanted to refuse it but were glad that Bakugou gently shoved you towards the car. You still had no memory of how long you had been running before you ran into Midoriya. You were even more glad when you found out you had run farther than you thought. Completely across the city, farther than you thought. You still felt a dull ache in your ribs but you could tell that your Quirk had healed the worst of the injury. Bruises still lingered on your skin, uglier and more prominent than they had been the day before. You could tell that they looked worse from the way Todoroki had gone paler than normal and a muscle in Bakugou’s jaw twitched as he clenched his teeth. Despite the obvious tension of the cramped back seat of the car you found yourself smiling. The warmth from Midoriya’s apartment followed you and protected you against the chill of apprehension that kept trying to sneak down your spine. As if on instinct Bakugou nudged your shoulder with his. He had been uncharacteristically quiet since arriving at the door this morning. He hadn’t yelled at Midoriya once even though you knew he really wanted to. You leaned into his shoulder and let your eyes fall closed for a moment.
You found him watching you carefully when you opened your eyes. You couldn’t name the emotion that you felt coming off of him in waves. It was strange that it was mixed with a new type of fear that you also weren’t familiar with. Like the fear of losing something, of forgetting. Your fingers laced with his automatically, grip strong and reassuring, as if to say I’m here, I’m okay. Some of the tension in his shoulders eased a fraction.
It didn’t take long before you were pulling up in front of the apartment building. Fear coiled low and tight around your soul, freezing you in place as your mind threw out every way this all could go wrong. Of how many people could get hurt. As if you had voiced your thoughts out loud, Bakugou brushed his thumb across your knuckles. Cinnamon and burnt sugar calmed your spinning thoughts. His voice was low but steady when he leaned in closer. “We’ve got your back Mantis.”
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POV: Toya
He woke slowly, the warmth of his dream still lingering. His phone chirped from somewhere on his nightstand and when he tried to reach for it, Toya found himself completely tangled in his blankets. One of the staples on his skin had come loose and hooked itself into the plush material of the blanket. It tugged at his numb skin with each attempt to free himself. With a disgruntled sigh, he realized that more than one of the staples had come loose, some had come off entirely. There had been no pain, no blood. The line where burnt skin met flesh had become less intense. Toya blinked and reached for his phone. It was early but there waiting on his phone was a message from you.
Echo- we’re here.
He launched himself out of bed then, dragging the blanket with him as he bolted for the front door. He made it to the hallway before the blanket ended up tripping him. As he fell, he saw the door swing open. Your shocked face was flanked by three serious looking teenage boys. Two were very familiar. His brother Shoto and the angry kid from the hospital. The third one had wild green hair, he realized with a jolt of shock, was the one that Shigaraki had been complaining about. The hard wood bit at him where he landed tangled heap. Toya lay there for a second in a silence that seemed to stretch impossibly long. Then, like the sound of bells, you began to laugh. He was distracted momentarily by the sound. He didn’t hear it often enough. He closed his eyes with a groan. A cool hand on his shoulder made his eyes snap open. His little brother’s mismatched eyes were looking back as he crouched nearby.
“Need a hand?” Shoto had asked. All Toya could do was stare back, voice locked in his chest, and he nodded. Once back on his feet, he realized that you had stopped laughing. A glance in your direction told him why. You had zeroed in on the way the blanket clung awkwardly in some places.
“And this is why I woke up early. Utterly hopeless.” You muttered while ushering him to the couch. The boy with ash blond hair scoffed and glared around the room. The boy with green hair fidgeted, his gaze danced around the room. Shoto knelt by you as you worked. Toya obeyed every silent command. All too aware that his little brother was kneeling in front of him by your side. Looking at him with eyes that didn’t hold a single flicker of recognition.
Toya felt wary of the eyes on him as your steady fingers worked to free the fabric from the staples. For a moment there was only the soft sound of metal against wood as more of the staples fell free. For the first time since waking from his coma, Toya realized that he didn’t need the staples holding him together anymore. His skin had healed. He felt a hoarse laugh rip itself free.
