Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I hate this.
I hate planes. I hate airports. I hate our destination. I hate the humidity, the heat, the way everyone there speaks like they have marbles in their mouth.

But most of all, I hate that I don’t really have a choice but to be here.

I look down at my nine-year-old brother, Mathew, tapping away on his laptop, trying to beat some boss in a video game. He doesn’t seem to care at all that we just had to leave the only home we’ve ever known for a new posting. He doesn’t care that mom is still in Colorado, with the snow and the fields and the dog. I look to my right, where my twelve-year-old brother, Archie, is napping. His head is pressed up against the window, blocking me from even being able to see the ground below. He cried when Dad told us about the divorce, six years ago. But he didn’t even respond when we were told we would be moving across the country because of Dad’s stupid work assignment.

Dad will be waiting, I know, with flowers for me and some new game systems for my brothers. He promised me a car, a flat-screen in my room. He promised my brothers their own rooms. He promised that he had gotten us into the most prestigious schools in the country. Nothing that would make it better. I want my friends. My home. My mom. But she’s hare-brained and has a hard time holding down a job that pays any better than food delivery with her flying Quirk.

Dad’s a Pro-hero, with a healing quirk. Good for support and rescue, and valuable enough in today’s age of organized crime to warrant an all-expense-paid move by the American government, and when they found out that my quirk was more developed than dad’s- they gave us no choice. A promise of paid tuition for college, no more red stamps on overdue bills.

The flight was first class, paid for by the commission. Food, drinks, WiFi. I can’t bring myself to do anything but stare down at my phone, looking at my Lock Screen. A picture of my dog at home, Maisey. One brother asleep, the other heavily engrossed in his electronic, I let the tears flow freely. An hour later, wheels touch down in Atlanta.

It’s my responsibility to help my younger brothers get off of the plane, to make sure they have their carry-on bags and belongings. It’s my job to wake up Archie and take the brunt of Mathew’s tantrums from telling him to pause his game. It’s my duty to thank the stewardesses for putting up with us, the unaccompanied minors that they are required to put up with by law. It’s my assignment to fake a smile when dad sees us, sign in his hands saying “Welcome home Black Family!” As if we are complete. As if mom and Maisey aren’t missing from the picture.

Dad has someone else retrieve our luggage from the baggage claim, everything else is already in his house. He’s been here a month already, without us. We missed him, but being with mom was fun.

Mom was always the more laid-back parent. I’d get away with so much more at her apartment than at Dad’s house. Dad paid for babysitters, mom paid me to watch my brothers. Dad had a curfew, mom just kept up with my Life360 and let me be. When I got a D in math in the sixth grade, mom gave me a pep talk, and dad took my phone. Very different people.

I slide into the passenger seat of Dad’s new Subaru, and I try not to grimace as I notice the gathering crowd of reporters. They snap pictures of my brothers and me, screaming questions from behind a blue rope. “Katie! Tell us about your quirk!” One woman dares to duck under the ropes and pushes her microphone into my face through the open window.

“It’s Katherine.” Is all I respond, rolling up the window as dad starts the car.

Just get through the school year, and summers will be up with mom, with rock-climbing and ice cream for dinner and sleeping with Maisey in the room Mom and I shared. That’s probably the only thing better at Dad’s, having my own room. And maybe the WiFi… and my allowance.
Dad pulls up to the house provided to him by the commission, and I have to clench my teeth to keep my jaw from dropping. A massive, white house with a wrap-around porch and balcony, huge windows, and a large front yard. Behind it, a lake. “I got a surprise for you guys.” Dad grins, opening the garage door with a clicker before pulling in. I exit the vehicle, shoving a wireless headphone in my ear discreetly to listen to music so I don’t have to bear any more of this conversation. Mathew rushes inside, keen on finding his bedroom first, but Archie chooses to float, in a comfortable seated position in the air through the door.

Archie only got mom’s flying, and Mathew got dad’s immunity to pain and illness. I got Dad’s ability to heal people, but instead of simply healing it, I take the injuries into myself and can express them to others with a touch. I heal at an accelerated rate, we learned when I was four and broke my arm before breakfast, only to be playing softball by bedtime. Useful, sure. Offensive as well as support. Valuable.

Dad walks behind me, letting me walk into the house first. The garage door opens to a kitchen, small but workable, with a seating area and bookcases to the left, nestled into a huge bay window overlooking the backyard and lake. This is a bribe for me, I can tell by the romance novels on the shelves.

Through the kitchen is a hallway, with Mathew’s bedroom on the left, and the dining room on the right. Forward is the living room, where four men stand. Pro heroes, All-might, Endeavor, Hawks, and Best Jeanist sit on the grey sectional, watching football on the flatscreen. Hawks and Endeavor are drinking beer, All-Might and Best Jeanist make light conversation.

My brothers absolutely lose their minds, attacking the men with questions and yelling about how much they adore them, throwing playful punches at All-Might, making ‘explosion noises’ with their mouths to imitate Endeavor. Archie shows Hawks his flying technique, and Mathew interrogates BestJeanist about the best way to beat him. Normal little boy behavior. I stay quiet, zoning out to the beat of a mother mother album.

Heroes aren’t my favorite. Sure, they’re nice to have around for things like terrorist attacks and natural disasters, but they’re just people. I take the distraction gratefully, happy to be able to slip out of the overwhelming conversation and slide out of the back door, onto the patio.

I lean against the railing, letting loose an angry sigh. The humidity is going to be even worse, this close to a lake- but it’s pretty. And I’m sure they have garter snakes, frogs- maybe a turtle? My brothers used to love going fishing with uncle Joe, and the backyard is big enough for a dog. Half an hour away from Atlanta isn’t enough to avoid the smog completely, but the sun is the same as it was in Colorado. At least there’s that.
“Hey, kid.” A gravelly voice pulls me from my brooding, and I turn to see the speed hero, Hawks, staring at me with an unreadable expression. I feign injury, rubbing my eye like I had something in it to draw him off the scent of my looming breakdown. Crying should be done alone, in the quiet comfort of no one's company but your own. “Didn’t quite catch your name.” He reaches out a hand for me to shake. I’m not impolite, so I shake it.

“Katherine.” I move to remove my hand, but he holds it tight, turning it over to see my grandmother’s wedding band on my right ring finger, over the thin white glove. I brace myself, thinking he’s going to ask me about the gloves.

“That’s pretty.” He comments, examining the stone, and then releasing my hand.

“Thanks.” I blush, relieved, and turn back to the lake.

“So- I gotta ask Katie, why are you out here? Most kids your age would be fawning over us.” He laughs. Leaning against the railing next to me.

“It’s Katherine.” I correct him and shrug.

“Dunno, just not really one for celebrities, I guess. Why are you guys here?” I ask, playing with the strings on my hoodie. Too warm for this weather, but too comfortable to take off.

“Well- if you must know- we’re all trying to schmooze your dad into joining our companies. Healing quirks make for a valuable sidekick.” He removes a packet of cigarettes from his breast pocket and pulls one out with his teeth. He offers me the half-full packet with a gesture.

“No, thank you.” I respond, crinkling my nose and shaking my head. Hawks smirks.

“Good girl.” He appraises, stuffing the pack back into his pocket, taking out a lighter and lighting the white stick, sucking in a breath, and blowing out a cloud. “Well- I mean, that’s what I’m here for at least. He-“ he points at Endeavor, whose smile is clearly fake as he nods and listens to Mathew show off his Endeavor action figures. “Is here to make sure All-Might DOESN'T get your dad” he chuckles, taking another drag.

“So… why are you out here then?” I wonder aloud, tugging on the collar of my hoodie. He lifts his cigarette, gesturing with it.

“Needed a smoke break.” He answers simply, blowing smoke out of the corner of his mouth. We sit in silence for five minutes, and I get increasingly more uncomfortable with how close he stays. He eyes my hands, toying with the end of my too-warm hoodie. “You should probably take that off before you get heatstroke.” He says finally, flicking his cigarette into the yard.

“I’m fine.” I shake my head, stepping around him to go pick up his litter before some critter gets ahold of it. He follows me into the grass, still talking.

“What’s the problem? Are you not wearing anything under it, because I don’t mind.” He teases, and I stifle a laugh.

“You’re gross. Aren’t you like, thirty?” He feigns a look of hurt.

“I’m twenty-two you little shit. What are you? Twelve?!” He watches me bend down to pick up the cigarette and toss it into a garbage can in the corner of the yard.

“I’m turning sixteen soon actually.” I turn on my heel, walking up to the patio again, he still follows me.

“Ah, sixteen. A good year! Getting your driver's license, your first car, being able to get a job.” His nonchalant tone annoys the hell out of me, so I scoff at him.

“Is it really such a good idea for you four to be here instead of, I don’t know, doing YOUR jobs?” I ask, sitting on the stairs with my back to the house. He sits next to me, his shoulder and thigh touching mine due to the cramped nature of the situation.

“It’ll be fine. There are hundreds of other heroes around. Besides, I don’t know about those losers but today is my day off. Tuesdays are my designated day off, otherwise, I probably wouldn’t have bothered making the trip, to be honest.” He wraps an arm around my shoulders, and I flinch, resisting the urge to stand. “Aren’t you cute, worrying about me though.” He smirks, his face too close to mine for my liking. “Are you excited about school tomorrow? I could drop you off if you’d like. Get you some street cred, Katie.” He smirks, pinching my cheek with his hand that isn’t on my shoulder. It’s too much. Too close. I push his hand away, standing and moving as far as my feet will take me in two steps.

“It’s KATHERINE.” I correct him more sternly this time and shake my head. “I don’t need you to- look, if you’re looking at me as a way to get in the goods with my dad, you’re mistaken. I’m probably his least favorite child. Try your charms on Archie, maybe.” I want to go back inside, but the stairs are in between the yard and the patio.

“You’re cute.” He smirks, standing. He’s still blocking the path. I look past him, to my father excitedly distracted by talking to All-Might, my brothers hanging off of Endeavors thick arms. Hawks steps closer, towering above me. He’s not tall, only standing about 5’8, but he’s still a solid half a foot taller than me, making it difficult to look past him. “What makes you think I want him?” He asks, smirking. I side-step him, rolling my eyes.

“Because that’s literally what you said you were here for, Hawks.” He laughs behind me, following me up the stairs. The boys are starting to wind down, still bothering the pros.

“Well, Dr. Black, thank you for inviting us to your home.” Best jeanist shakes my father’s hand as Endeavor crosses his arms over his chest.

“I do hope you consider my offer, Doctor.” All-Might beams, clapping an oversized hand on my father’s shoulder.

“Off to work then-“ Jeanist nods, leaving through the front door, followed by All-might and Endeavor.

“Are you sure I’m alright to stay for dinner, Katherine?” Hawks asks, a sly grin on his face, I open my mouth to object, but my father interrupts me.

“Of COURSE!” Dad beams, pulling out his phone. “I’ll go order pizza.” He turns on his heel, walking toward the kitchen. Hawks gives me a wink before kneeling down next to Mathew, who excitedly offers to show him around the house that we had just stepped into less than two hours ago. Hawks accepts, letting Mathew hold his hand as they trek upstairs to the bedrooms.

Begrudgingly, I follow, curious about my own bedroom. Mathew already picked the bedroom downstairs, closest to the office with the huge gaming computer and the Xbox in the living room. And dad decided my bedroom had to be the second biggest after his master, with a balcony that looks out over the front yard. The French, glass doors something out of a romance novel. Two closets. I still have to share a bathroom with Archie though. Hawks walks into my bedroom before me. Dad has already unpacked my furniture, and put my laundry away, but he left all of my posters and wall decor in the center of the room for me to put up myself. The room is so big. So empty. So very not mine. Hawks trails his fingers up my frilly pink bedspread, the comforter Grammy made when I was ten. “Adorable” he comments, I roll my eyes, trying to hide my blush.

Chapter Text

Dinner is awkward. My brothers race each other to finish their pizza in order to go play on the new game console, the novelty of the pro hero sitting next to me wearing off. Dad bought them a VR game where you get to be a pro hero, and somehow to their minds that was cooler than the real deal sitting across the table. Matt and Archie finish their food in record time, making a huge mess of their spaces and faces.

Dad throws out an “Archibald James!” And “Mathew Brandon!” Through gritted teeth when they get too rowdy, but I am thankful for their unintended efforts of keeping me out of the center of attention, despite how much Hawks tries to drag me back into it.

“So, Katherine, what’s YOUR middle name?” He asks, taking a bite of the pizza crust first like a goddamn psychopath.

“It’s Alicia, after my grandma. Who’s still in Colorado.” I note, and dad gives me a warning glance. I’m pushing his buttons. It’s probably best if I just keep quiet altogether.

“You said your birthday is coming up, what day? I might be able to arrange something.” I don’t want to answer, but dodging the question will only incentivize him to ask more.

“It’s actually in about a week. April 20th.” I answer, and this placates him. He turns to dad, and asks about the boys’ birthdays as well, mentioning something about tours of his agency. Dad excitedly gives him dates and a list of the boys’ favorite heroes.

Yep, I’m definitely not the favorite child.

As dad and Hawks make light conversation, about pay rates and hero expectations, all exceptionally boring, My headphone beeps. Damn. Almost dead. While dad is engrossed in Hawks’ story about some apartment fire, I stealthily switch headphones, tucking my hair in front of my ear to cover the evidence. My playlist has shifted now, annoyingly, to some garbage rendition of a song that didn’t need to be redone. I search for my phone in my hoodie pocket, only to find it not there. I shove both hands into my pocket, panicking. It’s got to be close, for the Bluetooth to still be connected. Discreetly, I shift in my seat and grope my own chest to see if I left it in my bra or in the waistband of my leggings. No luck. Did I leave it in the car? Maybe? I don’t think the connection would reach that far.

I pick at my pizza, appetite not yet returning to me from the lunch we had before we left for the airport. Mom’s chicken and dumplings. Home-cooked meals would be my responsibility here too, as dad had not learned how to make anything harder than boxed Mac and cheese.

My brothers’ schoolwork won’t be my problem, at least, because dad pays for tutors. I zone out, looking past the empty chairs to the window. It’s still hot out, the sun is beaming down. Isn’t it supposed to rain at a funeral? That’s basically what today is, a funeral for my social life, for my childhood. I certainly dressed the part today, grey hoodie and black leggings. Not just comfortable on airplanes, but perfect for laying to rest your hopes and dreams. I internally laugh at my own morbidity.

Being dramatic like that is definitely something I got from my mother, alongside her curly brown hair and a near-exact replica of her face, and her more full figure. Both of my brothers were lucky enough to inherit dad’s slim frame, which I am eternally Jealous of. Mathew has dad’s blonde hair and blue eyes like mine. It was a family joke that they cloned me and Matt, and Archie was the only legitimate kid. Archie got mom’s brown eyes and hair but has dad’s nose and mom’s lips. If it wasn’t for having dad’s eyes, I probably would have believed I was a clone of my mom.

To my chagrin, the conversation begins to be focused on me exactly at the moment when I’m paying the least amount of attention. “So! I heard Endeavor put in the recommendation for you at UA. Being a transfer student in the middle of the first week of the year is rough, songbird.” Hawks comments. The nickname makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

“At least I don’t have to try out, I guess, I’ll be alright, I’m going into the support course anyway for the easy grade.” I nod, and dad interjects.

“Actually, Kitty, your mom and I talked about it, and we decided to put you in the hero course.” I glare daggers at him, before slamming my hand down on the table.

“What the fuck?!” I ask, standing. Rage boils up in my stomach. “Dad that’s such bullshit!”

“Young lady! I-“

“No! It’s so unfair! You forced me to move here and now you’re forcing me into the HERO COURSE?!” I throw my hands up in the air dramatically. “Great! Now I can’t even ride out the months until I can go home without it affecting my grades.” I complain, and my father stands, slamming both of his hands down on the table.

“To your room right now young lady!” He demands and I roll my eyes.

“That’s not my room. It’s your room. It’s your house. It’s your perfect little hero family isn’t it dad?” I sneer, and dad has had enough. He lands a firm, open palm slap to my face. The force of it turns my head and would have forced me to the ground if I hadn't fallen into a chest instead.

“Woah- alright, everyone just take a breather for a moment yeah?” Hawks asks with his arm around my waist and his voice as calm and even as ever. He sounds bored despite the dramatics. Dad sighs, sitting back done with his fingers massaging his temples.

“Just get out.” Dad groans, his voice tired and frustrated more than angry. Hawks takes that as a cue to control the situation, not looking at me when he speaks.

“Alright, I need a cigarette so uh, you- you come outside with me okay?” Hawks keeps his arm around my waist as he leads me through the front door, past my brothers cluelessly stumbling around in the living room with VR goggles on, onto the lawn. I cradle my cheek, tears brimming my eyes for a moment before I wipe them away. I gulp back the feelings, shoving down the anger and sadness and wiping an indifferent look over my face. Hawks lets me get my breathing under control, taking out another cigarette, lighting it, and taking a long drag before opening his mouth to blow out smoke.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Hawks asks after a long moment of silence. I roll my eyes.

“It’s none of your business, really.” I shake my head, moving to walk past him.

“Alright, but I am a pro hero, and what I just saw in there was definitely assault by the legal definition. And I am technically legally obligated to save a kid from abusive parents, So, I could just haul your dad off to jail, if you want.” He spreads his wings, blocking me from moving back towards the house.

“No! It’s- it’s not like that okay.” I press forward, still attempting to get around him.

“What’s it like then? Because clearly you were trying to say something, and it was something he didn’t want to hear. So okay, I’m listening. What’s going on?” He presses, pushing me back with his wing.

“Stop fucking herding me!” I begin to lose my temper, balling up my hands to my sides in frustration. “Just leave me alone damn it.” I huff, crossing my arms. He pauses for a moment.

“Are you hurt?” He asks finally, voice as patient as ever.

“No.” I deny and he thrusts his hand out quickly, catching my chin and forcing my head to the side to look at my cheek.

“Really? ‘Cause, it’s still red.” I smack his hand away and he lets go of my face, crossing his arms.

“If you MUST know, my quirk heals wounds exponentially. The less serious the wound, the slower it heals. Papercuts last about a day, give or take. Bullet holes last a few seconds. This’ll be gone in an hour or so. So, even if you were a total dick and arrested my dad for being a dad, there’s no evidence.” He leans closer, amber eyes burning with something I can’t quite put my finger on as he examines the healing bruise.

“Alright, I'll give it to you. That’s pretty cool. It looks like a timelapse, doesn’t look like it feels good though.” He comments, poking the center of the wound. I hiss, pulling away.

“I don’t have my dad’s resistance to pain.” He’s pleased I’m actually talking to him and stays on topic.

“How’d you figure that out? That you can heal bullet holes?” I answer his question with a question.

“Why do you think I don’t want to do the hero course? The whole point is to test your limits and break them to be a better hero. I don’t want any part of it.” I give up on moving past him, sitting in the grass instead, flopping my bottom down. I don’t really have to be careful with my body, it’ll heal. It heals too well. The lump forms in my throat as I think of it.
That night, a couple years ago.
Thankfully, Hawks pulls me out of the dark thoughts. “Is that all your Quirk does?”He sits across from me, crossing his legs at the ankles instead of sitting crisscross applesauce like I am.

”No, I’m like my dad. I can heal other people too, but I’ve got the caveat of pulling their injuries into myself, which sucks even if they heal pretty quickly. It has its good side though because I can pass injuries off on anyone I touch with my hands, which makes me pretty dangerous if you get into close-quarters combat with me. Of course, even that has its drawbacks. I can’t control it. If I’m hurt and I touch someone, I automatically give them whatever wounds I’ve got. I’m better at controlling the healing part though, If I’m paying attention at least, I won’t accidentally hurt myself. I’m good at doing that in combat thanks to the support course at my old middle school.” I’m bragging now, but I can’t help it.

That part of my quirk is probably the only thing about myself I actually like. I like that I can help people without trying, even if I really, really don’t want to be a hero. I just want to get through high school, go to college and be an EMT. The most effective way to use my quirk without having to hurt anyone society deems as “villainous”.

Hawks leans back on his hands, staring at me. “Alright, and the ‘not my room’ tirade, wanna tell me what that’s about?” He asks, eyes closed as he faces the sky, basking in the sun.

“I still don’t think it’s any of your business.” I lay down on the grass, staring up at the cloudless sky.

“Sure it is. We’re friends now yeah? Friends don’t let friends be angry like that.” He says seriously, and I laugh.

“I don’t even know your real name, Hawks.” I lift my arms, pretending to grab the sky and rip it apart.

“Call me Keigo.” He offers and I scoff.

“Only if you stop calling me Katie.”

“Alright, Songbird.” He notes, and I roll my eyes.

“That’s almost worse.” I tease, and he laughs. Silence takes over again, for a long while before I speak up once more.

“I just want to go home ya know? I miss my mom, and my dog.” I admit finally, and he nods in understanding, continuing to listen. “I mean, why is the center for Hero agencies in ATLANTA for chrissake? It makes no sense to me.” I complain, and Keigo chuckles.

“Well, if you really want to know, it’s because it’s the biggest city in the center of the big cities in the Us. Less than a three-hour flight for All-Might and Me if we need to be somewhere fast. Other cities have their own heroes, but the top four all stay here and dispatch if anyone needs help.” He explains, smoothing back his wild blonde hair with a hand.

“You guys are from Colorado, right? I can fly you there, next weekend if you want. I really don’t mind. I’ve got a meeting with Mount Lady in California on Sunday anyway.” He offers, and I sit up, looking at him incredulously.

“You would do that?!” I ask, eyebrows furrowed together in surprise.

“Sure, all in a day's work for a hero. Besides, what are friends for?” He asks a rhetorical question, giving me a genuine smile before getting to his feet, and offering me a hand. “Let's get you back in there, kid.” He pulls me to my feet easily, despite my weight. “And uh, if he hits you like that again, especially in front of me, I might have to kill him.” Keigo jokes, opening up the front door.

Chapter Text

Sleep came easily, last night, thanks to Jetlag. And I found my phone! I guess I must’ve left it on my nightstand when I went upstairs to look at my room. I did get part of my mom's hair-brained personality. I lose stuff so often I could probably lose my head if it wasn’t attached.

Dad hurries my brothers along, trying to get them both to school on time. With Matt in Elementary and Archie in middle, it’s going to take a while to get the morning routine down pat. Especially without mom picking one of them up while at work to ease the load.

I usually rode the bus, my parents deeming my quirk offensive enough to keep me safe. Keigo makes good on his promise, knocking on our door at seven AM on the dot. Dad swings open the front door, revealing Hawks in all of his glory, fully dressed in his hero gear today. He’s on the clock.

“Talked to Principal Nezu at UA.” Keigo states, passing my father a coffee. The adoration on Dad’s face is palpable. “Got Songbird into Class 1A, all she’s gotta do is show her stuff in class today. They’re working at the USJ and the teachers want to fully evaluate her before placing her anyway. Should be super easy, intel is it’s rescue training. Your specialty right Doctor Black?” Hawks speaks of me like I’m a project instead of a person. Old people suck.

“You’re a real hero, Hawks. I’ve gotta get going, we’re gonna be late. Boys! In the car!” Dad leans down, giving me a peck on the cheek before hurrying through the kitchen into the garage. Keigo laughs as I look past him.

“Uh- Keigo? Where’s your car?” I ask, craning my head to see nothing in the driveway.

“I don’t have one? I fly everywhere kid.” He chuckles.

“Then how-“ realization slaps across my face. “Oh. Uh, yeah, on second thought, I’ll probably just uh- call an Uber or something.” I let out an awkward laugh as I hear the garage door opening and then promptly closing, along with the unmistakable sound of my father driving far too fast down the residential street.

“Oh c’mon songbird, you’re not afraid of heights now, are you?” He teases, leaning against the doorframe.

“No, my mom used to carry me to the mall all the time when I was little, and she can fly, it’s just I don’t want you carrying me.” I cross my arms, he rolls his eyes. Gripping one arm and throwing it over his shoulder, ducking down to grip my calf. He lifts me off the ground in a fireman carry, and I scream. “Keigo! What the-“ I begin as he shuts the front door behind him, and leaps into the air.

“Sorry, songbird. No time for arguing. You don’t wanna be late on your very first day do you?” He teases, pinching the back of my thigh. I kick at him, squirming.

“Seriously! I’m wearing a skirt!” I remind him, desperately trying to keep the back of the uniform pulled down.

“Aw songbird doesn’t want the citizens to see her parties.” He teases, but shifts his grip, allowing me to slide down his body and grip him around the shoulders. His arm stays under my bottom, his rough khaki jacket-covered forearm pressed up against the bare skin of my upper thighs and butt. I blush wildly, eyes wide as I avoid looking at him, “C’mon kid- you’re not mad at me now are you?” He’s still teasing. Damn celebrities and their Egos.

“You’re a maniac.” I grumble and he laughs at me.

“Look over there!” He points down to a huge building. UA high. Great. People are looking up at the sky, pointing at us. I resist the urge to hide my face in my hands as Hawks lets me down gently, making sure I’m stable on the ground before removing his hands from my waist. He gives me a salute before grinning. “See you after school, kid.” He leaps into the air, zipping off to god knows where.

Right. School.

Dad wouldn’t let me take the week off to get used to the new house and city. Asshole. I move to walk toward the front doors and instead run into a Boy, my hands press onto his arms, his jacket slung over his shoulder instead of being on his body properly. I wince as I feel it, his injuries. “Oh shoot! I’m sorry!” The green-haired boy apologizes, and I put my hands up in front of me, desperate to stop touching him.

“No, it’s my fault! Sorry, I’m not very good about watching where I’m going!” I give him a weak smile, and he returns it? His emerald eyes squinting.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before?” He states this like a question, but I shrug.

“‘Cause you haven’t. I just transferred today actually. I’m Katherine, Katherine Black.” I introduce myself, offering my hand to shake and then remembering that the handbook said no gloves. He notices but doesn’t say anything.

“I’m Izuku Midoriya” he adds, tilting his head slightly with a smile.

“You wouldn’t happen to know the way to the homeroom for Class 1A?” I ask, and he nods, grinning.

“Yeah! I’m in class 1A!” He’s excited, I’m not sure why.

“Cool. I’ll just follow you then.” I shove my hands in my pockets to avoid touching anyone else while I heal the awful things I took from him. He pauses for a moment.

“Oh! I saw you on the news! You’re ProHero Doctor Black’s daughter right?” He asks, and I shrug.

“I always thought that name was pretty dumb. He doesn’t even have a doctorate.” I roll my eyes, keeping up with his quick footsteps. He rambles on about heroes and the homeroom teacher being Shouta Aizawa… a once-prominent Pro hero. I zone out, blankly following him through the halls and into the classroom. The teacher is late. Of course, he is. Who would expect professionalism from a Pro Hero right?

The students fawn over me, talking loudly over each other and being generally exhausting until one of them- a tall boy with glasses- shouts at them to leave me be. I give him a thankful glance before a short boy slides slyly in front of me. “Hey, Katie. I gotta ask, you got a boyfriend?” He wiggles his eyebrows at me and attempts a playful smirk.

“Class. Take your seats.” A quiet, tired voice murmurs behind him, and the class immediately does as told, clearly, this man has their respect. “Obviously, you’ve all met the new student. Katherine Black, Quirk; Wound control.” He doesn’t explain further. I don’t want to answer any goddamn questions, but I know they’ll find out for themselves soon enough. “That’s not the only surprise. We’re going on a field trip. Everyone suit up. Katherine… you can go ahead and put on your Gym uniform.” He zips himself up in a sleeping bag, falling to the floor.

This is the hero teacher? Alright, cool. I guess the hero course won’t be as hard as I thought it would be. I follow a group of girls to the lockers, being careful to watch out for that weird ball boy. The girls, for the most part, leave me alone. Attempting every once in a while to make conversation that I all but ignore, giving one-word responses and trying to avoid them. I’m not shy, I just don’t really want to make friends when I’m going back to my mom’s whenever she can get the money together for a better lawyer.

Frustratingly, I also have a strange talent for always remembering names and faces. Dad always said it would be a huge help for hero work. I say it will make it so much harder when I inevitably lose people. I disassociate through getting dressed, Mr. Aizawa’s explanation of safety protocol, and don’t really pay much attention at all until we’ve boarded the bus. I sit next to some angry blonde who hasn’t tried to talk to me yet, wanting to just get through the day so I can go home and cry in the safety of my bed.

The entire class begins to divulge into an argument, and threats are thrown. I remove my hands from my pockets, being careful to have them ready if I need them. Nothing awful happens thankfully, and we arrive at our destination. I keep my hands out.

Something about this… in my gut- feels wrong. I stand close to the teacher, lazy or not, he is a Pro… The other students don’t seem to feel the danger in the air. Maybe it’s because I skipped breakfast? I get anxious when I do that.

We enter the USJ, and Ochako squeals, spotting the Space hero, thirteen. She gushes about how much she loves him, as he explains he designed the training facility we are about to use. He then rambles on about how some of us have quirks that can hurt people if used wrong, and how we need to be careful. Pretty standard training pep talk. A sinking feeling resonates in my stomach. Something wicked this way comes. My anxiety bubbles up as a swirling black mass appears in front of us, and a man with a sickly-looking hand covering his face steps through, alongside a grotesque pair of men wearing masks.

“Woah! What is that thing?” Asks Kirishima, his eyes wide. “Has the training started already? I thought we were rescuing people?” Kirishima continues and is answered by Aizawa.
Who, to my terror, shouts. “Stay Back!” At my side. He slides his goggles up to his face, readying himself. “This is real! Those are villains.” Aizawa shouts, and the class erupts in gasps. I knew it. I knew there was something horribly wrong here. I ready my hands, stepping crouching to a ready position.

“The only real heroes I see are Thirteen and Eraserhead.” A disembodied voice growls. “Perplexing. According to the schedule we retrieved from UA, AllMight should be here as well.” Aizawa scoffs at them.

“SO, you scumbags used the press as a cover and sneaked onto campus.” The man with the hands attached all over his body speaks, his voice gravely and dry.

“Where is he? I went through the trouble of bringing so many friends who are eager to meet him. They want AllMight. The Great Symbol Of Peace. I can’t believe he’s not here! Maybe if I kill a few kids, he’ll come out to play.” The Hand Man is clearly fucking deranged. Aizawa grips his scarf, whipping it around.

“What? Real villains? No Way!” Kirishima begins to speak, and I tune him and the others out, keeping my eyes on the Hand Man.

His hunched demeanor, the ease in his voice. He’s in charge here. He’s the one that they all need to watch out for. I’m brought back to the conversation by Aizawa leaving it, racing down the stairs and attacking three villains at once, subduing them in twelve seconds flat, using his scarf to restrain them. He begins to be surrounded as more of them notice him and recognize his tactical prowess. Shit. Thirteen is the only other pro here.

I look over to Izuku, who’s nearly shaking in fear, mumbling to himself. Ochako grips my wrist, pulling me to run alongside her toward the exit as Tenya shouts for Izuku to hurry up. We race toward the exit, and I keep my hands at the ready. I’ll be a decent enough shield if it comes down to it, alongside Kirishima. A black smoke appears in front of us, blocking the path. A yellow-eyed figure emerges from the void and begins to speak.

“There is no escape for you. It’s a pleasure to meet you. We are the League of Villains. I know it’s impolite, but we decided to invite ourselves into this haven of justice just to say hello. And besides, isn’t this a fitting place for AllMight, the Symbol Of Peace, to take his last breath? I believe he was supposed to be here today and yet I see no sign of him.” I begin to tune him out, slowly stepping backwards between my classmates while they are all distracted.

Chapter Text

The black-smoke guy doesn’t seem to have any offensive abilities except teleporting other people, and with all of the more violent-natured villains being at the back, that’s where I’d like to be. I may not be a great hero, I might not want to be a hero at all, But I am and always will be an excellent Meat-Sheild, and no one can take that from me. An explosion sounds behind me, and I whip around to look in its direction.

Smoke covers the area, and I make the split-second decision to disappear into it, trying to find Aizawa to give him some sort of Support. If I do a good enough job and keep him alive, I might get my wish of being in the support class. When the smoke dissipates, though, most of the class is gone. Dread fills me as I realize as I contemplate the consequences. They could have been teleported anywhere! They could all be dead! I shake the thought away, sprinting in the direction of where I had last seen Aizawa. I spot him, and the Hand-Man in the center of the facility, still fighting. My heart drops as I see a blow land on Eraserhead. I run forward, jumping in front of a punch that was about to land on Aizawa’s back, and pressing my hands into the guy’s face who threw it. He hunches over, having cracked my ribs a moment before.

“Damn it Black! What are you doing?!” Aizawa questions, blocking a hit to his side.

“You need Backup, Sir.” I answer, pressing my hand to the small of his back, where his shirt has risen, taking his injuries. Mild, but holy fuck is it still painful. How in the hell was he not on the ground? I press the wound to the next person who attempts to attack me, and he groans.

“Get the hell out of here kid, You’re just a distraction!” Aizawa growls as I take a blast to the face. I reach out and touch the guy who dealt it, and he falls to the ground, cradling his head.

“Then don’t be distracted! You’re my teacher for god's sake you know what my quirk is! Use it!” I demand, and he growls in response, but leaps into the air, swinging by the rafters using his scarf. The high ground, a good idea of a place to be.

I stand still for a moment, letting the villains hurt me. I grind my teeth, allowing the injuries to build as their blows flail me around like a ragdoll before touching one of them. He immediately falls to the ground, completely unconscious.

The others begin to back away from me, choosing to use long-ranged attacks. They’re quickly bested by The Teacher, who beats the ever-loving shit out of them with his bare hands and his skillfully wielded scarf. The Hand man begins to charge, mumbling something about seconds. I block him from touching Aizawa, who is detaining a villain.

The villain reaches out, grasping my arm. A white-hot pain sears through my body, like my very cells, are being torn apart for a moment. I look up at him, watching as my Gymshirt turns to dust, leaving me in only my white camisole. “Now that’s impressive.” The Hand- man murmurs, staring down at his hand on my arm for a long moment before tossing me aside, someone goes to grab me, and makes a mistake, grabbing my hand to restrain me.

To my horror, he turns into dust before my eyes. The Hand Man looks at me, tilting his head. “You might be useful actually.” He murmurs, shrugging. He turns back toward Aizawa. Three more villains attack me simultaneously, still not learning their lesson about violent behavior. One of them, much smarter than the others, detains me with tentacle arms that restrict my movements. I viciously bite my own lip, chewing it open and letting the blood run down my face, my hands pushing the continuous wounding into him. He screams, tossing me to the ground several feet away.

I catch a glimpse of Aizawa punching the Hand-Man in the face. The Hand-Man grips onto Aizawa, leaning in close to him. I Struggle to my feet, the force of the fall had knocked the wind out of my lungs.

“It was hard to see when you were jumping around, but I found your tell. It’s your hair. When it drops, it means you’re using your quirk.” The Hand-Man sings, and my throat threatens to close on itself as I realize he’s right…. And that Aizawa’s hair is down. I watch in consternation as Hand Man grips onto Aizawa’s elbow, and it begins to turn to dust. I grab hold of his ankle, from the ground, taking the injury as it develops. I scream in agony as I feel it cracking away at my arm, healing as fast as it happens,

“Let Go!” Aizawa tries to shake me off of him, but I hold tight, my clothes start to disintegrate at the seams. I didn’t even know I could do that- no time to think about that right now.

“Don’t push yourself too hard now, little girl. You might just fall apart.” The Hand-Man kicks me in the side, trying to get me off of Aizawa as well. “Wouldn’t that be a shame? Eh Eraserhead?” Hand-Man looks at Aizawa now, and I know I can’t let go. If I do, Aizawa will die. The threat makes Aizawa growl, punching the blue-haired man away. I release, writhing in pain on the ground as he continues to fight the villain.

Helpless, I watch as Aizawa is left to fight the remaining villains, running up to protect their boss. He’s tired, outnumbered. I can take the injury but I can’t take the exhaustion. I can’t risk touching anyone else until the pain completely subsides. It’ll kill someone. Villains or not, I’m not a murderer. I struggle to my feet, putting up my hands in front of me to block any incoming attacks.

“Eraser’s annoying quirk isn’t suited for drawn-out fights against big groups, is it, Voodoo doll? The hand man looks past him at my standing form. “And Eraserhead, Your student certainly has some power behind her punches… and good resistance. But she’s slow, and easily distracted. You’re both out of your element here, aren’t you?” He asks, on his hands and knees a few feet away. If I could just get to him- use his own damage against him- I might be able to end this. “As a matter of fact, Eraserhead, you’re much better at working stealthily. You’re known for surprise attacks, not fighting head-to-head.” He pauses, and I can hear Aizawa panting to my left, an arm drawn in front of me in a protective position.

I look closer. He ripped off his sleeve, leaving his arm exposed.

He’s not protecting me, I’m protecting him.

I grab onto him, removing the last bits of bumps and bruises with gnashing teeth. “But despite knowing that, you didn’t hesitate to jump into the middle of this fight.” The Hand-Man analyzes us, though I can't see his eyes through the disturbing hand-mask, I can feel them on me. “To put your students at ease… and yet- this little girl clings to you like a lost puppy. It would be cute if it wasn’t so fucking annoying.” Hand man teases as a small group of villains attack us, I use my body as a shield, taking blows for and from Aizawa, pressing the injury into a man who is stupidly shirtless.

Aizawa handles the remainder of them, expertly knocking them unconscious with a few swings. We’re panting, tired. I can’t keep this up, I’m running out of gas here. “Look at you! Still standing!” Hand-Man commends, standing now with his arms spread like Jesus on the cross. I gulp back air, Damn was today a bad day to skip breakfast. “You really are so cool!” The Hand Man shouts, and I pray for a moment that he’s only talking about Aizawa. “Oh, and by the way, hero and Hero wannabe… I am not the final boss.” My body is suddenly flung, several hundred feet to the left with a heavy smack.

God- It feels like I’ve been hit by a car. My head cracks against the fountain, and everything goes blurry and shaky for a moment. I try to shake the stars from my vision, but I know that this blow should have killed me. It would have- if not for my damn quirk. I get to my knees, retching up bile before wiping my mouth and standing, just in time to see a grotesque, black creature lift Aizawa by the head, and slam him back down into the ground. Blood is splattered across the cracked terracotta floor, and I can’t see the teacher's face through his hair, I try to run forward, but my ribs are still healing. I stumble, slowly towards them.

“What do you think of him, Eraser head?” The Hand Man asks, humming. “He’s the bioengineered, anti-Symbol of Peace. But you can call him ‘Nomu’” as the Man finishes speaking, the monster opens its massive maw, with huge, razor-sharp teeth, and shrieks.I run forward, attempting to tackle the Blue-Haired man. I’m not stealthy or tactful in my damaged state, and he catches me. He grabs me by the wrists, slamming me to the ground and pinning my wrists behind my shoulder blades.

I can’t touch him- I can’t give him back the heinous pain he spreads through my arms with his hands. That same pulling-apart feeling as before. He turns anything he touches to dust. I should be dead by now, and he is well aware of that fact. I focus on Aizawa instead of the pain, pinned under the Nomu. It twists his arm around, bending it the wrong way. A grisly “Crack” is heard, and Aizawa muffles his scream into the ground.

“You can erase people’s powers. That’s irritating but it’s nothing impressive.” The hand man sits on my lower back, keeping his hands firmly planted over my wrists. “When faced with true, devastating power, you might as well be a quirkless child.” He grips both of my wrists in one hand, sliding another over my back, turning my camisole to dust.

Aizawa pants. Activating his quirk to stop the Hand Man from continuing his assault. The Nomu stomps on his already broken arm, breaking the connection. His painful screams bring tears to my eyes. “Honestly, I’d rather this one be screaming.” The Hand-Man says above me, and I can feel him moving my hair off of my back to press his entire hand between my shoulder blades. The searing torment is unbearable, but I bite my lip as the tears stream down my face, refusing to give in.

The Monster lifts Aizawa’s head, forcing him to look at my half-naked form beneath the Hand Man, before slamming his face down into the ground again. “Touching you is fun, Doll. I might keep you.” The Hand Man pants, leaning down and grabbing me by the hair, the smell of formaldehyde leans with him, and I realize with a churning stomach that that hand… is real. “Would you like that? Huh? Toy?” He asks, and I catch a glimpse of his crimson eyes. He shifts his position, sitting further back, on my thighs.

I feel it. To my ultimate disgust, I feel it. An erection.

No. Please, God. No.Not that, ANYTHING but that.

I scream, thrashing against him, trying to grab hold of his hand with mine. “There’s that pretty little song doll. Fuck it’s kind of sexy how you fight me.” He chuckles, pressing his hand to my gym pants, turning them to dust as well. “I wonder, Eraser, which would be more painful… The Nomu crushing you to death, or watching me fuck one of your pretty little students, and having to listen as she screams for you to save her?” He cackles, grabbing onto my ass and palming the flesh, letting his quirk run over my skin like a team of mutated fire ants.

Chapter Text

The Black-Mist man appears beside us, and I’ve never been so happy to see a shadow in my life. The Hand Man leans up to look at him, still rubbing up against me, his awful fingers trailing up my now naked thigh. “Tomura Shigaraki.” The mist calls. Tomura. The Hand Man’s name is Tomura.

“Kurogiri, Did you manage to kill Thirteen?” Tomura asks, still pressing his quirk into my wrists. The pain is unbearable, and I’m full-on sobbing, shoving my face into the ground so I don’t scream.

“The rescue hero is out of commission, but there were students I was unable to disperse and one of them got outside of the facility.” Kurogiri answers him, and Tomura’s grip tightens on me, somehow making the pain even worse.

“Huh?!” Tomura growls, reaching up his free hand to scratch his neck. I struggle against him, desperately trying to escape his grasp. “Kurogiri… You fool... If you weren’t our warp gate, I’d tear apart every last atom in your body.” Tomura threatens with a grunt as he ruts his clothed hips against my bottom. I squeeze my eyes shut. I’m not here. He can’t hurt me if I'm not here. Tomura pauses, gripping my wrists with both hands now. Even through the misery, I am relieved.

“There’s no way we can win if dozens of pros show up to stop us. It’s game over. Back to the title screen.” He sighs, groaning as he rolls himself against me again. “And I was looking forward to finishing this today. Maybe I still can? I’ll at least take home the secret achievement.” He laughs. It's unhinged, violent the way he shakes against me. “Oh, but before we leave- Let's make sure the Symbol of Peace is Broken. Wreck his pride. Let’s make this hurt.” Tomura growls, leaping off of me too fast for me to react, I turn to watch in helpless distress as he reaches out for Tsuyu Asui… I can’t stop him- not without killing him, or worse, accidentally killing Tsu. I can’t run. I’m no coward. I can, however, attack the grotesque beast hovering over my Teacher. I start the crawl, but I’m nearly naked. Exposed to everything around me.

In only my undergarments, I press forward, I will get there. I will save Aizawa. I will End This. I slam my hand against the Nomu’s arm, and it disintegrates, turning to dust beneath my fingertips. It doesn’t falter, letting go of Aizawa’s head to bat me away, sending me reeling into the water. Fuck. Wait, No!

I can’t fucking swim. The pain gone, I can breathe, gasping and choking, if I can only keep my head above the water. “You really are so cool.” I can hear Tomura compliment beyond my violent thrashing. I struggle, sinking more and more all the while. No- fuck! I sink more, head completely underwater. I attempt to scream, but water fills my lungs instead.

Unexpectedly, something wraps around my waist, pulling me out of the water and laying me gently down on dry land. I roll to my side, vomiting up as much water as I can, intense sobs wracking up my throat. I open my eyes to see him. All-Might. I look past him, to Aizawa’s weak, beaten and battered form. I roll to my stomach, reaching out a hand to his bare arm, gripping his wrist with everything I have left in me. I scream, the forcefulness of his injuries too much for me.

You’d think you would get used to it. You’d be wrong.

AllMight says something, but I can’t hear him through the pounding of my own heart in my ears. I see his face. Tomura’s face for a few short moments before he replaces the Hand Mask. Wrinkles around his eyes and lips. Dry skin, a mole below his lip on the left side. I don’t recognize him, but I will now. I’ll be able to pick him out of a lineup. Tsu lifts me, acting as a crutch to help me to my feet.

Aizawa is healed, but clearly spent as he struggles to his feet. This has gone on too long. Mineta tears off his yellow cape, draping it over my hunched shoulders, his nose bleeding all the while.

“AllMight, You Can’t. That brain villain took one for- I- I smashed him and didn’t break my arm this time, but he wasn’t phased at all!” Izuku informs AllMight, while helping Aizawa to stand. “He’s too strong!” Izuku panics, and AllMight raises a hand to stop him, not looking back at us.

“Young Midoriya! I got this!” AllMight interjects, A smile plastered across his aged face. Izuku sighs, and I grab his hand, wincing as I take a broken finger I hadn’t noticed he had.

“We’ve got to find the others.” I cough out, my throat still sore from the water. He says nothing, but nods, turning with Aizawa leaning on his shoulder. I want to stay, to help, but the overwhelming fear of that man touching me again keeps my feet moving forward, away from the fight. I don’t look back. I can’t. The rest of the group talks about what’s happening back there, but I can’t listen. My head is still spinning with the effects of oxygen deprivation.

HIS voice rings through, sending an aching chill right down my spine. “And after I’m done playing with you, I’m gonna find that little Voodoo doll.” That laugh. My blood freezes in my veins. I pause, turning to face Izuku.

No words are exchanged, but so much can be said with a look. I steel myself, swallowing back my fear, my exhaustion, my anger, my pride. We take off running, leaving Aizawa with Tsu and Mineta. I don’t hear anything else, just his threats. Over and over, in my mind on a loop.

We leap, in complete synchrony as we steel ourselves for the attack, only for Kurogiri to appear in front of our intended target. NO! Capture is worse than death- I don’t have time to mourn, because Katsuki Bakugo jumps in front of us, landing an explosion directly on the warp gate villain.

“Get the hell out of my way Deku!” The blonde shouts, punching another explosion directly into the center of the man of mist. I fall to the ground, still determined to get to the Nomu, to End This. Ice creeps up the Nomu’s side, and I follow the trail with my eyes to see the boy with Half and Half hair- one of the only people who didn’t try to bother me with questions or talking. Shoto Todoroki.

The Nomu is handled then, but All-Might is injured. The Number-one hero prys the monster’s hands from his body, and flips out of its grasp, landing next to me. I grip onto his arm, and am blinded by the pain that comes with touching him. He shouldn’t be standing. I’m not. I crash to the ground, and Izuku is immediately by my side, trying to help me up. “He’s hurt worse than he looks.” I whisper into Izuku’s ear, then turn away coughing up blood.

Izuku turns to All-Might, choking out an “Are you okay?” I don’t answer, and neither does All-Might, who looks at me with concern for a moment before he turns back to the Nomu. “You’re using too much energy… Your quirk is slowing down.” Izuku notes and I grit my teeth, shaking my head.

“If it gets too bad, I’ll hibernate.” I spit blood on the ground, standing on my wobbly legs. “Help Shoto and All-Might… I’ve gotta help Ejiro and Katsuki. If the Hand guy touches them he’ll kill them.” I move forward, and he stops me, tugging on my arm.

“What about you?” He asks, worried, tears dancing across his emerald eyes.

“I’ll be fine, Izuku. Go.” I demand, stomping toward the fight happening just a few feet away. Katsuki kneels atop Kurogiri, an angry grin across his face, Ejiro is blocking Tomura from moving any closer.

“Kurogiri? How could you let this brat get the best of you? You’ve gotten us into a real jam here” Tomura complains, and Katsuki laughs.

“You got careless, you dumb villain. It wasn’t hard to figure you out.” Katsuki mocks, and I tune him out, keeping my entire attention on Tomura. One wrong move and Ejiro dies. I can’t- I won’t let that happen. He stands, his hands clasped in front of him to conceal his erection. He’s mumbling about something, but I can't hear him over Katsuki’s taunts. Tomura tilts to the side, looking at the horrifying creature trapped in ice.

“Nomu.” Tomura commands, and it begins to sink into the ground, screeching. I don’t turn around, even when I hear the gasps of the people behind me. “I didn’t say that was his only Quirk. He also has super regeneration. Kind of like the Voodoo doll there.” He points at me, I shiver. His attention is not welcome. “Nomu has been modified to take you on, even at one hundred percent of your power.” Tomua clarifies, talking to AllMight. I can still feel his gaze on me. “He’s basically a highly efficient punching bag that punches back, again, Like the doll, but not nearly as pretty.” He tilts head, and continues to speak.

“First, we need to free our method of escape. Get him, Nomu.” Tomura commands, stepping closer to me. A loud bang happens, and more talking, Tomura’s shoulders tense as he looks past me. He doesn’t like this, me staring him down. He doesn’t like not being in control. Good. Let him fucking suffer. “I didn’t have much choice, he was threatening my companion,” Tomura responds to a question I hadn't heard being asked. “Besides, these kids are no angels. The plain-looking one? He tried to kill me with a maxed-out punch. The doll turned one of my men to dust. That’s murder. What kind of ‘hero’ does something like that? You think you can get away with being as violent as you want if you say it’s for the sake of others. Well, you know what AllMight? That pisses me off.” He spreads his arms again, welcoming an attack he’s daring me to make.

I’m not stupid, I know that’s what he wants. He’ll grab me, and he’ll warp away with me. I know that’s his plan and I’m not falling for it. “Why do people get to decide that some violent acts are heroic and others are villainous? Casting judgement as to what’s ‘good’ and ‘evil’. You think you’re the symbol of peace?” He lets out a choked laugh.

“You’re just another government-sponsored instrument of violence.” He steps forward, and I am too slow, too tired to dodge him. He pulls me closer, gripping me by the arm. Pain flares again, and I’m too spent to handle it properly, going limp in his arms as he cradles my weak form to his chest. “And violence always BREEDS more violence.” He chuckles, gripping my hip in one of his hands. I cry out, and see as the boys in front of me clench their fists, ready to attack.

“I’ll make sure the world understands that once you’re dead.” He holds me in front of him, using my body as a shield, his head rests atop mine. He’s at ease. He’s gotten exactly what he wants.

“You’re nothing but a lunatic.” AllMight snaps. “Criminals like you, you always try and make your actions sound noble. But admit it; you’re only doing this because you like it. Isn’t that right?” AllMight asks, and Shoto speaks up.
“We’ve got them outnumbered.”
“And Kacchan found the mist guy’s weakness.” Izuku adds.
“These dudes may act really tough, but we can take ‘em down now with AllMight’s help. Let’s do this” Ejiro readies himself, and the rest of the boys follow suit.

I can’t focus- my mind is too foggy from the exertion. I’m seeing double still from the water. It sucks having a weakness, especially one that covers seventy-percent of the earth. The boys talk more, but all I can hear is Tomura’s ragged breathing in my ear as he gropes my breast. “Kurogiri- Put my new toy someplace safe.” Tomura instructs, and I can hear Izuku scream as the black mist encases my body.

Chapter Text

Nothing awful has a chance of happening as Ejiro catches my arm, and Izuku throws a heavy punch directly into the middle of it. I can hear his arm break, but when I reach out to touch it, he blocks me, Ejiro Kirishima holding me still. “Black, stop! You’re using too much energy! Can’t you see you’re slowing down?” The red-headed boy asks, struggling to hold me while I flail to get back into the fight.

“I’ll-“ I cough up more blood. “I’ll be fine.” I wheeze. Damn it he’s right. My internal injuries are extensive. All minor, building together to make each individual wound worse. I can’t heal small wounds quickly, I have to breathe, take a nap. There’s no chance of this now, as Tomura has turned to us, the Nomu and Kurogiri both focused on All-Might.

“Come back to me Doll, and I might consider letting your little friends live.” Tomura taunts, and Ejiro holds me tighter as my rage and resolve falter. I don’t want to keep fighting, but I have to. I’m the only one that won’t be desiccated by that monster. All-Might releases a particularly powerful punch, the force of it flinging all of us back. Tomura isn’t so strong after all, also sliding back. He gripes at AllMight, his tone complaining again as he struggles against the wind to continue after us. After me.

AllMight releases several more punches in rapid succession, too fast for me to count. I try to stumble forward, to assist, but Ejiro is so much stronger than me. I’ve never been the most physically fit- hell, I’m overweight. I’m not strong or fast, just smart and good at touching things. I’m left to watch as AllMight takes on the creature alone, the raw power of his hits pushing back against Tomura and Kurogiri, preventing them from moving closer to us.

AllMight keeps going, despite his not fully healed side, flinging the Nomu farther away from us. He flies up into the air, flinging it down on the ground below. The ground ripples like water as Nomu crashes down onto it, cracking and splitting. He punches the thing again, and it whips into the dome above the facility, when it makes contact the entire building begins to shake. The boys marvel at AllMight’s raw power, all looking up at the hole in the dome in awe. I continue to fight, trying to get out of Ejiro’s grasp, but he barely notices.

I’m crying again. God? Why am I such a fucking wimp?! Tomura shakes angrily just beyond AllMight, who turns to them with clenched fists. “You’ve been bested villains! Surrender! We all want to get this over with quickly!” AllMight speaks, his voice booming across the stadium. My god, he’s done it… he’s bested all of them on his own. No wonder he’s the Number One hero. “What? Are you scared?” AllMight taunts and Tomura begins to wildly scratch at his neck. When he lifts his head to get better access, I notice the long lines of scars and open wounds from his scratching.

The mist man and hand man whisper things to each other, I can hear their ragged voices even from several feet away while being restrained. Scarily, the other villains begin to come to, struggling to their feet. The boys notice, readying themselves despite the obvious fear in their faces.

“How much more can you take, honestly?” Ejiro asks, his whisper is flustered, worried.

“If I go past my limit, I’ll faint. But I’ll be fine after that. Just make sure I’m not taken with them.” I whisper back as he puts me on my feet. I stutter out a breath, looking back at him. He nods, as the rest of the boys get ready to fight the underlings. “I won’t let him get you.” He promises with a murmur before hardening his arms, turning back to the fight.

I stumble, standing beside All-Might, who looks down at me with intense anger. “Your father is going to be very upset with you.” He warns, and I laugh.

“As if.” I wipe the blood from my mouth with my arm, reading my hands. “Dads probably going to buy me a Ferrari after this.” I laugh and then clutch my side in pain.

Tomura begins to spring after us, his voice is wavering but very angry. “Consider this revenge for what you did to Nomu!” He leaps at us, and I jump in front of AllMight, my tiny, shaking body all that stands between the Symbol of Peace and total annihilation. To my shock, Izuku jumps in front of us both, charging up a punch to attack Kurogiri with.

“You stupid villain!” He screams, his face plain with rage. My stomach rolls as Kurogiri counters, opening a portal with Tomura’s hand poking through.

“No!” I scream, reaching forward to grab hold of Izuku’s ankle, I miss, but it doesn’t matter. A bullet flies through Tomura’s hand just between his pointer finger and thumb. Are the police here?

“They’re here!” AllMight gasps, and directly after, Someone else Speaks up.

“Sorry, Everyone! I know we’re a bit late. But I got the teachers over here as fast as I could.” The voice is calm, even. Thank god- the pros are finally here.

“Your class rep has returned. I’ve fulfilled my duty. And I’ve brought reinforcements!” Tenya shouts from the entrance. I didn’t even know he had escaped… why then, were the other students still here?! My heart drops as I realize I may have held them back. I might be the reason they stayed… to help me?! God I hope not. I tried so hard to get them to not care about me, there has to be something else.

Tenya is fast- maybe he just outran the others. Maybe. Shots ring out, and someone screams with a volume so loud I have to cover my ears. Explosions resound everywhere around us, despite Katsuki being directly to my left.

“Aw, Man. The pros are here. It’s game over for real. Let’s go home and try this when we ca-“ Tomura’s complaining is cut off with a bullet through his femur, and then through his pelvis, and then his side. Kurogiri surrounds him. Protecting him from more shots.

“Let’s go!” Kurogiri tries to move but is stopped by Thirteen’s black hole. The volume is intense, screaming happening everywhere around us. The Pro Heroes fail to capture Tomura and Kurogiri as they disappear into the void, using warp gates to escape.

I trip forward, falling next to Izuku. I try to press my hands to him, but he stops me. “I couldn’t do it! I wasn’t able to help you.” Tears brimming his eyes.

“That’s absolutely not true.” AllMight interjects, but I can’t look at him, finding my body too weak to move at all anymore. I’m spent. I can’t do anything else. I’m out of time. Out of energy. If I try to use my quirk again, I’ll pass out. “You bought me a few vital seconds. If not for that, I’d be dead now. Young Midoriya, you’ve saved me once again.” AllMight declares, and my mind runs wild. Saved him? Again? Izuku?

“Thank you, AllMight.” Izuku grits his teeth, smiling up at the man I can’t turn to see. He begins to cry, fat tears rolling down his round cheeks as he speaks. “I’m just… so glad that you’re okay!” Izuku explains.

Something warm drapes over my shoulders, covering more than Mineta’s cloak had. I look up, weary to see Hawks. He slides one arm over my shoulders, and the other arm under my knees, lifting me off the ground. I’m too weak to fight him, letting myself lean on his chest.

“What happened?” Keigo asks, his voice wavering.

“Villains- they attached us… the leader he…” my chest tightens as I think about what he had done- what he would do if he was allowed.

“It’s okay. I’m going to get you out of here, Alright kid?” Keigo asks. And I nod, sobbing into his shirt.

“Aizawa- is Aizawa okay?” I ask, and he nods.

“Saw him on the way in. He told me where to find you. He said that- it doesn’t matter what he said. You’re okay now. I’m here.” He speaks through gritted teeth. Great, he’s also angry with me for jumping into a fight I had no business being in. He flys us past the heroes beginning to surround the villains, through the hole in the dome that the Nomu’s body had created. “There’s press down there, so we’re just gonna go straight to the school alright? We’ve got to tell Recovery Girl about the possibility of injured students.” Keigo flys quickly, I press my face into his chest, letting the tears fall freely to be soaked up by his shirt.

He doesn’t react to my shaking sobs, and why would he? Keigo is a pro hero. He sees this all the time. This isn’t his first rodeo. This isn’t his first assaulted woman that he flys away to get medical care. It only takes a few seconds to get to the school, but the extent of my minor injuries is just awful enough for it to be excruciating the whole way.

Without any villains around, I’ll have to heal it myself- and lord almighty is that going to be so much better than having to call my mom to tell her what happened. I mean, she might force my dad to let me join the support course now. That gives me hope.

When Keigo walks into the office, I see her. My father’s mother. I’ve only ever talked to her a few times, at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Dad is so much closer to his father, and his parents divorced when he was twelve. The way she looks at me, knowing and aware, is uncomfortable. She retrieves me a medical gown, and I put it on behind a pulled curtain.

I crawl into an infirmary bed, as Keigo tugs a necklace over his head. He clips the chain behind my neck, and I let him. A simple silver chain with a small red feather attached as a pendant. “A good luck charm, songbird. You really seem like you need some good luck lately.” Keigo chuckles as I roll to my side to face him more directly. He’s tall beside me, his hand resting on my sweaty forehead.

He doesn’t look concerned… he looks enraged. As if something I’d done personally offended him. I haven’t the slightest clue why he’s angry with me- other than the obvious lack of care for my own safety. That’ll do it, I reckon. There’s no way to piss off a pro hero more thoroughly than being a dumb civilian. The adrenaline is gone, I’m finding it hard to keep my eyes open.

“I have to get back to work, but I’ll be back in a bit, yeah?” He asks as if I know. I don’t. He places a sudden kiss on my forehead, startling me. Why would he do that? To comfort me? Why is he so goddamn concerned? Oh, right. My father. He gets so much more of a leg up with my dad if he’s the hero that saved me if he’s the reason I’m safe.

He leaves soon after. I’m alone, in a dark hospital room, for a few minutes- maybe hours, I can’t really tell- until Keigo returns.

Aizawa and Izuku each on separate arms, both of them severely injured. Izuku’s legs are both broken, and Aizawa is beat to shit despite my efforts. It could be worse. I could be dead. They could be dead. I could have been captured, tortured, raped. I knew that villains are cruel, but I didn’t think that even they would have this kind of evil inside them.

Hawks drops both Aizawa and Izuku in infirmary beds and turns to leave out of the window again. More injured?! I know that AllMight was beaten up pretty bad… I wonder who else was hurt? I turn to Izuku as he groans in the bed. “AllMight! Is He-“

“He’s fine Katherine. Beat up, but still alive. Still standing.” Izuku confirms. I breathe a sigh of relief.

“Dearie, I’m going to have to sedate you for these injuries to heal on their own.” Recovery Girl interjects, pulling along an IV stand and bag. I nod. I hate needles, but hey, can’t be worse than Tomura’s hands right? She sticks me with the needle, and I wince.

Aizawa chuckles to my other side. “After all that, you Yelp for a little prick?” He clutches his side as he laughs. He definitely took more punches on the way out.

“I might be out of power for a few days… I’ll be able to heal myself and that’s it. I won’t be able to pass it off or heal others.” I murmur as the drugs start to seep into my veins.

“It’s okay, Black. You take all of the time you need.” Aizawa nods, laying back on his pillow. I slip into complete unconsciousness.

Chapter Text

The room is too bright when I open my eyes. My head still aches from exhaustion and exertion. From the brightness, I can tell it’s a new day. My stomach growls. Holy shit I’m so hungry.

I stretch, my sore muscles aching as I sit up. Hawks is here, sitting to my left with his arms crossed. His head leans against the wall, his eyes are closed. He’s not changed or shaved. How long has he been here? “Uh- Keigo?” I whisper, and his eyes flutter open.

“Hey kid- you feeling alright?” He asks, a calm smile across his handsome face.

“Yeah- I mean I’m sore, but it’ll be alright in a couple of days I think. I’m kicking myself for skipping Gym in middle school.” I joke, and he chuckles.

“Your dad is in the lobby with your brothers. He’d be in here too but someone has to watch the hellions.” He shrugs. I nod.

“Did someone call my mom?” I ask, picking at the tape that keeps the catheter in my arm.

“Yeah, AllMight talked to her. Said you were a real hero yesterday. That you were strong.” He sighs, leaning closer. “He’s wrong though. That was wreckless, and stupid, and dangerous.” He berates me, and I grip the blanket over my knees with anger. “And Aizawa had just as much praise for you. He said you were brave while a villain assaulted you. You stayed to fight after a criminal threatened to rape you.” He growls, crossing his arms. I turn my head away, not looking at him.

“I didn’t have a choice… I couldn’t just let them die-“ I whisper, my hands trembling as I pull my knees to my chest, hugging my legs. I press my forehead to my knees, sitting up in the fetal position.

“It wasn’t your responsibility! You should have waited for me to- for the Heroes to come! If a hero dies protecting you, so be it! That’s their JOB.” He stands, wings aflutter with rage.

“I’m sorry.” I whimper, and he softens.

“Just- FUCK.” He growls, slamming his fist into the doorframe before opening the door and walking out. The wood is split. A few minutes later, my dad and brothers walk in the room. Mathew jumps on top of me, crushing my stomach.

I let out a “oof” and my dad shouts at him.

“MATHEW BE CAREFUL!” Dad growls, pulling him off by his collar.

“I’m fine dad- I’m alright.” I put up my hands to show him. He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Boys- sit down!” He demands, and my brothers do as they are told, knowing damn well dad will spank them right here, right now. He looks at me, pride dancing across his eyes.

“Kitty- do you know what AllMight, the number one hero called you? He called you a Hero. Do you have any idea how important that is?!” He’s grinning, happy. Of course he is. Dad doesn’t care that I broke every single bone of my body yesterday. He doesn’t care that a villain groped me in front of my teacher. He doesn’t care that I almost- he doesn’t care.

He cares that I met his expectations, and that I exceeded him. I impressed the Number One. I bested villains my First year of high school. I saved my teachers life, and the lives of my classmates. It was a group effort, but I know my dad’s ego won’t see it that way. He did those things. He created a hero powerful enough to fight alongside AllMight. I am just an extension of him. But fuck it. I might as well milk this. Get something out of it.

“I want Maisey- I miss her.” I demand, and he nods.

“Whatever- just- shut up and let me look at you.” He laughs, gripping my shoulders and staring at my face. Tears are in his eyes. “God where’s the time gone? You’re so grown up…” he begins to cry. Awkward. “I remember when you used to prance around the house in an AllMight onsie and jump around beating up your stuffed animals and now- oh my god.” He pulls me into a hug that I didn’t ask for. “Baby I’m so proud of you. You’re going to be Number One, I know it.” He shakes with laughter.

I look over his shoulder to my brothers. Archie is looking up and away, but I can tell from his red eyes he’s been crying. Mathew is staring at me, excited.

“If Kitty’s gonna be number one, I’m gonna be number Two! We’re gonna be a great team!” Mathew announces to the room, dad pulls back to give him a high-five.

“That’s absolutely right Matt-Attack!” Dad praises, lifting my brother into the air.

“Alright- I’ve gotta get back to work. I healed your teacher by the way- and that Midoriya kid. I think he’s got a crush on you.” Dad laughs, leaving me alone again. I love my dad… don’t get me wrong. But sometimes I want to strangle him. Does that make me a villain too? I lay back down, staring at the ceiling. A nurse knocks on the door.

“Hey- you have a- a bunch of visitors.” He announces, and I groan.

“Who?” I’m answered by the door bursting open with the force of a small explosion.

“Alright dumbass! Up and at em! Let’s go!” Katsuki demands, walking into the room like he owns it. Ejiro walks in after him, a grin on his face. Denki Kaminari is quick to follow, giving me finger guns as he enters the room. Oh boy… these fuckin guys.

“You were so bad ass in that fight Black!” Ejiro shouts, and I shush them all, lowering my knees.

“Guys C’mon quiet! This is a hospital!” I remind them, Katsuki rolls his eyes.

“We had to come see you! Yayarozu, Jiro and I saw you take on all those dudes with Aizawa! You were so cool!” Denki’s excitable demeanor rings through even his attempt at being quiet.

“Are you kidding? I totally got my ass handed to me.” I laugh humorlessly. Katsuki scoffs.

“Lighten up Band-Aid. You took on the boss basically by yourself. It’s impressive even if you got your shit kicked in.” Is this Katsuki’s attempt at a compliment? What an asshole.

“We thought you were way messed up when Hawks came down and took you out first! But you look fine!” Ejiro notes, ruffling my hair. I swat his hand away. What’s with these dudes?

“Why are you guys here? Shouldn’t you be in school?” I ask, and Katsuki rolls his eyes.

“Jesus you would think almost getting murked by HandyMan would have gotten that stick out of your ass- no, we don’t need to be at school right now. They closed for the day to give us a break.” Katsuki answers my questions with insults. I roll my eyes.

“We came to see you! If you hadn’t of freed Aizawa when you did, Tsu would have been toast.” Ejiro explains, shrugging.

“Not to mention you kept going back into the fight with those jacked-up villains while being completely out of it.” Denki adds, sitting on the corner of the bed.

“Well, I’m fine, so you guys can go home.” I wave my hand, but they all stay, staring at me. “Guys seriously, even my dad went home I’m okay.” I laugh, and Katsuki rolls his eyes.

“We came to celebrate dumbass. Get dressed, I’m buyin sushi.” Katsuki leaves the room quickly, and Denki stands.

“Hurry up! Want to get boba too!” He laughs, racing Eijiro out of the door. I look down at the floor, where dad left a Walmart bag full of my clothes. A pair of jeans and a tee. My grey hoodie. Underwear. Thanks dad.

I get dressed slowly, my aching muscles not wanting to cooperate with the moving. My wounds are fully healed, but my body is still out of energy. I haven’t eaten since pizza… and the clock tells me it’s noon. Over twenty-four hours. Katsuki is gonna regret the hell out of offering to pay for food.

When I step out of the room, Ejiro Loops his arm through mine, noticing how unstable I still am. I turn to thank him, but I’m met with his crimson eyes. The same as HIS- my heart picks up speed, my stomach churns. I shake my head- trying to get the images out of my mind. No- it’s not him. He’s not here- this isn’t there- I’m fine. I’m okay.

“Hey Black- are you okay?” Denki asks from my left, and I nod, opening my eyes to the hallway.

“Yeah! I’m- I’m good. I’m fine. I think I just got a little dizzy. I haven’t eaten since dinner the day before yesterday.” I laugh, and Katsuki scoffs. We walk through the hospital, past the waiting room, where Hawks is sitting in the corner. Watching, waiting for something. He stands as we pass him, following us. “We’ve got a tail.” I whisper to Ejiro, who nods.

“Yeah, after the way the HandyMan held on to you and tried to take you to his hideout, the commission decided you should probably have a security detail. At least that’s what I heard when I was Eavesdropping on Aizawa.” He admits, and I nod.

Fucking. Great. You know where this WOULDN’T have happened? In Colorado. I grit my teeth as we walk through the hospital doors, out into the street. “Why’d they move me from the school?” I ask, and Ejiro shrugs.

“You didn’t need recovery girl as bad as Midoriya and All-Might. And the hospital here wanted to get some testing done. Your dad said it was okay.” Of course he did.

“How is Midoriya?” I ask, and this seems to somehow piss Katsuki off.

“Why are you worried about damn Deku?” He asks, and I reel from the slur. ‘Useless person.’

“Because Izuku jumped in to save me, knowing damn well that he might die.” I grit though my teeth, looking up at the angry blonde.

“Yeah, he’s stupid, so what? You could have handled it. He didn’t actually do anything but get in the way.” Katsuki growls, and I shake my head. I don’t want to fight. I’m too tired, too hungry.

“He tried. That’s what matters.” I says simply, and he rolls his eyes at me.

“Whatever, Bandaid.” He uses that nickname again. At least it’s better than Voodoo doll. A chill runs up my spine. I don’t know much. I do know I never want to see that man again. I would rather die- I would rather drown than ever be touched by his disgusting, awful hands ever again.

The sushi place isn’t far, and Ejiro carries most of my weight on the way. Katsuki orders one of everything. Jesus Christ, is everyone here loaded?! “Alright- so I’m dyin’ to ask- how exactly does your quirk work?! You turned Nomu’s whole arm to ashes!” Denki asks through a mouthful of rice, and I sigh, picking at the nori wrapped around my Unagi roll.

“I didn’t even know I could do that… it was just an injury I passed on. Tomura- the hand man- he has the dust quirk. When he touched me, I guess my body stored that energy while it was healing to prevent me from turning to dust. So when I touched Nomu- it took the damage. I usually heal big wounds like that pretty instantly, but because it was actually millions of little wounds, my body didn’t know how to react. It’s my immune system. It treats every injury like an allergic reaction, and works to fight it immediately. The bigger the wound, the bigger the reaction. Doesn’t stop me from getting tired or sick though. I’m not invincible. I can’t swim- which is a huge problem because I CAN drown. I can get drunk, and high- drugs that don’t outwardly damage my cells still work. But I’m immune to poison. Any damage that I take can be passed on if I touch someone with a finger, the more I’m touching them the more damage I can pass faster. It’s a more instant heal than healing it myself. It doesn’t stop it from hurting though. And don’t get me wrong-I’ve got a really high tolerance- but it still sucks.” I shrug, and take a long drink of my boba.

“That’s bad ass! Have you ever tried to see if you can pass on other damaging quirks like that? Like if I shocked you, would you be able to pass it on to someone else? Or like if Todoroki set you on fire, could you burn other people?” Denki asks, and I tilt my head, chewing slowly.

“No idea. I’ve never tried it before.”

Ejiro chuckles, raising his chopsticks in the air triumphantly. “Well! We know what we’re trying out next training session.” He laughs. I smile. Okay, maybe it won’t be so bad to have friends.

Chapter Text

The morning moves quickly, Hawks wakes me up with a knock on my bedroom door. I wasn’t sleeping, but he didn’t need to know that.

Hawks drops me off directly with Aizawa. A pro must be with me at all times, it seems. Hawks slept over, on the couch downstairs. Dad offered him the Guest room, but he refused, saying it was too far away from my bedroom. It’s awkward, having a strange man in your house, but it’s even more awkward that I’ll never have another moment of privacy as long as Tomura is still kicking around.

I’m thankful, I guess. I do feel a lot safer than I would if I was alone. Aizawa doesn’t say anything to me, holding a mug of coffee and looking at me with something strange in his white eyes. I try to ignore it. He walks me to class, a few minutes late. I can’t get in trouble, but it still makes me anxious to not be in my seat before he walks into the room.

“Morning class.” He greets gruffly, and I hurry to my seat. He’s covered in bandages, and the students seem very surprised to see him. I would have healed him, but my energy hasn’t really returned yet, but by tomorrow I’ll be able to fix him.

“Mr. Aizawa, Katherine! I’m glad you’re okay!” Calls Tenya from the middle of the room. I blush as I walk past him, taking my seat.

“My well being is irrelevant. What’s more important is that your fight isn’t over yet.” As Aizawa speaks, a murmur sets over the classroom. “The UA sports festival is about to start.” He completes his thoughts and my heart flutters. The UA sports festival. Something my father made me watch on TV every single year. I never thought I would be in one. I zone out, completely ignoring the students as I look out the window. If I Win at the sports festival… dad won’t let me quit the hero course. Not even a chance. I have to find some way to throw the game, but make it look like I tried really hard. Because I need an internship to prove my stuff in the support course.

Lost in thought, I’m pulled back to reality by Aizawa dismissing the class. I stand, stretching. My body is back in full working order, no longer sore, but I’m still tired. Nightmares last night kept me up. Those crimson eyes… those pale hands. Awful-grotesque things he said to me. About me. I slept a total of three hours, maybe.

I fall asleep at lunch, snoozing on my lunch tray to the sounds of everyone else conversing about how excited they are for the festival. Someone drops their jacket over my head, muffling the noise slightly and darkening the space around me. A tentative hand rubs over my back. “You should eat something.” A quiet voice says, and the hand on my back removes itself.

“ ‘m not hungry, only tired.” I mumble against my arm, not shifting.

“Didn’t get much sleep last night eh?” The voice asks, and I shrug. “I’m sorry.” In my drowsy state, I finally connect the voice to the person. Ejiro. “I should have been there. I should have protected you.” His voice is tight. I lift up my head to see the rest of my class staring at me. Great. They all must know what happened.

The only thing worse than being a hero, is being a victim. And that’s all they think of me now. The girl who was assaulted by the leader of the league of villains. Weak. I shake my head, faking a grin.

“Oh as if! Those villains would have creamed you.” I tease, pushing him. “I’m only tired because I stayed up playing video games.” I lie, laughing. From the corner of my eye, I can see Cementoss, watching me. Of course. Ejiro laughs, ruffling my hair like he did yesterday. I swat his hand away again.

“You’re such a cute pebble.” He chuckles, and goes back to his food. I disassociate as the rest of the conversation continues, staring at a spot on the wall. I try not to think of HIM again. His crimson eyes, surrounded by wrinkles. His Laugh. His hands- touching me where no one’s touched before- Denki snaps his fingers in front of my face. Pulling me out of my daze. I follow the class back into the classroom.

I sit through English. I can completely ignore this class and still ace it… hero schools aren’t as big on general studies. The class ends, and when we try to leave, the door is blocked. Other students stand there, staring. Whispering. A few of the girls look at me with disgust.

“That’s the girl that’s having an affair with Hawks! What a slut!” One of them murmurs, and before I can say anything, Katsuki is in their faces.

“Scouting out the competition idiots? We’re the class that survived a real villain attack.” Katsuki teases, but his voice is even and calm as if he’s talking about the weather. “They wanna see us with their own eyes. At least now you know what a future pro looks like!” His candor is eerily similar to Aizawa’s. “Now move it, extras.” He demands, as a boy with purple hair steps out of the shadows.

“So this is class 1-A? I heard you guys were impressive, but you just sound like an ass.” The boy speaks, I cover my ears, knowing Katsuki will set off an explosion any second if he keeps being pushed. To my surprise, Katsuki walks away calmly. Huh… didn’t expect that. Even with Present Mic a couple feet away, the students continue to argue.

Despite my better judgment. I follow Katsuki while the ProHero is distracted. We walk in silence for a moment. “Which video game?” He asks suddenly, and I tilt my head

“huh?” I ask, and he scoffs.

“Which video game did you stay up all night playing, dumbass?!” He asks, and I falter.

“Oh- uh-“ I try to remember what game my brothers had been playing. “Minecraft.” I lie, and he raises an eyebrow.

“You defeat the Ender Gryphon yet?” He asks, intrigued and I nod.

“Yea, I was up on that fight all night.” He scoffs.

“You sure? Because there’s no Gryphons in Minecraft Dumbass.” He spits, I open my mouth to speak, but he interrupts me. “Look, I get it. Get your rocks off however you can right? Even better if it’s with a ProHero. It’ll help you move up quicker once you graduate.” He gripes, looking ahead instead of at me. “Don’t let it affect your work at the sports festival. I don’t want the rest of the class to look dumb because you didn’t give it your all. So keep it in your damn pants and don’t let it be a problem. We don’t need any more goddamn distractions.” He opens the door to history class. “And try not to let any more pictures of you half naked in Hawks’ arms end up online.” He teases, slamming the door.

My heart drops. What?! No fucking way. I pull out my phone, going straight to Twitter. My eyes bulge as I see the trending hashtag #Hawksisoverparty.

This is what he was pissed off at me for. I’ve ruined his reputation. Pictures of my mostly- naked body nestled up into his chest are everywhere. Pictures of him flying me to school, carrying me like I’m his bride. An anonymous user saying they live down the street and he spent the night in my house. Another user posting a picture of me asleep in the hospital room, with him holding my hand. My information, my body- online for everyone to see.

“Katherine Black, age 15, seems to have captured the eye of everyone’s favorite predator!” Says the title of an article I’m too afraid to open.

Fuck. Everyone thinks he’s a pedophile. Everyone thinks I’m a super-fan slut who had sex with him while the USJ was being attacked. Someone found my Twitter account and shared it. Thousands of DMs from pissed-off fangirls, horny middle-aged men. Pictures of me from middle school, the ones before I got my boobs. People talking about my father. Asking how he would allow his teenage daughter to be taken advantage of like that. I can’t take it anymore, I delete my Twitter account, and then my Instagram, and then my Tiktok. I’m shaking with frustration now, tapping away at my phone, deleting every proof I’ve ever existed.

A hand claps over my shoulder, and I panic, punching the person who touched me straight in the gut. He doubles over, coughing. “Ow-“ Shoto Todoroki groans, and I freeze.

“Oh my gosh I’m so sorry I didn’t- I thought you- I’m sorry!” I shout, but he puts up a hand to stop me, waving away my concern.

“No it’s my bad- I shouldn’t have touched you like that after- sorry. It’s my fault. I was just wondering why you weren’t going in?” He asks, and I notice the other students approaching.

“Sorry- just checking my phone.” I wipe away my tears quickly, taking a deep breath and straightening my posture.

“My dad said- to talk to you about training with me for the festival. Strengthening your healing quirk while helping me figure out my limits with fire… if you want.” He murmurs, and I nod.

“Your dad is… Endeavor right? I met him a couple of days ago.” I note, and he only nods in response.

“If you’re free after school, you can come over to mine. Since my dad’s a pro it won’t be breaking your curfew.” He knows about that?! Goddamn it.

“Yeah- I’ve just gotta text my dad.” He raises an eyebrow.

“It was your dad’s idea?” He says this as if he expected me to know. Of course it was my dad's idea. Fine, Dad. I’ll play the game. I’ll behave. I’ll even spar with Shoto. But I’m not going to win that stupid fucking sports festival. I enter the classroom, sitting at the very back.

Why was Hawks even at the USJ? He’s not a teacher at UA. He’s the Number 3 ProHero. How did he even know what was going on? Who called him? I grit my teeth in thought. At least I can go home with Shoto instead of being shadowed by Hawks, and I bet if I asked my Dad to spend the night, he’d be happy to let me. Endeavor would probably be willing to have me sleep in his house, if it meant keeping me and my Dad under his thumb. At least one night away from that house sounds good. I’ll ask him tonight, I decide.

I sneakily pull out my phone, plugging in a new username to Twitter, creating a new, anonymous account. I scroll through the nasty comments, trying to find any information that needs to be removed. I’m sure dad can have that done. No one has our address, thankfully. But what stops me in my tracks is a picture from today. A picture of me sitting at my desk, looking out the window, Hawk’s feather dangling from my neck. He said it was a good luck charm, but clearly, he was wrong.

As the photo is captioned “she’s looking for him sksk #peepthenecklace #whatasimp #tgif #hawksisoverparty”

Wait… for this picture to exist, someone must’ve taken it. Someone in this class. I think back to the layout of the classroom. Who sits to my right?! Katsuki, Tenya, Mineta and Tsu.

The language used is nowhere near how Tenya speaks, so he’s not it. Mineta would have taken an up-the-skirt shot, so he’s out. That leaves Tsu and Katsuki. I grit my teeth just thinking about it. How could they? Why would they?! I know I haven’t been the most friendly person in the world but I really don’t think I did anything to deserve this! I bite back tears. Not here. Not in class. Later. Probably in the bathroom before gym.

Chapter Text

The weeks pass quickly, and every weekday I spend the night at Shoto’s, in his sister's trundle bed. We wake up before the sun rises and get a few matches in before Fuyumi makes us breakfast, and pesters us to get ready for school.

Every day after school, Endeavor picks us up in his shiny sports car and drives us to his agency. We use his gym to spar until sundown, and then Endeavor has one of his sidekicks drive us to his house.

Every day I get a little better, but it’s not much. I’m just not meant for strength or speed. Shoto regularly kicks my ass, but I catch on to some of his tells.

Dad doesn’t call me once, despite me not seeing him or my brothers at all for two weeks straight.

Endeavor rarely speaks to me, but he does stare. Once, he came to pick us up with a nasty cut on his cheek, and I healed it. He stared more often after that. I’m not completely sure why, but I can guess it’s because he and his kids don’t really have an affectionate relationship.

He doesn’t talk to them much, and when he does it's more barking orders rather than pleasant conversation. My dad is the same way, but he at least is physically affectionate, and he’d leave gifts for you to find if you got into an argument with him.

Shoto and I spent nearly every waking minute together for two weeks straight, and I never got so much as a high-five from him. I’d tried to give him a hug once, and he just kind of stood there confused. I tried not to dwell on it.

Endeavor drops us off, right into Aizawa’s care, every single day. Shoto goes off on his own, but I’m required to stay with a Pro Hero at all times despite there being no sign of villains at all the past two weeks, well, more because of not seeing any sign of villains for the past two weeks. Being watched doesn’t get any more comfortable. Classes continue as usual, and I test my ability to pass on destructive quirks with Denki and Bakugo, who are both very happy to have a willing punching bag.

I’ve picked up the boys' habits, hanging out with them so often, I’ve started to call people by their last names like we’re all on a sports team. Begrudgingly, I become friends with most of class 1A, learning about their quirks and personalities. I learned that there was no way in hell Tsu took that picture, so it must have been Bakugo. I don’t ask him about it. I don’t want to know why he did it. I just know he did it, and that I need to avoid him now.

I avoid Hawks as well, not wanting to further damage his image and career. The press doesn’t die down as much as I’d wanted it to, and now the entire internet is convinced I broke up with Hawks and broke his heart. Some people say I cheated on him with Shoto. Pictures of my coming and going to the Todoroki residence and Endeavors agency hang over my head.

I try not to care.

When my Dad is announced to be working under BestJeanist, the press blames me for him not working with one of the top three. I’m too much trouble, too much drama. No one from class talks to the press about what actually happened that day, nor do the pro heroes who saw.

They’d rather ruin Hawks Career than let that story slip into the hands of the press. I try really hard to be thankful, but it’s hard knowing it’s all my fault. Even Aizawa looks at me differently now, avoiding my eyes when I’m in class, never calling my name to answer questions. When I catch him staring, he looks away quickly, ashamed. He blames himself too. He shouldn’t. He’s not who I see in my nightmares. Ejiro Kirishima has taken it upon himself to escort me between my classes, saying something about how we need to strategize for the sports festival. I don’t know how to tell him that every time I look into his eyes I see Tomura.

On the morning of the games, everyone else waits in the waiting room, but I have to be in the teachers' lounge. In a room full of Pro-Hero’s, I’m to wait until it’s time to step into the arena to compete. I’m led out onto the field, directly past the rest of the class. They talk amongst themselves. I scan the stands.

He’s not here. He’s not here. I promise myself that he’s not here. Katsuki brags that he’s going to win, pissing off the other students and the people in the stands. He’s right, of course, he’s an imitable force to be reckoned with. He was the only one who could stop that warp gate villain and damn did he do a good job of it.

I never thanked him for saving my life, and he never thanked me for saving his. I reckon we’re even then. Midnight announces we’re doing an obstacle course. Good. I can fail that, no problem. I’m not fast or strong or agile, dad knows that. I’ve gotten better- I know- from my practice with Shoto. I’m more stable on my feet after having to run on his ice. I’m better at dodging because of his flames. I’m better at reacting. I’ll still have to try my best- for it to look real. We all take our places.

I stay toward the back, not wanting to waste energy on getting trampled. The buzzer sounds, and we rush into the building. So many people get stuck in the doorway. I feel it, that familiar tingle of cold before Shoto uses his ice. I jump, using someone’s shoulders to vault myself upward. I narrowly avoid my feet being frozen too. I climb over the others, muttering “sorry” and “excuse me” every other second.

My feet flat on the ground, I book it after Shoto. Ice. I can work with this. Explosions sound off behind me. Katsuki. Of course. Shoto turns his head slightly, seeing me just behind him. “I didn’t expect so many people to dodge that, Especially those from other classes.” He admits, throwing an ice block ahead of me.

I sidestep, sliding. I use the ice to my advantage, skating instead of running. Good. Less energy spent. Ahead of us, mechs stand. Shit. Okay- that I have no idea how to handle. I can’t hurt them- they’re not alive. My quirk is not at all equipped for this. I stop behind Todoroki, waiting for him to create an opening.

“So this is what the other students faced in the entrance exams.” Shoto says, readying himself. So Endeavor got him in too? “They obviously went through a lot of trouble, but I wish they’d prepared something a little more difficult.” Shoto complains, slamming an ice attack into the ground. I jump out of the way, stumbling over between the thing’s feet. Oh shit. Shoto turns the whole thing to ice, running past me. I follow him, not questioning his methods.

The robots begin to fall, and I worry for a moment that they might crush some students. I’ll deal with it later if I have to. Right now, I’m supposed to be worried about myself.

“That’s Todoroki from Class 1-A pulling ahead to an early lead with a devastating display! Right behind him, Black, Also from Class 1-A! Both let in on RECOMMENDATIONS!” Present Mic shouts while I begin to fall behind. Shoto is so much faster than me, I’m just following him blindly at this point. If he’s wrong, I’ll be wrong too. I run after him, several dozen feet behind, wheezing. All I have to do is keep following him. I haven’t used my quirk yet. I’ve not had the opportunity. I’ve not been hit, or near anyone who needed me to take their hits. I tune out the announcer, the people in the stands, slowing down but still running. Shoto vaults on his ice, crossing a huge cavern.

I follow after him, just fast enough on his ice to keep him from melting his ice too quickly, and letting me fall. I skate on the wire behind him, struggling to keep my balance. I land with far less grace than he did, keeping myself upright at the cost of speed.

Katsuki isn’t far behind me, firing off explosions to propel himself forward. About time he showed up, honestly. I stop just behind Shoto as we approach the last obstacle: mines. Fuck. I follow Shoto’s movements carefully, only stepping where he steps to be sure I don’t accidentally set anything off. Katsuki comes out of nowhere, flying above us, attacking Shoto. I dodge, flailing back into a landmine that propels me forward. I cough… but my healing is faster now, even for smaller injuries.

I grit my teeth, getting back to my feet just in time to see Izuku flying above our heads on a hunk of metal. Katsuki and Shoto take off after him, and I hitch a ride on Shoto’s ice path. Coming in fourth is good. High enough to look like I tried, low enough to be support. I still haven’t used my quirk at all… and I realize… neither has Izuku.

Izuku slams the metal on the ground between the other two, creating an explosion that knocks the other two down, but propels him forward. I don’t think. I don’t have time to. I grip onto Izuku’s ankles to steady myself. The force of his calculated risk pulls us both. We both stumble, and I take the small bruising he has from landing on his knees.

We scramble to stand, and take off. Holy fuck he’s fast. I try to keep up, but at best I’m several feet behind. The other two boys pass me, Standing in perfect line with Izuku, all exactly the same distance from the finish line. Izuku presses forward, and I move. I jump, climbing on top of Izuku’s back while he runs forward. The crowd cheers. Shit. I didn’t mean to do that.

“IN THE FIRST TIME IN UA HISTORY, WE HAVE A TIE!” Fuck- no- god damn it. Izuku starts crying. I zone out, checking the stands again. No- he’s not here, Katherine. Stop looking for him. You’re fine. I tell myself. In the midst of my worrying, Midnight announces a Cavalry battle. I stifle a laugh. I already rode Izuku to victory, this should be easy peasy.

Damn it.

This is a team game- and anyone I team up with will end up suffering if I don’t participate the way I’m supposed to. I don’t want to hurt the other students' chances. They deserve to be Pro Heroes! They all worked so hard to get here and me throwing the game just because I didn’t think it through properly in the first round and happened upon first place is inherently wrong.

I might not want to be a hero but I’ll be damned if I start to act like a villain.

Selfishness will get me nowhere. I’ll have to be smart about this, pick someone who is bound to lose regardless of my participation. A weak team. And- Fuck- the first-place winner is worth ten million points.

Since there are two of us, we’ll be targeted. This game is rigged against the winners of the last game. While that does make my plans of purposeful loss hold more water, it is a very sharp double-edged sword. No one is going to want to team up with me, or Izuku, and it’s a bad idea to have twenty million points on one team. Izuku must not agree though, because he turns to me.

“I’m basically useless in this- all I’ve got is a heal quirk and with twenty million points we’re guaranteed to lose.” I admit, shaking my head. I won’t hurt his chances. I refuse. He won fair and square! I am just a vulture who stole the title out from under him with cheap tactics and stupid split-second decisions. He opens his mouth to argue- but is cut off by Ochaco, who bounces up excitedly.

“Hey Deku! Katherine!” Oh- maybe Katsuki isn’t that much of a dick… this kid might just go by that as a nickname? “Let’s team up!” She offers, and Izuku erupts into tears and complaints about being worth ten million points. “If we run away the whole time we’ll win right?” Ochaco asks, and Izuku pauses, losing his excitable look to a disappointed one.

“Uhm… you’re either overestimating me or underestimating everyone else here.” Izuku admits, but she rolls her eyes, placing her hands on her hips.

“Phooey- Anyway, it’s better to team up with people you like!” They start to strategize, and I accept it. This is a terrible plan, but it’s one they came up with, so it won’t be my fault when it fails. Let them let me lose. A pink-haired girl joins the fray. Izuku approaches Tokoyami, who agrees to join as well. No. He’s too good. I slip away, finding a group of three.

The purple-haired boy that bullied Katsuki, Aoyama, and that boy with the tail. Two out of the three of them I know. Aoyama is completely useless at this, his navel laser is far too destructive to be used against children. He must know that, judging by the look on his face. Ojiro, the boy with the tail would be pretty useful as rear-defense, and he’s decently strong and fast, but besides that, he’s just kind of a guy with no real ‘superpowers’.

When I approach, the purple-haired boy looks at me as if I have two heads, and the other two boys look through me, staring far off and confused. “Uh- hey so I know I’m a total detriment but I’d really like to join your team if I can. I have all of the information you need for the other ten million- and I pay attention. I know how Explosion boy works as well as his teammates.” He rolls his eyes.

“Okay, what’s your quirk?” He asks, tilting his head. Instead of telling him, I show him, pressing my palm to his elbow to heal the scrape he got in the last round, and then show him the same wound on my arm. He watches as I pass it off onto Ayoyama, who squeaks. I take it back, letting it heal on my skin.

This is a risk, joining his team before I know what his quirk is. But I know the tail boy isn’t that great. And Aoyama is a fickle weirdo. He nods. Deep in thought for a moment.

“Okay, what's your name?” He asks. I breathe a sigh of relief.

“I’m Katherine Black.” I introduce myself, and he grins.

“Oh Kitty, you don’t pay as much attention as you think you do.” Everything goes black.

Chapter Text

It seems I blink, and present Mic is shouting “In third place is Tetsute- WAIT, what?! It’s team Shinso? When did they come back from the dead?” The purple-haired boy looks back at me and winks.

“Thanks for all your help, Kitty.” He smirks, walking away. What the hell just happened?! I turn to Aoyama, who still looks very dazed. Ojiro also looks like he’s one crayon short of a twelve-pack. Present Mic announces a lunch break, and I slide to sit on the wall, waiting for one of the Teachers to pick me up as planned.

Once the voices have calmed, mostly exiting the area, I close my eyes, hiding my face in my arms as I knock my forehead against my knees. No one here, I’m free to relax. I’m proven wrong when a hand taps me on the head. “Hey kid, long time no see.” The familiar voice says. Hawks slides down the wall, sitting next to me.

“You shouldn’t be here. If someone sees us-“ I start and he rolls his eyes, interrupting me with a scoff.

“Do I really look like a guy who’s concerned about what other people think of me?” He asks, chuckling. “I brought you lunch.” He murmurs, placing a styrofoam container in front of me. “It’s fried chicken. Your dad said it was your favorite.” I let my legs down, sitting crisscross applesauce.

“Thanks.” I mumble, picking up the container, staring at it.

“Alright, spill it. What’s got you all mopey? You’re doing great, kid! You got first place and you managed to beat out other people in the Calvary course despite being at a real disadvantage.” He muses, sitting with his legs splayed out and open in a V shape. He gestures with his hands as he speaks.

“I don’t want it.” I mumble, and he tilts his head.

“Really? I’d have thought you’d be starving after-“ I cut him off.

“I don’t want to win.” I admit, and he tilts his head.

“I don’t follow.” He’s confused.

“If I win, my dad won’t let me drop the hero course. I want to switch classes… but I have to look good enough for him to not think I’m throwing it.” I explain, toying with the ends of my hair.

“Ah- so you’re afraid of meeting expectations because you know you can. I know that feeling.” He blows out a large breath, whistling. “Anxiety- tossing and turning in your sleep. That nasty feeling of sweat on your lower back. You don’t want to be a hero, but you want to save the world. Am I right?” He asks, and I nod. “Alright, well, this isn’t weight you should carry yourself kid. You should probably talk to someone about it.” I open my mouth to interject, but he puts both of his hands up in surrender. “And as much as you’re gonna deny it- That incident at the USJ needs more attention from you emotionally than your little sparring sessions with Todoroki.” He tilts back his head, looking up at the ceiling. “What Shigaraki did to you- it would have made most girls terrified of ever coming back here. But here you are, still kicking.” He gestures to me, and I look away, blushing.

“Listen, I know it’s not really my place kid, but I think you belong in the Hero Course. The fact that you ACCIDENTALLY made it both rounds is pretty goddamn impressive. You survived a fight with some pretty powerful, scary villains that even some pros I know would have been pissing their pants over. You’ve got so much potential.” He leans forward, trying to catch my eye. “You put on this lazy facade. I know that act because I do it too.” He admits, and presses a finger to my chest. “But no matter what you do, in here, you’ll know what’s right, and you’ll do it anyway. No matter the cost. Because that’s what Heroes do.” He shrugs.

“I’m not a Hero.” I deny, and he chuckles.

“Stubborn till the end huh kid? That’s fine. You know what these games are for right? I think I found my interns.” He teases, knocking my shoulder with his. I look up at him, trying to keep the tears brimming my eyes from falling.

“But the pre-” He cuts me off, pressing his lips to mine. I freeze. So many thoughts, none coherent, as he places his hands on the sides of my head, continuing to kiss me. When he pulls back, my heart is racing.

“I don’t give a damn about them, songbird…” He whispers, his eyes still closed. No way- no fucking way. This is a dream. I was knocked out in the field, obviously. This isn’t real. It can’t be. There’s no fucking way. When his eyes open, they’re nearly glowing gold. “I’ve wanted to do that… all week.” He breathes, leaning down to kiss me again. This time, I am not surprised, and I return his kiss happily, my tongue moving against his. I stumble forward, grabbing onto his wing to steady myself. He groans, pulling away. “Careful-” He murmurs, and is immediately interrupted by a loud “What the FUCK?”

I look behind me to see Katsuki Bakugo. Fuck- I push Hawks back off of me, scrambling to my feet and Katsuki steps forward, pushing me behind him while towering over Keigo’s still sitting body. This is bad… “She’s fucking FIFTEEN you pervert!” Katsuki growls.

“Katsuki-” I start, but he growls.

“Sixteen as of the 20th actually,” Keigo responds, still sitting. He looks calm, collected. He’s bested him. “Legal in Georgia.” Keigo is smug.

“You son of a bitch.” Bakugo shouts, raising his fist to punch Keigo, but I stop him, jumping in between them.

“It’s fine! Jesus christ, can you just chill out?!” I ask Katsuki, his crimson eyes flash to mine as he grabs hold of my arm. His hands… so rough. Like HIS. Those ruby eyes- I can’t breathe.

“Bakugo- back off kid.” Hawks warns, suddenly at his feet.

“Get the fuck out of here, Hawks.” Katsuki grumbles, pulling me away. I close my eyes, trying desperately to remind myself of who he is. Where I am. Fuck- Breathe, Katherine.

“What’s going on back there?” Calls Midnight from the hall, we all look over to her.

“Nothin’” Hawks sighs, turning around and walking down the hallway.

“If you kids are going to spend your lunch break bothering a ProHero-”

“No ma’am, Hawks was just telling us he was enjoying the show- and congratulated us for making it to the last round.” I interrupt, feigning an innocent voice. She raises an eyebrow, but sighs.

“ Alright then… You two behave yourselves now.” She demands, and walks away as well. I turn to Katsuki, he’s still holding my arm, he looks absolutely feral.

“I was just teasing you- you didn’t have to let him touch you like that!” He growls, I grit my teeth.

“Teasing huh? Is that what that picture was? Just a little fun?” I sneer, ripping his hand off of my arm.

“What the fuck are you talking about dumbass?” He asks, crossing his arms. I pull out my phone, opening the saved tab. I push it at him, and he raises an eyebrow, taking my phone.

“I literally don’t even have twitter.” He shakes his head, but continues to scroll. “People are still on that huh? I wonder what they’d say if they knew what actually happened.” He scoffs, giving my phone back to me. My heart drops. Who posted it then? He shoves his hands into his pockets, looking away. “You should stay away from that Horny Bastard. He’s just gonna fuck you and toss you to the side.” He looks back at me, sneering with a growl. “So, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He turns on his heel, leaving me completely alone.

I take the moment, sitting back down and attempting to eat my lunch. I finish the chicken, and the mac-and-cheese, but I leave the mashed potatoes. I throw away the container, and when I turn, I’m met with a grey-haired man with a sparse moustache and a missing tooth. He grins at me, presenting his hand for me to shake. “Hello there, Little lady. The name’s Giran.” He introduces himself. I take his hand, and feel his aching knees resonate inside me.

“Katherine Black… Are you a parent?” I ask, and he shakes his head.

“Nah, I’m a recruiter. I came to offer you a job.” He explains himself, and I laugh.

“Oh- well… I don’t know if I’m gonna have much time if I get an internship.” I shake my head.

“Alright then, here, have my card- Just in case.” he continues to grin, and turns on his heel. God I cannot wait for this day to be over… I’m so ‘People’d’ out. I return to the stadium. There’s still so many people here, waiting. So many people snapping pictures and videos.

I check my phone. Twitter is going wild. “Is this girl just going to ride every guy better than her to victory?” four photos, one of me piggybacking on Deku, one of me being carried by Hawks, one of me using Shoto’s ice to skate faster than the competition. one of me being lifted off the ground by Shinso. The fact that I can’t even remember the last one is infuriating.

“Moodboard: you’re KatBlack and the sexiest guys in ATL all want to bang you:” More photos, all of them being of me being stared at by some guy, one of me being half-carried by Kirishima from that day we all went out to get sushi.

My heart drops as I look closer at that photo. It’s barely there… but you can see it. A faint, black smudge just over Katsuki’s shoulder. Kurogiri. He’s been watching me. Tomura has been watching me. I scroll through more of the pictures, my heart dropping with each new photo when I spot him. In the very corner of the picture, out from under a grey hoodie, is a tendril of dry, silver hair. No- I’m seeing things. The black spot is just a weird coincidence. A smudge on a camera lens, nothing more. There are plenty of people with silver hair. That Villain wouldn’t be walking around in public like that, especially only two days after being shot.

My heart drops- the pain in my legs… My body being so sore- it wasn’t just because of the fight- it felt new. No… no that’s not- how would they even get into the hospital room? Where were the heroes? Where the hell was my dad?! My heart feels like it’s beating out of my chest, my breath coming in short, quick bursts. I can’t- I can’t breathe. I fall to my knees, using my hands to stop my face from hitting the ground. The food I had just eaten threatens to come back up. I’m shaking, my lungs ache for the air they refuse. Fuck- why am I so goddamn weak?! Nothing even really happened! Katherine, stop being a fucking baby and GET UP. GET UP DAMN IT. Tears running down my face, Alone, I throw my phone at the wall.

It smashes, and the breaking sound snaps me back to reality.

I gasp, finally being able to breathe. Fuck this- I can’t get this goddamn flustered over THINKING I saw a glimpse of him. I have to stop this. Permanently. I have to do what I swore I would never do… what he already made me do when he passed his abominable quirk onto me. I have to rid the world of that monster before more girls fall victim to him, before he gets whatever the hell it is he wants from me. I have to kill him.

And winning this goddamn sports festival gives me the chance to tell him that I’m coming for him.

Chapter Text

A round-robin battle royale. Beating the shit out of each other for the general populace’s entertainment. I can win that.

Hand-to-hand combat is my specialty and something I had specifically been practicing with Shoto. Offensive quirks can be passed back to the user. I learned from my fights with Denki that even if someone is immune to their own quirk, I can still pass on the damage they dealt. I can’t set someone with a fire quirk ablaze, but I can give them some severe burns. I can’t shock Denki, but I can give him the cellular death from his larger blasts.

Ojiro speaks up as Midnight urges us to draw names. “Um. Excuse me. Sorry. But I’m withdrawing” A gasp resonates through the crowd. Tenya and Izuku both try to get him to reconsider, but he shakes his head. “It just wouldn’t be right. I barely remember anything from the Cavalry battle until the very end of it. I… think it was that guy’s quirk.”

Aoyama agrees, also resigning. Wait- Shinso made Ojiro and Aoyama blackout too?! Okay… I have at least one actual rival then. I don’t even know exactly what his quirk is and I already told him all about mine.

Shit.

I focus on strategizing as the matchups are announced. I’m up against Mina Ashido. Okay… damn. I didn’t think about the fact that I might have to hurt my friends. It’ll be okay… I’ll only hurt her and then take it back at the end of the match.

I follow the rest of my class into the waiting rooms. I avoid them all Especially Katsuki and sit down, grabbing a Gatorade and downing it, as well as a granola bar. I can’t run out of energy today. Now that I’ve got an actual goal and game plan I do not plan on losing.

Present Mic gives a pep talk, I don’t pay much attention, instead choosing to braid my hair back instead of letting it run loose as I had. They might use it to grab onto me.

Izuku and Shinso are first. I watch in horror as Izuku does exactly as Shinso says. Brainwashing. It’s full-on brainwashing. I won’t let him get away with it again. If Izuku fails, it’s on him. I’d rather not fight Izuku, he’s got some godlike strength, and those broken bones hurt like hell. I don’t really want to fight any of them honestly.

He stops suddenly, turning back around. I close my eyes, tuning them out. Focus. Breathe. In. Out. Up. Down. I roll my neck, ignoring the intense commentary from the group. I open my eyes. Shinso lost. Good… His brainwashing, while less painful… would have been so much more difficult to square off with than Deku. Deku breaks his own bones often enough, I’m sure it won’t hurt him so bad to beat him.

Shoto and Sero square off next. Poor Sero, he didn’t stand a chance. More people fight, more people lose. I only keep track of the winners, strategizing how to beat each one. Ibara is gonna be hard, Shoto even harder. I have confidence in my ability to beat Izuku and Tenya. Mina will be a piece of cake…

Fuck… My turn. “This is gonna hurt, Isn’t it?” Mina asks, her face apologetic.

“For you or me?” I retort with a laugh, crouching into a ready position. The buzzer sounds, and we both say in our positions, testing to see who will move first.

I avoid looking at her face, not wanting to disable myself before the fight even begins. Tuning out the announcer, I walk toward her. She throws a splash of acid, I let it hit. I press it back into her cheek. She groans, throwing another punch. I let her continue to hit me, cracking bones and burning my flesh. I wait for an opening, smacking it back into her in her stomach. She doubles over, and I use it as an opportunity to push her back, across the line.

The buzzer sounds. I won.

Holy shit I actually won.

She got ahead of herself, used strength, and pain to try to bully me past the line. I walk up to her, taking her hand to take back the wounding. A roar resounds in the crowd as her wounds become mine.

“Woah- You shouldn’t do that, You won, you have to save your energy for the next round.” Mina warns as I take her wounds. I shrug.

“It’ll all be fine, If I eat something, rest, and drink some water-” She grabs my hand again, and then pulls it back, taking some of the wounds.

“Up next is Kirishima and Tetsutestu- Both of them are going to hurt and after that is Ururaka and Bakugo, but it’s obvious who’s going to win. You don’t stand a chance if you don’t at least try to keep up, besides, This is what the nurse is for..” She explains, and, surprising me, gives me a hug. “Good Luck, Black.” She smiles, before limping off of the field. I follow in the opposite direction.

Fuck. This hurts… so bad. I reach down, collapsing onto the grass. It leeches out the wounds, far slower than it would for a sentient organism, and my accelerated healing takes care of the rest.

“Hey- You did good, kid.” Hawks says, just above me in the stands. I don’t look at him.

When I return to my spot next to Tenya, I find that the fight between Katsuki and Ochaco has begun… He won’t let her touch him. Of course… She also has a touch-based quirk. This is practice for him… for me. I swallow hard as I recognize the repercussions. Holy shit. Ochaco also has the bonus of being able to use her surroundings as weapons.

There’s no way I’m getting past him without a solid plan. He’s too fast, his reaction time is incredible. We get a break, but it’s not enough. I’m fucked.I hurry toward the waiting room, needing another drink and snack. I’m thinking too much, getting too deep into my own head. I bump into someone in my stupor.

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” I put my hands up, ready to heal any injuries I may have accidentally created. My fingers ache for a moment as I look up to see Izuku, an upset look on his face.

“Oh. Hey Katherine.” He rubs the back of his neck and then looks down at his hands. “Why would you do that if you know you might have to fight me?” He asks, his brow furrowed.

“I dunno… makes it fairer I guess.” I shrug, and we run into Katsuki.

Great, just the man I’m trying to avoid. I look away, hurrying forward, trying not to listen to their conversation. Once in the waiting room, I breathe, grabbing a bottle of water and smashing it down my throat as quickly as possible.

“Oh- Hey Katherine!” Ochako beat me here… how? It doesn’t matter. I eye the bandage on her cheek.

“After my last match… I’ll heal that if I can.” I mutter, and she blushes.

“Oh! You really don’t have to, It’s just a scrape. I'm fine, really!” She grins, and I nod.

“Okay, well, I’m gonna have a nap… would it be too much to ask you to wake me up for my next match?” I ask, and she nods.

“Sure thing!” She gives me a thumbs up, I attempt a smile. It’s Awkward. I take off my jacket, covering over my head, and sitting next to her. I lay my head on my arms, and quickly fall asleep.

He smiles at me, His teeth are pretty and square and white. A harsh contrast against his dry, cracked lips. He’s on top of me, and I can’t move. He’s not holding me down, his hands are on my breasts. He laughs, licking my face. I try to scream- to call out for help- but I can’t. He talks to me, but I can’t hear what He’s saying. I can’t focus on anything by him touching me, him on top of me. I’m naked. He’s talking louder now.
I can hear the murmur of his voice, muddled like he’s underwater.
He’s not the one underwater, I am. I can’t breathe. He’s keeping me under the water. I beg I plead for him to let me up, my arm frees itself to touch his face. He’s startled, his grin closes as his eyes widen. He leans into my hand, as his face begins to.
Behind it, Is Hawks, grinning. His eyes are crimson, his teeth are sharp, twisted into a grotesque grin. I can breathe now, but all I can smell are cigarettes and sweat. “I waited for you, Songbird. Now let me into those panties.” He teases, kissing me. He steals my breath directly from my lungs, and I can feel my life leave with it. He takes my quirk, pushing millions of wounds directly into my body excruciating pain resonates through my chest-

“Kate- Wake up.” Ochaco shakes my shoulder, and I start awake, gasping for air.

“You okay?” Izuku asks, from my other side. “We’ve been trying to wake you up for like five minutes, the next rounds are about to start…” Ochaco tilts her head as I wipe the sleep from my eyes.

“I’m fine,” I respond reflexively, standing.

“You’re crying…” Izuku whispers, and I nod.

“Yeah, my quirk doesn’t prevent pain.” I brush them off, standing to stretch. “Good luck out there Izuku.” I clap a hand over his shoulder and give him a tight smile, and walk past them.

“Kate?” Ochaco says it like a question, but I don’t have an answer. As I return to the stands to watch the fights, I pass him again. He looks relieved to see me. I’m not sure why. He looks concerned. Again, confusing.

“Came to watch the show too, huh Voodoo doll?” Katsuki pipes up. I freeze. In a split second, I find myself vaulting over the chairs separating us. Rage bubbles up in my stomach as I grab him by the shirt, slamming him back down into his seat.

“Call me that again and I slit your throat,” I growl directly into his face. He looks mortified for a split second before he composes himself and scoffs.

“Damn, Shorty. Don’t bite my head off, it’s just a decent hero name.” He rolls those crimson eyes.

I resist the urge to strangle him, letting go of his shirt and backing up, turning on my heel to sit well away from him. “Dude… Hand guy called her that…” I hear Kirishima whisper at him loudly.

I shudder.

He shouldn’t still have this much control over me, especially after I've finally worked up the resolve to kill him. I shouldn’t be threatening to and thinking of attempting to kill my classmates over a nickname. I rub my wrists. The bruises healed as fast as they were created, and there’s no evidence he was ever there- but there’s something inside me screaming to cut him out of me by any means possible.

I sit in silence while watching the Izuku and Todoroki match. They’re strong, sure. But I hope beyond hoping Shoto loses. I can beat Izuku, and Izuku can beat Shoto. Shoto will wipe the floor with me if he gets the chance. This twisted game of rock paper scissors is what these people all came here to see. Carnage amongst children. I intend to give them exactly what they asked for.

Bakugo is going to pay for what he said. For now, he’s been treating me... He’s no fucking hero. He’s just a villain on the right side for now. One good push and he’d be right next to Tomura, taking anything he wants by force just as he is doing right now. Ragdolling Ochaco around like that- not even remembering what had happened to me not even two weeks before, accusing me of sleeping with Hawks and then getting all weird and angry when he caught us kissing- and then picking a fight with Hawks like he has something to prove- It’s wrong. It’s all wrong the way he acts.
Someone has to teach him a lesson before it’s too late, but it’s not my place. I have a game to win second.

Chapter Text

Son. Of. A. Bitch. Shoto won. Of fucking course Shoto won. This isn’t good. Not at all. I can beat Bakugo, but it’s going to take every drop of my energy to best him. I’ll have nothing left for Shoto. My quirk won’t be useful at all in a fight where he only uses ice. He knows that… he spent so much time sparring with me.

My eyes fly to the man in the hero’s section of the stadium, reserved for the top ten heroes. Endeavor planned this. He gave his son a leg up by letting me stay in his home. They’ve both been watching me. They know all of my secrets, all of my weaknesses. Fuck this is not good.

Tenya beats out Vine girl. Good. Tokoyami and I are up next. Bad. He’s so fucking powerful- but I can handle this. If Dark Shadow can hit me, and if it can move on its own, and have its own thoughts and feelings then it’s sentient. All I have to do is touch it, and it’ll be hurt. It’s probably never been legitimately hurt before, so it'll be vulnerable.

I’ll need to do something big to hurt myself before the match.

During the fights, I work. Covering my body as quickly as I can in tiny cuts all over. These won’t heal before the match. It’s excruciating, and I have to do it with a Jagged piece of robot I found leftover in my shoe- Thanks, Izuku- but it’ll all be worth it when I beat out Tokoyami. I just have to wait for Dark shadow to hit me- to become tangible. Knowing Fumikage, He’ll probably just lift me up with Dark Shadow out of the ring, So I’ll have to do it then. I’m so focused I hadn't even noticed moving onto the field. I’m tired already- but I’ll be fine for at least this next fight. Since the attack at the USJ, I have learned my limits a bit better. I can take my entire body being destroyed four or five times before I can’t move. I’ve only burned some of my skin, and broken my radius and ulna in my right arm. I’ve got so much more to give. I know I have to save it for Katsuki, and Shoto, But I’m excited.

If I beat Fumikage, I’ll be in the top three. That much closer to Victory. I look Tokoyami up and down, knowing that if I beat him just this once, he might forgive me. I ready myself, Standing in a relaxed, stable standing position.

The buzzer rings, and Dark shadow stretches out to me. I wait. Wait. Wait. There. It wraps itself around me, lifting me off the ground to fling me over the line. I press the wounds into it, feeling all of the tiny cuts under my clothes leave. This isn’t cheating. I didn’t use a support item. I simply prepared before the fight, like everyone else. They let Momo eat a bunch to get up her lipids. This isn’t much different. It’s like a workout.

Dark shadow screeches, dropping me as it recoils back into Tokoyami. I sprint, slamming my body as hard as I can into him, feeling my shoulder dislocate as I do. I press that wound into him, pushing him down onto the ground. He punches, kicks, tries desperately to get me off of him. It would have been smarter to just lay there until Dark shadow has the strength to come back out. I back up, pushing myself off of him, and try to drag him by the back of his shirt to the finish line. He’s strong, he fights me, ripping open his shirt to get away from me. I move quickly, getting on the ground and slamming my head into the concrete, and getting back up. I’m dazed now- this is a stupid move but I’m desperate.

I just have to knock him out. I get my fingers around his wrist, and he groans as the wound smacks into him. I headbutt him, making the same maneuver again while he’s dazed. This is enough. He crumples, completely unconscious on the ground.

I stand, sweating and breathing heavily until someone pulls me off of the field.

In the waiting room, I lean over a table, trying to breathe. Two more matches. Todoroki and Fucking Bakugo. Both of them I’d hope would have been taken out of the competition. They’re both smarter, stronger, faster than me. The only thing I’ve got going for me is I know how they move. I know what their weak spots are. Bakugo has a limit like mine, he can tire himself out if you can outlast him. Shoto is completely vulnerable on his left side, if you can get that close.

Kirishima and Ashido try to give me a pep talk, but I can barely hear them over the pounding of the blood in my ears. I have to fight Bakugo. I don’t stand a chance with Shoto after that- so I have to do something drastic. I will finish in Second. Second place is good for all of my purposes. I’ll still get time with the press, and I won't be number one, so my dad won’t be proven right.

Katsuki can have first place since he wants it so damn bad.

I move on Autopilot to the field, and stand, with no resistance. The buzzer rings, Katsuki immediately releases a blast. I take it, and all of his other attacks in stride. He didn’t account for my ability to keep standing. I practiced that with Shoto, tanking attacks instead of falling down.

“Are you tired yet, asshole?” I ask, after taking a blow directly to my side. It hurts. God, it hurts so fucking bad, but I can’t stop. Not now. For the first time, I dodge attacks, avoiding his hits. I’m not going to hit him back. Not yet. My body heals better than it deals, and it takes more energy to press it onto someone else than to just heal it, so if I dodge, if I just let the wounds heal pretty well before I push some of them back onto him...

“Why aren’t you fighting me dumbass!?” He reaches in to punch me, energy spent. I dodge him again, sweeping my leg under him to trip him. He jumps, punching an explosion directly to my face. “Fight back GOD DAMN IT! IT DOESN’T COUNT IF YOU JUST STAND THERE AND LET ME WIN!” He growls, punching me square in the stomach. I double over onto his arm, careful not to touch him with my hands. “What the fuck is your problem?!” He demands, enraged.

I Grit my teeth, and raise my hand. “I’ll beat you. But not like you want me to” I murmur, and he’s livid. He reaches out to punch me again, but I block him with my open hands. He flies backward with the force of his own blasts, though nothing hits him. It’s like he’s being electrocuted and his body moves on its own to get away from me as fast as possible, flinging him close to the boundary line. He stops just before that, Looking up at me with an unknown feeling burning in those garnet eyes of his. Shit. NO. Not now goddammit! I’m frozen.

Those eyes, those damn eyes. He doesn’t notice, head completely in the game as he blasts me across the stadium. My back slams against the wall, knocking the air out of me. I Lost. God damn it, I lost! I cough up blood as I stand, hearing the buzzer admit my defeat.

“God damn it Black! That wasn’t fucking fair!” He growls, trying to come after me. He’s held back by cementoss with a wall. I shake away the paramedics trying to help me, and I walk past the stands through the hallway.

“There’s no way to market that! She doesn’t even have any cool moves! She just stands there, gets really beat up and touches you and it’s over.” Someone mutters, and a voice laughs in reply.

“You think that’s the move she used on Hawks?” They ask, and I cover my ears, and walk away faster.

This is why I zone out so often. A lesser-known side effect to my quirk is lack of sensory loss. I’m incredibly sensitive everywhere on my body because I can’t grow calluses. My hearing is perfect, as is my vision. Unaffected by time or stress. My only protection from overstimulation is either intense focus, or intense dissociation.

I’ve lost entire days to both.

Tenya and Todoroki are the next ones up against each other. I can’t focus- I Lost. I didn’t even want to win this stupid game, so why am I upset?

The wound from my smashed-up back heals pretty quickly. I walk back into the booth with my classmates, healing them all without asking permission. They gripe, and complain about my pained face. I ignore them, saying nothing and sit in my spot in the back right corner, trying to catch my breath through the pain. I don’t let the tears fall. Not here, not now. I grit my teeth, Scrunching my hair in my fingers at the sides of my head. Get out of my head. Get OUT.

“Bakugo is the winner.” a far off voice says, and I shake my head. I push it all down, regaining composure as I head down to the underground stage, waiting for the winners to be announced.

Cementoss approaches, with Katsuki in chains. That look in his eyes- It’s the same look I see in the mirror. Fear, resentment, memory. “STOP IT!” I shake my head, trying to make the vision go away. It doesn’t. This is real. The doors above us open, and we rise. These idiots really chained up a sixteen-year-old boy like that, in front of thousands of people- millions watching at home. I can’t let him just stand there, bound and gagged - humiliated in front of everyone. Everyone here- Class 1A, the teachers, Keigo.

They all kept this secret for me. I still have time. I can still make the point I want to. I can still make that message to Tomura very clear. I compose myself, standing next to Bakugo on a lower platform. Tenya Iida shares third place with me, but he’s not here. AllMight appears, ready to present us with awards. “Young Black, CONGRATULATIONS! You showed great resilience out there!” He praises, and I bow my head in respect.

“Thank you, Sir.” I grit through my teeth. I don’t want to see him. The man that saved me from drowning. The man that prevented me from being- I look away. AllMight gives the awards to Todoroki and a very pissed-off Bakugo.

“Here they are! The winners of this year's sports festival!” I tune him out, Ignoring what he says until he pauses. I look into the cameras.

“I actually have someone to thank!” I shout, and AllMight turns, his signature smile on his face.

“The man who tried to rape me! The leader of the League of villains, Tomura Shigaraki!” I shout, a gasp is audible, coming from many people at once. “I want to thank you for reminding me what real villains look like.” I look dead into the camera, hoping to god he’s watching this. “I want you to know, Tomura Shigaraki- I’m coming for you. And unlike with these kids- I won’t hold anything back.” I grin into the camera. I look unhinged, I know that, but at least now the negative attention won't affect Katsuki as much. “And when I find you, Tomura, I will kill you.” I promise, and AllMight tries to regain control of the crowd.

Reporters, dozens of them scream questions at me. I can’t understand any of them. The rest of the class looks at me, shaken by my pledge. Ejiro looks the most angry, I think, just after Katsuki. Good. Rage is what I want from them. Anger will drive them to be better heroes.

It only takes a few minutes to find my dad, helping his mother with the injured students. He stands when he sees me, eyes wide. I run into him, wrapping my arms around his waist and sobbing. “I tried Dad. I really- really did!” I sob. He rubs my back.

“I know you did Kitty. I saw everything. That Katsuki kid was pretty damn tough to beat. It’s not your fault honey. You did so damn good.” He praises, cradling my head as I cry. “So many people were talking about how you’ll be a pro one day, that they hope you join their agency- you’re just like your old man.” He sighs. “Unappreciated by a world that values flashy quirks over Utility. They won’t ever say it, but they know you’ll make a way better hero than any of those other kids.” He murmurs and places a kiss on the top of my head. “So, you wipe up those tears right now young lady. You get out there and let them know you didn’t lose, you learned.” I look up at him through watery eyes. He says this all the time.

“You are a Black. You don’t lose. You learn.” I finally get it now.

Chapter Text

The press from the Sports festival becomes ever more annoying as time moves on. I rest. My body is so angry with me for what I put it through, but the pain is a great motivator. I sleep at home now, and to my chagrin Hawks has taken up permanent residence there, trading Archie bedrooms to be closer to mine. He was pissed when he finally met up with me after the festival. I’d made myself an even bigger target to the league by doing what I did, But I didn’t care. And I still don’t. Once news broke on the internet about my speech, people began looking into what I had said. Someone anonymously released security footage of the attack, corroborating my story.

The hate comments turned into overwhelming support, and Hawk’s reputation made a full recovery. He was no longer a predator after a young girl, rather a big-brother type that is with me all the time to protect me. Every day he drops me off at school and picks me up to go home. Then he goes back to work after dinner. I ignored him for the most part, trying to ignore what he had done, what Katsuki had said.

I hate that Bakugo was right. He waited for my birthday to make a move so he couldn’t get in trouble, the only reason he hadn’t done it sooner this week is because I’ve been subconsciously avoiding him, my body’s natural instincts telling me to steer clear and I listened without realizing it. He was being so nice to me because he wanted to get into my pants, nothing more. He doesn’t care about me.

It took a few days for Tenya to approach me, to ask me a favor. He approaches me in the rain, during my walk from the front gates into the actual school building. He was careful to wait until Hawks was gone, why? He stares at me, pleadingly. He wants something, obviously.

“A hero-Killer went after my brother… He’s in the hospital right now… We’re not sure he’ll make it.” He admits to me with tears in his eyes. “I would never ask you to do something illegal… but just this once… can we break the rules a little?” He asks, I shrug.

“I’ll come to visit him, But I can’t control my powers all that well. And if we go right after school I won’t be wearing gloves because of the dress code… so if I’m not careful when shaking his hand...” I throw the hint, he catches it, a small smile across his face. Abruptly, he pulls me into a hug, startling me.

“Thank you, Kate.” He murmurs and then turns to run toward the school in the rain. “Don’t be late for class!” He warns, sprinting. I try not to laugh. I fail. Helping Tenya is a good thing. Saving the career of a hero is just what I need for allies against Tomura. If I can use this to get a permit to use my powers outside of school.

The rest of the students talk excitedly about the attention they got from the press. I’m glad the paparazzi are being good to them. Aizawa walks into the room, tired as always. “Good Morning class.” He announces, and the students return the sentiment. I daze off, when Aizawa mentions a big day today with a class of Informatics, I get excited. Finally, something more my forte. Creeds, pop quizzes, hero laws. I can do that. Due to my lack of cellular death, and inability to scar, My memory is unparalleled, as long as I paid attention.

My joy dulls as Aizawa announces he specifically meant picking out Codenames. Shit. I never gave much thought to it. I didn’t really want to be a hero, so I never had any intention of going by a pseudonym. KatBlack is what they call me on Twitter, but that’s literally just my name! Not to mention, it’s totally misleading! I don’t have a cat quirk- I don’t even like cats! The costume I designed with Hatsume is simple, a red jumpsuit with knee and elbow pads. Something that allows me to take damage but doesn’t rip apart. The costume itself has a button on a thumb ring that causes needles to shoot out from it and pierce my skin with tiny wounds everywhere, so I can inflict damage without relying on my opponent to do it for me.

“This is related to the pro hero draft picks that I mentioned the last time we were in class together. Normally, students don’t have to worry about the draft yet. Not until their second or third year actually, but your class is different. In fact, by extending offers to first-years like you, Pros are essentially investing in your potential. Any offers can be rescinded if their interest in you dies down before graduation, though.” Aizawa explains, and I cross my arms in a huff.

If I’m going to be a hero, it’s going to be in a team or my own agency. Not working under someone all of the time. Aizawa pulls up the totals for those who got offers. Todoroki takes the lead… And I’m in dead last, with only two. Well no- some people didn’t get any offers, I guess. I knew it wouldn’t be so great, I made a fool of myself with my speech at the end, and they think I’m unhinged, violent. Midnight enters the room, at some point, but I’m not paying enough attention.

Who are the two that gave me offers? I wouldn’t think anyone would have wanted to work with me.

Slates and markers get passed back from the front. I take one of each and pass the rest back. Okay… Think. Katsuki called me Bandaid… but I learned at the festival and during the attack that I am much more than a heal-bot. One name sticks out. One that fits. One that brings up intense feelings of hurt, and rage at its utterance. One I nearly killed Bakugo over. One that I can reclaim, make mine. I scrawl the name across the board in a loopy script, making it pretty.

“Now students, who among you is ready to share?” Midnight asks, and the class erupts in murmurs. Of course, we were going to be presenting these, you idiots. Aoyama goes first, never having a single moment of doubt in himself. I admire him, from my seat, where I sit sweating in anticipation of having my name called.

Mina and Tsu go next, Tsu gets a round of applause. Shoto ends up going with just his name. Bakugo’s is too violent. Izuku chooses Deku- and I have to choose last.

I walk to the podium, my knees are weak, my heart is racing. I Hold up the sign and try to ignore the gasps. “The Karmic Hero- Voodoo doll” I Mumble, and Midnight claps.

“It’s great!” She praises, and I Rush back to my seat.

Tenya leans across the aisle and places a hand on my shoulder. I give him a tight smile and he returns it, looking back toward the front of the class. Aizawa clears his throat.

“Now that everyone’s decided on their hero names, we can go back to talking about your upcoming internships. They’ll last one week. As for who you’ll be working with: Those of you who were on the board will choose from among your offers, everyone else will have a different list. You have a lot to think about. There are around 40 agencies in the allotted thirty-mile radius who’ve agreed to take on interns from your class. Each agency has a different specialty that its heroes focus on. Keep that in mind.” Aizawa’s instruction is easy to listen to suddenly as if all of the other noise in the room has stopped…

I realize that his hair is standing on end. He’s staring at me, using his quirk to cancel out mine. He REALLY must want me to pay attention. “Imagine that you were Thirteen. You’d want to choose a place that focuses on rescuing people, not fighting villains. Understand?” Midnight clarifies for him, and Aizawa urges us to “Think carefully” Just before the bell rings.

The papers are handed back. “Turn in your choices before the weekend.” Aizawa reminds us, and the class erupts in complaints, he dismisses us. I look down at my paper, with only two names. Hawks Hero Agency. Endeavor Hero Agency.

Damn, I should have known. Hawks is a hell no. I don’t want to spend any more time with him than I need to, and Endeavor is not much better. Still, Endeavor is Number Two. Working directly under him does give me a bit of a leg up in training. He’s a strong fighter, and I need to learn more comprehensive fighting styles if I’m going after Tomura.

Once school ends, I leave with Iida. Hawks doesn’t need to know where I am all the time, and if anything awful happens, Iida outran Kurogiri once, he’s gotten faster since then with recipro burst. The walk to the hospital is long, it being clear across the city from the school, so we take an uber.

It’s strange, being alone with Tenya. He’s always so uptight, so domineering. It’s nice to see him slouch a bit in his seat.

“So… I never got to thank you.” I speak up, and he raises an eyebrow. “If you hadn't gotten the teachers… It would have been a lot worse for me than it already was.” I look down at my hands, toying with my fingers. The black nail polish mom had painted on them is nearly completely gone now.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get them faster.” He looks down at his own hands. “If I hadn't been so worried about being a hero, I would have been a better hero.” He admits, and I laugh.

“You’re the fastest guy I know, Tenya, besides, if that fight has ended any differently I think Katuski may never have stopped tantruming.” I joke, bumping his shoulder with mine.

The car pulls up to the hospital, and we exit. I follow Iida into the hospital room. “Alright… uh, This looks pretty bad, so I might need a few minutes to sit after.” I note, and he nods.

“Anything you need.” He kneels next to his brother, taking his hand. “Tensei? I brought my friend Katherine from school. Do you remember? She got third place too…” He murmurs. I bite my lip to hold back tears. God, I am such a fucking crybaby. Maybe that should have been my hero name.

Tenya stands and pulls a chair to his brother’s side for me to sit in. I do, and place my hand over Tensei’s, breathing erratically as I take the excruciating pain from his legs. It’s so much worse than I thought. He’s on pain medicine… I’m not. I bite my lip to keep from screaming, and Tensei’s eyes open. He looks over at me, confused as I remove the last of his injuries.

“Are you alright?” Tenya asks, I’m not sure who.

“What did- who-?” Tensei starts to sit up. He looks at me, eyes wide. “I-I’m not the only one. If I can get the paperwork through, would you-” Tensei begins to ramble, I silence him with a loud “Yes.” He pauses, staring at me. “I’ll help in any way I can…” I confirm, looking up at Tenya. He nods. He knows what I mean.

The next day, we do not speak to each other. After school, I have to go to my internship with Shoto, who, surprisingly, also picked his father’s agency. I’ve got an appointment with another pro hero for healing before I go home. It's gonna be a long night… I can tell. As I step into the Uber with Shoto, my stomach ties in knots. The anxiety again? Why? I hurry into the car and stare out of the window. Looking for whatever I sensed and didn’t see.
Nothing’s there.

Chapter Text

Endeavor’s Agency is huge, and the people there are honestly kind of frightening. He’s got some impressive sidekicks, most of them pretty young, in their late twenties and early thirties… all of them with offensive quirks. I’m pretty sure Shoto and I are the only ones in this building with defence abilities. I guess If you’re the biggest bull in the pen, you don’t need thick skin, just big horns.

Shoto said nothing to me on the way here, but he did open the car door like he usually does for me when we arrived. Shoto is tense… It’s not hard to imagine why.

He and I are kindred spirits, I think.

I’d had a long chat with Izuku the day after the games, when I was healing his severely-battered arms at the request of Aizawa. He told me what really happened before and during his fight with Shoto.

I know what it’s like to want to rise above the best, but very badly not want to meet your father’s expectations and somehow justify his methods of getting you there. My dad never let me choose anything for myself. What I ate, how i dressed, what classes i took, what school i went to, which friends i got to keep- all of it was under his very strict supervision. It was always what dad wanted for me. Mom tried letting me choose, once letting me get a nose piercing to find it never quite healed right, and every time I took it out it would heal over in seconds. That was always the way though. I never had a choice in anything, so when I’m asked to choose little things now, I panic.

Dad was pissed at me for going with the name I chose, and not “Nurse Black” Like he had monogrammed on our matching jumpsuits for when I graduated. I never wanted to be his protege, and I’m sure Shoto feels the same about his dad. It must be even harder for him, with his dad being number Two.

When Shoto opens the door to his father’s office, he stands slightly canted, as if protecting me from something. To my knowledge, there’s nothing dangerous in the room. I scan it carefully, just in case, but my Anxiety is dormant. There’s nothing in this room but furniture, a rug, and the Number Two Hero himself.

“I’ve been Waiting for you Shoto, Katherine. You’re finally ready to walk down the path of the mighty.” Endevor stands, aflame in front of us in his office. I wonder if he ever gets too hot?

”I have no intention of following any path you’ve created. Only I can decide my future.” Shoto speaks to his dad so calmly, despite the rage I know he carries from our sparring. I keep quiet. This has nothing to do with me. I am only here for the job. For the experience. That’s it. I’m not about to butt in on my arguably hottest-figuratively and literally- classmate’s daddy issues.

“You should get ready, children. It’s time I show you what it means to be a hero.” Endeavor speaks this like a threat… and it must be, judging by the look on Shoto’s face when he says it. Endeavor walks past us, and demands that we get into our costumes. I follow directions quickly, But Shoto takes his time in the locker room. I scoff. My dad would have smacked me for being so willfully disobedient- then again, he was always a little old-school. It doesn't seem to matter though, Because Endeavor leaves us alone for a while.

I grit my jaw, ready to finally ask him the question that’s been eating at me since I first met him. “Uh… If you want- I can… I can remove your scar.” I offer, and he looks at me like I just offered to eat his dog.

“What makes you so sure I want to get rid of it?” He asks, looking away.

“I’m not, that’s why I said I could… If you wanted.” I Blush wildly, looking back down at my hands.

“I’ll… think about it.” He mumbles, standing up from the couch and promptly leaving the office. Great, now I’ve offended Hothead.

He doesn’t talk to me much, for the next three days. Iida leaves me notes every morning in my bag. He details his patrols, his work on finding stain. I’m the only one who knows. I’m the only one he trusts, because I’m the only one who wants to apprehend this guy as bad as he does.

Every day, I heal three or four broken heroes, I take the pain that monster gave them, and I have to sit Idly by and watch as more people end up on my “Waiting list” I can’t keep up. The knowledge that, sooner or later, I’m going to be too busy to help them all, and someone will die because I couldn't heal myself fast enough- It’s unbearable.

Okay- Day three- Patrol, again.

The moment I stepped into the cab today with Shoto, I felt it- that all-too familiar dread. I’m not psychic- Though I think my mom’s brother is- I just get these waves of dread that tell me when something awful is going to happen.

It saved my brother’s life once, when we were little. Archie had kicked a ball out into the street and followed it. I was inside, i Had no idea what was going on, I was reading a book when I felt it. That sickly feeling. I ran outside just as the car hit him. I was Eight years old when I found out I could heal Other People’s wounds. Being hit by a car hurts, by the way, alot. I was Eight when I got my first warning, and they haven’t stopped since.

Don’t take that train. It crashed. Don’t get in that car. The driver was drunk. Check on Mathew. He was stung by a wasp, he didn't even feel it- or notice that he was beginning to swell up like a balloon.

I’ve learned to trust my gut, especially after the USJ Incident. I grip Shoto’s hand, careful to keep my pointer finger away from him.

“Katherine?” He asks, I shake my head.

“Something bad is going to happen tonight.” I tell him, and he tilts his head.

“How do you mean?” He asks, clearly confused.

“I- I just know okay? Be careful.” I warn him, and he nods. It takes a few hours, But I am eventually proven right.Endeavor plans for us to go to Roswell, to look for the hero killer. I don’t tell Endeavor that Iida and I have been tracking The Hero Killer for weeks. Gathering information from the heroes that the villain hurt. I don’t tell Shoto either, respecting Tenya’s wish to keep this secret.

Explosions- Buildings on fire. People are being hurt- People are in danger. I can’t focus on that, I got a text from Iida. “Found him. Hurry.” And then coordinates.

Not too far… I look up from my phone, at Shoto and Endeavor’s backs. They’ll be fine without me. They can save these people- I’ll clean up the mess later.

Stain has to be stopped. He has to be taken care of or more people will be hurt.

I find them, faster than I thought I would. I hide behind the wall. Good god. Iida is alone- and The hero killer has already slain a pro- Native… Someone my dad admires.

“Are you saying that I’m not even a threat to you? You listen to me, criminal. I am the brother of an incredible hero who you attacked. He’s the best older brother that anyone could hope for. I have come to stop you, because he wont. You’re going to remember my name for as long as you live. I am Ingenium, and I will defeat you. That, I promise!” Iida swears this oath. He’s been practicing it. It reminds me of my own promise to Tomura- just less violent.

“Then, so be it.” The hero killer murmurs, readying his blade. “Die.” He demands. I Move, at the same time Tenya does. Tenya rushes the hero killer, and the man in red reacts. Quickly, far too quickly. He stomps his spiked boot into Tenya’s shoulder, slamming him to the ground and standing on top of him. Neither of them see me behind him. I press the button on my knuckle, releasing the needles into my body, and then brush my fingers over the back of his neck. He screams, Turning on me. “And who are you? Another sibling?” He asks, I shake my head.

“Karma sure is a bitch, Isn’t it, Stain?” I ask, kicking him in the chest to get him off of Iida. I press my fingers to Tenya’s cheek, while reaching out my hand to help him stand. The wounds transfer to me, but my suit keeps the blood in. Better healing, less bloodloss, less energy used. Thanks Hatsume.

“You aren’t heroes. You have no right to be called that. Both of you are nothing but fakes.” Stain teases, and I laugh.

“And you’re a Voldemort looking incel with a blood kink, but I don’t fuckin’ Judge.” I tease, Tenya gives me a look. I’m distracting him. I’m drawing his attention to me, so he will direct his attacks at me instead of Tenya. I can heal the cuts, but Tenya will take longer. He’s a better fighter. He’s the sword, I’m the shield.

“You damaged my friend’s brother’s spine. He was paralysed from the waist down until I healed him. I’ve healed all of your victims, so they can come back to get you. It’s a shame I’ll have to take that pleasure for myself.” I giggle. Why am I enjoying this so much? Why does it give me such a thrill to look this guy in the eye and taunt him when I was shitting myself at the thought of Tomura?

It’s the numbers. Two against one. Iida tied with me for third place, He’s incredibly strong, and fast. I can handle the rest. I glance over at native. He’s gritting his teeth in pain. I can heal him. That'll be easy, but the paralysis I’ll take from him will put me down for at least sixty seconds- which could mean death for Iida and Native both.

“Wait- I’ve seen you before, your pictures. They were everywhere. You’re Katherine… He asked me to leave you alone.” He laughs and then shakes his head. “You both will die tonight.” Stain says, lunching at me with his blade, Iida blocks him, jumping in front of the blade.

“Tenya you dipshit!” I growl, trying to catch the blade with my hands. It misses, and stain licks his sword. Tenya falls in front of me, paralysed. FUCK. These odds… aren’t so good. I’ll have to fight him without letting him make me bleed- a tough fucking task for a girl who’s main method of hurting people is hurting herself. Blunt force trauma and broken bones then. He flips his sword to finish Tenya off, and I kick him, my foot landing squarely on his ribs just in time for someone else to fly past me, their fist crashing into Stain’s jaw with so much force he flies back.

The wind pressure change knocks me off of my already unstable footing, and I fall back, finding myself sitting next to Tenya, Looking up at Izuku. “Hey guys… Don’t you worry! I’m gonna save you!” He declares, I roll my eyes. I could have taken care of this asshole myself. Still, It’s nice to have a brawler.

A barbarian, A Fighter, A cleric. Bring me a Wizard and we have a complete party.

“Glad you're here Deku.” I grin, cracking my fingers. “If my math is right, I’ll be out of this fight for about sixty seconds. Make it count.” I kneel and touch Iida’s forehead. My body goes limp as he regains his movement.

Chapter Text

“Katherine you need to get out of here! There are nomu all over the city and that means-” I don’t hear him after that.I know what that means. I know way too well what that means. And I just went and paralyzed myself. Just like In my nightmares. I can’t even cry, completely paralyzed for the next sixty seconds.

Since it’s not a life-threatening injury, It’ll heal slowly, I knew that. And I still took the hit for Tenya. Why did I do that? Why did I think that was a good idea?! Fuck. Okay- It’ll be fine. Deku and Iida are both still up, still fighting. I’m sure Deku must’ve told others where we are. Whoever he was on an internship with should be on their way right? God, I hope so. I can’t even see the fight, having fallen to face Iida and not Stain.

“I recognize you, Girl. You’re that kid that that scummy hero Hawks was hanging around. I’ll be sure to pass on your dying message to him, If you have one.” Stain offers, I fight to speak.

“The only message that leaves this alley tonight is your dead body on a stretcher.” I Try to lift myself up enough to turn my head, But it’s no use. I’m stuck like this. “That’s right… “ I Shout to the open, empty air. Focus on me. “I’m just one little girl that you already put down right? Finish me off then. Oh, I forgot, You can’t. Because you’re weak, Just like your bullshit convictions.” I Taunt him, and I can hear fighting.

Izuku trying to use Smash, Iida distracting him with quick movements. I can’t tell. Thirty seconds. A body falls… and then a second.

“You’re worth staying alive, different from these three.” Stain grumbles. I hear footsteps heading towards me.

“Wait! Don’t! Stop It! Get away from him!” Izuku cries out from behind him. Looking up through the alleyway, I see Shoto. He looks at me, pissed. He throws a blast of fire over me, I start to regain movement, My toes wiggling.

“Someone else to get in my way? Today’s been full of distractions!” Stain complains, and Shoto looks past me, walking forward.

“Midoriya, You need to give more details in times like this.” Shoto holds up his phone. A map is pulled up, an arrow on our location. Shoto looks down at me. “You should’ve told me where you were going- You could have gotten someone killed.” He chastises me, and steps over my body. His left foot stays in front of my face, his right foot is behind my head. He’s standing over me, preventing anyone from getting closer. “I was almost too late to stop this guy.” He grumbles, stepping fully over me. Something cold presses against my back. God damn it, He walled the rest of them off from me. Why? No... It’s below me too. He’s lifted me up to keep me safe while I heal. Smart, and considerate of my power. “Everything’s okay. The Pro Heroes will be here any minute!” Shoto shouts as I begin to wiggle my fingers.

Good. A few more seconds. I find the strength to turn, looking at Shoto’s back. Izuku… Only about two feet away. Stain Is distracted. I start the crawl, sliding down the side of the ice wall to press my fingers to Izuku’s face. I feel it again, the numbness.

“End this, Deku.” I whisper directly into his ear. God damn it, I’m facing the wall again! Fucksake. It’s easier this time, for some reason. Only ten seconds until I can move my arms. My legs are still useless, but I can pull myself forward with my elbows. The concrete scrapes my elbows, but I reach toward Iida, and tangle my fingers in his hair, touching his scalp. He’s up in seconds. This time, I can see the fight. Shoto isn't fast enough. Deku isn’t precise enough. Tenya isn’t strong enough. I look over to the Pro, laying on the ground. He’s losing too much blood. He won’t make it if I can’t heal faster.

I have to be more seriously injured. I have to- I have to reach him. I spot one of Stain’s blades. The fight keeps moving. They’re all getting hurt and there’s nothing I can do about it.

I grip onto the blade, steeling myself. I shove the blade into my chest, straight into my heart. I pull it out quickly, feeling my heart stop. Dying always hurts so much. The pain is immense, overcoming all of the cellular death takes a lot of energy, and I’m not going to be much after this. One heal. That’s all I get. One heal and then I’m down. Choose carefully. The Pro or my friends. Fuck. The pro needs to get out of here, he can get help while Stain is distracted.

I slide forward, my blood helps me slide. I’m wheezing, tired. I can’t take more. There’s blood in my lungs, I can feel it. I grip Native’s arm, looking him in the eye. “Get help.” I cough, eyes heavy. “C-call… Eraserhead… and my… d-dad.” I mumble, drifting into full unconsciousness.
++
“Wake up, Katherine! Please!” someone shakes me by my shoulders. I force my eyes open- Tenya? “Why are you- Are you hurt?” He asks, Shoto is kneeling to my other side.

“‘M fine… how long was I out?” I ask, cupping my head with my hand. God, the headache from oxygen deprivation is the worst.

“About five minutes. Better than last time.” Shoto nods, I laugh, but it turns into a cough.

“The villain?” I rasp, eyes heavy.

“He’s tied up, The pros are already here. We did it, Katherine. We caught the Hero Killer.” Iida speaks as Shoto lifts me, scooping his arms under my knees and behind my back. My head rests against his collarbone.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t help-” I begin, but Izuku immediately cuts me off.

“Are you kidding? You kept the rest of us up the whole fight! You sacrificed everything to help us win. That kind of selflessness…”

“Is what makes a hero.” An older man I hadn’t noticed says, his eyes squinting at me. “Even if it was really stupid to get into the fight in the first place.” He chastises. I nod.

“Sho, I can walk.” I murmur, My recovery time has quickened, due to my hard work with Shoto.

“Not yet…” He holds my body tighter to his chest. I’m not sure what’s gotten into him. Well… I technically did die, but this isn’t the first time. My body does that, a hard reset whenever something too traumatic happens. Like turning off a computer and turning it back on again. I’m usually a little groggy, and it takes a day or two for me to be back completely up to snuff, but I’m always fine. It’s terrifying, knowing you can’t actually die… especially when you’ve tried to do it on purpose. In some sad way, you start to crave it. Because you can’t have it.

Like a kid who was told no candy before dinner. So tempting, but the jar is on top of the fridge, and you can't reach it even standing on a chair. I know, because I’ve tried. I look down at my hands. The scratching is gone. I can heal the others, but I won't be able to pass it off.

I reach out, trying to touch Izuku, but Shoto steps away. “Get down!” The old man shouts, and everyone ducks, Shoto folds himself around me, shielding my body with his. Why would he do that? I look past him, up through his messy white hair. A flying creature… with the same face as Nomu… headed straight for us.

No.

This was all a trap.

Fuck.

No.

It reaches down, and grabs hold of Shoto, flinging us to the side. Midair, it grabs me by the neck with one of its claws, and Deku with the other. It’s not over. Fuck- Its not over. It’s choking me. Fuck- Can’t- Can’t breathe.

I reach out my hand, grabbing Deku’s. I take his wounds, screaming. I don’t have the energy to fight it anymore. I wail, feeling my legs and hands breaking.

Deku takes the chance, Using a Full-Cowling to kick Nomu in the stomach. It drops him, and he kicks in the air, twisting to be on top of it.

Deku punches it with a force I’d only ever seen AllMight use, sending it careening to the ground. Stain frees himself during the ruckus, joining the fray.

“The word ‘hero’ has lost all meaning in this society. The world is overrun by fakes and criminals like you who chase petty dreams!” Stain monologues, stabbing into the Nomu several times. I look over at Deku… He’s broken both of his legs… one of his arms. I can’t reach him. I can’t protect him- or everyone else- from Stain. If there are Nomus here, then Tomura is probably here. Watching. “You must all be purged!” Stain growls, slamming his blade into Nomu’s head. “Everything that I do…” He pauses to twist the knife and then pulls it out. Blood splatters across my face. “...Is to create a stronger society.” Stain looks down at me, dragging the blade across my face, but not breaking the skin. “Everything I do…” He presses the blade into my cheek, breaking the skin. “Is to send a message!” He licks the blade, and looks up at the heroes, all frozen in fear.

Suddenly, without warning, A black hole opens above him, and a hand presses to his head. His expression changes from malicious joy to mortified as his skin cracks, and he explodes into dust. The hand retracts, and the portal closes.
I scream.
Shoto races forward, lifting me over his shoulder with his left arm, using his right to create a ceiling of ice above us. He’s here. He was here. He was so close- the taste of Stain is still on my tongue. I want to vomit, but I can’t bring myself to do anything but scream. Shoto keeps running, getting us to the center of the Pros. “Father, we need to get Katherine out of here, now.” Shoto notes, and the others seem to agree. I can’t breathe. I still- I can’t-
+++
I wake up in a hospital bed. I’m hooked up to a million and one sensors, but I’m otherwise unrestrained. I look over, Shoto, Tenya, and Izuku are talking quietly. They don’t notice that I am awake.

“Yeah, I agree,” Shoto murmurs, and I realize they’re all wearing hospital gowns, and bandages. They’re all still hurt… and it’s my fucking fault.

“After everything that happened back there, it kinda feels like a miracle we’re even alive” Izuku whispers.

“It wasn’t a miracle, It was Kate. If she hadn't been there we’d have been in a lot more trouble” Tenya interjects, shaking his head.

“Her being there also put her and us all in a lot of danger. AllMight had her put under twenty-four-hour surveillance after the USJ incident. My father was supposed to be on duty watching her last night but she slipped on us.” Shoto grips onto the sheets angrily.

“She didn’t tell me… I never would have asked for her help if I had known.” Tenya hangs his head, sighing.

“With my leg messed up, I was an easy target. Stain probably would have killed me if he had the chance.. But Katherine risked everything to make sure that didn’t happen. She knew there was a chance Shigaraki was there, and she still gave her all for us.” Izuku murmurs, looking down at his broken arm. “You guys didn’t hear this from me- but Kirishima said she won't even look him or Kacchan in the eyes anymore because they’re the same color as Shigaraki’s. Every time someone brings up the USJ at all she looks like she’s going to throw up. Imagine how scared she is- how terrified she must’ve been during that fight- and she still willingly paralyzed herself.” Izuku starts to tear up as he whispers, they still think I’m asleep. I Sigh, making my consciousness known.

“You’re right. I was scared.” I admit, looking away from them, out the window. “But I trust you. And I knew that in that moment, my fears didn’t help anyone. So, yeah, I made some dumb moves, but I couldn’t just stand there and watch you all get killed.” I look up at Shoto, chewing on the inside of my cheek. “I’m sorry if my being there got your dad in trouble.” I look at Iida. “And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the watch.” Finally, I look at Deku, Who’s on the verge of crying. “And I’m really, really sorry for worrying you.” The door opens, and there stands Pro Hero Manual and The old man from last night. They look pissed.

Chapter Text

“Oh, so the injured youngins are awake.”

“Gran Torino!” Izuku shouts excitedly, and Tenya winces.

“And Manual too.” The black-haired boy says, looking embarrassed.
“Idiot! I could yell at you for hours right now.” Gran Torino chastises. That’s one thing I won’t have to deal with with my dad. He’ll be so goddamn proud of me, He’ll probably throw me a party. Izuku apologizes, but Gran Torino waves him off. “You four have a visitor.” He announces, and a man… with the head of a dog?- walks in. “This is Roswell’s chief of police. Kenji Tsuragamae.” Gran Torino introduces.

Oh, shit. I stifle a laugh. Y'all are in so much trouble… The boys all move to stand out of respect, but I stay in my spot, knowing damn well hospital gowns always have open backs. The Chief shakes his head.

“No, please, stay seated, woof.” I stifle another laugh, faking a cough. “So, you’re the UA students who brought down the Hero Killer, Huh?” He asks.

Shoto is the only one to respond. “We are.” He says curtly. If he’s not careful, he’s going to dig himself an even bigger hole.

“As you know, Stain was turned to dust by another villain. The reasons for this are unknown, but there were several reports from Pro Heroes that he had sustained serious injuries. He was covered in burns and cuts. Here’s a lesson you should have already learned. When quirks became the norm, the police force sought to maintain the status quo. They decided we wouldn’t use quirks as weapons. That’s when heroes came in. They could do what we couldn’t, if they were licensed, of course, woof. It would be impossible for the police to condone the use of deadly quirks. After all, we’re here to stop such harm from being done. The only reason pros can use their powers now is because of the strict code of ethics that the early heroes chose to abide by. That’s why it’s against the law for uncertified people to use their quirks to cause injury. Whether you were up against the Hero Killer or not, none of you had the authority to harm the villain. That means the four of you, and your supervisors-- Endeavor, Manual, and Gran Torino-- should receive harsh punishments for this gross abuse of your powers.”

Shoto looks pissed, his fists balled up, his brow furrowed. “Now wait a minute! If Iida and Mydoria had not stepped in, Native would have been murdered. And if not for Black, all three of them would be dead. No one else even realized that the Hero Killer was in Roswell. Are you saying we should’ve just stood by and watched people die?!” Shoto is shouting now, and Izuku puts his hands up, begging him to calm down.

The Chief is not impressed. “So, It’s okay to break the law as long as it goes your way?” The dog-man asks, and I shrug. I mean yeah… Kinda? Everything’s legal if you don’t get caught, and you don’t hurt anyone that didn’t deserve it. That’s what my mom says, anyway.

“But sir, isn’t it a hero’s job to save people?” Shoto asks incredulously, and the chief sighs, closing his eyes.

“This is why you’re not a full-fledged pro yet. It’s obvious UA and Endeavor haven’t been teaching you near enough. What a shame.” The Chief is pushing all of Shoto’s buttons. This won’t end well.

“You damned mutt!” Shoto shouts, and I recoil at the slur. Shoto starts to walk closer, and I grab his hand as he moves to pass me, wincing when I accidentally take some of his wounds. He rips his hand from mine, gritting his teeth.

“Todoroki- He’s right!” Tenya tried to reason with him, but he’s wrong.

“Everyone calm down… You might want to hear him out until the end.” Gran Torino says, almost sounding bored.

”What I’ve said is the official stance of the police department. But any punishment would only be necessary if this went public. If it did, You’d probably be applauded by citizens everywhere. But there’s no way you could escape from being reprimanded. On the other hand, we could say Endeavor saved the day. The burns all over the alleyway would support this story completely, and we could pretend you weren’t involved, woof. Thankfully, there were very few witnesses. This could be the last you heard of any punishments. It would mean no one would know about you, though. You’d receive no acclaim at all. The choice is yours. Personally, I know where I stand. I don’t want to damage any promising young careers. Not for a mistake like this.” The chief sticks out his thumb, and his tongue? In support. “I know it’s not fair. You won’t enjoy any of the fame or praise you probably would have received otherwise.” I internally sigh.

Yeah, the boys would, but I would always be a weakling to the public eye. If this story breaks I’ll be painted as a damsel in distress… or a harlot that was trying to seduce Native in the wrong alleyway on a wrong night. It’s always fucking something.

“But at least, allow me, as the chief of police, to thank you.” He bows, and I bring my knees up to my chest. He’s thanking them, not me. I didn’t actually do anything for most of the fight. I promised myself I wouldn't be a heal-bot, but when it came right down to it, it was my only method. Fucksake.

“You know, you could have started with that.” Shoto grumbles, sitting on the bed next to me.

++
I get to go home today, unlike the boys who have to stay because of their injuries. I’ve been warned that under no uncertain circumstances am I to use my quirk unless I’m specifically asked to by a licensed pro hero. So, I can’t fix the boys so they can go home to their families.

Dad picks me up from the hospital, with my brothers arguing in the car the whole way. He can’t tell them why I was in the hospital, they’re too young. They’ll tell their friends and eventually news will break that the whole story was faked.

Dad’s proud of me. He buys me fried chicken for dinner and talks excitedly about how Maisey will be on her way here next weekend. I try to be happy, but I can’t stop thinking about HIM. He was right there...I have to avoid Tv for a while… The news keeps covering the attack in Roswell, and some news reporters captured a shot of Tomura and Kurogiri looking at us through binoculars. Seeing him… even just the back of him… is too much.

Nightmares are to be expected, so sayeth the wise Hawks. But that doesn’t stop them from terrifying me. When I wake up screaming, Keigo rushes into the room, A feather-sword in his hand, In his boxers.

“What happened?” He asks, ready to attack, but he pauses when he sees me. Sobbing, backed up into the corner of my bed, blankets tangled around my legs. I’m covered in a thin layer of sweat, My t-shirt is sticking to my moist skin.

“He was here.” I whimper, pointing at the french doors to the balcony. He keeps his sword drawn, approaching the door. When he opens it, he bends down to pick something up. When he does, my heart sinks. A hand. A mannequin's hand. Taped to it, a note. He opens it, reads it, and crumples it in his hands. “What’s it say?” I ask, my heart still pounding.

Keigo shakes his head, dropping both the note and his feather into the waste paper basket. “Doesn’t matter, go back to sleep.”. I reach up to grab it, but end up ripping it in half in the process. I grab the note and open it before he can grab it back from me again.

“To The Villain’s Whore” Is scrawled across the top of the page, and there is more written, but I cannot read it before the paper is ripped from my hands.

“Just throw it away- It’s trash.” Keigo demands. His hair is wet, and he’s wearing nothing but his boxers. He must’ve showered before bed. His wings drip water on my carpet.

“Give it back.” I reach for the paper, but he holds it over his head.

“You should go back to bed, kid.” He grumbles as I jump to try to catch his hand to take the letter back.

“I was- am!” I grouch, crossing my arms over my chest. My eyes trail down his bare- muscular chest, I force them back up to his face.

“I want to read it.” I reach up for the letter again, but it’s no use. He’s so much taller than me.

“No.” Is all he says, using his still-damp arm to block me from getting too close to him.

“Is the note from Tomura Shigaraki?” I ask, voice coming out quieter, and less forceful than I wanted.

“No.” He answers me curtly, and begins to tear the paper up.

“Hey!” I shout, jumping up to stop him. My body rubs against his, his boxers start to fall. When he reaches down to stop it, I grab the paper from his hand, but I only get the top half of the already ripped-in-half paper.

“On behalf of the students of 1A, we would like to formally invite you to drop out, or drop dead. You are a Villain’s whore, and you do not deserve the air you breathe, or your spot In The Hero course-” It ends there. My fingertips itch.

“Songbird I-” “No. It’s okay.” I clear my throat, looking him in the eye. “You were right. It doesn’t matter.” I feign a smile. He squints at me. “I’m fine- really Keigo don’t- don’t worry about it.” I wrap my arms around myself, trying to give myself some feelings of comfort, some soothing- It doesn’t work.

He moves to leave, and I scramble, grasping his wrist to stop him. “Don’t leave.” I beg, tears still in my eyes.

“I’m just going to be across the hall.” He explains, not looking at me.

“Please? Please stay.” I’m holding his arm in both hands now, pressing my forehead to his elbow. He sighs, turning to look at me.

“Songbird, please, I’m tired-” He pushes me back onto my bed. I fall onto it, sitting.

“I’ll give you another kiss! Please! Please just… I don’t want to be alone.” I admit, voice wavering. He pulls his arm from my grasp, but kneels next to my bed, looking me in the eye.

“That’s not-” He cuts himself off, pressing his lips together in a thin line, and exhaling harshly through his nose. “Fine. Scoot.” He pushes me to the side, and climbs into my bed. I crawl over to the other side, hugging one of my pillows. “I swear to god if you hog the blankets-” he grumbles under his breath, but lays on his side.

We lay like that. Not touching, in silence for a few minutes before he sighs again, frustrated.

“Damn it- Come here kid.” He grumbles, swinging his arm around my waist and pulling me to him, his bare chest against my t-shirt covered back. His black boxers rub up against my thighs. He’s warm. Comfortable. Safe.

“Keigo?” I ask, and he groans.

“Go to sleep.” He demands.

“Why were you there?” I ask, mumbling against his arm that he somehow wriggled under my head for me to use as a pillow.

“Hm?” He asks, sleepy.

“At the USJ. You’re not a teacher for UA.” I remind him and he sighs.

“I originally just came to see you… And then when I walked in I saw Aizawa… He told me what happened. I got to you as fast as I could, but if I'd been there twenty minutes before…” He sighs, shoving his face into my hair. “I probably wouldn’t be here with you now.” He murmurs, and his arms tighten around me. “I hate that I’m just enough of an arrogant, selfish bastard to be half thankful for what happened… especially right now… but I’m never going to let him near you again” He snakes his arm up my waist, stroking my cheek with his thumb.

“That's why I gave you the feather… It keeps track of your location… and it tells me how you’re doing.” He explains, trailing his fingers down to my chest. He picks up the feather, bringing it to my eyes. “Every time your heart starts to race… I can feel it. I know when you’re scared… and happy. The only reason I wasn’t there for the Stain incident is I was stuck clear across the city with a Nomu. I was so focused on finding Shigaraki… on punishing him for what he did to you… My anger clouded my senses, and I had no idea you were actually in danger. I thought you were sparring with Todoroki again. I’m sorry.” He mumbles, I hum, tired.

“Were you watching me… those two weeks I spent at Sho’s?” I ask, and he drops the feather.

“Every minute I could. You have no idea how many times I almost came down there and beat that little fucker’s head in. Especially when he stared at your ass.” He chuckles, and I falter. Does Shoto stare at my butt? “I mean, I can’t blame the kid. It is a really nice ass.” He teases, and I blush, shoving my face into his arm.

“If you’re going to be gross and horny you have to sleep on the floor.” I warn him, and he scoffs.

“The hell I will, Songbird.” I shrug.

“My room, my rules.” I turn to face him, only to see his golden eyes glowing. Like- actually glowing. Light pouring out of them like candles.

“God, you’re pretty.” He mumbles, and glances down at my lips. “I want to kiss you again.” He murmurs, his tongue darts out of his mouth, dragging over his bottom lip before it pulls back into his mouth, dragging his lip with it.

“I did promise you one. But just one.” I remind him, and he chuckles.

“Guess I better make it count then huh kid?” He leans forward, his words fan his mint-and-cigarette scented breath over my face. He closes his eyes, and presses his lips to mine. Slowly, he massages me, his hands trail down to my lower back, he’s trying to get closer to me. I let him, eyes closed, drowsy. He nibbles my bottom lip, causing my eyes to fly open, and a gasp to resonate from my mouth. He takes this as an invitation, thrusting his tongue into my mouth. I push against him, both hands on his chest, forcing him away from me.

“I-I don’t” I don’t know how to finish that sentence. I don't know what? I don’t want this? But I do. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have invited this if I didn't want it.

“Sorry… Didn’t mean to scare you.” He mumbles, before kissing me again. A quick, light peck on the lips this time. “I get it, kid. Slow. You like it slow.” He murmurs, pressing his lips to mine once more. This kiss is longer. He opens his mouth, catching my bottom lip with his teeth again.

He doesn’t bite this time, choosing instead to suck on the sensitive flesh. He moans, and pulls back, taking a deep, stuttered breath before opening his eyes. “You said one… But I’m greedy kid… Fuck… No matter how much I want more though- I’ll wait till you’re ready. I want you… ready for me.” He leans down, placing a kiss on my neck. “But you’re not yet. That’s okay. Just… go to sleep, alright?” murmurs against my skin, straightening his posture and pressing his lips to my forehead. I follow directions, falling asleep in his arms.

Chapter Text

When I wake, Keigo is gone. I would have thought that him being there at all was a dream, but the lingering smell of cigarettes and mint on my pillow is a startling reminder of what happened last night. He kissed me… he kissed me FOUR TIMES.

I shove my face into my blankets, drinking in the scent of him. He was HERE. He called me pretty…

I drag myself out of bed, trying to untangle my hair with my fingers. My sternum is still sore, but it’s mostly healed. I trip over my shoes that I had stupidly left in the middle of the floor, I stumble forward, narrowly missing smacking my head on my desk. I grunt, my knee is going to be bruised, but otherwise, I’m fine. I should have just taken the smack to the noggin, but reflexes are a bitch.

“‘Mornin,” Keigo whispers, suddenly very close. I laugh, and turn around to my closet.

“Get out so I can get dressed, you pervert.” I hide my face behind the closet door. A pair of hands snake around my waist, pulling me into a warm, damp chest.

“What, no good morning kiss?” He pouts, turning me around to face him. I blush, looking away.

“My dad’s downstairs!” I protest, and he laughs.

“No… It’s almost noon… we’ve got the whole house to ourselves,” he mumbles reaching down to kiss me. I dodge him, grabbing my shattered phone and turning it on.

“What?! My alarm should have been on! Keigo I have school today-” I Panic, pushing past him to dig in my drawers for a clean uniform skirt.

“I turned it off… Your dad said you should take the day off and rest, maybe go see your mom tomorrow? You keep ending up in the hospital and on the news.” He chuckles, reaching down and plucking the skirt from my hands. “I mean… If you wanna wear this for me I’m not complaining.” He smirks, I roll my eyes and snatch the skirt back.

“Don’t you have to go be horny somewhere else?!” I ask, turning to walk away from him, but he wraps his arms around my waist, shoving his face into the crook of my neck.

“Not until four… C’mon kid, can’t we just fool around a little?” He begs, moving my hair to the side to press his lips to my neck. “Keigo- Fuckssake what’s gotten into you?! Go get dressed!” I demand, growing ever more uncomfortable with the closeness. “Mmm but it’s so much better this way… C’mon Songbird… Sing for me.” He chuckles. My heart stills.

“Sing for me,” Tomura said. Those crimson eyes- the way he touches me-

Keigo pauses. “Why are you scared?” He whispers the question, his voice caught in his throat and not coming forth with the rest of his words.

“I-I’m not-” He steps back, leaving me suddenly.

“You are. Your heart rate and your breathing have accelerated, and you reek of cortisol.” He stands several feet away.

“I’m fine- I just- I have to go to school.” I shake my head.

“You’re lying.” He begins to sound angry. I Look away from him.

“What’d I do- You have to tell me or I might do it again.” He tries to reason with me, but I groan.

“Keigo PLEASE just get out of my room.” I lay out my uniform on my bed, but when I turn around to grab my towel to shower, he’s there. Far too close. Staring down at me.

“Don’t make me figure it out on my own.” He mumbles, leaning down to kiss me. I push him back, and he growls.

“Fine.” He leans back, looking at me up and down. “But tomorrow is Tuesday.” He mumbles, turning and walking out of the room, slamming the door behind him. I jump at the loud noise. I let loose a breath, and pick up my phone, scrolling through till I find the number. My fingers work over the cracked screen so quickly they cut themselves on the glass.

“Hello?” Aizawa asks, confused. I clear my throat, trying to not let the anxiety creep into my voice.

“Hey… Can you pick me up? I know you’re at school but-”

“That is not at all my job. Try not to be late tomorrow, Black.” Aizawa’s voice comes out of the speaker a little more forceful than I’d thought it would.

The hang-up tone sounds and I look down at my phone. I guess he would be on his lunch hour… It’s nearly noon. I get dressed. There are only two hours left of the school day, and the uber will take twenty minutes, but better late than never I guess. I peek my head out of the door, looking down the hall to see if Hawks is there. His door is closed, and there’s no sign of him. I take a deep breath before sneaking out of my room, making sure to lean heavily on the banister so my feet don’t make the stairs squeak. I round the corner to the front door, only to find he’s blocking it.

“You’re not going.” He says simply, crossing his arms over his chest and blocking the door.

“I already-”

“I heard. That was really fucking sneaky of you Katherine.” He snarls, his anger frightens me. I back up, but this only serves to piss him off more. “Why are you afraid of me?!” He demands, But deep down, I’m pretty sure he knows. “I am not him.” He drops his arms, stepping forward.

I panic, turning on my heel and running up the stairs. He chases me, faster than I am by a considerable amount. He grabs me by the waist as I get up the stairs, and I kick him in the nose. The unmistakable crunch noise that resounds from under my foot makes it clear that I’ve broken his nasal bone. I keep up my escape, rushing into my room, slamming the door behind it, and locking it.

Fuck. My phone. I pull it out. Who do I call?! Who could get here… Who would care?! I dial on speaker while shoving my desk against my door. Keigo pounds on the door.

“Open the door! God damn it! I’m sorry!” He doesn’t sound sorry. He sounds pissed.

“Hello?” Tenya’s voice calls. He’s closer in the hospital, and he’s faster than anyone else I know.

“Tenya I need hel-” The phone is snatched from my hands, and broken in half. The french doors to the balcony stand open. Keigo is at least dressed now, in a black teeshirt and a pair of baggy jeans.

“Why are you calling other people for help baby? I’m right here… I’ll keep you safe. You’re okay.” He tries to soothe me, I sidestep him, ducking under his wing to get out of the room and onto the balcony. I can jump. I’ll break an ankle, maybe, and end up with some bruises but I can jump and I’ll be fine. I swing my leg over the banister, and something grabs me by the hair, roughly yanking me back from the edge.

“C’mon kid, I made you feel safe last night- Let me make you feel safe again… You’re alright baby come HERE DAMN IT.” He slams me onto my bed, climbing on top of me. I scream, and he shakes me. “Wake up.” He demands, pressing his lips to mine. I try to push him off, I try to hurt him- nothing’s working. “WAKE UP.” He growls, slapping me across the face. My eyes fly open to a dark room.

Oh. A nightmare.

At least Tomura wasn’t the focus this time.

Hawks hangs above me, straddling my waist. His hands are holding mine to the bed, holding me down. When he sees my eyes open, he releases his grasp, backing off of me quickly. He’s got some bruising developing on his face, and a split lip. Did I do that?!

“It was just a dream Kid… You’re okay.” He murmurs, sitting back on his heels and running a hair through his messy hair.

“Was it him again?” He asks, and I take a deep breath.

“Y-yeah.” I mumble, pressing my palm to my chest. My heart is racing.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” He stays far away, sensing that I don’t want to be touched.

“No.” I shake my head, and he droops.

“Okay… do you wanna go back to sleep?” He questions, and I repeat my answer for his last query.

“Alright… Do you wanna… go on a walk or something? It’s late but you’re safe with me.” His attempt at soothing me makes this worse. He can’t know that. Part of me wants to kiss him again. Right now, while he looks so concerned, so that he thinks I’m okay.

Part of me wants to run for the hills and never look back. Who can I talk to? Not him… he’s too much of a part of this. Not Kirishima… he told Izuku about my phobia. Not Iida… he’ll just tell me to go to therapy or something. Only one person comes to mind. Only one person will pick up the phone in the dead of night like this to spar with me. Only one person was there, only one person has been there every single time I needed a rescue. He knows about the nightmares, but he’s never judged. Shoto Todoroki.

“I’m- I’m okay. I’m just gonna go on a walk on my own.” I shake my head, standing.

“You can’t-” He reaches for my arm, I jerk back, flying across the room with the force of my own repulsion.

”DON’T-” I pause, realizing I’m yelling. “Don’t touch me.” I speak calmly, my hands in front of me. He stands, on the other side of the bed.

“Alright- Alright.” He breathes, slowly walking around me to the bedroom door. “I’m- I’m gonna go. Just keep the feather on, and call me if you need anything, okay?” He waits for me to give him a response. I nod, and he sighs. “Be careful, alright kid?” He mumbles before leaving the room.

God… Did I fuck that up? Probably. Am I going to repress it and just go hang out with my friends in the hospital? Also yes.

I dress in baggy jeans and my grey hoodie, not wanting to get catcalled. The walk back to the hospital is around three hours… but a drive is only twenty minutes. Once I pass the residential street, I order the Uber. I wait, sitting on a bus bench for the car to show up.

Someone sits next to me. My stomach flips. Wrong. This is wrong. He’s wrong. Something awful is going to happen- I can feel it.

“Hey- You shouldn’t be out on your own.” The voice comes out forced, and I turn to look at the person who spoke. My heart is pounding in my chest. Danger. Run Katherine. Wait- Don’t run. Look at his legs. They’re so long. You won’t get that far. Prepare. I begin chewing on my cheek, opening up the flesh and feeling blood fill my mouth. I swallow it, continuing my assault on my own body. He’s wearing a Black hood, in the dark, I can only barely make out a silhouette.

“Oh, Don’t worry about it! I’m just waiting on a friend, He’s, like, a minute away. He just got back from the gym.” I offer the stranger false information, hoping that it’s enough to calm them if they’re just concerned and deter them if they’re malicious. “You might know him actually- He won first place in the Sports festival! I made third.” I laugh, trying to sound at ease. This is a threat. I threatened him. Everyone in the country saw the sports festival. Everyone knows Katsuki Bakugo. He sighs, hunched over. He’s incredibly thin, and even though he’s hunched he’s still taller than me.

“Mhm... Well… I hope you’re doing well… you know, after that whole attack at UA thing.” He says, his voice cracks a bit at the vowels.

“Oh, yeah…” I knew that speech would bite me in the ass. “I’m fine.” My anxiety is still overwhelming, but this guy seems… nice? I’m not going to let my guard down regardless.

“Are you really gonna kill him?” He asks, his pale hands reach up to scratch at something inside his hood. I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding.

“Probably not. I’m no killer.” I admit, looking up at the streetlight directly above us. It’s not on. Why isn’t it on? It’s so dark.

“So you just wanna scare him, huh?” He asks, his voice slips into a rasp for a second. It’s familiar, hard to place.

“I want him to pay for what he did to me.” I grit my teeth, sighing into the warm night air.

“What if he’s sorry?” The question hits me like a ton of bricks. I hadn’t considered that, honestly.

“It doesn’t change much, to be fair. I’ve lost a lot of sleep over it. He can be sorry all he wants, but forgiveness isn’t cheap when I paid the price for his crimes. I’m sure you know how badly my reputation was ruined over it.” I watch as headlights approach over the hill. A few more seconds.

“That’s the problem with this fucking society. People like you get hurt and then somehow it’s your fault. None of that was your fucking fault.” He seethes, his voice gets progressively higher-pitched, and dry.

The car pulls up. “Katherine?” The driver asks through the rolled-down window.

“I thought you said your friend was picking you up?” The hooded man asks as I climb into the passenger seat. I close the door, locking it.

“Please drive.” I say to the guy at the wheel, who shrugs but does what I ask. The hooded man seems to reach out for the door, but pauses, deciding against it.

Chapter Text

I ended up sleeping at the hospital anyway. Curled up in a bed, in the same room as Shoto, Tenya, and Deku. I ended up telling the three of them what had happened, and about the dream.

I tried to ignore the pride in Tenya’s eyes when I told him He was my first choice for a hero to save me. I told them about the letter, and boy did Izuku look pissed. He swore he’d find whoever wrote the note and make them apologize.

I shrug in response.

Whoever wrote it had a point. I don’t deserve my spot. People like that kid Shinso- They deserve the spot. I’m only here because of my dad. Nepotism isn’t talent. I know that.

Shoto stays entirely silent, gritting his teeth. It isn’t until we find ourselves alone together that he speaks to me.

“Kitty, You aren’t going back to that house.” He murmurs, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. The name startles me. Katherine for everyone. Kate for my friends. Kat for people who don’t have time. Katie ONLY for my mom. Kitty for family. I mean- for nearly the past month I have been living in Shoto’s house. His father treats me the same as his own daughter- even if that means mostly ignoring me.

I laugh, shaking my head. “Ah- I wish.” I blush at the contact. Shoto was never an affectionate boy.

“You can always stay with me.” He says bluntly, and I am taken aback.

“Sho-” He cuts me off, pressing his lips to my cheek. I’m left reeling, completely confused. Was that a friendly kiss? Or something else?! Am I overthinking this? He pulls back quickly, blushing over his entire face.

“I never- I don’t think it’s a good idea to live somewhere you’re uncomfortable. It’ll interfere with your studies.” He mumbles, looking away from me.

“I have to, I can’t just live with you.” I laugh, shaking my head. He looks up at me, mismatched eyes boring straight into my soul itself.

“Okay… but at least during the internships? It’ll be easier for you to get around that way. And I think you just need some time away from… there.” He suggests, and I nod.

“That’s a good idea, actually. Thank you, Shoto.” I blush, and he leans down, pressing a chaste kiss to my forehead. He returns to the group, his face nearly flushed the same red as his hair.

I don’t want him to be worried about me. But that’s the cost of having friends, being constantly worried about them. I always had to worry for others physically, since I’m indestructible, but no one ever worried about me. I guess I never really gave anyone a reason to. Even last year, when I tried drinking bleach in my bathtub, no one knew about it. That’s the most frustrating part about my current situation is that EVERYONE knows how much I’m struggling.

My speech, while violent in nature let the whole world know how hurt I was- am. I was always the suffer in silence type, and I’d done a damn good job of it- at least I thought. Kirishima’s admittance to Izuku meant that I wasn’t as good at hiding it as I wanted to be. The nightmares were pretty easy to hide as long as I slept alone- which I don’t want to do. I don’t want someone in my bed as much as I’d like to have someone in the room.

Even that stranger at the bus stop was so goddamn concerned… I didn’t let it affect my grades… my fighting style, or even my internship. I keep moving. I don’t lose. I learn. Shoto is the only one that cares enough to help and knows me well enough to not. I appreciate it more than I could ever put into words, the knowledge that he cares for me, and that he’ll give advice but never force me into anything. Never move without asking. Keigo does not afford me the same freedoms unless I threaten him.

My dad doesn’t show to care at all. He still made me go back to school only two days after I was attacked.

My mom’s phone calls are incessant, and from what I could peek from dad's messages she’s pissed with him, threatening to get a lawyer and take me and my brothers back. It’s nice to dream, but I know they’re empty threats. She’ll never be able to afford it.

Tenya is probably my closest friend after Shoto. He listens, even if he judges my motives. I

zuku is kind, but he’s nosy and overly emotional. I can’t burden him with my insignificant issues when he always seems to have something else going on.

The next few days, everything is pretty quiet. School. Internship. Cold soba with Shoto. Comfort. It comes to an end and despite Shoto’s very damning arguments.

I don’t see much of Keigo. He avoids me as much as I avoid him.

Everyone in class talks excitedly about their internships, and how much they enjoyed them. Apparently, Stain ended up on the internet. I’m glad the press has someone else to focus on. I zone out.

It seems I blink and All might is standing in front of us, announcing training activities. My hands sweat a bit at the mention.

Last time- no.

The last time was last time. This is different. AllMight is already here. Nothing bad can happen with AllMight here. “We’re going to be conducting a little race. Take everything you’ve learned from your internships and apply it to rescue training.”

Tenya interrupts. “If it’s rescue training shouldn’t we be at the USJ instead?”

Once the four-eyed boy speaks about the building, Shoto reaches out, grabbing my hand and squeezing it. I squeeze back, turning slightly to mouth the words “I’m fine.” As AllMight continues to speak.

“Ah, that facility specializes in disasters. As I said earlier, this is a race. So prepare. You’re about to step into field gamma! Inside, is an area full of factories that form an intricate labyrinth. So good luck finding your way around. You’ll be competing in groups of five. Each person starts on the outskirts of the model city. I’ll send a distress signal. And you do what you must to rescue me. Whoever finds me first wins! But try to keep the property damage to a bare minimum, please.” He’s still giving his signature smile.

Fuck. Rescue I can do, I’m built for it. SEARCH and rescue? Not so much. I’m good at puzzles, and my anxiety usually helps me pretty well in situations like this, but if there’s no real threat of danger it won’t kick in.

I’m not agile, or fast. I’ll lose. I resolve that it doesn’t matter. I’ll try my best for my grades but otherwise, there’s no point sweating it.

The first group is Tenya, Izuku, Ojiro, Mina and Sero. If they lose points for damages Izuku is fucked. Sero honestly might have this one in the bag. His tape gives him the ability to swing through the terrain without much difficulty. Ojiro also has a decent leg up.

Shoto doesn’t let go of my hand, even when I catch Katsuki staring. What the hell is his problem?!

As expected, Sero wins. I’m in group two. Against fucking Katsuki AND Shoto?! Denki and Momo Yayarozu are also paired up against me.

Fuck- okay. Katsuki is going to break shit, that’s understood. Momo has a pretty damn cool quirk but she’s not fast. The terrain is mostly metal, so if Denki uses his quirk he’ll easily just zap to immobilize us, but he might also Hurt the person we’re supposed to be rescuing. Shoto is faster than me, and he can run on his ice, putting him overhead as Sero had.

I ready myself, finding that I’m only at mostly a huge disadvantage. I’m good at getting hurt. That’s the point. Katsuki is fast, and his blasts hurt like hell, but if I can manage to get on his back, I can get closer faster, and steal the win as I had at the sports festival.

The whistle sounds, and I wait.

Boom.

Directly to my left, Katsuki is using his body as a projectile to fly through the air. I climb a ladder, getting on top of a silo-looking building, there he is, blonde, booming, bouncing boy. He’s approaching fast, he’ll be just to my left.

One- I brace myself.

Two. This is going to hurt.

Three! I jump atop him, and he grunts, quickly losing forward momentum. He makes another blast.

“The FUCK are you doing dumbass?!” He questions, propelling us forward.

“Sorry- needed to hitch a ride.” I press my hands into his arms, holding tight for dear life. I’m taking damage, his sore muscles become my problem, but I need him to move faster.

“Get off!” He directs a blast at my face, and I dodge, jumping down and crashing to the floor as a whistle sounds. I look overhead. Ice. Well shit. “You stupid bitch!” Katsuki growls, pushing past me toward the group. Hey, it was a decent plan, even if it was a shitty idea.
++
I change in the shower stall, and upon hearing the girls all whining about being gawked at through a hole by Mineta, I am glad I did. Sometimes my insecurities come in handy.

When I see Mineta in class, he’s wearing a bandage over his eye… and he’s got a scorch mark on the back of his head. I wonder if it was Shoto, or was it Katsuki. Probably Katsuki, still pissy about our fight, Mineta probably said something to anger him. Either way, Mineta avoids me for the rest of the day.

As I stuff my things into my locker, I feel a presence. Uncomfortable. I close my locker to see Denki leaning against the metal, a grin on his face.

“Hey- Kate- I wanted to ask you something.” He looks almost… flustered?

“What’s up, Kaminari?” I ask, my chest tightens. Wrong. Wrong. Something is wrong.

“Oh. Uh… so… I don’t know if you knew this… but we actually live on the same street.” I tilt my head.

“Oh.” Is all I can manage to say. I mean, I don’t really go walking around that often on my own, and with either being not home or having Hawks fly me to and from school, I’d never had the chance to meet my neighbors

“I was wondering… if I could uh… take you home? I’ve got a motorscooter… I just noticed you always take an Uber so…” he’s blushing. I bite my lip before answering.

“Oh! Uh… yeah? I guess that would be fun!” I try to sound excited. Denki is cute… sure. Blonde, nice bone structure. His eyes are amber. He’d almost look like a younger Haw- no. Stop thinking about him, Katherine.

“Cool!” He grins down at me and leads me out of the building.

“I don’t have another helmet…” he suddenly realizes and I laugh, rapping my knuckles against the top of my head.

“Don’t really need one.” I remind him. And he laughs at himself before swinging his leg over the side of the bike and gesturing time to climb on behind him. Getting on the scooter is awkward. I have to wrap my arms around Denki’s waist to keep from falling, but he doesn’t seem to mind.

He speeds down the roads, causing me to shove my face into the back of his leather jacket. He smells like Lemon-scented bleach. Weird. He stops suddenly, and I realize we’re in front of my house.

“Thanks,” I mumble, as he swings his long leg off of the bike, steadying it all the while to help me off.

“No problem, I live right-“ he points at the house directly across the street.

“There!” He unclips his helmet and drops it on the scooter’s seat.

“Oh! That close?” I ask rhetorically, and he nods.

“Yeah, I’m surprised you haven’t noticed. I mean, I know you’ve been busy, but you’re not very observant sunshine.” I try not to grimace at the nickname. As much as I hate to admit it, it’s sort of comforting to know Denki is just across the street if I need help with anything- to help keep Keigo at bay if needed.