“I’m sorry E, I know you have to get ready for school.” He said, trying to break the tension in the air and failing miserably when his voice rang out. Too loud, like a gunshot. Toya hated the way you had flinched slightly. If I see Shigaraki again I’ll kill him. The boys, Toya realized, had come along in case trouble was waiting for you. They were all tense, prepared for a fight.
“It’s alright. What kind of hero would I be if I didn’t help my brother?” You asked, voice barely above a whisper. Toya heard the sadness in your voice as his gaze once again slid across Shoto. The blanket dropped away from Toya’s body and you hummed as you stood. A small, content noise that brought a pale blue glow to the room. You directed your attention to your classmates and with a smirk said, “My work here is done. Make sure this walking disaster doesn’t choke on air?”
The angry blond made some sort of noncommittal noise and crossed his arms over his chest. Toya felt something in his chest flutter at the way you looked at the boy. He hadn’t seen you this confident. Ever.
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POV: You
“What you thought you’d get to come into my room while I put on my uniform?” You quipped, a smirk growing at the deep blush that worked across Bakugou’s face. Your amusement mingled with his stunned embarrassment in the air as you took another step towards your room.
“Tch, like hell I’d want to see that anyway!” Bakugou snapped, looking away from you quickly. A blush of your own rose to your cheeks as your Quirk detected the bitterness of the lie. It was sour like lemons. Your thoughts screeched to a halt, very aware that there were other people in the room. You stalked forward, until you were inches from Bakugou. His expression was guarded when he looked at you.
“Human lie detector, remember?” You mutter pointing at yourself. You don’t fight the victorious smirk as his blush deepens. You reach up and ruffle his already spiky hair and laugh. He swatted your hand out of the way.
“Oh go to hell Mantis!” He said as he flicked your forehead. You scowl at him and rub the sore spot.
“I’ll save you a seat.” You said cheerfully as you whirled around and marched into your room without looking back at the mix of emotions in your wake.
You rush through your morning routine and pack a small duffle bag of necessities on the off chance that you aren’t allowed to come back here tonight. You make sure all your homework is in your backpack and you have everything you need for your classes. You tried to ignore the guilt that kept attempting to settle in your body. For the first time that you could remember your body felt light. Sort of like when Uraraka had made you weightless. The guilt couldn’t seem to get its claws in deep enough before it slid away. I’m sure that’s fine, you thought. You didn’t realize that you were literally glowing until you passed your mirror. You were covered in shimmering pale yellow. The glowing didn’t flicker or fade when you thought sarcastically, fan-fucking-tastic I glow now. With a sigh of defeat, you walked back out to the group.
You could almost cut the tension with a butter knife. The silence was suffocating as all eyes snapped to you. The air shifted into varying degrees of alarm and confusion as they took you in.
“I can’t figure out how to stop it, so I guess I glow now?” You said, laughing a little out of shock and a little because of course another weird thing would happen to you.
Thankfully, the glowing faded to a light shimmer as you headed for the front door.
“I’ll call your teacher today.” Toya said, voice coming out unnaturally hoarse as he tore his gaze from his little brother.
“Okay! Love you bro!” You said as you skipped out the door. You didn’t notice the look that flashed across Toya’s face. But you felt a brief flash of emotion from him that made you slow and turn back to him, he was scared. So you smiled brightly, feeling the shimmering intensify and said, “Everything will be okay.”
You were glad for the privacy of the car after you’d caught the attention of everyone you passed. The attention grated on your nerves. It was even more cramped now with all the school bags. You were sandwiched in between Todoroki and Bakugou. Midoriya had chosen to sit in the front to avoid the death stare he’d received when they loaded into the car the first time. Tension filled the air anyway but it felt different than anger or jealousy. You spent the ride to school in the sleek black car pondering over all the emotions that you had seen that you couldn’t name. There had been more than you expected but then again, growing up in isolation didn’t really allow for much time to learn. There were so many different shades of the emotions you did know that you began to feel like you’d never catch up. Your mind kept fixating on what the pale pink color could mean. A cool hand on your wrist made you jump slightly, the shimmering on your skin brightening as you locked eyes with Todoroki.
“We arrived at the school.” He said quietly. You observed Bakugou with his arms crossed, tapping his foot impatiently. Midoriya was wringing his hands anxiously as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. Exactly how long had they been trying to get my attention? You thought, head tilting to the side slightly before you slid out of the car with all your bags in tow. You winced as the strap dug into the bruise along your collarbone. Bakugou scoffed and there was a whoosh as the weight disappeared, you squeezed your eyes shut as the movement of the strap over your head sent your hair flying into your face. A small sound of frustration escaped you as you tried to fix your hair.
“Bakugou!” You whined, mortified by the tone your voice had taken.
“What? You were taking forever. Let’s go before you make us late.” He said as he slung your bag over his shoulder. He started walking away before you could protest, forcing you to follow. The odd crew caught the attention of multiple students as you passed through the hallways. True to form, class 1-A was in chaos over something when the door slid open. The air was filled with sparkling excitement about the training for the Sports Festival. You made it to your seat before Mina caught sight of Bakugou slipping your duffle bag off his shoulder. It landed next to your desk with a distinctive thwap and only drew more attention. You sighed inwardly at the way Mina was waggling her eyebrows at you and your entourage before she took in the bruising on your face and a frown replaced her bright smile. A flicker of something negative prickled at your back. When you turned around, the feeling instantly morphed into concern as you locked eyes with Yaoyorozu. You saw the way her dark eyes danced across your face before looking at the three boys that were still watching you like hawks even though they had taken their seats. She took a hesitant step towards you but the door to the classroom slid open and Mr. Aizawa walked in. Her lips turned down in a slight frown and she anxiously tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as she sat at her desk.
“I trust that everyone has read the training schedule, get your gym uniforms on and meet me in the training gyms.” He said flatly, there were dark circles under his eyes as he looked over the excited faces. His eyes landed on you and he cleared his throat to quiet the class again before calling out your name and asked, “hold on a moment will you?
Everyone stopped and a chorus of “~~ohhhh you’re in trouble~~” floated over from where Kaminari and Sero were chuckling. Bakugou, who had already made it over to them, smacked Kaminari on the back of the head. Your eyes met his and you read the silent question, do you want me to stay? The slight shake of your head was all he needed to pull Kaminari out of the room by the ear, grumbling something that you couldn’t hear. A brush of a hand on your shoulder had you turning the other way to see Todoroki and Midoriya mirroring the same concern.
For the first time, instead of the crushing guilt you felt a small flame of genuine joy light within you. Your shimmer became a full on glow again with your smile. The tension in their shoulders melted away and they filed out of the classroom as well. When you turned back to the front of the classroom, you saw Mr. Aizawa pinching the bridge of his nose like someone had told him that his favorite yellow sleeping bag had been shredded. You fidgeted awkwardly for a moment, the glowing turning back to a less detectable shimmer. The silence grew more stifling the longer he stayed quiet.
“So…” you started, in what you hoped was a joking tone. “I kinda glow now?”
Mr. Aizawa let out a nose somewhere between a groan and a dry laugh as his hand rubbed roughly against his jaw. He let out a heavy sigh before he said, “We can figure all that out later.”
“What did you want to talk to me about then?” You asked, anxiety cut through the joy you had been feeling at the look on his face.
“I spoke with Nezu and All Might about the… situation you and your guardian are in.” He started as he gestured for you to walk with him. “We came to the agreement that you aren’t safe in your apartment.”
“Oh.” You said, out of everything you hadn’t actually considered that they wouldn’t let you stay with Toya anymore.
“I know the Midoriya’s would be first to offer to take you in but they don’t have much space as it is.” He continued, his footsteps smacked loudly against the tiles of the floor. “We made some calls and the Yaoyorozu’s have agreed to take you in for the time being until we can put a more… permanent… safety plan can be put into place.”