“Sorry.” I laugh, running my fingers through my windswept hair. “If you want to come over and study or spar-“ I mumble, and he grins.

“Yeah! Definitely. You’ve got my number.” He winks and gives me an awkward side hug. “I better go home right now though, before my mom as a conniption.” He gives me a winning grin before turning on his heel to walk across the street, leaving his bike parked in front of my house.

Chapter Text

“You’ll be training. While camping in the woods.” Aizawa informs, and the class erupts into cheers. I secretly cheer with them. I love camping. I love being surrounded by trees- and I miss the mountains. I miss the fresh air, and the birds. Finally, something genuinely fun.

“However, those of you who don’t pass the final exam before summer is over will have summer school.” Aizawa threatens, and I roll my eyes. Of course there’s a final exam. As if almost getting murdered several times in two months isn’t final enough. I’ll pass, of course. That isn’t the issue. If I allow myself time to study, I won’t have any problems, at least for the written part. I have a great memory after all. The practical might be a puzzle. In previous years, students formed pairs against pros.

I’m not combat focused, but as long as I’m paired with someone who is I’ll do just fine. I’ll work support. I’m good at support. I just pray I’m not stuck with Mineta… I ranked sixth in the midterms.

The rest of the students arrange for a study session at Momos, but that much noise sounds awful.

Kirishima pokes me in the side. His eyes avoid mine, so I don’t have to avoid his. “Hey- you wanna come over to Katsuki’s and study with us?” He asks, and I catch his eye, looking into them. They’re not his. They’re different, kind. Gentlemanly.

“Oh, yeah- a smaller group sounds better.” I nod, and he grins. His teeth are so sharp I wonder if he bites through his tongue sometimes.
+++
Lunchtime is actually pretty quiet compared to usual. The students are all game-planning for the practical exam, it seems. If I want to do well, I’ll need a decent teammate who can actually use my abilities.

Izuku, Katsuki- maybe even Ayoyama? I can take his indigestion and he’ll be able to pretty much infinitely fire his naval laser. I chew my soba quietly, ignoring some blonde cunt who gets chopped in the neck by a ginger girl.

Someone mentions something about robots. God, I fucking hope not. My powers are only useful in combat on living creatures! Giant hunks of metal like in the sports festival are going to absolutely fuck me up.

Damn it. Well… okay. If I ace the written portion, it’ll be okay for me to do not so great on the practical, I just need to try my damndest and it’ll be fine. God, I hope Deku is my teammate. Katsuki isn’t necessarily the best at teamwork, and Denki has the habit of short-circuiting in times of crisis.
Studying with Kirishima and Bakugo is… surprising. They’re both way smarter than they look, or are given much credit for. Despite his usual hot-headed nature, Katsuki is surprisingly patient with Ejiro when he needs help in English.

Math is my weak point because the class was always so quiet and I couldn’t focus beyond people’s writing and breathing. Too many other noises. It’s almost easier to focus when there’s too much noise to focus on one noise. Katsuki seems to be the same way, blasting music as loud as it’ll go, earning a chastising shout from his mom, who leaves him alone when she sees he has “friends” over.

A few times, I catch Katsuki staring at me. I don’t know why. I invited Shoto over as well, but he wanted to study by himself. The material wasn’t difficult, or even very strenuous, but my deep-seated hatred of numbers makes math tiring.

Katsuki drops me off at home in his beat to shit Chevy Aveo that smells like cigarettes and sweat, blasting something with a bass that shakes the car. He keeps the windows rolled down, and doesn’t speak to me. He keeps one hand on the wheel and rests his elbow against the windowsill, his head leaned slightly onto his hand.

Once we make it to the highway, he raises the windows and lowers the volume of the music.

“So are we ever going to talk about it?” He asks, eyes still firmly on the road.

“About what?” I ask, confused.

“Don’t play stupid with me, dumbass.” He starts pressing harder on the gas. We’re doing eighty in a sixty. I grip onto the “oh shit” handle.

“Katsuki- slow down.” I beg, and he laughs. There’s no humor in it.

“Is that what you told him? Is that why you ride to school on Kaminari’s fuckin crotch rocket?” He’s speeding up still, the speedometer reads ninety.

“That’s really-“ I start, but he gives me a look, a daring look. The engine revs, he blows past the exit. Where are we going?!

“You’ve got everyone else fooled, you know that? But not me.” He scoffs, placing his other hand on the steering wheel, beginning to weave in and out of traffic. “Has he fucked you already?” His voice is dark. No longer a yell, but a whisper.

“Ka-“ I begin to object, but he punches the radio, the music stops as the radio explodes in front of us.

“What about Todoroki? You fucked him yet?! Who’s bigger?” He questions and I look at my options. I hear the unmistakable ‘click’ sound of him locking the door. “You’re just gonna sit there and let me talk to you like this huh? You fucking coward.” He laughs, his jaw is tight.

“Katsuki, you’re scaring me.” I admit, my voice is small. I’m backed up as far away as I can be, my back pressed to the door.

“Yeah. I bet.” He mutters and continues to push the gas.

“I’ve not had sex with anyone- Ever!” I finally yell, shutting my eyes so I don’t have to look out the window at the scenery flying past too quickly. Everything is silent for a few long moments.

“Why do you care, Katsuki?” I ask, and get no response.

“Because he-“ he stops himself, and slows down the car. “Because Kirishima is my best- my ONLY friend.” He growls, confusing the hell out of me.

“What?!” I finally ask my voice only a breath despite being so loud.

“He likes you. A lot. He’s liked you since the first day of school- and I fucking love him, alright? I love him and he likes you. And you keep fucking hurting him. You keep getting hurt or getting caught with Hawks. You lived at Icyhot’s fucking house. I’ll be honest. I don’t give a shit what you’re doing. I just want you to stop hurting him.” His voice is quiet now, hurt.

“I- I had no idea.” I open my eyes, we’ve slowed. He’s turned into a residential street, I don’t recognize it.

“I know you didn’t. But now you do. So stop fucking around, and stop looking so fucking weak.” He growls, taking a hard left. He knows these streets well. How often does he come down them? “One last thing.” He mutters, gripping my thigh. “Tell him and I kill your entire family.” He threatens, and unbuckles his seatbelt, leaving over me. He presses his lips to mine, vicious and unforgiving. I try to push him off, but he’s so much stronger than me. No. Not Katsuki. Not him too. No! I’m crying. Shaking and crying. He pulls back, confused. “Shit- I- I just had to know. Sorry.” He sighs, leaning back into his seat. He doesn’t do his seatbelt. The rest of the drive is silent.

I don’t return for another study session.

The written exam takes three days.

They are easy, despite the necrotic anxiety eating away at my stomach. The day finally comes for the practicals.

Shoto and momo are up against Aizawa. Poor bastards. Izuku and Bakugo are up against AllMight. Even poorer bastards. There are twenty-one students… an uneven number. Shit… do they really want me to go up against a Pro by MYSELF?!

It’s worse than I Expected. Hawks drops from the sky, landing deftly on his feet. No- I can’t be fighting HIM?!

“A special thank you to Pro Hero Hawks for volunteering today!” Principal Nezu announces and then points behind the group. “And, of course, Hitoshi Shinso, who has been accepted to move up in the hero course, based on his exceeding expectations in the sports Festival and support course finals!” Nezu’s voice is loud despite his soft tone.

“Katherine black will be paired up with the newest student and Hawks, for this final exam,” Aizawa says, my blood runs cold. Neither of us are fighters- we’re up against the fucking NUMBER THREE PRO?! We’re screwed. So completely, totally screwed. We have to put handcuffs on the opponent to win- but the fucker can F L Y!! How?! I can only do close range- and Shinso can only do mind control.

I’m gonna fail this… and so is Shinso- god damn it. Wait- another answer. Run away to win. Get out of the stadium. Wait- that might work actually. I’m slippery unless you’re actively holding me down. Fuck- but Hawks knows that. I’ll be a target. Maybe that’s what I do then? Be a target? Have Shinso go find help?! That sounds like our only option.

“Those waiting their turn to fight can either watch the Exams or try to strategize together as a team. It’s your choice. That’s all.” Aizawa turns toward the teachers as he dismisses us. I let out a shaky breath and turn to Shinso.

“Great. I’ve got Bandaid.” He mutters and sighs. “You’ve got a plan I hope?” He asks, and I nod.

“A few- actually.” He tilts his head.

“Right- tell me about them on the way to the viewing rooms. You’re probably going to be needed for healing with recovery girl.” He groans, turning on his heel to walk in that direction.

The fights are brutal. Kirishima and Sato fail pretty quickly, trying to go all out brute instead of using strategic maneuvers. Damn… and judging by Kiri’s understanding during the study session we had he probably failed the written portion as well. Poor dude.

Asui and Tokoyami pass as expected. Ojiro and Tenya outrun their opponent, yeah… I would have guessed. Momo and Shoto. Aizawa is terrifying, but having fought by his side I can comfortably say he isn’t unbeatable. He’s fast, but not overly strong. Momo and Shoto best Aizawa with some difficulty. Ururaka and Aoyama pass, and right after Shinso pulls me out of the room.

“I have one other idea- If your plan fails.” He blushes slightly. “You should use your relationship with Hawks against him.” He suggests and I shake my head
“We-” He holds up his phone. Zoomed in, is a photo on a blank text message from an unsaved number. Keigo is sitting, shirtless on my bed, under the covers with me. His arm is wrapped around me, it’s blurry, clearly taken from quite a distance “Who sent you that?” I ask, and he shrugs.

“Dunno. But it was sent to everyone in class 1A last night.” He reveals. Oh. The fact that it hasn’t ended up on Twitter yet… Concerning. That’s blackmail material. “There’s also a video. I’ll show you if we win.” He teases, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “So, again- If you’re done lying. You can distract him pretty well with interpersonal relationships, get him close, and cuff him.” Shinso’s voice is tired, bored with me.

I grit my teeth, nodding. I don’t want to argue. I don’t want to argue with him or make him angry. He might take any of my choice in this, like he’d done at the sports festival. On the other hand, It might be nice to be able to blame anything that happens on him. No. That wouldn’t be right.

Our names are called, and we head down to the arena. I’d be lying if I said I felt prepared. The buzzer sounds.

Shinso take off in the same direction, keeping our eyes on the skies to be sure that Hawks hasn’t spotted us. The hair raises on the back of my neck, and I fling myself on top of Shinso, a fraction of a moment later I feel the sharp, blade-like feathers stab me in the back. I stand quickly, turning towards him.

“Damn… How’d you see me coming songbird?” Keigo asks, standing with a pair of feathers lazily hanging from his fingertips.

“I felt it- the air pressure.” I’m trying to distract him, talk to him. Shinso is standing behind me, slowly.

“Thanks babe.” He chuckles and presses a kiss to my cheek. What the hell is he doing?! This was NOT part of the plan!

Keigo’s jaw tightens. It’s working though.

“How are you doing there, Hawks?” Shinso asks, his hands gently work over my back, removing the feathers. I let him. When I wince, he presses a kiss to my neck. “Sorry… Kitty.” His voice is husky, low. He’s actually- He presses up against my back, using me as a shield. Yep- That’s a boner. What the FUCK.

“Run… Kitty.” He whispers in my ear, and I follow his directions, booking it directly toward the Winged man, he sidesteps me, but that doesn’t stop me from grabbing hold of his wing, pressing the wounds into him while wrenching his wings back. He growls, taking off into the sky and flinging me to the side, grabbing my ankle to keep me from hitting the ground.

“Why the fuck is he touching you like that?!” Keigo growls, I roll my eyes.

“You’re not my dad!” I remind him, kicking wildly with my free leg. I catch his wrist, and he drops me. I keep my composure as I feel my ribs break when I hit the ground. I get to my feet quickly, sprinting deeper into the woods. This terrain- hard for me to see him. Hard for him to see me. Shinso has had a decent head start I just have to hope he’s using that to his advantage. A pair of feathers fling me into a tree, knocking the wind out of me.

“I can’t keep up with you damn it. One minute we’re kissing in your bed, the next you’re riding on some sniveling shit’s bike or making out with some loser in the middle of a fucking exam- Not to mention I saw you in the fucking driveway getting your face eaten by hothead! Do you just give it up to any dude that pays you any attention? Is this about your fucking daddy issues? Because I already offered to kill him imagine what I’d do to a bunch of fucking teenagers.” His hot breath reeks of whiskey. His eyes are bloodshot. He’s fucking wasted- why? He volunteered for this, didn’t he?

My anger clouds my thought process, and I speak before I can stop myself. “Have you forgotten that I am also a fucking teenager? Katsuki and I literally have the same birthday.” I try to push him off of me, but he’s still too close. “Besides, Shinso is just playing the game-” The alarm sounds. “And winning.” I finish my sentence, feeling smug. He growls, backing away and taking off into the sky, leaving me to find the exit on my own.

Chapter Text

The school day starts with dramatics. Those who failed the licensing exams are incredibly upset that they won’t be able to go on the camping trip.

Suckers.

I sit at the back of the class, watching them. At least I won’t have to deal with Ejiro being weird. I’d been avoiding him, and Katsuki since the incident in the car. It’s not like he’d be able to tell the difference between this avoidance and the kind I have been performing for the last couple of weeks.

Katsuki continues to stare, but it’s less malicious now. He wants something from me, and Though I know what it is, the pit in my stomach forces me to stay very close to Tenya at all times.

Any inappropriate talk or actions would definitely be handled by him quickly and without my need to participate.

The door swings open, and Aizawa stands in the newly created space, very frustrated. “Once the bell rings you should be in your seats.” He speaks loudly, without much malice but nonetheless, the students all scramble to their seats and silence falls over the room. “Unfortunately, there are a few of you that did not pass your final exams. So when it comes to the training camp in the woods… Everyone is going!” Aizawa is grinning.

Fuck. Shit. Damn it. I could deal with Katsuki- Violence can be met by violence- but Ejiro is not my idea of a fair fight. I don’t know how to deal with his feelings- I never really stopped to think about my own!

“The good news is no one bombed the written exam. Five failed the practical badly. Two teams, of course, and Sero as well.” Hell, I’m not a hundred percent sure I WANT to be dating right now… Not with everything going on as it is.

Keigo is still so pissed off at me, he told my dad that I’d snuck out and I’m fucking grounded for a month after camp if I can’t “Prove I have Heroic Values.” Shinso keeps holding the video he alleges exists over my head, and Denki is mad at me for not being able to hang out anywhere but my house now.

Aizawa interrupts my thoughts. “Allow me to explain. For the practical battles, the teachers made sure to leave a way for the students to win. Otherwise, you never would have stood a chance. We were interested in observing how each worked together and approached the task at hand.”

What could possibly have been gained from watching Shinso and I? We are not anyone’s idea of a great team. He’s good at espionage, maybe distance with people who don’t know how his quirk works. I’m good at close range and tanking damage. If I have to fight, I’m a barbarian, not a ranger. He’s a bard, not a rogue. Keigo was a final boss that, without Shinso’s psychological attacks we would not have stood a chance!

I look at Aizawa, who is still grinning. He knew. He knows. Everyone in class 1A got that picture… does that mean the TEACHER did too?! They said Hawks volunteered- Why? Unless Aizawa asked him to- None of it makes any goddamn sense! The conversation continues without me. Taking the chance, I check my phone. Twitter still has nothing about the picture- or a video I have yet to see. Keigo probably doesn’t even know.

Distantly, I hear Iida’s voice. “Looks like we’ll be at the training camp a full week.”

I sigh, stretching and then standing, shoving my books into my bag. A full week without having to deal with Keigo- but also a full week of having to deal with Ejiro and avoiding Katsuki.

Someone pokes me in the shoulder. “Hey- Kate, did you wanna come with us?” Denki looks hopeful, his grin is addicting.

“Uh sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. Where?” I ask sheepishly, slinging my bag over the shoulder he had poked.

“The Mall! We’re all going tomorrow to pick things up for the camping trip. I know you’re grounded, but do you think your dad would let you come?” Izuku is standing behind him, his smile is soft.

“Uh- yeah- I mean, I need to pick up some decent socks I guess, since y’all actually have ticks here.” I shift my weight.

“Great! I’ll pick you up at ten!” He grins, and I give him a curt nod, leaving the room as fast as possible for Hawks to spot me and pick me up. I don’t want him accusing me of breaking my grounding already.

He lazily flaps his wings upon seeing me, readying them for takeoff. “Just once can we DRIVE home?” I ask, standing in front of him. He doesn’t answer, instead choosing to offer his arm for me to take for liftoff. “Uh- so- I got invited out for tomorrow.” His eyes narrow.

“By who?” He asks, his voice dripping with venom.

“Denki- but I think most of the class is going. We’re just going shopping for the camping trip.” I try to persuade him, and he sighs angrily.

“Why are you telling me and not your dad?” He crosses his arms over his chest.

“It’s either that or you find out tomorrow morning when Denki knocks on the door and you try to accuse me of sleeping with him.” I grit through my teeth, completely tired of his shit.

“You watch your fucking tone sweetie.” He leans in close, his breathing is irregular, his eyes are dark. I’m pushing his buttons. I can’t find it in me to care.

“Or what?” I’m testing his patience. The faint glimmer in his golden eyes tell me I’ll regret it.

“Or I’ll fucking spank you like the brat you are, kid.” I wait for the smirk, the laugh, the playfulness. It’s not there. He’s dead serious. My god. “Is that what you need? Huh? You need daddy to spank that little ass till you learn how to fucking behave?” His voice is barely over a whisper.

I look around. No one here. No one can see this. No one can hear him. No one will believe me. “Ke-”

“No. No. You fucking lost the right to call me that the second you decided you were going to act like a goddamn child.” He growls, stepping forward. He’s got me caged. Between him and a wall. Nowhere to run. “You call me Daddy.” He demands, his elbows rest against the wall, he’s too close. I want to cry, but I can’t feel anything but the building rage.

“Fuck you, Keigo.” I spit, and he grins. It’s not playful. It’s not happy. It’s malicious.

“If you insist, songbird.” He wraps his arms around my waist, bounding into the air.

“Let me go!” I try to wiggle out of his grasp, and he adjusts his grip, throwing me over his shoulder and holding my legs to his chest. I beat on his back, reaching out to grab his wing. A smack lands on my bottom, startling me so much that I pause.

“You want another? Huh?” Keigo’s irritated, angry. “‘Cuz I’ve just about fucking HAD IT with you, brat.” He smacks me again. I reach my hand up, taking a chunk out of it with my teeth and pressing the wound into him.

He swears, loosening his grip. I kick him again, forcing him to drop me. As the ground approaches, one thought rings in my mind- this is going to fucking hurt.

The impact comes quickly, painfully. As I struggle to stand, I know damn well both of my femurs are shattered.

“Fucking look at you.” Keigo flaps to the ground, and I take a look at our surroundings. Fucking wonderful, an alleyway. No one near. Shit. I try to crawl, getting away from him is my only priority. “You’re ridiculous. You know that? I spank you so you break your fucking legs?” He’s seething, stomping towards me.

“Leave me ALONE!” I growl, brandishing my hands.

“YOU NEED ME.” Keigo’s hair is wild, his face is desperate. “You need me to protect you. To take care of you. God knows no one else is doing it.” He clarifies, keeping his distance while I heal. If I get my hands on him, I’ll break his goddamn legs. “You wanted slow. I tried slow. And then you decided to be a little fucking slut with, what, four of your goddamn classmates?” He’s losing it. Fuck.

I turn over to my stomach, trying to crawl away on only my hands. I slip my hand into my pocket, sending my location to the group chat Denki had put us all in the first week of school. Please- someone, respond. I’m so glad Izuku made me make a quick haptic for this.

“Fucking look at me when I talk to you!” He roars, gripping me by my ankles and flinging me across the alleyway, my back connects with the wall harshly. I struggle to breathe, shaking as he approaches. His phone rings. He pauses, growling out a “What?!” as he answers it. He stares at me as the person on the other side speaks to me.

“Fuck. Okay I’ll- I’ll be there in a minute.” He hangs up the phone, shoving it into his pocket. “I’ll be right back- stay here.” His voice is still soaked in anger, but now it has a hint of something else- concern?

I wait, for a few long minutes, unable to get up on my still- healing legs. “Kate?” A familiar voice calls, and I look up to see Shoto, confused. “What are you- What happened?” The tears finally break.

“You wouldn’t believe me.” I shake my head, pulling my knees to my chest and sobbing.

“Yes, I would.” His voice is steady, and slow.

“I wouldn’t.” I hide my face in my knees. If he had been here sooner. If he had seen.

“Right- well, let's get you home.” He kneels next to me, offering me his hand instead of attempting to lift me.

“Why can’t every guy be like you?” I ask without thinking, and he raises an eyebrow.

“Did a guy- Who did this?” His jaw tightens, still calm in the voice, anger not showing anywhere else.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” I mumble, and he responds with a curt nod, taking my hand and pulling me to my knocking knees.

“If this happens again though, you’ll tell me, right?” He sounds… insecure? Why? I nod, climbing into the back seat of his chauffeur’s car.

“You’re first to call.” I agree, leaning my head against his shoulder. He draws small shapes on my hands, quietly holding me close. It’s silent for a moment before I break it. “Shoto… did someone send you a photo?” He stills for a moment before clearing his throat.

“Yes. And a video. Is that what… why you were in an alleyway?” He’s trying to keep calm, that much is obvious. He doesn’t raise his voice, he doesn’t even move particularly quickly.

“Can I see it- The video? No one will show me.” he pulls out his phone, selecting the unsaved number. There are several messages, all from the sender.

“Is she with you?” “What’s Hawk’s leftovers taste like?” “Is she a virgin?”

Shoto selects the video, and my heart drops. It starts zoomed out, but zooms in. Keigo is hovering above me, my head is facing the wall, not the glass doors. He leans down, kissing me. Then, to my horror, he begins to shift. He sits up, fiddling with something under the covers. He then begins thrusting. My heart drops.

I was asleep. I was completely asleep. He- he had sex with me while I slept. That nightmare- It was a warning. My body knew. I knew. I shut down. I don’t cry, I don’t scream, I keep my breathing even.

“Whoever filmed this… Midoriya is already looking for them.” Shoto looks at me, his heterochromatic eyes glowing. “Let's hope he finds them before I do.” His threat is said in such a tranquil voice that my heart nearly stops beating altogether. “We already told Aizawa. He made it clear that if it ends up with the press it’s a federal crime and he’d be investigating personally.” He nods.

I don’t have the heart to tell him that I was asleep. That I didn’t want any part of that. I’ve known him only a short time, but I have a very clear idea of what he’d do. What his father would do.

“Send that to me, please.” I say without much emotion, and he nods, sending it directly to my number. When we pull up to the house, Shoto sighs.

“Kate- I don’t want to tell you what to do… but maybe that Hawks guy is more trouble than he’s worth.” I laugh as I open the door.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” I give him a smile before closing the door. I immediately go straight to my room. It’ll be at least an hour until my dad gets home, and I need to speak to Keigo before he does. I wait.

Chapter Text

I wait. When he lands on my balcony, I can feel the vexation coming off of him in waves. “I fucking told you to-”

“Did you use protection?” I interrupt him, and his face falls.

He’s shaking. “What?” He asks, eyes wide. He’s been caught.

“Did you at least use a condom when you raped me in my sleep?” I cross my arms over my chest.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He attempts to deflect. I pull out my phone, pressing play on the video and holding it up for him to see. He reaches to grab it, but i snatch my hand back.

“Everyone in my class has a copy.” I Inform, sneakily selecting “record” and then put my phone back in my pocket. “So, I’m going to ask you one more time. Did. You. Use. Protection?” My voice shakes despite my efforts.

“I pulled out.” He admits, and my fingers itch.

“Where did you-”

“On your stomach. I cleaned you up with your underwear that was on your floor. They’re in my room under my pillow.” I fight back the urge to puke.

“Was that the only time, or have you done it before?” My hands are shaking.

“I’ve done it four times.” He licks his lips, eyes avoiding me.

“If you ever touch me again- I will go to the police.”

“They won’t believe you.” He tries, I laugh.

“Maybe not. But some people will. My dad will. AllMight will.” I look up at him. “You’re just like Tomura.” I spit, and he tightens his jaw.

“I am nothing like that fucking monster.”

I nod. “You’re right. You are different. He at least had the balls to do it while I was awake, You fucking Coward.” I smile at him, sitting on my bed. “You need to be gone by the time I get back from my trip. I don’t want to see you, ever again.”

“I’m sor-”

“Save it for the next girl.”

The next morning, Denki picks me up with a smile. After ridding myself of Keigo, I feel physically lighter. It’s incredible. If only I can get rid of Tomura.

Denki tries to hold my hand- several times- but his advances are that of a schoolboy- normal. I welcome it, the normalcy. It’s different. It’s good. Still uncomfortable.

Without Shoto here, I gravitate to Izuku. He’s… sweet. Nice. Kind. Gentle, and soft-spoken when he needs to be. He’ll make a great hero.

Ochako shoots me a look… She wants to be alone with the green-haired boy. I give her a smile. Being alone isn’t so bad in such a crowded building, I guess. Nothing really horrible can go wrong with so many people around.

I wander, mostly, enjoying the solidarity. I spot Izuku again, facing away from me, and smile, ready to call out to him.

Something stops me dead in my tracks. A voice. A very, very familiar voice. “I want an Autograph.” He murmurs, wrapping his arm around Izuku. He doesn’t see me. Not yet. I’m still about a foot behind them. I ready my hands to touch Izuku, knowing full well the cost. I will not let him die. I will not let myself be taken by this fucker. “You were the one who got beat to hell at the sports festival, right?”

Izuku is panicking. I am too.

“Aren’t you one of the students who ran into the Hero Killer in Roswell incident, too? You’re practically famous! You and that pretty Voodoo Doll.” The name isn’t enough to hurt me. Not anymore. Not right now.

“You sure do know a lot.” Izuku’s tone is uncomfortable, but not fearful. He doesn’t recognize him. Of course, he doesn’t recognize him. He didn’t get as close. He wasn’t touched by him.

“What can I say- I’m just a big fan of yours. I can’t believe I’m running into you again. It makes me think that it might not be a coincidence. No, no, this feels like it’s destiny.” Tomura’s hand reaches up, grasping Izuku by the throat. I grab onto Izuku’s hand, holding it gently behind him. Don’t look back. Don’t let him know. Please- Please Izuku, know it’s me and trust me. My silent pleas are answered as Izuku gives my hand a gentle squeeze.

“Oh, right. From your point of view, we haven’t met since the attack on UA.” He turns, looking back at me. “Why don’t we spend some time catching up?” He asks, staring at me with those crimson eyes. “Katherine Black, and Izuku Midoriya.” He says our names like they are threats. He leans forward again, Into Izuku. I keep my hand firmly on Izuku’s, stepping forward to keep my feet in line with his. Tomura keeps his hand on Izuku’s neck, a single finger up. A warning.

“Act natural, don’t make a scene. I’m just an old friend who ran into you at the mall. Calm down and wipe those looks off your faces. I think we should have a conversation, is all. A friendly chat.” He looks back at me again, my resolve shatters every time I see those eyes. “Oh, and of course, if you try to run or fight me in any way… I’ll have Kurogiri take Dolly to my place, and I’ll kill everyone else here.” His voice is playful, but I know he’s sincere.

“If you do that here where there are so many people, A hero will come and catch you in no time. You couldn’t escape.” Izuku has a very valid point. Other classmates are here. Namely, Tenya, who already outran Kurogiri once, and that was a month ago. He’s gotten faster since then.

“I don’t doubt that. But just look at these sheep. Any one of them could use their quirks and start a massacre. And yet they’re all here, smiling. They think laws and rules will protect them, because they assume everyone has their same morals. They’re convinced nothing bad could ever happen to them. After moving her I could kill twenty… thirty… maybe even more before a pro showed up and managed to stop me.” He’s right.

“I get it. Let’s talk.” Izuku gives my hand another reassuring squeeze. Tomura chuckles. The sound turns my stomach.

“This is nice. A real moment. Just me, My doll, and her annoying little friend. Let’s go grab a seat and get comfortable, why don’t we?” He leads us to the center of the mall, gesturing to a bench. “Ladies first.” He mumbles, and I sit, still holding tight to Izuku’s hand as Tomura keeps his hand on his neck. “When it comes down to it, I hate basically everything, But the Hero Killer pisses me off the most right now.” His hand- reached out of a black hole and touched the noseless man on the head. I guess now’s the time we get an explanation as to why.

“At first, I thought he was one of your guys.” Izuku admits, and Tomura shrugs.

“Not technically, but that’s what the media made it look like. I’m sure you understand better than anyone else, Doll.” He smirks at me. It was HIM. At the bus stop. So close… Why didn’t I see it. Oh god… he probably knows where I live. That bus stop was only a couple of blocks away from my house.

“And that’s what my problem is. It’s like suddenly, everyone is obsessed with that stupid Hero Killer. The attack on UA, the Nomus I released on Roswell- He upstaged all of it. The only attention I got was from Dolly’s speech at the sports festival. And even then, My message was lost in the public opinion of me being a pervert. No one’s even giving me a second thought. Why is that? Despite what he claims to believe, all he really did was try to get rid of whatever things he didn’t like. What do you think the difference is between us? Midoriya? Dolly?” Tomura looks between the two of us, and then down at our hands, grimacing.

“What’s the difference? I don’t understand you. Your goals, and your villains. I don’t agree with anything you do.” Izuku’s eyes are wide and for the first time ever… I see genuine hatred inside of them. “I don’t agree with the Hero Killer either. But I can understand him, at least sort of, because the Hero Killer and I have something in common. We’re inspired by AllMight. That night… You killed him, when he started getting close to Kate. He’s a maniac, but he doesn’t destroy things just because it sounds fun. And when things were looking bad for him, he didn’t abandon his mission like you did. Even if the way he acted was wrong, he held true to his beliefs. That’s the difference.” Izuku is digging a hole here, but I’m too terrified to speak.

My words are caught in my head and they’re such a jumbled mess there's no use in trying to pull them apart to form a sentence.

“Ah… That’s like a weight off my chest. I see it now… all the dots connected. Why he makes me so angry, why you irritate me so much, why I want my doll- Everything makes sense.” He grins, wheezing out a laugh. “It’s him. The problem is AllMight.” As Tomura speaks, Izuku continues to squeeze my hand so hard it almost hurts.

“Yeah. Yeah. That’s it. That’s the most rational explanation.” Tomura laughs again, his smile is so wide it looks like it might crack his face right in half. I hope it does. “I didn’t see it, even though it was right in front of me the whole time. What was I worrying about so much? It’s simple. He’s why these morons are able to smile thoughtlessly!” He’s pressing on Izuku’s throat, leaving bruises on mine. I grit my teeth through the pain.

“They feel so safe because that garbage pro is smiling thoughtlessly, too, as if there’s no one in the whole world he can’t save. Oh, I’m glad we had this chat. I feel better. I can’t thank you enough, Midoriya. I don't need to change my ways after all.” He tightens his grip, Leaving both Midoriya and I gasping for air.

“Uh- Kate? Deku?” Ochaco stands before us, wide-eyed. No! Fuck I can’t protect them both at the same time! “Is that a friend? No… that’s not right. Uh, hey. Let go of him.” Her voice is shaking. I open my mouth to speak, but Izuku beats me to it.

“This is nothing! Everything’s FINE! Stay back! No closer!” Izuku almost shouts. Tomura surprises me, taking his hand off of Izuku’s neck.

“Oh, you were here with a friend? I didn’t know, Sorry about that” Tomura sounds so friendly, so charming before he leans in to whisper to the Izuku and myself. “If you try following me, I’ll get angry. I’ll talk to you later, doll.” He stands, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking away. I release Izuku, finally able to breathe.

I watch as Tomura disappears into the crowd. A wolf among sheep. I shake as I stand. I could have killed him. Right then. Right there. I could have forced his finger down on Izuku and pressed the wound right back into his ugly fucking face- and I didn’t. Why didn’t I DO something?! Why was I so ready to fight Hawks, and so afraid to even speak to Tomura.

The answer is obvious, though painful. Because Tomura can actually hurt me. That decay quirk… It’s so strong it had me on the ground with a touch. He doesn’t have a reputation I can ruin. I have nothing to fight against him if he actually decides that he wants to hurt me. My classmates- My friends. My family. My brothers. He could turn each and every one of them to dust and there wouldn’t be a goddamn thing I could do about it. He wants me. He said he wanted me- but for what? Sex? That makes no sense, there are plenty of other girls- I could name a few on Twitter specifically- that would be dying to fuck him. Literally and figuratively.

My quirk? Maybe, he did have to break into my hospital room to use it while I was on pain meds.

Maybe it was just that I’m the only person he’s been able to touch, and not kill. He was so careful to only touch things with four fingers at a time. Maybe he can’t really control it. That makes sense.

Chapter Text

I spend a lot of time on the phone, after that. Keigo- At least, I think it was Keigo, tried leaving me a new one as a peace offering on my balcony with a knock. I’m not about to pass up a new phone, especially since my old one is barely usable anymore after the cracking.

It seems I’m always texting someone. Deku, Iida, Denki, Mina- even Kirishima. And even while I’m texting, I’m calling someone.

As much as I hate Hawks, god I miss the company. Having someone close by to talk to- even if you didn’t actually WANT to talk to them- is nice.

Hours are spent, In my room behind a locked door, talking to Shoto on the phone.

Sometimes we don’t even talk, we just go about our daily activities in a comfortable silence with each other. Every once in a while, he’ll say something and start up a conversation again. It’s nice.

When Mina texts me and asks if I’d like to go swimming, I cooly say yes, but behind my phone screen I literally jump on my bed for joy. As much as I enjoy the company of my male friends, I can’t help but feel a little uncomfortable when it seems half of them are constantly fawning over me- and yeah, Katsuki more than makes up for it by his blatant hatred of me- but it’s still concerning.

Tenya is probably my best bet for “Not friendzoned friend”, because he’s so uptight and straightforward. After all of that time we spent sending each other secret messages- or even the time I slept in his hospital bed- Nothing was awkward or had any kind of sexual tension between us. It’s just kind of nice to know I am capable of platonic male friendships.

After Izuku and I’s “Talk” with Tomura, he kept up with me pretty constantly. Needing both a “Good Morning” and “Good Night” text to function, it seems.

Having a girls’ day out is the perfect opportunity to relax, and still be with people I trust. Well… Mostly trust. With whoever wrote that note, and whoever recorded that video being on the loose, it’s incredibly difficult to relax around anyone. Even Shoto and Izuku are not to be completely trusted. They could just be playing the long game.

The school swim suits cover a lot of skin… Good. Being uncovered is probably among my top ten worst feelings these days. It’s upsetting. I used to be so comfortable in my skin, not that I was ever happy about my body- I just didn’t feel the need to cover it. My quirk made it so clothes were always getting torn up, When you don’t really care how you hurt yourself you don’t catch yourself from falling. I’m so goddamn clumsy I swear I’d probably never have been able to compete in that stupid Sports Festival if it wasn’t for training for Shoto.

I realize, while slipping into the water to adjust, that my phobia of water is still very much alive and well. With Tsuyu so close by, there’s really nothing to be afraid of. I stick to the shallow end, gripping onto the walls of the pool if I have to venture deeper.

No one laughs at me, thankfully. I try to keep track of the conversations going on around me, but there’s really no point. I never understood how so many people talk so much and say so little.

While the girls splash around and play, I find that Katsuki and Ejiro have shown up. Fuck- so much for girl’s day.

I could handle Shoto and Shinso silently working out, keeping to themselves on the other side of the pool, and Denki sulking, but being stared at by Katsuki and pined after by Ejiro is going to be awful.

My fears are quickly subverted by a very loud Katsuki saying he’ll beat both Izuku and Shoto. They’re planning on having some kind of race. Okay, that actually might be fun to watch.

I nestle up against Ochaco, a towel wrapped around my shoulders. The girls pass around sunscreen, and I pass it forward, without using it.

“Girl- That’s how you get wrinkles!” Mina tries to pass the bottle back, but I shake my head.

“I- uh- can’t get a tan, or sunburn. My quirk makes me basically immune to radiation, which is what the sun gives.” I shrug, politely denying the bottle.

“Oh my god that is so cool!” Mina says excitedly.

“Get ready! Get set!” Momo blows a whistle, starting the race. Most of the boys don’t even bother actually swimming, instead choosing to use their quirks to go OVER the pool. Well… that’s not nearly as fun. After the race concludes, all of the students rush to get back into the water. I dawdle, not really wanting to participate in water games that I won't be able to play properly since I can’t swim.

Katsuki catches me by the waist, lifting me into the air. “You’re taking too long, dumbass!” He chuckles, throwing me over his shoulder in a manner not unlike how Keigo had.

I scream, giggling. “Katsuki! Put me down!” I playfully beat on his back, not actually putting any effort into hurting him.

“You want me to put you down? Alright.” He teases, and tosses me into the air. Alarms sound throughout my entire body as I figure out what’s happening. He’s thrown me… toward the water. I’m going into the deep end. He doesn’t know. Fuck- none of them know I can’t swim!

I scream as I hit the water, trying to get anyone’s attention. I see, in shock, that some of my classmates are LAUGHING. They don’t know anything’s amiss. I flail, flapping my arms wildly and kicking. Just like then.
Just like then.
I try to scream, but it just lets the water into my mouth, into my lungs. In my panic, I wack my head against the floor of the pool. The darkness comes before I can fend it off.

“Kitty… C’mon damn it- Breathe!” Something’s pressing on my chest, over and over. My nose is pinched, and someone squishes my cheeks, forcing my mouth open. A mouth goes over mine, pushing their breath down my throat. I can feel it- but I can’t move.

“C’mon dumbass- fucking breathe damn you!” Someone calls above me, Someone’s holding my hand.

“Alright- fuck- everyone get back!” the people touching me disappear, and a pair of hands press over my chest. I try not to notice one of them cups my breast. Suddenly, a shock. The force of the electric current pressing directly into my heart shakes me upward, and I lean to the side to cough up water. Hands immediately fly back to me. Katsuki is kneeling beside me, his hair is dripping, his face is red.

“Fuck- I’m sorry- I didn’t-” I put a hand out to stop him.

“You didn’t know- It’s okay- I’m fine.” I cough again, and someone’s hand rubs over my back.

“Welcome back to the land of the living Sunshine! Totally thought we lost ya there.” Denki laughs, his hand on the back of his neck while he gives me a sheepish grin. He definitely grabbed my boob. What a cheeky bastard. I laugh, leaning backward into the hand. It’s Shoto.

“Why didn’t you tell anyone you couldn’t swim?” His voice is calm but that look in his eyes is primal.

“Uh- well it’s a weakness. I lived my whole life in Colorado and I just never really had the opportunity to learn.” I shrug, absentmindedly fixing my hair.

“You have to learn to swim, dumbass, I’ll teach you myself.” Katsuki offers, but it sounds like a threat. Ejiro laughs.

“Yeah Bakubro, I’m sure you could. Your massive tits make for the perfect flotation devices.” He teases, and Katsuki reels on him, punching him in his already hardened stomach.

“They’re PECTORALS you scrawny bastard!” Katsuki hollars while they fight, falling into the pool. I don’t even attempt to hold back my laughter. Boys will be boys. And by god are they both boys. Sweaty, hormonal, loud and obnoxious boys. Normal. I like normal.

“I could teach you, if you want. My father’s home gym has an inground if you want to come over.” Shoto’s voice is barely over a whisper, and he’s blushing. I have to stop my train of thought to pay attention to what’s being offered to me.

“Yeah, that sounds nice.” I nod and then sigh. “Alright so which one of you put their mouth on me?!” I ask, feigning rage. Several hands all point toward Kirishima and Bakugo.

“Kaachan pulled you out when he realized you weren’t swimming, but Kirishima gave you mouth to mouth and chest compressions.” Izuku rats them out and I blush. Fuck- this is going to make things even MORE awkward with them both later isn’t it?! It doesn’t really surprise me that Ejiro knows CPR, we were all required to learn it during our rescue courses, that, and basic first aid.

I thought it was stupid to have me participate at all, but Aizawa argued that since I rely heavily on energy to fight, I have to be able to help people without the use of my quirk. That was fair, rational I guess. It makes sense. The image of Katsuki diving in after me, however, is confusing. Why would he do that? I mean, I guess I know why? He’s here, isn’t he? In the hero course? And part of being in the hero course is saving people.

I guess part of me forgot that somewhere between being stalked by someone in the hero course, and then being assaulted by the Number Three hero in the country. What a mess, honestly. I glance over at the still-fighting boys. Katsuki’s hits are playful, careful. They came here together. They’re so close. I take a closer look.

Kirishima is a really handsome boy. Incredibly well-built for a fifteen-year-old. He’s kind, gentlemanly. He’s always been there for me- during the attack at the USJ and after. Maybe dating him is a good idea? If anything, it’ll keep Denki, Katsuki, and Shinso from pawing at me again. I’m sure he’d be a great boyfriend. Kind to me, at least. I resolve that maybe I should tell Katuski to have Kirishima ask me out. Maybe it’ll be good for me. Normal.

Once everyone’s concern for me has died down, I approach Katsuki and Kirishima, arguing playfully with each other in the shade.

“Hey uh- Katsuki?” I call his name and his eyes narrow at me.

“What do you want, dumbass?” He asks, his voice would sound angry to most, but I notice his softness, his concern.

“Can- can I talk to you?” I ask, and he grunts, standing. He brushes past me, and I take that as a cue to follow him. Once we’re alone, I take a deep breath. “You- you should tell Kirishima yes.” I nod, and he raises an eyebrow.

“You sure?” He questions, glancing back at Ejiro, who looks like he’s trying to hear what we’re saying.

“Yeah.” I pinch my swimsuit, sliding my straps up to where they belong so they’re not falling down my shoulder. Katsuki smirks and he bites his lip.

“Well, you should know something first… But you can’t fucking tell anyone or I’ll kill you.” His threat makes me want to roll my eyes, but I stare at him instead. “Kiri and I are dating.” He states, and I’m taken aback.

“But you said-” He rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, I know what I said, dumbass. Why do you think I kissed you? I had to make sure I was okay with it first.” He puts emphasis on the word ‘I’. “I’m not usually not into chicks, but you’re alright, I guess. I like durable. So when Kiri said he wanted to add you in, I was pretty damn pissed, but then I got to know you and I figured, why the hell not?” He’s close now, not touching me, just looking at me. “So, If you wanna date Kirishima, you gotta date me too.” He shrugs, his muscles ripple over his shoulders. Well. This isn’t normal. But one look up at him and I can tell he isn’t fucking around. He means it. I look past him, at Kirishima, who’s gonna break his neck if he tries craning it any further toward us, and I sigh.

“Okay.” I manage to say. Wait. No. Why’d I say that? Why’d I agree to that?! Katsuki grins, and turns to Ejiro, giving him a thumbs up. The redhead looks up at me with stars in his eyes.

What the fuck have I gotten myself into?

Chapter Text

The knock at the front door has me bounding through the living room at top speed, almost taking out Mathew playing that stupid VR game along the way. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for school?!” I ask while throwing the door open.

“Not my MOOOM!” Mathew shouts back, irritated. I roll my eyes and look up at Katsuki and Ejiro.

“I wanted to just honk the horn but stupid hair insisted it would be more gentlemanly to knock first.” Katsuki’s voice is gruff, already irritated this morning.

“Good Morning, Princess.” Ejiro sings, kissing my cheek. I blush, stepping out of the house and looking behind myself hastily.

“Dude! Careful! My dad could have seen!” I chastise him, but Katsku just scoffs, walking straight past me into my house.

“Where are your bags babe?” He asks, looking around the living room. My brother stops dead in his tracks.

“Kitty! You’re dating the guy that got FIRST PLACE in the sports festival?!” Mathew squeals and I hear feet pounding out of the kitchen. Archie rounds the corner, staring at the boys I’d brought into the house.

“No way!” Archie shouts, floating up to Kirishima “You guys are still friends after he kicked your butt on live television?!” Archie is bewildered, and Ejiro blushes.

“Yeah, I mean, I’m not a sore loser or anything.” I’d forgotten about that. Bakugo really did wipe the floor with Kirishima. And he still agreed to go out with the guy after? That’s some damn good sportsmanship If I’d ever seen it. Well… technically he beat me too- Damn… maybe that’s just the way Katsuki flirts. He beats the crap out of you and then waits for you to fight back hard enough to be considered worthy. I stifle a laugh at the thought.

“Babe, Your bags. We’re gonna be late.” Katsuki calls to me and then gets visibly more irritated with my brothers. “Shouldn’t you guys be getting ready for school?” He questions gruffly, and both of my brothers scramble to their bedrooms.

“That’s witchcraft.” I mumble, struggling to lift my heavy duffle bag. Katsuki rolls his eyes, lifting it over his shoulder easily.

“Is this it? We’re gonna be gone for a week.” Ejiro questions, and I shrug.

“I only really need clothes and shower stuff.” I lift my shower caddy for reference.

“what about pajamas?” Ejiro looks concerned. I guess he’s allowed to be? He’s my boyfriend now… God that is still so weird.

“She probably sleeps naked.” Katsuki taunts, and I punch him in the shoulder.

“Dude! My dad!” I remind him. Also Keigo upstairs in his room… but I shouldn’t worry about him, right?

“Alright, fine, I’ll make you blush more in the car, C’mon we’re gonna be late.” He chuckles, walking out of the front door. I follow closely behind.

“Shotgun!” I call, racing toward Katsuki’s car.

“Not fair!” Ejiro pouts, respectfully closing the door. Katsuki smirks, popping the trunk and shoving my bag in.

“Don’t worry Kiri, She’ll regret that.” He slams the trunk as I buckle myself in. When the car door opens again, Katsuki slides in with a smirk on his face. Oh shit. Something gives me the feeling I have fucked up.

“We’ve got twenty minutes until we get to the school.” Ejiro says in the back seat, and he leans forward. “You’re so tense, princess.” He whispers, his hands fall over my shoulders. He begins massaging the flesh. I surprise myself, letting a moan slip past my lips. Katsuki’s left hand on the wheel, his right rests on my knee.

“Hey dumbass, You ever played the firetruck game?” He asks, and through the immense pleasure radiating from my sore neck muscles being manipulated by Kiri's surprisingly experienced hands, I mumble a no. “Rules are simple. I’m gonna touch you, and when you want me to stop, you say ‘red light’. It’s just a fun game for couples to play.” He squeezes my knee. His eyes are on the road, focused. His hand begins to slide up my thigh. I let it.

This is what normal couples do, right? I don’t know. I’ve never even had a boyfriend before. Fucking KEIGO was my first kiss. I push that thought down, trying desperately to stay in the present. Katsuki’s fingers begin to slip under the hem of my uniform skirt, and I flush.

“Red light.” I say, but he doesn’t stop, inching closer to my underwear. “I-I said Redlight.” It’s hard to concentrate through the massage. Katsuki chuckles.

“Dumbass… Firetrucks don’t stop at red lights.” He brushes up against my core, the only thing separating us is a thin layer of cotton. I squeak, smacking his hand away and leaning forward to escape Kirishima as well.

“L-Let me out.” I demand, pulling on the car door.

“Hey- Woah- What’s wrong?” Kirishima backs up, giving me some space.

“It’s just us- Sorry I thought-” Kirishima is cut off by my shaking voice.

“Thought that I would put out on the first fucking day of us dating?!” I ask, trembling hands still on the car door. I can tuck and roll… I’ll be fine.

“No- It’s not like that we-” Kiri starts, but is then interrupted by Katsuki.

“We’re not fucking in my car- I’d rather save that for somewhere more appropriate. We just wanted to fuck around a little.” His hand is still in the air, hovering over me. “Relax, dumbass.” Katsuki places his hand back on my knee and gives me a gentle squeeze.

“Okay… but if I say stop you have to stop or I’ll hurt you.” I warn, and Katsuki rolls his eyes.

“Fine.” He growls. I nestle back into my seat, trying to get comfortable. They just want to fuck around… They’re horny teenage boys. This is normal. I wanted normal. I wanted this. I breathe deeply, Allowing Ejiro to massage my shoulders again. Kiri leans forward even more, craning his head around to attach his lips to my neck. I moan, squeezing my knees together. Katsuki still looks completely calm, one hand on the wheel, driving at the speed limit. “E-Ejiro! Your seatbelt!” I whimper and Katsuki chuckles, drawing small circles over my underwear, making me squirm.

“What’s wrong babe? Don’t trust my driving? Kiri is indestructible when he’s hard.” He glances in the rearview mirror. “And boy is he hard.” He tries pulling up my skirt, and I cover his hands with mine.

“The windows!” I whine, and he smacks my hands away.

“We’re on the highway. C’mon… no one can see.” He tries to pry my legs apart, a difficult task with only one hand. Ejiro cups my chin with his hand, turning my head to face him. He kisses me, soft and slow. He slips his tongue over my lip, just in time for Katsuki to slip a finger under my panties. I gasp, and Ejiro takes that as an invitation. His tongue explores my mouth, as Katsuki fights my hands to stay touching me THERE. He grunts, and sighs. “Kirishima- She’s not letting me-” He complains, and Kirishima detached his lips from mine, Looking me in the eye, his hands still cupping my face.

“You want this, right?” He asks, eyes wide. The look on his face makes it impossible to say no… So I don’t.

“Just- G-gentle.” I stutter out a breath and Katsuki scoffs.

“I’m being gentle, dumbass.” He pushes my legs open. “Let me in.” He pinches my underwear, never looking away from the road. I oblige, opening my legs a little. “More.” Kiri reaches over me, his long arms press between my thighs, opening myself more to Bakugo’s advances. “Good girl.” Katsuki praises, licking his lips when he glances down for a second before taking a turn. He pushes my underwear all the way to the side, exposing my embarrassingly wet pussy to the air of the car.

Kirishima leaves me, sliding to the middle seat to lean over the center console. He unzips Katsuki’s pants, letting his hard-on spring forth. I notice Kirishima’s pants are also Undone, His cock is smaller, but still huge. Way too big for a fifteen-year-old boy to just HAVE. He slips his arm under Katsuki’s, wrapping his hand around the base of the Blonde’s large dick.

He begins pumping as Katsuki starts to explore my folds. He finds my clit, using his pointer and middle finger to draw sharp circles on it. I cover my mouth with my hand, suppressing a moan. Kirisima’s hand shoots up from his own cock, leaving it dangling as he grabs my hand and prys it away from my mouth.

“Let us hear you, princess.” He demands, and pulls my hand down, over Katsuki’s dick. “You feel how hard that is? You did that.” Ejiro praises, pushing my hand to go up and down over Katsuki’s meaty dick. Katsuki sucks in a breath through his teeth, drawing harder circles over my sensitive flesh. I squeak, bucking my hips into his hand.

“Hold still or I’ll lose my place dumbass.” Katsuki growls. I obey, gripping onto his cock tighter, using the movement of my hand over him as a way to distract myself. He grunts. Why’s he so angry? I pump him faster, and he stills his fingers against me. “If you keep that up, I’m gonna cum.” He warns, sliding his fingers over me again. I whimper as he hits the spot in just the right way. Kirishima slides over to be behind me again, snaking his arm around me and grabbing hold of my thigh.

“She’s gotta cum first.” Ejiro’s voice cracks. I’m not stupid. I’ve watched porn. He’s close- they both are. Ejiro slides his hand up my leg, joining Katsuki in touching me. I squeal when he presses a finger inside me, curling it upward, making me see stars.

“Oh- She likes that. Do it again.” Katsuki commands, and Ejiro chuckles, but does it anyway. A lewd moan falls from my lips as I throw my head back against the seat.

“Does it feel good? Do you want it slower?” Ejiro’s voice is full of concern, I lick my lips, shaking my head.

“F-faster.” I beg, and Katsuki is undone, cumming all over my hand as he shudders.

“Sorry- Just that fucking SOUND.” He reaches over me, opening the glove box. He grabs a handful of fast food napkins and throws them over my hand and his cock. “I’ll clean it up after you get yours.” He says, still gruff as ever, but there's a slight glow around him. He’s… Happy? Katsuki places his fingers back on the sensitive bud, working more viciously now, his eyes on the prize. The stark contrast of Ejiro’s gentle thrusting and Katsuki’s violent circling is too much to take. I’m whimpering, and that only seems to encourage them.

“C’mon princess, Cum for us.” Ejiro whispers in my ear, the sincerity- the touching- the way his lips brush the shell of my ear when he speaks. It’s all too much. Something inside me feels like it explodes, and the pure pleasure of it rolls over me like a tsunami. I scream, clenching my knees together and rocking my hips against the boys’ hands. Katsuki withdraws his hand, But Ejiro stays there, still pumping his fingers through the waves. When I open my eyes, Katsuki is carefully cleaning his ejaculate off of my hands, and off his cock and thighs. We’re parked, In the school parking lot. At some point during all of that, Ejiro must’ve cum too, because he has to try and scrub it off the car floor.

“Didn’t I tell you not to get it on my car?!” Katsuki grumbles, throwing the used napkins at my feet.

“You didn’t complain when SHE did it- Look at the wet spot!” Ejiro points down between my legs, and sure enough, there is a definitive wet spot from my… release.

“She can’t aim it.” Katuki defends me, and I blush wildly. I look out the window, at our classmates entering the school building.

“So… how is this going to work? Are we in secret at school?” I ask.

“No. You’re dating us.”

“But you said-”

“I know what I said, Dumbass.” He growls. I look toward Kirishima.

“Throuples aren’t so weird nowadays.” Ejiro shrugs, and I somehow feel my cheeks getting even hotter.

“What if someone calls me a slut?” I ask, deadly serious. “My reputation can’t take any more hits.” I shrink into myself, leaning against the car door.

“Fuck them. I’ll kill anyone who even tries to talk shit about my girl.” Katsuki unbuckles his seatbelt, opening the car door.

“Our girl.” Kirishima corrects, smoothing out my skirt from the middle seat. Katsuki opens the passenger side door. Way too gentlemanly for him. He reaches out a hand, offering to help me out of the car, when I stand, however, he pulls me into his chest, kissing me deeply for a moment before pulling back. I’m then spun around, and then Kissed by Kiri. Once he pulls back, he grabs my hand. Katuki chooses to sling his whole arm around my shoulders.

We walk to the front steps, and I try not to notice the stares.

Katsuki decides to take it upon himself to give a glare to anyone who he catches looking. His reputation proceeds him, and the onlookers avoid us.
God this trip is going to be very interesting.

Chapter Text

Tenya demands we sit in seating order for the class, but no one seems to listen. Katsuki makes a B-line for the back of the bus, where the long seat is. Thankfully, Kirishima sits in the middle. I don’t think I can take sitting in between two horny teenage boys for three hours straight. The campsite is in the middle of the Alabama wilderness, very secluded for a reason.

I find myself leaning on Kirishima’s shoulder as I scroll through my phone. We won’t have any reception at the campsite, so I must savor my social media while I can. Unsurprisingly, photos of the three of us have ended up online. They better be careful, whoever the person is doing this. I’m not the murderous type, but Katsuki sure as hell is.

A text from an unknown number startles me.

Unknown: Having fun, Kitty?

I stare, wide-eyed at the screen. My phone pings again.

Unknown: You shouldn’t be so obvious.
Unknown: “1 attachment”.

I open it immediately. A shot of me getting out of Katsuki’s car. An unmistakable dark spot on my light blue undies. The sick fucker actually managed to get a panty shot. Good for them.

KatBlack: Who is this?

I get an instant response.

Unknown: Save me as ‘future baby daddy’

I scrunch my nose in disgust.

KatBlack: Why are you doing this?

My fingers are moving so quickly over the screen I’m surprised I’m not making any typos.

Unknown: So you’ll notice me.

I choke on my spit.

KatBlack: I’ll notice you if you tell me who you are.

C’mon, spill the beans weirdo.

Unknown: You’ll find out soon enough ;)

I turn off my phone. That’s enough screentime for the week. My stomach is churning.

“You should take a nap. I’ll wake you up when we get there, princess.” Ejiro places a kiss on the crown of my head, and I nod.

“‘Kay.” I agree. I hadn’t meant to fall asleep. But I did.

“Nah, She’ll be fine.” I’m woken from my groggy haze by being slung over someone’s back like a bookbag. I open my eyes to see Blonde hair, and a white uniform shirt under my chin.

“Put me down.” I yawn, and Katsuki laughs.

“You were dead asleep a second ago.” He chuckles.

“You’re such a heavy sleeper too! I kept poking you and you didn’t care.” Ejiro reaches up, pinching my cheek. Don’t cry. Don’t tell them. They can’t know. No one can ever know. Everyone is stretching, tired. Katsuki is so warm… so comfortable… damn- I dozed off again.

“We own this whole stretch of land out here. Everything you can see. The summer camp you’re staying at is there at the base of the mountain.” a brunette woman I vaguely Recognise speaks. I tap Katsuki on the chest and he crouches to let me down. Kiri Immediately grabs my hand. “The current time is 9:30 in the morning. If you’re fast about it, you might make it there by noon.” The lady looks straight- up evil.

“No way. Guys!” Ejiro shouts, turning quickly. “Save yourselves!” He screams, pulling me forward with him. I can't hear anything else over my classmates screaming. Why are they all so upset? It’s just a little hike.

I keep up anyway, knowing damn well these city-slicker ass kids have probably never seen a rattlesnake in their lives and might actually die if I’m not there to help.

They try to run back to the bus, but a blonde jumps in front of them, slamming an attack into the ground. We are all flung back, crashing into the trees in the valley below.

“Good news, since this is private land, you can use your quirks as much as you want to! You’ve got three full hours. You should be able to make it to the facility in that time. That is, if you can get through The Beast’s Forest.” The blonde taunts, I roll my eyes. A test. Another goddamn test. The class is being tested by the teachers, I am being tested by the universe. My patience is wearing thin. I might just deep fry a goddamn ice cube if things keep going like this.

I just want ONE GODDAMN DAY of peace.

“I guess there’s no use complaining. Might as well get going.” Kiri sighs and I nod.

“Right then. Anyone injured? Sound off!” I call out to the group, And a few groans answer me. I turn to help whoever’s closest, but Kastuki grabs me by the arm.

“It’s just some scrapes and bruises, the extras will be fine.” He grumbles, I press my hand to his cheek, taking on his scraped-up hands and sprained wrist. He falters, and sighs. “Fine.” He grumbles, but I don’t have a chance to gloat before a grotesque beast steps out of the woodline. Izuku jumps into action, sweeping Mineta out of the way of the monster’s claw.

My heart drops.

A nomu?! No… It doesn’t look like the other ones. I’m frozen in place, unable to move. Izuku begins to shake with power, his body covering itself in glowing pink lines and green electric currents. Shoto champs on the ground, surrounding the creature in ice. I’m shaking- why can’t I move?!

Tenya calls out “Recipro Burst!”, rushing forward with immense speed, kicking the thing. C’mon Kate- Move damn you!

Katsuki pushes me behind him, crouching in a ready position. He jumps into the monster, an explosion lighting his hands as he screams “I’ll kill you!” blasting its head off. Izuku jumps up again, landing a smash to the thing’s back. The three boys that vaulted into the thing land behind it, looking at the rest of us. Ejiro wraps me in his arms. I feel the wetness on my shirt and realize I’d been crying.

“You showed that thing who’s boss.” Kirishima directs his words of adoration to Katsuki.

“We’re not done.” Katsuki growls in response, Stepping in front of us both. Sure enough, another beast begins growling, deeper in the forest. I steel myself, swallowing my fears. I can do this. They aren’t Nomus. HE isn’t here. This is just a lesson by Aizawa. I’m alright. I press my hands to Ejiro, taking his small bumps and bruises. He nods, unwrapping his arms from me to allow me to move.

The class discusses possible escapes to camp. Good. Planning is hard- I should leave it to the smarter classmates. They all spring into action, using their quirks to take down the monsters.

I stand, dealing healing high-fives in the center of the group.

Healbot.

Awful use of my quirk, but these things aren’t Organic, living matter. They’re just dirt being controlled by one of the teacher's quirks. Like the robots, I’m pretty much stuck as support. I make a mistake, running past Denki to heal any possible injuries, accidentally taking in his brain zaps. Dizzy. My mind is fuzzy, confused. Loud noises. Someone calls my name- or at least I think it’s my name, and I follow the directions.

Something picks me up, I giggle. It kinda tickles. “Princess!” Someone yells, a flash of red. Warm. Kiss on the cheek? My mind slowly comes back to me, as a flash of light makes me aware of Katsuki. Boom. I fling back, into a tree. The force knocks me back into reality.

“Woah there hot stuff, you okay?” Denki asks with a raised Eyebrow. I’d never taken his brain zaps before, they felt like being on massive amounts of pain meds.

“I’m Fine.” This is my mantra. A reflex. A lie. How long was I actually out in the middle of a battle? To my surprise, I’m not very injured. Cool, the class kept the creatures off of me. No one seems hurt so far. Good.

On the way through the forest, I heal more wounds, but the exhaustion, as always, stays. I lean on Kirishima for support, and he and Katsuki each wrap one of my arms over my shoulders, partially carrying my weight while allowing the other students to grab fingers to heal themselves. We crash through the forest, the campsite coming into view as the sun sets.

“I’m starving. This is hell!” Kiri complains to the teachers, and I try to take his hunger pains. It doesn’t help that I haven’t eaten either.

“I thought it would take you kids even longer! But, you did much better against my dirt monsters than I thought you would! You guys were seriously great! Especially the four of you!” The Blonde lady directs her praise at Tenya, Katsuki, Shoto and Izuku. What a bitch. “It seems like you’ve had quite a bit of experience.” She licks her lips. “I call dibs on these kittens, I’ll groom them myself!” Poor choice of words from Blonde lady. Or is it?

Are all Pro Heroes just unimaginably horny for fifteen year olds?!

Yeah, probably.

She flits around the boys like a bat out of hell. I swear if she touches Katsuki I’ll- Wait. I’ll what? Hurt her? Over a boy I barely know who I let call himself my boyfriend? Wait no… What we did in the car this morning definitely counts as couple behavior.

I glance over at Kiri, still carrying me. He looks just about as angry as I am. Okay. So I’m not the only one a bit protective. Good to know. I wonder if he’s having the same murderous thoughts I am. Probably not. Ejiro is not the violent type, even if his quirk is built as a fighting one. If it was Kirishima over there, I have no doubt Katsuki would have blown her goddamn head off already. I wonder if he’d do the same for me? Probably not. Nice to think about though.

I’m pulled from my thoughts by Izuku getting punched in the junk by some kid. I stifle a laugh. I hadn't even noticed the kid before… He looks about Mathew’s age, maybe younger. “That brat’s got spunk” Katsuki praises, and Shoto surprises me with a quip.

“He’s like a mini version of you.” He teases, deadpan. Wow- where did that come from? I try to meet his mismatched eyes but he avoids me. What’d I do?

“What are you talking about?! You need to shut your mouth before I blast you all the way to hell.” Katuki growls, getting in Shoto’s face. I move to stop them, but Kirishima holds me back.

“Yeah, sure.” Shoto rolls his eyes at Katsuki. What’s he doing? Why would he start a fight like that? He must be having a bad day or something.

“Enough playing around.” Aizawa interrupts the impending fight, sighing. “Get your stuff off the bus. Once your bags are in your rooms, We’ll have dinner in the cafeteria. After that, you can bathe and sleep. Tomorrow, your training starts in earnest. You’d better get a move on.” The teacher points toward the building, and I groan along with the class.

More tomorrow?! Why did I want to come again?!

Katsuki turns toward the bus, climbing into it and retrieving my bag. I reach to grab it from his hands, but he holds it well above my head. “I got it- This is what boyfriends are for, besides, It’s only one bag and you’re a total weakling.” He teases, walking past me. “Also, gives us a chance to check out your tower, princess.” Ejiro winks. They both walk forward, and I stop short. Damn Kiri has a nice ass- wait am I allowed to think that? Yeah, I decide I am.

“I sure wish I had two strong guys helping me with MY bags.” Hagakure huffs next to me, and I laugh.

“Well, I’ll help you, if that counts.” I smile at her, but I can’t see her to know if she smiles back.

“Thanks a million, Black!” She nearly sings.

Dinner is an affair In its own right. A buffet. I only take what I need to replenish the day. I’m already overweight- Adding on is a bad idea, especially when I end up needing to be carried around alot.

“Todays the only time we’ll be doing this for you. So make sure you kids enjoy it.” The blonde advises. Ejiro and Denki both shovel food into their faces, and I silently thank them for being able to eat without feeling like I’m being watched.

I avoid the hot spring. No way am I sitting naked outside, so exposed like that- even if it’s just with the other girls. I choose instead to bathe in the sink in the bathroom with a rag. Not the best, but it’ll work. I’ve done this before, back when mom forgot to pay the water bill and the boys and I had to take sink baths in the public restroom at Garden of the Gods. Good times.

Chapter Text

We’re woken up at five in the morning and told to put on our gym clothes. I snuggle into my blankets, savoring the last five minutes before I’m forced to drag myself out of bed. God I hate early mornings.

A knock resonates on my door. When I open it, I notice that Katsuki and Ejiro are already here, waiting for me. Katsuki pushes into my room, pulling me in by the hand. Ejiro follows closely after, closing the door and locking it behind him. “We’ve got Twenty minutes before they expect us to be on the field.” Katsuki murmurs, attaching his lips to my neck from behind.

“Fuck you’re so sexy in that shirt.” Ejiro adds, palming my hips and staring at my face.

“Wh-” I Begin to make out, But Ejiro presses his lips to mine in a passionate kiss. I can’t help but kiss back.

“Twenty minutes.” Katsuki reminds, rubbing his erection into my back through our clothes.

“All we need is twenty minutes.” Ejiro speaks into my mouth, moaning as Katsuki reaches his hand around to jerk him off. I push Ejiro back, inadvertently pushing myself farther into Katsuki.

“I don’t want to have sex.” I shake my head, and Ejiro nods, pulling me closer to him again.

“Me neither… not yet anyway.” He attaches his lips to mine.

“I want to- but not here. In my own room, at home. I’ve got a bigger bed.” Katsuki brags, Sitting on my bed and pulling out his cock. “Would you suck him while I watch?” Katsuki asks, and My pulse quickens.

“I- I don’t know how.” I admit, and Katsuki chuckles.

“Birdbrains is even more useless than I thought huh? I bet you’ve never had your pussy eaten either.” He grins, and Ejiro moans against my neck.

“I’ll do it- Fuck- Please let me taste you.” Ejiro begs, his whining getting desperate.

“Not yet- I’m gonna show her how to suck first.” Katuki growls, gripping on to Ejiro and throwing him at the bed. The springs squeak under the weight as Katsuki pulls me to sit next to Ejiro, about a foot away. Katsuki stands, kneeling in front of Ejiro. He palms the redhead, retrieving his cock from his pants. “Watch me.” The blonde demands, placing the head of Ejiro’s dick in his mouth.

It’s lewd, watching like this. Exciting. Katsuki grabs my chin, bringing my face in close so I can see exactly what he’s doing. He slowly lowers his mouth over Ejiro’s cock, the thick veins disappearing between his lips. He pauses, once it’s most of the way in, and makes eye contact with me, then lowers deeper. A gurgling sound comes from his throat, and Ejiro keens.

“Fuck- baby.” Ejiro whispers, and tangles a hand in Katsuki’s hair, holding him there. “Yeah- gag on it- shit that’s good.” He clenches his teeth together, slowly raising Katsuki back up, all the way to the tip. Katsuki waits with just the glans in his mouth, then opens his mouth, circling his tongue around the tip.

Ejiro grabs my hand, clapping it over his own mouth to muffle his moans. Katsuki sucks harshly on the tip, hollowing his cheeks and using his hand to pump the shaft. Ejiro begins to rut his hips up into Katsuki’s mouth, whining. Katsuki pulls off of Ejiro, his mouth making a pop sound as he reaches up and grabs me by the hair.

“I got him close- you just have to finish the job dumbass.” He pushes my face down to Ejiro’s cock. “Actually… On your knees.” Katsuki lifts me by the waist, repositioning me himself. When the blonde lifts my shirt and palms my ass I freeze and sit quickly to deny him access. My back smacks into his chest.

“Katsuki- I said I didn’t want to-“ he laughs, wrapping his arms around my front and palming my breasts.

“I’m not gonna fuck you, dumbass. At least, not with my cock.” He grips the back of my neck, pressing me forward without much resistance. He lifts my shirt again and hisses when he actually sees my underwear. “Is that fucking Winnie the Pooh?!” He laughs, and I blush wildly.

“They’re comfortable to sleep in!” I protest, and Ejiro smirks.

“Lemme see!” He tries to lean over me, but I press my hands to his chest.

“Stop it! That’s embarrassing!” I try to hide my smile. Katsuki suddenly pulls the panties down, lifting me and sliding them over my knees and off my legs completely.

“Here.” Katsuki hands the offending clothing to Ejiro, who grins while holding them up by the hips.

“Oh fuck- can I keep these?” He teases, and I reach up to grab them.

“No!” I protest, reaching up to grab them. Something warm and wet suddenly presses against my core, making me rock forward and fall with my top half in Ejiro’s lap. His cock is on my chin, he grabs my underwear in one hand, fisting it and holding it behind him.

“Quite the reaction, teddy bear.” Katsuki teases, pressing his fingers to my clit.

“I’d rather you call me dumbass.” I gripe, shuddering out a breath when he licks me again.

“I’m sure you would, Teddybear.” Katsuki teases, his words vibrating against my core. I moan, but Ejiro takes the distraction as an invitation to grip my hair by the roots, pushing my face to his throbbing cock. The tip slides into my open mouth effortlessly.

“You can’t be too loud. The walls are thin.” Ejiro warns, stilling in my mouth.

“Like I showed you.” Katsuki commands, and I take a deep breath through my nose before slowly attempting to take him into my throat. I gag about halfway down. “Cmon, you can do better than that.” Katsuki growls behind me, smacking my ass. I jerk backward, but Ejiro keeps my head where it is. Katsuki’s tongue becomes more aggressive, pumping in and out of my weeping hole without mercy, his fingers attacking my clit with just as much vigor. Katsuki’s growls are a stark contrast to Ejiro’s soft moans. They’re so different, from Ejiro’s gentle hands caressing my face encouragingly, to Katsuki’s periodical slapping of my ass.

“I’m close-“ Ejiro announces, trying not to buck too deep into my mouth. Katsuki abandons my clit, holding my hip with one hand to keep me steady, and tugging on his own cock.

“Me too.” Katsuki moans against me, the vibration tightens something inside me. I Yelp, accidentally going lower than I had before. Ejiro gasps and Katsuki reacts wordlessly, humming against my bud. I rock back against his face, and his hums turn into growls.

“Ca-can I cum in your mouth?” Ejiro asks, but I don’t know how to answer him with him in my mouth. I choose to give him a thumbs up. I might as well know what it tastes like now that I’ve already come this far. “F-fuck. Okay.” Kiri brushes my hair out of my face. “Look at me. God, you’re beautiful.” He moans, twitching in my mouth. Ejiro claps his own hand over his mouth, muffling his moan as he comes. The salty, viscous liquid shoots into my mouth. I scrunch up my nose.

It’s not very good… kind of gross actually.

“Fuck- I jerked off before I came- need help.” Katsuki growls, still rubbing his fingers as quickly as he can over my bud. It’s immense, the good feeling washing over me.

“Baby, switch places?” Ejiro asks, and Katsuki growls again, lifting me by the hips and dropping me on the bed. The bed bounces with the three of us’ combined weight. Katsuki leaves suddenly, and I whine at the loss.

“Don’t be a brat, Teddy Bear. It’s my turn.” He lightly slaps my tit through my thin tee shirt. He takes Ejiro’s spot, and grips my chin, pressing his lips to mine, shoving his tongue in my mouth, tasting Ejiro. Kiri replaces Katsuki, fucking me with his tongue. Kiri is definitely better at this, one touch and I’m seeing stars. I moan into Katsuki’s mouth, earning another growl. God he’s fucking FERAL.

“C’mon Teddybear. Use those pretty fucking lips for something useful.” Katsuki teases, shoving my head down to his cock. I pick it up, looking at it. It’s bigger than Ejiro’s, thicker, longer. I take the tip into my mouth. And he hisses, and then laughs, thrusting into my mouth. Ejiro makes up for the roughness without much effort, curling his fingers inside me while sucking on my bundle of nerves.

“Sorry, Teddy Bear. I like it rough.” Katsuki apologizes, but he clearly doesn’t mean it, forcing my head down onto the hilt. My nose hits his recently-shaven pubic bone.

“Good girl, princess, you’re taking it so good.” Ejiro praises, his voice is husky, lust-filled as he continues to spell his name on my clit with his tongue.

“So fucking good. But you could do better. Suck harder.” Katsuki commands but doesn’t give me much choice. He palms my head like a basketball, bouncing it like it’s one too. I choke, trying to pull up, but he’s determined. I grip onto his thighs, using them as leverage to push me back up. “Ah- Fuck yeahhhh fight me dumbass. Be a brat. See where that fucking gets you.” Katsuki warns, staring down at me with flaming ruby eyes. I squeeze my eyes shut, moaning. He groans. “Ah- fuck- you like it when I threaten you huh brat? You like it- look at that stupid fucking face.” He pulls my hair harder, pulling me up and down with violent force.

“That’s a good girl. Look at how pretty you are princess, look at this pretty pussy.” Ejiro groans, and that does it. My eyes roll back with the force of my thundering orgasm. Katsuki presses me on him, cumming straight down my throat- I can’t even taste it, but I choke. Katsuki laughs, pulling me off of him and grabbing me around the throat.

“Swallow it. Swallow your fucking breakfast.” Katsuki growls, looking me in the eye as I ride out my orgasm on Kiri’s fingers.

My hair is still a mess when I make it onto the field, but most of the others are also discombobulated. ”Good morning, class.” Aizawa greets, looking over all of us.

“Today we will begin the training camp that will increase your strength. Our goal is to increase your skills exponentially so that each of you learns a provisional license. This will allow you to face the dangers That continue to fester in the darkness. Proceed carefully.” Aizawa pauses to look at Katsuki, Who’s stealing glances at me from across the field.

“Look alive, Bakugo.” The teacher tosses a ball toward the blonde boy, who catches it with ease. “Try throwing that for me,” Aizawa asks, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Yeah sure, like in the fitness test.” Katsuki responds as he stares down at the ball in his hands, looking more than a little confused.

“That’s right, when you first started school, your record was two thousand, three hundred and fourteen feet, lets see if you’ve improved,” Aizawa confirms, nodding. Wait- That’s just under half a MILE. and Aizawa wants him to BEAT that record?! Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, what have I gotten myself into.

“C’mon, get it Bakugo!” Kirishima shouts beside me, excited as Katsuki readies his arm, stretching.

“I’ve got this, no one blink.” Katsuki demands, and then screams “GO TO HELL.” While vaulting the ball with a controlled but vicious blast. Aizawa waits for it to fall before Pulling out his phone, showing a number to the class. “That was Two thousand, three hundred and twenty-eight feet,” Aizawa confirms, and the rage coming from Katsuki is palpable.

“You’ve had a single semester at UA, and due to your various experiences, all of you have definitely improved. But those improvements have mostly been limited to mental prowess and technical skill. With a slight increase in stamina thrown in along the way. Your quirks really haven’t grown that much stronger. Not on a fundamental level.” Aizawa explains, and I slip my hand into Katsuki’s to attempt to calm him some.

He rips away his hand, and his shoulders remain tense. “That’s why we’re now going to focus on improving your powers.” Aizawa gives a dastardly grin, and stares directly into my eyes. Fuck- If I’m going to push my limits… It means people have to get hurt. When his gaze falls on the boy who’s hand I’m holding, I understand. “This’ll be so hard you’ll feel like you’re dying. But with Black here, you should all survive.” Fuck, Why would he make me a target like that?!

Chapter Text

Hell.

This is hell.

Everyone is running around, hurting themselves on purpose to increase their quirks, and I have to run around and fix the issues that come up when they do. It’s awful, everything hurts, and I’m so goddamn tired. I want to go home. Or even to my dad’s house.

When I begin to slow down, I’m yelled at by some fucking wierdo in a cat costume. Listen, I’m not one to judge most of the time but can these heroes be like five percent less horny. Sure would be nice. I understand now why they let Mineta get away with being such a sleazeball, it’s to be expected of a hero to just be gross as they possibly can. These are the good guys?!

The day finally comes to a close, and the rest of the class complains and gripes about having to cook. I’m usually the one who cooks in my house, so I don’t really mind.

“Right, Well, I’ve actually got a pretty good curry recipe if anyone needs help.” I shrug, and Katsuki grimaces.

“This is so beneath me.” He murmurs, and I roll my eyes.

“I see! An important part of someone recovering from a disaster is providing for their physical needs as well as spiritual. Ah! This is a great opportunity! Let’s make the most delicious curry in the world, everyone!” Tenya shouts, trying to gain enthusiasm from the others.

They are not enthused.

Nonetheless, we all get to work. Shoto lights the grills, his fire quirk actually being used in something that isn’t a life-threatening fight kind of disturbing, but welcome. I’m glad he’s trying at least. Katsuki tries to light something too, but his power is overdone, exploding the grill in its entirety. He’s angry… really angry. I drift closer to Kirishima.

“Um… how good are you at chopping veggies?” I ask, and he grins.

“Oh, I’m the best.” He crosses his arms over each other, hardening them. I give him a small smile, and leave him and the others to it, tiptoeing off to find Katsuki still grouching.

“Are you- Are you mad at me?” I ask, drawing shapes in the dirt with the tip of my boot, he squints his eyes at me, leaning back against a tree.

“What?” He asks and I swallow.

“Uh- You’ve been kinda short with me since this morning and I was wondering if it’s something I did?” I try to keep my voice steady, but being alone in the woods like this together is more than a little unnerving.

“No-” His voice is angry at first, but then his whole demeanor softens when I step back. “Fuck- wait- No, I’m not mad at you.” He steps forward, holding out his arms. “Come over here, dumbass.” His voice is still gruff, but I follow directions, pressing my face around his chest as he squeezes me. “I’m sorry alright? Don’t worry about it- Just go back to the group and let me work my shit out okay?” He sighs, giving me another tight squeeze before releasing me.

“Do you want me to send Kiri out here?” I ask, stepping away, but he shakes his head. I Turn on my heel returning to the group.

“Hey Kate! I saved you a special bowl!” Denki grins, handing me a bowl of the finished curry.

“Oh- Thank you Kaminari!” I give him a smile, and he nods.

“Just be sure you eat it all, you’re gonna need your energy.” He gives me a wink and walks off. What a goofy dude. We all dig in, and Katsuki eventually rejoins the group, sitting between Kirishima and I. He takes a bite and pauses.

“Wait this is actually really good.” His eyebrows knit together in confusion. I nod.

“Yeah, I usually cook at home. My dad never has time and the last time we let mom use the stove I had to cure grease burns.” I chuckle, and he blushes.

“Good to know our girl can cook, especially when I like to eat.” Kirishima reaches around Katsuki to pinch my cheek and then presses a kiss to Katsuki’s cheek, causing the blonde to grip his fork tighter. I blush, and silently finish the remainder of my curry. My head starts to feel a little light. Oh… I didn’t know I pushed myself that far today. I lean my head on Katsuki, trying to get some relief, but it doesn’t help. My stomach is also hurting. Anxiety flare up? Now? Why?

“You okay?” Katsuki questions and I blink hard.

“Uh- I don’t feel very good, actually.” I mumble.

Ejiro leans across the table, trying to look at me. “I thought you couldn’t get sick?” His eyebrows are knitted together.

“I’m pretty sure I just overworked myself today, I’ll be fine, M’ just gonna go to bed early that usually fixes it.” My words are slurred, god, I must really be tired. Sitting down for so long must’ve made the adrenaline wear off. I stand to walk away, and Katsuki moves to stand too, but Ejiro puts a hand on his shoulder.

“She’s good. Let her be.” The redhead gives us both a wide smile. I stumble off toward the building, but someone grabs my shoulder. Delirious, I turn, I don’t get a good look at the person before my head is suddenly so much worse.

My vision is blurry, all of the sounds seem muffled. I don’t know where I am. Blonde hair?

“Katsu- am Okay.” I mumble, attempting to push the hand off of me. They grab my hand, and my head hurts. Oh? He had a headache? He pushes me, and I’m on the ground. I didn’t feel myself fall. I didn’t feel much of anything. A breeze goes over my torso… Why’s my shirt unbuttoned? Blonde hair hangs over me, a black spot draws my attention.

“Your hair’s dirty.” I mumble, reaching up to touch it.

“Shh.” He makes a noise with his mouth, and then covers my mouth with his hand. He reaches down, and My thighs are suddenly cold too. I let my hid fall to the side, and see that my knees are raised. Huh? Something hurts? Down there… I whine, trying to push him back.

“Katsu- ouch.” I complain, and he looks down.

“What? I thought you- why are you bleeding?” He asks, and I don’t have an answer. I don’t know what he’s talking about.

“Oh- I get it, one of those ‘fuck me in the ass cuz I love Jesus types huh? Fuck- that means I popped your cherry. Damn, I need a-” I zone out, confused. Why’s he talking about fruit? His eyes meet mine. Yellow. I thought they were red? No… I’m sure they’re red. Not Katsuki.

“Go ‘way Keigo.” I grumble as a light floods over me, and then I’m shaking. Well, not shaking, rocking? Back and forth. Back and forth. Still hurts. Why hurt? “Keigo- stoppit. Hur’in me…” I reach up to push him back. But he grabs at my chest, palming my breast.

“You’re being too loud.” He warns, and something bright happens in the hand he’s touching me with. My body feels like its on fire- maybe it is? I dunno. I fall asleep.

When I wake up the next morning, the vague memories hit me like a train. Did I really have a sex dream about Katsuki Three days into us dating? And why wasn’t Ejiro there? And why did it turn into Keigo near the end? Weird. Ejiro knocks on my door alone this time, and when I swing the door open, he looks really upset.

“Babe-” He pushes me into the room, shutting the door behind him. “Are you okay?!.” He’s shaking… in anger?

“Yeah? I got really sick and went to bed… It’s funny I don’t even remember getting in bed.” I laugh, but he’s not amused. His eyes are…. Dangerous. His pupils are blown wide.

“You don’t remember anything that happened after dinner?!” He speaks through gritted teeth. I blank.

“Did… Did I say something dumb?” I ask, tears begin to brim his eyes. He wraps both of his arms around me, sobbing.

“What’s wrong?! Is Katsuki okay?!” I hug him back and he nods.

“It’s- God- I can’t.” He whispers, hugging me tighter. “You don’t leave my or Katsuki’s sight for the rest of the trip okay?!” He’s frantic, in the distance, I can hear explosions.

“Tell me what’s wrong!” I demand, and he shakes his head.

“It’ll be okay, alright?” He presses a kiss to my forehead, still holding tight. “Get dressed, okay? I’ll be right outside the door.” He leaves just as suddenly as he came in. Were we attacked by villains or something last night while I was asleep? I get dressed, and head out to the field. I spot Katsuki across the way, Already working on training his sweat glands. He looks incredibly pissed. Probably best to avoid him. Training goes as expected, healing people, running around, but Aizawa seems to avoid me today.

He must be sorry for overworking me yesterday. “Don’t lose focus, Each of you can move faster! And no matter what you’re doing, just remember where you started from. Don’t forget who you were before UA. Always keep in mind why you’re sweating, and why your limits keep getting tested. That’s what it means to improve.” Aizawa attempts a pep talk, but it kind of sucks.

Who was I before UA? As much as everything has completely changed for me I’m still the same person fundamentally. Well… no? I actually WANT to be a hero now. My own kind of hero. Not the overly-publicized monster that most of the pros seem to be. I want to be a good person. I want my actions to speak for me, not the actions of others. I don’t want to go after and kill or arrest villains. I don’t want to put people in cages. I just want to help people. I might be a little naive, but why else would I have the quirk that I do if its purpose wasn’t to take pain away?

Some sort of game is announced, but I’m not paying enough attention. I’m being more careful about the use of my quirk. Large, traumatic injuries only. Little ones take too long to heal, and pain saps my energy like a sponge. Dinner comes around, and Katsuki still seems incredibly angry, chopping carrots with a look in his eye like he’s imagining something.

Ejiro never takes his eyes off me, and nearly chews someone’s head off when they offer me water.

“SHE CAN DRINK FROM MY BOTTLE!” His growl is strange. Why’s he being all possessive? I mean… I guess I’ve seen TV shows where boyfriends are just like that. Funny, I didn’t peg him as the jealous type. He insists upon making my bowl of stew himself, and I think he’d of fed it to me if I hadn’t sat next to Mina instead.

I think I need a break from boys for now, they just seem to be more and more confusing by the hour. Denki sits next to Mina, and I catch him glancing at me every once in a while. I feel bad for basically ghosting him after he drove me back and forth from school for two weeks, and he did save my life- or at least tried to- when I almost drowned. Still, I try to avoid him too. I don’t like the way he looks at me sometimes. Kinda weird.

Once I finish eating, I wait patiently for whatever game thing the group was going to start. Ejiro, Denki, Sero, Sato, and Mina are all dragged away by Aizawa to go to remedial training, and Kirishima makes me swear that I’ll stay in Katsuki’s sight. I’d rather not, especially when every time he looks at me he looks like he wants to kill something, but I promise anyway.

Turns out, my promise doesn’t mean much, because the competition is a team thing, and we don’t get to pick our partners. I cross my fingers. Anyone but Katsu- Anyone but Katsu. Luckily, I pick Izuku. Katsuki looks like he might murder someone, grabbing Izuku by the collar and growling.

“Trade with me!” The blonde demands, raising his fist to punch Izuku. Reflexively, I grab Izuku’s hand, but this only seems to enrage the explosion boy further.

“If anything happens to her I’ll kill you.” He threatens in a whisper that he thinks I can’t hear, and drops Izuku, walking away. I shoot an apologetic glance at Izuku, who gives me a sheepish smile. Once Shoto and Katsuki disappear into the woodline, I breathe

. It’s only a fright walk. I love scary movies, and my mom and I used to go to haunted houses all the time. Not much scares me- or at least, It didn’t use to. I always thought I was indestructible, and because of that I never had a reason to fear anything. As I’ve gotten older, realized the real horrors of the world I’ve had so much more reason to be afraid.

I steal a glance at Izuku. In a way, I’m glad he’s on my team. Izuku was there at the USJ… When Stain was killed… Even at the Mall. He’s always been so willing to protect me, and with how strong he is, he’s damn good at it. I really have nothing to worry about in there. I know that, but somehow the pit in my stomach opens again. I can feel it approaching. Something bad.

It’s just the dark- It’s just the night. Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine. I’m okay.

I’m wrong.

Black smoke begins to rise over the treeline, blocking out the stars. The smell is awful. One look at the Pros and I can tell this is not on purpose. Not part of the plan. The blonde lady begins to float, surrounded in pink energy. She’s flung back through the tree line, startling us all. A Lizard man, and a lady with a faint beard, crushing the Blonde teacher.

No. Fuck. Another goddamn villain attack.

I don’t see HIM though. I keep my hands at the ready, assessing the situation. “Where’s Kota?” Izuku asks, voice shaking. Fuck. That little kid. Looks like I’m going offense this time.

Chapter Text

“How are you this evening, UA high school? We are part of the Vanguard Action Squad Of the League of Villains.” as the lizard speaks to the group, I pale. No… Tomura isn’t here, He’d put himself where I could see him. He sent lackeys. Big mistake. I’m not scared of THEM.

“I could crush this kitty’s head so easily. How about it dears, should I?” The brunette… person? Speaks. Pretty feminine but sort of tenor.

“You get away from her!” The buff dude in the kitty outfit demands, but I grab on to his elbow.

“Just do what they say and I’ll heal anything wrong.” My voice comes out calmer than expected. Somehow, I feel prepared.

“Now, now. Hold on, Big sis Mag. You too tiger, calm down. When deciding if someone should live or die, we must be careful that we’re abiding by Stain’s principles.” The Lizard speaks again, and Izuku’s eyebrows knit together.

“Stain?” the green-haired boy asks, and Tenya grits his teeth.

“So, you’re the ones he ended up inspiring?” I’d never heard Tenya use an insult before, but this certainly sounds like one.

“At your service, that’s us.” I finally break.

“Alright, let’s get this over with you teenage mutant ninja turtle-looking mother fucker.” I growl, Stepping forward, past the teachers. They let me, knowing damn well I’m the best they’ve got for a shield. “Come get me! I dare you!” I laugh, the same dark laugh I’d given Stain. Power. Control. I think I might actually enjoy this. I know I like the confusion across the big lady’s face when I stand out in the open.

“You’re one of the self-righteous brats who attacked Stain in Roswell. Lemme introduce myself. Call me, spinner. I’m here to make Stain’s dreams a reality.” The lizard continues to speak, drawing a huge bunch of swords that all like bound together, pissing me off more.

“And yet, you’re here by the request of Tomura I assume? The man that Killed Shit Stain?” I taunt, attempting to move forward, but the huge guy in the kitty costume holds me back with a giant hand on my shoulder. Is this what I am now? A rabid dog on a leash?!

“You came here expecting an easy win, against a bunch of children, am I right? Oh you poor reptilian bastard, you fucked with the wrong freshmen.” I growl, barely being held back by kinkyMcgee.

“Tiger! I’ve talked to everyone. Trust the safety of the other students to Ragdoll. You and I will stay here. We’ll hold them back!” The brunette chick in the cat costume speaks, determination written across her features. “You all need to return to camp. Class Rep, you’re in charge on the way there!” She pauses to look directly at me. “Don’t engage anyone!” She commands, and I nod.

I’ll follow directions, but I can’t guarantee no one will engage ME.

Karma Hero.

Izuku stops short, announcing he’s going after Kota. Katsuki and Ejiro are both alone… and Katsuki isn’t bulletproof. I slip off into the woods on my own. Don’t approach them. Be careful. Find Katsuki. Running through the forest, I find that the air burns my lungs. Poison? Fuck… I don’t think I can count on anyone else being immune. Shit. Okay, press forward.

“But I don’t see that there’s much we can do right now.” Shoto’s voice sounds from the east, barely a murmur.

“SHO! KATSU!” I Shout, crashing toward them. Shoto is carrying some brunette boy I don’t recognize, Katsuki is covering his face. I reach up, touching the sleeping boy on the cheek to heal him, and he doesn’t stir. I can’t take exhaustion.

“Where’s Deku?” Katsuki growls and I shake my head.

“He’s fine- I think, He went after that Kota kid. It’s just me.” He takes in a sharp breath from his nose as I grab his hand, healing the small amount of poison intake he’s sustained.

“Glad you’re okay, Dumbass.” He murmurs, and the boys both pause, looking ahead, at a dark figure, kneeling in front of a dismembered arm, but no body. If whoever that was survives this, I can fix that.

“No, have to work. Can’t.” The black figure murmurs, he sounds like he’s got something in his mouth. It begins to stand. “But it’s so delicious, beautiful flesh. Don’t tempt me. I have a job to do.” The thing turns around. It’s a man… mostly… I think. Covered everywhere but its mouth, which is stapled open around the lips. My stomach lurches.

“No fighting, is that the rule?” Katsuki asks, and I nod.

“But I can’t really help it if I get hurt, now can I?” The rhetorical question falls from my lips with a smile. Katsuki copies my grin, Looking forward to the monstrosity of a man.