A chill ran the length of your spine. You had worked well with Yaoyorozu on the first and second days of class but had received nothing but a frosty attitude from her since then. Sure, she had been concerned about you today but it had still started off as a mix of jealousy and anger. Your mind spun as you tried to form the words. You were outside of the locker rooms by the time they came to you.
“For how long?” You asked, voice more hollow then you would have liked.
“At least until after the Sports Festival.” He answered calmly. You could see his concern for you but couldn’t feel it. You looked up and noticed that he had activated his Quirk to give you a moment of reprieve, a moment to only feel the emotions that belonged to you. You let out a defeated sigh.
“And my guardian? He’s going to call you today. He promised.” You said, unable to stop the way your voice rose with a tinge of hysteria. The look on his face then made your blood run cold.
“We haven’t been able to reach him yet.” He said before putting a hand on your head and ruffling your hair. A move, you knew, aimed only to distract you from the rising panic that kept your chest locked tight. “But we’ll keep trying. Don’t worry about anything now except for your sparring match with Bakugou.”
You swatted his hand away and buried your shock as he took slow, measured steps down the hall away from you. It seemed that none of the boys or Mrs. Midoriya had shared the news about your ribs, or if they did, they had also added that you had somehow healed yourself. Your mind spun as you walked into the locker room. The gentle hum of your classmates getting ready was muted slightly as your own emotions smothered the joy in the room. You kept your mouth shut tight, worried that a single noise would cause unnecessary chaos. You tugged roughly at the tie on your uniform loose with a sigh. You had almost completely forgotten about the bruises hidden beneath your shirt until a sharp gasp and a near overwhelming sensation of concern washed over you like a tidal wave.
Your hands instinctively rose to cover your chest as you turned, even though you hadn’t removed your undergarments. Yaoyorozu stood closest to you, her hand had flown up to her mouth as if she could shove the sound back in. She was the bulk source of the concern but her gasp had drawn the attention of everyone else in the room.
Now, on full display for the other girls in your class, was the mosaic of old scars and new bruises that you had been trying to hide since the first day. No one spoke or moved. You saw concern hovering around in the outline of Hagakure’s body, as she had been in the middle of changing before the distraction and was completely invisible. You wished again that you had her Quirk as heat rose to your cheeks. A sharp sniffle from the direction of Asui and Uraraka broke the silence. Yaoyorozu stepped forward, blocking you from the view of the other girls who were still frozen in place, hands fluttering a bit before landing on your shoulders as gentle as a butterfly. She turned you gently too, as she surveyed your bruises, any trace of hostility wiped from her face and emotions.
“Is this why?” She asked you quietly, having the tact to keep it as private as she could in the silent locker room. “My parents would not say.”
You nodded, mouth still shut tight. You sniffed hard as your eyes began to sting. Her brief anger and jealousy from this morning now made all the sense in the world.
“I am deeply sorry for my atrocious behavior. To think you had to deal with my attitude on top of this makes me sick.” She said, voice quiet but passionate as the girls behind her shook themselves out of the shock and flocked forward. You nodded at her in a way you hoped conveyed your gratitude for her apology. Your face heated in embarrassment as you were pulled, half naked, into a gentle but firm group hug. You held your chin high and clenched your jaw tighter as a fierce wave of protective energy surrounded you. A single tear escaped and trailed down your cheek before dropping onto Mina’s shoulder. She hugged you tighter while still being mindful of the angry looking bruises that littered your ribcage.
“Bruises like that… Mr. Aizawa won’t let you spar with Bakugou with broken ribs right?” Uraraka said, voice quiet from somewhere in the middle of the pile. Another round of gasps echoed through the room. Everyone jerked away from you as if you were made of glass. You sighed, hoping to clear the emotions away enough to keep anyone from accidental harm when you spoke. The emotions in the air behaved and you drew in a deep breath, your voice came out hoarse.