“Kitty- Bakugo. Don’t do anything stupid.” Shoto warns and I shrug.

“I’m just gonna stand here, really, whatever happens, happens.” As if God himself is on my side, a Voice rings through all of our minds simultaneously.

“Everyone in class A and class B! In the name of the pro hero, Eraserhead, you are granted permission to engage in combat. I repeat. Use your training. You may fight these villains.” The voice is strong, loud. Good.

“Even better.” I crack my neck. Good. We probably won’t have to train tomorrow.

“Listen, we’ve discovered the villains' targets! Students Kate and Kacchan.” That same voice calls out. Fuck. Both targets in the same place is incredibly bad… since there’s only this guy in front of us though. It’s obvious they don’t know where we are. Good. “You two should try to avoid combat, and stick to a group.” The voice continues. Well, the first part definitely isn’t happening, but I’m sure each other plus Sho and the unconscious guy counts as a group.

“I could focus if she got out of my damn head!” Katsuki shouts, rushing toward the villain. Tape… almost like Sero’s but made of something hard, shoots out at him, but is blocked by Shoto’s ice.

“Don’t rush into this fight carelessly!” Shoto warns, jumping out of the way with the injured boy still on his back. The spikes make awful creaking sounds as the Villain speaks. He sounds out of breath. Already? How?

“Have to keep going… have to work… have to do my job!” The man groans in what sounds like pain.

“Didn’t you two listen to Mandalay?! They’re here because they’re after you.” Shoto warns, and Katsuki is quick to respond with his husky growl.

“Telling us not to engage and then changing their minds. I don’t know how, but I get the feeling this is Deku’s fault.” Katsuki yells, readying his fists for another attack.

“If that dusty bastard wants me, He’ll have to come get me himself. Sending second-rate villains is an INSULT!” I shout at the villain, ignoring the boys beside me. More spikes appear, and then quickly disappear as the Villain disappears into the forest. My dinner threatens to come up when I realize the spikes are his TEETH. Gross.

“Damn it. He’s good at moving through this terrain with his quirk.” Shoto notes, his face genuinely angry for the first time I’d ever seen.

“This freak looks like a scrawny little sidekick to me!” Katsuki fixes his stance, half squatting in a ready position. “C’mon, ya bastard!” Katsuki taunts, ready to throw hands. The villain raises himself up high with his awful metal teeth.

“This clearly isn’t his first battle.” Shoto tries to reason with the pair of us, but we’re ready for this. Katsuki has been pissed off this entire trip, and I need an excuse to deal damage instead of taking it. A match made in Hell, really. Katsuki begins to prepare his hands for explosions and Shoto grimaces. “We can’t start fires around here because the flames will spread! Everyone could die if we aren’t careful. Do you understand me?” Shoto is attempting to be the voice of reason, and Katsuki scoffs.

“Yeah, I get it! I’m not stupid!” The blonde boy growls, gripping his arm. He’s bleeding. I press my hand to the wound, taking it instantly instead of gradually. Ouch. I hadn’t even noticed he’d been cut. “Teeth attacks? Seriously?! It’s time to blast this freak with everything I’ve got!” Katsuki snarls. Shoto, ever the peacemaker, shouts back,

“You can’t!”, but Katsuki isn’t having it.

“If the trees burn just cover them with ice stupid!” The blonde boy demands, shaking my hand off of him.

“A big explosion will impair my vision, though. I may not be able to see the fire.” Shoto argues, shifting the weight of the unconscious boy on his back. “And how are you gonna get close to him anyway?” Shoto is making some very fair points. Katsuki growls at him while I think.

”His teeth… they’re just bones right? And if I can heal bones, and pass wounds to bones through flesh, would I be able to push wounding directly into them?” I ask, looking between the two of them.

“That might be worth a shot, Kitty.” Shoto nods, and Katsuki gets that dark look over him again.

“Stop fucking calling her that!” He yells, only to be disrupted by a series of loud crashes. A voice rises over the noises.

“There. I see ice! They’re fighting!” Izuku shouts, and we all turn to see Shoji, that guy with the arms. On his back is Izuku, he looks beat to hell.

“Bakugo! Todoroki! One of you. Give us some light!” Shoji demands, crashing toward us.Something behind them moves, smashing things behind them and breaking off the teeth of the Villain. Dark shadow sends Shoji and Izuku flying.

“Kacchan!” Izuku shouts, still riding on Shoji’s back as they run toward us.

“Shoji and Midoriya… And is that… Tokoyami?” Shoto asks, and dark shadow makes another attack, at the ice on the ground.

“We need some light now! He’s out of control!” One of Shoji’s arms warns, and can’t say anything else because Dark Shadow crashes down right on top of them. They narrowly escape with a leap into the air, landing a few feet away.

“He’s attacking blindly. I’ll use my fire.” The two-toned boy suggests, but Katsuki puts up a hand to stop him.

“Not so fast.” The blonde warns.

“YOU DON’T MATTER YOU INSIGNIFICANT BUG!” Dark Shadow bellows, slamming attack after attack into the Villain.

“Now finish him.” Katsuki whispers to himself. I really should warn him about my hearing. Dark shadow does just that though, ripping the villain up and slamming him into a nearby tree. Dark Shadow reels on us, ready to attack us too, but both Katsu and Sho are ready with flames. The two boys quickly tame the beast, forcing it back inside of Tokoyami, who pants as he falls to his knees. I move forward, pressing my hands to Tokoyami’s face, but he’s not injured at all. Just tired.

“Will you stop fucking touching people?!” Katsuki barks at me, clenching his fists.

“Thats… how my quirk works?” I try to tell him, but it comes out as a question. He scowls, but doesn’t say anything further. Shoji approaches Tokoyami, concerned.

“My friend, are you okay? You did what we needed you to.” Shoji’s care is apparent in his smooth voice.

“Shoji. I apologize. You too, Midoriya. I’m still far too immature. Anger consumed me and I let my quirk take over. The influence of the darkness, combined with my fury, spurred dark shadow into a frenzy. Until it got so strong I couldn’t contain it. And I ended up hurting Shoji.” Tokoyami is on the verge of tears, and I give him an encouraging smile.

“It all ended up fine, didn’t it? Look.” I rest my hand against Shoji’s bicep, trying not to notice how well built he is. His wounds become mine, and quickly dissipate. I am careful to not let the pain show on my face. “All better. Easy fix. Nothing we can’t real with, right?” He looks up at me, something like forgiveness in his eyes. He must’ve still been angry with me over the Sports Festival’s dirty win.

Chapter Text

“I don’t know if you heard Mandalay but I found out the Villains are after Kacchan and Kate.” Izuku speaks, and I look over his injuries. No way am I going to be able to heal those without being out of commission for a while, and with this many possibilities for injury, it’ll be better to- my thoughts are brought completely off track by the look on Katsuki’s face. Shock. He grabs my hand, tightly.

“It’s possible the pussycats are still fighting in the clearing. Going that way would draw the attention of the villains, plus, it’s longer. We should cut straight across.” Izuku strategizes, and Tokoyami shakes his head.

“We don’t know how many enemies there are. We might come across some by chance.” Tokoyami reminds him.

“We can use Shoji’s search ability. And Todoroki’s freezing power. And, if Tokoyami’s okay with it, we can always use Dark Shadow now that we can actually control him. Honestly, with a group like this, we could probably even go up against AllMight.” Izuku speaks calmly but quickly, expressing his thoughts as effectively as possible. Katsuki drops my hand.

“I’d be fine by myself!” He shouts, but the group all but ignores him.

“We’ll surround you as we walk.” Shoto turns to look at us, the unconscious boy I’d never caught the name of still on his back.

“That’s not the greatest idea. I’m a really good shield and I use less energy healing my own wounds than someone else’s, I agree though, that Katsu should be in the center.” I finally join the conversation and Katsuki seethes beside me.

“I don’t need any of your protection, dammit!” He looks down at me, garnet eyes swimming with his hot temper.

“Let’s go.” Shoji all but ignores him.

“Just make sure you keep up.” Shoto teases. What has gotten into him lately?! Why’s he constantly trying to pick a fight with Katsu?

“Don’t tell me what to do!” The angry blonde shouts as I pick up my pace, placing myself between Shoto and Shoji. Involuntarily, I shiver. Fuck it’s getting chilly. As the last of the sun’s warmth disappears, I kick myself for wearing running shorts and a tank top. I wrap my arms around myself, nearly tripping into Shoji. Shoto catches me by my upper arm and raises an eyebrow.

“You okay, Kitty?” He’s concerned, but I shrug.

“Just want to hurry up and get back to the camp site. I’m a little cold.” I admit, and he gives me a soft smile, that is overshadowed by Katsuki’s angry muttering.

“Why are you even out here dressed like that? Where’s your jacket?” Katsu has his hands in his pockets as he walks, not looking at me as he speaks to me.

“I didn’t think we were going to be out this late, So I just wore clothes I could go to bed in.” I shrug. Shoto lights a small fire on his hand, instantly creating warmth.

“Here, trying to keep yourself warm will waste energy.” He reasons, and I gravitate closer to him. The fury coming off Katsuki is nearly tangible. Am I really that annoying? We fall into silence while we walk, eventually hearing sounds of struggle in the forest.

“Ochaco!” Tsu’s voice calls urgently, and we all race forward. The scene we find is confusing. Tsu is pinned to a tree by her hair, Ochaco on top of a girl who looks around the same age as us… a class B student maybe? Is that how they knew where this camp sight is?!

“Quickly guys! Help her!” Tsu begs, and the blonde girl flips away.

“Stop!” Ochaco demands, and the Blonde turns to look back at the group.

“There’s too many people here now and I don’t feel like being killed tonight. Toodles.” the blonde girl’s eyes are catlike, with oblong pupils. I watch as she disappears into the forest. Was last night’s dream a premonition? I remember blonde hair and yellow eyes… something about bleeding. But it was way different. A sex dream that wasn’t very vivid at all, very fuzzy.

People are hurt, but we’re not out of the woods yet. I look behind me, and everything changed in a blink. I’m not where I was. Everything is different. I’m staring a swirling dark purple mass of smoke, I turn to see Katsuki being held by the neck by a guy with horrific burn scars all over his body.

“Checkmate. Heh.” The burned man laughs and then kicks me into the portal. I fall to the ground… in a bar?

“Oh? They actually managed to capture the princess huh?” A familiar dry voice sounds from behind me. I look up, my heart stilling in my chest as I see him. Tomura. Only one of the embalmed hands adorns him, covering his face so I cannot gauge his expressions. The burned man steps through the portal behind me while I’m still on my knees. An unconscious Katsuki slung over his shoulders.

I Move quickly, slamming my fist into his manhood, causing him to double over. I catch Katsuki, cradling his head in my lap.

“Katsu- katsu!” I beg, tears filling my eyes as I desperately press my hands to his face. He’s not injured at all, and he’s breathing. Good.

“What the FUCK, chubby?!” The burned man questions, but blocks his crotch from me.

“I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you all if you hurt him.” I threaten, trying to cover Katuki’s sleeping face from their eyes.

“Oh will you now, Toy?” Tomura asks, grabbing onto my hair by the root and pulling me upward harshly. Katsuki’s sleeping form topples to the floor, and the lizard man reappears, beginning to put restraints on him. Tomura pushes me over the bar, bending me at the waist. My face connects sharply with the wood countertop. I try to reach back and touch him, but he grabs my wrists too quickly.

“Calm down, Pet.” He murmurs, and leans in close, halfway laying on top of me, his weight pressing me harder to the bar. “Behave or I’ll have to put you in the kennel.” He threatens, but his hand is no longer holding my hair. I slam my head back, hearing the satisfying crunch of his nose. I knock him back, dodging him. The burned man grabs at me, gripping me around the waist and lifting me off the ground.

“We should just knock her out too, Shigaraki.” The burned man’s growl is deep, even deeper than Katsuki’s I bite my lip harshly, gripping onto his burned arms with both hands, I twist at the burned flesh as hard as I can. He doesn’t falter, choosing instead to whisper in my ear. “Keep biting that lip and I’ll have to try it too.” He warns, my resolve cracks. Not again. I will NOT let that happen again.

I still in his arms, and Tomura approaches. “Fucking fix it, toy.” He demands, pointing at the mask on his face. “Or would you rather I turn your little boyfriend to dust, huh?” He taunts, and I swallow harshly. I hold out my open palm, and he presses his hand into it, keeping his pinky up and away.

“Dabi’s right though. You’re trouble unrestrained.” Tomura sighs, nodding to the burned man holding me. He drops me, but I don’t have time to react before he pinches my neck, and everything goes black again.

Someone’s playing with my hair. My arms ache, that pins and needles feeling you get when there’s no blood running to them. They’re above me, I realize, chained to the ceiling. I groggily open my eyes, looking upward. Yep. A metal plate attaches to the ceiling, and attached to that is a chain, running down to connect with the fur-lined handcuffs around my wrists. I look down, I’m in a sitting position, on someone’s lap.

My head’s slight turn to the left confirms my theory. Tomura. Hand-covered face and all. His arms are wrapped around my waist, his chin is resting on my shoulder. The smell of formaldehyde makes me sick. Don’t squirm. Don’t fight. He likes that. He wants that. Don’t give it to him. Be careful. Be smart. You have not lost, you have learned.

What did you learn?

I learned, that in severe, dire situations when my entire body is severely damaged and I’ve pressed past my limit several times over, my quirk can be activated anywhere on my body, but only to give wounds not take them. I learned that at the USJ. I Learned it again during a sparring match with Shoto, when my entire body had been burned. I learned that I am wearing a sports bra only on my top half, and Tomura’s arms are pressed to the bare skin on my torso. I learned that certain words and phrases will piss Tomura off, and He is impulsive. If I can taunt him, he’ll kill himself.

I move my mouth to speak, but I’ve been gagged. My teeth pried apart by a small red ball. My feet are bare, with soft socks that aren’t mine. He’s taken away any opportunity I may have had to hurt myself. Shit.

“I’ll ask you one more time, Katsuki Bakugo. Aspiring hero. Will you join the league of villains?” Tomura’s voice rumbles against my back. I look forward, and there he is. Sat in a chair clear across the room, a large metal block over his hands, keeping him from moving or exploding anything- Katsuki. His teeth are gnashed together, he looks feral with rage. He twists his expression into a grotesque grin.

“Go throw yourself into traffic.” Katsuki spits, causing Tomura to tighten his grip around me. I can’t focus on anything over the dread bubbling up in my throat. If I puke, I’ll aspirate and die, or he’ll have to remove the gag. A decent plan. But not yet, I stare at Katuki, his ruby eyes my only solace in this situation. He’s not looking at me. He must think this is my fault. It is.

My attention is pulled by the TV. Aizawa? I barely recognize him with his hair pulled back like that. The volume is too low, I can’t hear what he’s saying. Tomura catches me staring, and turns the TV off with a remote, moving his arms from being wrapped around my waist to having one hand, excluding the pointer finger, resting on my bare shoulder, and resting the other on my hip. He squeezes the flesh contentedly before sighing and looking back at Katsuki.

“Isn’t that strange? The heroes are becoming the bad guys. Seems like they’re not dealing with this very well at all. So much criticism. But everyone makes a mistake or two, right? It’s not like they’re supposed to be perfect. Modern-day heroes sure have it rough. Don’t you think, Bakugo?” Tomura asks, trailing a hand up and down my bare arm, only touching me with the backs of two of his fingers. A threat. He’s threatening him, with me.

“Once a hero receives payment to protect people, they aren’t a real hero anymore. That’s what Stain’s actions taught us.” Spinner states from his position leaning against a brick wall to my left.

Tomura grips my hair, pulling my head to the side so he can shove his face up against mine. “A hero in this current system only cares about money and glory. And since society buys into those idiotic rules, anyone deemed a loser is shoved aside. So, we want to pose some questions. What is a hero? What is justice? Is this society truly fair? Soon, everyone will be asking. That’s when we’ll know we’ve won. And you like winning. Don’t you?” He tilts his head, and presses both hands to my hips, shifting my weight to rest on just one of his legs instead of both of them.

“Dabi. Let him go.” He instructs, and my confusion nearly blinds me. He can’t be that stupid! Excitement, joy, relief.

“You know he’ll just fight.” The burned man speaks. Ah. Dabi. Tomura places a hand on my neck, making it clear to Katsuki what he’ll do if he does fight.

“It’s fine. We’re recruiting him, so we should treat him as an equal. Besides, he’s smart enough to know he can’t take us all, right? After all, UA students are so clever.” Tomura taunts, nuzzling his head against my breast. The dead hand pressing up against my skin haunts me. I close my eyes, turning away my head. I’m not here. I’m not here. I’m in the car. I’m with Ejiro.

Tomura slides me off his lap. Without him separating me and the chair, I’m not tall enough to sit on my own, I dangle there, muscles sore, tips of my toes the only thing touching the ground. “Even though our backgrounds are different, everyone here has suffered. Because of people, rules, and heroes who try to hold us back- or take advantage of us.” Tomura looks back at me. He knows. How does he know?! How MUCH does he know?!

“I’m sure you’re the same.” Tomura turns back to Katsuki. The blonde boy doesn’t look at Tomura, rather at his wrists, rubbing the soreness of his binds off of them. That calm, rational look on his face… Oh, they’re fucked.

As if he read my mind, Katsuki leaps forward, punching a man in a black jumpsuit in the face before punching an exploding blast into him. I swing helplessly on my chains, my back smacking painfully against the bar. The force of the blast, and the weight of my movement causes the metal plate attached to the ceiling to fail, and my head makes sharp contact with the bar as I double over it. Damn… mild concussion. Not much to heal- just enough to fall into that familiar darkness again.

Chapter Text

When I wake, I am in a bed. Unfamiliar. The room smells of laundry detergent, and old smoke. Illuminated only by a set of computer monitors lazily playing that familiar neon dancing light screensaver. I sit up, finding my hands are covered in pillowy mittens, thick straps adorning my wrists. Otherwise, I am unbound. Not gagged, not even drugged. I slip from between the sheetless bed and the comforter, warily checking my surroundings. The carpet is damp beneath my feet, as if someone had just steam-cleaned it. I bristle at the texture and resist the urge to gag. My feet are bare now, and my clothes have been replaced with a pair of leggings and my grey hoodie.

Where the fuck am I? I tiptoe to the computer, shaking the mouse to wake it up. A game stares back at me.

“For the king” it proclaims, “Roguelike Tabletop Adventure” My heart sinks. I’ve played this before… With Mathew and Archie. I close the program, clicking on the Chrome tab. I type in the address. Google Fi, a place you can call 911 on a computer and they can use location services if the computer has an ISP provided phone number attached to it.

Since most people bundle their phone and internet now, it’d make sense for it to have one. I start the program, typing as fast as I can with only my thumbs free from the rest of my fingers.

“911 what is your emergency”

“Theis is katherine black i believbe i am being held hostage ast the league of villains hide out”

“Do you know your location”

“No”

“We are attempting to zero in on a location right now, please do not exit the program”

The door behind me opens.

“What are you doing, doll?” Calls a thirsty, tired voice. He sounds angry. Fuck. He stomps toward me, and I’m too terrified to turn around. His long, pale arms cage me in as he reaches around me to unplug the computer in it’s entirety. The screen blinks to black, and the only light left is from the open door to the hallway. The shadow cast around me is terrifying, completely enveloping me in darkness. “You’re lucky I use a VPN.” He mutters, his chest pressed to my back. I’m shaking, even through being frozen in fear.

“W-where’s Katsuki?” I try to keep my voice level, but the intense fear isn’t something I can manage well.

“He’s Gone.” He says simply, and my stomach drops. “I need your hand.” He mumbles angrily, undoing the straps around my wrist.

“Is he dead?” I ask as he frees my fingers from the glove, tears running freely down my face despite the desperate attempts to stop it.

“I said he’s gone.” He replies, clearly getting upset with my questioning. He presses my hand to his bare arm, and the onslaught of bruises around his arms and waist become apparent. Katsuki really did a number on him huh?

“Are you going to hurt me?” I ask, staring down at my hand still on his arm. Why can’t I do anything? Bite your lip… stub your toe… something. Grab his hand and press the decay back into him- C’mon Kathrine, move your ass!

“I’d rather not hurt you if I can help it.” He murmurs, brushing my hair back out of my face and holding it in a ponytail at the base of my neck. “I need you. Especially now that Master has been captured.” Tomura’s voice is tight, he’s sad. Upset about something. “I’ll have to disconnect the internet now. Annoying.” He grumbles, dropping my hair and sliding the mitten back over my hand, doing up the straps. “Why are you shaking?” He asks suddenly, confused. “You can’t die from my quirk, why are you so nervous?” He questions, craning his head over my shoulder to try to look at my face. “And you’re crying.” He says it like a complaint, sighing. “Look at me.” He murmurs, gripping my chin between his thumb and pointer finger, forcing my face to meet his.

He’s not wearing the hand mask, and his face is softer now than it was before. The wrinkles and scars around his eyes and mouth are still prominent, especially with his squinted grimace. “Master wanted to just take your quirk, but I said no. I told him I wanted YOU, not your power.” His hair is wet, he recently showered, by the looks of it. His breath smells like mint. It was nighttime when we were captured… It’s possible it’s early morning by now. Funny, that a villain would shower and brush their teeth to start their day like anyone else. It doesn’t make him any more personable.

“I like you, Kate. I know why- I figured it out when I watched those videos.” He mumbles, a light blush creeps over his cheeks. Videos? As in, plural?! “You don’t know what I’m talking about, do you?” He asks, eyes wide with wonder. “At first, I just wanted to fuck you because I could. Because I could touch you however I wanted and you wouldn’t get thanosed over it.” He admits, shrugging. “But then master had us run some tests on blood and tissue we took from you when you were in the hospital. We found some pretty fascinating stuff.” He releases my head, allowing me to snap my gaze forward, back at the computer monitors,

He rests his chin in the crook of my neck, bending down slightly to wrap his arms around my waist in a hug. “Do you know what happens when you give someone medicine they don’t need, especially medicine that makes them feel good?” He asks, and presses a kiss to my jaw, making my breathing even more erratic. “They get high off of it. Your touch… is addicting.” He mumbles, trailing more kisses up the side of my face. “Especially if they have old ailments, things that never quite healed right. Battle scars… dead brain cells. Things that only you could ever fix. Hawks, he had a twisted pinion joint that never healed right… you know that? And Bakugo was going deaf before you gave him your love. You fixed them without even knowing. That fucking purple-haired brainwashing kid… you touched him once and now he jerks off to the videos that get sent to him. Can’t blame the guy.” He breathes against my neck, trailing his kisses back down, over my shoulder. He hooks a finger in the collar of my hoodie, pulling it to the side to place a kiss there too.

“Different people do different things for things they’re addicted to. Hawks decided to take it by force- Don’t worry doll, I have a plan to punish him for that.” His voice becomes hard, angry. “And I’m already working on finding that son of a bitch stalker for what HE did to you.” He growls, reaching up behind him, a scratching noise sounds behind me. He’s scratching his neck again. How does he know about Keigo?! No one but he and I knew that it was unconsentual. I didn’t even tell Kiri… so how the hell does he know?

“Those stupid fucking Heroes. Claiming to be all good and help people while hurting people like you. People who deserve to have them worship at your feet.” The scratching stops, and he grips my shoulders, turning me to face him. Blood trickles down his throat, his face is in a soft smile- softer than I’d thought he’d be capable of. “I’ll give that to you. A world that treats you the way you deserve. All you have to do is do everything I say.” He reaches up his hands, rubbing over my cheekbones with his thumbs.

“Let me go… Tomura.” I beg, avoiding his sanguine eyes.

“You don’t understand. I’m protecting you. I’m protecting you from those Heroes and your classmates and your family that doesn’t give a shit about you.” He leans in, trying to kiss me. I dodge, pushing him weakly by the chest.

“This isn’t right-” I begin, but he presses all five fingers to my face. I scream, ripping my head away from his grasp, falling back into the computer monitors, knocking them over.

“Don’t try to tell me what’s right and what’s wrong Doll.” He growls, gripping me by both arms and attempting to drag me to the bed. “Fuck- you’re heavy.” He gripes as I struggle against him. Not the bed. Not the bed. Don’t let him get you on the bed. I reel back my head, slamming my forehead into his nose, hearing the crack. Good. Good- now the door. While he reels, I kick him between the legs, and rush toward the open door. “Get back here!” He shouts, feet pounding as he attempts to catch up.

A house. We’re in a house. Houses have places to escape from. Doors, windows. Find one. A black, swirling mass of smoke beside me makes me jump, ducking into another room. I back away from the door, breathing heavily while trying desperately to think. A plan, Kate. You need a plan. Maybe if I-

“scared you off already, did he mouse?” Asks a husky voice behind me, I reel, looking at the badly burned man behind me. Why hasn’t he used my quirk? “Let me guess, the pervert already wanted you to suck his dusty dick huh?” He questions, keeping his voice low. He’s not alerting the others, why? “Cat got your tongue, Little mouse?” He asks, smirking.

“Please- Help me.” I beg, and he chuckles.

“Oh, you think I’m the hero come to save you? That’s” He pauses to laugh more. “That’s hilarious, kid.” He looks at me, eyes half-lidded as he speaks. “But, ya know, I did get pretty good and fucked up during that last excursion. Maybe You use those little fingers of yours to make me feel good, and I dunno, I left a window open to smoke.” He smirks, walking closer. I nod, wildly, I nod. Words are failing me, my throat is tight. “Alright then.” He mumbles, unhooking the rows of latches that connect the straps on my wrists together. The glove slips off, and he grabs my hand immediately. The pain swirls around my entire body, healing the open blisters slowly, giving myself his wounds. Ouch.

He rips his hands away quickly, feeling his face. “You- you almost healed these… I could feel it.” He murmurs, looking down at me with wide eyes and shock spelled across his forehead. He composes himself quickly, stalking across the room and opening the window. “Just remember this next time we meet, mouse. Remember what I did for you.” He speaks quietly, and turns, opening a door to his left. “Now go, I gotta take a piss.” He smirks, shutting the door behind him as he leaves.

I grit my teeth, scrambling to the window. A drop. A considerable, three-story drop. I’ll break something. I’ll have to be quiet about it. The sun is out, It’s a new day. How long have I been gone? All night, at least. Maybe two days, judging by the lack of pain when I woke. They kept me asleep, placated. How long between the warp gate and the chain to the ceiling? I keep my mind focused on questions to silence myself from the pain. My ankles are destroyed, my left tibia is fractured. My wrist is aching, I’d used it to keep my face from hitting the ground. Not now. Can’t think about it right now. I can hear them- People running after me. We’re in the woods, I don’t know where. Think. Run.

I slam my broken ankles on the ground, keeping myself moving despite the excruciating pain. My body is desperately trying to heal it, but the constant moving keeps it from working. I swing, using trees to anchor myself as I move. Forward- push forward. Don’t let them catch you- god knows what they’ll do if they catch you. A sharp pain sticks in my side. A knife. Someone threw a knife. Blue flames shoot slightly to my left, so I run through them.

They’re trying to cage me in. I know that- I’m not stupid. I smell the warp gate before I see it, surprising myself by recognizing its slight lavender scent. I slide under it, quickly getting back to my feet. Run through the fire, dodge the ice. Shoto made it so clear that for me, it was best to run through the fire. If I’ll heal anyway, make it clear that that kind of attack is useless. Restraining attacks are where I need to be careful, dodge, don’t let myself be caught. Finally, I come to a street, a line of traffic alerts me that this is a highway. I don’t turn around, not even for a moment before I jump headfirst into traffic, slamming my body into a car going seventy miles an hour.

My ribs- fuck. I’m gasping, my bones finally have a chance to heal with the sudden stop. The abrupt stop of the vehicle starts a several-car pile-up, and I climb into the car that I had stopped.

“Call-” I gasp out, and the person driving nods, already on the phone. I slide down in the seat, hiding as the unfamiliar man calls 911. I can see from the look in his eyes that the villains are approaching. I brace myself, pressing my fingers to my lips to warn the man. He nods, still on the phone with the police.

“Yeah- It’s that high school girl from the news. She’s in my car. Yeah- on seventy-six off sixty.” He speaks quickly, looking ahead, very clearly trying to hide the fact that I’m cowering under his dash. He puts his phone down, but the screen is still lit up, and the speaker button has been pressed.

“Katherine?” The femininie voice calls on the other side, and I let out a sob before answering.

“Yes! Yes! I’m Katherine Black-Eraserhead! Please! Please call-” The voice cuts me off, calm and collected.

“Several Pro heroes are on their way, Mount Lady is in the area, as well as Sir nighteye! Please stand by.”The phone sounds its hang up tone, and the ground shakes. I look up through the car’s moonroof, to see a giant woman. It’s over- Oh god it’s over. I’m safe.

“The Villains are retreating.” The Man speaks, his voice is incredibly calm as he grips on the steering wheel.

“Are you hurt?” I ask, slipping into the concern for someone else is more comfortable, being able to ignore my own issues is bliss.

“No- my car is pretty banged up though.” He releases a chuckle, and I nod.

“I’m sure insurance will cover it- I’m sorry.” I apologize, and he laughs.

“It’s okay. You’re safe now, Katherine.” He nods, he’s older- mid-thirties maybe? Green hair, yellow eyes.

“You’re NightEye!” I whisper loudly, still very much afraid of the retreating villains. His yellow eyes look over me, and he smiles.

“And you’re incredibly lucky that today is the day I chose to go on a nature walk.” He’s trying to sooth me, I realize, and sirens sound around us.

Chapter Text

I sit in the office, uncomfortable. Silent to anyone that cannot hear the distinct buzzing coming from the lights above, and the bubbling of the coffeemaker in just the other room. The door opens, and an unfamiliar blonde man and Aizawa walk in. The familiar face is too much to bear- I run to him, wrapping my arms around his waist and sobbing into his black sweater. He stands for a moment, shocked before he finds it within himself to react, cradling my head and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. He puts no pressure into his actions, only confirms his presence.

“Katherine… we have some news.” The blonde man speaks. His voice is vaguely familiar, but I don’t recognize him, with a sling over his shoulder and arm in a cast. Bandages over his face. I nod, releasing my teacher and sitting, across from them on the couch.

“There’s no easy way to say this... “ Aizawa begins, and my heart tightens. Are they here? Is the League still here? Are they attacking-

“Your father is dead.” Aizawa’s face is stoic, but there’s a waver to his voice.

“What-?” My whole world stops, frozen in time.

“A pair of villains attacked your house after the attack on the camp. They came for all of your personal items. Your dad fought back, he lost. His healing was inactivated by the extent of his burns, and he was turned to dust.” The blonde man says this with such remorse, he can barely get out the last few syllables.

“My brothers-?”

“Were in their rooms. The Villains spared them. They were sent to Colorado, to live with your mother.” Aizawa nods, kneeling in front of me and placing a hand on your shoulder. “We have a private plane ready to take you-” I cut my teacher off.

My voice is low, unwavering. Quiet and eerily calm. “I’m not going anywhere.” I look up, tears are brimming, but my resolve is unshaken. “If I leave, they will follow me. They’ve been following me. Tracking me. If I leave, My brothers and my mother will be in danger. There are not many heroes in Colorado at all, and I will be left alone to defend myself and them without even a provisional hero license. I will stay at UA. I will Fight. I will do what my father wanted. I will be a hero.” I clench my fists, and stand. “And If you expel me, Sir- I will do it alone.” I direct it at him. Not a threat, a promise.

He nods curtly. “Understood, Miss Black. But it’s not up to you- It’s your mother’s choice.” His words are soft, kind. Far more compassionate than he’d shown before.

“Is she here?” I ask, earning a head shake from Aizawa.

“Then it isn’t her choice. If she wanted to be here, If she wanted to be with me, she’d have fought harder. She’d be here.” I swallow back my tears, looking up at the blonde man. Familiar. So very familiar. “She’d have no choice if she was asked by AllMight himself.” My tone is pleading, and he nods.

“Understood.” He then turns on his heel, leaving me alone in the room with Aizawa.

“There is one other thing that I need to speak with you about. Katherine.” Aizawa has hardened, all business. He pulls out a file, marked “Evidence”. “You’ve been through quite the ordeal already, but before we move you into the newly-built student dorms… we need to discuss this.” He opens the file. Several photos. I recognize them all. From Twitter… from the messages, Shoto had begrudgingly shown me.

“And two videos as well, both concerning.” His brow is furrowed. Angry. “Why didn’t you come to me the moment the incident in the woods occurred?” He asks, and I tilt my head.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about?” He pauses, eyes wide.

“Oh… you don’t- Oh god you don’t know.” He takes a breath, composing himself before he sits beside me. “On the first night at the campsite, we believe you were drugged… and assaulted.” He doesn’t look away from me, gritting his teeth.

“I need to know who it was. So they are expelled and not allowed into the student dorms.” My heart drops. Keigo… Keigo was there?!

“H-hawks,” I mutter, and he shakes his head.

“You said his name during the attack. We checked into him already, but he has a pretty solid Alibi. He was working in New York. We also looked into Katsuki Bakugo, but he was with Ejiro Kirishima the entire night. Those two are the ones who reported it and handed over their phones as evidence.” He sighs, looking down at his hands. “The fact that this happened under my watch is unacceptable. The fact that this may have happened with one of my students, someone who’s meant to be a hero- is unforgivable.” He grips his knees, steadying himself, trying to conceal his anger. “We have reason to believe it was a student, the perpetrator was wearing the school gym uniform.” He continues, and I speak before I can talk myself out of it.

“Can I see the video?” I ask, and he shakes his head.

“I don’t think that’s-”

“I don’t remember much at all. If I see the video, I might be able to recall who it was.” I look down at my hands. Tomura warned me. He told me that these Heros were awful. The pain of knowing one of my friends did something so awful to me is greatly outweighed by the pain of them proving that monster right.

“The video has been removed from all of the student’s phones, and remains only in evidence, as does the video of you with Pro-Hero Hawks. When called, Hawks also handed over a note that had been left at your residence. Due to the proximity in incidents from the assault and the attack on the camp, the police are considering that it was a villain, that has infiltrated the school. Both the handwriting and any fingerprints on that note are being analyzed against an assignment I’d given the class last month. We believe this might be enough to find the culprit. You do NOT need to see that video.” He uses his “teacher voice”, but it does not dissuade me.

“Everyone else has seen it. I want to see it. Especially if it’s evidence.” Tears do not come. My words are strong, straightforward. I am not to be denied, I am not to be ignored.

“I’m sorry, Katherine, but the answer is no.” His decision is final. Not as final as mine.

“You’d rather I see it for the first time in a courtroom full of people?” I ask, my voice is incredulous, disrespectful.

“You misunderstand. This isn’t going to court.” He shakes his head.

“No one else is going to see that video. And when I find the person responsible for its filming, they won’t be heard from again. Heroes, we go with the law. But we also go with morals. And wouldn’t it be so easy to pin the villain attacks on a student, that had constant knowledge of the whereabouts of the class?” His admittance finds the faults in my resolve.

“The police don’t know about this. Only Hawks, The Pussycats, and I know, and because of that, we are free to work indiscriminately.” He stands, crossing his arms over his chest. “You will need… clothes, and things for your dorm. The villains all but cleaned out your room, and your mother made it very clear that all of your belongings had been brought to your home here.” I nod, taking in a deep breath before standing.

“Yes, sir.” There is no room for argument here, I know that, there is only submission. He is trying to do right by me, I understand that.

“And Black… Consider my breaking several laws for you thanks for saving my life.” He offers a small smile, and I nod, walking past him. “One last thing-” He grabs my arm, and once he looks at his grip he releases it, seemingly reminding himself of something. “If I catch you having sex with students in the dorms like you did at the camp, there will be consequences. If you are allowed to stay in the dorms, I will be your legal Guardian. Remember that.” He begins to walk out the door, but pauses, not looking at me. “And… you can do much better than Katsuki fucking Bakugo.” The door slams behind him, making me jump.

Consequences? Like what? He’ll ground me? No… probably extra gym time. Ew. I gather my thoughts before walking out of the office, finding Aizawa still in the building, speaking to the officer at the front desk as Well as AllMight, who nods in agreement with something Aizawa said. Aizawa turns, looking back at me.

“You ready?” Aizawa calls, and I quirk a brow.

“For what?” I ask, and he sighs.

“I’m going to take you home with me. Since you’re so dead-set on staying here over the rest of the summer. There’s still a month before the dorms are completed, and while Endeavor offered to let you stay with him, Your mother specifically requested I watch over you.” He gathers some paperwork and looks over at me with tired eyes.

“She was very particular about it, apparently your father gushed to her about the USJ incident, and how you and I stuck together the entire time. She did agree with you though, that staying here was probably in everyone’s best interest.” He shrugs his shoulders. “I can see where you get your… ‘isms’ from, by the way.” He smirks.

The drive to Aizawa’s apartment is silent, and I stare out of the window until Aizawa breaks the sacred silence with a question. “Do you want to talk about it?” He asks, looking ahead at the road, I tilt my head. “Don’t play stupid Black, you scored in the top ten on the exams.” He warns, gripping onto the steering wheel too tightly for my liking.

“I actually, genuinely don’t know which one of my many traumas you are referring to, Sir.” I spit the moniker out of my mouth, and he doesn’t react, in fact, he seems to calm himself.

“You asked for me. NightEye and the police both said you asked for me. Why?” He asks, glancing over at me in the passenger seat.

“I thought you would be angry with me.” I admit, toying with my fingers instead of looking at him, he scrunches his brows together in confusion.

“Angry with you? Why?” He questions, and I shrug. “Because I failed. Because I let the villains capture Katsuki and I. I didn’t react fast enough- I didn’t go straight back to the camp like you asked. I was being stupid, thinking I could save people, thinking I was a Hero.” I shrink into myself, and silence ensues for another few long moments before he speaks again.

“You didn’t fail. They were also after Tokoyami. Because of you, they couldn’t get to him. You stayed, and you fought for the same reason you did at the USJ, for the same reason you fought in Roswell. Because you were trying to do the right thing. Yeah, it was stupid. But you did save people. You are a Hero.” His gruff voice holds no edge, he’s being honest. “We also learned that the Villains will do damn near anything to get you again, so when they try, I’ll be ready.” His tone regains its sharpness. He’s angry- I’m not sure what about.

He pulls into a covered parking lot, and we both get out of the car before he locks it with a button on his keys, walking around to the passenger side to walk beside me. “I’ve got a guest room, and Endeavor dropped off pajamas you apparently left at his house.” He gives me a side-eye at that, accusing. I shrug it off.

“Not that it’s your business or anything, but I spent my time during the internships at his house in his daughter’s room so I could train more with Shoto.” he grimaces.

“Yeah, sure.” He says sarcastically, and I grit my teeth, but do not verbally respond, choosing to childishly give a middle finger to his turned back as he unlocks the apartment door. As I slip off my hospital-provided slippers, I check out the apartment. Being in his living space, strange. Plain, beige walls. A sectional in the center of the living room, and a dining area with four chairs, but no TV. A laptop sits open on the table, he must’ve been busy with something when he was called. Guilt edges its way into me, but I swallow it back down. A few pictures line the walls… some I even recognize as Present Mic.

“You hungry at all?” He asks, slipping off his scarf and hanging it on the wall. I shake my head. “You sure?” He raises a brow, squinting. “You didn’t eat at the police station, and It’s almost six…” His tone is accusing again, and I shrug.

“Just don’t have much of an appetite right now, I guess.” I rub the back of my neck, avoiding his eyes.

“Tea, then?” He offers, and I nod.

“Yeah- Thank you.” I hastily add the last bit, forgetting my manners.

Chapter Text

I toss and turn that night, and I try not to notice the door opening around three in the morning. I try not to remember Aizawa standing there for several long moments before shutting the door again, and I try not to hear his footsteps disappear down the hall.

I don’t sleep, finding it incredibly difficult to escape the thoughts that drive away the sandman with a loaded shotgun.

My dad… the man I’d looked up to… the man that never missed a single ballet rehearsal or field trip. The man that could heal every scraped knee, every broken heart with a hug. The man that called me Kitty when he was happy, and little lady when he was angry. The man who taught me everything I knew about what it meant to be a hero. Dad. Gone.

All because I couldn’t fucking listen. I couldn’t stay out of fights that were not mine. Because I did what he told me to do. I sob into my pillow, muffling my weak hiccups with the cotton, shaking. No matter how many blankets I cover myself with, I feel so damn cold. I press my hands to myself, desperately trying to take away my own pain. But it won’t leave. I can’t find solace, even in my own power.

I end up falling asleep, at some point, seeing golden eyes swinging above me, but with this time, I focus. Not golden… Blue? With the flames from the bonfire burning in reflection of them. The eyes are very light blue, but are framed by blonde lashes.

His voice- unfamiliar. Surprised, different. “I need a condom- One second, dear.” He’s gone, for only a moment before he returns, sliding back inside me. “God you’re just like the rest of them. Always attracting trouble, huh dear?” He leans down, smashing his lips against my unresponsive ones. “I almost forgot to record this dear, I need to save the memory- Don’t worry, I’ll only send a fifteen second clip to the others… The rest is all mine, all for me.” I start awake, grasping at the air to push the phantom off me.

So real… more details this time. Blue eyes? Who do I know with blue eyes and blonde hair? Aoyama? No… the voice had no accent, and he’s a french exchange student. Ojiro has black eyes, And Denki’s are gold. I’d considered Denki, especially considering originally, I remember golden eyes, but with these resurging memories… It doesn’t make sense. Who was it?

I ponder, sitting up in bed and staring out the window for hours. The sun's rays break through the open curtains, and I sit up. Early riser- a good cover story. He’d probably be impressed. I dress in the only clothes I have… the one’s I’d brought with me to the trip.

I grimace as I realize the only items I have left are tank tops, shorts, a single school uniform, and gym clothes. Shit. I’ll have to get the girls to go shopping with me. Momo is probably the best option… or Mina. Both of them love shopping. Dad left me a considerable amount of money… Always taking care of me, I guess.

I tiptoe out of the bedroom, not wanting to wake Aizawa if he’s still asleep.

“Morning.” He calls from directly to my left, at the table. I jump, stumbling back onto the couch. He chuckles, lowering the screen on his laptop and standing. “I didn’t expect you to be up this early.” He sighs, turning to the fridge and bending slightly, pulling out eggs, bacon, and orange juice. I sit at the table, directly across from his spot.

“Uh- actually- I don’t really do breakfast. It makes me nauseous to eat this early in the morning.” I shrug, and he pauses, his back still to me.

“You didn’t eat anything yesterday though, you should have something, even if it’s small.” He continues with his cooking, and I decide it best not to argue with him. I make an attempt to eat, but end up just nibbling on toast. Aizawa types away on his computer, incredibly focused on whatever he’s doing.

“Oh- I forgot to give you this.” Aizawa pulls something from his jeans pocket, placing it on the table and sliding it toward me. I look down at it, my phone. I snatch it up, turning it on and scrolling through the messages.
Katsu<3: Kate?
Katsu<3: Fuck, forgot it’s late
Katsu<3:Text me when you get this
I type quickly, a simple message. Too casual, probably.
KatBlack: Hey
My phone begins to ring, startling me. “Uh- Can I?” I ask, Aizawa nods, pointing at the door to the guest room. I nod, hurrying into the room and closing the door, answering the phone.

“Hello?”

“God- H-hey dumbass.” His voice comes through quiet, deep from sleeping. I get the feeling my text woke him up.

“Is that-” Kiri’s voice comes from the other line, also tired. The background noise gets louder as I hear Katsuki put me on speaker. “Princess?” Ejiro calls, and my heart cracks a little in my chest.

“Yeah, yeah I’m here. I’m fine, you know me, not a scratch.” I joke, and neither of them laugh. I clear my throat. “So… uh… Aizawa told me what happened in the woods.” Dead silence follows, so I continue to speak. “I- I feel like I should tell you guys something else… and if you want nothing to do with me afterward… I understand.” I let out a shaky breath, focusing my eyes on a spot on the wall, letting my vision blur. “That video, with Hawks. I wasn’t awake. I didn’t know it was happening. I had no idea that he was doing it until someone showed me the video.”

There’s another deafening silence before Katsuki speaks. “Okay.” His voice is a strained growl.

“What do you mean you weren’t awake?” Ejiro asks, the slight sound of rage dripping into his vowels.

“He… did it… while I was exhausted after school. I was asleep. He didn’t- I didn’t…” My voice trails off and I hear something slam in the other room, making me jump.

“I’ll kill him.” Ejiro whispers. Something crashes on the other line.

“P-please don’t. I made him leave me alone after I found out. It’s okay now, I promise.” I wipe at my falling tears with the back of my hand, sniffling back the weakness I allow behind these closed doors. “I’m fine.” I lie, faking a smile that they can’t see.

“Was it Hawks… was he the one in the woods?” Ejiro’s question comes with an eerie calm, I can’t hear Katsuki at all.

“No, He wasn’t even in the state apparently… so… it’s uh… It’s happened twice now… almost three times with HandyMan.” I grit my teeth, and finally, Katsuki speaks.

“It won’t happen again.” His words are determined, demanding not of me, but of the universe itself to bend to his will. The line clicks. They hung up. I wipe away the remnants of my conversation and breathe.

Up, down. Left, right. In, out.

I open the bedroom door, to find Aizawa sitting at his laptop again, typing furiously. “Everything okay? I heard a crash.” I note, sitting across from him again.

“Dropped a mug.” He says gruffly, not looking up from his computer. I take the silence as an opportunity to check the rest of the messages.
Birthgiver: Are you dating HAWKS 0.0
Birthgiver: KATIE!
Birthgiver: GOOD FOR YOU GIRLIE
Birthgiver: Tell your dad to call me back
Birthgiver: Katie
Birthgiver: Remind Archie to take a shower, It’s friday.
Birthgiver: Be careful if you’re planning on getting intimate with Hawks, remember to use protection!!!
Birthgiver: I don’t want grandbabies until I’m at least 40!
Birthgiver: Katie
Birthgiver: Answer the phone
Birthgiver: Katie
Birthgiver: AllMight asked if you could stay and finish out the year!
Birthgiver: Katie
Birthgiver: Katie
Birthgiver: Text me that you’re okay
I grimace, and send her a thumbs up emoji, which she sends a heart to and then no other response. A voicemail from my dad. I don’t have the heart to open that… not yet.

No other messages… Well… that hurts. I’m sure it’s fine.

“Uh. so- I need to go into town today to grab some stuff. Can I go out with Tsu and Ochako maybe?” I ask, twirling my phone ever and over in my hands. He closes his laptop, and stands, grabbing his keys.

“No, It’s not safe for you to be out alone like that- even with friends. I’ll go with you.” I grimace, and offer compromise.

“What about if we brought Izuku and Shoto-”

“Especially not with Midoriya and Todoroki.” His voice is a deep growl, angrier than I thought he was. He’s angry with me? Why? Oh… he still doesn’t know who the rapist was. At the very least, I can clear those boy’s names.

“The boy in the woods… he was a blonde.” I blurt, and Aizawa turns back, staring at me. “And, I can’t be sure… but last night I think I remembered blue eyes.” I avoid looking back at him, staring down at my hospital slip-resistant socks. “So- It’s perfectly safe for me to go out with Izuku or Shoto, they’re my friends.” I try to make my point, and look up at him.

Aizawa pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and pointer finger, and I have to blink away the visage of my father standing in his place.

“Katherine, my answer is no. You were already approached once by the villains at a mall, with Midoriya there. Midoriya and Todoroki were both with you when you were taken at the camp. You need to really stop and think about how you’re relying on teenage boys to protect you.” He drops his hand, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I can protect myself-” I argue, but something wraps around me, slamming me into Aizawa’s chest. I look down at his scarf… those binds. And then back up at his black eyes. He’s scowling at me, jaw tight.

“You wanna try that again?” He questions, looking me up and down. “Because all it takes is one wrong move, one moment of hesitation, or uncertainty, and you’re back with those Villains. You’re not invulnerable. Look at how many times that’s had to be proven to you.” He grits his teeth, waiting for me to respond. I look away, refusing whatever bullshit lesson he’s trying to teach. “Just because the marks don’t show, it doesn’t mean they don’t stay.” His voice is quiet, just over a whisper. He doesn’t sound angry, or even particularly concerned- more annoyed than anything.

“Stop acting like you’re my parent.” I demand, struggling against the tightening binds.

“Oh, I’m really not though, am I? Because I’m here aren’t I? I’m actually giving you guidance. Attention. I’m actually protecting you, unlike your father that should have pulled you out of UA after the USJ incident, or your mother that all but signed over adoption papers to get rid of you.” He lifts his wrist, pulling on the loops behind my knees, sweeping my legs out from under me.

I fall on my back, knocking the wind out of me. “When I talked to Hawks about the forest incident, he offered to take you in, he mentioned how when he was staying at your house he witnessed your father hitting you on several occasions. That tells me two things.” He places his foot on my chest, not applying pressure, simply pinning me in place.

“Number one, you think that accepting abuse from men is par for the course and that you deserve it when it happens to you. You even went as far as to ignore Hawks’ obvious advances in the interest of your father’s career. Unacceptable.” Aizawa’s hair stands on end as he stares at me. He’s canceling my quirk, letting the soreness of my back stay for effect.

“And Number two, you have probably never been properly disciplined in your life. Hitting kids is not how you gain respect, and yelling at them is just as ineffective. You have to teach them.” He sighs, removing his socked foot from my chest and blinking, ending his quirk’s effect. “So- new rules, Katherine.” He twists the ends of the binds over each other, causing them to loosen around my body.

“Rule number one. What I say, goes. You may voice your opinions, and I will take them into consideration, but while you are at UA you are my responsibility, and I take that very seriously.” He squats beside me, offering his hand.

“Rule number two, no boys. At all. They’re all trouble.” I grit my teeth, nodding. Sure- I’ll agree, for now.

“And Rule Number three, You do not leave this apartment without me. The villains are still on the loose, and so is the Stalker.” He helps me to stand. I stay silent. “So, we’re going to pick up Shinso and train. You can go back to school shopping after… I’ll call Midnight.”

Chapter Text

If I’d thought being in a car alone with Aizawa was bad, being in the back seat with Shinso is so much worse. He shoots me stares, every so often, I try to avoid it, texting back and forth in the 1A girls chat.
Ribbitforherpleasure: Anyone have plans for this weekend?

Trydefyinggravity: I think Momo wanted to go get nails done

YaoMomo: I’ll pay for anyone that comes!!!

HumanAuxCord: I’m down

Ribbitforherpleasure: Me too.

JohnCena: I might get a clear coat

Trydefyinggravity: can the ladies even paint your nails?

JohnCena: Probably not, but it’ll be fine I just wanna hang tbh

Pinkiepie: Dude same, so everyone in?

Pinkypie: Has anyone heard back from @katblack?

JohnCena: Deku said she was released from the hospital yesterday n now she’s living with Aizawa?!

Pinkiepie: NO FUCKIN WAY

Ribbitforherpleasure: Dad-zawa confirmed

HumanAuxCord: I was sure he slept in a coffin under his desk

JohnCena: skskks

KatBlack: I lived bitch

Ribbitforherpleasure: Glad to hear it!

YaoMomo: So, how about it? Girls day?

Pinkiepie: Is it true you live with Aizawa now?!

KatBlack: Yeah… and speaking of it Idk if I can come out this weekend.

JohnCena: D: whyyy?

KatBlack: Too dangerous… the villains are still out on the loose.

YaoMomo: That’s absolutely fair.

KatBlack: Sorry guys!

Pinkiepie: What if we come do nails at Aizawa’s UWU

KatBlack: Bring your own Bodybags

I chuckle at my own joke, and get a message from a separate person.

MegaMind: Sorry about the final exams thing

I read the message, and then read it again, glancing out the window to grab a look at Shinso in the reflection. He’s looking at me. I glance back down at my phone.

KatBlack: I guess it is safe to text you huh?

I type the words carefully and pause over the send button for several moments before actually pressing it.

MegaMind: Sorry about the sports festival too.

The text makes my heart jump in my chest.
KatBlack: It’s fine. I almost won.

I respond curtly and watch as his chat bubble dances for several minutes before it disappears. The rest of the drive is done in complete silence. We make it to the school’s battle training area, and I grimace. I wanted these last few weeks to be a break.

Training today was… different. Constantly being told not to intervene unless absolutely necessary, don’t overuse my quirk, don’t make myself vulnerable by overusing energy. Instead, use restaining procedures. Aizawa explains that the three of us are different. We rely on other people for our quirks to be useful. Aizawa trains us to not use our quirks at all, rather focus on disarming and detaining our opponents, showing us exactly how his scarf works.

Shopping with Midnight is probably among my top ten most uncomfortable experiences in my life. She constantly picked out things that I wouldn’t dare ever wear out of the safety of my bedroom, and actually convinced me to buy some lacy underwear. I guess I just don’t want another “TeddyBear” incident happening… She also convinced me to eat lunch, a slice of pizza and a coke- but still something. She’s actually a pretty decent person… I guess.

Getting back to Aizawa’s apartment is nerve-wracking. What new rule or regulation is he going to set? What boundary is he going to ignore? I know that it’s all for my own good, but the petty, teenage girl I usually keep locked up is screaming for rebellion. When I open the apartment door, he’s on the couch, reading.

“Can I have help with the bags?” I ask, and he glances at me for a moment before smirking back down at his book.

“I don’t know, CAN you?” I grit my teeth. Stubborn and struggling, I carry the bags into the guest room on my own. I drop them on the bed, and dig through them until I find the sweatpants and teeshirt I’d bought when Midnight wasn’t looking. “Did you have fun?” Aizawa calls from the doorway, leaning against the frame, blocking the exit.

“Yep.” I answer shortly, carefully folding the rest of my clothes on the bed, letting my daft perfectionism draw my attention.

“Use complete sentences, Katherine.” He chides, and I grip tightly on to the shirt in my hands.

“So this is how it’s going to be, yeah? Going from one man controlling my every move to another until the day I die, yeah?” I ask, hands shaking as I smooth the wrinkles out of the cotton beneath my fingertips. I can practically hear him roll his eyes behind my back.

“If I wanted to control you, I wouldn’t allow you to talk to me like that, would I?” He doges my question with his own, and I hear him push himself off the doorjamb. “Dinner in an hour, you should get ready for bed though. There are clean towels on the counter in the bathroom.” He sighs, leaving me in peace. Fuck this, dude. I pull out my phone, texting quickly.

KatBlack: Can I come over tonight?

TheRock: of course! But I’m at Bakubros.

Kaachan: yeah. You can come over. You good?

KatBlack: I’m fine, just miss you guys

TheRock: We miss you too, princess!

Kaachan: Do I need to pick you up?

KatBlack: Yeah, or I can just call an Uber

Kaachan: Just give me an address, Dumbass.

KatBlack: It’s an apartment building, 3597 Kingsroad. Pick me up round 8?

Kaachan: You spending the night?

KatBlack: I can, but I have to be back really early so Aizawa doesn’t notice

TheRock: AIZAWA?!

KatBlack: Yeah, he’s agreed to let me stay with him until the dorms are ready.

TheRock: Thought you were at Todoroki’s?

Kaachan: I already threatened to kill him. Woops.

KatBlack: NSDFBAWIEUF KATSU NO

Kaachan: I mean, it’s fine now.

TheRock: I already apologized for him dw.

KatBlack:g2g, Aizawa is trying to feed me fuckin CAULIFLOWER

TheRock: Rip

Kaachan: Later, loser.

I slip my phone back into my pocket, looking over the plate that Aizawa served me. “Thank you.” I bow my head. I’d never been very religious, but my dad always wanted us to pray at least once a day, and dinner time was his favorite. I eat slowly, and stand to wash my plate. Aizawa looks up with a quirked brow.

“You sure you don’t want more?” He asks, standing and standing by my side at the sink. My shoulder brushes his upper arm as he places the dish in the water bucket.

“No thank you, I’m just going to study and go to bed, If that’s alright.” I turn around and begin to walk away, but he stops me with a hand on his shoulder.

“Studying what? I’ve not given any assignments.” He squints at me, and I shrug his hand off.

“I’m not doing the best in math. I passed the Final Exam but not how I’d have liked to. I just need to work on it more.” I cast my eyes at the floor, and he sighs.

“You got an eighty percent, you understand the material just fine.” He crosses his arms while I shake my head again, biting the inside of my cheek.

“I want to ace it. I want a hundred percent. It has to be perfect. All of my grades and training need to be perfect or I won’t be able to take down the League Of Villains.” I admit finally, causing him to blow a hash breath from his nose, and wrap his hand around the back of his neck.

“You won’t be taking them down on your own, if anything, the pros will handle it before you get the chance. You should rest, relax. Watch TV or read a book like a normal teenager.” He tries, and I look up at him. He’s worried. Why is he worried?

“I’m not a normal teenager.” Is all I can think to respond. It seems to be enough for him because he allows me to walk into the guest room on my own in silence. I crack open the Algebra book, gritting my teeth as the numbers are all jumbled together on the page. Clicking my pen, I get to work. This was easier with Ejiro humming, and Katsuki drumming. This was easier while Kiri scratched my head absentmindedly.

I persevere, finishing several pages before giving myself a moment to rest. I get a message.

Attachment: One video.

Quirking a brow, I open the video and immediately lose all feeling in my fingers. My naked body laid against the grass. The camera shakes as the person filming thrusts in and out of me, the picture is centered on my breasts, showing my face, pupils blown and unaware, head drifting off to one side. I’m saying something, but my words are so slurred I can’t make them out. The person reaches down, gripping my breast and squeezing it. I attempt to push his hand away, but my feeble actions are all but ignored. I focus on the bodies connecting. A faint blue ring wraps around the base of his cock. A condom. At least he had the decency to wear a condom. I click off of the video and get another message.

Unknown: Hello Dear

Unknown: Do you miss me

KatBlack: I can’t miss you If I don’t know who you are.

Unknown: :( don’t be like that. I enjoyed our time together…

KatBlack: I don’t even remember it.

Unknown: I’ll be sure to lower the dosage next time.

KatBlack: There will not be a next time, creep.

Unknown: Sure there will. You are so easy to trick.

KatBlack: Eraserhead is looking for you, if he finds you, you’re dead. I suggest just leaving me alone while you can.

Unknown: He won’t find me. I cover my tracks really well.

KatBlack: You know even this is traceable right? I can just give him these messages.

Unknown: You could, and I could not give this back.

Attachment: One image.

A photo of my grandmother’s wedding ring. I look down at my hand… it’s missing. It’s been missing since that night- through everything I must’ve not noticed.

Unknown: It looks important.

Unknown: Sure would be a shame if I lost it.

KatBlack: What do you want from me?

Unknown: I’m going to throw this burner away, but first, send me some nudes and I’ll make sure the ring makes it back to you.

KatBlack: you’re disgusting.

Unknown: I know dear, now my pictures?

I drop my phone. Everything else was taken by Tomura. My grandmother’s quilt, our pictures. All I had left was that damn ring… and now the stalker has it. He’s bluffing. He won’t give it back, no matter what he says. He’ll keep asking for more and more because that’s what villains do.

Resigned, I block the number. C’est La Vie. Grammy wouldn’t want me to fret over it. She’d tell me to smile, say no, and keep moving. That doesn’t stop the tears from falling. I go back to my work, throwing myself into it with my entire mind.

The clock reads 9:15 before I close the book, and slip into the bathroom. Midnight had given me some decent recommendations for skin and hair care, and I silently thanked her as I used the products. Once I’m dried and dressed, I open the door to Aizawa looking flushed, sitting on the couch across the room, staring down at his book again.

“Bathroom’s free.” I mutter, carrying my dirty clothes back to the Guestroom and dropping them in my suitcase. Thirty minutes. I huff. I might as well pretend that I’m behaving. No need for another argument. I stick my head out of the door, peering at Aizawa around the corner. “Goodnight, Sir.” He looks surprised for a moment, before the corner of his mouth lifts ever so slightly.

“Goodnight, Kate.” He nods, but looks back down at his book and trying to hide a smile. Weird. I close the door, huffing and waiting patiently for Kiri or Katsu to text me.

Chapter Text

“Fuck- Baby!” Katsuki begs, his hands tangle in my hair, forcing me further down his shaft. I take him deeply, hollowing my cheeks to suck him harder. “J-just like that- FUCK!” He growls, thrusting his hips up into my mouth. I reach up a hand, slapping it over his mouth.

He bites my finger, and then sucks on it. “My parents won’t be home till monday afternoon stupid hair, I can be as loud as I fucking want.” He mumbles around my fingers. I continue sucking him, wiggling my tongue up the underside with fervor, the way I know he likes it.

“Fuck- like that! Yeah! Fuck yeah baby suck that cock- God you’re so- fuck- you’re so fucking good- fuck!” He growls, and I feel his cum slide down my throat, too deep for me to taste. “Fuck-” His text tone interrupts him, the three loud bells is all it takes for all of his attention to be off of me.

I fucking hate that he’s so attached to his phone all the time, but I guess it’s not really fair of me to be very jealous, especially when he doesn’t really have any other friends. Just a few people in Discord he’d met in chatrooms. His eyebrows raise as he clicks a button quickly, pressing the phone to his ear. His face softens considerably, but his voice is still husky from orgasm.

“God- H-hey dumbass.” He murmurs, and my heart skips a beat.

“Is that-” I begin to ask, but he’s already nodding, putting the phone down on his thigh and pressing the speaker button. “Princess?” I ask, needing desperately to hear her soft voice.

“Yeah, yeah I’m here. I’m fine, you know me, not a scratch.” Her tone is clearly sarcastic, and Katsuki and I share a look, She doesn’t sound good at all. She sounds tired, broken. I’d never heard her that resigned before… not even after the USJ incident. What did those bastards do to her?! She clears her throat before speaking again. “So… uh… Aizawa told me what happened in the woods.” Katsuki presses the mute button.

“Fuck- what do we do?” I ask, and he pulls on his hair.

“I don’t fucking know! You’re the emotions guy damn it I don’t know how to-” He’s interrupted by her talking again.

“I- I feel like I should tell you guys something else… and if you want nothing to do with me afterward… I understand.” God- what did those fucking villains do? As if by reflex, my stomach hardens, my breathing shallow. “That video, with Hawks. I wasn’t awake. I didn’t know it was happening. I had no idea that he was doing it until someone showed me the video.” I blank, not having the slightest idea how to respond. Katsuki hits the unmute button, and speaks.

“Okay.” His voice is a strained growl.

“What do you mean you weren’t awake?” I ask, feeling my fists harden at my ideas as I stand, my chest is tight, and it feels like the walls are closing in… she’s not saying what I think she’s saying… is she?

“He… did it… while I was exhausted after school. I was asleep. He didn’t- I didn’t…” the smallest sound of sobs is muffled on the other side of the screen. I can’t control myself anymore, looking directly at Katsuki.

“I’ll kill him,” I promise him, in a whisper so she will not hear, Katsuki clenches his fist, punching the concrete wall, leaving a dent.

“P-please don’t. I made him leave me alone after I found out. It’s okay now, I promise.” Her attempt at soothing him doesn’t work on him any more than it does me. There is a faint sound of sniffling before she speaks again. “I’m fine.” she says, her voice eerily bright for the subject matter. It’s a mask. I know that mask. I use that mask. Katsuki leaves the room, but I stay on the line with Kate.

“Was it Hawks… was he the one in the woods?” I ask, keeping myself calm. Soothe her, worry about yourself later. Garner information so you can murder the fucker fairly.

“No, He wasn’t even in the state apparently… so… it’s uh… It’s happened twice now… almost three times with HandyMan.” She admits. Almost with HandyMan? So she got away before anything happened? How DID she get away? She’s strong, sure, but once you get her hands out of the equation she’s basically helpless. Katsuki returns to the room, holding his keys and wearing a set of kneepads.

“It won’t happen again.” He says, picking up the phone and hanging up.

“What are you doing?” I ask, watching as he straps on elbow pads over his black long sleeve v-neck.

“I’m going to go teach that fucker a lesson.” He growls, turning to pull something out from his drawer. Earplugs. “You’re free to join me.” He says gruffly, I stand, grabbing his arm.

“She said she handled it. She doesn’t want us going after Hawks, besides, you saw that video. It’d be hard to prove that he-” I can’t finish that sentence. He raped her. The fucking Beloved, heartthrob number three… number two since AllMight retired- Hero. He RAPED a sixteen-year-old girl in her sleep. The only Evidence is from a fucking video that a stalker filmed to blackmail her. The stalker. “We should focus on finding the stalker. I’ll call Hatsume, and see if she can find the fucker. We should have done that in the first place.” I try to calm him, putting my hands on either side of his face to force him to look me in the eye.

He’s still shaking with rage, but he closes his eyes, leans into my touch, and takes in a deep breath. When his eyes finally open, they’re watery. “Okay-” He whispers, pulling me into a hug. He stuffs his face in my neck as he squeezes my shoulders in his iron grip.

“Let’s go to bed, and call Hatsume tomorrow. And after that, maybe we can call Deku and see if we can all track down the League again.” I suggest, earning a weak nod and a push onto his queen-sized mattress.

“Your turn.” He says darkly, pulling down the zipper on my pants.

“You can’t use sex to repress your feelings, Katsu, you need more healthy coping mechanisms.” I mumble as his hand rubs over my hardening cock.

“You should mind your business, shitty hair.” He retorts, pulling my dick out and kissing the tip. “Besides, I don’t see your friend here complaining.” He growls before circling his tongue around my tip, forcing a moan from my throat.

“You’re such a Dick, Bakugo.” I say through gritted teeth, my hips involuntarily jutting upward. He chuckles around me, pulling my cock out of his mouth to stroke it up and down as he speaks, smearing my precum and his spit up and down my shaft.

“You are what you eat, Kiri.” He laughs before slowly taking my entire shaft into his mouth, his chin slapping against my balls as he works quickly, choking and gagging on me. I groan, gripping onto his bedsheets. What a horny bastard.

“Kiri, check your phone- that was the group chat with Teddybear.” Katsuki mumbles, his eyes on the road as he drives down her street. I do as I’m told, and suck in a breath.

“She’s asking if she can come over.” I note, he pulls over, pulling out his phone as well. “Do you think she’s okay?” I ask, and he shrugs.

“She might just want to hang out like she said.” He suggests, but something in his voice tells me he doesn’t believe that either. Katsuki rolls his eyes as Kate offers to take an Uber, and quickly types out an insult.

“She’s with Aizawa? Why?” I ask, and Katsuki shrugs.

“I assumed she’d be with Endeavor, but it’s because the LOV is deadset on getting ahold of her. They even left me as a distraction so they could get away with her.” Katsuki sighs, chuckling after he reads her last message.

“Dude, Cauliflower is the worst.” He blushes, and restarts the car, cruising down the street slowly.

“From the info Kaminari gave us, only three people in the school live remotely close to this area. One of em’s a girl so she’s out. That leaves… Hitoshi Shinso and Nieto Monoma.” Katsuki peers out of the window, pointing at a brink house with black shutters on the windows. “Shinso lives there.” He points further down the street, at a smaller yellow house with a white door. “And Monama there.”

I grimace. “Hitoshi was really touchy with her during the Finals. It was kinda creepy.” I note, squinting at the bricks. “You think it was him?” I ask, and Katsuki shrugs.

“Not gonna murder him until I’m sure. As much as I hate to say it, Kaminari is still suspect. He was the last person to give Kate something to eat before she started acting funny. And he does live right across the street. The angle fits for the first video.” Katsuki grimaces, and I suck in a breath.

“Dude I sure hope it’s not him. He’s a good friend and Kate likes hanging out with him.” I lean my head back against the headrest, hearing the engine purr as Katsuki picks up speed. “Well, if she’s with Aizawa, at least we don’t have to worry about any more balcony pictures or videos.” I try to look on the bright side, and Katsuki doesn’t respond. “And Aizawa definitely won’t leave the fucking curtains open. Since the LOV attacked again, She’ll be under some pretty serious watch… the pots too hot for Stalker to get anything from it right now, so that’s good.” I ramble, staring out the window at the passing trees.

There’s a long bout of silence before we get on a more urban street. Katsuki eyes a CVS. “Hey, do we have condoms?” He asks suddenly, and I blank.

“Woah dude… isn’t that a bit… presumptuous?” I ask, looking at him with furrowed brows.

“Nah, I just- like Kate said she’ll spend the night and I don’t want something to happen or something and we aren’t prepared.” He shrugs, and I scowl at him.

“Bro- that’s actually kind of fucked up. She JUST told us she was assaulted and she’s probably really vulnerable right now because her dad JUST died.” I attempt to reason with him, and he nods.

“Exactly, so if she wants to take her mind off it we-” I cut him off.

“No, dude. That’s really shitty. What if she’d called Todoroki or Kaminari instead and they were planning on doing what you’re talking about, you’d be ready to straight-up murder them!” He grips the steering wheel.

“That’s different, we’re dating.” He starts the car again, and I furrow my brow.

“Just because we’re dating it doesn’t mean she’s ready for that. Is that all you want out of her? Because you don’t really talk to her outside of trying to get your rocks off, and you’re not even particularly nice to her. What if what’s happened to her makes her sex-repulsed? Are you just going to dump her?” I ramble, earning a growl.

“I don’t just want to fuck her!” He spits, pressing down hard on the gas. “I just- I don’t deal with feelings very well. You know that.” He continues, but his voice is gentler now. He’s trying.

“Look- when I got kidnapped, the first thing I wanted was you. Because you make me feel safe. Because being with you is my favorite place to be, alright. And I know Kate feels the same way.” He slowly lowers off the gas, resuming the speed limit.

“So, I’m not saying I’m banking on anything happening, alright? I’d be happy just to hold you both and watch a movie or something stupid like that. I just want to make sure I can give her whatever she asks for. So yeah, I think we should pick out condoms.” He explains, and I sigh, sinking into my seat.

“Alright, but if you start pressuring her into anything Katsuki I swear to god-” I trail off, looking out the window.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, babe. You know that.” He nods. Him using a sweet pet name like that and not a thinly-veiled insult is something that always warms my stomach. He can be so sweet, when he’s not being a raging douchebag. He pulls in to a Wallgreens parking lot.

“Dude… I’ve never had sex with a girl before are the condoms different for them?” Katsuki asks, and I shrug.

“I’m pretty sure they have ones specifically for girls so they enjoy it better? At least Lube’s the same. We’ve got plenty of that.” I answer, and Katsuki knits his brows. “I thought girls didn’t need lube?” He questions, and I shake my head.

“Sometimes they do, it just depends I guess… and like, the more lube the better for the person taking it. You know that more than anyone, don’t you… good boy?” I tease, and he blushes to the high heavens.

Chapter Text

Kaachan: Here.
The message makes my heart jump. Carefully, I slip on my shoes and tiptoe to the window. Sure enough, in the dark parking lot in front of the complex, is Katsuki’s Chevy Aveo.

I take one more quick look around the room before slowly opening the window. I swing my leg over the side onto the fire escape and wince when the metal makes a noise. I pause, listening hard. Aizawa is in the living room, I can hear him typing. His fingers do not pause. I take a deep breath before climbing fully onto the fire escape.

I climb down as quickly and quietly as I possibly can, grinning when I finally spot Katsu and Kiri in the car. Kiri’s riding shotgun. I slide into the back seat and buckle my seatbelt.

“Hey, beauty-cool!” Kiri grins, turning fully around in the passenger seat.

“So, what have you hoodlums been up to while I was away?” I ask, leaning forward in the seat. Katsuki remains silent. Is he still mad at me?

“Well, not much honestly you were only gone a couple more days than Bakugo was.” Kiri shrugs and leans across the console to kiss me on the nose. “We missed you so much, princess!” He giggles, and leans back into his own seat. “What about you? How’s life with Aizawa.” Kiri’s tone is light, jovial.

“Oh dude, the worst! He’s all weird and controlling and he keeps looking at me like I’ll shatter if he talks too loudly. Just once I’d like adults to not treat me like a traumatized little kid!” I huff, flopping back into my seat.

“I’d rather they treat you like that then how Hawks-” Katsuki begins in a low growl, but Ejiro punches him in the shoulder.

“Oh! I love the city lights at night! They’re even prettier when it rains!” Kiri covers, trying to distract me. It doesn’t work.

“Well fuck it Katsuki, since you want to talk about it so badly. Yeah, it is better than being assaulted. You’re right!” My voice is loose, but dripping with sarcasm. Why am I letting him get under my skin like this? Why am I being so bitchy? Fuck it, no time to regret it now.

“Hey! There’s a waffle house, is anyone hungry?” Eji tries again, but you could cut the tension with a knife.

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Katsu’s voice is low, barely a growl.

“Why would I have told you? I barely knew you!” I retort, and Kirishima sinks into his seat, staying out of it now.

“And now you know us? What changed so much in the week we’ve been dating?” He asks, both hands holding on to the steering wheel for dear life.

“Because you didn’t look at me different after the Woods!” I shout, and recoil at my own words, lowering my voice. “Because you prioritized protecting me over getting revenge. You didn’t go off on a murder spree. I can’t have you guys reacting violently over it. It’ll ruin your Hero Careers, and my reputation even more than it already is! Because I’m fucking sick and tired of being the victim.” I cross my arms over my chest, looking out the window.

“Fine.” Katsuki spits.

“Fine.” I retort.

Ejiro interjects quietly. “Do you still want to spen-”

“Yes, I still want to spend the night!” I gripe, smacking my head back against the headrest again. “I still want to hang out with you guys, even when one of you is being an asshole.” I direct my heat at Katsuki, and roll my eyes.

“And I still want to cuddle, even if you’re being a raging bi-” He stops himself when he sees a single eyebrow of mine raised in the rearview mirror.

“Call me a bitch again. I dare you.” I smirk, earning a wildly horrified look in his ruby eyes before he blinks his composure back into them.

“Or what, Teddybear? You’ll use claws? You don’t scare me.” He grins, and I tilt my head.

“I’m sorry Ejiro, did you say something? I’ve got this ringing in my ears, I think it might be tinnitus” I tease, and Katsuki grits his jaw, flaring his nostrils.

“Oh no- don’t involve me in you two’s shit.” Ejiro raises his hands in mock surrender.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, baby.” I reach over the car console, pressing a hand to Ejiro’s crotch. Even flaccid, I can feel it jump beneath my hand.

“You don’t know what you’re doing.” Katsuki spits, but doesn’t make any move to stop me as I slip my hand up Ejiro’s shirt, feeling over his taut abs.

“B-baby…” Ejiro swallows, eyes burning into me as I continue exploring his torso. My own gaze latches on to Katsuki’s already pitching tent in his pants as I feel Ejiro harden under my touch.

“Katherine, you’re on thin fucking ice.” Katsuki warns, but I ignore him, slipping my hand into Ejiro’s jeans. The redheaded boy shudders at my ministrations. I stroke him, squeezing with my hand every so often. He pants, letting out soft moans. Katsuki shoots Ejiro a look, and Ejiro shakes his head. What are they arguing wordlessly about? Right now, I’m too worked up to care. I pull Kiri’s cock fully from the confines of the denim prison and begin pumping faster, squeezing the way Katsuki showed me.

“P-Princess…” Ejiro moans, bucking up into my hand. Katsuki’s grip on the steering wheel tightens, his knuckles are turning white. The speedometer is over a hundred, but it’s nighttime, and there’s no one else on the road. “If you keep that up I’m gonna cum.” Ejiro warns but makes no moves to stop me.

“You better fucking not.” Katsuki growls. I don’t know if it’s directed at me or Kiri. I don’t really care. Let him be angry, his feelings are not my problem right now. He’s an asshole anyway. An asshole that makes me feel really, really good, but an asshole nonetheless. I jerk faster, earning a low, continuous groan that gets progressively louder from Ejiro.

“Is that good?” I ask, leaning in to kiss his neck. That’s all it takes for him apparently, and white cum oozes over the top of my hand, nearly completely covering it. “That’s a really big one!” I murmur in shock, as Ejiro reaches into the glove box to retrieve his napkins. He cleans my hand first, carefully removing every drop of his ejaculate before cleaning himself up, tucking his cock back into his pants and zipping them.

The car comes to an abrupt stop, in front of Katsuki’s house. He steps out of the car immediately, slamming the door and opening the back passenger door.

“You’re fucking in for it now TeddyBear.” The nickname sends a shiver down my spine as he crawls into the back seat, pressing his body into mine with a passionate, angry kiss. I bite him. He moans. He fucking MOANS while I drag my teeth across his bottom lip. What a whore.

“Go inside… I need to grab something.” He growls, pulling himself off of me and offering a hand to help me out of the car. I take it, blushing wildly. Every once in a while, he does something gentlemanly like that that drives me nuts. Kiri holds my hand as we walk into the house, his breathing slowly steadying itself as he guides me to the living room. I look around the corners.

“Where’s Mr. And Mrs. Bakugo?” I ask, earning a chuckle from Katsuki behind me, his backpack slung over his shoulder.

“The hag wanted a break from me, apparently. Like being kidnapped wasn’t enough. If Kiri’s parents ask though they’re here.” He rolls his eyes, pushing past us to flick on the TV and dropping on onto the couch like a sack of potatoes.

“You think that’s bad, my mom all but signed adoption papers to get rid of me.” I quote Aizawa, flopping onto the couch with my feet in Katsuki’s lap. Ejiro sits next to me, pulling my top half into his lap so he can scratch my scalp.

“How are you doing… with all that?” Katsuki asks suddenly, looking at the mindless TVshow that he’d turned on.

“I don’t know, I guess it really hasn’t set in yet that my dad is actually gone. I didn’t see much of him at all in the past couple of months so it feels like he’s just at home, probably in his office doing paperwork.” I close my eyes, leaning into Kiri’s touch. “I know it’ll suck when it actually hits me, but for now I’ve got enough distractions with the LOV still on my ass and Aizawa being a huge prick, and you being annoying.” I playfully stick my tongue out at him, and he gives me a loose, crooked smile.

“Sucks that you got to deal with that shit at home too. Imagine all the extra training.” Kiri groans in distaste, his fingers never stilling in my hair.

“Oh you don’t know the half of it, He had Shinso and I training all day.” I huff, and both of the boys pause.

“Shinso?” Katsuki asks, suddenly very serious.

“Yeah? He’s got the brainwash quirk and Aizawa thought that since all of our quirks kind of rely on predicting or opponents’ moves we should train together with him.” I answer simply enough, but Ejiro begins to rub my shoulders a bit harder, working out the knots in my tired muscles.

“We- uh… well… we think Shinso might be the stalker.” Ejiro murmurs. His voice vibrates from his chest against my back. The closeness feels nice as I hum.

“He’s a creep, but I don’t think it’s him. I’ve been remembering some details and he doesn’t match it up very well. Besides, if it was him I think Aizawa would know by now. They’ve been training together since the sports festival.” I shrug, snuggling further into Ejiro’s chest.

“Just try not to end up alone with him okay?” Kiri requests, and I nod.

“Oh I definitely wasn’t planning on it.” I chuckle. Katsuki rips my shoes off my feet, dropping them on the floor.

“What are you doing?” I ask, raising an eyebrow and looking at him. A slight blush works over his cheeks.

“You said you were training all day, and you stay on your feet a lot.” He says gruffly, trying to sound annoyed but instead he sounds bashful. His long, strong fingers begin to work on the bottoms of my bare feet, and I groan. “When’d you have time to get a pedicure?” Katsuki asks, eyebrows scrunched together.

“What?” I question, my toes aren’t even painted?

“You don’t have any callouses.” He gestures to my toes, applying pressure on the ball of my foot.

“Calluses are scars, and my body heals scars, so I just don’t get them.” I explain, playing absentmindedly with my naked fingers in my hands.

“Doesn’t that make it like… really painful to walk for a long time?” Ejiro asks, moving his hands to rub at the base of the back of my neck.

“Yeah, but I’m used to it. I’m sure your quirks hurt you guys too, right…” I look over at Katsuki, who’s begun to rub my calves, slowly manipulating the flesh. “Like… I felt the damaged hearing from Katsuki.” I bump my head back into Ejiro. “And, Ejiro, when you push your hardness too far, your muscle fibers tear, I’ve felt it.” My tone is light, this is comfortable for me to talk about, normal to me.

“What do you mean you’ve felt it? I thought you could only feel your own wounds?” Katsuki asks, anger starting to drip into his voice.

“Nah, I can feel it.” I answer, and feel as Ejiro tenses up behind me.

“But you never said anything? Or like reacted at all?” Katsuki’s breathing is getting heavier. Why’s he getting so worked up over this? It doesn’t make any sense.

“I’m just used to it I guess? Since the uniform doesn’t allow for gloves I’ve gotten used to walking around without them, so like every stanger I bump I end up taking whatever’s wrong with them. Seriously though, you shouldn’t worry! It’s not like it can leave any lasting effects? I even took Shigaraki’s full power several times and not a scratch yaknow?” I’m deflecting, I know that, but I can’t stop.

“If I’d known it hurt you every time you did that I wouldn’t let you-”

“Let me what Katsuki? Let me use my quirk? Do what my body is designed to do? It’s really not a big deal.” I cut him off before his voice can raise.

“Let you deal with it alone.” He finishes, Ejiro stays quiet behind me.

“What do you mean?” I question, noticing his hands have risen up to rest on my thighs, massaging the skin there.

“I just- I want to make you feel good.” He murmurs, leaning down and resting his head on my stomach, still rubbing my thighs over my sweatpants.

“Then you should be nicer to me, and to Kiri.” I tease, ruffling his hair. “Stop saying mean stuff just to say it.” I mumble, and he nods, pressing harder into my muscles. I moan, unintentionally, and he does it again.

Ejiro seems to pick up on the game, moving his hands down to rest around my waist and rub tight circles into the backs of my ribs. I wince, and squeak.

“That’s sore!” I protest, but being stuck between the rock and the hard place makes it hard to move away.

“Yeah, because you put all of your tension into your lower back, dumbass.” Katsuki reaches up, looking me in the eye with his chin digging into my stomach just above my belly button. His hands snake to meet Ejiro’s, and then go below them, also working on those painful muscles.

“Sorry- you said to be nice. Isn’t that right… Teddy Bear.” The painful massage quickly devolves into pleasurable agony. Ejiro massages while Katsuki holds me still. A moaning mess, I clutch onto Katsuki’s shirt to steady myself. He moans as well, and the poking on my shin becomes obvious.

I shift a bit… yep- that’s a… Kiri’s hard too. Fuck it. I lean forward slightly, pressing my lips to Katsu’s, inadvertently rubbing my sweatpants-covered ass against Kiri.

Chapter Text

Katsuki moans into my mouth as Ejiro attatches himself to my neck, rutting up against my clothed ass all the while. The movement causes my body to shift, rubbing up against Katsuki in return. The kissing gets deeper as the three of us press into each other.

I reach behind me, pulling on Ejiro’s hair as I grip onto Katsuki’s shoulder. Katsuki rips his mouth from mine, turning my head to attach my lips to Ejiro’s. He moves down my body, tugging on my sweatpants. Is he going to do the thing again? My internal questions are answered by him hiking up my legs, throwing them over his shoulders as he dives right for my core, licking a thick line right up the center. I whimper into Ejiro’s mouth, causing him to grip on to my waist harder.

“Baby-” Katsuki groans against me, sending a shock straight through me. I hiccup out a moan, bucking my hips into the blonde boy’s mouth. He takes my bud into his mouth, sucking as he hums. Ejiro uses his leverage on my hips to rock himself against me, attempting to relieve some of the pressure built up in his pants.

Ejiro pulls back, lips parted and breathing hard. “Bedroom?” He asks, causing Katsuki to still against me.

“Yes.” I say breathlessly, and Katsuki spreads my legs again, father this time.

“Not yet. She’s gotta have one first.” He growls, attacking my core once again, slowly slipping a finger inside and pumping. I keen, flopping my head back on Kirishima’s shoulder. “Good girl.” Ejiro murmurs directly into my ear.

“More.” Ejiro prompts, and like a dog with a command, Katsuki adds another finger, still pumping, drawing tight circles with his tongue on my clit while taking moments between pumps to suck on the over-sensitive bud.

“You’re a mess down here, Teddy Bear.” Katsuki chuckles, slipping another finger inside me slowly. I wince.

“K-katsu too much.” I whine, but find it easier to take with each new pump, the wetter I get the easier it is, it seems.

“If that’s too much how are we gonna-”

“Bakugo.” Ejiro makes me jump with the venom in his voice. He never sounds angry like that. “If she says it’s too much, you have to back off.” He warns, and sighs.

“Switch with me. Keep it in your pants.” Ejiro slightly jostles me to move me forward, and the two boys switch places. Again, Ejiro is gentler, slower with his movements. More sultry, more about me than himself. If I’d thought I was a moaning mess before, this was completely new. Katsuki growls, he sounds… jealous?

“What’s he doing that’s so different huh?” He asks, pulling up my shirt to roughly palm my breasts.

“I just do whatever makes her moan more, and once I find a pace or spot she likes, I keep at it.” Ejiro explains matter-of-factly.

“I do that!” Katsuki complains, rolling my nipples between his fingers painfully, I push back into him to avoid his hands, and he huffs.

“You’re rough.” I complain, pushing his hands away with my own. Katsuki blanks, his jaw tightens.

“Oh. Why didn’t you say anything before?” Katsuki questions, his hands returning to their spot but being far more gentle.

“You seemed to enjoy it.” I shrug, but am rewarded with a second finger gentle prodded into me, curling upward. My pleasurable squeak ends my sentence prematurely, and my hips bounce upward on reflex to take the finger deeper.

“Damn it, Teddy Bear, you need to tell me shit like this.” Katsu growls, trailing his fingers down my torso and joining Ejiro’s hands below. “Show me what to do.” He grumbles, blushing. Ejiro grips onto his fingers, ghosting them over my clit.

“You work there, she actually likes it a little rougher right there, most girls do. You have to be way more careful with the actual hole.” Ejiro slowly slides a third finger in, but he’s been working at it this entire time, so there’s barely a stretch at all. The wet, squelching sounds of him pumping in and out make me blush, but the hard rod poking at my back tells me that this is nothing but sexy to the boys.

“Like that, see how well she takes it when she’s actually ready for it?” Ejiro praises, curling his fingers. I arch my back, rocking into them both.

“Fuck!” I squeak, reaching up and gripping onto Katsuki’s biceps for support. Ejiro takes note, repeating the action until he coaxes me right up to the precipice. Katsuki’s calloused fingers working away at my clit is too much to handle, and I bury my face into his arm to scream, coming undone, legs shaking, breath uneven. I can feel my core throbbing with need. Ejiro begins to slowly remove his fingers, and I whine.

“Before I do anything else- I need to know if you’d want to have sex tonight. If not, it’s fine, Katsuki and I can go handle ourselves in the other room and we can play Mario cart or something.” Ejiro’s tone is all business. His eyes never stray from mine.

Isn’t it too soon? We’ve only been dating a week… And I’ve only known them for a couple of months. Time doesn’t really matter, my feelings do. Do I want this? Do I want to have sex? I’ve never… done that- at least not while awake. But this feels so good. It feels so right- so close to them. And Ejiro is so sweet, and good at… all of this. Katsuki is part of the deal too, and I don’t exactly NOT want to have sex with them. It’s all so goddamn confusing.

“How- how would it work, with all three of us?” I ask, and Ejiro shrugs.

“One at a time, I guess. I’d go first, get you ready because Katsuki is bigger, or we could Eiffel tower… or centipede it. Whatever you’re comfortable with.” His hands rest on my thighs as he speaks, and I have not the slightest idea how to tell him I have no idea what any of those things means.

“Okay. Uh- yeah! Okay.” I nod, and Ejiro squints.

“No, you have to say it. Say you want to have sex with us,” Katsuki begs, hands resting on my stomach.

“I want to have sex.” I nod, the decision is final. I want this. I want them. Katsuki stands, lifting me over his shoulder like had at the pool. The bedroom. I’ve been in here before. It still smells like caramel and laundry detergent. Katsuki sets me down gently on the bed, but I bounce when my own weight presses into the springs.

Kirishima is holding Katsuki’s black bookbag, unzipping it, and pulling out a small blue box. He rips it open, handing one foil square to Katsuki before dropping the bag and pulling out another condom, tearing the corner off the wrapper and unraveling it over his now naked cock.

“How do you want me?” Ejiro asks, climbing onto the bed beside me, and I swallow had, looking at the huge dick between his legs. No matter how wet I am, there’s no way that’ll fit, right? I’ll just have to be careful. It’s not like it’ll kill me. I look away from IT, and back up at Ejiro.

“Uh… you lay down and I’ll… I’ll be on top?” I request, but it sounds like a question. A question Ejiro is very happy to answer. He scoots back, laying his head on Katuki’s pillow. Katsu isn’t wearing his condom yet, it sits with the corner between his teeth as he stares at his, pumping his cock in anticipation.

His is somehow bigger, scarier. I look away, not wanting to dwell on it and psych myself out. I’ll be fine. This’ll be fine. I straddle Ejiro, a blush running over my neck and up my cheeks.

“Relax…” Katsuki huffs, climbing onto the bed too. “Here-” He mumbles, pressing his lips to mine. Slow, deep. He’s learned. I can feel Ejiro rubbing his cock head over my slit, holding on to my hip with one hand. “Turn around, you’ll strain your neck like that.” Katsuki warns into my mouth, but Ejiro Chuckles.

“What are you talking about Bakugo, just come up here, This is a two- seater yaknow?” Ejiro never stops rubbing up against me, collecting my slick over his cock and pumping it in his hand.

“You cheeky bastard.” Katsuki complains but does as he’s told, positioning his hips over the red-headed boy’s face. He releases a shaky moan as Ejiro grips onto the larger cock, pumping slowly before putting it in his mouth. Katsuki leans in, gripping onto my rib cage, pulling me to lean more forward.

“God you’re so fucking gorgeous.” He comments before crashing his lips into mine fervently. Ejiro teases his tip against my entrance, and applies pressure on my hip, signaling that it is finally time. I wrap my arms around Katsuki’s neck, streadying myself as I slowly lower myself.

I wince, panting with a few wanton squeaks before he bottoms out, pressing into my cervix without having to try. I grit my teeth, suppressing a scream, squeezing my eyes shut.

“Hey, hey. Is it too much? we can stop if-” Katsuki asks, pressing his thumbs into my cheekbones to force my face to his.

“I’m okay- Just- it’s big.” I whine, and he chuckles.

“Trust me, I know Teddy Bear. Focus on me okay- here.” He presses his thumb to my already overstimulated clit, drawing small, tight circles. I arch my back, accidentally grinding down on Ejiro, who moans around Katsuki’s cock. Katsu does the thumb thing again, and I can’t stop myself from rocking. Both of Ejiro’s hands fly to my hips, attempting to pull me up on him.

I follow the instruction, letting him manipulate me up and down on him, letting the small moans fall from my mouth.

“C’mon Teddy Bear, you can do better then that. You’re taking that fat cock so good baby, doesn’t it feel good?” Katsuki questions between his own moans. Ejiro begins to pick up speed, jutting up his own hips to meet mine. I gasp, leaning forward into Katsuki while placing my hands on Ejiro’s chest to steady myself.

“Baby- fuck- Ejiro’s close. I - can tell.” Katsuki struggles to communicate through his lewd moans. Far softer than I’d thought they’d be. He’s whining, deep grooves in his forehead as he juts downward, into Ejiro’s throat.

“Are you close?” Katsuki’s question comes as a surprise, I shake my head.