“No broken ribs. Just ugly bruises.” You said. There was a flicker of something across Yaoyorozu’s face but it passed too quickly for you to name it. You turned back to your locker and quickly slipped on your shirt. The bruise on your collarbone was visible, nothing to be done about it I guess. You and the rest of the girls finished getting changed after that.
Walking out to the training field, you noticed how the girls seemed to cluster around you, shielding you from the prying eyes of other students. You were flanked by Asui and Uraraka, each girl linking arms with you. Asui even more quiet than normal as she clutched your arm tightly, the warmth and pressure surprisingly comforting. Her emotions were a monsoon of sadness, concern and fear that she was carefully trying to control. Uraraka was buzzing with anger, it zipped around her like a storm of angry bees as the boys in the class came into view. She released your arm and marched ahead, straight towards Midoriya. Yaoyorozu slid into step next to you, shame and guilt kept her hands clasped neatly together in front of herself. Her eyes searched the small crowd but you were too focused on the way Midoriya had shrunk back sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as Uraraka spoke in a soft yet stern tone. You didn't hear what she said but you heard Midoriya stammering over an answer as a deep blush raced up his face.
“I–She–well–um…” He was saying as you walked over to him. He was grasping at straws, not wanting to tell a secret that wasn’t his to tell. You didn’t need your Quirk to tell you that he was panicking. He shot you a look that was halfway between a call for help and an apology. The corners of your mouth twitched up in a small smile. You put a hand on Uraraka’s shoulder and gently pulled her out of his face.
“It’s not his fault. He only found out yesterday.” You said quietly. The worry in the air softened for a moment before it spiked back up again. A warm fist landed gently on the top of your head and you didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. The smell of cinnamon and burnt sugar filled your nose as the wind shifted. Asui let go of your arm when she felt your muscles relax slightly. She looked between you and Bakugou, observing with a small smile as you leaned back instinctively, your back brushing briefly against his chest.
“Tell it right idiot. He only found out because you passed out in his arms.” Bakugou said, the usual sharp tone he used at school was back at full strength. It was your turn to blush as the girls looked between you and the boys. Then they looked at Bakugou expectantly, waiting for an explanation.
“Tch, this dumbass,” he said, speaking slowly like he was talking to toddlers and resting his flat palm against your head. “Overdid it on a workout, ran clear across the city and found that dumbass,” pointing harshly at Midoriya with his free hand, “and then straight up fainted.”
Midoriya stood frozen, with his mouth hanging open slightly before he nodded and said, “Kacchan is right, that’s how it happened.” He said, shock still fluttering around him like butterflies. It would have been comical if you didn’t know that there were many layers of tangled emotions hidden in this exchange. It was somewhat dizzying so you were thankful when Bakugou scoffed.
“I usually am. Come on Mantis, we’re up first. No holding back okay?” He said, throwing his arm over your shoulders in a move that was a picture of half annoyed and half nonchalant grace. His hand hung in a way that covered the bruise on your collarbone without touching it. To everyone else however, it looked like he was dragging you towards the sparring area. A murmur went through the class as you got into position in front of each other. Mr. Aizawa’s voice cut through the arena as he spoke from a vantage point. “Quirk use is allowed. Obviously killing a classmate is still off the table. Begin.”
The two of you began to circle each other, his fists were clenched tight as he watched you. He’d seen you fight before, sure, just as you had seen him fight. But you had a slight advantage, in the past you had been stressed out, injured and not at one hundred percent. Today, you were well rested, calm and lacking major injuries. On the sidelines, your classmates were worried, clearly thinking that Bakugou would beat you quickly. But they didn’t know the extent of your training. You had gotten good at dodging angry people and now you could use your Quirk freely. Ideas spun through your mind and you felt a smirk settle on your face as one idea stuck in your mind.
He lunged first, he always did, aiming his usual right hook for your already bruised jaw. You danced out of the way and jabbed at his shoulder. His arm went slack for a moment. You saw a flare of irritation from around him, costing him precious moments of focus. You used your chance and darted in close, all the while silently instructing the dark tendrils to snake around his arms and legs. He only had time to flinch away from you as you got inside his personal space.