“It… just started feeling good.” I whine back at him, and he nods.

“ ‘s okay… You still have my turn baby… here.” He lifts himself off Ejiro, a wet pop sound resonates from their separation.

“Switch.” Ejiro commands, sitting up with me still wrapped around him. To my surprise, he flips us over. With him on top, he somehow gets even deeper, causing me to reel.

“Ow!” I complain, earning myself a tender kiss.

“Sorry- sorry, fuck I know- too fast, I know, sorry.” Ejiro apologizes profusely, slowly backing out of me.

“My turn.” Katsuki says gruffly, all but pushing Ejiro out of the way. “Instead of that slow shit, you’re just gonna have to learn to tell me when to stop.” Katsuki warns, lining himself up with me. Something inside of me- the competitive little goblin I am, tells me now’s the time to be a total bitch. I roll my eyes at him.

“You first.” I smirk, earning a nearly feral growl from him.

“You little-” Katsuki is cut off by a loud squeak from his throat. Ejiro’s arms wrap around his chest, thrusting him forward into me without warning or time to adjust. “You’re both being fucking brats.” Ejiro chuckles, pulling back but thrusting again, causing both the blonde and I to nearly scream.

“Oh? Is it too much?” Kirishima smirks over Katsuki’s shoulder, pushing him to lay atop me. “You fucking asked for this Bakugo.” Ejiro wraps a hand around Katsuki’s throat, murmuring directly into the boy’s ear while his garnet eyes stay on me.

“Teasing my princess with your cock like that huh? Threatening her? Let’s see how you like it huh? With my dick inside you?” He chuckles darkly, slamming into Katsuki with wild abandon. The force of his thrusts drives Katsuki deeper inside me, making my toes curl.

“And you, little one. Must you egg him on at every turn? I’m getting sick of it.” Ejiro growls, forcing Katsuki’s hips into mine. “Since you both want to be brats, I’ll just have to show you who’s really in charge here yeah? Yeah?” Ejiro slams into us with each word, the sounds of slapping skin and wet suction fill the room alongside our moans.

I feel it, through the pain, through the embarrassment. The pleasure. That tight knot in my stomach shaking, pulsating with need for release.

“S-stop clenching it’s too tight.” Katsuki begs through his whines, gripping on to the sheets.

“I-I can’t” I cry, holding him close to try to relieve some of the pressure.

“You gonna cum? Huh? You gonna cum on his cock?” Ejiro asks, pressing fully into Katsuki’s back to lean down so my face is inches from his. “Answer me, princess.” Ejrio warns, tangling his hands into Katsuki’s hair and pulling up his head.

“Tell him you’re gonna cum on his cock.” Ejiro demands, driving into Katsuki harder.

“Fu-fuck! Please!” Katsuki begs. I’m not sure of me or Ejiro at this point. I’m not sure I can find it in me to care.

“G-Gonna cum!” I screech, doing just that.

“I LOVE YOU!” Katsuki cries, falling atop me in exhaustion.

Chapter Text

Did he really say that? No way he actually said that. I steal a glance at him, looking up from his chest that I’m using as a pillow. He’s shirtless, snoring. Why didn’t I say it back? He was only talking to Ejiro right? Yeah, that makes sense. I doze off, being spooned by Ejiro and using Katsu as a pillow.
When my alarm goes off promptly at three AM, I attempt to sit up but am kept in place by Ejiro’s arm. I try again, but it hardens, keeping me firmly locked in place and tearing at my skin, causing blood to drip onto it. I wince, but slide downward, losing my shirt in the process.

My alarm is only a vibrate, so it doesn’t wake them. Since the incident in the woods, I’ve been a really light sleeper. I slink over to my sweatpants, retrieving my phone. I turn it off and look over the boys. They’re still out. I open my phone.

No missed calls, no texts. Good. No use waking them up. I sneak out of the bedroom, opening the door slowly. A low growl behind me makes me pause.

“Where you goin’ Teddy Bear?” Katsuki questions, sitting up in bed and yawning.

“I’ve gotta go home before Aizawa wakes up or he might legitimately kill me.” I stretch, cracking my back.

“Alright, lemme get my keys.” He grumbles, sliding onto his feet.

“No it’s okay, I’ll just call an Uber.” I wave him off, slipping on my shirt.

“No. It’s late… don’t want you alone in a car with some creep.” He leans down, pressing a soft kiss on Kiri’s forehead before retrieving a shirt from the floor and shoving it over his torso.

“You really don’t have to worry about me, I’m capable.” I protest in a whisper, walking out of the room.

“Shut up and let me take care of you, dumbass. I’m not great at it in the first place.” He grumbles, wiping sleep from his eyes as he grabs his keys from the fruit bowl on the table. That is all that is said.

“So… did you like it?” Katsuki asks, his driving pace is far slower without him being enraged, and his hair is even more wild than usual.

“It kinda hurt at first, with both of you, but it felt really good after a while.” I admit, wrapping my arms around myself. Damn it, I really need to remember to start bringing jackets places. Katsuki notices, leaning over to turn on the hot air without a word.

“Cool.” Is all he says. Why is this so awkward? Hours ago, he was inside me so why now is he being so… bashful? “Sorry about… earlier today. I don’t handle most emotional situations very well.” He stares out the windshield, biting his lip.

“Yeah, don’t really worry about it. You know me, can’t get hurt.” I joke, tilting my head slightly and looking at him through the corners of my eyes while shrugging.

“You can though. You do… or it wouldn’t bother you as much as it obviously does.” Katsuki pauses, turning into a slower lane. This is weird… bim driving according to the speed limit, slowing down and letting people pass him, generally obeying the laws of the road.

“Kirishima and I could hear you crying on the phone yesterday. The only other time you cried like that was after USJ and when I… did what I did after our study date. I didn’t know when I did it what had been going on with you… and I’m sorry.” He apologizes, in the streetlights I can see tears brimming his ruby eyes.

“I didn’t ever stop to think how my actions, how who I am might hurt you.” He clears his throat, blinking away his tears. “I won’t let that happen again.” He pulls up to the apartment complex. “You don’t have to say it back.” He says as I slide out of the car.

“Say what?” I ask, leaning down to look at him through the open car door.

“I love you.” he murmurs. I slam the door, turning away. Nope. not opening that can of worms. Not dealing with that, not tonight. He’s just still riding the high of having sex with me… that’s it.

I climb up the fire escape, sneaking quietly into the guest room, slipping off my shoes before they touch the carpet.

“Mind telling me where you were?” A deep growl asks, a dark figure lays on the bed, legs splayed across the comforter. Dark jeans, dark sweater. Fuck. Why’s he up at three thirty in the morning?!

“Uh-” He cuts me off.

“Don’t bother lying to me, I could see his car.” His voice is a deep rumble, darker than even Katsuki’s on his angriest days. He’s pissed. Aizawa stands, pushing his hair out of his face with a hand, tying it behind his head.

“I was at Katsuki’s house.” I swallow, my feet subconsciously separate, ready to run.

“Was Kirishima there as well?” Aizawa’s questioning sounds almost teasing, he stares me down like a lion stalking a gazelle. I’m fucked, aren’t I? At least I didn’t die a virgin, I guess.

“No.” I lie, Katsuki is already fucked, no need to implicate Kirishima as well. The scarf wraps around me, slamming me into the wall opposite the window, knocking the air out of me.

“Lying is not going to help anyone, Black. Do you have any idea what you might have done? Going alone to a house with two teenaged boys that have very strong quirks- one of them already having been kidnapped by the league of villains once- without any kind of protection?” His voice is deadly calm. His eyes are glowing red. Don’t look at them- no don’t look. Too much like his- not soft like Kiri’s… not warm like Katsu’s cold, bright, hard.

“Care to explain what was so important it couldn’t wait for the dorms? What couldn’t be said over a phone call or text?” Aizawa queries, tightening the bonds to squeeze an answer out of me.

“I- I just didn’t want to be alone!” I protest, wiggling but finding no purchase against the tight bonds.

“What you did was stupid, negligent, and incrimintaing.” Aizawa’s tone is tired, disappointed. “You clearly have no regard for your safety- or anyone elses’ Katherine. Do I have to show you you aren’t indestructible? How many times have your reckless decisions hurt you? How many boys are you going to let get away with using you?” he spits the last question, and I break.

“Use me? Are you joking? Isn’t that my whole point? To be used?! To be the perfect little hero, save the world and sacrifice everything for others? Isn’t that the whole point of being a hero?!” I’m yelling, nearly screaming at him. He pauses, eyes wide, mouth agape for several long seconds before composing himself.

“Keep talking. Let it out. Talk to me.” The binds disappear. I take a shaky breath before continuing.

“I have to be perfect. I have to master my quirk and my training and I have to suffer to do that. I have to let people use my body and brain to get where I’m supposed to be. My dad- My dad would have wanted me to keep moving. He would have wanted me to hang out with my friends and go after the villains on my own if I had to. Because my dad idolized heroes more than most kids I know. Because I am his perfect creation and now that he’s gone I have to fill his shoes. I have to go beyond where he did, and succeed where he failed. I have to be the hero AllMight thought I was at the USJ. I have to protect everyone, even you, even though you’re trying to control me!” He grimaces at this, but does not interrupt me.

“So… If I want to sneak out- If I want to have sex or go to parties- I need to do it now, before school starts back up. Because once classes begin… I’m breaking up with them. I’m giving up my friends, I’m focusing on beating Shigaraki. I just wanted to savor this normalcy before I give it up for good.” My words spill from my mouth like a running tap, collecting on the floor and flooding over my knees, making them wobble to stay afloat.

“Give me your phone.” Aizawa says, reaching out his hand.

“What? No.” I deny him, but he persists.

“You’re… you’re grounded, alright? We’ll talk about it more in the morning. Go to sleep. And I mean actual sleep this time, not staring out the window.” He reaches forward, pressing me into the wall. My breath hitches. Too close. Too close. Hate it. Red eyes- TOO CLOSE. He backs away, holding my phone.

“Go to sleep Katherine. There’s Nyquil in the cabinet if you need it.” He leaves the room, closing the door behind him. Too close- he was way too close. He’s my teacher- he shouldn’t be that close. Hawks got that close and then he- No… I can’t sleep in this apartment. I won’t. I won’t let it happen again. No. I sit on the bed, retrieving my Math textbook. Study. Stay awake. Stay awake.

The sun breaks before I do. I persevere until the clock on the wall reads six AM. Working two days on a combined six hours of sleep is slowing down my quirk. I can feel my hearing dull, and my eyesight blurs ever so barely. I can replace sleep with food- but what if he drugs me like the stalker did? I want Ejiro. I want Katsuki. I want to feel safe again. I step out of the bedroom, coming face to face with Aizawa, who does not look pleased.

“You certainly do not look like you slept at all, young lady, it’s only been two and a half hours since I sent you to bed. Do you need to sleep on the couch so I can watch you?” He questions. There’s no humor in his voice. I’m not in the mood to argue.

“Can I have my phone back?” I ask, eyes cast at the floor.

“After you’ve slept, I’ll consider it.” He proposes, and I groan.

“I’ll walk to Endeavor’s then. I’m sure my mom would be fine with me staying with the Number One Hero.” I push past him, toward the door.

He places a hand on my shoulder, and my brain reacts far slower than my body. I grip his arm, flipping him over my body and slamming him on the ground. I blink, realizing what I’ve done. “Oh god- I’m so sorry I-” I grip on to his hands, taking his sore back.

“You’re on edge. Still. Is this about the Villains, or something else?” Aizawa stands, cracking his neck.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” I grumble, and he sighs.

“Go to bed, Black, before I lay you out myself.” The threat is not at all half-hearted. He means it.

“Fine.” I mumble, stalking back into the bedroom. I resist the urge to slam the door, but I do lock it. I lay down, staring at the ceiling for god knows how long before a knock resonates through the apartment, originating from the front door. It opens.

“I came to pick up Katherine Black.” The voice sends a shock through my body. Keigo. No. No he can’t be here. He agreed to stay away. No! A slamming noise comes from just outside the apartment, and even through the hazy state of my mind and my slowly deteriorating hearing, I can hear the conversation, and approximate their location.

“You stay the fuck away from here Takami.” Aizawa’s whispered growl lets me know he thinks I can’t hear them. I tiptoe closer to the door, pressing my ear to it to hear better.

“What’s your problem Eraser? I just want to see-” A thud interrupts Keigo, and he grunts.

“I know what you did to her you scum. That little girl is a CHILD. I don’t want to see you near her ever again, or I’ll kill you myself. Do you understand me son?” Aizawa threatens. My heart pounds. He knows? He knows what Keigo did… Why hasn’t he said anything to me?

“You have no Idea what you’re talking about, Eraserhead. I have express permission from her mom to come get her. Her father had me in his will to protect her.” Keigo’s voice is smug, A slicing sound follows the end of his sentence, and I creek open the door to look.

Aizawa’s hair is standing on end, His scarf is slightly ripped. Keigo stands, in all his glory, with his wings fully spread. He looks past Aizawa, staring at me in the doorway.

“Keigo- I said it was over. Let it be over.” I mumble, rubbing my wrists together.

“Listen- I know I fucked up- I don’t- I don’t know why I did what I did okay?” He begins, I laugh at his feeble attempt at apology.

“It’s- It’s fine. I’m fine. I haven’t slept without being knocked out in days… I constantly have nightmares and I just found out I was raped in the woods by a classmate after being abducted by the league of villains.” I laugh, clutching my side as it stitches. He stares at me, eyes wide. Aizawa keeps his eyes on Keigo, ready to fight if needed. “I’m fine though, I’m fine.” I repeat the lie, hating the way it tastes on my tongue. “You should go… I’m not in the mood right now for visitors. If you really wanna apologize, do it with Shigaraki Tomura’s head on a silver platter for me, will you?”

Chapter Text

I didn’t see Keigo again after that night. He threw himself into taking down the LOV, at my request.

The student dorm only actually took three days to construct, and when I’d begged Aizawa to just let me move in on my own, he vehemently refused. The month passes. I still don’t sleep much. I move into the dorms a week before everyone else, the same time that the teachers do. Aizawa allows me to put an extra lock on the door, and request no windows.

It was hard to convince Nezu with the fire hazard, but once I showed him how easily I can heal burns, he allowed it. My dorm room is simple, A single family photo hanging on one wall, Bedding from Aizawa’s house. No personal touches otherwise. Why would I need them when I’m only going to be studying here.

Aizawa convinced me to not drop my friends, bringing up several valid points about allies and needing sparring partners and study buddies. He still says I shouldn’t be wasting my time dating. He’s like a weird older brother- meddling but well-meaning.

I meet Aizawa on the front steps of the dorms a few minutes before my classmates start to arrive, and I try not to stare at him. Aizawa is a good person. Beneath his lazy, bored exterior he really only took care of me out of the kindness of his heart. He didn’t have to let me stay in his house- I had plenty of other places to go. He didn’t have to threaten Keigo, he didn’t have to dig further into Keigo and I’s relationship at all, but he did. He cares about his students. It’s sweet.

Once Ejiro and Katsuki arrive, I join them.

“It feels like I haven’t seen you in forever!” Ejiro complains, wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug.

“I know right?!” I laugh, giving the red-headed boy a kiss on the cheek.

“If i’d known you weren’t going to be allowed out at all after sneaking out, I’d have just brought Kiri to your place, dumbass.” Katsuki growls in a whisper, and I punch his shoulder.

“I missed you too, Katsu.” I tease, reaching up and ruffling his already wild hair.

We fall into a comfortable silence as the rest of the class arrives. Aizawa clears his throat.

“Given everything that has happened, I’m glad we were able to bring class A back together.” Aizawa begins, and I smile. He does care about us, even if he refuses to outwardly admit it.

“So we all got the go ahead to move on campus.” Sero grins, clearly excited.

“It took a lot of convincing for my parents.” Hagakure droops, I can’t see her face but I imagine a frown.

“I was pretty concerned about mine.” Jiro adds, and I frown. Was my mom the only one who was one-hundred percent convinced to send me away? The conversation continues without me.

Lost in my own thoughts, overstimulated with the amount of talking… and breathing. Aizawa had taken to giving me tea before bed. I knew it was full of melatonin, but I also knew that Aizawa wouldn’t try anything. Unlike Keigo, he’d lose his job, and he’d be arrested. Aizawa’s voice breaks my thoughts.

“I was surprised, as well. But circumstances have changed.” He scratched at the top of his head, looking around the group, making sure we are all listening. “Now, then. I’ll explain how your dorm assignments will work shortly. First, however… We haven’t forgotten about the provisional hero licenses you were supposed to get during the training camp.” Aizawa peers over the group, and I blank.

Right. That was the point of the camp. I’d forgotten somewhere between being kidnapped and figuring out I’d been assaulted. It seems I’m not the only one that’d forgotten… and I’m not the only one who knows about the assault. I can tell by the way Izuku avoids my eyes, and How Shoto seems to be even colder than usual. The side glances from the boys, the concern from the girls. They all know. Once again, I’m the fucking victim. Act like it didn’t affect you. Pretend it doesn’t bother you. You don’t want to be a burden.

“This is important. Listen well. Kirishima. Yaoyorozu. Todoroki. Midoriya. Iida. You five are the ones that broke the rules and went to rescue Bakugo and Black that night.” He glares at the students. No. He’s not really going to punish them for that, right? He wouldn’t… He couldn’t… “Based on your reactions, I assume the rest of you were at least aware of their plan. I’m going to set aside a number of issues and just say this. If it weren’t for AllMight’s retirement from the Hero scene, I would expel everyone here except for Bakugo, Jiro, Hagakure and Black. The five of you who went, of course, but also the remaining thirteen that didn’t try to stop them.”

My eyes flit over to Shinso. He didn’t try to stop the others… he knew about Ejiro’s rescue plan?

“You betrayed our trust. Even if it was to keep your friends from getting into trouble. In order to regain our confidence, you’ll need to obey every rule to the letter, and live as model students. That’s all.” Aizawa turns on his heel, looking toward the building. “Now, look alive. Enjoy your new home.” Aizawa walks off, leaving the class terrified.

I knew he wasn’t that much of a hardass. No matter what he says about All-Might, there’s not much a bunch of freshman can do to replace him. That was a warning, Next time, don’t get caught. I slink off from the group, approaching Izuku and Todoroki.

“Hey… can I talk to you guys?” I ask, looking between them.

“Whats up?” Izuku blushes as he speaks, I try to ignore the very angry stare I’m getting from Katsuki.

“I wanted to say… Thank you for saving Katsuki.” I let loose a soft chuckle before continuing with the more serious subject matter. “And… It wasn’t your fault that I got kidnapped… and It wasn’t your fault that you couldn’t save me when you guys saved Katsuki.” I flicker my glance to Shoto. His lips are set into a straight line, his jaw is clenched. “I also wanted to tell you… thank you for trying. It means alot that you were willing to risk everything to help me.” I lean forward, giving Izuku a hug. He takes it happily, wrapping his arms fully around my waist and shoving his face into my neck.

“I’m glad you’re okay.” Izuku murmurs as we pull away. I open my arms to give Shoto a hug, but he hesitates. Not wanting to be awkward about it, I put my arms down, only to be swallowed up by his embrace. Over my arms entirely, he holds me for several long seconds, squeezing tightly.

“Don’t leave me like that again, Kitty.” He murmurs. It sounds… like a threat? Well, Shoto doesn’t really do the best with emotions. Knowing his dad, threats probably sound like affection to him.

I’ll have to figure out something nice to do for Momo, but I’m pretty sure this makes me Even with Tenya. I tried to save him, he tried to save me, it’s only fair. I rejoin my boyfriends, earning a reassuring smile from Ejiro, and an angry grimace from Katsuki.

“What are you doing getting all touchy with Deku and Icy-hot?” Katsuki growls, and I roll my eyes.

“I was thanking them for saving you-” I’m immediately cut off by Katsuki’s hand around my wrist, dragging me toward the building. His hold is too tight. I press my hand into his arm to show him. “Katsu- you’re hurting me.” I mumble, and he squeezes harder. I begin to see bruises form on his wrist.

“Bakugo- Stop!” Ejiro warns, stepping in front of us. “You’re hurting yourself.” The redheaded boy’s brows are pulled together in worry. Katsuki finally releases his grip.

“I already said I don’t want you touching them.” Katsuki grumbles, crossing his arms and looking over his shoulder.

“Where’s this even coming from? They’re my friends, Katsuki!” I protest, and Ejiro shakes his head.

“You can have friends, but it’s also fair of him to be wary of you going around hugging other guys- especially Todoroki, who obviously has a thing for you.” Ejiro backs Katsuki up, making my jaw drop.

“Are you serious?” I back away from the both of them. “Shoto doesn’t have a thing for me, we’re just friends!” I argue, and Katsuki grits his teeth.

“I don’t want you talking with those damn nerds. They’re useless, Kate.” My heart drops.

“Bakugo- that’s not really fair.” Ejiro tries, ever being the mediator. Katsuki really called them Useless. What the fuck.

“You can’t tell me who I can’t talk to-”

“Then stop being such a whore.” Katsuki spits, and I react without thinking. I land a firm, open-palmed slap across his face. The same way my father would have if I’d said something like that to him. Ejiro moves, lifting me up with his back to Katsuki as he walks away.

“Alright- okay let’s just take a break here, alright?” His tone is familiar- like the last fight I’d been in. Keigo- trying to mediate.

“Fuck this- and fuck the both of you.” I spit, pushing Kirishima away from me.

“Been there, done that Teddy Bear.” Bakugo teases, eyes still burning with rage. I lunge, but someone else holds my arm.

“Leave it.” Sero shakes his head, pulling me away from them. I hold back the angry, frustrated tears and follow along with Sero, keeping my fists balled at my sides. I never should have slept with them. I never should have allowed myself to be vulnerable around them. I knew better- I was warned. Fuck- I scrub at my face with my hands, following closely behind Aizawa into the dormitories, he doesn’t say anything about my outburst.

I could just go back to my room and study- would that be rude? Yeah… that would be rude. I should respect Aizawa and stay for the whole tour, even though I’ve already been here a week.

“Each student dormitory holds one class. Girls are on the right, and boys are on the left. The entire first floor is a common area. That’s where you’ll find your kitchen, baths, and laundry rooms.” Aizawa explains and gestures up the stairs.

“Living quarters start on the next floor. Four boys and four girls on each level. Everyone gets their own room. You should be comfortable. You’ve got your own AC, toilets, fridges, and closets.” Aizawa explains, then hands out papers to every one of a map of the building. I didn’t think it was really that difficult to figure out… but I guess not everyone has lived in huge apartment buildings most of their life.

I’m alone on the right side of the third floor, and I’m the only one besides the teachers that even has a keycard to get onto the floor.

“I’ll tell you more about your next few lessons tomorrow. For now, get to work.” Aizawa leaves the class to unpack, and I slink off to my room to be alone.

Math. Study your math. According to the online placement tests I took I’m well ahead of schedule, right on par with my other classes, but I need to be better. I sigh, stretching after three hours of being hunched over my textbook. Fuck it, might as well train as well. Aizawa’s rigorous workout routine is heinously intense. Weights, training, reps.

I slip in my earbuds and work on the treadmill. I have to be faster, I have to be lighter on my feet. I barely got away in the woods, and my performance at the sports festival was lacking, even when I was trying my best. The great thing about having a constantly healing body is that I can push past where normal people have to stop when they strain their muscles and joints.

I get in a decent pace, just under nine miles an hour. I push to go faster, longer, harder. I need to be better. Ignore the pain. Ignore the blisters. Ignore the fear. Just run. Running is good. Running is safe. No, you need to be faster. Imagine Tomura behind you, those hands outstretched. Faster. Get away from him. Nine miles an hour. Ten miles an hour. Eleven. Push. Keep going- fuck- I can’t breathe. Yes you can.

Stop being weak.

Do better.

Chapter Text

I am interrupted by a pink hand waving in front of my face, making me jump and fly off the back of the treadmill, into a wide chest. The force has me and whoever caught me fall onto the floor. I rip out my headphones, heart pumping erratically. I turn slightly, finding I’m sitting in Momo’s lap. I scramble away, muttering an apology as we both blush wildly.

“Did you guys need something?” I question, trying to slow my heart rate.

“Oh- wow those are really loud” Mina laughs, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Yeah, they need to basically be hurting my ears or I can still hear over them.” I push myself up and offer a hand to Momo, who takes it and seems flustered as she gets to her feet.

“We came to ask if you’d want to come participate in the room decorating competition but…” Mina pauses, looking around my room. “But I think you’ll definitely lose- look at this place! Just work out equipment and neutral tones!” Mina groans, pulling my arm to yank me out of the room.

“It’s fine, you can still judge other people, that’s always fun.” Momo snickers, following close behind.

Everyone’s already standing at Izuku’s room, and he’s nearly crying from the judgement. I peek inside.

“It looks like an AllMight Land giftshop in here.” I mumble, causing Izuku to turn, blushing wildly.

“Well, I admire him…” Izuku blushes, hunched over his desk.

“Yeah, and I admire Bill Nye the science guy… but not enough to have posters of him.” I ruffle his hair, earning a grimace from Ejiro… but it seems Katsuki isn’t here. Good, at least I won’t get yelled at.

“This is really embarrassing.” Izuku whines, and I pull him in to a side hug.

“Not really, I think it’s good you have someone you can look up to like that. The only pro hero I ever thought was worth admiring was Hawks and…” I avoid Kirishima’s gaze. “Turns out he’s not all that. From what I’ve learned from AllMight though, he’s genuinely a good guy!” I give Izuku a reassuring smile, and it seems to placate him.

Up next is Fumikage’s room, and it takes both Mina and Toru to push him out of the way to look into it. When the door opens, it kind of gives me the creeps. Too dark, red lights only and warm tones- too much like the LOV hideout. I back out of the room as quickly as possible, bumping into Ejiro.

“Hey- It’s just a room.” He mumbles, but keeps his hand on the small of my back.

“Oh I know- I’m fine don’t worry about it.” I feign a laugh, turning away. I’m not talking to him right now. Not until he and Katsuki can both learn to not be so goddamn jealous.

Aoyama’s room is… bright. So many mirrors- and a fucking discoball hanging from the celing. Alright, I was right when I thought he was a weirdo.

Mineta’s room is up next, but the girls decide to skip it. Mineta is a fucking creep sure- but he hasn’t actually tried anything… unless? No… the person in the video was too tall to be Mineta. It wasn’t him.

Ojiro’s room is bare, even more so than mine. Makes me feel better about actually not having anything to put in the room in the first place.

Tenya’s room is lined with books- some of which I think I might need to borrow to study for the semester. I’m sure he’d let me- thought there’s not much I can offer in return… maybe money?

Denki’s room looks the same as it is at his house. Jumbled mess without much rhyme or reason to the decor or the fashion displayed- but clean. There’s a method to his chaos.

Koda’s room is… adorable. Right down to the pet rabbit he somehow convinced the admin to let him have in his dorm. Maybe I could convince Aizawa to let me have a cat? Doubtful.

Mineta actually brings up a valid argument that the girl’s rooms should be judged as well. I thought that was happening either way, considering how my room had been scrutinized by Mina. Whatever honestly, it’s just harmless fun to bond with the class- I guess. All of our friendships shouldn’t be built on mutual trauma. Most of these people only seem to know me as the girl who gets hurt, but I’d like to think there’s more to me then that.

Kirishima’s room is next. I guess I should have prepared for this. Being in his living space, being around him like this. I’d known better. At least Katsuki is already in bed, so I don’t have to deal with… all that just yet.

“Not that I care. But you might not get what I’m going for.” Ejiro warns as he opens his door. The pictures on the walls, the punching bag, the clock with muscled arms on it… “A den of manliness!” He proclaims. He’s right- I guess. Though the amount of decoration limits the equipment he can have in the room. Only the punching bag serves as equipment. I guess that works, for his quirk.

Hitoshi’s room is nearly exactly like mine, minus most of the equipment, only a treadmill and small punching bag for reaction speed. Glad to know Aizawa’s other protege is following in his decorative practices.

Shoji’s room is… empty. Not even a bedframe, just folded up bedroll and a kneeling desk in the corner. And I thought MY room was empty.

Sero’s room is cozy, neutral tones and reds, soft lighting, lots of East-asian style stuff. Looks like a decently coz place to study, if need be. I keep that in mind.

Shoto’s room is exactly the same as it is at his house. Even down to the flooring. He remodeled the entire room in a day, but honestly knowing him that’s just par for the course.

Sato’s decor isn’t what draws my attention, it’s the smell. Baked goods- to be expected from a guy who’s power comes from sugar.
“I thought we could all eat it together. It hasn’t been iced yet, but, want some?” Sato asks, and I disappear behind the guys. If they ask, I’m trying to lose weight. I can’t trust food I didn’t make myself or watch be made the entire time. I get a poke on the shoulder from Izuku, who gives me a raised brow.

“Oh- not a big sweets person.” I lie, shrugging. He lets it go, thankfully.

The time comes for the girl’s rooms, starting on the second floor and working up. Kyoka first, about what I expected, lots of music paraphernalia, reds and blacks. Makes sense.

Toru’s room is… a myriad of pinks. A shrine- to the color pink. I mean, don’t get me wrong, pink is also my favorite color, but this is a bit excessive. Mina’s name is the same thing in a different font. Neon and Hot pink instead of soft pastels. It kind of burns my eyes

Ochako’s room is...boring. Simple. Nothing really to see- or to judge.

Tsu is supposed to be next, but she isn’t feeling well, according to Ochako. We make the unanimous decision to not bother her.

Momo is the last one before mine, and her room is… cramped. Too much stuff, not enough room for it all. It looks like the movie Anastasia was filmed and then all of the set pieces were stored here. Her bed is huge.

My room is last. Fuck. “Uh- so hey- I should warn you before we walk in it’s not-” Mina rolls her eyes, pushing me to the side to shove open my door. A collective gasp resonates from the class.

“Woah! What’s with all the workout equipment?” Ochako questions, venturing to the back wall of my room.

“Yeah- she even lofted her bed to fit a weight machine!” Denki notes, sitting on said machine.

“I’m trying to get on your guy’s level physically. We all know I kinda suck in fights.” I scratch at my neck, blushing. I notice Tenya eyeing my open math textbook on my bed. There’s no point of a desk- It’ll just take up space. I don’t even have a dresser for clothes, they’re all just stuffed in a single dufflebag next to the treadmill.

“Why don’t you have a balcony like everyone else, isn’t that a fire hazard?” Tenya inquires, and I scratch harder.

“Oh- well you guys know with the stalker and everything… It’s just better if there’s only one way to get in. I even have a sliding lock for when I go to bed.” I gesture to my doorjamb, and I can see the looks on everyone’s face when I mention the stalker. They all know.

“Where’s all the color?” Toru asks, trying to change the subject. I appreciate the effort, but this line of questioning is just as painful.

“Most of this stuff Mr. Aizawa bought me. All of my stuff from my room at home was stolen by the League of villains.” Ejiro raises an eyebrow.

“I didn’t know they did that?” He looks concerned again, and I clear my throat.

“Yeah- It’s not a big deal though. I don’t put much weight into possessions.” I give a tight smile.

Mina is quick to distract, “Alright! Let’s go downstairs and VOTE shall we?” the group leaves my room quickly, avoiding the awkwardness from this conversation entirely. Shoto lingers, leaning into my shoulder to speak without being heard by anyone else.

“I’m on this floor too, remember. If you need anything I’m right here.” He mumbles, serious as ever.

“Thanks Sho.” I give him a tight smile and lean my head on his shoulder for a moment as a sign of affection. Surprising me, he leans down, and places a kiss on the crown of my head. A friendly gesture. He slips his hand into mine, bewildering me even further as I realize it’s his left hand. A sign of trust. I give it a gentle squeeze.

“There’s some things I think we should talk about, at some point.” Shoto murmurs as we follow behind the rest of the group. He’s concerned about me, like a friend would be. I try not to notice Ejiro’s questioning glare.

“All right, everybody. Has everyone got their votes in? Remember, you can’t pick yourself, guys!” Mina reminds, and I stifle a laugh. I voted for Izuku, he really went all out with the personalization aspect, and I feel like if at least one person votes for him he won’t be so… embarrassed about it.

“And now, without further Ado, here are the results of the first best room competition, minus Bakugo and Tsu. Drumroll please!” Mina demands, and I drum on my knees in support. “With a total of Five votes, the overwhelming winner of this totally awesome contest is… Rikido Sato!” Mina announces, and I tilt my head. Yeah… cake is always a winner.

“By the way, all the girls voted for you… except Katherine, who voted for Deku.” She teases, giving me a wink. I look over at Izuku, finding him blushing, covering the bottom half of his face with his hand.

Shoto is standing next to him, and through that mostly-stoic face I can spot… anger? Is he really that upset about not winning? I shrug, stepping back from the group. That’s enough excitement for today, I guess.

I head up to the fifth floor. Being the only girl in the hall is nice, I won’t have to hear anyone else walking around or being obnoxious. I trudge up the stairs instead of using the elevator. I might as well run for another hour or two. I was making decent speed progress. I wonder what my limit is, considering I can’t hurt myself. I bet I could make it pretty damn fast, especially considering I have an amazing pain tolerance. I should probably work on that too-

My thoughts are interrupted by someone slamming me into my door as I open it, an entire chest closing me in.

“You think I wouldn’t see you hanging on Deku like that, That Kiri wouldn’t tell me about you fawning over Icy-hot? Or maybe you think I’m stupid, huh?” Katsuki’s voice is dark, angry. I react, shoving my elbow into his ribs and gripping his arm, swinging myself around on it to slam him into the wall instead, shoving his wrist between his shoulder blades, the way Aizawa had taught me.

“You’re being fucking rediculous Katsuki.” I warn, not letting him go. My heart is pumping. If he manhandles me like that over giving Izuku a hug- He’s nuts.

“Let go or I swear I’ll blast you to bits.” He threatens, his cheek pressed against the wall.

“Not until you calm down and stop pushing me around!” I tighten my hold, but back away from him, keeping the most of my body distanced away from him as possible. A blast goes off in his hand, but with my bare hands on his arm, it only injures him. I try not to notice the bruises still on his wrist. “You’re only hurting yourself. Calm. Down.” I demand, twisting his arm higher up. “I’ll break this- don’t fucking test me, Bakugo.” I warn, and he stops struggling, closing his eyes.

“Fine- fine! Fuck can we just talk about this? Please?” He murmurs, his voice still gravelly, but softer. I release, stepping back from him as far as the hallway will allow.

“One wrong move and I’ll scream. Shoto is right on the other side.” I warn, keeping my hands at the ready. He tenses at the mention of Shoto, but doesn’t move otherwise.

“I’m sorry.” He mumbles, looking down at the floor. “I just- I need you, okay? I need you and you keep getting caught up with other people. You like Shitty hair more than me, and that’s fine- but you like IcyHot more too- and even fucking Deku has got your attention! You don’t let me just take care of you! You always find some way to do shit on your own and I hate it!” He’s getting louder, angrier as he speaks.

“I think we should take a bre-” He cuts me off, pushing me against the wall and kissing me roughly. I try to push him off, even bringing up my knee to connect with his crotch, but he catches it, nestling himself between my legs and pinning my hands above my head.

I bite at the inside of my cheek, pressing the wound into him as quickly as I can, but he just opens his mouth to shove his tongue against my teeth. I can taste his blood in my mouth. I thrash, fighting him. He pulls back, covering my mouth with his hand, holding both of my wrists in his one hand. He looks at me, searching for something.

“Please- please don’t say that.” He begs. I bite into his finger, drawing more blood. When he releases, I whisper, I don’t scream.

“You’re just like the rest of them.” I stare hard, and he blanks, mouth agape. He backs away, flinging himself across the hallway.

“Fuck- fuck!” He cradles his head in his hands. “Why would I- Why did I…” He pauses, looking up at me. “I’m so- I’m... “ He doesn’t finish his sentence, shoves his hands in his pockets and books it down the stairs. What the fuck just happened?

Chapter Text

When I wake, I immediately hop on the weight machine. Lifting. I can do lifting. I have to get stronger. Katsuki overpowered me so easily last night, and if I can let myself be bested by a sixteen-year-old boy, there’s no way in hell I’ll be able to beat the League. I give up after a few hours, and open my dorm door, attaching the pull-up bar to the doorway, jumping up to start. Pull-ups are good, working on strength and mobility.

Over the summer, I’d gotten into gymnastics. The increased speed and mobility is good. I need to be able to use the environment to my advantage. I’m better at it than I’d thought I’d be, being able to work at it recklessly due to my quirk definitely helps.

I’ll need to find a place to do parkour here, and I’ll be set. I need to be more adaptable. But first, upper body strength. I work at it until the sun rises, feeling sore, tired. I know I have to eat something, or my quirk will slow- but the idea of eating anything scares me.

What if I’m drugged again? What if Katsuki- or the stalker- tries to pull something? It’s an easy fix, sure. I just won’t eat anything that doesn’t come straight from a sealed package.

I enter the bathroom. I’m the only one awake this early, so I shower and brush my teeth before anyone else’s alarm even goes off. I climb the stairs, and then back down them. Up, down. Up, down. My legs burn, my knees are sore, but this is good for my glutes. I need to build the muscle, I need to eat- I know that.

I’ll wait for everyone else to be awake. I need the girls to be awake, just in case.

When I hear someone’s alarm ring, I book it back down the stairs to the breakfast room with my english textbook. I wait, reading silently on the common area’s couch as everyone else arrives.

I can tell by the way Ejiro glares at Katsuki that he knows what happened. Katsuki tries to be stoic, and acts mostly like himself, but he’s quiet. Reserved. Avoidant. I find myself avoiding Shoto and Izuku as well, gravitating to Mina at every turn.

She does not comment on my aloofness, she does not judge. She takes my sudden closeness to her in stride, never asking why. Some part of me knows that she knows. She’s observant- kind.

I eat breakfast in silence, and stare down at the english textbook all the while. Apple, water bottle, rice cake. Denki wraps an arm around my shoulder from the side, leaning in.

“Hey sunshine, You look super down today, what’s up?” His voice is a little over a whisper, and I shrug.

“Just didn’t sleep well, I guess. New rooms do that.” I lie, and he chuckles.

“You can always come sleep in my room if you want.” He teases with a wink, and I give him a tight smile, trying not to notice the murderous look in Katsuki’s eye across the room.

“I’ll be fine.” I shrug him off, standing with my tray and dumping it, heading to class on my own, several minutes before I actually have to leave.

Aizawa squints when I walk into the room, immediately going to my seat and opening the text book again. He doesn’t comment, allowing me to study in peace. Once the rest of the class piles in, Aizawa stands at his podium. “I believe I mentioned this already, but your main focus this summer is obtaining provisional hero licenses. Do not take this lightly. A hero license means that you’re responsible for human lives. You can imagine that the exam to receive one is very difficult. Only 50 percent of students pass the tests required for these permits each year. In order to prepare, today you’ll concentrate on creating something new.” Aizawa’s voice is gruff, the door opens, revealing midnight, cementoss, and ectoplasm. “Two ultimate moves.” Aizawa finishes his thought, looking over at the other teachers.

“When we say ‘ultimate’, we mean a move that will ensure you win against your opponent.” ectoplasm clarifies, looking over the room.

“An action so unique to your identity that no other person can hope to copy it. Simply put, you must learn to lean into your strengths.” Cementos expands, holding up a finger as a gesture.

I mean… the only person who could remotely do what I do is my dad, but his healing is only at will, and if he falls… fell unconscious, he couldn’t heal himself… He isn’t- wasn’t- immortal.

I already have an idea of a good move for me. Tandem strike- letting myself get hurt, pushing it into the person while attacking with my own strike, removing the wound and then doing it again, speeding up the rate of damage to my opponent. But I can’t really practice that on classmates- I might kill them. The other one is better, what I used on Fumikage at the sports festival- double concussion. Knocking my head into my opponent and then pushing the damage I did to myself in the strike into them. That one’s better- less chance for actually long-term hurting anyone. It’s a disabling move, more defensive.

“Your moves represent who you are. These days, most heroes have an ultimate move. Those who don’t are fools.” Midnight warns, posing suggestively. I stifle a laugh.

“This may sound abstract, but we’ll explain more as the day goes on. For now, change into your costumes and meet in Gym Gamma.” Aizawa instructs, and the class scrambles to get ready.

Hatsume made me a new costume after the kidnapping incident, somehow finding a way to sew together hundreds of kudzu leaves from the same plant, making vines wrap around each of my fingers- ensuring I have somewhere for wounds to go. The leaves run over the white bodysuit with the micro-needles, keeping the majority of my skin covered. Only my Hands and face from the neck up are exposed.

My custom capture weapon is wrapped around my middle like a belt, daisy-chained for quick removal and access. My costume requires constant maintenance, needing to be sprayed with water and left in the sun on days not in use. There are three of them, interchangeable at need. I thought it might be confusing, having a name like Voodoo doll, having a healing quirk, and having a plant-themed costume- but honestly, fuck it. I don’t care about being well liked. I don’t want to be the number one hero, I just want to help people. I don’t need a flashy quirk or coherent theme to do that.

“Gym Gamma, also known at the Academy as the ‘Training Dining Land’, or TDL.” Aizawa introduces the space as we walk in, gesturing to the room.

“This facility was my idea. We can prepare unique terrains and obstacles for each student here. Here you will learn to serve up justice, hence the name.” Cementoss explains, pressing his hands to the ground to raise up some spires.

I wonder if he’d let me use them for parkour? I wonder if Shoto would agree to set up some ice for me to practice on- probably, he’s a really good friend. I need to work with him anyway for pain resistance. I was going to ask Katsuki but- I glance at him in his hero costume, looking as explosive as always. That probably won’t work. Maybe I should ask Mina for some acid instead? Asking Shoto for so much seems like a bad idea- I don’t want to start any more meaningless fights with Katsuki and Ejiro.

I’m pulled out of my own thoughts by Cementoss driving several larger spires. Oh… good. I didn’t even have to ask.

“I expect each of you to go Plus Ultra. Do you have it in you?” Aizawa asks the class.

Everyone answers with a “Yes, sir.” and disperses.

I catch Izuku, pulling on his elbow to get his attention. “Oh- Hey, Kate!” He smiles, and I reciprocate.

“I was going to ask you- If you hurt yourself during this training, can you come to me? I’m trying to train my reactions to pain and you tend to break a lot of bones.” I ask, and he nods.

“Oh absolutely, I had a feeling I might need your help anyway- I have no idea what my moves are gonna be.” He admits. I give him a curt nod.

“Well, good luck.” I offer, turning around. The less I talk to people, the better. I don’t need to be distracting myself with Katsuki’s drama. I huff, climbing a concrete spire. Rock-climbing. A decent enough exercise. Enhances the strength in my fingers, and the speed I can push wounds. My healing has gotten faster as well, the scrapes on my fingertips healing before they touch the next rock. Good. This is really good.

I approach Shoto, patiently waiting for him to be done with an Ice attack. “Did you need something, Kitty?” He asks, not turning to look at me.

“Oh- I was wondering if I could… hold your hand?” I ask, and he blanks, eyes wide as he turns to look at me.

“What?” He asks, confused.

“While you do your ice thing, can I hold the other hand? If you heat it, I can train my pain response and practice keeping the injury to myself while actively healing you.” I clarify, and he blushes, looking down. “This way you can work on heat control as well.” I shrug. He nods.

“That would be… Acceptable.” He mumbles, holding out his hand. I take it, wrapping my thumb over his knuckles. He turns away, working on ice continuously.

I try to ignore the loud blasts coming from the other side of the gym. Katsuki is pissed. I’m not going to tell anyone about what happened last night. It’s a stupid argument. I’m just waiting for him to cool down long enough to talk to- and for me to be strong enough to put his ass down if I need to.

The searing pain on my hands is unbearable, but I keep a straight face, moving along with Shoto as needed, keeping my feet light with his. Adaptable, fast. From anyone watching, We are simply holding hands as he blasts ice and dodges incoming attacks from ectoplasm’s clone.

It looks like I’m just healing him. But if you look very, very closely, you can see my skin being melted on my palm. You can smell my flesh cooking. I keep myself unreactive, focusing on the task at hand- avoiding Ectoplasm’s attacks while keeping my grip steady. I can do this. It isn’t so bad. Ectoplasm kicks me, square in the chest. With my feet planted firmly, I do not move. I do not react. Intimidation is a good tactic for low-level thugs, but it won’t work on higher-level bastards. I can do this- I can win if I can fight. I keep up a complicated dance with Shoto, I let him lead.

The next days follow similarly- I ask those with damaging quirks if they’d like to hold my hand for the exercise, and no one tells me no. Denki’s brain zaps are the worst, they make it hard to figure out which way is up, and I accidentally attack him with his own quirk a few times. He doesn’t seem to mind, still holding on to my hand softly through all of his attacks. I find his gaze lingering in places, but I ignore it. He knows he’s just a friend.

Mina is easy, her melting my skin doesn’t hurt as bad as I’d thought it would. I must’ve actually gotten stronger from Shoto. She keeps up playful conversation and gossip, gently talking about everything and nothing at all at all times. The distraction actually helps, surprisingly, and I find it easier to ignore pain with it.

Sato’s crushing grasp is a different kind of painful, but he’s not nearly as fast as the others. He's so slow that I find it hard to keep up, trying to move too fast too often. He’s awkward, blushing the entire time my skin touches his, and he apologizes profusely and offers to stop every time I wince. I laugh and wave his concerns off, and scold him when I catch him trying to be gentle. Adaptable. I have to be adaptable.

Holding both of Aoyama’s hands and facing toward him is awkward, but being able to focus just one hand on healing is good. With my help, his blasts are longer, stronger. He burns straight through my core, but the force of my healing is so strong it can’t reach past the muscles of my stomach. The nerves end up being so badly damaged during this that I can’t even feel his stomach upset, and I’m able to make him even stronger. He gushes compliments in his french accent, nicknaming me “Mon Amie.” I was skeptical at first, but he explained that it just means “My friend” in french. I accept this token happily. He’s a weirdo, but out of anyone here, I’d say the two of us make the best team.

Izuku’s day is full of breaking every bone in my body, but I’d experienced enough of it with Sato. I don’t respond to most of the pain, finding it easier to go along with as time progresses. He apologizes for every wound, but I don’t mind. He actually requests we stop halfway through the day, and I wonder if it’s because he feels bad about hurting me, or if it’s due to the enraged glare we get from Katsuki. I choose that day to work on my mobility alone, training my body’s reaction times, teaching myself to swing from obstacles and use my entire body instead of just my hands.

When Vlad King shows up and asks us to leave, Aizawa seems annoyed. I notice that same blonde cunt from before the sports festival attempting to bully my classmates again, but I do a pretty good job of ignoring him, finding that he’s got the perfect kind of voice to tune out. Something about him gives me the creeps, so I avoid him, working with my Capture weapon to swing around the Gymnasium in a similar fashion to how I’ve seen Sero

Chapter Text

I decide to approach Ejiro first. After not speaking to him for a week, the air between us is awkward, unfamiliar. “Hey.” I start simply, rubbing my finger over my thumb nervously.

“Hey.” He responds, swallowing.

“Would you want to train together today? I know you need to work on being more careful with your hardened skin for rescue purposes, and I need the wound practice.” I look down and away, ready for him to deny me.

“Okay.” He clears his throat, and I look up at him. He’s looking away as well.

“So- If I could get like a piggyback ride as you work on the Bulldozer thing… that would work” I offer, and he nods, turning around and stooping slightly as I climb on to his back. The already- hardened peaks of his skin cut deeply into my flesh, but I ignore it. Slashing and piercing damage is different, a new kind of pain. Not necessarily something I’m incredibly used to. I keep any and all injury off of him, sucking in damage so quickly he doesn’t even notice that he was hurt at all. I let my pride consume me, finding that I’ve actually mastered my healing ability.

I saved Katsuki for last.

I knew it needed to be done. Force damage is different from bludgeoning, crushing, piercing, slashing, heat or cold. Only He can do this for me, train this kind of pain from me. I know that. I know that it is only business, so why am I so damn scared? I resist the urge to just avoid it, telling myself not to be a coward as I approach him.

“Bakugo-” I begin, but he releases another blast, straight into a concrete pillar. “Can I be your target for today? I need to work on steadying myself on my feet.” I ask quickly before he can charge up another large blast. He pauses, still not looking back at me.

“No- I’m not going to hurt you again.” He grumbles, shooting another blast.

“Please? It’s important for my growth.” I try, and he ignores me with an even larger explosion. “Katsuki.” I say his name aloud for the first time in a week, and he pauses. “I don’t want an apology. We don’t even have to talk about it- but please don’t let this get in the way of our training. I’m a great way to practice non-lethal blasts.” I offer, and he reels on me, stone-faced.

“For the last three days of training then, you’re mine. We’ll do exercise together, we’ll eat together, we work together.” He counters, and I nod.

“Fair. But it’s only work. Nothing more.” I add, he scoffs, growls, but sighs and nods.

“Deal.” He offers out a hand, but when I take it to shake, he turns his palm, blasting me across the platform. I catch my footing just before I slip over the edge. “You do need work on your stance.” He mumbles, shooting off another blast.

The next three days, I only separate from Katsuki for sleep. He bitches at me for my diet, he yells at me when I get distracted, he apologizes when I flinch.

He gets more and more impatient the more tired I seem to become. He doesn’t ask, but he knows the nightmares have not left me. He doesn’t know that he’s in some of them. He wakes up at five as opposed to my three, so I have an extra two hours in the morning to study coursework. He also goes to bed at Eight instead of Ten, so I get two hours there as well.

I use those for gymnastics and training with my capture weapon. A long, thin fabric made of a nylon-like material, the concept based off of Aerial silks. Increasing my mobility while decreasing the mobility of my opponent. I practice alone. In the gym after hours, like I’d done every night since the second day we were here.

At least thirty minutes of my training I devote to simply using the silks as they were originally intended, dancing. It’s nice to do something just for enjoyment- and even better to get the exercising benefits from it and the hyper-mobility.

The music blasts through the gym, and I don’t notice the door open until I feel the room cool considerably, turning in the silks to see Shoto, sitting on a spire of his ice. I squeak, startled, but do not fall. I pause the music with the remote in my pocket, and laugh.

“You scared me!” I wrap the silks around my thighs, sitting on the tense bit I create like a swing.

“Sorry! I went to go talk to you in your room, but you weren’t there. It was quite difficult to track you down.” He blushes, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Oh- sorry you went through the trouble!” I apologize, leaning my head on the silk. There is a long silence before I speak up. “So… why were you looking for me?” I ask, an eyebrow raised. He looks down at his hands, and swallows before he looks back up at me.

“I was wondering if you were still dating Kirishima and Bakugo?” He questions, and I blank.

“I actually- I don’t know. It’s… complicated.” I swing my legs, using the momentum to push me back and forth.

“Complicated how?” Shoto asks, tilting his head, causing the red hair to fall away from his face, exposing more of the red scar across his left side.

“It’s hard to explain.” I dodge, but he furrows his brows.

“You said I’d be first to call if you ever had another problem with guys… and I’m here so.” He reminds me, and I give him a sad smile.

“Well… Katsuki is exactly who I thought he was. A total hot head. I wanted Ejiro, but they’re like, a package deal. I like how sweet Ejiro can be, but he sides with Katsuki too often for my liking- and they both just try to control me. I hate it.” I rant, my words spewing forth like a geyser.

“I fucking hate that no matter where I turn, someone’s putting me under their thumb! And they all have excuses! They love me, they want to protect me, that have to take care of me! It’s like I’m not even a person at all. I’m a responsibility- a pet!” I thrust my arms backward, flipping upside down and hanging with my legs up in the air. My hair hangs freely, and I run my fingers through it.

“And Katsuki is the fucking worst, because he acts like he means it and I think he actually does! And then he turns around and acts just like Shigaraki and fucking Hawks!” I straighten one leg, letting it fall from the wraps, hanging from only my left leg, swinging.

“He hates that I’m friends with you and Izuku, and accused me of sleeping with you before we even started dating! And I still agreed to go out with him because I’m an Idiot!” I release my other leg, letting all but one loop, letting me fall to just about a foot above the ground. I slide out of the last loop, and pull down the silk, wrapping it around my arm.

Shoto slides down his ice, still standing next to me, listening intently. “And it fucking hurts that even though Ejiro knows what Katsuki did, they’re still fucking sleeping together without me, and I haven’t slept at all in a month...” I’m crying, shaking with anger. Shoto makes no move to touch me, but opens his arms as an offering. I walk into them, shoving my face into his chest.

“I just want to talk to my dad and he’s not fucking here! I want my dad to tell me what to do and- and I can’t! What do I do!?” I ask, and he clears his throat.

“Well, I am no stand in for your father, but I will say this; Clearly the relationship is hurting you. Maybe you should just cut your losses with them. Staying any longer will only hurt you more.” He advises simply, his left hand rubbing reassuringly up and down my back.

“It’s not that simple… they’re the first people I’ve ever slept with willingly. That’s supposed to be special.” His hand stills.

“Really?” He asks, tense.

“Yeah- so it’s hard.” I confirm, snuggling deeper into his chest.

“Katherine, I’m only going to ask this once, and I will take silence as a No, because I know how difficult it must be to talk about.” He pulls me away, looking me in the eye. His left eye begins to glow, something that only happens when he’s immensely upset about something. “Was that video of you and Hawks depicting a consensual act?” He asks, incredibly stoically.

I do not answer, and he sighs.

“I see.” He says simply, pulling me back into his chest, stroking my hair. “Well- that explains the control issues. You deserve the opportunity to make your own decisions, and if and when you allow someone to call you theirs, it needs to be one hundred percent your own decision, unrelated by outside factors. Considering the proximity of events between The video’s release and your publicly dating Kirishima and Bakugo, It leads me to believe it was reactionary. You thought you were making a decision for yourself but the truth is, you needed to feel in control. So you rushed into a relationship you were not ready for.” He explains, releasing me.

“You deluded yourself into thinking you wanted them, because Ejiro was nice to you and Katsuki is a good enough punching bag for you emotionally- you could direct your anger at him and he doesn’t react in a way that you perceive as hurt. Because you can’t bear the fact that you might actually hurt someone the way others have hurt you.” Shoto places a finger under my chin, gently lifting my face to meet his eyes.

“You didn’t have sex with them because you wanted them to be your first time. You wanted them to wash away the others. You wanted to replace the idea of those monster’s touch with people you deemed worthy enough.” His gaze dances between my eyes, and he tentatively wipes away the tears I hadn’t realized were falling with his thumbs.

“You need to take time and actually think about your actions. You need to really question what you’re feeling… and you need to talk to someone. It doesn’t have to be me, but the school does have a councillor.” He offers, and I shake my head.

“I don’t want to talk to anyone else.” I look up at him, and he frowns.

“You can always rely on me, Kitty.” I nestle my face into his palm, and the corner of his mouth quirks upward.

“You’re the best. Thank you… for always being there, Sho.” I lean into his chest again, gripping onto his tee-shirt with everything I have.

“You should get some sleep. May I walk you back to the dorms?” Shoto asks, and I nod against his chest. He offers his hand, and I take it. The walk back to the dorms is in comfortable silence. “Let me make you some tea.” He offers, and I tense. As always, he notices. “You can watch me make it.” He adds, unprompted. I soften, and smile.

“That would be nice… thank you.” I squeeze his hand. We enter the kitchen, and I slide on to the counter, swinging my legs as I watch him fill a pot of water. “We have a kettle.” I tease, and he pauses.

“I don’t want to wake the class when it goes off.” He doesn’t look at me as he speaks, turning on the stove. I stifle a laugh.

“Sho… doesn’t your quirk allow you to pretty much immediately boil water?” I chuckle, and he turns slightly, smirking.

“Maybe I want it to take longer… so I can spend more time with you.” He jokes, turning around and leaning against the opposite counter, crossing his arms over his chest. I try not to notice his bulging biceps.

“You’re a dork.” I roll my eyes, leaning forward with my hands clasped on the counter between my knees. He smirks, and chuckles, shaking his head and looking away from me. His eyes flitter back to me, and he bites his lip, smiling.

“I missed that smile, you know.” He lets a breath loose from his nose, and pushes himself away from the counter, reaching into the cabinet to pull out a pair of mugs and the cheap teabags the school provides. He drops a bag into each mug, and pours the water over them.

“Sugar?” He asks, and I shake my head.

“Too late at night for that.” I murmur as he hands me the mug. I go to take a sip, and burn my lip. I wince, sputtering and spilling tea down the front of my shirt, scalding my chest. “Ow-” I laugh, and Shoto chuckles, tapping the rim of the mug, frosting it over and cooling the tea inside.

“You really need to be more careful, Kitty.” He grins, and looks between my eyes, searching for something. “You’re a mess.” Shoto smirks, and I blush.

“I know.” I take a long drink of my cooled tea, and then look up at him. “I’m glad you’re my friend.” I admit, he gives me a smile, but there’s something sad about it.

Chapter Text

The day of the exam starts out very different from the ones before. Shoto’s tea actually put me straight out, and he convinced me to set my alarm for Seven AM, giving me a full eight hours to at least attempt sleep.

He’s right, I should probably take better care of my body if I want to keep improving. Sleeping in means I don’t have time to make breakfast, so I settle for several granola bars and one of Tenya’s protein shakes that he’s been attempting to convince me to try since we moved in.

I sit next to Mina on the bus, talking to her always calms my nerves. The drive to the event is pretty silent. Everyone’s nerves heightened. I dissociate until Aizawa begins to speak.

“If you can pass this test and get your provisional licenses, then you novice eggs will hatch into chicks. You’ll be semi-pros. I expect your best.” Aizawa’s tone is almost encouraging. Very different.

Another group of students approaches, from Shiketsu High. That school is in the other big hotspot of the US, in California. I was originally supposed to go there, they already had a dorm system and my dad wanted me in the best hero school we could attain, since we moved here UA seemed like the most logical choice.

How different everything would be if I had gone there instead. No Tomura, no Hawks, no 1A. Oh well, can’t be helped I guess.

Loud. Everything is too loud. Too many people talking, costumes rustling, too much. I cover my ears. Orientation, they said. I huff, scanning the room for anyone I might recognize from middle school, no such luck. I missed the first week of high school entirely due to the move and didn’t even get to set foot in Shiketsu, so I only know people here from my own school. Annoying, especially since it seems like none of my friends from last year ended up in hero courses. Damn.

“Okay then. Let’s do this exam thing.” Says a very tired-looking blonde man standing at a podium. He’s got a slight lisp, reminding me of Mathew.

“I’m from, uh, the Heroes public Safety Commission. Name’s Mera. My Circadian Rhythm is so screwed up. Ah, man. I’ve been swamped lately and I haven’t gotten much rest. We’re too short-staffed. I’m so tired. With that confession, I’ll now begin orientation.” The man speaks, swaying in his stance. I debate pushing forward in the crowd, at the very least I can take some of the cellular death, causing tiredness- but I can’t go around using my quirk just yet, not until I know for sure what I’m doing.

“So, about the content of this license thing. Basically, 1,540 examinees compete in a free-for-all exercise or whatever we’re calling it this year. See, we’ve got a lot of pros around, and since Stain was killed, many people have expressed doubts about the status of heroes in society. But, when you really think about it, getting paid makes sense. If you’re going to risk your life to save someone, why shouldn’t you ask for a reward, huh? That’s just the way the world works. God, I could use a coffee. Anyway, whether they’re in it for compensation or out of a sense of duty, we’ve got too many heroes working together in the streets these days to keep villains at bay.

Honestly, the time between when an incident begins and when it’s resolved is ridiculously short. You are all here trying to receive your provisional licenses, so you’ll be swept up in this tiresome mess yourselves pretty soon. Those of you who don’t have the speed, frankly just won’t cut it. Which is why that’s what you’ll be tested on. The first hundred students to fulfill the requirements will pass today. Well, the world can be pretty crappy.

I suppose I should say something about luck. So, anyway, here are the basic rules. The examinees will put three of these targets on his or her body. They can go anywhere you want as long as it’s an exposed area. So no soles of the feet or armpits. Each of you will also have six of these balls. The targets are programmed to light up whenever they’ve been touched by the balls. If all three targets light up, you’re out. Oh, and the person who lights up your third target will get credit for your defeat. You get through this round by taking down two people. Got it? Good.”

Wait… but that’s stupid. My quirk is literally that I cannot be injured, ever- so I’m a professional target. That’s bullshit! This whole thing is bullshit!

“What else? Uh, I guess we’ll start passing out the targets and balls. Then, you’ll have a few minutes to get situated after we open.” As the tired man speaks, the walls separate, opening to a huge arena, including a small city. Alright- well, this might actually be not that awful.

I’m sure if I can manage to hang off of the end of a large building by my capture weapon, I can hit a few people. I’ll have to save my balls for people who were already hit to guarantee my spot, because honestly my aim isn't all that good, and with only six balls I can’t risk having to complete all three smacks.

“I’m sure each of you have different terrains that you like or want to avoid. Use your quirks well, and do your best. Or not, whatever. Yes, I know, it makes for a great reveal, doesn’t it? And for what? So much sleep lost over this. Hopefully, some of these kids are fast and we can get this over with. Until then, I’m gonna rest my eyes.” The tired man dismisses us.

Katsuki and Ejiro break off from the group, choosing to go on their own. Shoto grabs my hand.

“We’re going off on our own too. It’s hard for me to use my power safely when a big group’s around, and Kate is the only one who can handle that- so Don’t worry, we’re not alone.” Shoto books it, I keep up a lot better than I had before.

“Sho- I wanted to go off on my own.” I inform him, and he scoffs.

“You’re not exactly the best at dodging, you need a shield. My ice is good at that. I need someone to watch my six.” He brings up a solid argument, and I stay silent, following exactly in his footsteps. He’s right.

“I played softball in Middle school, I’ve got a pretty good arm- and my quirk gives me impeccable eyesight. What about you?” I ask, and Shoto pushes to run faster.

“I can immobilize people for you, as long as you keep them off me.” he offers, and I pause.

“Do you feel that?” I ask, and he stops beside me. “Tremors. An Earthquake?” I question, my eyebrows stitched together in confusion.

“No. Probably someone’s quirk.” He answers, pulling me behind a building for cover.

“A HUNDRED AND TWENTY PEOPLE WERE TAKEN DOWN WITH ONE ATTACK?!” shouts the announcer, and I pale, eyes wide.

“Shit.” Shoto swears, glancing around the corner.

“Well, at least that guy’s out of the game until the next round.” I say nervously, tightening my grip on my capture weapon.

“The other schools are sticking together, moving around in groups of ten or more. Meaning while we will probably be outnumbered, we will also find ourselves in a target-rich environment. But there could be people with quirks we’re weak against. Ideally, the various teams would fight each other, bringing the numbers of each group down to something more manageable for us to pick off.” Shoto speaks quickly, in a soft murmur he knows only I and other people with incredible hearing like Jiro will be able to hear.

“There aren’t many spots though, we don’t have the luxury of waiting around.” I whisper slightly louder than him for him to hear me, he nods.

We venture deeper into the factory-like section of the arena, and I jump. I hear the ball breaking air before I see it, and my sudden reaction causes Shoto to shoot a large blast of fire in its direction. I press my torso into him, hugging him to block our targets. His arm wraps around my waist, steadying me as I whip my capture weapon up at a hanging pole, using a pulley-knot to yank us upward quickly, out of the way.

“That was pretty good! Just what I’d expect for numbers Two and Three at the UA sports festival. Todoroki and Black right? I can’t believe you’re out here wandering around all by yourselves. You must be a great team, huh?” A boy in a fully red suit speaks, tauntingly.

“But even if they are from UA High, acting alone is just asking for trouble.” A boy in a green suit adds, and Shoto’s grip on my tightens.

He grits his teeth, whispering so lowly even I barely hear. “Swing up when I drop.” I tighten my hold on him for only a moment in response.

“A Ten on two fight. They don’t stand a chance.” A girl in black remarks, and I resist the urge to scoff.

“This is great. Now we don’t have to find opponents.” Shoto drops, and I swing upward, catching the silk on another pole and throwing myself beside the others, directly to their left up on a spire.

I keep my balls at the ready as Shoto makes a giant ice wall to block incoming attacks. True to his word, Shoto is quick to freeze the feet of the other students, Immobilizing them.

One of them begins throwing small trinkets at Shoto, which immediately turn huge after leaving his hand. They’ve lost visual on me, they don’t know I’m here. Good. I wait for Shoto to give me a signal.

“If you watched the festival then you should have learned by now.” Shoto begins, starting another Ice attack. “Keep your eyes on all of your opponents.”

That’s my cue.

I throw three of my balls, each of them smacking into the immobilized boy with the enlarging quirk. He’s the biggest issue it seems. Shoto shoots up more Ice, and immediately blasts it with fire, making steam to conceal our locations.

I swing through it, using only my hearing and the swirling pattern on the steam to guess my movements. I spot Shoto’s red hair, and land next to him on a pillar.

“Hey Kitty- watch this.” He shoots a huge burst at a green tank, and it explodes, sending the others flying. They all end up in a huge ice trap, completely immobilized.

“Shoto… you’re the best!” I gasp, looking down at the carnage. He wraps an arm around my waist, pointing at the ground wordlessly. I grip him tight as I use the capture weapon to lower us to the ground. His arm stays around my waist as we walk through the carnage.

“Well, it looks like the commission kept the force of the explosion from being too damaging. It wouldn’t have mattered with Kitty’s quirk, but it is lucky that she can conserve energy for the next round.” Shoto speaks to the group, removing his arm from my waist.

“You bastard.” The boy in red spits, trying to break free of the ice.

“Apologies. But I simply cannot afford to fail.” Shoto’s face is serious now, he pulls out a single ball and presses it to the boys’ targets. I do the same, but sneakily attempt to assess any wounds as I do so.

“Sorry!” I mutter, and the boy in red squints at me. None of them are injured more than a few bumps and bruises, so I leave them be. “Shoto- we should leave the ones we don’t need, it’s only fair.” I suggest, and the chimera boy shakes his head.

“If we leave them, there’s less spots for our classmates. Look out for your own allies first.” His hand wraps around mine. “We should go-” He’s cut off by our targets buzzing and lighting up.

“Students who have passed the exam should congregate in the Anteroom. Chop, Chop.” An electronic voice calls.

Chapter Text

Shoto and I sit alone together on a row of green chairs against the far wall, and I take a moment to breathe. Once again, I got through the first round without using my quirk once- well, other than the hearing and sight. It seems almost unfair that I was with Shoto. He pretty well carried me to victory. Again. I steal a glance at him as he stares off into space. His arm is around my shoulders, he looks deep in thought about something.

I’m glad we weren’t allowed to bring our phones. It would be total bullshit if someone took a picture of us right now, they’d paint a picture of me using him- but he asked me to come along, not the other way around. It just worked out that I wasn’t as useful as he’d probably imagined I would be.

“We’re the only ones from our class here.” I mumble, feeling guilty.

“I’ve got faith in Midoriya to lead the others.” Shoto clears his throat, looking back at me.

“What about Ejiro and Katsuki?” I worry, and he sighs.

“You still haven’t officially broken things off with them yet, have you?” He asks softly, and I wince.

“No… I wanted to wait until after the exams so they could think more clearly and I wouldn’t get in the way of their success.” I admit, and Shoto sighs.

“You shouldn’t of done that. That’s probably all they’re thinking about- and the reason they separated from the group. Breaking it off would have given them more closure.” He advises, and I nod.

“You’re right… I hope I didn’t ruin this for them.” My voice is small, but he just hugs me closer.

“If they let this affect them enough for it to be a problem, they’re not ready for their licences. You’ve got a hell of a lot more going on and you’re here.” I flinch at the genuine displeasure in his voice.

“I kind of just rode your coattails though… I didn’t even use my quirk.” I argue and Shoto scoffs.

“You’re lucky you’re so cute because you really are not the brightest sometimes.” He rolls his eyes, but doesn’t move his hand from my shoulder. “You helped me dodge an attack, you distracted several enemies, and having you there meant I could go all out without worrying about killing anyone. If anything, I was only comfortable doing what I did because of you.” Shoto explains, staring at me intently. I give him a soft smile.

“You’re the best, Sho.”

“Anytime, Kitty.” Shoto murmurs, and then looks up, tapping me on the shoulder.

We stand, spotting Momo, Jiro, Tsu and Shoji approaching. “Good, I’m glad to see you two passed!” Momo praises, and I grin, pulling her into a hug.

“How are you guys? Need any heals?” I ask, and they all shake their heads.

“No, we’re fine.” Tsu smiles, and Jiro pipes up.

“Have you seen the others?” Her face is less happy, more concerned.

“No. So far we’re the only ones here.” Shoto sighs, and gestures to me.”We just arrived not long ago.” Shoto looks over the group.

“We can’t count them out.” Shoji advises, and I frown. I don’t need to voice my concern, because Shoto does it for me.

“I thought Midoriya had everyone working together?”

Momo nods. “That was the plan, but someone from Ketsubutsu Academy split us up with his quirk.” Momo’s voice is also laced with concern. Wow… they all really care for eachother.

“There’s only thirty spots left.” Jiro mentions, toying with the ends of her earjacks.

“I hope everyone in our class passes.” Tsu comments, with her brows knit together.

“I’m sure they will. Izuku is an amazing leader.” I nod, earning several smiles by the group.

We all congregate toward the food, Momo and I needing to restock on energy. I’d have a nap too, if I could, but it’s too loud in here, and it doesn’t look like there’s going to be much time at all.

A chill washes over me as I see Ejiro and Katsuki walk into the room, they passed. Good. A little bit of my guilt is relieved. I’ll wait to tell them until this is over. I have to.

I gravitate to Momo, stuffing my face along with her instead of being questioned by any of the boys. Nine classmates left and only eighteen spots left. I’ve got faith in them. Especially whoever ended up with Mina. I’m surprised that I haven’t ‘seen’ Toru though, she should have passed this no problem, literally being invisible and all that. She could just sneak up on someone and take them out quietly. I wonder where she is? I dissociate, shoving granola bars into my mouth like no tomorrow.

“Our whole class passed!” Momo shouts, bringing me out of my safe little pit. Oh. That’s… impressive. A fifth of the successes are from UA. That’s nothing to scoff about. I bet my dad would be really proud…

“Oh right, for the hundred of you who passed the first test, please turn your attention to the screen.” The tired man with the lisp speaks, and as I look up at the huge TV, a building being depicted on it explodes. Then several other buildings in rapid succession also begin to demolish themselves.

“There’s only one more round to the exam. Your goal is simple: Undertake rescue exercises and save the bystanders who are trapped in these disaster sites. Use this time to show how you will carry out successful rescue procedures once you receive your provisional licenses. Treat this as though it were the real thing.”

My heart jumps for joy for only a moment before I spot one of the “Citizens” Holding up fake blood. Damn it. My quirk is literally perfect for helping hurt people, and now you’re telling me it’s just makeup?!

What a load of shit. This sucks. This is bullshit. I grumble to myself, crossing my arms over my chest. Well, at least I can PRETEND to help PRETEND people… damn it. The game starts in ten minutes. I huff, turning to the group.

“So, since it’s all fake I’m gonna be useless. Again.” I grumble, and Izuku shakes his head.

“Not necessarily, your capture weapon is a strong tool for movement for you, you’ll be able to search from above like Sero, even if your quirk isn’t helpful right now.” He places a hand on my shoulder as a sign of support, and I give him a soft smile.

I can feel Katsuki’s eyes burning on the back of my head. I try to ignore it. I drift to the chairs again, shoving my head between my knees and taking a deep breath. The bell rings. The room opens again.

“Due to heavily damaged roads, the first responders have unfortunately been delayed for the time being. Until emergency services arrive, the heroes in the area will lead the rescue efforts. Your task is to save as many people as you can and help the injured. And with that… Begin.” I take the chance, jumping up onto a table.

“HEY! So most of you know me and know what My quirk is, So I think it might be best for me to stay here and heal any injured you bring until the paramedics arrive! I would go out and search too, but it’s better for me to conserve energy for healing!” I announce to the room, and someone in the back calls back.

“You got it, DOC!” I try not to wince at the call back to my father.

“That also means if any of you end up getting injured, or have any injuries from the previous round, come to me!” I Shout, and a small group of people start to surround me while the rest of the students race off toward the rubble. I heal ten people at a time, not showing on my face or body language how much their small bumps and bruises suck, and pass off a good chunk of it to my suit. I don’t know if this will work, honestly, or if this will be seen as laziness by the judges, but I know that this is what I’d do if this was real. They said to treat this seriously, and I intend to follow instructions.

A few people return to the area with injured, and I focus. A kid, around eight. Okay. Just like Mattie. “Hey buddy! You looked so cool out there! Can I get a High Five?” I ask, keeping a bright smile on my face as much as possible.

The kid grins, giving me the high five. The small scar over his elbow all but disappears, and his eyes widen.

“Good job kid.” The boy speaks, a full grown man’s voice falls from his lips, and I blank. Oh. Right. They’re just actors. Still, treat him like a kid. He’s traumatized, and there’s no one around to take care of him.

“Hey, would you be my buddy, and take this?” I hand him a small piece of brick from the ground. “I need someone to draw me some really big arrows around me, so other people know where to go if they need help!” I put my fists on my hips, triumphant. He smirks, and nods, doing what I’d asked.

I work on others. Their current injuries may be fake, but almost everyone has old wounds that never quite healed right. Twisted ankles, scars, hearing loss, cataracts. I can still help these people. I work quickly, and employ “Children” to do small, repetitive tasks. One of them hands me sweets in between healings, and another folds the wrappers into small paper cranes to give to others.

Keep morale high. Keep moving. Keep smiling.

Another large explosion goes off, and I giggle. The tired man announces another villain attack. Distract, Lie.

“Oh that Silly Kaachan is out there making fireworks! Everyone clap for him!” I start a round of applause, and continue my work. There’s villains here… that’s fine. I chose my spot. I’ll just have to miss the fun part.

I continue my work, and begin to sing, loudly. I suck, I’m off key, but if they’re laughing, they’re not scared. Several ‘heroes’ approach for help with their own wounds. I heal them with a smile, and send them on their merry way, encouraging the ‘victims’ to clap for them as they leave.

Keep moving, Kate. I’ve built up so many wounds, if any villain even attempts to get close, they’re in for a rude awakening. I see several heroes approaching, all with civilians.

Shoto… where’s Shoto?!

I keep my smile, working hard on my healing.

“Hey everyone! I sure am bored, Let’s play a game! I’m a Doll after all!” I giggle, and Put my fist up in the air. “It’s called Tagalong! I’ll say a word and you have to respond with a word that begins with the same letter my word started with! Ready? Okay! My Word is Hero!”

I cheer, pointing at an old man, who calls out “Orca!” I grin.

“That’s a good one! Okay, how about Apple?” I point at the first person who got here.

“Elephant?” he tries, and I giggle in response.

“Great job! Now, all of you play together!” I Step forward, leaning in to a girl with blue hair.

“Hey- how’s everything doing out there?” I ask lowly, and she sighs.

“Todoroki and Inasa are at the front, but they weren’t looking so good. Midoriya and Shindo are both up there too. To be honest, I’m worried.” She admits, and I give her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

“I don’t know Shindo or Inasa, but I know Todoroki and Midoriya. If they’re at the front, I have full faith everything will be fine. I trust them both with my life.” I assure her, and she nods.

“Right. I’m going to get back out there.” She glances at the civilians. All of them are laughing, smiling, still playing my game that I’d come up with on the fly.

“You’re really good at this.” She compliments with a smile, and then runs off. I rejoin the civvies, smiling as always.

“So! I was thinking we could order Pizza in a bit- Let's all weigh in on a VERY controversial subject; Pineapple, DOES it belong on pizza?” I poll the group, and pretend to listen intently to the responses.

When I was little, before my dad convinced me all I was good for was my quirk, I’d wanted to be a teacher. I’ve got a knack for this, I guess. I keep healing, keep helping, until a buzzer sounds.

Oh. It’s… over. Okay. Fuck. I hope I did well. Fuck.

“Um, yeah, so, at this time, all of the HUC members who were deployed have been rescued from the disaster zone. It may seem anticlimactic, but with this, the provisional licensing exam has officially been completed. After we tally the scores, we’ll announce the results here in the arena. Anyone Injured should go to the infirmary. A Katherine Black has been requested to join the injured by Recovery Girl. The rest of you are free to change clothes and wait wherever you like.” My heart jumps when they call my name.

If they called me by name to help injured, I must’ve failed hilariously. This is all I’m good for, and they know it. If anything, I can just succeed Recovery Girl. She’s getting older, I suppose.

Chapter Text

My hands wont stop shaking as I re-enter the arena. Most of the injuries were minor, and took me a few seconds to take, and a few minutes to heal. I wring my hands together, standing at the back, well away from my classmates.

“Thanks for your hard work in today’s exam. Now, before I announce the results. I should probably explain the way we evaluated you. Between HUC, and those of us at the Heroes Public Safety Commission, we had a two-fold demerit system that we used to determine your total scores. In other words, we were evaluating you based on how few mistakes you made in a crisis situation. Anyway, the names of those who passed are listed here in alphabetical order. Keep my words in mind as you search the screen for your name.” The announcer gestures to the screen, and I search.

It’s not there. It’s not going to be there, Katherine, you idiot, you don't deserve-

There it is.

I passed.

I fall to my knees, choking on my breath. I succeeded. I actually- wait. Where’s Shoto’s name? Where’s Katsuki’s?!

No… don’t tell me I cost them their licenses. No. This is my fault. Fuck. They must hate me. Shit.

“So, next we’ll give you the printouts of your results. They include a breakdown of your scores, so you’ll know exactly what areas you need to improve going forward. We lopped off points when you did something wrong. Fall below 50, and you were done. These demerits are itemized on your result forms, as you’ll see, so I’d look at them.” The announcer nods. I stare down at the paper I was handed, eyes wide.

100/100

Holy. Shit.

I didn’t just pass… I aced it. Notes include “Great attitude” “Works well with others” “Pleasure to be around.” and “Good leadership skills.”

Wow. Holy fuck… I feel the tears roll down my cheeks, and am quick to wipe them away. I look down at my hands. Dad would be proud… right?

I steal a glance at Katsuki. He looks dejected. Fuck… Now how in the hell am I supposed to tell him I want to break things off?! He looks so hurt… Shit.

“Anyway, moving forward, those of you who passed can exercise the same authority as pro heroes, but only during emergency situations. In other words, fighting villains, saving the victims of criminal acts or accidents. You may act using your best judgement, with no direct orders. Keep in mind that your every action from now on carries with it a deep responsibility toward bettering our society, and that the world is watching you.

I’m sure you’re aware that AllMight, our greatest hero, no longer has his incredible power. One of the reasons crime in this country has been so low is due to his presence. With that deterrent gone, criminals are sure to become bolder and more widespread. Expect the balance we currently have in our world to be destroyed, and for things to change quickly. You young people will be the hope for our future. It’s imperative that you become exemplary heroes. That your reputations grow to suppress crime as did his.

Remember, the license you earned today is provisional, and you still have much to do. I would like for you to think of yourselves as fledgelings, and be even more diligent in your studies. And for those who fell short and did not pass. We don’t have time for you to feel bitter about your loss. Instead, we offer you a chance to redeem yourselves. After you attend a three-month-long special course and pass an individual test, we plan to issue a provisional license to those of you who failed as well.” I tune the announcer out, looking at Katsuki.

He gets another chance. He’ll succeed. I know he will. Three months isn’t that long to train. I have to tell them. Tonight. I have to break it off with them. For my sake as well as theirs. I can’t keep them in limbo. I have to be brave and own up to my mistakes. It’s my fault that I’m in this mess, and I am the only one that can get myself out of it.

I keep away from the group, thinking about how I’m supposed to go about breaking up with Ejiro and Katsuki. I knew boys were a bad idea in the first place, but I was stupid and Impulsive. I text my mom a picture of my License, and get back a single heart emoji. Right. Thanks mom.

Once we get back to the dorms, I go straight to my room, avoiding all conversation. Breaking up with them over text is… tempting… but god is it childish. I can’t do that to them, it’s wrong. I swallow my fear, trudging up to Katsuki’s room. The boys spot me, sitting on the floor, waiting for them.

“Baby-”

“Wait.” I cut Katsuki off, hands shaking. “This is hard enough as it is- so please… just listen.” I beg, trying not to cry again. “Uh, so… I gave it a lot of thought… and I think… I think I’m not ready for a relationship. I think… I think We should break up.” I stare at the two of them, refusing to look away. Katsuki’s eyes are wide for a second, before he narrows them.

“Is that all?” He asks gruffly, and I blank. “No, I get it, can’t be with a guy that failed, that’s fair. We’ll try again when I get my license, babe.” Katsuki shrugs, and pushes past me, into his room. Ejiro stares for a long minute before clearing his throat.

“Well-” His voice cracks. “If you ever need anything. I’m right here, okay?” He looks at the floor, I can see tears brimming his ruby eyes.

“I’m sorry.” I whisper, gripping tightly at the fabric of my gym pants.

“Don’t be. It’s not anyone’s fault. Just- If anything, Katsuki and I still have each other… so don’t worry about us… okay?” He clears his throat, and opens Katsuki’s door, walking inside and quickly closing it. I take a deep, shaky breath, and nod to myself.

Okay. I did it. Everything’s back to normal. Just go to bed, and then back to class in the morning. Don’t worry about it anymore. Grow up, Kate. Everything’s fine. You’re fine. Stop crying. Why are you crying? That’s stupid. You’re being stupid. I hurry to my room, and close the door, locking both locks and falling on to my bed. I never go to bed this early anymore, but I sleep so well after bawling my eyes out.

The nightmares come back again.

I sleep until three, and get dressed in my hero costume. Provisional Hero license. I’m legally allowed to intervene now. Patrolling alone, at night. Probably not the greatest idea if the LOV is still tracking me, but I’m stronger now. Better. I beat them while I was weak- when I was hurt. Now I should be able to do even better.

I find him, standing over a pile of blue-flame lit burning bodies in an alleyway, not too far from the school.

“Allow my flames to consume you.” He grumbles to the group of dying bodies. One look at them and I know they’re probably not good people. I grit my teeth. Focus. You need a man on the inside. Now is not the time to get all high-and-mighty, Kate. I slide down on my capture weapon, landing a few steps behind him. He grunts, turning and firing a huge flame at me. I stand, tanking it. Shoto’s done worse.

“Damn it- who are- Oh.” He murmurs, and smirks.

“Shigaraki’s doll… Gotta admit I didn’t recognise you. You’ve lost some weight. Looks good.” He chuckles, shoving his hands back into his pockets.

“Dabi? Is it?” I ask, and he gives me a suggestive nod.

“I wanted to thank you for your kindness at the hideout.” I say softly, earning a quirked eyebrow and a smirk.

“Is that right?” He asks, moving closer. Be on your guard, Kate. I offer my hand.

“Katherine… In case you never got my name.” I give him a gentle smile, and he tilts his head, but takes my hand anyway. I feel his scars run over my body, but do not react. He pulls back quickly.

“Ah- careful with that. I still need these.” He gestures to his face, but his demeanor has softened considerably. “You’re all dressed up in spandex, doll-face.” He comments, his eyes raking over my body. I do not let my discomfort show, and I nod instead.

“Yeah, I got my provisional hero license!” I let myself sound excited, and he scoffs, a playful look across his face.

“Right. Let’s walk and talk before this draws more attention.” He gestures to the bodies, and I nod, wrapping my arm over his.

“I’ve gotten better at the wound control, by the way. So if you have any more little ouchies I’d be glad to help.” I offer, and he smiles.

“No thanks doll, not tonight, at least. Shouldn’t you be in bed… Aren’t you like… twelve?” He questions, an eyebrow raised with that same playful smirk.

“I’m Sixteen. And what am I gonna do? Let UA teachers tell me what to do? I don’t think so.” I laugh, and he joins me.

“So, were you looking for me, or were you looking for trouble?” He asks teasingly, and I shrug.

“Didn’t I find trouble with you?” I retort, earning a hum.

“So, what is it you really want from me then, doll?” He gets straight to the point, but his tone is still relaxed.

“I was wondering… are you very… attached to your leader?” He scoffs at this, and shakes his head.

“He’s a means to an end, sugar, why? You want me to kill him?” He looks down at me as we walk, his staples shimmer in the streetlights.

“It would be nice if he would… cease to breathe.” I admit, a small sigh escaping from my lips.

“Sorry doll, Can’t help you there… but…” He pulls out a pen, grabbing my arm and writing a number on my wrist. “If you’re ever looking for a good time… where maybe I can make you feel as good as you made me feel... “ He drags his tongue over his bottom lip, and then pulls it between his teeth. “I can show you a few things…”

I get back to the dorms as the sun rises, quickly changing into my school uniform and joining the group for breakfast. No one needs to know about what I’ve done. No one needs to know that I’ve got the man who killed my father’s cell number, and no one needs to know that I plan on killing him after Tomura is gone.

Buzzing with emotions, I move on auto-pilot throughout the rest of the day, blindly following whatever order Iida gives, finding myself at an assembly, being talked at by the principal and several teachers. I don’t absorb any information… at some point I’m pretty sure we were literally barked at by a teacher. Weird.

Back to the classroom. Watch Aizawa, pretend you’re paying attention. Make eye contact, nod. Look determined. I’m dragged out of my daze by the dreaded sentence “Work outside of class” By Aizawa.

Ew. Fuck can’t I just catch a break?! For TEN MINUTES?! Please god… give me patience, because if you give me strength, I’m going to need bail money too…

“Like the internships you did at pro hero agencies before. Only closer to the real thing.” Aizawa explains, and I sigh.

Okay, actually, that’s not that bad. Working directly under a pro again won’t be so bad- as long as it isn’t Endeavor or Hawks. I didn’t fit in at all with Endeavor, and I ended up just being in the way a lot. He just used me as a way to keep Shoto healthy. I need a better place to go. Somewhere that can train my mind better than my body- One person comes to mind.

After the kidnapping, I spilled my guts to my mom about everything that’d happened, and she revealed that my savior, the guy who hid me in his car… was My UNCLE. It makes sense… the weird psychic tummy aches, the way he looked at me and spoke to me.

He’d met me once or twice before, when I was really little. He’s mom’s half- brother, and they didn’t really interact much. Same dad, different moms and all that. Sir NightEye is a good choice for training my mind more than my body, and if anyone can understand my ideals and needs to get at the LOV, It’s going to be him. I wonder if my mom would call him for me…

Chapter Text

“Morning. Now that Midorya is back, we’ll go into more detail about what the work studies entail. Go ahead and come in.” Aizawa calls to the door, and three people walk in.

My heart drops as I see blue eyes, and blonde hair. No- it isn’t him. It can’t be, he isn’t one of the students… and Aizawa said that the stalker was already under investigation, they had a solid suspect and were just waiting on him to slip up. The person had to of been a first-year and I don’t think I’ve ever seen this guy before- not to mention he’s way too tall, and his arms are way buffer than the guy’s in the video.

Shove it down- it’s not him. I hide my shaking hands under the desk, picking at my fingernails.

“I’ll have people who have experienced them firsthand explain.” Aizawa clarifies, gesturing to the three students entering the class. The blonde-haired boy, a lilac-haired girl, and a blue-haired boy. “I suggest you listen carefully as they point out how work studies differ from internships. These three are third years at UA. They rank at the very top of our student body. You may know them as the Big Three.” Aizawa introduces, and my eyes fall on the blue-haired boy.

His hands are shoved in his pockets, his eyes are cast at the ground. His shoulders are heaved up toward his ears, and pushed forward. He’s really uncomfortable. My fingers itch to touch him, he looks like he’s in pain- but I don’t see any injuries? Strange.

“Get to it, Introduce yourselves briefly. Let’s start with Amajiki” Aizawa commands, standing with one hand in his pocket and the other hand palm upward in front of him, relaxed. This gesture sends a clear message. Relax, Katherine.

I let loose a held breath and swallow. The blue-haired boy looks up, and I can spot intense fear in his eyes. So, that’s what his deal is? Not a big fan of public speaking? I’m an introvert sure, but my mom kind of conditioned me at a young age to be a performer. Speaking to a huge group is more comfortable than just one person, because at least one person out of a crowd of strangers is bound to like you. I feel my classmates growing uneasy, but I try to give the blue-haired boy an encouraging smile. I don’t know if he notices.

“It’s no good. You two go. I just can’t.” The guy mumbles, even at nearly the back of the class, I can hear him. “Even if I try to imagine them as potatoes, I can see their human bodies. I know that they’re still people.” He’s trembling now, leaned slightly forward like he might puke. “No words are coming out… My mind’s blank and my mouth is dry. I can’t say anything. I wanna… go home.” He turns quickly on his heel, staring at the wall.

This is the big three? They’re just… kids? All legal adults, sure, but eighteen doesn’t make you that much different from sixteen. I don’t get it… why is he so nervous? It’s not like any of us can be really dangerous to him, and Mister Aizawa is RIGHT THERE if anything goes wrong. This isn’t a fear of public speaking, it’s a fear of people.

Me too buddy, me too.

“Okay so, um. Are you really one of UA’s top heroes?” Ojiro asks, and I resist the urge to kick him.

“Come on, Amajiki. You need to have the heart of a lion, not a kitten. You know, even though you’re human. Get what I mean?” The lilac-haired girl speaks, attempting to calm Amajiki’s nerves. From his still-trembling body, I can tell it doesn’t help. “This is our kitten, Tamaki Amajiki.” The girl speaks, introducing the nervous boy for him. “And, Hi, my name is Nejiro Hado. I’m supposed to talk about work studies. You first years have a really exciting time ahead of you. Hey, wait, hold on.” She bends down, getting closer to Shoji’s face.

Don’t be mean to him or your parents will be picking out coffins, bitch.

Woah- oh. Okay. Tone it back there a little, Kate.

“Why are you wearing a mask? Is it cuz you’re feeling sick, or just trying to look cool?” She seems friendly enough, just curious. And she didn’t ask about his arms at all. Good. I really don’t want to have to fight at eight AM.

“Uh- well…” Shoji clears his throat, and Nejiro smiles wide.

“Oh, Woah!” She bounces upward, tilting to the side to look deeper into the classroom. “And you must be Todoroki, am I right? Yeah! How’d you get that big burn on your face?”

Oh, now I have to fight her. I feel my feet slide out from under my chair, moving without me thinking. I grip on to the front of my desk to keep myself seated.

“That’s none of your-” Shoto begins calmly, but she cuts him off, focusing her attention on Mina.

“And, Ashido, if your horns break off, you think you’ll grow new ones? Ooh, and can you wiggle them?” Mina self-consciously covers over her yellow horns with her hands, and I grit my teeth.

“Black! You’re a healer right? Can you regrow people’s limbs- or your own, yaknow, like a lizard?” She smiles at me, and I move to lunge, but Sero’s arm shoots across the aisle, gripping on to my desk and blocking my exit. He shoots me a look, and shakes his head.

“Oh! Asui, you’re a treefrog, not a gross toad, right? Oh my goodness! There’s so much I want to know about every one of you! Let’s have a Q and A.” She suggests, and I debate moving Sero’s arm myself- until I see Tamaki. He’s not shaking anymore. He’s still not looking at the class, but his posture has shifted ever so slightly to be more comfortable.

Oh. She’s… distracting. This isn’t malicious at all, she’s just directing focus in several places at once so he doesn’t feel like the center of attention still. I relax in my seat. She picked uncomfortable questions to show Tamaki that everyone has things that they’re nervous about.

My mom used to do the same thing, while we would people watch at shopping malls. I would get upset about my body in a clothing store, and she would point out weird little things about strangers that probably made it hard for them to shop for clothes too. Dad always said it was rude but… I get it now.

Oh.

I focus my attention on the blonde boy. Tall, handsome. A soft smile on his face since he entered the room. He catches me staring, and winks. My face turns hot, and I stare down at my desk, hiding my hands underneath it again.

“That’s your part guys!” An unfamiliar voice speaks, and when I look back up to see that the blonde has been speaking. Whoops. Lost myself there… again. “Oh, crap. My call and response was a total fail!” the blonde moves around to the podium, still smiling.

“Okay, you guys look like you have no idea what’s going on. I guess we are third-years who just showed up in your classroom to explain a program that’s completely voluntary. I can see how you’d be confused by that. Hm. You guys got your provisional licenses as first years, right? Huh! This batch of new students has proven to be pretty darn energetic. So the problem is, you must not have a sense of humor. That’s why my joke didn’t land.” The blonde smirks and I hear the tiniest whisper from Tamaki.

“Don’t do it.” He warns, and I brace myself. Alright- full-on war at eight in the morning. I can take out the big guy. Muscles like that mean he probably has some sort of strength-related quirk, so he’ll knock himself the fuck out. Shoto and Izuku can handle the girl.

“Heads up, the rad new plan is all you first-years fight me at once!” The blonde declares. Alright, pretty boy. Fine with me. You’re weirding me the fuck out. I zone out, focusing on steadying my hands. One touch on him and he’s toast. I wonder if he knows that.

What’s his quirk? Scars litter his arms, so it’s probably not shield-like like Ejiro. I watch him closely, his mannerisms. His stance is wide, his arms are far from his torso, palms exposed. His eyes are soft, his jaw is loose. He’s comfortable, relaxed. He’s serious.

The gym uniform is uncomfortable against my skin. I hate this thing, it’s my third one since the first one was destroyed by Tomura and the second one was lost in the move to the dorms. Blue is a good color for me, at least. We’re back at the gym, and I eye my favorite rafter. I don’t have my capture weapon, so everything I’ll do will have to just be me.

Mirio- the blonde boy- is stretching in front of us. Tamaki is pressing his forehead to a wall, still very embarrassed. I don’t listen to anything anyone says, staying silent in the back of the class. Watch them, watch their movements.

The stomach thing isn’t happening, there’s nothing bad here then, right? It's not constant, it’s not even all that helpful, especially since my stomach hurts all the time anyway from my refusal to eat fresh produce and meat as of late. Only eating packaged, processed foods has not been great for me, but it’s all that feels safe anymore. My stomach issues keep acting up in the hallways specifically, but I think it’s just because of anxiety telling me that the stalker is in the halls, but I’d known that already.

I should probably train that side of me, but I haven’t any idea where to start… working with NightEye will help, if I can convince him to take me on. Tamaki is speaking, and I think he said my name? I tune in, blinking away my thoughts.

“Long ago, a student got frustrated in class, and quit being a hero, and it was terrible for everyone. Did you know that?” Nejiro begins. Oh great, a bedtime story- it’s not like I was struggling to stay awake in the first place, or anything.

“So, Togata, I know our job is tough. But you better make sure you know what you’re doing. Be careful okay?” She continues, and points at me. “We don’t really have to worry about seriously injuring anyone, but be careful with their egos!” She nods, and I blank.

So, she must’ve got her answer about missing limbs. I ignore my classmates, focusing only on Mirio.

“Mm! Heard, but you’re gonna have to show me that’s the truth. Now, who’s gonna start this party?” Mirio nods at us, and I raise my hand, but Ejiro shouts.

“I’ve got this.” the redheaded voice is angry. Hearing his voice kind of hurts, actually. Shit, not the time. Focus.

“No, I’m first.” Izuku disagrees, and I resist the urge to offer to help. No. You have to be your own hero, you can’t always rely on others to carry you.

A cleric is not a heal bot, they have combat ability. Proficiency with medium armor, and a myriad of spells both offensive, defensive, and utility. A cleric’s main ability isn’t charisma, or strength though- It’s WISDOM. Thinking things through and taking the best course of action through learning your opponent before you even step into the ring.

You’re a Black, You don't lose, you learn. Ignore their words, focus on actions. Actions don’t lie. To my ultimate shock, Mirio’s clothes fall off of his body. I avert my intense gaze, covering my eyes. Fuck- okay. Use hearing. Use hearing- staring was a bad idea ew- fuck!

“Oopsy! My Quirk’s kinda tricky.” Mirio chuckles, and I hear the unmistakable blast of Izuku’s jump. Nothing makes contact noise. I know how good Izuku’s aim is… “Went for the face, huh?” Mirio asks, and several other blasts resound at once. So… clearly, his quirk is allowing things to pass through him. But if he’s still standing, and talking then at least part of him is tangible- all I need to do is get my hands on him after being hurt.

“I think I’ll start by taking out the long-distance fighters!” Mirio’s voice is suddenly behind me, and Jiro squeaks. I keep my eyes closed, grabbing onto Jiro’s arm and whipping her out of the way, throwing a blind punch that doesn’t land. I keep moving, focusing on the sounds of the punches alone, touching several people to gain their small developing bruises.

Mirio is focusing on the stomach and torso area. Is that on purpose, or is it subconscious? He’s not hitting me- he knows better. He stays away from me, and it’s easy for him since I can’t see.

Fuck. Okay, Kate- It’s just a boy. Just a body. You wanted to be a doctor, right? What’d you think you’d see? I open my eyes, looking for him. I keep low to the ground, touching classmates as I pass. They still have the wind knocked out, but none of them are injured anymore.

A fist reaches up to punch Mina, and I grab his fist, slamming his own punches into him. They stack, they build, and he stumbles back, eyes wide.

“Power!” he shouts, slipping underground again. Fuck- I’ve lost visual. “You actually managed to get a hit in, I’m impressed!” Mirio’s voice calls behind me, and I don’t have time to react before he kicks me hard, between the shoulder blades.

Chapter Text

I crash to the ground, and scramble back up as my classmates also begin to stand. He’s in front of us, smiling. “It sucks that you have to touch a person to use your quirk, especially when the other guy’s whole deal is not being touched.” Mirio jokes, slipping into an attack position.”I think that’s it for the long-distance fighters. All that’s left are the ones who specialize in close-quarters combat.” Mirio explains, and I squint. He’s been analyzing us as much as I’ve been analyzing him.

Damn it, he’s smart along with a good quirk. Keep your focus on his hands. He prefers using them for attacks, and when he attacks, he’s solid. If he’s solid, I can touch him. It’s not that much different from my fight with Fumikage. Use eyes, not ears. A better focus that way, less distraction. “You all okay?” I ask, and Ejiro is the first to respond.

“All good for now, Princess.” I wince. Really?! Not now damn it!

“Let’s see if you can figure out how to win!” Mirio shouts, running toward us. He’s running… and wearing pants. So his legs are solid, and so are his feet. If I can crack my head against the ground and press the wound into his bare feet, I can incapacitate him. I just need my classmates to distract him. I step forward, and he slips into the ground. Shit! Not part of the plan. I hear Izuku’s electricity begin to crackle. I turn, keeping my eyes on Izuku’s green hair.

Fuck.

He’s gonna break his arms again, isn’t he?

Izuku reaches to punch mirio, but his fist goes straight through. Touch luck- Mirio reels, ready to punch Izuku. I grip on to Izuku’s arm, and push my other hand toward Mirio’s arm. Take while you give, Katherine. C'mon- You got this.

The punch lands, and Izuku doesn’t have time to feel it before Mirio does, flinging himself backward.

“Oh- I see! I’ll have to get rid of the others to deal with you!” Mirio comments, throwing himself behind us, rapidly attacking Ejiro, Tenya, Koda and Sato. He makes quick work of the others, leaving only me standing alone. He even goes as far as to drag people away, making it difficult to heal anyone else.

“Got you all alone now!” His voice doesn’t come as a taunt, rather a warning. There’s no one to distract him now, no one to use. “I heard you actually got a hundred percent on the licensing exam! Is that true?” Mirio asks, and I pale. I hadn’t told anyone but my mom about that… Aizawa must have squealed.

I didn’t want my classmates to know! Fuck- wait no… that look in his eye. He knows that I didn’t want them to know. He’s smart, he’s distracting me. Stay level-headed. Stay ready.

“Are you going to come after me? Because I can stand here all day.” I deadpan, and he grins, slipping into the ground. Shit. I feel him emerge behind me, even without being tangible he produces body heat. I reel on him, reaching to touch him, but he solidifies his hands around my wrists, swiping his leg under mine and forcing me to fall on my back, keeping my hands pinned in front of me. I high kick, but it’s no use. Nothing but his hands are able to be touched right now.

“Sorry...You did a really good job though!” Miro hops off of me, and I blush angrily as I realize he was very much naked for the majority of that encounter.

“I tried to make it so you wouldn’t see my willy, sorry if you got a peek!” Mirio apologizes genuinely, looking over the class. I can feel the angry stares at my back from my classmates.

“But anyway, that’s a taste of what it’s like to fight me.” The blonde boy smiles, nodding. I’d ended up taking his wounds as well after he was dressed- I’m not a sore loser.

“Right, so, what do you think? Isn’t my quirk strong?” He asks, and I grimace.

“No. It’s really not. Just like mine, It’s pretty cool as a jumping off point, but the majority of its utility comes from knowing how to use it and lots of practice.” The words fall from my lips in a mumble before I can stop them, and Mirio stares at me.

“You’re absolutely right!” Nejiro claps. “His quirk is permeation! Cool right?” She sings, and Mirio nods.

“What you guys thought of as a warp was, you guessed it, simply an alternative application of that power.” Mirio explains, and I huff. Yep. I could have guessed as much. He continues to explain, and I look over at Shoto. He didn’t participate at all. And oh- shit he’s looking at me. God… is he mad at me? He carried me through the first round and then I aced the last half and he failed. God, I’d be pissed at me. Fuck. I need to get to NightEye. I’ve got to prove I deserve it, even if I don’t really believe it. A hand claps over my shoulder, shocking me out of my trance.

“You really did do a good job, Black!” Nejiro nods, giving me a soft smile before skipping off to walk with Mirio and Tamaki.

I hurry off to my room once class is released, not wanting to further piss off any of my classmates. Fuck- they all hate me now, They have to. I check my phone, several messages, all from an unknown number.

Unknown: Hey

Unknown: Haven’t seen you in a while.

Unknown: Hey

Unknown: Message me back

Unknown: Hey

Unknown: Heard you aced the licensing exam

Unknown: You’re better than all of them.

Unknown: Message me back damn it

KatBlack: Sorry, I don’t have this number saved? Who is this?

Unknown: A friend.

KatBlack: Ah, stalker boy again? Keep my grandmother’s wedding ring you creep. It’s not like it matters when the rest of my stuff was taken by the LOV anyway.

Unknown: I’m not a stalker.

KatBlack: Who are you then?

Unknown: A friend of Dabi’s

KatBlack: And he gave you my number?

Unknown: Yes.

KatBlack: Why?

Unknown: So I can talk to you.

KatBlack: Have we met before?

Unknown: Yes.

KatBlack: Okay, so what should I save your number as?

Unknown: Master works

KatBlack: Oh- You’re the guy Tomura is working for then?

Unknown: You can say that.

Unknown: Why do you call him by first name?

KatBlack: He doesn’t deserve honorifics.

Unknown: It just sounds like you like him, is all.

KatBlack: Absolutely not.

Unknown: What exactly did the LOV take of your grandmothers?

KatBlack: You took everything in my room. Her quilt, all of our pictures. And Tomura killed my father.

Unknown: I am sorry, it couldn’t be avoided.

KatBlack: It could have if your organization wasn’t fucking crazy.

Unknown: I’m not crazy.

KatBlack: Leave me alone, Creep.

I delete the messages, shoving my phone under my pillow, flopping onto my bed and huffing. I want to study, but I really don’t fucking feel like it. I don’t want to work out either. I’m so goddamn tired and anxious and so fucking SAD.

I sit up, eyeing my duffle bag. I could sneak out… everyone else is in bed by nine… No. That’s dangerous, and stupid. Dabi gave the leader my number, and Tomura said the big boss wanted to take my quirk. I can’t risk it. I pull out my phone, my finger hovering over the call button. God… I haven’t talked to her in months… Fuck. Okay.

“Hello?” Her voice is surprised.

“Oh- hey, mom. I was wondering if you had Uncle Sasaki’s number? We’re looking at doing work studies this year, and I thought he’d be a good idea to help train my ‘hunches’ for hero work.” I keep my voice cool, and the other side of the line is very quiet for a few moments.

“You’re pretty serious about this hero thing… after everything that happened huh?” She asks, and I swallow.

“Yeah. I have to… I’ve gotta make him proud.” My voice cracks.

“Oh, Katie. You always made him proud.” Her voice is soft, and I can hear my brothers arguing in the background. I let out a short laugh.

“I’ll let you go… the boys can be a handful… Uhm… text me the number, okay?”

“Okay baby. I love you.”

“Love you too mom.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

The tone sounds. That hurt- that hurt way too much. I can’t just sit here with this energy, I’ll never be able to sleep. I can do silks training? Aizawa gave me keys to the gym for it… Fine. I drag myself off of my bed, grabbing my silk and wrapping it around my arm.

When I open my door, I’m met with a pair of mismatched eyes. “Shoto I-” He lifts up a bag of Japanese takeout.

“You weren’t downstairs for dinner. I brought my favorite comfort food.” He mumbles, and I soften. “You wanna go eat on the roof? It’s quiet up there?” Shoto questions, and I smile.

“You’re the best, Sho.” I lean in, wrapping my arms around his neck in a hug.

”I know.” He wraps one arm around my waist, keeping the bag up with the other hand. “C’mon, Kitty.” He murmurs, leading me toward the elevator. Once the doors close, I let out a breath.

“So… I take it you’re not mad at me for not telling you I maxed?” I question, and He tilts his head.

“I knew from the moment that they explained the scoring that you did. You picked a great spot to be, and used your quirk in the most logical way. And from what I’d heard from people coming back and forth, you were really charming.” He shrugs. “You’re a natural-born hero- and it’s got nothing to do with your quirk. You’re like Midoriya. It’s your thoughts- your heart that sets you apart.” He looks at me intently. “But, in case no one has told you, I’m proud of you.” He blushes, and looks down at the floor.

“Did I tell you that you're the best?” I ask, and he chuckles.

“I think I remember you saying that a few times… So… You thought I was mad at you huh? Is that why you’ve been avoiding me since the test?” Shoto smirks, looking at me sideways.

“You caught me.” I put up my hands defensively.

“You’re a mess, Kitty.” He chuckles as the doors open to the roof.

“More than you probably realize,” I admit, hopping up on the railing and sitting there. Shoto looks incredibly concerned, and it takes me a moment to realize why. “I can’t get hurt, remember? Besides, a fall from this height would probably only break a few bones… Izuku does worse than that tying his shoes.” I lean forward, pinching his cheek. He softens, smiling as he sits next to me.

He opens the bag, pulling out two styrofoam containers and two pairs of chopsticks. “It’s cold… but I think you’ll like it.” He shrugs, and I grin.

“I actually prefer most of my food cold. I hate waiting around to eat it. Burning the inside of my mouth takes like… forever to heal.” I laugh, opening the container and maneuvering my chopsticks to pick up some of the noodles. I pause.

The container wasn’t sealed. I don’t know where this came from.

I glance up at Shoto, who’s already eating his. He tilts his head, thinking for a moment as he chews. He takes another bite, and grabs my container from my hands, switching our plates. My heart skips a beat as he takes a bite from what was my plate, nonchalantly looking out at the city skyline. I attempt to hide my smile, taking a bite of what was Shoto’s soba.

“So, I take it you broke it off with Kirishima and Bakugo? I haven’t seen them near you since the exams.” Shoto notes, gesturing with his chopsticks. I sigh.

“Yeah. Ejiro took it really well, but Katsuki has convinced himself that it’s because he failed the licensing exam and that we can just date again when he completes the remedial classes.” I take another bite, chewing angrily.

“Well… will you?” Shoto asks, confusing me.

“Will I what?”

“Date them again in a month after the remedial course?” He asks seriously, and I shrug again.

“I don’t think so… not unless it’ll teach Katsuki to not be so fucking mean all the time… or so goddamn possessive. I don’t care how much I like the both of them. I’m not giving up my friendship with you over anything.” He gives a hint of a smile.

Chapter Text

Breakfast goes off similar to dinner. Shoto makes two bowls of cereal, has a bite from each, and hands me one of them. I stay close to him, ignoring the intense glare I get from Katsuki.

I would have been awake, studying earlier, but with my grades being perfect, and the progress reports pegging me as “advanced”, I’ve decided to take mondays, wednesdays, and fridays off of studying, and just use that time to sleep or work on my capture weapon’s accuracy.

Training alone is better than with a partner, because I don’t have to worry about hurting anyone. If I had the balls, I’d ask Ejiro to help… but I am a coward.

A commotion begins in the living room, and I sigh. “You go check that out, I’ll take care of the dishes.” I offer, earning a small smile from Shoto. When I lean over him to grab his bowl, I feel his lips press to my cheek. I pause, heart pounding. I quickly stand, hiding my blush as I take the bowls into the kitchen.

It was a friendly gesture, Kate. Nothing more- this isn’t the first time he’s given you a friendly kiss it’s not a big deal you’re fine this is fine. I feel my heart flutter. Shoto has never expressed any kind of attraction to me at all- why would he, right? He’s the hottest boy in the entire city and I’m… Me! He’s a friend. A good friend showing his friend affection- so why am I so goddamn flustered.

No.

I can’t develop a crush. Not right now. Shove it back down like you do everything else- you’re fine. I press my clammy hands to my face, trying desperately to calm my blush. I quickly rinse the dishes and place them in the dishwasher, taking a few extra seconds to do the same for the dishes left in the sink. When I enter the living room, a man is standing there next to Aizawa.

“I’m looking forward to learning more about you all.” The man bows slightly, and I squint. He looks sleazy. Not necessarily a villain… but not a good person either. “Now, as I said, you don’t need to do anything special. Just go about your days exactly as you normally would. The camera will do most of the work. I might ask an occasional question or two, and I’ll hope you’ll answer.” I grimace as he speaks.

Yep, sleazeball. My feminine classmates don’t seem to pick up on my observation, ogling his smile. He’s a reporter… huh? Ew. I don’t agree with the intense commercialism in Hero Culture… I might not support Stain and his bullshit ideals and solution of fucking killing people- but I do agree that it’s wrong that Heroes are more celebrities than public servants.

I grimace, zoning out completely. The rest of the class goes back to having breakfast, and I head back to my room. I don’t like cameras… not anymore. A hand on my wrist stops me. I tense.

“Miss black, It would be much appreciated if you would stay with the group.” Tenya requests, and I roll my eyes.

“You can just call me Kate. We’ve been through enough together, right?” I give him a soft smile, and he nods. A click sound from beside me makes me jump. I glare at the reporter. I didn’t get his name, and I don’t care for it.

“I didn’t sign any consent forms.” I remind the man, and he smiles sheepishly.

“Thought we got everyone- you weren’t here earlier?” He states this like a question, and I nod.

“I’ll sign if you delete that one. I like to be made aware of images made of me. You understand.” I offer, and he chuckles, flipping the screen around and showing me as he deletes the photo. He produces a form from his jacket, and I sign. If anything I don’t like ends up online, It won’t be that hard to sue. This idiot forgot contracts are not legally binding on minors. I sit quietly at a table with Shoto, Shoji and Fumikage. The three of them are distracting enough physically that the camera will not be drawn to me.

I keep silent most of the day, finding myself leaning into Shoto’s side when we walk in the halls. His left side is so warm- so comfortable. It’s raining again. I hate the rain.

I pass Izuku on my way to the gym, and give him a slight wave before I realize that GUY is standing next to him. “Oh! Katherine!” Izuku greets, and I grimace. I had to make myself known.

“Hey Zu…” I lean in, pressing my palm to his cheek.

“No big ones today?” I ask, ignoring the reporter entirely.

“Nope, I’ve been taking it easy.” He chuckles, and I sigh, turning toward the reporter.

“What about you… anything that I can help you with? I don’t mind, really… I can even fix your eyes- you wear glasses.” I mumble, offering him my hand. He quirks an eyebrow.

“Really?” He inquires, and pushes out his bottom jaw, humming. He reaches out a hand, and I take the sore knees, the scar on his back, the faulty-eyesight.

“I offered to fix Tenya’s eyes too, but he said it would have been a waste of money on his glasses.” I chuckle, shoving my hand back into my pocket. The man removes his glasses, sucking in a breath.

“AllMight is the one who recommended you for UA, right? He definitely made a good choice.” The reporter praises, and I shrug.

“Take care- I’ve got training to do on my own. See you.” I nod, turning on my heel and walking toward the gym on my own.

I pass the main building, and hear a whistle. I turn, finding a hand wrapping around my mouth, and another around my waist. I scream, but the hand muffles me.

“Calm, Dollface.” A raspy voice warns, and I soften as he releases me.

“Dabi- The fuck are you doing here?! There are cameras everywhere!” I whisper-yell, and he chuckles.

“Don’t worry about it. We had a guy take care of those. Here, brought ya something. Boss said it’s yours.” He hands me a duffle bag. I recognize it immediately… it's the one mom bought for our semi-annual camping trip a few years ago. My name is sprawled across it in her loopy script. My eyes widen.

“I’ll take my payment now.” He murmurs, and I hold up my hand, allowing him to use my healing while he hands me the bag. Once again, he pulls back once his scars start to close. “Later, dollface.” He smirks, brushing a calloused palm against my face. “Though… I’d love to watch the show again.” He winks, and dips back into the familiar purple- black smoke. Again? What does he mean again? He’s watched me before? I shiver a bit in my sweater. Dropping to my knees, I open the bag.

Grandma’s pink quilt… pictures… and a small box. Raising my eyebrow, I open it. I drop it immediately, leaning over to the left to void the contents of my stomach. A finger. A human finger. On it, is my grandmother’s ring. Also inside the box, is a small, handwritten note. I resist the urge to vomit again as I realize it’s written in human blood.

“Sorry.”

What kind of sick power-play is this? With shaking hands, I pick up the finger, sliding the ring off of it and replacing it on my finger. My breathing steadies. I eye the finger, twisting it over in my hand. He deserved it. He deserved that after everything he’s done to me. All things considered… This isn’t that bad. I drop the finger, gathering together the bag and straightening my back. I pull out my phone, checking my messages.

Master: Did you get my gift?

KatBlack: Yes. You didn’t have to hurt him.

Master: No, I didn’t. But I wanted to.

KatBlack: Who was it?

Master: Can’t tell you, but he will not be bothering you again.

KatBlack: Is he dead?

Master: No. He works for me now.

KatBlack: oh.

Master: Unless you want him dead, then consider it done.

KatBlack: No, I don’t want to kill anyone.

Master: Understood.

KatBlack: Why’d you send Dabi to give me my stuff back?

Master: To apologize, obviously. Did you not read the note?

KatBlack: Yeah, but why didn’t you deliver it yourself?

Master: Too busy

KatBlack: What are you apologizing for, by the way?

Master: I feel we may have gotten off on the wrong foot.

KatBlack: What, you having Tomura murder my father?

Master: Among other things.

KatBlack: This isn’t enough for forgiveness.

Master: Name your price.

KatBlack: I want Tomura to apologize to me personally, and turn himself in.

Master: I can get the apology, but he needs to do so much more before he can
be put away.

KatBlack: Those are my terms.

Master: I will see what I can do. Anything else?

KatBlack: Not that I can think of.

Master: Let me know, Doll.

KatBlack: okay.

I delete the messages, sliding my phone back into my pocket. I can’t leave the finger here… It’s evidence. I’ve implicated myself in some pretty serious shit here- fuck.

I put the finger back into the box, and shove it in my sweater pocket. I have no idea where to dispose of a whole, embalmed human finger. A morbid part of me wants to wear it as a necklace. A warning to the next mother fucker who tests me. But- the image of a jail cell dissuades me. I’ll have to find some place to dispose of it…

I eye the dumpsters. The burnables. I open one of the bags. Full of paper. I bury the finger inside, and re-tie the bag, leaving it at the top of the pile. It’ll burn first.

I heave the bag up on to my shoulder, turning to walk toward the Gym. I’ll still get my workout in. I don’t need my classmates questioning my bag.

The workout goes off fine, I make it back home around midnight, and find a note slid under my door.

“Party. 9 pm,next Friday, Mina’s house”

I roll my eyes. I know that handwriting. Mina really wants to throw a party… after everything that’s happened? I’m definitely not going. Not after everything that’s happened with Katsuki, Ejiro- and the League of Villains- not to mention, aren’t most of them on strict academic probation?! How the hell did they sneak this information past Tenya? If they’re caught, they’ll all be expelled for sure.

I drop my bag by the other duffle, and huff as I stare up at the empty ceiling. At home, In Colorado, I had a Hawks poster that would hang above my bed. I felt safe, as a kid, with him watching me sleep… but now… Nothing is safe. I raise my hand, with the ring, above my head. I watch as the diamond sparkles in the dim glow of the digital alarm clock across the room.

A pit opens in my stomach. He touched it. They all touched it. They all touched… me. Gross. I feel gross. Everything about me… feels gross. I sit up quickly, sweat over my forehead. I feel like I might puke again, but there’s nothing but bile left. There’s… nothing left. I pull myself off my bed, grabbing another pair of clothes and a towel before leaving my room.

I rush down the stairs in the dark, slipping and falling halfway. I can feel my arm break, but I ignore it. I rush down the rest of the stairs, heading straight for the showers. I let the water run on its hottest setting, feeling my skin melt on contact with the boiling water.

I’m alone. I’m so incredibly alone.

I slide down the wall, sitting and hugging my knees to my chest. I want to die, but I can’t. It didn’t work last time, with mom’s gun. I can’t end this, no matter how badly I want to- not without finding a way to get rid of my quirk.

If I ask Aizawa to help, he’ll probably just call me stupid. Because I am stupid. This is all stupid, why am I so upset? Isn’t this what I wanted? The Stalker gone? No. Tomura is going to use this. He wants me. I know he wants me. They all want me. Why? My mom doesn’t want me. I don’t want me.

Chapter Text

I was twelve, the first time I did it.

I took the blade, I dragged it over my wrists and I watched them close. I was twelve when I realized I’d needed to do something more drastic.

A year later, Grammy died.

I drank bleach, and nothing happened.

A few months after that, Dad yelled at me for a bad grade, I jumped off of a bridge. My skull healed, and I was home in time for dinner.

I tried so many different things that year, none of them worked.

I was fourteen when I finally got a hold of Mom’s gun. I’d thought, maybe, if I got a clean enough shot, my body wouldn’t recover. I was wrong. I was mostly healed when mom found me.

She hasn’t been able to tell me no to anything since. Dad was pissed. He called me lazy, and selfish. He said I was a coward, that I was lucky to be blessed with such a forgiving quirk. I stopped trying to do it after that. There was no point.

Nothing ever lasts with me, nothing but me. One of my deepest fears is that I won’t ever be able to die. I’ll be here past my family, my friend. I’ll outlast them all, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

Immortality is so much scarier than movies make it out to be. When the world ends, will I be the only one left? To be alone for all of eternity?

At this point, I’ve tried everything from asphyxiation to Zoloft overdose, but the result was always the same. I would be lucky to pass out, and get a few hours of nothingness before I returned to the life I never asked for.

It’s been two years now… since I last tried to die. I stopped hurting myself on purpose as well, there’s really no point in it. At first, it was a way to cope, but then it just got to be more numbness. I got too used to it. There were no marks, no evidence of how hard I was trying. After a while, the antidepressants and anti anxiety medication stopped working too.

My body learned how to metabolize it.

In the end, I embraced the numbness. I let things happen, and I had no fears except that all encompassing guilt of knowing that for some reason, immortality picked the one person who didn’t deserve it.

My father, he could have done so much more if he had more time. He was an asshole, sure, but he was a hero. He was only Nineteen when he had me. My mom hadn't even finished highschool. He was so young, he had so much potential. Now he’s dead, and that’s my fault too. If I’d have run when I was told- if I’d have minded my business, If I was quirkless… If.

In a way, I killed him. I know that. I lost him, because of my own arrogance, my stubbornness, my stupidity. I am the perfect build up to the worst possible ending, and the sad part is… I’m the only one who will live to see it. I might just drop myself in the ocean. Starving myself didn’t work, hanging myself didn’t either. It’ll be silent down there… it’ll be cold. It’ll be empty. I’ll finally be able to sleep, I think. Maybe. That sounds nice.

Everything hurts all of the time, and being numb just hurts everyone else. The water is loud. It hits my back, it rolls down, it’s red now. I don’t know when I started bleeding. I don’t know when I started crying though, either. I glance at my arms. They’re red, raw, open blisters up and down them. Skin sloughs off to either side, it’s trying to heal but the water is still running.

It’s funny, I didn’t even feel it until I looked at it. You don’t feel most things until you stop to think about them. That’s probably how I ended up here, sitting on the floor of the shower, boiling my own skin off to try to get the nasty off of me. Get their touch off of me. Rip them out of me. I close my eyes, trying to focus on the burns. I still can’t feel them. I can’t feel it at all. The nerves must be too damaged. I reach up, lowering the heat, only slightly.

Please, just let me feel something. Distract me from my thoughts. Don’t let me think. I don’t want to think. A door opens, and then closes. I ignore it. Someone probably forgot a hair tie, or something. God I wish the worst of my problems was forgetting a hair tie.

The door opens again, and it stays open. The steam in the room clears a bit, annoying me. I was quite enjoying the warmth, thank you.

“Black?” A stern voice asks, I barely heard him over my own sobs and the shower water. I can’t stop it, the dam is already broken. “Black, is that you in there?” Another choked sob wracks my throat, and the door swings open.

Aizawa’s form leans over me, blocking the scalding water from me for a fraction of a moment. “Ow- Damn that’s hot!” He growls, turning off the water.

“Katherine- You’re covered in blisters.” Aizawa gasps, kneeling in front of me after he drops a towel over my shoulders.

“Is she okay?” Momo’s voice calls from outside, and Aizawa sighs.

“She’s fine, Yayarozu. Thank you for calling me. Could you go get midnight, please?” Aizawa’s eyes scan my face, avoiding looking downward.

“Yes sir!” Momo chimes, and I can hear her feet pad out of the tiled room. I reach out and touch Aizawa’s cheek for a moment to take the burns he’d gotten from the water.

“Sorry.” I mutter, replacing my arm around my knees.

“Kid, look at me,” Aizawa demands, and gasps as he forces my head upward.

”Don’t call me that.” The venom in my voice would be enough to poison him, but I avoid touching him to open any of my wounds on him. I keep my hands firmly clasped on my knees. “Get out, I’m naked. Or are you going to use me too?” I question, a short laugh escaping my lips.

“Your pupils are dilated. Did you take something?” He asks, gripping on to my chin to look me in the eye.

“No- I’m just tired, go away.” I try to push him away, but my movements are weak willed.

“Katherine, Come on, talk to me.” Aizawa is searching my eyes for something, but I don’t know what he wants from me.

“Leave me alone!” I demand, pressing my burnt back against the tile, hissing in pain as the cold porcelain touches the broken skin.

“Katherine- what’s going on? What happened?” He questions, moving both of his hands to either sides of my face.

“Nothing- It’s fine! I’m fine!” I attempt a laugh, to smile, to do anything but cry. My body betrays me. Aizawa’s talking again. I can hear him, but I don’t understand what he’s saying.

He grimaces, turning behind him and moving aside. Miss Midnight replaces him, she’s got a robe. She slides the thing over my shoulders, gripping my ankles to pull my legs away from my body. She wraps the robe around me, tying it in the front, and then she moves to the side again so that Aizawa can slide his arms behind my back and under my knees, lifting me into his chest.

I’m brought back to my bedroom, and Midnight helps me to dress in pajamas. I’m still crying, quietly now.

“Katherine, you need to breathe.” Midnight coaxes me to calm, and I swallow it down. Numb. Be numb. No one likes a crybaby.

“Nezu wants to talk to her once she’s calmed down.” Aizawa calls from just outside the door, and I nod, letting out a shaky breath before flipping the switch.

“I’m… I’m fine, really, It isn’t that big of a deal. I’m sorry if someone went and woke you all up over this but it’s all okay.” I Give Midnight a small smile, and she raises an eyebrow.

“This isn’t healthy, you can’t just lock it all down like that.” Midnight attempts to catch my eye, but I’m looking straight at her.

“Really, what are you so worried about? That I’ll hurt myself? Newsflash!” I grab my pen, shoving it in my own neck. She goes pale, silent as I pull it back out. The wound heals nearly immediately, despite my lack of energy. At this point, I’m pretty sure I’m running on spite alone. “I couldn’t hurt myself even if I wanted to.” I sigh, and Midnight grimaces.

“I- I’m going back to bed.” She opens the door, revealing Aizawa with a very worried look on his face for a fraction of a second before he looks at me, and is stoic again.

“Lets go. Your little stunt has woken up half of the staff, and we’d all like to go back to sleep.” Aizawa’s tone is snappy. Good. I can’t stand pity. He knows that. I follow him to the principal's office in silence, not wanting to cause any more problems than I already had.

“You understand why this is concerning, Miss Black.” Nezu asks, his teacup clatters against the saucer as he sets it down.

“I do.” I nod, my throat is dry, I haven’t slept.

“We have attempted to call your mother several times, but she has not answered, do you have any other family to-” He pauses, tiny rodent eyes looking over me quickly. He sighs. “I suppose not, hm?” He gives a soft smile, at least that’s what I think it is.

“Sir, I really am sorry.” I hang my head, and there is a long pause.

“For what?” Nezu asks suddenly, his voice as even and calm as ever.

“For being… a burden.” My hands shake against my knees, my eyes are watery. Hold it together. No one likes a crybaby.

“You need to speak to HoundDog tomorrow. You are excused from class until he deems you ready.” Nezu stands, and I blank.

“No- Please, sir, Class is all I- It’s all I have!” I beg, voice wavering in every syllable.

“Everything else has already been taken from me. I can’t eat or sleep or shower- Class is the only time I can breathe. I need it. Please.” I’m kneeling now, bowing in front of the principal.

“Good day, Miss Black,” Nezu responds, opening the door and leaving me alone in the office. The door opens a few minutes after, and in walks Aizawa. A mug of coffee in his hand, a stoic look on his face.

“C’mon. It’s late… er-” He looks up at the clock on the wall. “Early.” He corrects himself. “You need to sleep!” Aizawa grumbles, leading me down the halls.

“I can’t. I- I’m trying but it doesn’t work! I always get nightmares and I can’t- I can’t…” I struggle to breathe, and Aizawa pauses. He’s quiet, contemplative.

“Fuck.” He grumbles, gripping my wrist and pulling me back toward the dorms. I move in silence, but to my surprise, he stops on the fourth floor, going to the boy’s hall.

“I didn’t want to do this, but you’ve left me no choice damn it. You might not be able to hurt yourself physically, but it’s only a matter of time before you lose it completely.” I struggle to keep up with his quick pace. “When you and Bakugo were kidnapped, I wasn’t worried about either of you joining the Villains. I had faith in you, your strength.” Aizawa scoffs.

“It was pretty fucking stupid of me, honestly.” His grip leaves my wrist, and he looks at me. “It was so stupid to think that a Sixteen-year-old girl could deal with this when honestly, I don’t think I could. I would have killed someone by now.” He rakes a hand through his long, tangled black tresses. “You’re in too deep. I don’t know what else to do.” He knocks twice, and a door swings open.

Shinso? The violet haired boy looks the two of us up and down, his brows furrowed in confusion for a split second before some kind of revelation washes over him. “Do it Hitoshi. You were right.” Aizawa’s voice wavers for a moment before he pushes me forward.

“Sir- You could lose your job for this.” Shinso furrows his brow, his dark circles are nearly as prominent as Aizawa’s. Aizawa doesn’t answer him. Lose his job? Over What? What the hell is going on?

“Katherine, what’s going on?” Shinso directs his attention toward me, and I blank.

“I have no-”

“Forget them. Forget anyone you’ve ever had a nightmare about.”

Chapter Text

When I wake, My stomach growls. I groan, reaching for my phone, and finding it missing. I fumble, and find it on the floor. No new messages. A knock comes from my door.

“Kitty, you in there? You’re never asleep this late.” Shoto’s voice calls gently from the other side. I laugh, swinging open the door to see his concerned face.

“Yeah- I’m fine! I just got a little sick last night. I think the milk might have gone bad but I didn’t notice it in my tea.” I laugh, leaning against the doorframe. “Oh! I need to get changed or I’m going to be late, talk to me through the door?” I ask, His eyes go wide for a moment before he breaks out in a soft smile.

“Sure.” He leans back, and I close the door, opening up the pink duffle bag and digging through it for a pair of underwear and a uniform. “You’re certainly… chipper today… Any reason why?” Shoto asks, his voice is a bit muffled through the door.

“Honestly I have no idea! I just feel… really good? I dunno.” I get naked quickly, and replace my underwear as fast as possible.

“Good enough to eat breakfast with me?” Shoto questions, and I laugh.

“Of course Sho!” I slip on my uniform, and swing open the door. “I’m pretty sure I only got like two hours of sleep though, do you wanna grab a coffee with me before class starts?” I swing open the door to see Shoto, blushing like a madman.

“Uh-yeah! Yeah that sounds nice.” He nods, and offers out his arm, which I take. His blush deepens.

“Sho- did you have the milk? You’re all flushed.” I place my palm on his cheek to attempt to take the sickness, but there’s none that I can take. Must be bacterial then.

“Uh- I was wondering… on friday, would you like to have dinner… with me I mean?” He’s heating up, embarrassed about something?

“Oh- I would love to- but I have a dinner date with my uncle to talk about the work studies Friday. Every other night works, though!” I offer, and he smiles, his face starting to lose it’s rosy hue. “I was going to ask anyway, can I spend the weekend at yours instead of at Aizawa’s? If I have to eat cabbage one more time I think I might suck start a shotgun.” I joke, nudging his shoulder.

“You shouldn’t joke like that.” Shoto warns, and I shrug.

“I’d be fine either way. I’m pretty sure the only person alive who could kill me is Aizawa, trust me, I’ve tried.” I joke again, but most people know by now, most jokes have a hit of truth. They always do. They always will.

“The hero work studies are a more serious version of your internships. They entail helping pro agencies on the streets and with investigations. Your teachers and the principal discussed them at the faculty meeting. And we all agree. It’s too soon. They should really be cancelled.” Aizawa’s voice is so serious, and my heart drops.

No! I worked… we all worked so hard to get this far and now they’re taking it away? Why? “That’s bullshit!” I shout from the back, and a silence works over the room as Aizawa glares at me.

“Language!” He growls, but composes himself. “But… some people think we won’t be able to raise strong heroes with that sort of protective outlook. And, with that in mind, the compromise is to be selective about participating agencies. So, choose one with a proven track record.

Otherwise, you won’t be taking part. A blonde boy, one I don’t remember ever speaking to before, growls out a “damn it”. Why’s he so angry? Oh… he’s new, obviously. He probably won’t be able to join in on the work studies… I don’t remember him at the licensing exams at all. I should probably avoid him. He looks like a hothead.

“Kate! Hey, wait up!” Momo calls behind me, and I pause.

“Oh, hey Momo!” I grin, hiking my messenger bag further up my shoulder.

“Hey- Are you doing okay? You sounded… not good last night.” Her eyes are wide, and I shrug.

“Oh- yeah I meant to tell you! I had to throw out the cow’s milk in the fridge. It went really bad and I think it made both me and Shoto sick.” I smile at her, and her brows furrow.

“Oh- you just- okay.” She nods, and laughs. “To be honest, It sounded like you were dying or something!” She scratches the back of her head, and I scoff.

“Oh as If.” I tease, and turn to see Denki, talking with another blonde boy. I recognise him as the asshole kid from class B… I think his name was Monama? When they catch me looking, Monama looks petrified. He’s got a pretty bad burn up the side of his face, and a missing hand, wrapped in gause. “One second-” I step away from Momo, approaching the blonde boys. “Oh- Hey, Monama, right? Here.” I reach out my hand, gently pressing my palm to his cheek.

He looks to be frozen in fear as I take the burn mark, and slowly but surely his hand reforms. “You really should have come to me as soon as that happened… what happened, exactly?” I ask, concerned. His eyes are watering.

“You’re- talking to me.” Monama whimpers, and I blank.

“Uh… yeah? You’re… Monama from class B, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you!” I smile, and his eyes widen.

“Yeah- yeah… sorry- uh- I have to go.” He chokes on his words, sprinting away from us. I’m left incredibly confused. Denki laughs, clapping a hand over my shoulderblade.

“Dude I think he might have jizzed his pants. He’s definitely got a thing for you.” Denki teases, and I blush.

“I’ve never talked to him before though? Why would he have a crush?” I ask, and Denki shrugs.

“Cuz you have a really nice ass?” Denki says bluntly, and I blank.

“Kitty, walk with me?” Shoto comes out of nowhere, glaring at Denki.

“Oh hey Sho-” Shoto cuts me off, wrapping an arm around my waist, pulling me to walk with him.

“So, I fell asleep in algebra… could you help me? I’m missing half of the notes from today.” Shoto blushes, and I giggle.

“Yeah, definitely. My notes are color coded and everything, but I doubt you’ll be able to read my handwriting.” I tease, and he smiles.

“You can always read it to me, right?” He asks, and I nod.

“Definitely, but you’ll owe me ice cream.” Shoto smiles softly, leaning his head against the top of mine.

“Okay so, again, It’s Slope, Intercept, form.” I reiterate, pointing at the pink glitter gel writing.

“I know what it is, I’m just saying it’s kind of stupid that we have to learn this, what does any of this have to do with being a pro hero?” Shoto groans, pinching his nose with the same hand he’s using to write.

“The commission probably wants us to be rounded individuals in case we end up not being heroes.” I giggle, leaning my head against his shoulder, and yawning.

“If you’re tired we can stop and go to bed.” Shoto reminds me for the upteenth time, and I roll my eyes.

“It’s only nine! I just need a coffee.” I chuckle, moving to stand, but Shoto pulls me back down.

“You’re not drinking caffeine this late at night, Kitty.” He chuckles.

“You’re not my dad.” I remind him, shoving my fingers into his ribs to tickle him slightly before forcing him to release me. I walk into the kitchen, and start up the coffee pot. Judging by Shoto’s stubbornness, this is going to be a really long night.

“You’re a mess.” Shoto complains, sliding next to me, leaning on the counter for support.

“Hey, I feel like I’ve heard that before.” I tease, reaching up and pinching his cheek. He snaps his head to the side, catching my knuckle between his teeth and gently biting. “What are you, three?” I giggle, pulling my hand from his face, but he wraps a hand around my wrist, and places a gentle kiss to the back of my hand. I blush profusely.

A friend. Shoto is a friend remember? You just got out of a painful breakup with Ejiro and… Shoto is WAY out of your league, Kate.

“I don’t know, I’m behind in math.” Shoto quips, a soft smile on his face.

“Well, if you would pay attention-”

“I think I need a tutor, actually. Would you mind?” He asks seriously and I nod.

“I mean, I’m coming over to yours for the weekend anyway, remember?” I pour the coffee carefully, not wanting a repeat of the tea incident. “Want some?” I ask, and he shakes his head.

“I think I’m going to work on a few more of those Y equals m x plus b things and then go to bed.” He shoves his hands into his pockets, and I lean into him.

It’s silent, comfortable for several seconds, before he chuckles lowly, garnering my attention. “You know what’s funny? I always hated my left side… But you always cuddle me there.” He muses, and I shrug.

“I like the warmth.” I admit, laying my head on his chest.

“I guess I do too.” His voice is calm, quiet. He wraps his left army around me, holding me tighter to him.

“Hey… Shoto?”

“Hm?”

“Your left side… you say you don’t like it. Why?” The question comes out smaller than I’d meant it to.

“Its too much like my father. That’s what my mom said… before she poured boiling water on my face.” His grip on me tightens alongside my heart.

“That’s… awful.” I swallow, looking up at him.

“You know, You asked me once if you could take it… and at the time, I was offended.” He scoffs at himself. “I don’t even know why… The closest answer I could find is that it was just a part of me, ya know? And whenever people point it out, I always get kind of… angry. It’s a flaw. I’m not allowed to have flaws. And you… you’re just so… perfect.” He breathes, staring down at me with an intensity I haven’t seen from him outside of testing.

“I think you’re amazing.” The words slip past my lips before I can approve of them, and I swallow, looking for a way out. “If you want to get rid of the scar, I’m right here, but, if you want to keep it… I think it’s actually kind of attractive. Men with scars usually are.” I struggle to keep my breathing calm. Shoto reaches down, and gently grasps my hand, pressing my palm over the rough skin of his scar. He watches my face as the scar blooms around my eye, and slowly dissipates. Clear, perfect skin lies on the left side of his face, matching his right. He leans in, pressing a soft, chaste kiss to my lips. Before I have time to react, he’s moved.

“I’m sorry- I’m so sorry I-” His eyes are wide, his face is flushed.

“Shoto I-”

“I’ve got to go.” He turns on his heel, rushing out of the room. I freeze, for several long moments before staring down at my coffee in the AllMight mug. I turn, dumping it down the sink. My mind is swimming with questions. So many questions. I teeter out of the kitchen, in a daze. I run into a warm body, and breathe deeply, expecting to see Shoto, but instead it is the angry blonde boy.

“Oh- sorry!” I press my palm to his thick arm, but he’s not injured. He stares down at my hand, eyes narrowed. He shrugs me off of him, scoffing.

“I told you not to do that.” He growls, pushing past me to get a glass of water. I furrow my brows in confusion. When did that happen? I try to remember his name. Ejiro called him Bakugo in english class today, that must be his name.

“Apologies, Bakugo.” I nod, and he grunts, slamming the cabinet.

“So this is what it’s like huh? You’re gonna pretend you don’t know me?” His voice is hurt, angry. I… don’t know him? Do I? No, I don’t have any memory of him before today in class.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I respond honestly, and he scoffs.

“ ‘course not. I get it. I do. I’ll win you back. I’ll be number one, and You’ll be proud of me, and I’ll win you back.” His voice is getting louder now, and I’m backing away. He must be sleepwalking or something.

“Goodnight, Bakugo.” I answer him curtly, turning on my heel and walking out of the kitchen completely. There’s a loud bang, it makes me jump, but I do not turn back.

Chapter Text

Tomura*
“Well, at least we know she can heal full on limbs now. Good news for you, compress.” Twice chuckles.

My fist encloses around the kid’s throat, but I’m careful to keep my middle finger up and away, for now. “What do you MEAN she just healed it?” My voice is dry, even more so than usual. I’ve been drinking, trying to calm my nerves.

“She touched my arm- but she didn’t know anything, I swear, sir- she didn’t recognize me at all.” The boy rambles, his hands are tied behind him. He’s already been beaten up by Dabi. Burns cover his body head to toe. I’d even let Toga have a turn, a mistake. The room smells disgustingly like blood and sweat.

“She just touched you- just like that? Why?” I question, tightening my grip for a moment, but deciding he needs to breathe to answer me.

“She was worried about my burns- she asked me what happened and acted like it was the first time we ever met.” His pulse is quick, but steady. He’s telling the truth.

“What’d you tell her happened?” I question, squinting at him.

“Nothing! I didn’t answer her-“ the kid gasps, tears flow down his face, I grimace, dropping him.

“Well, what did you get from surveillance then, since you couldn’t fucking talk to her without pissing your pants.” Dabi asks, lazily taking a drag on his cigarette.

“She’s spending a lot of time with Todoroki- I think they’re dating.” I scoff.

“Wasn’t she just with Bakugo and Kirishima a few days ago?!” My voice comes out in an angry snarl.

“She’s a slut.” One of the nameless goons I’ve hired shrugs. I respond only with a reached hand, pressing all five fingers to his exposed arm. I don’t give him the dignity of looking at him as he turns to bloody dust.

“Anyone else have something to say about my doll?” I ask the room, straightening my posture.

“No? Good.” I smirk under father, reaching up to dig my nails into my own neck.

“She was really- uh- happy though. I caught her singing to herself again in the halls. She hasn’t done that since April.” The blonde boy is searching his memory for anything I might deem useful.

“Any idea what brought on this attitude shift?” Dabi questions for me. Good, if she’s happy, she’s less likely to run again. I need to bring whatever makes her happy here along with her, next time.

“It could be the hero Licence acceptance?” I snap my gaze to Dabi.

“Dolly talked to you about hero licenses, didn’t she?” I wonder aloud, and Dabi nods.

“She seemed pretty pleased with herself, but she definitely wasn’t Happy. She seemed numb, if anything. None of her smiles reached her eyes.” Dabi shrugs, taking another long drag off his cigarette before stubbing it on the kid’s back, causing him to scream for a moment before he spills words again.

“Or the time she’s spending with Todoroki! He makes all of her food now and walks her everywhere. They’re always touching each other. They were together for the first half of the exams, and he failed without her in the second half.” Neito keeps talking, I’m only half listening. My nails drag harshly against the already-opened skin of my neck. She’d already taken the old scars, she’s softened my skin.

She’s so… good for me. And now she’s trying to be good for someone else. Someone who doesn’t deserve her. Someone who fails without her. Todoroki. Son of Endeavor, the number one hero. I scratch harder.

“I’m going to need a bigger army to take out number one a second time. He’s got to go before we take the kid for my Doll.” I don’t need her, I LIKE her. I want her. A side quest, a secret achievement that only the elite ever know about let alone obtain.

“Are we really that keen on getting this one girl, Tomura Shigaraki?” Kurogiri sounds concerned. He always sounds so goddamn concerned.

“She would make a wonderful addition to my group, sure, but the truth of the matter is that she isn’t necessary for my plans… just yet. I simply want her. It’s my right to get rid of anything I don’t like, but there was very little instruction on what to do with things I DO like. She’s a rare collectible. She should still be in her vacuum-sealed box to protect her value.” I explain, removing my hand from my neck to look at it.

Blood paints my fingertips. Pretty. My pants tighten again as I think about the video of her and those two soon-to-be corpses. She bled then too. She bleeds every time. She’s a virgin, every time. Her box practically reseals itself. She won’t tarnish, one look at her father- still looking in his early twenties despite being thirty-five- tells me she won’t age.

“I really have no rush to collect her, no matter how much of a whore she decides to be, she’ll still be pure, just for me.” I chuckle, glancing over at the lower goons. “Only I can talk about her like that, because she’s mine. Everything about her, made for me.” I repeat, making sure they get the message.

Spinner grimaces, looking away. Dabi doesn’t look too pleased either- But Toga looks excited. She begged to be able to keep the doll in her room, as a playmate. Now, I have to consider it. Clearly, I can’t control myself around her.

Right down to the dark hair I like, those soft blue eyes that are more grey when she cries. Her body- made thicker so there’s more to hold and- god- the fact that I CAN hold her. I can TOUCH her. My unbreakable little doll.

“It’ll be harder to catch her slipping this time though, she’s been training her tolerance.” Dabi interjects, swirling his scotch around in his glass before he sips it. ‘Just for me’ I want to add, but I don’t. I can’t let her become a weakness.

“I could tell the last time I held her, the decay didn’t work nearly as well. Unlike her father, she has no upper limit; probably at the trade-off of still feeling pain.” I find myself agreeing with Dabi, but disagreeing at the same time. “That’s why I need the boy. A pet to help keep her on a leash. It worked really well with the Midoriya brat. I could have gone anywhere with that kid and she’d of been right with me.” I silently curse myself for letting her get away that time, but in the end, it was for the best.

“She would be a valuable member of the league, a quirk like hers is one in a million, and with the loss of her father it is singular now. The only healers left in the world are her and Recovery Girl.” Kurogiri sighs, polishing a glass. He still blames me for losing my temper at Doctor Black- but really, It isn’t my fault. I thought at least one of her brothers would have a healing quirk, but they’re just as useless as everyone else in this pile of shit city.

“The commission is also looking for her. They’ve put a lot of money into her already, Eraserhead has become her personal guard.” Dabi downs the rest of his glass after he speaks, and then he chuckles. “Bird brain was also tasked with watching her… and with knocking her up as quickly as possible to try to conserve her power before it all went to shit.” Dabi explains further, and I grimace. Due to that little… box in Neito’s room, We know that didn’t work out well, just yet. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a gross guy- but stealing a girl’s used tampons? Well, That’s just a different KIND of depraved. “If you ask me, it's kind of gross. She’s just a fucking kid and they’re whoring her out for some prime hero spawn. That’s fucked.” Dabi spits, his posture tenses for a moment before he relaxes against the counter.

“Did her father know about the deal?” Spinner questions, I find myself asking silently why he cares.

“Wouldn’t surprise me. Pros with kids look at their spawn like products and projects, not people.” Dabi says this with a little too much… knowing? “She clearly had no idea though. Hawks said she slept right through it most of the time, she woke up a few times but he played it off as part of her nightmares. She’d been having a lot of those.” Dabi grimaces, pouring himself another drink. I nod, and turn to more directly look at him.

“So what happened in the videos of the two of them were commission sanctioned?” Toga asks, looking uncomfortable.

“Yeah, apparently he was supposed to woo her- and he was getting pretty damn far pretty quick before the USJ incident. Hell, if it wasn’t for that fucker-” He pauses to deliver a swift kick to Neito’s head, knocking him out. “He’d of probably succeeded by now.” Dabi finishes his thought and grins. “That’s actually… probably what’s going on with her and Todoroki.” He laughs, and then further clarifies. “All of the time she spent at Endeavors house- despite the fact that he’s not exactly a kid person. The commission probably offered her up to him for a quirk marriage with his kid. The information I got from Hawks is that they pretty much forced her mother to sign over rights to the commission the day they found what was left of dear old dad’s body. Katherine doesn’t even know they own her.”

I grit my teeth. “And now you tell us this? If she’s the commission’s ward, there will be so much more work into obtaining her.” Kurogiri is angry now, on my behalf. I’m too distracted to be angry myself. I wonder now, what our own children would look like? What their quirks would be. How many babies could I fuck into a woman that would heal up to new every time? She wouldn’t need time to wait between each one.

“Work on what we’ve got first… though if she doesn’t know about what the commission has done, and their involvement in her being raped- it may be useful to send her the message. We might not need to steal her at all, she could come to us willingly- for protection from those big bad government men.” I smirk, and Dabi nods.

“That’s exactly what I was thinking.” He agrees. My perfect toy. I need her back. My little doll will go back into her box soon, after I get all of my other toys in order. After all, if I clean my room, I always make my bed last.
________________________________________
*kate*
I slide my messenger bag up my shoulder, stepping into the common room. The meeting isn’t for another two hours, so I might as well hang out with my friends. I flitter over to Denki, tapping my hand on his elbow to get his attention, but feeling a burn wrap around my stomach. I raise an eyebrow as he turns to look at me.

“O-Oh. Hey Kate!” Denki stutters, looking incredibly flustered. “I gotta go, nice seeing you.” He swallows, hurrying away from me. I reach out a hand, grabbing on to his bicep and fully taking the wound.

“What happened to your stomach?” I ask, and he laughs awkwardly,

“Oh, uh, just training stuff. You know.” He shakes, ripping his arm from my grasp and walking away quickly. I look down at Mineta, who’s also got a scorch mark peeking up from under the collar of his shirt.

“Minoru?” I ask, and he blanks.

“See you, Kate.” He mumbles, hurrying off after Denki. I blank, an eyebrow raised. The fuck was all of that about? I pause.

Katsuki Bakugo.

The angry boy… in Gym class he showed off an explosion quirk. Is that hothead bullying my friends now?! I grit my teeth, looking around the room.

Shoji, Fumikage and Toru are sitting on the couch, watching an anime.

Momo and Tenya are playing chess over on the table.

Mina and Kyoka are teaching Sero some dumb tiktok dance.

Everyone else has already left for the weekend- everyone But Shoto, who steps out of the shower room with a towel around his shoulders to prevent his wet hair from dripping on the floor. My heart softens when I see him, but something in my gut twists.

“Kitty- You’re going to your uncle’s right?” Shoto questions, giving me a soft smile. I haven’t asked Shoto what was up with that kiss. I assume he meant to kiss my cheek, and must’ve missed. It was an emotionally charged moment, after all. It would be unfair to him to assume anything else.

Several people today asked about his missing scar, but I shrugged them off, and offered to take their scars as well. Katsuki seemed especially angry about the scar thing. My brow furrows.

“Yeah, uh- have you- uhm. Have you talked to Katsuki at all?” I ask, and Shoto’s expression goes dark for a moment before he composes himself.

“No, why?” He asks. From his reaction to Katsuki’s name, it feels like he’s lying.

“I think he hurt Denki and Minoru…” I whisper, getting close so he can hear me. I press my hands into his bare chest, and feel the soreness in his knuckles. I gasp.

“Did… did you get into a fight with him?” I question, looking into his eyes to be sure of his answer. Don’t lie to me, Shoto.

“What? No. Kitty, where's all this coming from?” He’s concerned now, and I blank.

“I’m worried about all of my friends. Katsuki said some really weird things last night and just now I healed burns on Denki- Minoru was burned too but he avoided me like it had something to do with me.” I look down, playing with my hands. Shoto reaches forward, pulling me into his bare chest and wrapping his arms around the back of my head.

“Whatever’s going on, It’s not your fault, okay? I’ll handle it before you come back.” Shoto promises, pressing a kiss to my forehead. See? Just a friendly gesture. Friends. We’re just friends, Kate. Stop trying to make this into something it isn’t. Jesus, talk about daddy issues- Why does that thought feel familiar? Shoto pulls me out of my thoughts with a squeeze around my shoulders. “Wanna watch TV or something until you have to leave?” Shoto questions, and I nod.

We sit on the couch, I end up in between Shoji and Shoto. The episode ends, and the news comes on. A winged hero is holding a press conference about a recent drug bust. The screen labels him as Hawks.

Shoto becomes visibly uncomfortable, angry even as the man talks. Oh. Hawks is the number two hero? I must know even less about hero culture than I thought. I guess it makes sense for Shoto to not like Hawks, the guy is the only competition for Shoto’s dad right now, who’s sitting pretty as Number One. Hawks looks directly into the camera, smiling wide.

“And a special thanks to my Songbird, If you’re watching baby, call me.” He winks, and Shoto seethes. Yeah, I guess that was pretty unprofessional, but c’mon, most guys Hawks’ age are huge flirts. I glance up at Shoto, and place a palm on his knee to steady him. His tense posture relaxes ever so slightly under my touch.

Chapter Text

“Ah, Little Katie!” Sasaki wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into a hug. The air outside of the restaurant is frigid, but Shoto convinced me to wear his jacket. I will not admit to him that the fact that it smells like him calms some of my anxiety.

“I haven’t seen you since you were knee-high with a cricket.” Sasaki chuckles, ruffling my hair.

“Hi- Uh… I’m actually here to talk about Hero Work Studies?” I state it like a question, but I didn’t mean to. Sasaki opens the door, and the warm scent of garlic and roasted tomatoes envelops us.

“You want to work for me?” The question comes as a surprise from him, his eyebrow is raised and his lips are slightly parted as he leads us to a table he had already reserved. I have to nearly bend backward to look up at him, he’s too tall. God, why couldn’t I get my height from my mom’s side of the family? At least when we sit, I can meet his eye.

“Yes. I actually wanted to talk to you… about your quirk? I think I inherited a bit of it.” He looks even more confused now.

“What do you mean, a bit of it?” He rests his elbows on the table, staring at me with an intensity I can’t put my finger on.

“I don’t think I’m psychic or anything, but when I take decent enough care of my body, like I get enough sleep and eat properly, I get… hunches?” I try to explain, and he nods.

“And what do these ‘hunches’ usually entail?” Sasaki speaks lowly as the waitress passes, placing a plate of garlic bread in the center of the table and a pitcher of water alongside two glasses.

“They’re not… images like you get. More a gut feeling? Like… I literally feel it in my gut- and then my head will tell me there’s something wrong or dangerous. It only happens if there’s an imminent danger though. And there’s no indication as to WHAT is dangerous, just that there’s something bad about to happen. It happened before the USJ, and before Roswell. And the night before the attack at Camp. Every time there was no warning otherwise, nothing else was off. There were no other indicators besides my own thoughts warning me.” I pick at a piece of bread, and Sasaki tilts his head.

“Sounds more like intuition than premonitions, but it could be your body rejecting negative stimuli. Tell me, Have you had any dreams that seemed to predict events?” He takes a sip of water while I answer.

“Yeah! I had a dream that…” I trail off. I know it happened. I had a dream about something that happened… but now I can’t remember it- I can only remember the event itself… there’s a face in there but it’s lost, muddled. “I had a dream I was attacked at home… and then I was… I think? I’m sorry… this is weird.” I give him an awkward smile, and he begins to grow ever more concerned, judging by his face and posture.

“Have you been losing memories?” Sasaki’s voice is dripping with an emotion I can’t quite put my finger on.

“Y-yeah? It’s weird. I try to think of the events that caused the warnings, and… there are things missing? Like it’s… censored or something?” That’s exactly what it’s like.

“I remember the attack at the USJ. I remember fighting, and then this… shadow covers over a lot of it… and then there I am, being pulled out of the water by AllMight. I was kidnapped… I remember that. I remember escaping with Dabi’s help, but I don’t remember anything in between. I don’t even remember how I got Dabi’s name.” I’m rambling, confused but I can’t find any fear to be had. Why am I just now realizing this? How long have my memories escaped me… I don’t even remember WHEN this started.

“That is concerning… I’ve already got a candidate for first-year Hero Work-Study, but honestly I think you may need my help just as well. Tell you what, tomorrow, I’ll have my current student pick you up at the dorms and you can familiarize yourself with the way I work before making anything official on the way. Because once we begin, Katherine, It’s going to be a lot of work. Your training will be intensive under my guidance.” He offers, and I nod.

“Thank you, Sir.” I give him a smile.

++
A knock on my door has me tripping over my dirty clothes to open it. “Sho-” I’m cut off by a tall blonde boy with a winning smile. I tense.

“Mirio? What are you doing here? Want a round two? Because I won’t go easy on you this time.” I smirk, leaning against my door. He pushes past me, walking into my room.

“Jeeze, do you do anything but work out? It’s weird, you don’t look all that muscular.” He kicks a pile of dirty clothes to the side.

“You could also stand to be neater, Sir likes order in things.” Mirio reaches down to touch my bed, and his fingers get far too close to my quilt. I lunge, gripping his hand and pushing him back.

“Don’t touch that! Get out of my room!” I growl. Seriously, fuck this guy. I don’t need my quirk to whoop his ass.

“Woah- Quite the temper you got there! That’s actually not the best for hero work- despite the results of the sports festival.” Mirio’s tone is not teasing, but it still pisses me off.

“What do you WANT, Mirio?” I try to keep calm, but my blood pressure is at an all-time high.

“Oh- I’m here to pick you and Midoriya up for Sir NightEye.” He grins, and I blank. Izuku is the other first-year?! How can I compete with that? Shit. Also… MIRIO IS HIS STUDENT?! Jesus, I am out of my league here… is it too late to just call up Endeavor and work for him again? Hell, even that Hawks guy was on my list for possibilities. He’s number two! Shouldn’t I be working with him?

“Hey- Don’t go getting lost in your thoughts now! C’mon, We’ve gotta go get Midoriya, and then we’ve got about an hour train ride to the office.” Mirio looks down at my clothing.

“You need a jacket. It’s gonna get cold out tonight and I don’t know when we’ll be back- wait can you even get a cold?” He tilts his head. I glare at him, grabbing Shoto’s jacket and slipping it on.

“Can we go now?” I move to walk past him, he blocks me.

“Hey- No hard feelings about the training session the other day, right? It wasn’t my intention to make you upset with me.” Mirio’s face is calm, he still holds a smile but there’s something uneasy about it, he’s worried about something. Me? Why?

“Sorry- I’m just… on edge lately, I guess?” I mumble, and Mirio finally steps to the side.

“Oh, It’s definitely a good thing you’re studying with Sir then. His favorite thing to do is smile.” Mirio wraps an arm around my shoulders, guiding me down the hallway. I don’t shrug him off.

Izuku is practically bouncing off the walls by the time we find him, which is impressive, because he’s in the courtyard- and there are no walls.

“Katherine? You’re applying for work-study with Sir Nighteye?” Izuku questions and I shrug as we walk toward the train station, several blocks down the road.

“No, I already applied- but it’s like college. I applied for a few different places… actually. I got accepted with Hawks, BestJeanist, Endeavor and Ryuku too.” At my admittance, Izuku’s jaw drops.

“Really?! How did you get accepted by Sir NightEye? I really need this job!” Izuku’s eyes hold wonder and dreams. I nod.

“Uh- well… I asked? I kind of have an unfair advantage though… he’s my uncle- my mom’s brother.” I nod, and his eyes somehow get wider.

“Really?! Do you have foresight too?!” Izuku is bouncing on the balls of his feet, and Mirio also looks interested. He wasn’t told about this either apparently.

“Well- not really. But I do get like, feelings? I guess? Not premonitions, but like a gut feeling when something is gonna go wrong. I’m taking this internship to see if Sir can cultivate the ability and help me use it more effectively.” I sigh, looking up at Mirio.

“Is that something you think he might be able to help me with?” I ask, and Mirio gives a soft smile.

“Yeah! Sir sure helped me figure out my quirk! I can’t imagine it’d be much harder to help you with a quirk similar to his!” Mirio’s sunny disposition almost puts my anxiety at ease. Almost.

“That’s all I needed to know.” I nod.

The building is huge. “Well, this is it, sir Nighteye’s agency.” Mirio points up at the building, and Izuku looks like he’s seen a ghost. I reach forward, placing a hand on his clothed back, trying to calm him.

“Easy man. Take a breath. ” Mirio glances back at me. “You too. I thought Sir was your uncle? Why do you look so anxious?” Mirio asks, an eyebrow raised. I shrug. “Try to loosen up! But not too loose, ya’know, ‘cause, uh, Sir’s actually a pretty strict guy.” Mirio warns, and Izuku clears his throat.

“I’m fully aware! He’s a hero famous for being demanding, on others as well as himself. His gaze is so harsh that it makes me shiver every time I see him on TV. He looks so Severe!” Izuku’s ramblings surprise me.

Uncle Sasaki? Severe? Am I thinking of the same guy? Uncle Sasaki? Who sends a stupid pun-filled birthday card for me and my brothers every single year? Who stuck an Icecream cone on my head when I was four and called me a unicorn? That Sir Nighteye?

No way- well, I guess as a hero his persona has to be very different from how he is with family. But even last night after the main topic of Work Studies he was quite jovial- he made some dumb ‘impasta’ joke when I ordered Orzo instead of rice.

“That’s absolutely true. But there’s a totally different side of him that the press never gets to see.” Mirio nods, as if he read my mind… did he? I can never be too sure these days. “If you wanna be acknowledged by him, here’s a tip. You need to do one important thing at this meeting. Y’a gotta make him laugh. Then he’ll totally approve of you.” Mirio confirms, and I stifle a laugh of my own. I had him cracking up at my ramblings about my classmates last night and their strange little isms and drama. It was nice to actually talk to someone… like I used to do with my mom. It was nice, he listened like she does, his smile is like hers.

The door opens to the office, and I am immediately smacked by an overwhelming feeling of… deja vu? There’s a girl, with blue skin, manacled to an upright table, being tickled by a machine while Sasaki watches. What the FUCK? I push past Izuku, pushing over NightEye and working to free the girl.

“Hey, Katie.” Sasaki sounds surprised, coughing slightly from the force I’d slammed into his stomach. I free the girl, and she coughs as she falls over my shoulder.

“That’s Sir’s sidekick, Bubble-Girl. I guess she didn’t make him laugh, sucks!” Mirio’s tone is still happy and playful. Something about this situation in its entirety- the way Sasaki and Mirio are still acting like this is normal- feels… familiar? Why?! A memory, of a thought. A thought I had while at the campsite, before it was attacked.

‘Are all Pro Heroes just unimaginably horny for fifteen-year-olds?! Yeah, probably.’

What even caused that line of thinking? I remember Pixie Bobb and… someone? Huh. Weird.

“Are you okay?” I ask the girl, pressing my palms to her face to try to take any damage, but she’s sustained none.

“Yeah- yeah… Oh! You must be Katie!” She clears her throat, standing on her own two feet.

“Kate’s fine.” I nod at her, calming now that I know there isn’t danger, just mild perversion.

“I’m Kaoruko, It’s very nice to meet you! I didn’t know sir even had family until he came back from his hiking trip talking about you!” Kaoruko smiles softly, and I laugh. “Yeah- we should go. I think that kid is about to get yelled at.” She points to Izuku, who has a really stupid look on his face… looks a bit like AllMight? I glance up at Sasaki, who’s got a near-murderous look in his eye.

“Oh- I think I should stay… in case someone gets hurt.” I keep my posture relaxed, and clasp my hands in front of me, listening in to the conversation.

Chapter Text

“I don’t care for this one bit. You can see yourself out.” Sasaki turns back toward Kaoroku and I, and Izuku swallows.

“The vinegar river incident. Are you not aware of it, sir?” Izuku calls, causing Sasaki to turn ever so slightly. “A middle schooler whose quirk allowed him to change the properties of water was drowning in a river. But All Might stepped in and saved him. The drowning kid panicked and accidentally turned the river into vinegar. Which, obviously, ended up getting in All Might’s eyes. His face looked slightly different from normal after. That smile, those narrowed eyes. That’s the look I chose to impersonate earlier.”

Mirio takes his leave, slipping closer to Kaoroku and I during Izuku’s speech.

”I know this rescue.” Sasaki pauses, turning ever so slightly to look back at Izuku. “Although it took place before I teamed up with him. And I believe they mentioned it briefly on the widely-run television special entitled ‘a look back’.” Sasaki’s voice has softened, his shoulders are less tense.

“Yes, I love that show! I know there weren’t any villains involved, so some people think it was a boring save. I’m sure that's why the fans don’t talk about it much, but I really like it for some reason. Honestly, I think the best part of the whole thing is the witty response he gave after being thanked by the kid he rescued!” Izuku’s demeanor has shifted as well. Just talking about All Might makes him smile, rosy cheeks against bouncing green curls.

“My skin feels ten years younger.” Sasaki completes the quote, and Izuku bounces on the balls of his feet again.

“That’s it! It was the perfect one-liner!” Izuku’s grin looks like it might crack his face in half if it gets any wider. In stark contrast, Sasaki’s dark gaze would be deadly if looks could kill.

“Now I see.” Sasaki turns more fully. “You were just testing me.” Sasaki accuses, his voice slipping into a growl.

“Oh, No! It’s just that, since All Might is a teacher at my school, I never really get a chance to geek out about him. I maybe got a little excited.” Izuku admits, and I keep my lips pressed together so I don’t blab about his superfan dorm room. Glancing around this room, It’s actually very similar. Posters, merchandise. Am I the only person in the world who’s NOT a huge AllMight fan?

“As I recall, it turned out the child’s volatile home life was to blame.” Sasaki pushes his glasses up is nose, and leans in, Izuku copies his movements.

“That’s right! And that made All Might’s actions and words carry even more weight, I bet!” Izuku smiles widely.

“Mirio? Who’s that? He’s loud.” Kaoroku asks, crossing her arms over her chest.

“An underclassman at my school. I see you already met Kate- they’re in the same class, actually. Hey- It doesn’t look like they’re going to murder eachother. Do you two want to grab coffee while they work out their issues?” Mirio turns to the both of us, and I nod.

“Honestly, I’m just desperate to go home and put on some real clothes- I wouldn’t have come in my school uniform but it’s the closest thing I have to professional attire. Shopping with Miss Midnight isn’t exactly the greatest for office clothes.” I Joke, and Mirio laughs loudly.

“Oh, You’ll fit in really well here, Doll!” He grins, and something in my heart drops. Voodoo doll… my hero name. Mirio is not at all threatening as a person, so why then, did that feel like a threat? Confusing.

Four months, paid wages. I’ll probably miss several days of classes, but outside of math I’ll be okay. Shoto and I study algebra together anyway, and since I’ll live with him during the weekends it shouldn’t be that hard. Besides, If Izuku and I are in this together, I’ll have someone to lean on. That is… if he can get the stamp. He has three minutes to try to take the seal from Sasaki, and I’m powerless to help him.

I stare down at the paper in my hands- a contract. All I needed to do was ASK and Sasaki stamped my paper. It’s unfair. I wanted to EARN my place. I wanted to prove that I belong here as much as my dad thought I did.

“So- did you have to do a practical interview like that?” Kaoroku asks, looking up at Mirio as we stand in the hallway.

“Nah, Sir asked for me specifically, so I didn’t have to jump through hoops or anything.” Mirio scratches the back of his neck. I keep my head low. Really? Then why’s he giving Izuku such a tough time?

“Jeeze, you really are his golden boy. Must be nice.” She tilts back her head and I bite my cheek. Mirio laughs loudly, and Kaoroku joins him, but softer. “I can’t believe I’m jealous of a highschool kid.” She shakes her head, and I wince.

“I wanted to earn my spot as well- but he just stamped my contract like it was nothing! It kind of sucks actually, I was hoping for some confirmation that I actually belong here.” I groan, looking up at the halogen light bars in the ceiling. Kaoroku raises an eyebrow, looking down at me.

“Uh- wait but you scored a hundred percent on the Licensing exam! That’s completely unheard of! The security footage as well as several recommendation letters from your teachers and a few pros ended up on Sir’s desk the day before yesterday. I’ve personally looked over your files. Native, Eraserhead, even Recovery Girl have been singing you praise for a while now.” Kaoroku nods. “Unlike Golden Boy over here,” she teases, gesturing to Mirio. “You have proven yourself, multiple times!” She’s trying to make me feel better. It almost works, almost.

“I gotta say, I agree. You even managed to get a hit in on me- TWICE! Really impressive for a first year. Even if you lost, you still showed really great potential. You deserve to be here, If you didn’t, sir wouldn’t have signed you on, family or not.” Mirio nods, stopping in front of a snack machine.

“You want anything?” Mirio asks, and I shake my head. He sighs. “Man, Sir is really stringing that kid along.” He glances back at the door. Inside, I can hear several landing and jumping noises. Sasaki’s voice is traunting. He’s calling moves before they happen.

“I know, right?” Kaoroku groans. Guilt drips down my spine in ice-cold spines.

“Do you think I’d get fired if I went in there to help?” I ask, itching my palms on my skirt.

“You’d ruin Midoriya’s chances, for sure. He’s gotta do it on his own.” Mirio hands me a candy bar.

“I said I didn’t-”

“Sit down, and eat it. You’re shaking.” Mirio says quietly, his signature smile has fallen. He looks concerned. I nod, swallowing. Why am I obeying him? I’ve never been a submissive personality. I look up at him with mouthful of chocolate as he works on getting a soda for himself.

It’s because he doesn’t have any selfish reasons for this. He’s not malicious. He just cares for the sake of caring. Like Aizawa. A loud bang resounds from the room, and I move to stand. Mirio blocks me, placing a large hand on my shoulder and giving me another one of his huge smiles.

“No one’s hurt. C’mon, the test should be over.” He removes his hand, but offers it to help me stand. I take it, and watch as one of the long scars on his hand disappears.

“Congrats Midoriya, you pulled it off!” Mirio chimes as we walk in to the room. Sneaker prints cover the walls, and Izuku is on his knees, but both he and Sasaki look completely fine. “So, he made you laugh after all?” Mirio questions, gazing warmly at my uncle, who’s back is turned.

“I had already decided I would take you on when I heard you were coming. I also knew that you weren’t entirely lacking in skill and intellect. But I still wanted to see it for myself. The Symbol of Peace is gone, and the people are looking not for a dim light, but a dazzling one. You’ll work here alongside professionals. And you will see. Regardless of All Might’s mandate, you are not worthy of his power.” Sasaki’s face is stoic but his tone is seething.

All Might’s power. I glance over at Izuku as he stamps his own contract. He doesn’t look like AllMight… but Shoto did once mention he believes Izuku is All Might’s secret love child. I’d laughed it off, but… well, it does make sense. I should probably keep this to myself. God knows what would happen if the public ever found out about this. I haven’t checked twitter or TikTok since the exams in fear of someone leaking my perfect score. If I can be so worried about that and what it does to my reputation, Imagine what Izuku must feel.

“I look forward to working with you.” Izuku nods, and gives me a soft smile.

The train ride back to the dorms is quiet, despite Izuku’s incessant muttering. I snuggle closer into Shoto’s jacket, pulling it tighter around me. It’s not cold on the train, but I need the comfort.

I wonder if any of our classmates have figured out their work studies yet, or if any of them have applied to places at all. I did most of my applications the day that Aizawa said we might do them, but I must’ve been in a really bad rush because I didn’t even see Hawks’ agency had offered until yesterday, but I got a call from his intern right away that I was accepted. I didn’t expect that at all. It would be flattering if I didn’t know how much I don’t deserve it.

I was also given his personal number, but when I checked, it was already saved in my phone as ‘Keigo’. Weird. Now that I know for sure I’m going to be working for NightEye, I should call the others and tell them. I glance over at Mirio and Izuku. Mirio is staring out of the window, seemingly lost in thought. Izuku is jotting stuff down in his notebook, muttering. They won’t miss me.

I stand, finding a more quiet and secluded section of the train to call people. I can tell Endeavor tomorrow morning when I arrive at his house. I’ll call Best Jeanist tomorrow at ten AM as he requested. I already Turned down Ryuko because I’m not the biggest fan of the way she handles search and rescue. That only leaves Hawks. I dial the number, and it only rings once before it’s picked up.

“Songbird?” The unfamiliar voice calls, and my heart squeezes for a moment.

“Uh, No? This is Katherine Black. I Applied for your Work-Study program?” I clarify, and a slight jostling happens before he speaks again.

“When would you like to start?” His voice is excited, and I scrunch up my nose. I hate being the bearer of bad news.

“Actually- I uh, I’ve decided to Intern with NightEye. My application did note that he was getting precedence and He accepted my offer so…” I trail off, and Hawks pauses for only a fraction of a moment before he speaks again.

“Oh- Of, of course, um. But if you just want to talk or- Dinner! How does dinner sound? Tuesday, I can uh. I can give you some pointers and warnings and all that stuff before you go out and do real hero stuff?” He seems… flustered. Why?

“Are you sure? I’m not working for you so I wouldn’t want to waste your time or anything.” Hawks responds with a laugh.

“I’ll pick you up at six. See you Tuesday, Songbird.” the dial tone rings before I can refuse. That was… weird? Well, It would be really good for me to get pointers from the number Two hero.

Chapter Text

“Welcome back, Katherine. Is this a more permanent stay?” Endeavor glares down at me, his face is on fire. I wonder, is he immune to burns?

“No, sir. Just the weekends. I don’t want to burden Aizawa more than I already have.” I bow my head in respect that this bastard does not deserve.

“I don’t see how you could ever be a burden, Just look at all you’ve done for Shoto!” He claps a hand over his son’s shoulder, and I resist the urge to rip it off of him. After everything Shoto has told me, this son of a bitch doesn’t deserve a son. “I had the best plastic surgeons look at that scar, none of them could do anything. You do good work.” Endeavor praises, and places another hand on the top of my head, ruffling my hair. I can see the rage in Shoto’s eyes just before Endeavor pulls back, smirking. “Well, I’ll actually be away for the weekend. Have fun. Fuyumi and Natsuo are around if you need anything.” Endeavor nods at me, something strange in his eyes before he steps out of the room, and through the front door.

“You okay?” I whisper toward Shoto, who shrugs.

“Hey, would you like to do something today before you have to leave for the work study?” He changes the subject quickly, and I smile.

“Sure… you have anything in mind?” I lean into him again. The heat from his left side calms any anger I had only a moment ago. He wraps an arm around my shoulders, leaning his head on mine.

“I’ve got one really good idea, but It’s gonna need you to be cool…” He chuckles to himself. Something about the way he said “cool” Sounded like a pun. I squint, sliding my head out from under his and staring at him.

“Why do I feel like you’re up to something?” I ask, and he smirks. His teasing glance is a lot like his fathers, but there’s something far softer about it.

“Your shoe size is seven… right?” He asks, using his arm around my shoulders to lead me down a hallway, through his father’s training room until we stop at a heavy metal door.

“Yeah- what are you doing?” He places a blindfold over my eyes, and chuckles.

“Don’t you trust me, Kitty?” He teases, scooping me up off my feet, causing me to squeak.

“Shoto I swear to god, if this has something to do with training I’ll leave.” I warn, and he chuckles.

“No- just wait.” He murmurs, setting me down on a chair. He lifts up my leg, tugging my shoe off.

“Hey!” I move to yank my foot back, but he holds tight, slipping another, heavier shoe on my socked foot. “What is this? Some weird foot fetish thing?!” I laugh, and he joins me.

“No, just… you’ll like this.” He tightens the shoe, it goes over my ankle, I realize. He makes quick work of doing the other foot as well, and when I step down, I find my foot is unstable, there’s mass in the middle of the shoe, but it’s empty on the sides. High heels but weird? Shoto grabs me by the waist, and pulls me to stand. “You’re a little wobbly, but… I can hold you.” He says simply, and guides me to walk forward more. “You ready?” He asks, and I nod. I am rewarded by the blindfold being removed to reveal the room.

It was a swimming pool, but it’s completely frozen over. Intricate designs are carved into ice on the walls of the room, and a sort of guard wall of ice perimeters the pool. An ice skating rink. Shoto made me an Ice Skating rink. I glance down at his feet, where he has constructed skates from himself out of ice.

“Shoto-” My voice comes out as a breath as I look around the room. He’s hung fairy lights, there’s soft music playing from… somewhere? This… this took time, planning, dedication. When did he do this? Why did he do this?

“C’mon.” Shoto smiles, pulling me forward. I slide a bit, my feet not being accustomed to not being flat on the ground.

“Shoto- I’m gonna fall.” I giggle, and his smile is warm enough to melt me along with the ice.

“I won’t let you, here…” He places both of his hands on my hips, gently guiding me to the center of the rink.

“This is…” I pause, trying to find the words, Shoto stiffens.

“Too much?” He asks, eyes wide. “Fuyumi said that girls like big romantic gestures but if you don’t like it then I can-” I cut him off.

“Romantic?” I question, cheeks glowing red. “W-why would you… want to be romantic?” I look up at him, staring into his eyes.

“Oh god- you don’t feel the same way- I knew it was too soon I’m such an Idiot! You JUST got out of a relationship with THEM and I- I took advantage of that… I’m no better than them!” He cries out, moving to release me.

I struggle to stay standing, and hold tight on his arm. “Shoto- wait a minute! What the hell are you talking about?!” I ask, my ankles are not at all strong enough to keep my weight steady on my own. Shoto stutters a breath, and swallows, closing his eyes tightly before he begins to speak again.

“When I saw you standing there, still willing to fight after everything that happened at the USJ. When I asked you about training for the festival… you were so… determined. I’ve never met anyone with that kind of strength before. I admire it. I admire you. I LIKE you. More than I probably should. More than you could ever know.” Shoto Todoroki is really confessing that he has feelings for me right now. It doesn't make any sense. But… it… does? The kiss… the touches, the way he’s always by my side.

“You keep moving, no matter what. You smile at me and my heart melts every time. I get… so goddamn flustered every time you just look at me, I think I might faint, and then you just say something that makes me want to stay awake forever just to listen to you.” Shoto seems to be done with his tirade. I’m having a difficult time processing any of this at all. “S-say something… please.” He opens his eyes finally, and gasps. “I need you to s-” I cut him off, pressing my lips to his. Something about this is… familiar? I can’t put my finger on it. He holds onto me tighter, none of my weight is actually on my feet now- I’m glad, otherwise I probably would have fallen and ruined this.

When he finally pulls back, there is a slight gleam in his eyes. “I’ve wanted to do that… since the first day I met you.” He admits, lowering my weight back to my feet, but keeping me steady. I hold on to his hips for support. Shoto cups my face, staring at me. “Does this mean you like me back?” He asks, and I pause.

“I- I don’t know. This is confusing.” I admit, leaning my forehead against his chest. “I- I’ve had a crush on you for a while but I- You’re too… good for me. You’re smart and handsome and kind… and I’m just… Me?” I laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, and Shoto stiffens, gripping my chin and forcing me to look him in the eye.

“Being you is all I need from you.” He says seriously, the tone of his voice is stern, almost chastising. “You’re a mess.” He cracks a smile as he teases, wiping away tears I hadn’t realized had fallen.

“You’re the best.” I respond, giggling.

He steps backward, skating across the ice with me in his arms. “While we’re here, we might as well do what I planned.” Shoto smirks, placing his hands on my hips and twirling me. My legs are wobbly, but he keeps me standing.

“Jesus- are you good at everything?!” I question, falling into his chest again.

“I’m not so good at… conflict resolution. As much as I hate it, I’m pretty sure I have my father’s temper.” He admits sourly, skating to the side, keeping me at arms length so I can gather my own bearings. I raise an eyebrow.

“Really? I think I’ve only seen you angry once… at the chief of police?” I try to pull up that memory… but there’s something missing from it. Like a key piece of the puzzle that I’d forgotten. Shoto gives an awkward chuckle.

“Yeah… not one of my best moments. I tend to get angry when people disrespect the people I care about, violent, even. It’s another one of my many flaws.” He nods to himself, and twirls me again. “I’m also not great at talking about my feelings.” He adds, crossing his ankles to skate off to the side without me. He’s showing off now. I struggle to keep upright, but I manage as long as I stay very still.

“You talk to me about your feelings fine enough.” I tease, attempting to step forward, but the ice is too slick. I slide, but am caught effortlessly by Shoto yet again.

“I’m not good with math.” He continues, skating around me in circles. He makes bubble shapes with his feet, crossing and uncrossing his ankles with a grace I couldn’t begin to attempt to achieve.

“I can’t drive, I don’t know how to play poker.” He ruffles my hair as he passes behind me, I try to turn but almost fall again. Shoto catches me around the waist from behind, placing a kiss to my jaw before he releases me to continue his soliloquy.

“I can’t spell the word ‘schedule’, I don’t know how to knit. I can’t play any instruments.” He grabs my hand, pulling it away from my chest so he can press a kiss to the back of it, and then several more kisses in a trail up my arm, making me giggle.
“I’ve got trust issues, I can’t sleep without a night light, I have a crippling fear of tea kettles.” He wraps my arm around his own waist, pulling me closer.

“And I can’t resist doing this-“ he leans in, pressing another soft kiss to my lips. I smile into the kiss. It doesn’t move deeper. When he pulls away, he’s got the softest, most serene smile I think I’ve ever seen.
“So, no… I’m not good at EVERYTHING.” He teases, placing another gentle kiss to the tip of my nose.

“Hope you don’t mind.” He feins a dramatic sigh, skating away again. I move to go after him, but I’m really not getting a hang of this at all. He catches me, again, nuzzling his face into my hair.

“You don’t have to catch me, you know. I’ll be okay.” I giggle, and he scoffs dramatically.

“I know that, Kitty. Maaaaybe I just like holding you.” He kisses the top of my head before I can protest, not that I would have in the first place.

“This doesn’t change anything about our friendship though, right? Can I still stay here on the weekends?” I ask, and Shoto laughs.

“Kitty- If anything I’m just going to want to spend MORE time with you.” He snuggles his face into my hair, pressing kisses between breaths.

“I don’t mean to be… possessive or anything, but I’d like to share every moment with you. I enjoy your company more than I enjoy the air I breathe.” He admits, pushing me backward so I can look him in the eye.

“Of course, that all depends on you, how about it?” He smiles widely, and I nod.

“We’re going to have to keep it quiet from your dad though.” I giggle, and he goes beet red.

“Yeah, about that… he actually uh… he gave me the ‘talk’ Before you got here. Well, it wasn’t really a talk… he threw a box of condoms at my head.” Shoto avoids my eyes, and I laugh harder.

“Gotta say, I’m impressed. Didn’t think the bastard had it in him to attempt the whole parenting thing. Condoms are a bit presumptuous though.” I tease, pinching Shoto’s cheek. Shoto’s eyes widen.

“Not that I meant anything by that! I don’t want to have sex with you! We’re too young and I just told you I like you today and we haven’t really known eachother all that long and- wait I didn’t mean I don’t want to have sex with you, because I do! I just meant not yet- I don’t want to coerce you into anything or- god now it sounds like I’m trying to talk you into-” I cut off his anxious rambling with a hug, pressing my cheek against his chest.

“Calm down Shoto. It’s okay.” I laugh, and he softens, wrapping his arms around me again. “You’re a mess, Shoto.” I quote him, and he chuckles, his heart slowing as he grows comfortable again.

“You’re the best, Kitty.”

Chapter Text

“Today we will be doing patrols and Surveillance. We’ll split up into two teams. I’ll be with Bubble Girl, and Mirio, you will be in charge of Black and Midoriya.” Sasaki nods. Oh- I get it. The pro and his sidekick are a lot less likely to get hurt than Izuku and Mirio.

“Surveillance?” Izuku questions, looking down at the desk.

“Nighteye Agency is currently working on a secret investigation. Shie Hassaikai is a small organized crime syndicate. That’s Kai Chisaki. As the young head of the group, he’s its second-in-command, and he’s been behaving strangely lately. That plague mask is his trademark.” Sasaki explains, and I look down at it. Good. I never forget a face. He’s almost handsome, at least judging by what little I can actually see of him.

“Creepy. I thought… there wasn’t much trouble with organized crime these days, since the police know who they are and monitor their movements.” Izuku questions.

“It’s been that way since the big groups broke up, but this chisaki guy is starting to gather them together again, though we don’t know why. The details are unclear, but we do know he made contact with the League of Villains recently.” Bubble Girl explains. I freeze. Maybe I could ask Dabi about it? Or that ‘Master’ guy in my messages.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have solid proof linking him to anything criminal yet. Hassaikai operates in a legal grey area that’s close to black, but we can’t treat them like villains. Our objective is to tail them and find out what they’re up to. Be careful not to arouse any suspicion.” Sasaki warns as I shift in my hero costume.

Hatsume’s latest rendition has arranged the leaves to fall in a small Tutu, the capture weapon wraps around my top half and drapes over my shoulders like a cape, and the mask covers my full face, giving me a more doll-like appearance. I didn’t really care for the design, due to the fact that it seems kind of juvenile, but Hatsume convinced me. It seems dumb how concerned we are about our image when our job is taking care of things like this, organized crime, and gangs. I’m expected to play cops and robbers while dressed as a child’s plaything. So be it, I guess.

Walking around dressed as I am is attracting all kind of attention I did not at all want. Last time, my patrols were at night, and my costume was more… understated and full coverage. This new one sticks too close to my body, showing off things I’d much rather keep covered.

I stick to walking directly behind Mirio at all times. He’s big, hulking, friendly enough to take the second kind of attention I despise. The ones of people cooing at “heroes”. Mirio notices my discomfort and pulls me upward to stand between him and Izuku. The center of attention. Yuck.