“Stay.” You said, the shadows solidified, pinning his arms to his chest and his legs together. Unfortunately for him, he was still mid-flinch, and with his arms and legs bound, he began to tip backwards. A strangled noise that was a mix of embarrassment and frustration tore out of him as he scowled at you. You directed more of the solidified tendrils to catch him before he could hit the ground. For fun, you had the tendrils flip him upside down, he hung there wriggling, trying to get loose as you walked towards him.
“This feels fuckin weird Mantis. Let me down.” He growled as Kirishima howled with laughter. Your smirk grew into a smile and you began to glow again. The tendrils took on a pale yellow glow as well and for a moment Bakugou looked alarmed. But then, he laughed. Pure, genuine laughter that echoed through the arena. Shock bloomed from the sidelines. There were tears in his eyes but he managed to gasp out, “Fuckin stop that!”
“Make me!” You said cheerfully before you turned your back on him and squinted up at Mr. Aizawa. “Did I win?”
You knew it wasn’t over yet though, it had been another part of your plan. You heard the telltale popping that always preceded an explosion and twirled away from it. There was a familiar chorus of gasps at the close call.
“Missed me!” You called out through the smoke. All Bakugou could do was snarl as his irritation upgraded into intense anger. A strange feeling came over you then as you blinked through the smoke. You couldn’t see anyway so you closed your eyes. Colors exploded behind your eyelids, thrumming like heartbeats, the outlines of your stunned classmates and in front of you, moving quickly through the chaos: Bakugou. The only outline tinged with red, the only outline that thrummed at a faster pace. You drew on that anger, tugging it towards you and building a wall like you had on the second day of class.
“Stop.” You said sternly and the wall snapped into place. Just in time for Bakugou to run headlong into it and be blown backwards with the force of the shockwave. The crackling of his explosions told you that he had managed to stay on his feet. The smoke cleared from the air, your throat felt raw, but more manageable than it had been in the past. You didn’t taste blood when you swallowed. Your cheeks began to ache from how wide you were smiling.
Bakugou however, looked positively feral, panting and sweating. A giggle bubbled out through your mouth, you recalled all the solidified emotions in the arena and recreated what you had done on the day of the USJ. The tendrils formed armor around you and lifted you in the air in that odd octopus-like way and carried you quickly towards the spiky haired blond.
“Oh what the— shit!” Bakugou huffed as he rocketed into the air away from you.
You outstretched an arm and a tendril wound along it before stretching out further and wrapping around Bakugou’s ankle. Your voice was playful when you spoke next, “Why are you running away? Are you scared to hit a girl?”
There was a flicker of amusement buried deep under his anger as he used explosions to pivot midair. Then, as he was falling to the ground he aimed another massive blast at you. You yelped in surprise, more channeled emotions poured into the odd octopus shape around you, fully encasing you. To your classmates it really did look like you had been swallowed up by a giant octopus.
“That’s manly as hell!” Kirishima shouted out, all but drowned out by the sound of the massive explosion. It took the brunt of the hit, cracking the concrete beneath you, but the heat still left your skin tender. You felt the emotions-octopus falter in structural integrity as your energy took a nosedive. It deposited you gently on the ground as it melted away, leaving you in an exhausted heap on the ground in the center of the smoking crater. Your eyes stung from the smoke and long buried memories threatened to push to the front of your mind. Fire, blood and cake icing. You blinked hard, staring up at the sky and gave yourself a silent assessment for injuries. It felt like you had a sunburn and a sore throat but there was no blood, no new bruises. Your lungs screamed for fresh air as you closed your eyes again. There were two outlines moving quickly towards you. Bakugou, concern cutting through the haze of anger you had pulled out of him. Mr. Aizawa, concerned and exhausted, probably wished he had never paired you together. Your teacher reached you first and he watched you for a moment, your eyes were still closed but there was a wild smile on your face. Bakugou tripped to a stop a short time later, his concern beating his anger down fully at the sight of you laughing in the center of the crater.