“Hey what gives with you two? You both seem pretty nervous.” Mirio points out, and I shrug. “Oh- does it have something to do with that whole Rosewell incident? I know you were both there- but don’t worry about it too much! Sir and Bubble are actually watching the target, so today’s pretty easy. Just Patrol duty. Walk around, look pretty, smile ya know?” Mirio pokes my cheek, and I chuckle.

“That- actually does make me feel better, thanks Mirio.” I nod, and Izuku sighs.

“Yeah, I missed out on a lot of the basics during my internship just trying to figure out my quirk, so patrolling and all that is all new territory.” Izuku looks down at the ground, and I grab his gloved hand, squeezing it.

“Like Mirio said, this part is easy. Just being a presence is enough to put some people at ease, and discourage others from behaving poorly.” I offer, and Izuku smiles.

“Just watch and learn my friend!” Mirio does a funny little dance, and I try not to laugh at him. “Hey! We forgot something!” Mirio half leans down to get in eye level with the two of us. “Our hero names, we should know each other’s, right?” Mirio smiles, and Izuku nods.

“Yeah, yeah totally! I’m Deku!” He sounds excited. I wince. Maybe he doesn’t know what it means? “Deku? Like ‘deck?’ That’s weird.” Mirio straightens.

“I like it.” Izuku smiles.

“‘Kay, well, I’m Lemillion. For the number of people I’ll save. You know, can’t save 'em all. But I can at least shoot for saving a million instead, so that’s what I’m doing!” Miro declares. I clear my throat.

“I’m Voodoo doll… the uh… the Karmic hero. Because… I can only hurt you the way that I’m hurt… and I heal people who need it.” I nod, and Mirio tilts his head.

“You can still hurt people without your quirk… but the healing part is good. You should work on your explanation. When we put on our costumes and start hittin’ the streets, that’s when we become heroes! So don’t let your guard down, Deku and Doll!” Mirio smiles, and I nod.

“Got it, Lemillion.” Izuku responds, and the three of us start walking again.

A soft crying calls my attention to the alleyway. I turn to see a small, white-haired girl covered in bandages running toward us, panting. My gut twists.

Wrong. There’s a wrong here.

I catch the girl before she runs head-first into Izuku, ending up falling myself to keep her from hitting the ground.

“Woah, I’m sorry. You took a tumble.” Izuku apologies, reaching down to us. The girl stiffens and gasps, digging her body into mine. “Are you okay? Can I, uh, Help you up?” Deku asks, and I nod, taking his hand. The girl begins to tremble in my arms.

“You should be more careful.” A voice calls from just behind me. I turn, girl still in my arms. It’s him- Kai Chisaki. I know that face- that mask from the picture. My grip gets tighter on the girl. “We don’t wanna cause trouble for the heroes.” Kai continues, but I keep a smile on my face. Don’t let him know you know. “I hope you’ll forgive my daughter, hero.” The man eyes Deku, who has a terrified look across his face. Damn it Deku- get your head in the game. “I don’t know what to do with her. Always playing rough, bumping into things.” Kai seems to be smiling behind the mask.

I smile back. “Oh trust me, it could be so much worse! My baby brother- he’s about your daughter’s age, actually, His quirk keeps him from feeling pain- so you can IMAGINE the kind of rough and tumble boy he is.” I Joke, looking down at the girl in my arms who has tears brimming her eyes. Wrong. This guy is dangerous. “But, lucky him, he just so happens to have the best big sister in the world- who can do this!” I press my palm to the girl’s cheek, and the bruise that was there vanishes. Kai sucks in a breath, eyeing me more intensely now.

In the process, I can feel a few cuts appear on my shoulders, working downward as I remove my hand. Those are not rough and tumble kid injuries, They’re surgical in nature. I keep my smile, not letting him know what I know.

“Whoopsie-daisy. Looks like that darn mask came off again. You might wanna think about getting it resized, my friend.” Mirio speaks behind me, but I keep my attention on the girl.

“You have more ouchies? That’s okay, here." I boop her nose, letting more of her scars run over my body. I keep them there, holding on to them. I might need them when I beat the shit out of this guy. “I’m so sorry about that. It was our fault, too.” Mirio apologizes, and steps forward. His arm brushes my shoulder. He’s making me aware of his presence. I have backup if I need it. I won’t need it.

“Hey I know that mask, You must be from the Hassaikai, right? You guys are famous around here.” Mirio speaks candidly. What the fuck is he- oh… right. Evidence. We’re heroes, not vigilantes. We need evidence.

“Yeah, please don’t mind the mask. It keeps out the filth.” Kai mutters, Opportunity.

“Oh! Do you have some sort of autoimmune disorder? Sorry- I don’t mean to pry but I noticed the gloves. If you’d like, I’d be happy to heal it! It only takes a few seconds.” Overachiever. Bright, bubbly, happy girl. That persona got me the hundred, This facade will draw a man like him in like a fly to honey.

“That won’t be necessary... I don’t believe I’ve seen the three of you in the area before?” Kai’s eyes flit to the other two before he lands on me again. There’s something in those golden pools that’s entirely too familiar. Wanting.

“Right, well, we’re still pretty new, but you probably guessed that much.” Mirio offers, and I nod.

“We’re pretty excited about it!” I agree, a soft smile on my face.

“So, what agency do you belong to?” Kai asks, and Mirio responds quickly.

“We’re only students! Far too lowly to be claiming association with an agency. We’re just using our internships to get some experience. Speaking of which, we need to finish patrolling this division by lunch. C’mon, let’s go.” Mirio chides, waving us toward him to leave. No- Wait I’m not leaving this kid here. I look down at her.

“One sec- let me get rid off all the ouchies, Okay bunny?” I smile down at her, and press my palm to her face, quickly removing all of her injuries. Her wide, red eyes are soft and scared. Watery. She leans in close.

“Please. Please don’t go.” She begs. I can feel Izuku stiffen from his position directly behind me. He must’ve heard that too.

“Um, excuse me? I’m sorry, but your daughter seems scared.” Izuku’s shaky voice calls behind me, and I pause. Is Izuku down to fight too?

“A reaction to being scolded.” Kai offers, his eyes narrowing.

“She’s got bandages all over. Those are just from playing rough?” Izuku questions, and I swallow. Good. He’s caught on. I can’t hold the wounds, they dissipate and heal despite my will.

“Eri’s an exceptionally clumsy girl.” Kai tries, his arms moving upwards at his sides. Izuku steps in front of us.

“Her whole body’s shaking but she’s not making a sound, Does that seem normal to you?” Izuku’s tone is accusatory. Shit. The girl holds tighter to me.

“It’s dangerous to make assumptions about what’s normal for other people.” Kai warns, eyes narrowing again.

“Yeah, everybody’s different, am I right?” Mirio offers warmly, still playing the good guy.

“Oh yeah, I totally get clumsy. If my quirk wasn’t healing I’d be covered in ouchies.” I smile down at the girl, trying to calm her.

“Tell me, what are you doing to this girl?” Izuku questions sternly, more seriously than I’ve ever heard him. Fuck. way to give it up in the first act idiot! I side-step him, Eri shaking in my left arm as I press my right hand to Kai’s wrist, watching as the scar above his eyebrow disappears.

“Sorry- Couldn’t focus with that scar on your head! Oo, I bet that hurt. All better.” I smile, still touching him. Kai stares at me, Wide eyed and confused for several moments before he composes himself. I back away. Eri relaxes a bit more as we maintain distance from Kai.

“You heroes really pick up on the subtlest things, don’t you? Very well. This situation is embarrassing. So I’d prefer to discuss it where we won’t be overheard. The man turns on his heel, walking into the alleyway. This is a trap. It’s gotta be. I pass the girl to Izuku and give the two of them a friendly hug.

“If this goes sideways, you get her out. Mirio and I are good at not getting hurt.” I murmur quickly, quietly. Izuku nods. I skip ahead of the boys, still feigning ignorance.

Chapter Text

“Hard to admit that you can’t control your own child, but lately Eri defies me no matter what I try.” Kai explains, his back still to us as he walks.

“Parenting, man. Sounds rough. That can’t be easy” Mirio responds cheerfully.

“Yes, children are tricky.” Kai gestures outward with his hand, while his back is still turned, and I giggle.

“Oh, I dunno. Lots of times kids act out because they’re bored. They like games- and toys and stuff if you can’t play with them yourself. Oh- here!” I pull the small Teddy Bear from my pouch on my thigh under my skirt. I have five of them. After the Exam I thought they’d be a good idea to carry around for rescues instead of handing kids rocks and telling them to draw.

“Kids are just so determined to do whatever they want… that sometimes they just don’t listen” Kai says carefully, I notice he’s pulling off his glove. I move to block him from the others, but Eri runs past me, toward him. Huh? “Oh, good. Done with your temper tantrum?” Kai asks, and Eri gently nods, clutching on to the tiny stuffed bear like it’s a lifeline.

“Uh- Eri? Are you sure?” Izuku calls behind me, and I ready my hands for an attack. No way is he getting away like this with her.

“She’s always like this. Sorry to involve you in our family drama. I’m sure you have better things to be doing. Good luck with your internships.” Kai begins to walk away, but I stop him with a gentle hand on his exposed arm. He glares down at it again, as if he’s waiting for something.

“Here- My card.” I hand him the small paper with my Hero Name and number on it. “Kids get hurt a lot, and when you’ve got an especially clumsy one, big accidents can happen. Go ahead and call me if you ever need a hand! Besides, I’d love to play with this cutie again.” I smile down at her, gently pinching her cheek with the same hand I’d used to hold the card. I finally remove my touch from Kai, and he nods.

“I might just have to take you up on that offer sometime.” He pauses to read the card. “Doll.” I can hear the smirk, even though I can’t see it. I give a dramatic curtsy before returning to the boys, dropping the happy face. It begins to rain.

We meet Sasaki and Kaoroku outside of a cafe, I try not to shiver from the rain. I’m shaking with rage by the time that they get here, not at all okay with the fact that we just gave that kid back to that creep.

“Sorry! It was a total oops. I mean, wow, what are the odds of randomly running into a target on the street like that?” Mirio apologizes, and I grit my teeth. Now is not the time to be pissy with him or Sasaki, now is the time to plan. To act. To accrue help.

“No, I must accept responsibility. I should have used foresight on the three of you. It’s my fault.” Sasaki’s face is forlorn, he won’t stop staring at me.

“I’m just glad you guys are okay. You could’ve been in danger if he’d suspected something.” Kaoroku adds, looking more at the boys.

“It didn’t feel all that scary to me.” Izuku notes, and I can’t hold back my scoff. He looked like he was going to piss himself in the first half, and Mirio was barely even there. I could’ve handled it. It doesn’t matter what the guy’s quirk was, I’d have been able to take him down lickity-split if it wasn’t for those two dingbats getting in my way.

“Chisaki and his gang were involved in a recent traffic accident caused by a group of hoodlums. Which isn’t remarkable in and of itself, Except, there were Zero casualties. The theives experienced intense pain and lost consciousness but they were uninjured. And even reported that preexisting ailments like rheumatism and cavities were completely gone. The authorities believe Chisaki’s quirk may have been responsible, but with the villains caught and nobody harmed, there was no crime to accuse him of.” Sasaki eyes me, and I swallow.

Everyone being healed of their ailments… even ones that wouldn’t be able to heal on their own. That’s… My thing. My quirk. So- Kai has the same quirk as me? How? He’s too old to be my brother, too young to be my uncle. A cousin once removed? Maybe? It’s a possibility. I don’t know, I haven’t really talked to dad’s side of the family. He moved to be with my mom when she got pregnant with me and we never really looked into that side of it all.

I’m pulled out of my thoughts by Izuku saying Eri’s name. “Her limbs were all wrapped in bandages.” I cut Izuku off there.

“I healed the wounds under them- get this- they felt like scalpel incisions. Surgical. Also pinpricks, like needles. I think he’s testing something on her.” I look up at Sasaki. “And I had a gut feeling again. It’s how I knew Kai was dangerous. I didn’t want to give the girl back, but she ran off with him thinking he was going to hurt us.” I look down at my hands. Useless. Again.

“I don’t know anything else about her, but she was asking for help. There must be something we can do to protect her.” Izuku agrees with me, and is immediately chastised by Sasaki, who glares at the both of us while pointing.

“I won’t let your arrogance interfere with this case.” Sasaki speaks sternly at me for the first time, and I grit my teeth.

“But sir-” Izuku starts, but Sasaki interrupts him.

“Haste won’t help the situation. Take your time pursuing a target. If you rush, they are that much more likely to escape. You’re not so special that you can save whoever you want whenever you want.” Sasaki explains, and I bite my tongue to keep from talking back. Except, I am. That’s literally what makes me special. I can keep others from being hurt. All I have to do is be there… and what these idiots don’t know, is that I have an ace up my sleeve the size of Texas. A little number in my phone that has been messaging me every day for a week asking if they can help me with anything. They already made contact with the Hassaikai. I bet the League of villains would be able to help with this.

Once I’m situated in the office, I pull out my phone

Master: Need something?

Doll: How much do you know about Kai Chisaki?

Master: He killed one of my men just the other day. Took an arm off another.

Doll: I want to take him down.

Master: I’ll give you his head on a silver platter, If you want.

Doll: No, I want to do it myself, I just need a little help.

Master: What do you have in mind?

Doll: Information on the hideout, maybe a way for you to be able to locate me if something goes wrong so you can get me out.

Master: Wait- you want to go in on your own?

Doll: There’s a kid in there being severely abused.

Doll: I don’t have time to wait around for these “Heroes” to get their thumbs out of their asses.

Doll: I’m just waiting on Kai to call me back.

Master: You gave him your number.

Doll: yes.

Master: This is really stupid, Doll.

Doll: Will you help me or not?

Master: fine

Master: But you’re meeting with Tomura to discuss this.

Doll: Ok? Can I also request Dabi?

Master: Sure.

Doll: Time and place?

Master: 11pm, Rusty Spoon. It’s a dive bar about three blocks from the aquarium

Doll: Tonight?

Master: Yes

Doll: I’ll be there.

I shove my phone back into my pocket, tapping on my knees. My wet hair drips down my back, and I try not to react. I need another upgrade on my skinsuit. It needs to be able to hold heat in a lot better. Well, you live and you learn, I guess. The air conditioning is NOT helping.

“Kate- You’re shivering.” Izuku raises a brow. I shrug.

“I’ll be f-fine.” God Kate, how pathetic can you BE? Izuku frowns, and scoots closer, pressing his shoulder into mine. I accept the warmth, even if it’s not quite as warm as Shoto.

“You’re not giving up on her either, are you?” Izuku asks suddenly, and I shake my head.

“You should have jumped out of there when you had the chance. I could have handled him. Mirio could have handled him.” I try to keep calm, but my building rage is hard to ignore.

“Mirio didn’t want it to get violent. We still have no idea what that guy’s quirk could do. From the sound of it, He might be a healer like you- how would we fight that?” Izuku tries to talk sense into me, but it’s not working because he’s stupid. And He’s wrong.

“He had a scar, over his eyebrow under his fringe. If you haven’t noticed, I don’t get those. He wouldn’t heal the way I do. I could have gotten him. He was right there. SHE was right there.” A warm droplet falls onto my legs, and I know it’s not from the rain.

“I know. I hate it too. We did what was right. You can’t beat yourself up about it.” Izuku tentatively wraps an arm around my shoulders, covering me more completely in his warmth.

“Izuku?” I ask, still staring at my hands in my lap.

“Yeah?” He responds, I can feel his gaze on me.

“What if I did something… bad?.” I swallow the lump in my throat, and look up at him.

“What are you gonna do?” He asks, and I laugh humorlessly.

“Something really… really stupid. It might come to bite me in the ass, honestly, but I don’t know what else to do.” I admit, and Izuku nods in understanding.

“Do you believe it’s one hundred percent the right thing to do?” Izuku questions, eyes wide.

“I think it is.” I nod, and he gives a soft smile.

“Then it doesn’t sound like it could be all that bad.” He squeezes my shoulder, pulling me closer into him.

“Thanks Izuku.” I lean my head into his shoulder. My phone pings. “Ah- that’s my uber. See you tomorrow?” I offer, standing. Izuku nods.

“See you then, Kate.” I offer him a small smile as I slide my bad over my shoulder and walk out of the door. Now I have to worry about sneaking out of Endeavor’s place. A much easier task than leaving the dorms. Luckily, Fuyumi goes to sleep pretty early, and they’re all pretty heavy sleepers. There’s also the added layer of protection with Endeavor being gone for the entire weekend on a work mission. I’d rather sneak out of the number one Pro hero’s house than from Aizawa’s place.

Master wasn’t kidding about the place being a Dive bar.

I arrive a few minutes early, and I sit in one of the two booths, waiting. It kind of sucks that they picked a bar to meet. I’m not old enough to drink, and if the bartender notices me I’m screwed.

A gentle tap on my shoulder alerts me of the presence of the men that invited me here, and I look up from my hands on the table to see them sliding into the booth across from me. Dabi is wearing a black hoodie, and a medical mask over the lower half of his face. The other man, I assume is Tomura, is wearing a grey hoodie, and no mask, though nearly the entirety of the upper half of his face is covered by the pale blue hair that pokes out from beneath his hood.

“Gotta say I was really surprised to hear you were willing to see me.” Tomura speaks. His voice is incredibly dry.

“This is important to me, and you guys are the only ones I know that might be able to help.” I look up at them with pleading eyes. Dabi grunts, standing.

“‘M getting a drink, You want anything?” His eyes dance between the two of us, and I shake my head.

“No.” Tomura answers verbally, eyes still boring into my face as if it might disappear if he looks away for too long.

“Tequila then.” Dabi’s tone is final, and leaves no room for argument as he walks away. I clear my throat.

“So, Tomura?” I ask, and he stiffens, tilting his head upward so I can get a good look at his face. He’s got some pretty heavy scarring around his eyes and mouth. I purse my lips. “Let me see your hand.” I offer out mine, and he squints at me, as if he’s trying to figure something out before he slides his hand, palm up, across the table. His knuckles are red, bruised. I should expect that from a villain.

I press my hand into his, intertwining my fingers between his longer, calloused ones. He sucks in a breath as he watches our hands touch, and flickers his gaze back up at my face. He watches in awe as his scars become mine, and then disappear into my skin. He swallows.

“Why-” He chokes out the word, but doesn’t seem to have a sentence to go with it. I shrug, and notice he keeps his pinky up and away from my hand. Weird.

“Because everything has a cost, right? I’m sure your… group… needs someone with healing abilities. You don’t seem like the type to have a doctor hanging around for help with bullet holes- I can fix those too, by the way. Any wound can be fixed as long as the person still has brain functions when I touch them. So, that mist guy, Kurogiri? I think it was? If he can warp me to your location within five minutes of cardiac arrest, I can keep anyone alive. I can’t bring people back from the dead though. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.” I swallow, looking him in the eye.

“You’re willing to join the group? Over some kid?” He asks, and I shake my head.

“Not quite. I am willing to be a… freelance artist, with some conditions.” I pull back my hand, but he tightens his grip, apparently not wanting to let go.

“Name them.” He states, his eyes are pleading.

Chapter Text

“Number one, your group will not attack my classmates or teachers- ever again.” Tomura sucks in a breath at this, but nods, staring down at the hand he still holds instead of at my face. He stares at it like it’s going to disappear any second, like this is a magic trick- blink and you’ll miss it. His grip tightens as he tears his gaze from my hand to look at my face.

“I will not hurt your little hero friends. AllMight is still fair game though.” Tomura tries, but I shake my head.

“No. He’s my teacher too.” I explain, and Tomura grits his teeth.

“Fine. He can live as long as we’re still working together. I guess since he’s retired anyway there's not much reason to go after him just yet.” He grimaces, and looks back down at our hands. He flips my hand over, bringing his other hand up from under the table to trace the lines on my palms. His face is contemplative, like he’s studying something important.

“I will NOT, under ANY circumstances, give you any information about pro heroes, UA, or my personal life.” I put heavy emphasis on this one, and he grimaces, but nods.

“I expect to learn more about you, though. Nothing like your family or any of that- but things you enjoy, your daily schedule. I need to be able to keep you safe and comfortable. Especially now that Chisaki knows who you are and what you can do. You didn’t think it through, it’s alright, you’re young- you’ll learn. But you are a very important piece. Talent like yours is bound to draw unwanted NPCs. It was very easy for me to get to you, and you were avoiding me at all costs and surrounded by pros. Now that that protection is gone, I have a place to keep you if things go too far south. I kept some of your clothes, and your hygiene items for that purpose.” Tomura explains, still staring down at my hands.

He’s turning them over and over, tracing over my knuckles, drawing circles on my palms, running the pads of his fingers up mine. It seems to be soothing him. He’s completely devoid of wounds now, I can feel nothing painful coming from him. “I won’t let anyone take you away from me.” He says this like it’s supposed to be comforting, but it just sounds like a threat. I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat.

“I appreciate it, but for now I think it’s best if you don’t learn anything new about me unless you have to. You shouldn’t get attached to me. Once we get what we need from each other, we’ll go back to being enemies.” I try to retract my hand, but he holds tight again. “No one can ever know about my involvement with you. If the authorities find out, I’ll never be able to see my family again. Don’t mistake this for anything but what it is, Tomura. I’m doing a very bad thing for a very good reason.”

A shot glass is sat in front of me, and a very warm body slides next to me in the booth. Dabi’s leather-clad arm wraps around my shoulders. Tomura stiffens, glaring at him. If looks could kill.

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions, doll.” Dabi speaks, taking a drag of his cigarette and blowing it away from my face. I watch as the muscles contract over his neck, the staples along his cheek pull against each other as he pulls back his jaw to inhale the smoke.

“That’s another thing. I don’t want my Hero Name connected to any of this. From here on out you call me Cleric.” Tomura pauses, looking back at me.

“Like… from Dungeons and Dragons?” He questions, eyes wide. I nod.

“The Cleric, if you prefer.” This causes him to smile. Not a grin, a soft, genuine smile.

“You’re perfect.” He murmurs, releasing a soft breath. Dabi stiffens by my side.

“Anything else you need from us, Mouse?” Dabi asks, swirling around his dark colored liquor before sipping at it.

“I know you all follow the same ideals as Stain, and I get it- I really, really do. Hero culture is fucked. Honestly, If there was a non-violent way to fix it, I would. The closest way I can think of is by making myself indispensable by the commission, and working from the inside. I know you all have done some really bad things… but I don’t believe you are inherently bad.” I look up at Dabi, who’s got a bored, stoic look across his face.

“You all have just been trying to survive in a world that puts you in a box and parcels you up in digestible packages. Heroes, Villains- It’s all bullshit marketing and it just completely looks over the mental health issues and the fact that most crime is born of poverty. Something that heroes feed into by being paid ridiculous amounts of money to stand in front of cameras and PRETEND they give a shit about everyone else, because they crave the attention and are led to greed due to the very system that put them at the top and others at the bottom.” I rant, placing my other hand over Tomura’s.

“I want you to promise me- You’ll try to be better, You’ll stop feeding into it. I’m not saying you should change who you are, but I’m saying I want you to try to avoid killing people, If you can. If someone’s trying to hurt you, I understand. But no more wanton violence.” Tomura is the boss here, so I direct my attention at him. He grimaces.

“No promises on that last one. But- Fuck it, I’ll give it a try… if.” He punctuates his sentence there, and I raise an eyebrow.

“If?” I ask, and he grins.

“If, I can take out my frustrations on you instead. You can heal, right?” He asks, and I nod, swallowing.

“If it keeps people from dying, I’ll do whatever you need.” I gently rub my thumb over his healed knuckles, and he looks like his grin might crack his face.

“You sure? How about a test run?” he asks, and my heart skips a beat.

“Now? Here?” I question, and Tomura nods.

“Shigaraki…” Dabi warns, but is waved off.

“As long as you don’t scream, no one will notice, right? C’mon, a show of good faith right? How about it doll?” Tomura’s nearly begging, and I take a deep breath before biting my lip and nodding. Tomura’s joy is abundantly apparent across his face as he looks down where our hands are touching, and he places his pinky on my hand. The pain is immediate, immense. I bite my lip harder, squeezing my eyes shut.

“Dusty fuck- Leave her alone.” Dabi growls, his grip around my shoulders tightens. I shake my head.

“I’m okay.” I whimper, earning a soft coo from Tomura.

“You’re taking it so well, doll. What a good girl.” Tomura’s praise breaks through the blinding pain.

“Shigaraki, That’s enough.” Dabi tries, but he doesn’t dare touch Tomura’s hand.

“Just a little more.” He sings, sliding his grip up my arm, careful not to touch my shirt.

“Black, tell him to stop.” Dabi half-pleads from my side, but I shake my head, gritting my teeth and opening my eyes. Tomura is half- standing now, trying to get closer.

“Look at how well you’re doing. You’re perfect baby. A perfect little doll.” It doesn’t matter where he touches, the pain is all-encompassing regardless.

“C’mon damn it- she’s just a kid!” Dabi reaches to stop Tomura, but I press my body into Dabi’s to stop him.

“I-” I choke, but pant out the rest of my sentence anyway. “Have to prove myself.” I give him a weak smile, and feel the tears run down my cheeks. The pain radiates from the spot I am being touched, but spreads so quickly I can barely tell where it’s coming from.

“It’s like you were made for this. For me.” My entire body feels like it’s on fire, but worse. “You still look so pretty too, even when you’re crying.” An awful, rotting feeling. “No, ESPECIALLY when you’re crying.” Like an infection, like something pulling apart the very atoms of my being.

“Shigaraki- stop being a fucking pervert.” Dabi’s voice chimes, and I feel a slight wind under the table as Dabi kicks at Tomura’s feet. Tomura finally raises a finger.

“That’s enough for now.” Tomura hums, and once his pinky leaves my hand, the pain stops immediately. I suck in a breath, a small sweat coats my brow. I don’t have time to question his choice of praise before he speaks “Good. Good. Well. I’ll tell you what I can do. I know where the hideout is, I was asked to meet up with the bastard. But, he killed my friend, and took an arm off another, So I don’t plan on giving in to him just yet. It would be nice to have a cute little healer there to mediate if things go south. How about it? You can scope out the premises, and I don’t die.” Tomura’s skin is flushed, he’s got this blissed-out look on his face that is very much akin to how Ejiro’s was right after he’d orgasm. Is that what I did for Tomura? I shudder at the thought.

“Sounds good. But I will not kill anyone.” I reiterate, still trying to catch my breath from the previous ordeal. Tomura smirks.

“Oh, I’m counting on it, pet.” Tomura grins and gestures to my glass. “Drink.” He commands, and I grimace.

“If I get caught-” Dabi cuts me off.

“Babe. You’re sitting with two mass murderers right now. I personally killed three people on the way here. No one cares if you engage in a little underage drinking, relax kid. You need it after… all that.” Dabi reaches up, ruffling my hair. The warmth in his hand is comforting. Tomura glares at Dabi, and pulls one of his hands away to scratch at his neck. I can feel the wound open quickly, and I wince. Tomura stops suddenly, squinting as if in realization.

“Can you even get drunk with your quirk?” He asks, and then pauses. “I know you were drugged- but the fucker said he gave you enough roofies to drop Bill Cosby.” He’s searching my face for something, and I pause.

“When was I drugged?” I ask, stiffening. Dabi freezes, his glass still tilted at a fifteen degree angle.

“You know, In the woods?” Dabi tries, turning slightly to look at me. His arm is still over my shoulders, his palm is ghosting my upper arm. “With the stalker?” Dabi continues when I don’t answer.

“I think you might have bad information. I don’t have a stalker.” I shake my head, and Tomura squints, pressing his fingers into my wrist.

“Are you just trying to save him from losing another hand?” Tomura questions, tightening his jaw.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about?” I admit, confused.

“Do you know if you were drugged with Hawks?” Dabi asks, earning a very angry glare from Tomura. I pause again.

“I’ve never met Hawks?” It comes out like a question, and Tomura sucks in a breath.

“Her pulse is even. She doesn’t know. She genuinely has no idea.” Tomura’s tone is manic, almost concerned.

“That’s impossible, he lived-” Dabi starts, but Tomura scoffs.

“It doesn’t mean jack shit if she’s had her memory wiped by the commission to keep her placid.” Tomura spits, and Dabi stiffens even further.

“I’m sorry, I’m really confused here?” I murmur, and Tomura sighs, finally releasing my hands from his four-fingered grasp.

“There’s so much more you need to learn, dolly. I’ll show you after you rescue that kid. For now though, you need to protect yourself. Don’t trust anyone. Not even that Todoroki fucker.” Tomura slides out of the booth, slapping a fifty dollar bill on the table.

“We’ll be in contact. Don’t do anything stupid.” Dabi slides away from me, leaving a chill in his wake.

“And don’t talk to Chisaki without my knowledge, Cleric.” Tomura warns, before the two of them disappear out of the bar.

Chapter Text

I slink in the door, padding through the small foyer on the way to Fuyumi’s bedroom when a light in the living room turns on. “You smell like a bar.” Natuso comments, I reel around to look at him. His thick arms are crossed over his chest, his head is tilted, his stance is wide. “Booze, cigarettes, and bad decisions- Look I get it, it’s not like you can get cancer or anything, right?” He questions, nodding to himself with a sour chuckle.

“Yeah…. Haha… uh… Goodnight?” I go to turn, but I am blocked by a sudden wall of ice.

“I suggest you sit down, kid.” Natsuo’s voice is still calm, and I don’t dare look at his face. Something about his tone and choice of words reminds me of something, but I can’t for the life of me place what. “Right there.” He points to a spot on the couch, and I gulp.

“Why?” I ask, my stomach isn’t churning. I have no thoughts about incoming danger, but something deep in me is screaming that this is too familiar- not even with the Aizawa incident the last time I snuck out, but something more.

“Because you and I are going to have a little talk. Now sit before I freeze you in place.” He warns, and I resign myself to following orders. I perch precariously on the edge of the seat, ready to escape at a moment’s notice. Natsuo situates himself on the coffee table, close enough for me to reach out and touch him if I lean ever so slightly forward. Good. I have means to defend myself if necessary.

“You’ve had… a hard go of it these last few months huh?” He questions, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his spread knees. He reminds me of a Christ Camp counselor. “Moving away from your mom, new school, new house. The attack at the USJ, the Roswell incident, the Camp takedown, being kidnapped, losing your dad- That’s a lot for a kid to handle.” He stares at me, as if waiting for a reaction of some kind. When I give him none, he sighs, reaching forward to grab onto my hands.

“Your father- He was my Idol. I’m a medical student because of him, I want to be a doctor because of him.” Natsuo admits, and I feel his cold hands have very little wounding to give me. A small scar on his lower back, some normal “Tough kid” Skinned knees that turned to callus. I let my body heal him. “So, when Shoto came home giddy like a kid in a candy shop over you coming over the first time, I have to admit- I was pretty excited to. I was REALLY excited to meet the daughter of a legend- one who prioritized helping people- unlike my father who… well…. You know.” Natuso’s expression darkens a bit before he begins talking again.

“The point is, I look at you, and I see pieces of who Doctor Black was- and I see parts that I only recognize from being the kid of a Pro. Checking your corners, guarding your face when someone raises their voice. You don’t flinch as much as you used to, but it’s still there. And that part is what scares me. Now- I’m not your dad right? Hell, I’m not qualified to deal with any of the shit you’re dealing with right now- but I do know that look. I know that look of… resignment. You look just like someone I used to know.” Natsuo starts to get choked up, and takes a moment to compose himself, breathing deeply before he starts talking again.

“You’re older than he was when he died- but if he’d gotten that far I’m sure he’d be doing the same shit. Smoking, drinking-”

“Natsuo I’m not-”

“Touya. His name was Touya and he was my brother. My big brother.” Natsuo is crying now, tears streaming down his pale face. His hands are clasped tightly in front of him, his knuckles are white from the exertion. “And he killed himself over the expectations that my father set for him- and the expectations he put on himself. He died because I wasn’t there to listen to him- and here you are!” His hands shoot forward, clasping my shoulders and shaking me. His eyes are wide, his face is wet.

“You’re indestructible. That’s what Father said. A good choice for Shoto. He’s PROUD of you. Because you’re indestructible- something Touya sure as hell wasn’t. And the funniest part of it all- is I don’t think anyone else sees that this indestructible girl is fucking falling apart.” He scoffs, pulling me into a hug. I freeze, allowing him to hold me but not holding him back.

“Uh- I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I say slowly, making sure he understands me. He pulls himself away, still holding my upper arms tightly. He looks me, jaw tight. “I’m- I’m fine? Yeah, I mean- I’m kinda stressed out about this case with my work-study, and I’m dealing with losing my dad… but the run-ins with villains aren’t really that bad. Like- I’m actually totally fine?” I tilt my head, very confused about his emotional outburst.

“I’m not smoking or drinking either- I went to a bar to gather information for the case, I didn’t drink, I don’t like it. I couldn’t smoke if I wanted to because my quirk won’t allow me to adjust to it and I’d always hit like a bitch.” I laugh slightly to myself, reaching up and wiping away Natsuo’s tears away with my thumbs.

“You really don’t have to worry about me at all. I’m doing… really good right now, actually. I look back at everything that’s happened and all I see is me improving. I keep getting better you know? Stronger… I actually have friends now, people who care about me.” I pause to chuckle.

“My biggest stressor besides my case is actually worrying about some dickhead in my class who’s been bullying my classmates.” I offer him a smile, but he squints at me. “So- I don’t know what really brought this on, or why you feel like you have to be responsible for me- but like… don’t? I’m good, bro.” I nod, moving to stand. Natsuo stays, confused.

“If you ever need someone to talk to though… My whole shtick is alleviating other people’s pain because mine never sticks around.” I place my palm on his cheek, looking into his sparkling grey eyes. “No one ever needs to worry about me.”

==

“Give me your hand.” Bakugo demands as I walk into the classroom. I send him a questioning glance instead of obeying, walking past him. He takes my hand by force instead, holding it.

“Uh- What are you-” I wince as I feel a myriad of bumps, bruises, burns and scrapes littering his body.

“Ow-” I mumble, but he scoffs at me.

“Don’t act like you didn’t already do it for icy hot.” He rolls his eyes, dropping my hand and walking past me, sliding into his seat. I settle into mine as well.

“Yes, but he asked nicely.” I comment, looking straight ahead to avoid his enraged gaze, but I feel it burning the side of my face anyway.

“You want me to ask nicely- alright fine, could you please stop being such a frigid cunt.” He growls, and I roll my eyes, leaning over the aisle.

“You’re a piece of shit, you know that?” I question, pressing my fingers back into him, forcing his wounds back at him. He grunts, not expecting to take the full force of his wounds back so instantly.

“You’ve been training.” Bakugo comments, a slight blush over his cheeks.

“And you’re falling behind.” I remind him, shoving myself back into my seat. “Mess with me again, boom boom boy, see what fucking happens.” I say cooly, tilting my head. “Now pay attention in class. Something tells me you aren’t doing too hot in general studies either.” I turn to the front, just in time to see Aizawa walking in.

It’s true, I’d been taking Shoto’s wounds the second I came home from work every day, but it only makes sense. He’s the only reason I even made it to the finals for the licensing exam, and if I can help him get his license now I should, right?

Don’t get me wrong, if that blonde dickhead had asked me politely I would have helped him too, but he acts like he’s above everyone else when, according to Shoto, he failed the exams and isn’t doing very well in the remedial courses either. He’s got serious anger issues, and he’s especially violent with Shoto and Izuku for some reason. He’s dating Kirishima- which absolutely blew my mind, and made me a lot more comfortable about the possibility of dating Shoto.

We haven’t put any labels on anything yet- it’s way too soon, and after the disaster that was Ejiro and I, it’s probably best I don’t rush anything. Just coffee dates and cuddling on his dad’s giant recliner watching Buzzfeed unsolved. Comfortable. Slow. Kind.

My talk with Natsuo last night weighs on me though. What gave him the impression that I needed him to give me a “talk” In the first place? I mean, I get the ‘you came home after midnight smelling like a bar’ part, but comparing me to his brother who I’ve never met and insinuating that I might be suicidal is kind of an overstep and overreaction.

Classes move quickly, and I find that Izuku is just as distracted as I am. Part of me wants to let him in on the plan I have with the LOV, but I know that’s probably a horrible Idea. I know that at some point, Izuku told Ejiro about something I had told him in confidence… but now that I think about it, I can’t actually remember what I told him- so it couldn’t have been all that bad right?

It’s weird… my memory is usually Eidetic. I’ve never lost pieces before, even when I put a bullet through my brain. It might mean that My quirk is slowing down… no… I have no lasting effects at all from last night’s rendezvous with Tomura and Dabi. Eri’s wounds were so easy to take, and I exhibited perfect control on Katsuki. There’s something else going on here, and I fully intend to get to the bottom of it, by any means necessary.

First though- I think I might actually tell Izuku my plan, if he is All-Might’s kid, He might have a unique outlook on the whole situation, because the LOV were specifically after AllMight. And if anything, my inclusion of AllMight’s protection in my terms might soften the strict tongue lashing I will probably receive.

I stumble upon Izuku and AllMight, but before I can make my presence known, Izuku is crying. I pause, not wanting to interrupt, but even from the large distance my impeccable hearing betrays my want to give them privacy.

“And before I even had a chance to make sense of it all. The worst part was not knowing why you kept it a secret. How I should feel about it. I need to know everything, All Might. Not as your successor.” Izuku’s voice is… angry. That’s probably what has me so glued to my spot.

For the several months I’ve known Izuku, he’s never once shown a hint of anger. Protectiveness, fear, sadness sure- but never so much as a hint of irritation has ever graced that boy’s features. The fact that he’s using that tone now, not only in the presence of, but AT his idol- someone who I thought was his father- is… intriguing. It’s like a car crash. Gory, bloody, painful to look at but I can’t seem to tear my eyes away no matter how hard I try.

“I didn’t think knowing this information would help with your development. But if you really want the truth…” AllMight’s voice is soft, barely audible over the rustling of the leaves by the gentle wind overhead. I move closer, enthralled.

“Anything’s better than having you keep secrets from me.” Izuku’s words are empathetic, less angry now. He’s having a hard time keeping up with negative feelings in AllMight’s presence. A common occurrence, I believe.

“You may regret this,” AllMight warns, and I step closer, keeping stealth on my side. “I won't.” Izuku pleads, and there is a bout of silence. I hold my breath, wary of the extent of AllMight’s power. If he senses me, I’ll never know how this ends.

“Okay. So NightEye had always been a fan of mine. It was my policy not to take on sidekicks, but eventually, I gave in and let him be my number two. We worked together for about five years. He was the brain behind my operations.” AllMight explains, and I find my thoughts mirroring Izuku’s words

. “I know that much. I also know you two got along.” I move behind a tree as Izuku speaks. I can’t see them now, but I can hear them. This also means they cannot see me.

“But, six years ago, we dissolved our partnership because of my injury. Turns out we had different values. I wanted to keep being The Symbol of Peace, he wanted me to pass One for All to someone else to avoid a gruesome death. The two of us parted ways after that argument. We couldn’t agree about my future. Principal Nezu recommended Young Togata to me, but before I could meet him, I ended up running into you. I’m sorry. I didn’t want to tell you. Because… Because you’re my fan.” AllMight starts to jog away, but before I can stop him, Izuku is already chasing, shouting.

I swallow back my fears, and clear my throat. Both of the males pause, looking at me from the spot I slink out of. “I- Uh… I want to help.”

Chapter Text

“Black?! How long have you been standing there?” AllMight roars, coughing up blood at the end.

“I want to help,” I repeat, stepping forward. “You’re supposed to die after your injury right- That’s what uncle Sasaki said- but he also said he might be able to change the future- and I can kind of feel the future too… and If I’m good at anything it’s fixing injuries-” AllMight cuts me off, a wave of sad anger in his blue eyes.

“What the hell are you-” I run at him, grabbing hold of his large hands in my own, taking his injuries as quickly as possible. I feel his digestive system reform, and the scars heal. He stares at me, eyes wide for the few moments it takes me to fix his horrific injuries.

“All better- All better, right?” My voice comes out small, and I don’t look up at him. “You won’t die now, right?” I beg, Izuku’s hands land on my upper arms, pulling me back.

“What did you- how did you…” AllMight pauses, lifting his shirt to examine my work.

“I fixed it. Tell me I fixed it. You can still be the symbol of peace right? It was my fault you retired… because you got hurt trying to rescue me. So I Fixed it. I had to fix it because it was my fault but it’s okay now- It’s okay now, right?!” I finally look up at him, but he seems awestruck.

“I- I don’t know.” AllMight’s face is full of wonder, his eyes glitter with tears. “I can’t… I don’t have the power anymore.” AllMight murmurs, looking past me at Izuku. It clicks. Successor, not son. He was GIVEN the power, he didn’t inherit it. He ‘passed’ something called ‘All For One’ to Izuku. I turn, looking at the green-haired boy.

“You… he passed on his quirk… to you…” I work through my thoughts verbally, and Izuku’s eyes widen.

“Kate-”

“No… it all makes sense now. Everything- Everything that’s happened. Everything that I’ve done. It’s all led to this. I’m…. I’m here for a reason.” I pause, looking up at him. “Deku. I’m gonna to be your number two. It makes sense. My uncle was number two for AllMight. Then my father was too. I am the best of the both of them. You are AllMight’s successor. We ended up together every single time- every fight, you were there. I never considered it. I was so caught up in stupid teenage drama and trying to protect my own stupid ideals… But every time- you were there. USJ. Roswell. Camp. When I was Kidnapped. We’re working together- The universe made its decision already. You break your bones, I heal them. You have power, I make you stronger.” I look back at AllMight, searching for some kind of confirmation.

AllMight, the hero, the god among men- nods. He nods.

“Hold up- have Nighteye use foresight on you again! Then we’ll see if the future’s been changed!” Izuku shouts.

“Wait Izuku did you not hear me I-”

“Young Midoriya I-”

“It’s a matter of life and death!” We all speak over each other at the same time, at varying volumes. I am the quietest, Izuku is the loudest.

==
“Tell me how it works-”

“No.”

“But I need to know in case-”

“No, Katherine.”

“But-”

“Katherine!” Izuku’s tone is growing frustrated, and I grimace.

“Well, I was going to tell you a secret today, but if you can’t share yours I won’t share mine.” I state rather childishly, throwing my head back onto Izuku’s AllMight-printed pillow.

“This is serious, Katherine. Even you just knowing about One for All is dangerous.” He flops beside me with a grunt, staring up at the ceiling.

“I’m being serious. And dangerous for WHO exactly? It’s not like I can be killed. My pain tolerance is ridiculously high so I can’t be tortured for information.” I make a few points. Turning my head slightly to look at him. He sighs.

“It… a power passed down from previous wielders to new ones. It’s not hereditary, and it can’t be passed by the wielder without the wielder wanting it to be passed. But, the person receiving it does NOT have to consent. It’s… an amalgamation of powers that gets stronger with every new generation. AllMight passed it to me, someone else passed it to him. I’m ninth in line.” Izuku explains, and I nod.

“That makes so much sense, actually.” I turn more fully toward him, laying on my side and propping my head up with my hand, digging my elbow into the pillow. He mirrors my actions, staring at me.

“Did you really mean that you want to be my partner? You’re an amazing hero on your own- don’t you want the glory?” Izuku’s questioning is easy to dismiss with a shake of my head.

“I want to do something good. Really, really good. I want to fix the system, and make the world a better place. I don’t care for publicity or money at all.” I shrug, and he offers a soft smile.

“We’re on the same page then. We’re really doing this?” Izuku’s voice shakes for a moment, and I have to squeeze my eyes shut for what comes next.

“I’ve been talking to the LOV.” Everything goes silent for a few long moments, But I can hear Izuku’s heartbeat quicken. “They have a lead on Chisaki… and I couldn’t wait for the pro’s bureaucracy. You didn’t feel those marks Izuku… They were painful even for me… and she’s just a kid-”

“It’s okay.” Izuku interrupts me, and my eyes fly open.

“What?” I question, and Izuku lets out a shaky breath before he licks his lips.

“I understand. It’s actually… kind of admirable- that you would even consider turning to them for help on Eri’s behalf after everything they did to you. I wouldn’t ever have that kind of resolve.” Izuku admits, and reaches up, brushing a piece of hair out of my face. “What exactly are you planning with them?” He asks slowly, and I swallow.

“If you rat me out, I’ll have to kill you. One for All be damned.” I warn, half-joking. He chuckles, rolling his eyes.

“Good luck with that, Doll.”

I take a breath before answering. “Well… tonight actually, I’m supposed to meet Tomura and Chisaki. I’m getting access to the hideout. If I spot Eri, I’ll rescue her then and there, but If not, I’ll come back and report. I’ve got an Eidetic memory, so I’ll figure out the layout and we can work from there.” I nod, and Izuku sucks in a breath.

“That doesn’t sound like a good idea- what if it’s a ploy by the LOV to get their hands on you again?”

“It isn’t. I can feel it. I met with Tomura and Dabi once already- last night. They had every opportunity to take me and they didn’t. They want me to trust them. They want me as an ally.” I explain, laying my head on his pillow. His dorm room is warm, comfortable. It’s dark, the sun’s final rays leaking in through the balcony.

“If you trust your… gut feelings, then… I do too. Just be careful and be sure to send me your location the entire time. If anything goes wrong, I’m getting Nighteye involved.” Izuku notes, and I shake my head vigorously, shooting up.

“You- You can’t! If you do that, I could get arrested for even talking to the LOV. It’ll throw my league reputation out of the window, and we won't be able to get information from them ever again.” I warn, and Izuku swallows.

“You’ve got a point… I still think it’s dangerous.” Izuku sits up next to me, staring at a poster across the room.

“I know it is. I get that. I need you to trust that I will be okay regardless. There’s nothing that they can do to me to actually hurt me. Dabi helped me escape last time- that means that if anything, there are other people in the LOV that are good. That will help. I have faith in humanity. I know you do too.” I look over at him, and when he turns his head I realize how close I’ve gotten. I back away, but he perseus.

“I do. I trust you. Just- make sure you come back to me, alright? I can’t go around losing my number two on the first day.” He grins. His smile is soft, boyish. Not a hint of malice or teasing or lust. Genuine. Happy.

==
Toga tugs upward on the zipper, securing me in the skin-tight thigh-length black dress. Underneath I wear athletic shorts and a dagger on my thigh. The dress has a cut out that goes around my waist, curving over my torso and meeting in a plunging neckline. A strap of fabric connects the dress together over my breasts and under them, not unlike Momo’s hero costume. My footwear is practical. Red, patent leather combat boots.

“Here- this too.” Dabi mutters, handing me a long blonde wig with bangs.

“Where did you even get this?” I ask, furrowing my brows.

“It was with Magne’s stuff.” Toga responds, a sad look in her eyes. Right. Magne. The lady Chisaki murdered. I glance over at Compress.

“How’s the arm?” I ask as Toga works her fingers through my hair, braiding it tightly to my scalp to be able to fit the wig over my head more convincingly.

“Very well, my dear. Thank you. No hard feelings about the whole… turning you into a marble and abducting you thing then, I assume?” Mr.Compress jokes, gesturing with his new arm. I laugh.

“Nah, No harm done.” I shrug, and look over at spinner.

“Sorry about the… scale comments by the way. I was trying to draw your attention so you wouldn’t kill my friends.” I apologize, and Spinner smiles.

“I get it. I’d have probably done the same thing.” He admits, but before the conversation continues, Tomura enters the room. He’s wearing a trenchcoat, and red sneakers. A strange combination. I realize… we are matching?

“If you’re done with the peanut gallery, it’s time to go.” Tomura’s tone is clippy, he’s all business.

“Is it just going to be us?” I question, realizing no one else has gotten dressed for an excursion.

“Yes. It was hard enough to convince the bastards to let me bring you, the whole entourage was not going to happen. Why? Think I can’t protect you good enough?” Tomura is clearly upset about something. I reach for his hand. When my fingers make contact with his palm, he softens.

“No, It’s not that- I just was wondering why everyone else is in their PJs.” I give Tomura a smile, and even beneath the hand-mask I can see his eyes flicker over me, his shoulders releasing tension all the while.

“You look good as a Blonde, Cleric. But you shouldn’t have so much… skin exposed.” His tone is strained.

“Better for you to be able to touch her if she needs to use your quirk.” Twice explains, and then his voice goes higher pitched. “I’d like to touch her anyway. Wait- no I wouldn’t, that’s gross.” He groans at himself, and I raise a brow. Well… Villains and their mental illnesses.

“I guess that makes sense.” Tomura mumbles, turning and tugging me along. “You aren’t allowed to talk at all during this. He didn’t see your face but he definitely heard your voice. We can’t show our hand in there. Don’t let go of my hand for any reason, don’t look down. Look him in the eye and command respect even while silent. Don’t go around looking weak and making me look weak next to you, got it?” Tomura’s instruction leaves no room for questioning, So I don’t question him.

“Yes, sir.” I nod, and his hand tightens on mine as he pauses.

“Don’t- don’t call me that. Just call me Tomura.” His voice is strained again, but this time his shoulders don’t relax. We step through Kurogiri’s portal.

Chapter Text

Open the front door. Thirty paces straight, left. Down a flight of stairs. Forty one paces, right. Down a flight of stairs. Sixty six paces, left. One hundred eighty paces, left. Up one flight of stairs, right. Thirteen paces, through the sixth door. Nineteen paces, down the long hall. Down two flights of stairs. Open the door on the far wall, sharp left. Up a small flight of stairs. One hundred thirty six paces, left again. Twenty four paces, door.

Chisaki, sitting on a black leather couch. He’s bent slightly forward, his elbows rest on his thighs. His mask is on. He’s got gloves on his clasped hands. He’s wearing black slacks, a black button up and a grey tie. Business. This is about business.

“What a boring office.” Shigaraki comments, running his thumb over my knuckles. I keep my chin up. Silent, demand respect.

“I don’t like overly cluttered rooms.” Kai murmurs, keeping his eyes on me. They shimmer with an emotion I cannot place. Tomura reaches up, pulling his hood back carefully. His hand never leaves mine, as promised.

“You had us walking in circles underground for thirty minutes. We aren’t ants. Are all Yakuza strongholds like this?” Tomura complains, His grip tightens. Kai’s eyes flit from me over to Tomura, finally giving me a moment of reprieve,

“We don’t know who might be watching us or from where, and not all of our guests have the best intentions. So we have a number of routes leading here, an underground reception room where we can be reasonably sure of our privacy.” Kai explains, sliding his gaze back over to me. He’s watching me. Waiting me to speak. I’m not stupid. Tomura gave me an order, and for now, I am intent upon following it.

Tomura seems to notice the attention I’m getting, and lifts our arms, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, forcing me to cross my own arm over my chest. Oh- He’s trying to cover my cleavage. What a… gentleman? I lean into him, and it softens.

I jump slightly as I realize what I had thought was a small stuffed animal is actually a person, he starts to talk. “You ever wonder how we survived so long? It’s ‘cause of little details like that. Anyway! Down to business. Did you really mean what you said on the phone the other day? That you’ll join us under the right conditions?” The tiny man asks, and I try not to let my surprise show on my face.

Looks like I’m not the only one making allies with people I definitely shouldn’t. Tomura releases my hand, sitting before pulling me by the hips to sit on his lap. My legs dangle over his, and I conceal my discomfort by crossing my ankles, keeping eye contact with Kai. Tomura’s hands rest, pinkies up, on my bare waist. Familiar. Why is this familiar? Besides my father when I was really young, I’ve never sat on a man’s lap in my life. Confusing.

“Don’t start celebrating just yet.” Tomura murmurs, shifting to place me on one of his thighs, my legs spread over it as he kicks his other foot up on top of the table, resting his palm on his knee. His fingers are curled as to not disintegrate his black skinny jeans. I have to place my palms on Tomura’s knee, sandwiching my skirt between them as to not expose my shorts to the Yakuza sitting right in front of us.

“You guys want to capitalize on our reputation. We want to increase our strength. Our needs happen to coincide for the moment.” Tomura’s tone is dry, his hand kneads at the doughy flesh on my side, keeping my posture rigid. I can’t see Tomura. I can’t read his body language at all like this, with my back to him. He knows that, this move was calculated. Kai does not look amused.

“Put your foot down- the table will get dirty.” Kai’s tone is unimpressed, he scolds Tomura like the manchild he is. Tomura chuckles, placing the hand that was on his knee on the other side of my waist.

“No ‘please’? You really ought to mind your manners. I don’t appreciate disrespect.” Tomura spits, and begins gently pushing me forward, and then pulling me back, rocking my hips. Back and forth, back and forth, like a yoyo. “Now, we won’t be putting ourselves ‘under’ you. We’ll still be calling our own shots. Got it?” It takes me a moment to understand what Tomura’s doing, and when I do, I pale. I keep my expression passive. This is not the time to get grossed out by a villain’s passes, even if he’s forcing me to grind on his thigh infront of a head of the fucking Yakuza. “Either it’s a joint partnership, or I walk out the door.” Tomura’s foot places itself on the ground, and he leans forward, resting his chin on my shoulder.

Familiar! Why?! It’s so frustrating. I can’t concentrate at all while he’s rubbing up against my core like this.

“So, those are the conditions?” Kai asks, eyes flickering down to my hands before resting on my chest again. With my arms in the position that they’re in, my breasts are pressed together. It’s too obvious what Tomura is doing. The blush on my cheeks, the way he holds me- It’s all to paint a very obvious picture. Tomura is in control.

“One more thing. That grand plan you mentioned. I want to know the details. It’s a reasonable request. I need to decide whether it’s worth lending you our name. You see-” Tomura’s hand reaches into his pocket, and he suddenly jostles forward. I turn my head to see a gun pressed to his head. I reflexively press my palm to the hand still on my hip, protecting him.

“Hands where we can see ‘em” The man holding the gun warns, and I wonder if I can touch him before he gets off a second round. “Stop acting like you’re in charge here.” The gun-wielding man demands, pressing the weapon harder into Tomura’s scraggly blue hair.

“Yeah, who the hell do you think you are, you little punk?!” The stuffed-toy man demands, voice shifting in pitch and tone every other word.

“Who do you think YOU are? One of your disposable thugs against our Hikiishi- The scales are far from even. And lets not forget Compress’s arm. We expect concessions in return for what we lost.” Tomura growls, bringing my hand upward along with his, slowly. I shoot Kai a warning glance, flickering my gaze to our connected hands. I don’t know why I feel this monster deserves a warning- but as someone who has been on the receiving end of Tomura’s devastating power- I can tell you personally it’s an awful way to go. Kai heeds my warning, signing.

“Kurono, Mimic, stand down.” Kai orders, and both of the lackeys immediately do as told. “He came all this way to make his offer. The least we can do is hear the guy out. By all means, continue.” Kai’s voice is as smooth as honey as he gestures at the two of us, nodding. His eyes only rest on Tomura for a moment before they’re back on me. Tomura’s hands find themselves on my waist again, but instead of forcing me to grind on his thigh, he lifts me, setting me to the side and wrapping his arm back around my waist. I grab hold of his hand, squeezing it to let him know about my discomfort. He gives a gentle squeeze back.

Tomura sighs. “Like I said before your friends got jumpy, I want details. We can start with this.” Tomura reaches into his pocket, pulling out a small red bullet with a hypodermic needle instead of a slug. “It’s part of the plan, right?” Tomura questions, holding up the bullet and tilting his head, resting his temple against the top of my head. “A strange thing happened to compress after he was shot with this. He couldn’t use his quirk for a while. So I’d like to know what this is, and what you’re planning to do with it. Tell me.” Tomura demands, and I stiffen.

Compress couldn’t use his quirk after being shot with that. That tiny little thing… a magic bullet? A cure? Be still, my beating heart. If technology like this exists I may not be damned to an eternal existence like I had feared. I scan Kai’s face, hoping there’s more- maybe a permanent option? Not for now… but later? When I’m in my eighties and I lived a long life- a Normal, happy life? Kai’s eyes are burning back into me. That gold… familiar. I seem to be having that thought a lot these days.

“I’ll break the natural order of things. They say All For One ruled by stealing other people’s quirks. I’ve taken his method and fine-tuned it a little. I’ve already begun spreading my roots across this country. Little by little.” Kai elaborates, tilting his head. “Now It’s my turn to ask questions, Like why you thought it appropriate to bring your little doll in here?” Kai gestures to me, and my heart drops. He knows. Of course he knows.

“I bring my favorite toy everywhere. She’s not particularly useful or anything- she’s not even particularly smart, She just has a nice little quirk that makes you feel good when you touch her. She’s a painkiller.” Tomura tilts his head, grabbing my wrist and leaning forward. “Try her out.” Tomura offers, and I flash my gaze at his bare neck. Is he nuts? Yes, Katherine. What did you expect from the leader of the LOV?!

Kai smirks, removing his glove. He leans forward, and scratches my arm with his fingernail. An immense pain, not unlike Tomura’s five fingered death grip, wracks my upper body for a fraction of a moment before it disappears.

It happens so fast I don’t even react, able to compose my face to be completely stoic. His quirk. He just used his quirk on me and now he knows it won’t work. He knows. He pauses, hand hovering over my arm for a long moment before he looks up at my face, awestruck.

He squints, pressing his hand into mine, clasping our fingers together. He’s testing his theory, I know that look in his eyes. He sucks in a breath, eyes flickering between our hands and my eyes.

“Impressive. A valuable toy indeed.” He pulls his hand back, replacing his glove. “Impeccably clean as well. Where’d you find her?” Kai questions, glaring at Tomura now, who scoffs.

“Jealous? Stop worrying about my girl and get back to business, Chisaki.” Tomura warns, but Kai leans back, cracking his neck to the side.

“I am talking business- a new offer. What would you like in trade for the doll?” Kai gestures at me with a point. His palm is upturned.

“She’s not up for trade.” Tomura responds simply, reaching up to scratch at his neck.

“A shame, I have been looking for a playmate for my daughter. How about it, Dolly, would you like to meet her, maybe?” Kai questions. I can hear the smirk in his voice. I lean forward, but Tomura stops me. His hand wraps around my throat, wracking my entire body in agony as he speaks.

“No. She wouldn’t. I think we’re done here. Next time, I’ll come alone. It seems you’re too easily distracted. walk me out, lackey.” Tomura stands, hand still wrapped around my neck as we do the reverse of the movements we made to get into the base.

A portal opens just outside of it, and Tomura shoves me through. I clasp at my throat, finally able to breathe. “Everyone out.” Tomura demands, and Dabi sends me a look similar to sympathy before he departs. The bar quickly becomes empty, and I look up at Tomura, who removes the hand to be able to look me more sternly in the eye.

“Answer me honestly, are you stupid?” Tomura questions, gripping my hair and wrenching my face farther upward, putting my neck at an uncomfortable angle.

“I didn’t say anything. You told me not to say anything.” I whimper, genuinely terrified. If this man will make my very cells feel like they are burning when he’s calm- Imagine what he’ll do while he’s angry.

“You follow instructions really well baby, I’ll give you that much. But you do it too fucking well, don’t you?” Tomura’s tone is harsh. He pulls me to stand, pushing me up against the bar. “Ready to hop on Chisaki’s dick like a flea on a dog just to get that brat? Do you have any idea what he would have done once he got his hands on you?” Tomura accentuates his words by pulling off my wig, fingers deftly working through the braids, undoing them.

“What he’d do if he got his hands on your quirk?” He pauses to massage his fingertips through my hair, over my scalp. The pulling-apart feeling is not lessen by his gentle touch. “Not to mention his dick was standing at strict attention the moment you stepped into the room.” Tomura’s hands finally leave me, placing themselves on either side of me, resting with his pinkies up on the counter behind me.

“If you think I’m bad, a piece of shit like that is SO much worse. You knew that the second you realized that he was beating his kid.” He reaches his hand up, forcing me to turn to look at him. He grips my chin, pinkie up. “This is why you need me. You don’t know how people are trying to use you- how they’ve already used you. You have no idea the horrors that are out there baby- Stop looking so goddamn upset. I’m protecting you.” Tomura growls, and I swallow my fear.

“I don’t need protection Tomura. SHE does. If you can’t help me do that then we’re done here.” I shake my head, pushing back at his chest.

“We’re done when I fucking say we’re-” I don’t give him a chance to finish his sentence, grabbing his arm and flipping him over my shoulder, slamming his back on the bar. I flip upward, straddling his waist and pinning his arms to his chest. If he wants to touch me, He’ll have to risk touching himself.

“You- ah- You got some new moves, huh?” His tone is nervous. He wasn’t expecting this.

“I could have handled myself back there Tomura- and you didn’t even give me a chance. It could have been over. We could have been friends.” I shake my head. “We’re done.” I let go, climbing off of him. “For the sake of the rest of the league- because I still believe you are all good people- I’ll keep your location and habits secret. Your secrets will die with me. But I’m not coming back here, and I’m not implicating myself in any more of your shit.” I stalk to the door, leaving him dumbfounded.

“You’ll be back. You’ll learn that I’m the only one around that actually gives a shit about what happens to you, and You’ll be back.” He warns.

“GoodBye, Tomura.”

“See you soon, Dolly.”

I close the door, walking through the hallway, letting my face remain stoic until I am in the safety of my own bed. A good choice, as a familiar calloused hand shoots out from around the corner and grabs me by the mouth, pulling me to lean back against the exposed brick.

“Doll, you can’t come back here. I don’t care what happens out there, what you see, or hear or find out about the commission or anything else. Tomura Shigaraki is a liar- You are NOT safe here. Promise me you’ll block that number. Promise me you won’t come back.” Dabi demands, and I swallow.

“You still need the scars on your face, right?” I press my hand to his collarbone before he can react, swiftly and carefully taking every single scar below the neck, wary of the callouses as to not impede his work. “Now you can move better.” I give him a tight smile, and he scowls.

“Promise me, Katherine.” He demands, gripping my jaw with both of his hands, forcing me to look him in the eye.

“Why do you care so much, Dabi?” I offer him a small, teary smile with my inquiry, and he sucks in a breath. He’s looking for something in my face, and his expression is clear. He isn’t finding it.

“I don’t know. I have no idea. That’s why you have to stay away. We aren’t good people, kid. You should go back to Colorado.” He pushes himself away, clenching his eyes shut and letting out a shaky breath.

“Don’t come back… or I’ll kill Todoroki.” He warns, turning on his heel and leaving me with my jaw dropped.

Chapter Text

“I’ll kill Todoroki”
Not a warning, not a threat. A promise. He meant it- he had no qualms about murdering my best friend, like he’d been planning on doing it anyway- like it wasn’t a second thought, he’s already mulled over it before.

And TOMURA! What the hell is up with him? One moment, he’s worshiping the ground I walk on, and the next he’s acting like I’m the ground. He wants to “Protect” me but there was no denying the obvious erection he got every time he had the opportunity to hurt me.

And KAI?! What’s his deal? Why did he get so goddamn giddy when I touched him? He looked like a kid meeting Santa, or a puppy with a new chew toy.

And now, tonight, I have dinner reservations with their collective worst enemy- Hawks. The Commission’s golden boy- what’s going on with that whole fiasco? He was so flustered on the phone with me, and both Tomura and Dabi acted like he was the scum of the earth- which, yeah, was to be expected, but they acted like he had already hurt me specifically. They kept acting like the commission was my enemy too, like they were already after me as well- but there’s just no evidence of it at all.

I haven’t had any interaction from anyone in the commission since licensing exams, besides the fact that they are literally paying for me to stay here. The only person I can talk to about all of this is Izuku, and honestly, I don’t know if I want him to know. I wouldn’t want him to worry about me where there’s so many other things to worry about. ESPECIALLY with the case going the way it-

“Kitty… are you okay?” Shoto’s voice breaks me out of my haunted daze. His warm hand rests on my knee. The cabin of the car seems too small- too crowded despite only being the two of us.

“M’fine, just tired. Work-Studies are kind of a pain.” I admit, leaning my head on his shoulder. He chuckles, pressing a light kiss to my temple.

“I’m sure whatever it is will be fixed soon. If you’re feeling stressed, we can always just cuddle tonight instead of studying after work.” Shoto offers, and I sigh.

That sounds so nice but- “I’ve got a dinner with Hawks for tonight, actually- to talk about the case.” As soon as the words leave my lips, Shoto stiffens. His left side heats to a blistering temperature- I can feel it searing my skin, but he must not notice because his hand stays firmly placed on my knee.

“You WHAT?” His tone is low, and would sound calm, but there is a definite edge to it. His free hand shakes on his lap, and I can see tiny crystals of ice forming along his fingers.

“He wanted to give some pointers and stuff- it’s really nice of him, especially considering I totally snubbed him for the Work Study.” I try to calm Shoto with a hand on his, but he stares at it. The smell of my cooking flesh draws him back to the moment, and he rips his hand away, replacing it with the cold one and turning more fully toward me.

“You don’t owe him anything. You don’t have to see him.” Shoto’s jaw is tight as he speaks, his teeth barely separate to form the words. I pause, searching his face for meaning. I can’t find it, It’s like he knows something, something that I’m supposed to know too.

I settle into my seat as my classmates chatter about their weekends, their monday. They all had quite a bit of work cut out for them with their own work-studies. Through the conversation, I learned that Tamaki has a pretty peculiar quirk- If he gains the ability to manifest parts and power from whatever he eats- I wonder what would happen if he took a bite out of me? I’ll have to ask him- it would be really helpful for both him and Kiri…

Should I still be thinking about him? We did have sex… and it was… Amazing- but parts of it are blurry- I felt so good I got lost a few times I guess.

I glance over at Shoto, who’s staring down at his own phone, chin propped up against his knuckles as he stares downward. Is he angry with me for some reason? He must be. He hasn’t talked to me since our conversation- if you could even call it that- in the car. Did Natsuo tell him I snuck out? Was he disappointed in me? He wouldn’t be though… right? He couldn’t possibly know what I was actually doing though, could he? No. He doesn’t know that I inadvertently put his life in danger. He didn’t know that I had to terminate my most promising alliance for his safety. He wouldn’t be angry with me then, would he?

He looks up, catching me staring. He raises and eyebrow at me, tilting his head in a questioning glance. I swallow, looking down at my textbook. I’ve already worked through most of it on the train. I’m so far ahead in academics I could probably start senior year tomorrow and be fine. It’s the only thing I have control over anymore- the only thing with clear cut answers that I can understand. I pick at my cuticles silently as I stare at the book.
“Katherine, can we talk?” A gruff voice asks behind me, and I turn. Bakugo?

“Are we going to talk or are you going to try to bully me again?” I question, slamming my locker shut with my elbow and staring him down. Dominance. Establish dominance or this hedgehog with a god complex is going to tear you to pieces.

“Talk- Please?” His voice is soft, shaky.

“The manners are new. Fine.” I nod, and gesture for him to follow me back into Aizawa’s now-empty classroom. The door clicks behind him. My stomach churns. I feel like I’m being watched, but there’s no one else around- It’s just us in this bare room. “Keep it quick, Izuku and I are supposed to be on the bus in twenty minutes.” I look up at him, his eyes are watery.

“I wanted to ask you… are you and Deku like… a thing now? I saw you two walking through the park last night- and I saw you go into his room.” His tone is angry, but soft. He’s shaking. He’s barely holding it together. I pause.

“What does that matter to you?” I ask, crossing my arms. He grits his teeth, jaw tightening.

“You’re a real bitch, you know that? You have everyone here falling all over you and you act all sweet and innocent but you’re just a raging whore with a savior complex.” He speaks dryly now, venom dripping from every syllable. I chuckle.

A hearty, genuine giggle escapes my lips. I double over, holding on to the desk for support as I laugh. I try to catch my breath, looking up at him. But when I see his confused, angry face, I laugh harder, tears escaping down my face as the force of it all makes my side ache. I suck in a breath, standing with a few more sparse chuckles.

“Is that supposed to make me feel bad? Buddy, If I cared for your opinion, which I don’t, I’d probably ask your boyfriend. He’s way easier to talk to. Unless… you’re asking about my relationships with people for Ejiro? In which case he should really grow a pair and talk to me himself.” I tease, sliding to sit on top of the desk.

“Here, since you are oh so goddamn concerned; No, I’m not fucking Izuku. I have no desire to fuck Izuku. We are co-workers. I intend to be his sidekick. I’m not dating anyone, and I don’t PLAN on dating anyone for the foreseeable future. I’m too goddamn busy with work-study. Not that you know what that’s like, eh? ” I cross my legs over each other, leaning back on my palms on the desk. Bakugo’s hands press themselves into fists.

“Shut up.” He demands, the scent of caramel begins to fill the room, almost distracting me. Is Sato nearby or something?

“Or what? You’ll hit me like you did Denki and Minoru? Go ahead and fucking try it.” I smirk, squinting at him. He growls under his breath.

“Stop fucking talking.” Bakugo’s voice would have terrified me a few months ago, but now- now I’m amused. He can’t possibly do any worse than the fucking leader of the league of villains could. Bakugo is just an arrogant, petulant child who needs to be put in his place. He needs to be put in his place… why is that thought so familiar? The caramel smell, his stance- all of it, familiar. I need more- I need more information. He’ll give it to me whether he knows it or not, whether he wants to or not.

“Make me.” I sing, my confidence in myself is warranted. I’d wipe the floor with him if I wanted to- and I just might want to. He leaps forward, and I let him. Let him use his quirk- all the better for me, right?

Except he doesn’t. He does something completely unexpected. He grips my arms, pressing them above my head. He leans over me, and presses his lips to mine. I go slack. What the hell is this? What does he think he’s doing?! I push him back with my legs, eyes wide.

“What the-” I begin, but he presses his face into my chest. A sobbing sound wracks through his throat as my shirt begins to wetten.

“I’m sorry- I’m sorry, okay? I- I’m stupid, and I’m selfish and I’m impulsive and I act like I’m better than anyone else when I know I’m the fucking worst. I shouldn’t have said anything- I should have just- God- I fucked up! I fucked up okay and I’m sorry- please come back- I need you- I need you so fucking much you have no idea- I keep trying to touch you but you- god, you fucking HATE me.” He’s yelling into my chest, and I have no idea what he’s saying. It’s like he’s speaking another language, muffled against my shirt, and his accent does not make it any better.

“Bakugo-”

“Call me by my name- god- fucking PLEASE say my name again. It hurts- baby, it hurts so bad-” He sobs against me, and I pause.

“Kat- sookie, Right?” I ask, and he stiffens.

“Are… are you serious?” He slowly pulls away from me, looking me in the eye. “Baby- Teddybear please- now’s not the time to joke, okay?” His eyes are redder even than usual. I raise a brow.

“I could have sworn it was that- I read it on your paper- unless I mispronounced it?” I question, still incredibly confused by the entire situation.

“You- Oh. I get it! A do-over? Like in those stupid fucking romance novels huh? Sorry- I didn’t mean stupid.” He wipes at his eyes, hands still shaking.

“Okay- uh- yeah. Except it’s Katsuki- the ‘u’ is silent. N-nice to meet you- I guess.” Bakugo swallows, looking down. “Let’s be friends, okay?” His voice breaks as he speaks, his breathing is erratic. I’m so goddamn confused, but at this point, I have to leave or I’ll be late. I’ll have to deal with… whatever the fuck this is- later.

“I’m… Katherine, But my friends call me Kate. Call me Katie and you die. It’s kinda funny how we’re both ‘Kat’ huh?” I ask, trying to lighten his mood enough to be able to leave him without worrying if I killed my classmate.

“Yeah. Uh- so… if you’re not doing anything Friday, would you want to go to Mina’s party… uh… with me- and Kiri?” He’s begging. Pleading. Give him this one win- it’s just one party, and I know damn well Denki is bringing booze. I’ll just have to make sure Shoto comes too so it’s not so awkward…

“Sure- but- uh… I gotta go for now, bye.” I slide out from under his gaze, making a B-line for the door. He doesn’t stop me.

Chapter Text

My phone rings before I can make it out of the door. I pause, reading the ID. Keigo. I press the green button quickly, shoving the phone between my ear and shoulder as I dig through my bag for my bus pass.

“Hello?” I answer with a slight sing-song voice. There is no awkward pause, Keigo is a talkative man.

“Hey there songbird! I’ve got good news and bad news- which one do you want first?” He asks, his tone is light and jovial, leading me to believe that whatever the “bad news” is, It’s probably not all that detrimental to anyone’s health. I decide to start there.

“Bad please.” I chime as I find my bus pass, reaching up to actually hold my phone to my ear as I walk through the halls of UA.

“Well, dinner might have to happen later than expected, because I have a meeting.” He doesn’t sound all that torn up about it, good.

“And the good news?” I ask, opening the front door and walking out, spotting Tsu, Ochaco, Eijiro and Izuku in the distance.

“You’ll be at the meeting too! So, we can just go out after. Whatever you like- we could even skip dinner and just go get frozen yogurt. There’s no Itopit here, but there is a Menchie’s!” He sounds so… excited? Well… the guy might just genuinely need a friend. He’s probably busy all the time from hero work- and he never seems to take a break, so this would be an opportunity to just relax. I let myself smile.

“How’d you know Frozen yogurt was my favorite skip-a-meal-meal?” I laugh, and he joins in on the other side of the line.

“I am a man of many secrets. I’ll see you in thirty, Songbird.” I can practically hear his smile.

“See you in thirty, sir.” I hang up, looking at the group.

“Yeah, I was going to have Bakubro drive, but he’s busy with remedial classes today and- oh! Hey kit-kat!” Eijiro grins as I approach. I give him a gentle smile. Even through everything- he’s a good friend.

“You guys going in today too?” I ask, and Ochaco nods giddily.

“Yeah, we were just about to walk to the station- ooh, are you going to Mina’s party on Friday?” Ochaco speaks a mile a minute, and I laugh.

“It’s funny, Bakugo JUST asked me to come with him. I’m probably going to drag Shoto along.” I giggle, and feel Eijiro’s eyes on my back. Shit- I forgot he was even there.

“Ah- Are you coming too Kiri?” I ask, giving him my best sweet smile, and he breaks, laughing with his signature sharp-toothed grin.

“Yeah dude, Mina’s the homie!” He attempts to sound cool, but he sounds like a dork. I laugh again.

“And you gotta keep the bitches off your man, am I right?” Tsu’s tone surprises me, and I cackle even harder.

“Why does that sounds so organic coming from you?!” Izuku asks, also cracking up.

When we get to the building, the big three are already waiting outside. I spot Tamaki, and approach him. His eyes widen as he realizes I intend to talk to him.

“Hey! Can I talk to you alone for a second?” I try to be polite, and Mirio grins, excited. When Tamaki says nothing, Mirio leans in, whispering into Tamaki’s ear.

“Dude, she’s cute- And she wants to talk to you.” Mirio’s whisper wasn’t supposed to be audible to me- but he clearly has no idea how good my senses are. The only people who know how powerful my senses are are Aizawa and Shoto. Mirio’s words are meant to be encouraging, but I can see Tamaki’s hands begin to shake.

“I know she’s cute, I have eyes.” Tamaki sounds uncomfortable, scared of something. Why would he ever be scared of me?

“Hey guys, let’s head in, we don’t wanna keep Sir and the others waiting!” Mirio pipes up cheerfully, leading the group inside. When Tamaki and I try to pass through the door after everyone else though, Mirio blocks us, giving a suggestive wink before turning on his heel and following the group.

“Uh- So… Tamaki, right?” I ask, trying to catch his eye. He’s taller than me, so even while looking down I can just slot myself under his chin and force him to look at my face. His eyes widen when I do. “I’m Kate.” I offer him my hand to shake, but his hands stay firmly stuffed in his pockets. I falter, dropping my hand. “I have a question.” I chime, keeping my tone light and friendly. Tamaki stiffens.

“Yeah?” He asks, glancing around at the empty street. I tilt my head to the side.

“So- your quirk works off of you eating stuff right? And you can like… use that stuff to manifest parts of the animals?” I begin to introduce my idea, and he gulps.

“Uh. Yes.” He nods, not sure how else to respond.

“SO- does it work on DNA? Like, could you take a bite out of an opponent and grain some of the properties of their quirk?” I gesture to my teeth to make a point, and he scrunches his eyebrows.

“Uh- No… I could… manifest parts of their body? That’s it… I guess? So if their body was the part affected- like they had wings or could make their nails really long that’s what would happen.” He looks away from me, and I huff.

“So- if you took a bite out of me, could like, my arms replace yours and then you could avoid getting hurt- and you could heal yourself if you need to- and possibly even other people?!” I tilt my head, hoping he’s finally catching my drift. He must, because he finally looks at me, eyes wide, scared and confused.

“You want me to... eat you?” He asks, something near concern in his silky voice. I suck in a breath and nod.

“Yeah- I think It could be beneficial. I can’t be the only one around with a healing quirk.” I smile, and he swallows deeply.

“That- is a lot less scary than what I thought you were going to ask.” He admits, reaching up and rubbing the back of his neck. “We can… try that- if you want. But later. I don’t want to be late.” Tamaki opens the door, allowing me to walk into the building first. I pause, glancing at the bandage on his arm.

“One last thing- here.” I press my fingers just under the bandage, on his elbow. He flinches, but when the small wound transfers to my body and quickly dissipates, he softens.

“Ah- th-thanks.” He stutters, blushing.

“What are friends for, right?” I shrug, letting my touch linger on him. His sore back from being constantly hunched. The broken skin around his cuticles from chewing on them. Slight abrasions on his feet from his bare-footed hero costume. I heal it all. He relaxes under my touch, and finally, finally, gives me the weakest smile I think I’ve ever seen.

When we finally enter the meeting room, Tamaki departs me, quickly seeking out the comfort of his friends. I watch as Mirio pats him on the back, and questions him about our conversation. My attention is drawn away by a hand on my hip, drawing me to the side.

“Hey- Had to catch you before Aizawa saw you. He’s distracted right now. How are you doing?” Hawks asks, his wing wraps around my back, blocking anyone else in the room from seeing me.

“Why can’t Aizawa see me?” I ask, confused. Hawks chuckles.

“It’s not seeing you- it’s seeing you with ME. He’s not my biggest fan, remember?” he tilts his head. I notice light stubble over his chin, and a small grin working over his face. “You’re so pretty.” Hawks comments suddenly, and I blush, eyes widening as I look down.

And then, salvation. NightEye’s voice rings over the crowd. “Thanks to the information provided by all of you, our investigation has progressed substantially. We’ve invited you all here for a joint conference to share the intel we’ve acquired. Regarding the yakuza group Shie Hassaikai and what we believe they might be planning.” Sasaki speaks clearly, his eyes raking over the crowd.

I duck under Hawk’s wing, only to come face-to-face with Aizawa, who wraps a hand around my upper arm and pulls me away. His face is calm, but the rage in his black eyes is obvious to anyone who knows him.

“Sir?” I ask, looking up at him.

“Are you okay?” Aizawa asks lowly, his lips are only minutely parted. Only I would be able to hear him. He knows that.

“I’m fine?” It comes out like a question, and Aizawa nods to himself.

“Good. Stick yourself to Midoriya like glue.” He pushes me forward, and I stumble a bit before Izuku catches me, an eyebrow raised.

“You need to work on your stance.” He teases lightly, and I laugh before the breath gets caught in my throat. I heard that before… Where did I hear that before?

I shift in my seat, sandwiched between Izuku and a Hero I vaguely recognize as RockLock. Across the table, Kiri is staring at me, eyebrows furrowed.

I blink at him, letting him know I’m paying attention. He brings up his hands, resting his chin on his palm and slouching, but he sneakily points a finger toward Hawks, and raises his eyebrow, then points at me. A question. I vaguely understand it. ‘What’s up with you two’ Must be the idea. I slide my hands upward, mocking a pair of wings at my side and tilting my head. He nods.

I gesture to Aizawa, draw my finger across my throat, and then make the wings again, and blink slowly, keeping my eyes closed for a few long moments to make it clearer. When I open them, Eijiro grimaces. He shakes his head, points at me, and then at hawks and then back at me.

He mouths the words “Are you okay?” very carefully, making sure to shape the words incredibly precisely. I nod in response and then shrug. I mimic the wings again, and then raise my hands over my head ducking down to make myself less obvious, creating a halo with my fingers. I shrug again, and Eijiro tightens his jaw, looking away.

“I don’t care if they do. I wanna help.” Izuku’s voice from beside me draws my attention away from Eijiro, and I turn to look at the viridian-haired boy.

“Hold up, you know him?” Mirio asks, his palm upturned and fingers spread in a gesture I can’t quite place.

“Oh, Grand Torino? I did my internship with him-” A kick under the table tells me the man on my left is trying to gain my attention. I look up at him, with a raised eyebrow.

“You’re Voodoo doll, right?” He asks, and I blank.

“Uh- yeah. I didn’t think you knew my name.” I swallow, and he nods.

“No one forgets the name of an immortal.” He shrugs and looks past me. What in the hell did he mean by that? “Does anyone wanna tell me why a buncha high school kids were invited to this conference? I don’t care if they are from UA. If we have to keep stopping to explain this stuff, we’ll never get to the actual plan.” RockLock doesn’t spare me another glance. What an ass.

A huge, bulbous man stands, gesturing to Tamaki and Eijiro. “Don’t say that! These two have important information to pass along.” The absolute unit speaks loudly, angrily. I eye him warily. He’s wearing a bright yellow hoodie- not exactly hero attire. But he’s sitting next to Kiri- and Tamaki almost looks comfortable next to him, so he can’t be all that bad.

“Wait- we do?” Kiri asks, and I can almost see the question marks floating above his spiky red hair. Tamaki shrinks into himself. He mumbles something only I can catch.

“I want to go home.” I feel my heart break for the boy. Social interaction sucks, and I too would rather be at home.

“Anyway, I see a lot of new faces, so let me introduce myself. Nice to meetcha’ I’m FatGum.” The man gestures widely.

Chapter Text

I grip a pen, sliding it across the table so it lands in Tamaki’s lap. He looks up, and I cross my eyes, stick my tongue out and frame my ears with my hands. I blink, trying to give him an encouraging smile, but he blushes harder, staring down at his pants again. I think I might have made that worse. I tune back into the conversation as FatGum speaks.

“Tamaki was shot, and the bullet contained some kinda drug I’ve never heard of before. One that destroys quirks.” Oh… they’re talking about the bullet- wait… Tamaki got shot with one of THOSE bullets? So, someone else other than Kai has them. Mirio stands abruptly, shocked and concerned.

“Whoa, what? Tamaki, you’re okay, right?” Mirio asks, panicked. Oh. They’re really close then?

“Yeah, the stuff wore off while I slept. Here, look.” He lifts up his hand, which isn’t a hand at all.

“I’ve got this cow hoof and everything. Katherine even healed the injection site so really- no harm done.” He blushes as he says my name, and RockLock interjects.

“I’m glad to know the effects aren’t permanent at least. So this stuff doesn’t zap a Quirk for good.”

“No,” Sasaki sits at the head of the table, glancing at me. “But Eraser Head has some further insight.” Sasaki punctates his thought by gesturing over to Aizawa, who looks even more tired than usual. I notice the angry glares he sends at Keigo, who sits playing with a feather between his fingers. What’s their beef? Haha… get it… beef…. Because of Tamaki’s…. Yeah I’ll pay attention again.

“It doesn’t seem to function exactly like my erasure does. Since I’m not actually attacking the quirk directly. What we call a Qurik is an extraordinary addition to an ordinary human body. Those additions are-” Nevermind on the paying attention bit.

I glance back at Hawks. Why does everyone seem to think Keigo is bad news bears? He’s been nothing but kind as much as I’ve seen- and He’s number two! The commission’s golden boy! Keigo catches me staring, and gives me a little wave. Playful- almost childlike. Hawks is a good guy, the best of the good guys- so why is Aizawa acting like Hawks is going to murder me or something. Hilarious, really, he couldn’t even if he wanted to- which he clearly doesn’t.

Kai’s likeness on the screen above draws my attention. Oh. Shit.

“Kai Chissaki- Quirk: Overhaul. With this power, he can disassemble things and then reassemble them. A quirk that allows him to completely break down matter. And a bullet that can break down Quirks.” It clicks- Eri’s involvement, her appearance- it’s not a coincidence. I reach under the table, grabbing on to Izuku’s hand and squeezing. He looks over at me and nods. I watch his adams’ apple bob as he swallows thickly.

“Chisaki has a daughter named Eri. There are no records or details about her birth. But when Mirio, Midoriya and Katherine encountered her, they noticed there were bandages wrapped around her arms and legs. Katherine healed her, and realized the wounds were surgical in nature. “ Sasaki gestures to me. Oh. He wants me to talk. I clear my throat.

“They covered all of her body, actually. Her face was the only place spared. There were scalpel incisions, puncture wounds from needles, and I sensed that her immune system was weak- like she’d not been outside much. I believed he was testing something on her but I didn’t know what. But that bullet makes sense now.” I look down at my free hand. So fucking useless. “Chisaki tried to use his quirk on me- I just realized, actually. And due to the nature of my own quirk, It didn’t work. It felt like my entire body was being torn apart- like my atoms themselves were splitting. It only lasted a second though.” I explain, and Aizawa looks up, eyes wide.

“Kate- you didn’t say anything about him using his quirk on you?” Mirio chimes in, and I swallow. Fuck- because he didn’t in the alleyway- think, Kate.

“I didn’t really think about it- I was too concerned for Eri to focus on what he’d done to me.” I look down, hoping no one caught my lie. Sasaki eyes me warily, but no one speaks up.

“Would have saved us a lot of trouble if these three amateurs had just gotten the girl away from Chisaki- It couldn’t have been that hard with Doll there.” RockLock complains, and I grit my teeth.

“I can’t be everywhere at once, If he’d gotten to touch Deku or Lemillion, and I wasn’t actively holding their hands, they’d be dead.” I protest, furrowing my brow at the man.

“I take full responsibility. The blame should not fall on them. Even without knowing the whole story they acted to save the child, each in their own way. Midoriya and Katherine were willing to bare the risk of taking her then. While Mirio chose to wait for another opportunity, when success would be more likely. Katherine was right in her observation. If she had initiated combat, there would be no guarantee for the lives of her comrades. They all acted appropriately. I assure you, nobody in this room is more frustrated than they are.” Sasaki’s words are ended by Mirio and Izuku standing quickly by my side, Izuku’s hand still holds mine, and now that he’s standing, other people can see it as well.

“We’ll get Eri away from him next time…” Izuku swears, and Mirio speaks in perfect synchronization as they say “And we’ll protect her.” I stand beside them.

“And- I guess I’ll make sure no one gets hurt.” I look down at the table, trying not to let tears brim my eyes in a room full of pro heroes. Izuku squeezes my hand reassuringly, and I squeeze back.

“You kids wanna talk big, that’s fine. But if what Nighteye is saying is for real, that little girl is at the center of Hassaikai’s entire underground drug operation. She may have managed to get away from overhaul for a few minutes, but she got herself seen by a couple of heroes. You think he’s still gonna keep her at home after that? Hell, I know I sure wouldn’t. And if we go bustin’ into their headquarters and she’s not there, they’re gonna know we’re onto them. We gotta be sure of where he’s hidin’ her.” RockLock drones, and I bristle. I zone out again, focusing on keeping my breathing steady, focusing on Izuku’s hand on mine. I can’t be angry now- I have to save my rage for a more convenient moment.

“Earth to Kitkat!” Ejiro leans nearly fully across the table and snaps his fingers in front of my face, and I blink. We’ve moved to a new room. A smaller table with just UA students. I sit at one end, directly across from Tamaki. Tsu is to my left, Izuku to my right. They’re all staring at me with concern.

“Oh- sorry.” I mumble, and I notice my hand is no longer being held by Izuku.

“You can’t keep beating yourself up like that, It wasn’t your fault.” Tsu warns, rubbing her hand over my upper back.

“It’s not that I- I kind of just disassociate sometimes- especially when my emotions are heightened. RockLock was pissing me off and I didn’t want to hurt him.” I explain, running my hands through my hair and grimacing.

“Yeah- what was up with that? What’s he got against us?” Ochaco asks, and Mirio shrugs.

“He doesn’t have anything against us, he’s just worried. He doesn’t want us to get hurt.” Mirio gestures vaguely.

“If only I’d listened to Kate and rescued Eri then, She’d be safe. Mirio and Kate would have been able to get out of there- “ Izuku grits his teeth, and I reach under the table, trying to grab on to his hand again. He lets me take it but does not squeeze back.

“Aw, man. So that’s what happened that day? So frustrating!” Eijiro tries to make Izuku feel better.

“We know you tried, Deku.” Ochaco says softly, and I nod.

“You did what you thought was right- I shouldn’t have ordered you around like that. It’s my fault.” I look down, not wanting anyone to see that I’m starting to cry.

“I was supposed to be in charge of you both-” Mirio is immediately cut off by Tsu.

“Stop blaming yourselves, all of you. NightEye said it was none of your fault. You should trust your boss.” Her tone is clippy- frustrated, motherly almost. The elevator doors open. I turn to see Aizawa walking out, a frown on his face. When I look up, I make sure to wipe away my tears as best I can.

“Is this a funeral or something?” He questions, hunched slightly forward with his hands in his pockets.

“Mr. Aizawa, Hello, sir.” Tsu greets him, her eyes are wide, even more so than usual.

“Ah. Call me Eraser Head outside of school.” Aizawa corrects, and stops to be standing just behind me. I look forward instead of back at him, not wanting him to see my puffy eyes up close. “You know, it’s just my luck. Before you got involved in this I was going to recommend that you work studies be suspended.” Aizawa explains dully, and there is a round of protest at the table. “You were listening when he said the league of villains is involved, right? That changes things.” Aizawa’s large hand places itself on my shoulder, and I flinch.

Several pairs of eyes flicker from the Pro to me and back. Understanding and pity. Gross. “Here’s the deal. Midoriya… Black… You still haven’t proven I can trust you again. Unfortunately, I’m positive that if I try to stop you now, both of you will do something reckless and attempt to take things into your own hands.” Aizawa pauses, gripping the back of my chair and forcing me to turn. He squats in front of Izuku and I, Looking between us both, making sure he has our attention. “So, I’ll watch you. If you’re going to see this through, you gotta do it the right way. Use your head.” He places a hand on the top of my head, and a fist on Izuku’s chest. “Ya hear me? Problem children?” He asks, and I swallow.

“Yes sir.” I answer alongside Izuku’s mumble and nod.

“I’ll only say this once, in case it gives you a little peace of mind. Just because you didn’t hold on to her this time, doesn’t mean you didn’t give Eri hope. So keep looking forward.” He stands, and I block out my emotions. I don’t want to cry in front of my classmates- or the big three. I try to keep up with the conversation.

“Midoriya… Black? Next time we’ll definitely save her.” Mirio promises, and Izuku nods.

“Right! No matter what!” I fake a smile. My phone buzzes. I wait until no ones paying attention to check it.

Unknown: Lenox square mall, midnight. Come alone. -Chisaki

Oh. Well…

Guess I’m not sleeping again.

KatBlack: I’ll be there.

Another ping,

Keigo: Meet me outside- don’t let Eraserhead see you leave.

I sigh, looking back at the group. Mirio catches my eye, and gestures me over. I follow his wordless instructions, and meet up with him alone in a secluded corner. Abruptly, he wraps his arms around me, pulling me into his chest.

“We really will get her, Kate. I promise.” His voice is shaky. I hug him back, smushing my face against his broad chest.