“Bakugou wins.” Mr. Aizawa announced when the smoke began to clear. There were shouts of alarm from the sidelines and another figure broke off the clump and rushed forward. Your eyes were still closed but you could tell it was Todoroki. The laughter faded into a groan as you pushed yourself up and opened your eyes.
“Oh come on! I totally had him!” You slurred as exhaustion made your tongue heavy. Mr. Aizawa let out a long, suffering sigh, yet again pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Do you need to see Recovery Girl?” He asked. Bakugou remained silent. You shook your head slowly and did your best impression of Kaminari after he used too much electricity. Another giggle worked its way out as you stuck out a double thumbs up.
“All good boss!” You said as you pushed yourself to your feet. You swayed dangerously before a cool hand steadied you.
“Fine. Go get some rest then.” Mr. Aizawa said as he turned to ready the next pair. You let Todoroki lead you to the benches where the water was and obediently sat while he wordlessly got you water. Bakugou still hadn’t moved. He was staring at nothing, emotions tangling in a confusing web that your scrambled brain couldn’t comprehend.
“Oi Firecracker! Come take a break!” You called out, gesturing wildly to catch his attention. He shook his head, not in rejection but in shock as his mind cleared and he glanced over at you. You didn’t see what he decided before Todoroki was back with a bottle of cool water. You took it and pressed it against your forehead and let it cool your heated skin. You took a sip and felt your mind begin to clear. There was stomping and then a heavy weight dropped onto the bench next to you. You didn’t need to look to know it was Bakugou and silently offered him your water. He scoffed, something low and nearly unintelligible about germs as he leaned his elbows on the back of the bench. His hand brushed your shoulder gently and you relaxed further.
“I’ll go get you another one.” Todoroki said, slipping away before Bakugou had the chance to protest that he was perfectly capable of getting one himself.
“Damn Mantis.” He said, tone somewhere between impressed and annoyed.
“Back at ya Firecracker.” You said, leaning closer to him as your eyes slid closed.
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POV: Toya
The front door had just latched shut when the purple mist of the warp gate appeared in the living room. Toya tensed, a sensation he felt in his shoulders after years of numbness. A chill ran down his spine at the things that could mean. A pale hand came through the mist and beckoned wordlessly for him to come through. Why now? Toya glanced at his phone, it had begun to buzz on the table. An unknown number, most likely your teacher, flashed across the screen. Time seemed to move like molasses for Toya then as Shigaraki came through the warp gate already hissing with rage.
“That little brat… ruining everything.” Shigaraki was muttering. It was anyone’s guess which brat he was referring to this time. Toya stood frozen, unable to wipe the fear from his face at the intrusion. Crazed red eyes locked with his own.
“You want to explain to me… Dabi, why am I getting told that little brat wasn’t here last night?” Shigaraki hissed, scratching slowly at his neck. It took real effort for Toya to shove down the protective rage he felt when he looked at the other man. Instead, his face was a perfect mask of aloofness.
“Who says she wasn’t?” He countered smoothly despite the fear that stuck to his ribs. A sharp laugh and a shuffle of feet had Shigaraki inches from Toya in an instant.
“You’re normally much better at lying.” Shigaraki said, sounding almost disappointed. Four fingers curled into the fabric of Toya’s shirt before he was tugged off balance. From the floor, gasping for breath, Toya felt Dabi’s rage and relinquished control to deal with what was to come. A warp gate opened beneath him. The last thing he remembered hearing was, “I think it’s time I remind you who is in charge here.”
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POV: You
A dull pain lingered under your ribs as you watched the rest of the sparring matches. A couple times you had rubbed at the same spot on your chest as if the motion would ease the pain and the feeling of unease that came with it. We haven’t been able to contact him. Mr. Aizawa’s words replayed in your head as Uraraka sent a classmate tumbling through the air. Bakugou stayed by your side, presence warm and soothing despite the growing feeling of wrongness. It had settled right where the warmth of Toya’s joy had been. He’ll call. He’ll call. He will call. You repeated in your head trying to clear the feeling away. You were shaking slightly when you unconsciously shrank further into Bakugou’s side. At some point, his arm had settled over your shoulders but it now tightened around you, pulling you closer. Risking a glance up at him you saw that his cheeks were ablaze with a muddled sort of embarrassment. The flicker of protectiveness he felt wouldn’t let him push you away.
Toya didn’t call. You watched your teachers all day, intently. They weren’t aware of exactly how much your Quirk picked up on. The rumors started to buzz through the school by lunch. Why do you think Aizawa had to remove her from her guardian? Didn’t you hear, her guardian put that bruise on her face! It shouldn’t have bothered you, the whispers, but the longer the stares became the sharper your temper got. You weren’t the only one. You had overheard your classmates trying to dispel the ugly rumors. By lunch you had reached your breaking point. You had managed to keep your composure this long but hearing one more person accusing Toya had you slamming your hands down on the lunch table with a groan of frustration. You wanted to march back to the apartment and drag him here by his scorched ears. Never letting you know it’s next move, your Quirk activated, sending tendrils of shimmering red annoyance out around you. They flicked out at the worst of the gossiping students and sent a couple of lunch trays arcing through the air. Silence slammed down over the cafeteria. There were flickers of amusement from your class, Yaoyorozu simply held out a handkerchief out to the loud blond from class 1-B with a look of disdain. Then, startled laughter began to roll through the room. You ducked your head, bowed lightly and mumbled out an apology to the students picking food out of their hair. You took your seat again and felt Todoroki shaking with a silent laugh that he was trying to pass off as a polite cough.
“And you called Bakugou a firecracker.” He said through the ghost of a smile. You dropped your head into your hands with a small huff before you peeked up at him. His cheeks had gone pink, how strange. Bakugou pressed into your side in a move not unlike a cat, that stupid cocky grin on his face. There was a competitive fire in his eyes that made your muscles ache preemptively. How could he possibly be thinking about sparring again?
“You held back earlier.” He said, making sure his eyes were locked on yours. “Next time we fight, don’t. Got that?”
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POV: Katsuki
He wasn’t sure what made him say it. He had never felt more scared than he had seeing the crater he had put you into this morning. Sparring with you had lit something in his chest that Katsuki couldn’t name. His Quirk had seemed turbo charged but he hadn’t hurt himself as a blast that size normal would have. He had felt too hot and his lungs had felt too tight, seeing you there on the ground grinning like an idiot, like you proved something. You had walked to the benches in a daze with that IcyHot bastard because Katsuki couldn’t fucking move. He had been struck by the thought that he had caused you more pain and his muscles locked up. He stayed that way when Kirishima clapped him on the shoulder and began talking about something. But Katsuki hadn’t comprehended a single word. Your voice had cut through the air and yanked him out of the spiral.
He had sat with you on the bench through the rest of the matches and hadn’t missed the moment you had begun to tremble. The way your hand slowly brushed along your ribs. His mind emptied completely and his heart had begun to race when you pressed further into his side. He had only glared when Kirishima waggled his eyebrows suggestively. The day dragged on and the damn rumors began. Katsuki had noticed that by lunch, your jaw stayed clenched shut tightly. Then you flipped the fuckin lunch trays. Nothing had ever filled him with such genuine amusement, not even All Might. At least it felt a lot like amusement, his chest felt warm and his palms began to sweat. He couldn’t stop himself from pressing closer to you than he had to as he locked eyes with you. Something in the deep blush on your cheeks had lit that flame in his chest again. We’ve gotta spar again. That must be it. He felt his signature smirk slip into place.
“You held back earlier.” Katsuki said, his eyes never straying from yours. “Next time we fight, don’t. Got that?”
Nothing else mattered in that moment other than the slight raise of your eyebrow and the way that your head dipped in a nod.