“I know.” I nod, letting my face fall. He pulls back, looking me up and down.

“So… uh… you and Tamaki, eh?” He asks, and I furrow my brow.

“What?” I ask, and a small smile ghosts his lips.

“You know- that little private conversation-”

“No- It’s not like that! I wanted to see if our quirks could work together- Like if he could possibly ingest like a piece of my leg or something and then have the ability to heal.” I explain, and he smirks.

“Damn, and here I was hoping. Well, if you change your mind, my boy is UPSETTINGLY single so uh… think about it.” He jokes, trying to brighten both of our moods. I roll my eyes.

“I’m not dating right now- it takes too much time. Besides, I doubt he’d have any interest in me, and if he did, I’d want him to tell me himself.” I wink playfully, and Mirio chuckles.

“Noted, Sunshine.”

Chapter Text

I exit the building carefully, making sure I am not tailed, but a hand shoots out from around the corner. I turn, fully expecting to see Dabi, but instead I come face to face with a very anxious looking Tamaki.

“Uh- h.. Hey?” He says, but it sounds more like a question.

“Oh- hey Tamaki!” I try my best to give him a warm smile to put him at ease, but he only seems to blush harder.

“You work with Mirio?” His words are incredibly quiet, and I doubt I’d be able to hear it if not for my quirk.

“I do! He’s a decent guy.” My attempt to praise the boy I barely know seems to go a long way with Tamaki, who relaxes the smallest bit.

“You work with Eijiro- he’s a good friend of mine.” I nod, trying to keep this conversation light- he clearly had something to say to me, or he’d not pull me aside. He doesn’t strike me as the type to talk for the sake of talking.

“Yeah- he talks about you alot, actually. He says that you’re a really good person.” Tamaki looks down, seemingly finding a particular spot on the ground incredibly interesting.

“Oh.” Is all I can think so say before Tamaki swallows, blinking hard before he thrusts his arm out, pressing a piece of paper against my chest. I grab it, my fingers lightly brushing his, and a small choking sound resonates from his throat.

“I-it’s my number. We should try your idea while they’re looking for Eri. An ultimate move like that could be useful.” He closes his eyes, swallowing thickly. I grimace. I wish I could take mental pain as well, it can’t possibly feel very good to be that anxious all the time- but I can take the physical. I reach out again, grabbing hold of his hand, trying to take pain that simply isn't there. I focus, feeling my heart begin to race. My head starts to hurt, and I wince. He pauses, looking down at me.

“What are you doing?” His voice is stronger than before, more confident- holy shit… it’s working. I’ve never tried this before- I’d never really had a reason to. I’m usually the anxious one, the depressed one. I’d never met someone with the same kind of fears as me. I feel the rip, that tear in my heart as I take the pain. I can’t help it, I pull back, but he holds tight, staring down at me with wide, but curious eyes. “Wait I can-” He pauses, looking in my eyes. “I can feel it-” His words come through loud and clear, despite the fact that he isn’t talking. I yank my hand back, breaking the connection.

“I- I’ve never done that before.” I admit, staring down at his hands.

“Was that your quirk?” I ask, glancing back up at him. He shakes his head, and furrows his brow.

“It was you- you were… I felt it- like a weight off of my chest. You were- my thoughts?” He struggles to piece together a sentence. I think aloud.

“When I heal a person, the more times I heal them, the more comfortable my body gets with them. The healing gets quicker, more streamlines every time, like my body learns theirs. I was trying to make you less anxious and I must’ve… I must’ve somehow tapped into your brain itself. Like anxiety leaves scarring on the brain so my quirk must’ve tried healing that and got all… tangled?” I unravel before him, running my hands through my hair in intense contemplation. “Don’t… don’t tell anyone. No one should- this isn’t-” My brain is fuzzy with anxiety. It almost hurts, how intense it is.

“Hey- hey it’s okay.” He murmured quickly, reaching out to touch me. I recoil, but he’s faster than me. He grabs ahold of my bare hands, and a thought appears.

A memory, not mine. I sit in a chair, as Nezu talks to me and… Mirio? Nejire is there too, we’re all looking at a computer screen. Security footage of the attack at the USJ. I can see myself, Shigaraki on top of me.

“We are debating moving this student up to third year, and we want your input. Katherine Black is excelling academically, and improving at an alarming rate physically. The commission is recommending her for several accelerated courses. Today, we’ll go over her fights and talk about the possibility of you three testing her.” Aizawa speaks behind me. I can’t turn to look at him. My head instead cants downward, staring at my hands- but they're not mine. Too large, too rough.

I blink, pulling myself out of his memory. I swallow, staring at him. “I- the commission is trying to move me up in grades?” I asked, trying to shake the fuzzy memory out of my head. Tamaki pauses.

“What?” He questions, again, it’s almost strange to hear his voice without it shaking or stuttering. A single red feather taps me on the shoulder, alerting me that it was time to end this conversation in its entirety. I swallow.

“Hey- I’ll call you later. I gotta go.” I pull up my bag on my shoulder, and give him a curt nod before tuning on my heel, following the feather as it leads me around a corner, straight to Hawks. He smiles when he sees me , and offers out his arm for me to take, like some kind of old timey- gentleman. I take it, not wanting to be rude.

“Who’s that?” He asks, nodding his head in a gesture back to the boy I had left standing in confusion on the corner. I clear my throat, still trying to mull over what just happened.

“A guy I go to school with. We were talking about quirk stuff, possibly a team up for the Eri Case.” I explain, and my words seem to please him. His grin widens.

“I was really surprised that you called me back after everything that happened.” He nods, walking calmly beside me, wings hanging idly behind him. I shrug, looking up at him, wondering why that smile is so goddamn familiar.

“Well the Eri thing didn’t actually come about till Saturday. Before that I just thought I owed you confirmation that I wasn’t going to work with you since you had already accepted my application.” I explain, and he purses his lips.

“Yeah, you applying for my company also took me completely by surprise, I was shocked Aizawa even allowed it.” He turns a corner, and I can see the bright pink and green menchie’s sign in the distance.

“I didn’t even think to ask him, honestly. Your company wasn’t even on the list, but Fumikage gave me your number when I’d asked for it. I applied to all of the top ten and NightEye. I wanted to train my sort-of-psychic ability with NightEye, but if I couldn’t I would have settled for one of the top ten. You were first on my list because you’re number two, and I already worked for Endeavor over the internship phase.” I explained more accurately, if not just to stop his strange line of not-questions. He hums in response.

“Very pragmatic of you, Songbird.” He compliments, opening the door for me to walk through it. Gentlemanly, what I would expect from a hero.

“Hey- you work for The Commission right? Pretty closely, since you’re number two?” I ask as we step into the restaurant, and he nods, but turns to the cashier.

“Chocolate chunky monkey for me, plain vanilla with honey and banana for her.” He instructs, taking me aback as he correctly guessed my very specific order. Weird.

“Did you hear anything about the commission trying to move me up to class 3A?” I try to start the conversation again, and he raises an eyebrow.

“Songbird, I’m the one that suggested it.” He corrects, reaching over the counter to receive our yogurt.

“Why?” I inquire as he hands me my cup and leads me to sit in a booth in the corner.

“Well, you’re ready.” He shrugs, muttering a ‘thank you’ to the cashier as he grabs our food.

“I’ve had my eye on you for a long time, and I keep hearing your name come up in some pretty impressive circles. Namely- the League of villains.” The name causes me to freeze, dread creeping up my spine.

“No need to look so scared- it’s just us.” He chuckles, reaching up with his wing and ruffling my hair. “No one but me knows that part, at least. I intend on keeping it that way. I mean, how hypocritical would it be to call you out for double crossing the league when I’m doing the same thing?” He smirked, licking the melty chocolate off of his spoon. I blanked, blinking several times in quick succession before speaking again.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I lie, looking down at my yogurt and suddenly having no appetite.

“Don’t play stupid, doll, it’s not a good look on you.” He chastises, catching my eye. “I’ve been working with Dabi since you were kidnapped.” He reaches across the booth, grabbing hold of my chin and forcing me to look at him.

“Gotta hand it to you though, you are really good at getting the scariest mother fuckers in the room to wrap themselves around your little finger.” He hums, releasing me to eat more of his treat.

“Why haven’t you arrested me?” I ask, looking up at him with great confusion, but he shrugs.

“Because I know you have good intentions. You have no idea what you’re doing- that much is painfully obvious. But I admire the tenacity. You remind me of myself.” He compliments, licking the dripping yogurt off the side of his cup. “So, when you graduate, I’d like you to come work with me. Not for me. Fifty percent of the company for you to sign on. I already shmoozed up the Commission, and they agreed with your scores for the licensing exam and your skillset, it’d be better to have you out on the streets as soon as possible- especially with AllMight retiring.” He shrugs, leaning back in the booth, his wings spread wide so his head can rest on the cushioned seat.

My head reels from the information. They want to expedite the process of me becoming a hero? I would already have a spot next to the Commission’s golden boy? Too good to be true. I squint, biting the inside of my cheek.

“And- what’s the catch there?” I ask, carefully watching him to gauge the reactions of this unknown man.

“Well, to start- I’d like you to return to the LOV and continue working with them. The leader has a soft spot for you, and you gained up in ranks far faster than I ever could.” He paused, watching me just as well as I was watching him.

“Well, that’s actually a funny story. I think Shigaraki did something to me- my memory.” I admit, and he raises an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I keep feeling… like I’m forgetting something. He and I clearly had several run-ins before I went to him for help on the Eri case- and recently I saw footage of us together during the attack on the USJ. I don’t remember it at all! Then there’s you- I keep feeling like I know you, but I just met you today.” I shake my head, and he sucks in a breath, eyes wide.

“That is weird,” He nods in understanding, and tilts his head. “Have you forgotten anyone else?” Keigo asks seriously, and I swallow.

“Yeah, Tomura said someone had drugged me- that I had a stalker… but I don’t remember them at all. And there’s this boy in my class- Bakugo- Who acts like we were close but I can swear I met him last week. It’s confusing.” He nods, reaching across the table and holding my hand reassuringly.

“I’ll help you through this.” His kind words come as a shock, and I recoil.

“Aren’t you too busy for all of this?” I ask, and he smiles softly.

“I would never be too busy for you, songbird.” His voice sounded almost…worried? I shake my head.

“I want at the very least to finish out this case with the Shie Hassaikai before I make any big decisions. I can’t let you in on any of the details, but I have a plan of my own that may or may not get me into some serious trouble-”

“Well, here, I’ll make you a deal. Let me in on it and I’ll personally make it so that the commission signs off on it. You won’t have any legal or social repercussions if it comes straight from the government, as long as you don’t plan on hurting anyone.” He cuts me off with an offer I can’t refuse.

“Well… uh. I have a meeting with Kai Chisaki. Tonight, I plan on tracking down Eri myself and taking care of her while the rest of those bozos work on getting her out of there. I don’t really care about the drugs or whatever he’s got about quirks. I’m only worried about the kid.” I admit, stirring my melted yogurt and fruit into a sloppy mess.

“And what are you going to do if he catches you off guard and kidnaps you?” Hawks asks. His voice isn’t condescending at all, it’s curious. He trusts me, my instincts. I wonder why.

“He won’t. Because I’m going to him willingly. Besides, if I get taken, the warrant will be out. It’ll be easier on the legal side of it. I mean really- if I don’t go to him, I have no doubt he’ll come after me the way the LOV did. This way keeps collateral damage to a none.” I explain more fully, and Hawks grins.

“Good plan. I like it. It needs some revision though. Insurance. I need to be able to find you if it takes too long. Honestly, I could probably take the whole operation down on my own- but this is a good test for you.” He nods thoughtfully, and bites his lip before speaking again.

“Here-” He plucks a feather from his back and hands it to me.

“Keep that on you- put it in your bra so no one finds it. I’ll be able to track you.” I smile at him. His kindness- his caring, something I haven’t felt in a very long time.

“Thank you, Hawks.”

“Call me Keigo, Songbird.”

Chapter Text

“Were you followed?” A calm voice asks behind me as a blindfold wraps around my head in front of my mask. I pause, allowing the handicap.

“No.” I answer as a pair of hands land on my shoulders, nudging me forward.

“You’re getting into a car. Duck your head and step up.” The voice instructs, and I pinpoint who it is.

“Ah, I’m really surprised you came for me yourself, Mr. Chisaki.” I keep my tone light, friendly.

“Had to make sure it was really you. Can’t have that bloodlust freak getting into my car.” His tone was warm, and I could feel his body heat as he reached across me, a clicking sound making me aware that he had done up my seatbelt.

“Toga is really sweet, but that might just be because she likes that I can give her unlimited blood.” I giggle- and then realize what I’d said. Shit, why would I say that? Kai hums in response. I pinpoint the breathing in the vehicle. I am sat in the middle of two people, there are two more in the front seat. Four on one is good odds for me, honestly. “Is the blindfold really necessary?” I ask, but make no move to remove it.

“Sorry, precautions are strict since Eri ran off last.” His tone is genuinely apologetic. He is being uncharacteristically kind to me.

“How is the munchkin- does she like her bear?” I ask with a smile, I don’t know if he can see it, but it’s always good to err on the side of caution.

“She loves it. It’s the only toy her nanny can get her to play with. I think it has a lot less to do with the bear and more to do with who gave it to her, though.” He jokes, and chuckles ever so slightly. He sounds so relaxed. Why? My stomach starts to gurgle.

“Uh- Mr. Chisaki, I get kind of car sick if I can’t see where I’m going- this isn’t gonna take long, is it?” I ask honestly, and he chuckles.

“How old are you, Doll?” His question is as genuine as mine, taking me aback.

“Sixteen, my birthday’s in April.”

“You’re really young then.”

“How old are you, Mr. Chisaki?” He paused for a moment in contemplation.

“Twenty six. And please, call me Kai. Stop the car.”

“But sir-” A secondary voice calls, only to immediately silence themselves. The car comes to a stop.

“We’ll wait for your stomach to calm. Have you eaten?” Kai’s voice is bored, annoyed.

“Sorry- uh, no. I was on a dinner date with Hawks, but I only had like two bites of frozen yogurt.” I answer completely honestly, to my surprise. Oh. Fuck. Someone in this car is using a truth-telling quirk.

“Ah, and what was the nature of that meeting?” Kai’s voice is growing angry.

“He said he wanted to talk about work-studies, but he actually wants me to skip two years of school and work for him.”

“I see, did I come up at all?”

“Yeah. I told him I didn’t care what you were doing with drugs, I just want to protect Eri.” My own honesty is going to be the death of- well, not me… unless he has one of those special little bullets on him.

“Good. So, what do you think of me?” His tone softens ever so slightly, and I swallow.

“I think your voice is attractive, and you have pretty eyes. But you’re a piece of shit for hurting your kid. I’m angry with you for it because my dad used to hit me too- but because of my quirk it never hurt too long… and I can’t imagine how it must be for a kid that doesn’t heal.” Why am I giving out this kind of personal information, shit.

“Ah, your father. Doctor Black, the healing hero. I wonder what people would say if they found out he beat his only daughter.” shit, he did his research. Not good.

“My stomach doesn’t hurt any more.” I admit, and the car starts up again.

“Are you hungry at all?” Kai’s voice is still annoyed, but something gives me the feeling he wants a genuine answer.

“I’m starving, but I don’t trust you not to drug me.” I grumble, crossing my arms. The blindfold still blocks my ability to see any of the people in the car.

“You have my word I will not drug you. We are only about five minutes out from our destination, can you handle a little more driving?” His question is, again, genuine. He almost sounds like a concerned father. I mean, I guess he does have a daughter, even if he treats her like shit.

“Yes- blindfolding me on the way is dumb.” I complain, leaning my head against whoever’s sitting next to me’s shoulder. I can feel them stiffen.

“Why’s that?” Kai asks, annoyed again.

“Because I can tell which way you’re turning by how the wheel sounds when it turns and the tilt of our bodies. I have an eidetic memory and can calculate time and distance in my head.” Damn it Kate. Way to give away your secrets.

“That is impressive. And concerning. Good thing we aren’t going to the usual hideout. Just a small meeting place. Too many people trailing me these days.” I realize he’s being calculated about what he says… the truth serum quirk must have a ranged affect, not individuals. Now is the time to ask my own questions.

“Where’s Eri?” I ask quickly, needing to know as soon as possible if this whole excursion is all for nought.

“She’s safe in another location. Her nanny is watching over her alongside several armed guards.” Kai’s tone is testy, annoyed again. “Why do you care so much about the girl? Don’t you have other Hero matters to attend to?” He asks a question of his own. I sense he’s grown wise to my antics.

“I care for everyone, honestly. I can’t help it. Even people who treat me like crap I can’t help but worry for them. I never want to hurt anyone. It’s why I’d rather be a rescue hero than a battle one- but I don’t want to be a hero at all. I want to take hero culture down. I want to get rid of Heroes and Villains both. I’m tired of the stigmas both of the titles hold.” I can’t stop talking, it’s weird- but it feels good to finally explain my thoughts and feelings.

The car comes to a stop and doors open on both sides. A hand wraps around my upper arm, leading me out of the car and plucking the blindfold off of my head. I find that Kai is the one holding on to me, as if I’ll run away. None of his goons even come close to touching me. I notice that the one with the heartbeat still flickering from me leaning my head on him was Kurono. I can tell he’s staring at me, even through his mask by how his breathing quickens when I look at him.

“Let’s go inside, it’s too cold and that Hero costume of yours looks paper thin.” Kai’s voice shifts almost angry as he pulls me into the building. The first thing I notice is how jarringly CLEAN it is. The entire place smells like disinfectant. He pulls me into a room, and I take notice of my surroundings. A large, leather couch in the center of the room. A TV mounted on the wall. The flooring is sparkling. It’d JUST been cleaned. Someone’s a neatfreak, huh? Ah, germaphobe I guess. I wonder what he’d think when he found out my entire body is an antibiotic.

He pushes me to sit on the couch, and sits on the other side of it, sighing. “Any other major pro heroes you’ve talked to in the last week?” He interrogates, and I nod.

“AllMight, Nighteye- the Commission itself is trying to move me up in grades.” I answer, and Kai hums, looking up at the other members of his organization.

“Dismissed.” He waves them away as one of them pours two glasses of wine with fresh gloves on his hands, giving me a glass. I mutter a ‘thank you’ out of respect. The men leave, and it’s just Kai and I in the room now, with the door closed. I begin to grow uncomfortable.

“So, the league of villains, the commission, UA, Nighteye, AllMight, and now, the Shie Hassaikai- just how many hands are you playing, Angel?” Kai questions, the line of questioning borders on interrogation, but his tone is happy. He’s enjoying this. Talking to me.

“Only one.” I answer, taking a sip out of the glass of wine I was so graciously offered by one of his lackeys. Shocking me, Kai pulls off the bird-like mask covering the bottom of his face, revealing a smile underneath. He’s not disfigured as I’d imagined, rather he’s quite handsome.

“And which one might that be?” Kai leans forward, breathing deeply and closing his eyes. When his nostrils flare I realize he is trying to smell me.

“The one that will let me win- let me have what I want.” My words come cooly despite my anxiety. My stomach twists and turns, I let it’s severity dictate my next move. The less it hurts, the better the option.

“Hm. I know that Shigaraki has already promised you the world- and You’ve got Hawks wrapped around your pinky. I’m assuming there must be a reason you are here then, with me instead of them?” There’s something smug about the way he says that. As if he thinks he’s already won. In his mind, I am the queen chess piece. Not necessary to win, but the strongest on the board. He isn’t the king though- he’s the player. He’s the one calling the shots. It would be wise of me to let him think that. I nodded in response, swallowing.

“Well, neither of them can completely give me what I want. Shigaraki wants to destroy hero culture- I want that too, but I don’t want to kill people over it. Hawks can get me close to the commission so I can destroy it from the inside non-violently, but he’d never join me in that. Nighteye was a means to an end, helping me learn how to use my secondary quirk of slight psychic ability. UA is teaching me the ins and outs of hero culture, and training my main quirk as well, not to mention getting me an in with AllMight. Who, as the symbol of peace, is also the symbol of heroism- a symbol I hope to uphold. Did you know that AllMight doesn’t make any money from his actual saves? Only his merchandise. I didn’t like the commercialization of Heroes before, but that part makes way more sense now. I’d rather they earn a living off of people loving them than the government buying them out of shitty situations.” I ramble, still feeling the effects from that truth-telling quirk.

Kai nods, slipping off his gloves and abandoning them on the glass coffee table.

“Give me your hands.” He instructs carefully, and I oblige. He surprises me again, pressing my hand to his face and breathing in deeply, staring at me with an intensity I’ve never felt before. He pauses for a long moment, as if he’s waiting for something, and then chuckles. “Well, I had to be sure…” He murmurs to himself, and then swallows, pressing his face harder into my hand. He closes his eyes, looking… peaceful?

“Uh- what are you doing?” I ask, not feeling any injury come from him at all. He’s got an incredibly pristine body- not even callouses on his hands.

“Come here.” He grumbles, but gives me no chance to obey on my own, gripping me around the waist and pulling me into his lap, immediately wrapping his arms around me fully and shoving his face in my hair. His hold is tight, constrictive. As if he’s trying to crawl into my skin.

“I- I’m going to be honest with you here Kai- and it’s not just because of that one guy’s quirk- I have no idea what’s going on here.” I laugh humorlessly, and his grip loosens. He wastes no time, gripping on to my thigh and spinning me forcefully to face him, straddling his body. He shoves his face into my neck, wrapping his arms around my back again, incredibly tightly.

“Hold me back.” He demands, and I respond robotically, wrapping my arms around him. He shudders out a breath, and I can hear him swallow. “Tighter.” His voice is soft, begging. I do as he says, and he relaxes ever so slightly. “Kai- I don’t understand.” I repeat. He shushes me angrily, shoving his face harder into my neck.

“If we’re not going to talk, I should go home. It’s late and I have class tomorrow.” I try to pull back, but he clings to me like a child.

“Then talk. Say whatever you want.” He grumbles, reaching up and scratching at my hero costume, turning it to near- dust, leaving me in my sports bra and underwear. I squeak, scrambling to get away from him.

“What the fuck-” I scream, but he growls.

“I’ll fix the damn thing later, calm down.”,He grips harder, shoving his face into the bare skin of my neck and sighing contentedly.

“Fucking- get off of me you pervert.” I demand, beginning to feel an intense feeling of familiarity.

“Don’t be fucking gross. I just want to touch your skin.” He grips me hard with one arm, tearing apart his own jacket and shirt as well, leaving his chest bare to press against me.

I take the opportunity, tearing my cheek open with my teeth and pressing the wound into his back, causing him to recoil. He throws me off of his lap, and I scramble to the other side of the room, reaching for the door. Kai sputters and wheezes behind me, making a retching noise.

“That’s disgusting! How dare you!” He growls, following after me. I tug on the door, finding that there are several people on the other side of it, blocking my exit. One of them, with only a medical mask on the lower half of his face, looks genuinely terrified as Kai grabs my wrist, forcing my hand to his arm. My wound becomes mine again, and quickly closes. Kai pulls be back into the room, and slams the door behind him, standing between me and the door.

“You don’t want to fight me Kai, you’ll lose.” I warn, slipping into a defensive position.

“Do I look like I want to fight you, Angel? No. I just- I need…” He swallows, looking away and pinching the bridge of his nose. “God damn it. You’re going to be difficult aren’t you? I really should have expected that. You’re young.” He grumbles. Stalking over to the piles of dust and reforming our clothes. He throws mine toward me.

“Get dressed.” He demands, turning his back to me. The fuck is his problem? My heart hammers in my chest as I back as far away from him as possible, pulling up my costume and Zipping it in the front as quickly as I can. “Stop acting like-” He pauses, squinting. “Oh.” He pauses, his shoulders dropping some of their tension. “I’d forgotten he’d done that to you. Apologies, I understand where you might have gotten the wrong idea. You’re free to leave.” He points at the door, confusing the hell out of me, but I move toward it quickly. “If you want to see her though, you should stay.” He warns, a smirk over his face. I pause. The choice flashes before my eyes. Me or her. Protect the kid I don’t even know, or walk out right now for my own sake. The choice is obvious.

I was never very good at being selfish.

Chapter Text

“Tighter.” Kai commands, nuzzling his face against my bare stomach. I obey numbly, gripping his head harder against me.

“I could hurt you like this.” I warn, but he makes a slight noise of content.

“Then you can heal it, I don’t mind. Just hold me tighter.” His words are soft, they would almost sound sweet if I didn’t know who this monster was, what he’s done or what he’s capable of.

“I still don’t understand… Why I have to do this.” I swallow thickly, and he sighs.

“I can’t touch people. They give me hives. I’m allergic to human contact. Humans are disgusting creatures. But you’re clean.” He explains dryly, as if I could have known.

“How long do you expect me to stay like this?” I ask, my limbs feel heavy. I’m tired, and laying under blankets in a bed with this warm weight on top of me would make me fall asleep, if my heart wasn’t steadily trying to escape my chest.

“Just go to sleep. I’ll wake you up in time to get back home before anyone notices.” He sits up, turning my body to the side and slotting himself behind me, curling his body around mine almost protectively. He’s wearing only shorts, and his men gave me a tank top and shorts. He made it clear that there was nothing sexual about this, several times, but I can’t seem to get comfortable. “When can I see her?” I ask, and he tightens his grip again, squeezing the air out of me as he pulls my tank top down to cover my stomach again.

“It’s late. She’s asleep. Tomorrow, before I drop you off. Go to sleep, Angel.” he reaches up, clapping a hand over my eyes as if the room wasn’t already pitch black.

“I can’t sleep with you touching me.” I protest, and he sighs.

“Then you’re going to be very tired in class, aren’t you, little hero?” The name ‘hero’ is like a curse from his lips. I try not to stiffen. He chastises me when I stiffen. “Sleep, Angel. I won’t tell you again.” I fight, keeping my eyes open.

“Or you’ll do what exactly?” I challenge, and his grip actually loosens.

“I have a few options.” He begins, leaning his head up and pressing his cheek to mine. “I can remove more of your clothes and make you more uncomfortable… I can rescind my previous promise of non-sexual activity. It is kind of embarrassing being a twenty-six year old virgin. I had no interest initially, but why not live my youth vicariously through you? Or, more aptly, IN you?” The threat hangs thickly in the air, and my stomach churns. “If that doesn’t do it for you, Angel, I can always go wake up Eri. I need more donor material anyway. How sad that you won’t be there to remove the pain of the collection.” That threat somehow scares me more.

“If you touch me, Shigaraki will kill you.” I warn, and he chuckles, reaching his hands under my tank top and groping at my bare breast. I squirm, but his other arm is a vice-grip. I silently thank my lucky stars he’s groping the LEFT breast. Keigo’s feather is tucked gently in the right.

“I AM touching you. Angel. If you know what’s good for you, you won’t mention his name in this room again. Even the sound of it is unclean. He’s disgusting.” His tone is chastising. His hand doesn’t move at all, it just grasps tightly.

“That’s almost funny coming from you.” I growl, and he pauses. A long silence follows before he squeezes at me harder.

“Well, go on then. Finish your thought.” He scoffs impatiently.

“You’re the same thing in different fonts. You want basically the same things. You treat me the same way. You’re both monsters.” I explain, staring ahead at the blank white wall across from me.

“Hm. Answer me honestly. Did Shigaraki ever sleep with you?” Kai’s question has me pausing, and I swallow.

“I don’t remember. He might have.” Kai sighs, rolling forward, on top of me. He peers down at me, pinning my wrists to the bed.

“Don’t lie to me.” He growls, and I struggle to keep my composure.

“I’m not lying. I think one of his people has a memory-altering quirk.” I tilt my head away from him, not liking that strange, indescifrable look in his eyes. Kai growls, releasing me to sit up on his heels, stradling me.

“That’s where we differ. Whatever I decide to do to you, you will not have the pleasure of forgetting. Goodnight.” His hands wrap around my throat, squeezing. I hold completely still. I don’t give him the pleasure of seeing me fight for air as my eyes close.

“Eri?” I ask when my eyes finally open. Kai is wrapped around me- I ignore the fact that my tank top is missing. My bra is still in place.

“That was some excellent self control there, Angel. Real talent. You almost had me thinking you weren’t afraid.” He snuggles closer into my bare back. “Except you cry in your sleep.” He sighs, and groans. “It was annoying. You got my pillows wet and you wouldn’t stop until I held you like this. I think I’m growing on you, Angel.” He teases as I wiggle, turning to face him.

“I want to see Eri.” I demand. Kai rolls his eyes, but drags himself out of bed. I sit up as well, clutching the blanket to my chest to cover myself.

“Don’t be so modest now- not when you were grinding on me all goddamn night. Moaning like a bitch in heat.” He growls, but stalks across the room, throwing open drawers and grabbing clothing. He dresses himself, and begrudgingly stares back at me. “Your stupid little hero costume is on the floor. Go on, get it.” He instructs, and I move to do so, dragging the blanket with me. “Leave the damn blanket.” He demands, and I look up at him incredulously.

“You’re insane.” I spit, and he all but FLIES across the room, tackling me back into the bed.

“You ARE brave. Either that or stupid.” He growls, hands on my throat again.

“If you wanted to see my tits you could just check twitter you fucking incel.” I spit back at him, and he laughs.

“Must you be so vulgar?” He tries to sound intimidating, but I am all too aware of how much I can hurt him here with my hands free.

“Take me to see Eri right now or I’ll kill every single person in this building and haul your ass to Shigaraki myself. I’m sure he’d love to get his hands on you.” I speak calmly, monotone. I let my emotions slip away from me. I let myself become the monster I was that night in Roswell. He blanks, eyes wide for a long moment before he makes a decision, climbing off of me and allowing me to dress myself with his back turned.

Kai carries me over his shoulder- with headphones blaring music and a blindfold- for several minutes before dropping me on a bed. When the handicaps are removed, I come face-to-face with the tiny, horned girl from the alleyway. I immediately put a soft smile on my face, and greet her.

“Heya Eri! Do you remember me? It might be hard without the mask. I’m Doll, remember?” I ask, and she nods, eyes wide.

“What are you doing here?” She asks, crimson eyes flickering between me and the man standing behind me.

“I came to make sure you were doing okay!” I’m careful not to let my discomfort show on my face, to keep my tone light and airy, excited. Her terrified gaze keeps flickering to Kai, and I finally understand why. I reach out, holding her hand gently, taking the small scrapes and bruises she’d gained in the few days since I last saw her. “Eri, see how your booboos disappear on me?” I ask, gesturing to my bare knee. She nods, eyebrows knitted together. “That’s because I’m not like most people. I can’t be hurt at all! Not even by him.” I point to Kai, who squints behind his bird-like mask. Eri gasps, hope dancing in her ruby eyes.

“I brought you something.” I pull the feather out of my bra, tickling her nose with it. She giggles. “It’s from a Cardinal. I doubt you see many birds down here. It’s pretty isn’t it?” I ask, turning my back completely to Kai, blocking his view of her, causing Eri to calm considerably.

“Pretty.” She nods in agreement.

“It’s time to go, Angel.” Kai warns, and I pause, cupping Eri’s face.

“When can we play again? I want to bring my friend more toys.” I ask, not looking back at the golden-eyed man.

“This weekend maybe. We’ll have to move again since you were here. Now let's go.” He leans in close, pressing his lips to my ear as he speaks.

“Unless you want me to hurt her for your disobedience.” He warns.
+++
I sit under the water for what feels like hours. He didn’t do anything but hold me, so why does it feel like I was violated? I didn’t get back until almost six in the morning, and the only thing I wanted to do was shower. He made good on his promise though, I got back before anyone noticed I was gone. I’d texted Keigo, and he agreed to cover for me if anyone asked any questions.

The bathroom door opens, and several feet come in. “Kate! I didn’t even hear you come home last night!” Ochaco chirps as the water turns on beside me. I let out a laugh, unsmiling as I dress myself in the stall.

“Yeah, I’m sneaky like that.” I half-joke as the room begins to fill with the idle chatter of teenage girls.

What I wouldn’t give to be them. To only worry about what they’re going to wear to the party on Friday- god, the party on Friday. It’s only Wednesday… So much has happened. It’s nearing fall now… god… it’s been months since- No. Shake the thought away. I don’t need to think about what I left behind in Colorado.

I exit the stall, and move to brush my teeth when Mina hops up, sitting on the counter.

“So… I noticed Midoriya also didn’t come back until late last night… were you two together?” she whispers, wiggling her eyebrows. I bend down, spitting toothpaste into the basin and raising my own eyebrow.

“No? I was off with Hawks talking about a case we’re working on. You can ask Ochaco or Tsu.” I gesture to the pink cheeked girl, who nods.

“What is it about you that has all the cutest guys just absolutely fawning all over you! Even Amajiki was whispering about you to Mirio- and they’re SENIORS!” Ochaco whines, leaning her hip against another sink.

“That’s nothing compared to the attention she’s getting from Hawks.” Toru interjects, and Tsu nods.

“Bird boy had his eyes all over you during that meeting too- I half expected Kirishima to murder him.” Tsu looks in the mirror, brushing and braiding her long dark hair as she speaks.

“Bakugo has been extra salty since you broke up with him- jeeze girl, do you have a magic pussy or what?” Mina teases, and I blush wildly.

“No! It’s not like that I-”

“Even Todoroki is falling all over himself for you- before you came here I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile.” Momo agrees, interrupting me.

“Shoto is-” I try again, but Kyoka cuts me off.

“Guys, let her breathe- it’s obvious WHY they all want a piece. It's because of those damn pictures and videos… men are disgusting and they don’t value her as a person.” Kyoka rolls her eyes, but Momo scowls.

“I don’t know, I think Kate’s cool.” She blushes slightly before looking back into the mirror at the delicate work that is her barely-there eyeliner.

“Kyoka, what crawled up your ass and died today?” Tsu asks, hopping up on top of the counter between sinks and crossing her arms over her chest.

“I think she started her period- Mine came this morning and we sinc’d the first week.” Toru groans, and I can hear- but not quite see- her head hit the mirror in agitation.

“Seriously? Mine came last night!” Ochaco joins in the conversation, and I bristle.

“Mine comes at the beginning of the month actually, but it only lasts three days.” I admit, and Tsu smirks.

“I don’t get one. A nice little perk from being amphibious.” The room erupts into a succession of jealous rage. I slip out of the bathroom, very much not wanting to be any part of their shrill chatter.

A familiar head of half-white, half-red hair invades my vision, making me smile. “Sho! I didn’t get to see much of you at all yesterday!” I complain, wrapping my arms around his waist in a comfortable hug.

“Yeah, you missed dinner and I waited but I went to bed around midnight.” He yawns, resting his chin on the top of my head. I pull back, looking him in his tired eyes.

“Sho! You shouldn’t stay up like that! My quirk lets me do that but-” He silences me with a wave of his hand, holding up a box of strawberry frosted mini wheats.

“I got your favorite for breakfast- and a box for the house.” Something about the way he says ‘the house’ instead of ‘his house’ gives me butterflies. I smile, taking the box gratefully.

“Oh- Um, I wanted to ask, are you going to Mina’s party on Friday? Bakugo asked me to go with him but I really want you to be there.” My tone is immediately met by a slight frown from Shoto, who’s eyes squint. “You don’t have to come, I know you don’t really like-”

“I’ll be there.” He cuts me off, this features softening at my worry. I smile, leaning into his left side. So much WARMER than anyone else. More comfortable, more RIGHT. If I’d been in bed with HIM last night I wouldn’t have needed to be choked to sleep. The thought makes me feel cold again. “I talked to Sato last night. He agreed to trade seats with you so you can sit next to me instead of Bakugo. I know he’s been making you uncomfortable lately.” Shoto murmurs as we sit at the breakfast table.

He pours my cereal for me, and then my milk. He even stirs it before he hands me the spoon and gets to work on making his own bowl. I notice the milk is single-serve, and he sipped it before he poured it for me.

“That’s… really sweet of you, Sho- and of Rikkado too. I’ll be sure to thank him.” I nod greatfully, and then spot the sugar-hero walking through the doors. I pop upward, earning a small “wait-” from Shoto, but ignore him.

When I approach Rikkado though, he seems somehow perturbed. “Hey- thank you for letting me trade seats with-” I notice the burn on his hand, in the shape of a handprint. Instinctually, I reach out for it, lips pursed. I hold it gently, taking the burn quickly. I look up at him. “What happened?” I ask, dropping all of the pleasantries in my voice. He looks past me, glancing back where I came from. Izuku and Ochaco are talking in the corner, Shoto is peacefully eating his cereal, one arm curled protectively around my bowl. And Bakugo is staring daggers at us. Oh.

Chapter Text

“I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.” I growl, angrily yanking the brush through my hair. Shoto sits on my weight machine, perturbed.

“Haven’t you given him enough pieces of you, Kitty?” Shoto’s words strike me, and I glare at him for a moment before I remember who he is, and that he wouldn’t mean it in the way I took it.

“He’s HURTING people Sho. To get at me. He knows I’ll heal it. He’s punishing me for not liking him back.” I throw the brush at the floor, causing it to bounce and hit the wall before landing on my open duffle bag. “Someone has to stop him- He’s bullying our friends and if someone doesn’t fix it, it’s just gonna get worse.” I flop back onto the bed and groan. Shoto stands, and climbs on top of my bed, gently laying down next to me. I can hear his heart quicken as he tentatively wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me close.

“I’ll talk to him. He respects me. It won’t happen again, I promise.” Shoto punctuates his oath with a soft kiss to my temple. “Let me fix everything okay? You do so much for everyone, let me be the one that takes care of you.” He murmurs softly, kissing my cheek.

“You’re too nice to me, Shoto.” I tease, returning his kisses with one of my own to the tip of his nose. He smiles, hugging me tighter. I stiffen, having to remind myself that this was Shoto, NOT Kai.

“Kitty, roll over on your stomach for me.” Shoto asks politely, and I raise an eyebrow but otherwise oblige. Shoto sits up, straddling my ass.

“Ah- Sho?” I question, but he shushes me.

“Let me take care of you, Kitty.” He moves slightly, pressing his warm left hand and cold right hand to my back, working the muscles underneath them with a heavy pressure. I moan, shoving my face into my pillow. “Feel good?” He asks, pausing. I nod, and so he continues. When his hands begin to work at my lower back, I tense. Memory- I remember this… With Eijiro. He did the same thing… but there were too many hands. Someone else was there. I tense. “Oh, that’s sore huh? Here.” Shoto’s soft words and hot hand pulsing warmth into the painful area draw me out of my thoughts, keeping me firmly anchored in the present.

I moan into the pillow, my shoulders relaxing. Shoto keeps working, switching between pulsing heat and cold into my tired muscles. I hold back a laugh as I remember Bakugo calling Shoto ‘icyhot’. It’s almost an apt name for how much he relaxes me- not just my muscles, but my mind is almost always at ease in his presence.

He’s so… slow, and gentle. He’s kind to me, but never overbearing. He doesn’t tell me what to do or think, he doesn’t tell me who I can and can’t hang out with- he’s never once so much as raised his voice at me. He always seems to know what I’m feeling, and reacts accordingly. I think back to the conversation the girls and I had in the bathroom today.

“Even Todoroki is falling all over himself for you- before you came here I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile.” Momo’s words hit me like a ton of bricks.

I can’t imagine Shoto without his soft smile, the way it's always a little higher on the right, out of habit because pulling on the skin too harshly with the left would cause discomfort. How his smile always, ALWAYS met his eyes. He was never disingenuous about his feelings. He had no reason to be. The idea of him only caring about me because he’d seen me naked is preposterous. Before that moment in the pool room, he’d never so much as alluded to being attracted to me in that way.

Unlike with almost all of the other boys in class, I NEVER caught him staring at my boobs or backside. His kisses and cuddles were sweet, innocent- not sexual at all. Shoto likes me for me, not what’s under my clothes. I like that. I like him.

And maybe that’s why I shift, folding slightly to press my chest further into the bed, and lift my bottom up, allowing him more access to my hind end. I can feel the cool air dust over the very tops of my thighs and under my school skirt as Shoto slides back, while his hands tentatively move further south, trailing over my ass, kneading the skin there as well.

“Is this okay?” Shoto asks, pausing. I nod. He goes back to kneading, and suddenly stops. “Ah- I need to go.” He sits up quickly, pushing himself off of my bed and across the room.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, eyeing his blush and hearing his heartbeat grow more erratic by the second.

“N-nothing just… I’ll see you tomorrow.” He swallows, and opens my door to leave. When he turns, I see it. Oh. He’s… aroused. A cold shock sends itself down my spine. He closes the door swiftly behind him, and I swallow, sitting up. He did say that he likes me… and he did say he didn’t want to… do that… yet. But why would he leave? He took the warmth in the room with him.

I decide that the room is too cold, and venture down the flight of stairs, knocking on Izuku’s door. He opens it, pausing.

“Kate?” I push past him, flopping on to his bed.

“I don’t know if I can deal with Chisaki. He’s… touchy.” I grimace, and Izuku frowns, sitting next to me.

“Did he hurt you?” Izuku’s tone nears angry, and I roll my eyes.

“I want you to remember who I am and see if you need to ask that again.” I joke, and he shakes his head.

“You know what I meant.” He’s soft now, gently rubbing circles on to my upper back.

“You’re acting weird.” I point out, and he looks down at the floor.

“If you’re going to be my number two I have to be able to take care of you. AllMight lost both of his, and I don’t want to lose you.” I bristle.

“I don’t need to be taken care of- by anyone. In case you haven’t noticed, you won't be able to get rid of me, even with your ‘delaware smash’ or whatever you call it. If my body can withstand Shigaraki AND Chisaki- I’m pretty positive I’m indestructible.” I lean back, resting my head on his shoulder and looking up at his face. The freckles across his nose and cheeks are adorable- I wish I could get freckles.

“I’m not worried about you physically. Mentally is more the issue. I saw parts of how… strange you can get in the heat of a fight with Stain- and then you were also weird with Hawks during finals. You were the same way with The LOV when they attacked camp- you acted like you were crazy- you goaded them on and acted like they were beneath you- it was kind of terrifying. The look in your eyes was… deranged.” He tries to reason with me, but I’m beyond reasoning.

“I know it’s a defense mechanism. But why would you need a defense mechanism if you can’t get hurt? So I figured out that you CAN- and now I’m worried.” He admits, and I huff.

“Did you maybe consider I don’t want your worry I-Zu-Ku.” I separate every syllable of his name to tease him, but he’s unamused.

“Todoroki is worried too. He asked me about you, he asked what was going on between us- He thought I was trying to date you or something. He got really mad. He said that he was tired of people using you- I don’t want to be someone who does that. I don’t want to use you. So I need this to be an equal partnership. A give and take, yaknow? You look out for me, I look out for you- even if you don’t want me too.” It almost sounds like a threat. I scoff.

“Good luck with that, broccoli boy. You nearly piss your pants every time you have to spar with me- you will not be telling me what to do.” I lean off of him and sit up, stretching.

“I’m going to anyway. Whether you want me to or not. I’m going to watch out for you. I’ll even be… more stubborn about it if I have to.” He warns, and I stifle a laugh at the idea of Izuku trying to be controlling.

“But yeah- The Chisaki situation sucks. I’ll just have to deal with it. He agreed to only extract materials for his bullets with me present so I can remove the pain from the situation for Eri, but he wants me to spend the night. Three times a week. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and I’m meant to spend the entire day Saturday with him.” I change the subject abruptly, speaking probably a little too quickly and growing uncomfortable with Izuku’s watchful gaze.

“I don’t understand why you don’t just ask Hawks to take the group down. He already offered.” Izuku shakes his head, pursing his pink lips.

“Because I want to do it myself. And I want to do it the right way. So, I’ll wait for Night-eye’s bureaucracy, and nothing I’m doing is illegal, technically- but I’ll be ready for the fight when it comes. Kai will hopefully trust me more by then and I can catch him off guard. Not to mention I’ll be there to prevent Eri from getting any more hurt.” I explain my thought process, and Izuku sighs.

“I just don’t think you need to be that… deeply involved. You’re putting yourself in a really delicate position and something really bad is going to happen.” Izuku tries, but I stand, moving away from him.

“How many times to I have to say I’ll be fine? I just want to go over details of the case and-”

“I want you off the case.” Izuku cuts me off, and I blank, anger erupting in my chest.

“The fuck did you just say to me?” I ask, letting the danger slip between my teeth.

“It’s not a good idea for you to be involved anymore. You’re in too deep.” Izuku continues, and I scoff.

“And just who the fuck do you think you are to decide that? You’re not my boss, or my father. We’re supposed to be PARTNERS. You can’t tell me what to do.” I remind him, and he sucks in a breath.

“You’re right. I can’t tell you what to do. But Nighteye can.” He threatens. My blood starts to boil.

“You wouldn’t fucking dare, Deku.” I let out a humorless laugh. “Do you wanna spar or something? Do I need to prove to you how thoroughly I can beat the snot out of you for you to understand I can handle myself? Is this some sort of misogyny or something? Because I really didn’t think you were like that, mister Chosen One.” I sneer, stomping over to his door.

“Kate, c’mon, you KNOW it’s not like that! Don’t leave I-” I cut him off before he can finish whatever idiotic thought he’s concocting.

“You know what? I’ll talk to you when you’re done being a dick, Deku.” I open his door, only to find Sero outside of it.

“Ah- hey Kate- where you goin’?” Hanata calls behind me as I walk down the hall. I hear his footsteps as he follows me. “Hey- you don’t look too good. Is Midoriya being a creep or something?” He quickly catches up to me. Shit. I forgot how long and powerful his legs are.

“No- it’s nothing like that. I’m just going back to my room.” I grumble, and Hanata steps in front of me, blocking my path.

“Okay- Uh. I was actually gonna ask. Can you help me out with English? I’m falling behind and you’re top of the class on the board so… we can study in my room if you want? I’ll pay you.” He sounds legitimately desperate. He is pretty low on the board. I look up at him, and sigh.

“Fine, but you’re buying dinner. I want Taco Bell.” I grumble, sidestepping him and heading up to my dorm to grab my books.

Chapter Text

No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t sleep last night. I rolled out of bed and ran on my treadmill for hours on end, and when the sun finally rose I settled for cooking breakfast for the rest of the class. As expected, Tenya descends the stairs first, staring at me working in the kitchen with caution and concern.

“Kate?” He says my name as a question, and I smile.

“Oh- hey! I made pancakes!” I notion over to the towering plate of flapjacks and smile. “I haven’t cooked anything since I showed you all how to make curry, so, I figured why not, ya’know?” I plate up three pancakes and pass them over the counter to him along with the bottle of maple syrup. “If you see Hanata can you ask him to grab my jacket from his room? I left it there last night I think.” I turn, flipping the cooking pancakes to make sure they don’t get burned.

“Of course. Thank you, Kate.” Tenya bows slightly, grabbing his plate and exiting the room, as he turns, I notice Shoto was standing directly behind him. A sour look rests on his face, and I swear for a moment his eye twitches.

“Morning Sho! I made yours with blueberries like your sister does.” I try to soften his stiff demeanor, slapping the blueberry pancakes onto a plate and sliding them over to him. He relaxes, a small, lazy smile playing at the very corners of his mouth. “You look kinda upset about something- do you wanna talk about it?” I try, and Shoto shakes his head.

“It’s nothing- I just overheard that Sero was saying some… unsavory things about Uraraka and Yayarozu’s breasts.” He whispers, low enough that only I would be able to hear him.

I freeze. Oh? Hanata was okay last night? We barely even talked to each other beyond me explaining prepositions and him asking about the noun phrases. It was friendly, he bought dinner, he even let me try his weird baja blast mix.

“That’s too bad.” I frown, sighing. Shoto nods, walking around the counter to wrap his left arm around my shoulders while I focus on cooking.

“Just try to steer clear of him, alright? He’s too friendly with Kaminari, who’s a pervert.” Shoto points out, and I tilt my head.

“I’ve never had a problem with either of them? Even Mineta has been better lately.” I flip the last of the pancakes onto plates and turn off the stove as other people come into the kitchen, marvelling at my spread. Several people coo and awe, grabbing food and thanking me. I accept the praise- If I know how to do one thing right, it’s make pancakes.

Classes pass like kidney stones, slow and painful. Aizawa stares at me like he knows something, and I am too much of a pussy to ask what it’s about, going as far as to outwardly avoid him.

AllMight is just as bad, except he’s harder to avoid- especially when he’s in the buff form, booming my name across the training room. I cringe, dragging my feet to meet him and Izuku in the hallway, avoiding Shoto’s concerned gaze. I shoot an angry glare at Izuku as we round the corner, and AllMight shrinks.

“Katherine-” AllMight starts, but I cut him off.

“Whatever you’re going to say, sir, save it. I don’t even care if you tell Sasaki, I have a permit through the commission itself.” I keep my tone clinical, but AllMight scowls.

“Watch your tone, young lady.” AllMight’s quiet anger is somehow actually scarier than his loud, booming tone. I am not intimidated.

“Or what? You’ll tell my dad? Oh- wait…” I trail off sarcastically, and Izuku furrows his brow.

“ENOUGH!” AllMight bellows, his small form shaking.

“This is not what your father would have wanted for you.” He softens, reaching out a hand to place on my shoulder, I dodge, slipping backward away from the two of them.

“You don’t get to use him.” I shake my head, tears brimming. “You don’t get to stand there and tell me what he would have wanted when I’m the reason he’s not here in the first place.” I continue, swallowing. “After everything that’s happened, everything that I’ve done… Just let me have this. Let me feel like I’m actually helping her. Because I couldn’t save him. Because it’s my fucking fault- isn’t it?” AllMight pauses, but Izuku moves quickly, crushing me in a hug.

“It wasn’t your fault- nothing that’s happened was your fault.” Izuku whispers, and AllMight nods.

“You’re just a kid… None of this is your responsibility. If I could stop you, I would. But the commission has already basically told me it’s up to you and Hawks what you do. I was hoping I could talk you out of this… but it seems that’s not possible. I tried contacting Hawks as well, but he said it was up to you, and If he took over the case he’d be held to the same standards as NightEye. Your insurgency is technically not illegal- and your involvement is good for witness evidence for court. I don’t agree with you being there, but I understand it. I’m not here to control you- but I see some signs here that I don’t like. You need to take a step back and think.” AllMight’s attempt at being a role model is laughable at best.

“I’ll take it into consideration. Can I go back to class now?” I push Izuku away, stepping back.

“Kate…” Izuku utters my name, but doesn’t seem to have anything else to say.

“Yeah… Good luck.” AllMight sighs, and I nod, turning away.

Classes end, and Aizawa stares at me like he’s seeing a car wreck in real time. Izuku has the same look over his face, I wonder if Aizawa knows what’s really going on, or if it has something to do with Keigo.

I know what’s coming. When I get into that “uber” to go to an undisclosed location to meet up with Kai again, I know that he’s going to make me touch him again.

After his threat on Tuesday night- I don’t even want to think about it. I want to call the whole thing off. I want to listen to AllMight and Izuku, maybe ask Hawks for help, hell, possibly even call Tomura and see how he would react to finding out exactly what Kai wanted from me- but the look on Eri’s face when she saw me walk through that door… the way she seemed so hopeful, she begged for me to come back after the door was closed. I can’t let her down. I won’t fail her the way I seem to be failing everyone else.

It can’t be that bad- I don’t think Kai would actually do… that. As long as I behave myself and do everything he says.

I step out of my dorm, walking down the stairs. I’m stopped by a tall, black-clad man at the bottom of the stairwell.

“Go back to your room.” Aizawa demands. I keep down the stairs, all but ignoring him.

“I’ve already done my homework, my grades are pristine, and It’s part of my work study.” I explain, and Aizawa extends a hand, blocking me from exiting the stairwell.

“Not anymore. I called Sasaki. You’ve been fired.” I pause, and Shrug.

“I’m working for Hawks now.” I move to walk past him, but he grabs my upper arm.

“No, you most definitely are not.” His voice is deadly calm, his eyes bore into me with that intensity I only remember from the USJ. I shiver a bit at the broken pieces of memory.

“Let go.” I demand, ready to use my quirk against him. He doesn’t relent. “I’ll scream.” I warn, and he rolls his eyes.

“Black, try to be an adult about this and go back to your room.” He pulls me back toward the stairs, but I’m more slippery than the last time. I press the button on my thumb, and grip on to Aizawa’s hand, sending thousands of micro-abraisons over his body in an instant, making him recoil. I move quickly, ducking through the door and past the small group of my classmates in the common area.

Aizawa is hot on my heels, but I’m faster, more spry, more used to weaving through this particular group of people to get to a desired location. I disappear through the front doors, and Ignore him shouting behind me, using my capture weapon to throw myself upward. My only saving grace, he’s missing his.

“Ah, glad to see you again, Angel.” Kai’s voice cuts over all of my thoughts as I am led into a new room. The blindfold is removed. A table, in the center. Three chairs. Eri sits on one of them, excited. I smile, bounding over to her and opening my bag.

“I made Mr. over there stop so I could pick up this.” I pull out the small workbooks I’d collected and a pencil. “I think you’re about that age to start Kindergarten, yeah?” I tilt my head, opening the first book. “It’s important that you learn how to read and write, just in case you maybe wanna send me letters so we can talk while I’m away.” I explain, and she frowns.

“I don’t want you to go away.” Her eyes start to water, and I shake my head.

“I don’t mean forever- but I have to go to school, and I have to get good and smart so I can teach you too, bunny.” I ruffle her hair, and giggle. “Now, let’s start with something super easy, the letter A.” I begin, pointing to the large letter on the page.

I carry Eri to her “bedroom.” She’d fallen asleep quickly after letter ‘m’, but she made incredibly fast progress. She got a hang of the alphabet song in a few minutes, and could write her name expertly- It’s only three letters, but still. Kai sat silently through the entire interaction, watching us. Eri and I ignored him entirely, lost in our own world for hours before her little eyes closed- she’d been fighting it for a while.

“She really likes you, you know.” Kai compliments as he opens the door for me.

“Most kids do. I’ve got two younger brothers. My youngest brother’s around her age- a little older I think.” I speak softly as I lay Eri in her bed, covering over her with the blankets and tucking her teddy bear into her arms.

“I should have asked you to wear less clothing.” Kai murmurs as I stand, and I flinch.

“Can you not talk like that in front of her, please?” I ask in a voice just over a whisper, and Kai rolls his eyes.

“She’s asleep. She can’t hear me.” He gestures to the girl, and I purse my lips. “Maybe not, but maybe she can. Maybe she dreams. You shouldn’t taint it.” I tuck a strand of Eri’s white hair behind her ear and turn toward Kai. “What now?” I ask, and he glances back at Eri for a moment, contemplating for a moment.

“Back to my room so we can talk.” The look in his eye… I don’t like it. I allow him to blindfold me anyway. When the door to his bedroom is closed, Kai removes the mask before removing my blindfold and earphones. He stares at me, for several long moments before sitting on the bed, hanging his head. “I don’t want you to leave either.” He admits finally, looking up at me.

“You know why I can’t stay.” I remind him, and he nods.

“Except, I really don’t. I could just… keep you chained up with Eri. It wouldn’t be the worst thing I’ve ever done.” He laughs dryly, and looks back at the bed. “I don’t want to do that though. I’m not sure why- I’m usually quite alright with just taking what I want.” He sighs, and looks up at me. “Are you aware of the effect you have on people? How much your presence alone is healing? For me to be able to touch you, it means your entire body has the ability that your hands do. For me to be able to be around you without my mask means it’s an aura. Have you noticed that at all?” He questions as he pats the bed beside him.

I sit, crossing my ankles and bracing my hands against my knees, back rigid. “I never thought about it, honestly. I’ve never tried healing people with anything but my hands.” I gesture with my palm, and he nods, tentatively reaching out to grab my hand and toy with my fingers.

“You’re not even pretty. You just have this air about you- I don’t like it.” He grumbles, looking at my face now. Not gonna lie, that one hurt. “You wore the hero costume again. Why?” His question confuses me.

“Eh- because this is a job for me as a hero? I’m here to take care of Eri.” I remind him, and he grimaces.

“Then why not stay? Do your job a little better?” He pulls me forward by my hand, forcing me over his lap as he disintegrates the hero costume. I was prepared this time, in a camisole and exercise shorts. I’d have preferred leggings but something told me that was not going to fly. Kai presses my back to his bare chest, and hugs me around my middle, his chin on my shoulder. I sit there, numb to this kind of touching.

“Because I have other duties as well. I’ve got a friends, a kind-of boyfriend. I’m starting to train under Hawks. My grades are currently phenomenal, and my school and the commission is trying to get me to graduate earlier.” I explain, trying to relax and lean back more comfortably. Kai’s grip loosens ever so slightly.

“How old are you.” Kai’s question is said more like a statement.

“Sixteen. My birthdays in April.” I respond flatly. He stiffens.

“I thought you were older.” He mumbles, and I shrug.

“I get that a lot actually. My mom calls me an ‘old soul’” Kai seems to pull himself out of his thoughts with my words, and moves me to sit on one knee so that he can study my face more fully.

“You get your quirk from your father, right? Doctor Black, was it? I heard he was murdered by The League. How’d you end up working for them?” This is beginning to feel like an interrogation.

“Well… I want to take them down for what they’ve done. Right now we have a temporary truce. I offer my healing, they stay away from attacking my friends.”

“Their leader seems very… attached to you though. Shigaraki ended a very important meeting over you.” Kai’s hands rest on my shoulders, and he’s begun to stroke the skin there.

“He likes that he can touch me without killing me. Nothing more. A man like that… doesn’t get attached to people. It’s actually another part of our deal. He doesn’t kill people, and I let him use his quirk on me to release pent up aggression.” I shudder at the thought. “It hurts- a lot. But I push through it so no one else has to.” I admit, and Kai nods.

“That’s enough for tonight, Angel. You seem tired.” Kai moves me off of his leg, onto the bed and climbs in. “Last meeting till the weekend. Are you sure you can’t come back tomorrow instead of Saturday?” He grumbles as he pulls me to lay on his chest, wrapping the blankets up over my neck.

“My friend is having her birthday party, and I’ve never been to a highschool party before. Sometimes, I like to pretend I’m normal.” I earn a chuckle from Kai as he toys with my hair.

Chapter Text

As soon as I step out of the Uber, Aizawa and Nezu are waiting for me at the front gates, alongside AllMight and Hawks. Oh. Shit.

“Uh-“ I start, but the glare from Aizawa keeps me silent. Mom’s glare. She only ever looked at me like that if I did something really, really wrong. Hawks has his arms crossed, but his face is relaxed.

“We’ve readied a meeting room. Come along, Miss Black.” Nezu gestures, nuzzled up inside of Aizawa’s scarf. I nod, swallowing and falling in line with Hawks.

“I’ll handle this, songbird.” Hawks’ voice is incredibly low, even I struggle to hear him. “Whatever happens, you’ve still got the commission and me on your side.” Hawks continues, placing a hand on my lower back to guide me up the wide steps of the school’s main building. Aizawa shoots an angry glare, but says nothing.

I am made to sit the second we enter the meeting room, and Keigo sits beside me. AllMight sits on my other side. Great, at least I have one person in my corner.

“We are going to start, Miss Black, with your sleeping schedule.” Nezu clicks a button on the table, and a camera shows the hallway of the dorms. Time stamps alert of my comings and going’s. There’s also a Doppler wave in one corner, detecting movement in my bedroom as well as displaying time stamps. “Surveillance shows that you sleep an average of five restful hours a night.” Nezu continues, and Hawks scoffs.

“Fives’ plenty. Isn’t it a bit of an overstep to be watching her this much anyway? Did she consent to being filmed and recorded?” Keigo’s hand finds mine under the table, squeezing it reassuringly.

“At the beginning of the year parents and guardians sign consent forms for their children.” AllMight defends, clicking a button as well to pull up said form. Oh. They were prepared huh?

“Black, your quirk is explained in great detail on your forms. Sleep deprivation is recorded to have detrimental effects on your quirk and brain development. Your father wrote in on the ‘things you should know page’ of your entrance forms that you-“ Aizawa speaks dryly, and clicks the button, pulling up a photo of a form. My dad’s unmistakable handwriting is front and center.

“Heal based on energy. Katherine needs sleep and a high-caloric, protein based diet to function effectively. Recommended allowance of snacks in classes and naps whenever possible” Aizawa reads my fathers writing directly from the page, I sink in my seat. “For the last three months, I have never seen you sleep in class, and for the month long stint when you were living under my care, I noticed that you slept, on average, three hours maximum unless given melatonin.” Aizawa folds his hands on the table, his eyes attempt to capture mine. “The behavior is unacceptable, and a hindrance to your development.” Aizawa glares at me, but Hawks scoffs again.

“Kate can’t be in trouble for being unable to sleep after everything that’s happened to her. It’s not her fault.” He gestures to Aizawa specifically. “If you idiots would do your jobs and actually protect her instead of letting villains continuously assault her every time she steps into this building, I bet she’d sleep a whole lot better. Tell me, what exactly have you done about the stalker she has? You know, the one you allowed to assault her while on a school sanctioned field trip, while All-Might was supposed to be there, and Eraserhead was off doing fuck knows what? Tell me, would you be able to sleep knowing that monster was possibly under the same roof as you? I sure as hell wouldn’t be very well rested.” Hawks’ voice stays even, and he leans back in his chair, crossing his arms.

AllMight Sighs. “You’re right.” He nods. “But the point of all of us being here isn’t to chastise you, Katherine. It’s to help you.” AllMight directs his attention solely on me as he speaks, and he speaks again. “We have talked to both recovery girl and your legal guardians. You can be prescribed medications for this.” AllMight doesn’t look at me as he explains.

For the first time, I speak up. “I don’t want drugs.” My voice is little more than a whimper. “Use of my quirk is at near mastery. I’m finding more uses for it daily, and it’s getting stronger. I really don’t understand why we’re even talking about my sleeping schedule when I’m meant to be in class right now.” Hawks’ hand squeezes mine again, and he nods at me, telling me without words that I’m doing a good job.

“Because it’s not just your sleeping. Your eating habits are also cause for concern. On average, you’ve been seen to consume around 1800 calories, which would be fine if you didn’t do intense physical exercise for upwards of four hours a day and need excessive calories for quirk work.” AllMight explains gently.

I speak up again, handling myself. “I had a problem for a while with eating non-packaged food after I got sick at camp.” At the mention of my illness, Aizawa looks away, his jaw tight. “I’ve been getting better with Todoroki’s help though, does your surveillance say that?” I quirk a brow, and Nezu nods.

“It does. That is a very fair point, Miss Black.” Nezu’s voice is still soft. “Sadly, this meeting is not only about your personal self-care habits, but your blatant lack of trust for the people in this room as we-“ Nezu is cut off by Hawks, who laughs.

“Yeah, she doesn’t trust you all. Why should she? After everything your lack of care for her has done. Why SHOULD she listen to the lot of you at all when you’ve done nothing but let her down. You sit here and chastise her for her eating habits after she was drugged. Are her grades suffering?”

“No but-“ AllMight doesn’t get a chance to finish his thought before Hawks is speaking again.

“Is she causing problems in class?”

“No.” Aizawa answers shortly, in his cold eyes I can see his temper rising.

“So, why don’t you all cut the bullshit and tell me why I’m here defending my ward instead of out doing my job, since you all clearly can’t.” Hawks laughs humorlessly, and shakes his head at the men.

“Katherine has been put on academic probation under suspicion of cheating.” Aizawa finally speaks, and I can’t help myself. I laugh, aloud. A hard, stomach deep laugh that has me wheezing for air.

“Are you joking? You have to be, right? I tutored Sero a few days ago- Todoroki and I study together daily. The time I spend not sleeping I spend studying. There’s no basis for this- there’s no proof at all, is there?” I accuse, scrunching my eyebrows together.

“You wrote the answer to a short response question on a pop quiz word for word from the book.” Aizawa says dryly, I can tell he doesn’t believe the accusations either, even through he is the one making them.

“The academic committee has decided to suspend your work-study for two weeks, and you are limited movement to only the student dorms during this time.” Nezu explains more fully, and I grit my teeth, looking up at Keigo, who also seems to be fuming.

“You know damn well I have an Eidetic memory.” I seeth at Aizawa, who nods.

“You did. And then you began having memory problems, according to Several of your classmates, you have been struggling with remembering certain events. And these lapses are conveniently around the same time that Work-studies started, when you would have had less time for studying or sleeping.” Aizawa explains, and I try my best to not leap over the table and beat him into a bloody pulp. This is payback for me beating him in the hallway, isn’t it? Bastard.

“There is still too little evidence to do much else but put you on probation. You are still allowed to participate in classes and school sanctioned activities. Enjoy this weekend, because your probationary period starts Monday.” Nezu nods. And clicks a button, the projector turns itself off.

“This may seem unfair, but it is for your best interests.” AllMight tries, but I ignore him. Looking down at the floor to try and conceal the fact that angry tears are beginning to spill down my face.

“Can I go to class now? Present Mic is supposed to be giving a test over Romeo and Juliet today.” I deflect, but I can hear my voice cracking. Nezu sighs.

“Yes, you may leave. Hawks, if you would, please stay so we can discuss another matter pertaining to student safety.” Nezu inquires, but I don’t hear the rest of the conversation, rushing out of the door as soon as I get the go ahead. Angry tears roll down my cheeks, and I fight to pull them back before anyone can see.

I’m completely sidelined by Mirio, walking in the opposite direction. He stumbles a bit, not expecting me to barrel into him. “Oh hey Ka- oh you’re crying?” He pauses. Tilting his head slightly.

“I’m fine. I just got in trouble and now I can’t participate in the work study after this weekend.” I try not to let my voice break, but the dam has already busted.

“What’d you get in trouble for?” He asks, stepping back slightly to give me more space. I’m thankful for the gesture.

“They accused me of cheating! I’ve never cheated on anything in my life! It’s all bullshit! They’re finding reasons to keep me here when I should be- I’m supposed to be…” I struggle to find a way to explain what I’m doing without lying or giving away exactly what’s going on to yet another person who will probably try to stop me.

“Hey- breathe. Breathe okay? Count with me yeah?” He reaches out, grabbing my hand and pressing my thumb to my pointer finger, and then middle finger, ring and pinky.

“Breathe in for four, out for five.” He instructs simply, a gentle smile still on his face. Surprisingly, my heart rate slows, and my breathing starts to regulate.

“Feel better?” He asks, looking between my eyes with a slight squint.

“Yeah- yeah, actually I do.” I nod, swallowing and looking up at him with scrunched eyebrows. “How’d you do that?” I question, but Mirio just shrugs.

“I didn’t do anything. You did. I just showed you how to do it. Tamaki gets the same way sometimes and that’s what he does to calm down.” He explains, and straightens.

“Now, I’m gonna walk you to class and then I’ll call sir and see what I can do about your work study, okay?” He pauses, as if he’s waiting for me to tell him no.

“Why?” I blurt, and then breathe. “Why are you being so nice to me? I’m kind of a bitch to you.” I admit. Mirio looks me up and down, and shrugs.

“I believe you when you say you didn’t cheat. It just doesn’t seem like you to do that.” He gives my shoulder a squeeze before falling in line beside me. “I think you’re a good person. Tamaki likes you a lot and he’s a great judge of character.” Mirio’s tone borders on teasing. “Besides, if it ends up being a fight with the Shie Hassaikai I’d very much prefer you were there.” He reaches up, ruffling my hair. Supervising myself, I lean into the contact. “Brighten up, sunshine. It isn’t the end of the world or anything. I’m sure everything will be just fine.” Mirio grins, pulling me into a side hug.

I turn, stuffing my face into his torso and squeezing for a few long moments. He’s not as warm as Shoto, but his hugs remind me of my dad’s.

“Thanks, Mirio.” I murmur as I pull away.

“Anytime sunshine.” He chuckles, opening the door to English class. Present Mic raises an eyebrow when I walk into the room, but otherwise says nothing. The test hasn’t started yet, we usually get a twenty minute “cram session” before quizzes in Mic’s class. I take my seat next to Shoto, who appears to be seething in anger. He slips a note onto my desk, glaring at the closing door.

“Why were you crying?”

“You can tell?” I write back with an upside down smiley face, but the joke is lost on him.

“Yes. Your eyes are all red and puffy. Why?”

“I got in trouble.”

“Is that why you were late? Mr.Aizawa was also missing from first period.”

“Yeah. They think I’m cheating on tests, so they’re not letting me do the work-study.”

“That’s preposterous.”

“I know.”

“Why were you with Toogata?”

“He offered to walk me back to class.”

“That was nice of him.”

“He’s a good guy. He’s also gonna talk to my boss and see if I can still do the Work-Study.”

“Is it smart to work around that? Why not relax and spend more time at the dorms with me?”

“The case I’m working on is really important to me.”

“I see.”

Chapter Text

My hand hovers over the door. I have to knock. Just fucking do it, Kate. Don’t be a pussy. One. Two. Three knocks on the door. It swings open moments later to a very disgruntled-looking Aizawa. He looks over me with surprise and confusion.

“Sir, can we talk?” I question, toying with the ends of my dress. It’s decently short, with a tightfitting bodice and flowy black skirt that ends about mid-thigh. Midnight picked it out, and my dad would never let me out of the house wearing it. After this talk, I’m re-joining the group to head over to Mina’s party, and I want to look nice.

“Uh- yeah. Come in, Katherine.” He uses my first name, which startles me. He never does that unless he pities me. I hate his pity. Inside of his dorm room- more a small apartment than anything- is pretty much the same as his original apartment. “If you’re here to talk about the work-study-” I cut him off.

“We both know that I’m not cheating, so there’s nothing there to talk about. You don’t want me going out, and you found the only way you could to keep me here. I want to know why.” I explain. Looking him in the eye to assert that just this once, I will not be backing down.

“You don’t understand. Hawks is dangerous. He…” Aizawa grits his jaw, and sighs. “He’s just trying to get into your pants.” He completes his thought, flopping onto his small Ikea couch. I pause, frozen for a moment, making sure I heard him correctly.

“What do you mean he-” I cut myself off this time, shaking my head. “That doesn’t make any sense.” I seeth, but Aizawa pats the spot on the other side of the couch. “You’re lying.” I shake my head, and back away a half-step.

“Katherine, I wouldn’t be putting your academic success on the line otherwise. I think it’s admirable and really smart what you’re doing for Eri- the problem is you’re getting too damn close to Hawks. You won’t listen no matter what I tell you.” He sighs, leaning forward and propping his elbows against his knees. “Katherine, please, Sit down. You don’t want to be standing when I tell you what I’m about to tell you.” He gestures to the chair across from the couch, and, begrudgingly, I sit.

Aizawa takes a shaky breath before reaching across the coffee table and grabbing his laptop, clicking through a few things before opening a file labeled “Evidence KT”. “I need you… to look at this.” He gestured to a long document. I read the first few lines, feeling my spine grow cold.

“Motion to Modify child custody
I, Ashley Loriane Black-Tanner, hereby sign over all legal custody rights to Keigo Takami for Katherine Alicia Black, at the request of her late father, Daniel Black-”

“What the fuck is this?” I question, my hands shaking but my voice calm.

“Keigo has been watching you since you stepped foot in Georgia, Black. There’s more… Your father’s will was modified, since he was a pro every legal thing he did had to go through the commission, but… I believe his signature was forged. There is also the matter of… a certain video.” Aizawa clicks onto a series of images, and my heart stops for a moment as I recognize the inside of my bedroom. The unmistakable figure of Hawks, with his wide wings spread, hovering over a form I vaguely recognize as my own. The image is blurry, but I don’t appear to be fighting him at all. How would he even get into my room if I wasn’t invited-I can’t remember him at all… why?! I shove all of my feelings down, taking a deep breath and swallowing thickly.

“Well… I’ll have to ask him about this.” I nod slowly and stand. “And I’ll get back to you on Sunday. Now, If you’ll excuse me- I’m going to Mina’s birthday party.”

“Who all is going to be there?” He questions, seemingly okay with my leaving.

“The entire class, besides Mineta.” I answer, earning myself a nod.

“Alright then. Have fun. Be careful.” His voice is resigned, but also… relieved? Concerning. I’ll worry about it later.

Mina’s mom picks up the girls of class 1A in her minivan, but there’s only six seats.

Mina seemed upset when I told her it was fine, I would just ride with Katsuki and Ejiro like I’d already promised.

I quickly regretted it when I found out I’d be squished between Denki and Hanata, however. Katsuki keeps the music decently low as the conversation flourishes. I try not to notice how often Denki’s thigh bumps mine.

“So- Not to alarm anyone, but I brought pot.” Denki pulls out a sandwich-sized ziplock bag full of marijuana, and I pause.

“Dude, can’t we like… get arrested for that?” I ask warily, and Hanata shrugs.

“Only if someone narc’s. Otherwise, no one really cares. So, like just don’t say anything.” Hanata grins, and Katsuki growls.

“Oi, don’t light that shit up in my car. If the old hag finds out I smoke she’ll shit bricks.” His complaint is well-received, and Denki stuffs the bag back into his oversized hoodie pocket.

“It’s been forever since we hung out Sunshine! I was beginning to think you were just using me for rides.” Denki chuckles, and I shake my head.

“I tried talking to you though and you kept running off.” I protest, and Denki grimaces.

“Yeah, because you keep hanging out with Todoroki.” Hanata says, earning a wide-eyed warning look from Denki.

“Dude-” Kirishima whispers, but Katsuki is quick to cut him off.

“No- she should know, especially since she thinks I’m the one doing it.” The explosive boy protests, glancing back at me in the mirror.

“Doing what?” I ask, and Denki looks around nervously- as if he expects some kind of monster to come out of nowhere before Eijiro speaks up for him.

“Ah. Todoroki has a tendency to… react poorly if he catches someone talking about you or looking at you a certain way.” Eijiro’s tone takes on something dark. “I can’t really blame the guy though.” The red-head shrugs. It clicks. The burn marks. The comments. Something inside my stomach twists, as if having this information alone was enough to be dangerous.

“You saw the burn he gave me when I said you had a nice ass. If it wasn’t for Midoriya calming him down, he’d have probably killed Mineta by now.” Denki says quietly, glancing out the window.

“Wait- so… Even Izuku knew about this? Why didn’t anyone tell me? I’d have talked to him.” I question, but the boys all just kind of blow it off.

“Like Kiri said, we can’t really blame the guy. If you were my girl and I heard someone talk about you like that I’d probably beat the shit out of ‘em too. We all know how powerful TodoBroki is- if anything, he let those perverts off easy. Serves ‘em right.” Hanata smirks as Denki scowls.

“It is a fair point, Hell, Ei is the only reason I didn’t personally put Mineta in an unmarked box floating down the river when I caught him trying to take a panty-shot while we were dating.” Katsuki admits, picking up speed as he moved into the left lane.

“While we were dating.”

Why can’t I remember him? I can’t remember Hawks. I can’t remember the stalker- I can’t remember sleeping with Hawks… There was something missing from my sex memory with Kirishima. Kiri and Katsuki are dating- wait… wait…

Oh.

I can’t remember anyone I’ve ever dated- besides Eijiro. Why can I remember Eijiro? Were there more I can’t think of? Was I dating Hawks? That surely made more sense than anything else I could come up with and- oh my god.

He calls me songbird. That day on the news, he was asking for his “songbird” to call him. He called “songbird” “baby.” Hawks was also working undercover with Shigaraki- he must have figured out that my memory had been altered. My head doesn’t stop spinning as we pull up to Mina’s rather-large house.

I step inside of Mina’s house, surprised to see not only students from Class A, but also Class B, as well as several unfamiliar faces that Eijiro pointed out as being old friends from middle school.

The interior of the house is loud, and I can already feel my headache begin to pound. I pause, grabbing on to Denki’s wrist as he goes to talk to people on the other side of the room. He pauses, eyebrows scrunched together.

“Need something?” He asks, a hint of concern in his voice.

“Uh- I’d like to smoke.” I gesture to his hoodie pocket, and he chuckles.

“Of course buzzy beautiful sunshine nugget! Just not right this second, I still gotta roll up the joints and-” He must’ve seen my expression because he pauses. “I’m pretty sure Mina has a bong in her room. I’ll go grab it and pack it, go chill on the couch okay?” He nods reassuringly toward the huge black couch in the center of the living room, and I give him a tight smile.

“Thanks, Denks.” He answers me only with a grin before disappearing deeper into the house. I follow his instructions, sitting awkwardly on the couch. To my surprise, it’s Monama who sits next to me. He keeps about another person’s width away from me. He’s got bruises all over, healing burns.

“Neito? Buddy, what happened?” I ask gently, tilting my head so I can look into his blackened eyes.

“You shouldn’t be here. He’s watching and-” His eyes widen as he freezes, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone that had begun to ring.

“H-hello? No! Sir, I didn’t- Yes sir. No sir. I understand sir.” Tears are running down his face as he speaks, and he flashes his gaze at me. “He wants to talk to you.” Neito swallows, pulling the phone away from his hear to pass to me. I tilt my head, pressing it against my face.

“Do you like my present?” Tomura’s dry voice asks on the other side of the line. I pause, taken completely aback. I glance around the room, and lower my voice.

“Tomura? What’s going on?” I ask, keeping my eyes trained on Neito’s shaking form.

“That’s the bastard that was stalking you. Look how good I messed him up for you. I wanted to kill him too, but you said no more death.” Tomura’s voice is elated. It’s only been a few days since we last spoke, so why is he so… driven? “I sent him to the party to say hello since you won’t pick up any of my calls.” Tomura explains, and I suck in a breath.

“Yeah, well, Dabi threatened to hurt my friend if I do come back.” I grumble, earning a chuckle from the other side of the line.

“I won’t let him do anything to upset you, Doll. Now go have fun at your little party. And tell the dog he can go home.” The line goes dead. I hand Neito back his phone, I pause, and breathe deeply.

“He said you could go home but… before you go-” I reach out for him, gripping onto his hand and taking his wounds. “I forgive you, Neito.” I shake my head, and take a deep breath. “But If I ever find out you tried to do what you did to me, to someone else… Tomura would have been a mercy.” I drop his hand, and he stands quickly, leaving the room as fast as he can.

“Kitty?” Shoto calls across from me, and I turn, eyebrows furrowed again.

“Shoto Todoroki. We need to talk.” My tone is dangerous, angry. He raises an eyebrow. He’s heard me pissed a couple of times, but never at him.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” He asks, stepping closer. I don’t back down, crossing my arms.

“Have you been burning people because of me?” I ask bluntly, and he pauses, but his expression doesn’t change from confused concern.

“Yes. That is the nature of my quirk.” He states simply, as if it is the most obvious thing in the world.

“Shoto- you know how I feel about hurting people.” I shake my head, and he nods.

“Yeah, when I found out you were upset about it, I stopped doing it.” He reaches out an arm, expecting me to cuddle into his side as I had so many times before.

“You let me think it was Katsuki- why didn’t you tell me?” I ignore the gesture, but he keeps it up.

“Because I didn’t want you to be angry with me.”

“Well now I AM angry with you.” my voice begins to raise, and Shoto nods.

“I can see that. I apologize. It was never my intention to upset you. I only reminded our classmates of how to behave in regard to a lady. In the future, I will refrain from use of my quirk.” He speaks clinically, and my over-stimulated brain is having a hard time staying mad at him when he seems genuinely apologetic. I cave, pressing myself into his warm left side

. “Are you still angry with me?” He asks, and I huff.

“Yes. But, it’s getting better.” I admit.

Chapter Text

The ball bounces once, twice, three times, and falls straight into the red solo cup, prompting Katsuki to release a string of curses and down the beer inside. Eijiro picks up the ball, eying my cup.

“You’re gonna get fucked up if you only drink that shit.” He warns, and then promptly misses, causing me to bust out into a chain of giggles.

“If you actually make a cup, yeah- but I can’t help that beer is fuckin’ nasty.” I shake my head, and hand the ball to Shoto. “Maybe miss on purpose- Kats looks like he might puke.” I tease, earning an angry glare from the blonde boy.

Shoto cranes his wrist, bouncing the ball on the table and landing it in Eijiro’s set cups. So far the drink score is Katsuki Eight, Eijiro five, Shoto three and Me one, Shoto and I have only missed a total of three times and it’s becoming incredibly obvious that Ei and Kats are outmatched.

I didn’t expect Shoto to be so good at this, but I played softball for years, and I have a decently high tolerance to alcohol and most drugs, so this was childs’ play. Eijiro finally downs his drink and coughs.

“Ah- shit. Yeah, I’m already buzzed.” He gestures to the spilled alcohol all over the front of his grey tee-shirt and I giggle, flittering around the table to get a good look at Katsuki.

“What about you, boom boom? You doing okay?” I question, the tone of humor still heavy in my voice.

“ ‘m fuckin FINE teddybear. Bored though. We should find something else to do.” He complains, and There is a loud squeal from the living room. An excited squeal. We abandon the game, coming out to someone having started ‘suck and blow’ I give Shoto a trying glance, and he squints.

“You shouldn’t play that. It’s just a poorly veiled way to kiss people. If we’re going to kiss, I don’t want it to be a game.” Shoto’s monotone tries to reason, but I’m BORED and want to do something stupid that doesn’t have dire consequences for once.

“I mean, if you don’t wanna get that stick out of your ass, I’ll just play without you.” I shrug, and I swear I can see his left eye twitch before he lets out an exasperated sigh.

“Fine. But you’re standing next to me.” He makes a compromise, and I nod, taking my spot next to Tenya, who had been dragged along to play by Tsu- apparently they have a thing for each other? Cute.

“Can’t we move over there?” Shoto points to a small group of girls who seem to be sticking together instead of intermingling for the game.

“Nah, they’ll drop the card.” I shake my head and pat Tenya on the upper back, gaining his attention. “Iida is probably really good at this game. He controls his breathing super well because of the training he’s had to do with his quirk. If he drops it, it’ll be on purpose.” I joke, earning a maddening blush from Tenya.

“Actually, Kate, I’d rather not play at all, but miss Ashido has demanded it, and as per Sweet Sixteen Birthday Girl Tradition, I am obliged to obey her wild commands.” Poor, poor Tenya-

We should make sure he smokes, I think with a giggle.

The game starts, and everyone is very careful for the first round, except Katsuki, who drops the card on purpose to have an excuse to make out with Eijiro and leave the game before Ei can have a chance with Mina. When the card starts to near us, I shoot a warning glance at Shoto.

“Don’t drop it on purpose.” I tease, but he shrugs.

“I heard the reward for winning is a bottle of Silver Oak Cabernet. If we win, I’d like to take you on a real date. The wine is meant to be very expensive, and sweet.” Shoto’s eyes watch the card, and his monotone has a bit of a lilt now that he’s had some to drink and smoke. Surprisingly, It didn’t take him any convincing to try the weed- He actually asked for a hit off of the bong Denki had retrieved. “So are you going to tell me what’s going on between you and Neito? Are his parents abusive or something?” Shoto’s bluntness really shouldn’t startle me as much as it does at this point in our relationship, but oh well, I guess.

“Nah, He got beat the snot out of for being a creep. I’m gonna tell the guy off for it tomorrow after I’m sober.” I explain, and then pause to receive the card from Tenya, sucking as much as my lungs will allow and then allowing Shoto to take it from me. When Shoto passes the card to Ochaco, she blushes intensely. The card makes its round again as Shoto speaks.

“You don’t like violence then, it wasn’t the use of my quirk that bothered you.” Shoto observes outwardly, and I nod, as if there was a question somewhere in that statement. “Then what should I do if I catch someone being untoward?” Shoto questions seriously, and I purse my lips.

“Ignore them? That’s what I usually do.”

“That doesn’t work. You of all people should know that, Kitty.” The card makes its round again, and Tsu drops it, causing me to be standing next to a boy I don’t recognize. Shoto grimaces as I speak.

“You COULD mind your business maybe?” I suggest, earning a distasteful glare from Shoto.

“You are my business as my Gir- as my friend.” I almost didn’t catch his slip up over the sound of me sucking as hard as I can to avoid dropping the card with the stranger boy. Once I pass the card, and Shoto passes it to Ochaco, I pause.

“Sho- I thought I told you I wasn’t into dating right now…” I attempt to start up the conversation I’d been avoiding.

“I know that. But you are still my friend, and I care for you. I’d behave the same way if people were picking on Midoriya.” The boy to my left drops the card with another boy, and they both begrudgingly kiss and move on, leaving Shinso to my left instead. The blinding rage is apparent in Shoto’s eye for a fraction of a moment before he composes himself. Denki does not miss the transaction. Denki is incredibly careful when he passes the card, his eyes never leaving Shoto, standing directly behind me. The game continues, and several people begin to lose- almost on purpose- before it’s just four of us left.

Shoto, Hitoshi, Momo and I. I’m pretty sure the sticky-ass lipgloss Momo is wearing is cheating, but at least it tastes good. Momo, surprisingly, drops the card on Shoto, who gives her a quick, chaste peck on the lips and then openly glares at Hitoshi, who grins as Mina hands him and I the bottle of -what looks to be very expensive- wine, and grins. “Usually, it’s tradition for the winners of Suck and Blow to start out the rounds for Seven Minutes in Heaven.” Mina winks, and I shake my head.

“No thanks- ah, Momo? You wanna take my spot as runner up?” I ask, but she shakes her head.

“Nuh- uh, you’re not getting out of this one Kit-kat.” Mina grins, grabbing both Hitoshi and I’s hands and leading us to the huge closet under her stairs.

“I really don’t think-” Hitoshi starts dryly, but doesn’t have a chance to finish his sentence before the group of girls all but shove us into the small enclosed space. I bang on the door, but someone turns the music up. I groan, turning to see Hitoshi in the dark. He definitely can’t see in here.

“Ah- Fuck.” I groan, crossing my arms and turning back to look at him.

“So- uh… How have you been?” Hitoshi breaks his silence, calling out to the darkness, unable to see me. I don’t answer. He catches on. “Oh- shit uh, don’t worry about me using my quirk. I don’t like using it unless I have to.” He explains, and I release a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

“I’ve been good. Aizawa’s being a prick lately though.” I admit, studying his face as he listens intently.

“Yeah, I heard about that. It’s bullshit. I am wondering about things with you and Hawks though.” He phrases his question as a statement, and I appreciate the gesture.

“He’s okay I guess, there’s some stuff going on that- actually… ‘Toshi, your mind control… does it work on memories? Like if I’ve had thoughts erased could you uncover them?” I ask, Hitoshi has a wave of intense panic wash over his face as he swallows.

“No- I can’t do that.” He shakes his head wildly- eyes darting around the dark expanse of the closet. He’s lying. Why would he lie?

“Really? It seems like something that would be in your skillset.” I press, but Hitoshi swallows.

“Why do you ask?” He questions, I miss it, the que, and answer.

“Because-”

“Drop this conversation. Forget it ever happened. We stood in silence the entire seven minutes.” Hitoshi demands, and the door opens. He rushes out, past the group and into the kitchen.

Wow- was he really that grossed out by me? What an asshole. I find Shoto, sitting on the couch as a group of kids pass around a blunt. His knee is bouncing and his lips are pressed tightly together despite the lively conversation happening around him. He seems lost in thought. I sneak up, tapping him on the shoulder. He turns quickly, a concerned look on his face.

“Sunshine! Pop a squat, I brought fruity pebbles strain for Midoriya to try.” Denki passes the lit blunt across the table to me, and I snuggle into Shoto’s side. Sho’s demeanor softens, and he calms considerably. I take the blunt between my lips, and find that this strain is so goddamn smooth I only cough a few times before passing it. Shoto passes over a red solo cup, after taking a sip. I down the thing quickly, determined to not let Hitoshi being a douchebag ruin my good mood. The drink is surprisingly good- I think tequila?

“Slow down Kitty, You’ll make yourself sick.” Shoto warns, his eyes are heavily lidded, and deep red.

“You’re drunk.” I giggle, pinching his cheek. He’s got a lazy smile across his face, and he seems mostly out of it.

“You’re pretty.” He mumbles, sinking down farther into the couch, resting his head on top of mine. Hitoshi is dragged back to the group by Midoriya, babbling on about needing his help for the next game.

Truth or dare. I smirk, knowing damn well these city-slicker ass kids are probably only going to ask people to do sexual things- They’ve probably never attempted to tip a cow in their lives. Shinso sighs angrily, and gives in to Mina’s begging to brainwash the group into being honest for the next thirty minutes.

I end up being completely correct, as most of the Truths are about crushes and genitals, and the dares are dumb shit like ‘drink your whole cup of booze’. A few times, people look like they’re going to ask me, but decide against it. I have a sneaking suspicion that Shoto has something to do with it. Sooner or later, the game gets boring, so someone finally bites the bullet.

“So- Katherine” Hanata starts, smirking. “Truth or dare?” He questions, and I shrug.

“Dealer’s choice.” Hanata grins.

“Is Shoto also red and white down there?” He snorts, and I roll my eyes.

“I wouldn’t know.” Katsuki seems to perk up, realizing it was his turn as we’d been going in a counter-clockwise formation. Now that the wall had been broken, more attention was falling on me. I notice that Shoto has begun to drift in and out of a nap on my shoulder.

“Truth or Dare, Teddybear?” Katsuki asks, and I scoff.

“Didn’t I just go? Fine. Dare.” Katsuki smirks, picking up an unopened bottle of vodka.

“I dare you to chug this.” He passes the full forty-ounce to me.

“Kaachan- that’s dangerous-” Izuku begins, but I cut him off.

“Dude- You must keep forgetting what my quirk is. I’ll be fine. If it becomes poisonous my body will flush it out so if anything it’ll just be a waste for Mina.” I gesture to the pink-haired girl, slumped over several bodies as she takes a long drag off of the communal blunt.

“All good babe- I’m curious now.” Mina gives a thumbs up, and I sigh, taking the top off of the bottle and putting it to my lips.

I take a deep breath before opening my throat and letting the alcohol slide down my esophagus. I block out the painful feeling of it burning my throat, downing the contents of the entire bottle in thirty-five seconds flat. A collective round of applause resonates through the room as people gather to watch me.

“Holy shit-” Eijiro gasps, looking at me like I’d grown a second head. I place the bottle on the table gently before leaning back into Shoto again.

“Happy?” I ask, gesturing widely and taking a slight bow.

“Fun fact: I don’t get hangovers either.” I point a finger up at the ceiling and giggle. Izuku groans.

“Lucky- I’m probably going to die tomorrow morning.” He flops next to Shoto and I, face down on the couch. I giggle, digging my fingers into his fluffy green hair.

Chapter Text

“Never have I ever been absolutely hammered at Mina’s sweet sixteen.” I smirk as I hear the round of groans in the room. Everyone save for Tenya, Tsu, Shoto and I drink. Shoto snores lightly on my shoulder, his arms wrapped around my waist like I’m his personal body pillow. I can’t find it in me to be upset about it.

“Never have I ever fucked a girl in class 1A” Sero offered, and Katsuki sighs deeply as he, Eijiro, and surprisingly, Kyoka and Momo take a drink.

“So that’s what ya’ll were doing during seven minutes in heaven! I fuckin’ knew it!” Denki giggles while the girls attempt to hide their blushes.

“NO! It actually happened a while ago… after we went swimming.” Kyoka defends, and the group erupts into giggles.

“Never have I ever been kidnapped,” Denki smirks, and Bakugo and I both raise our glasses. Izuku also raises his glass, and I give him a raised eyebrow before shrugging and downing my shot.

“Never have I ever Sucked off red riot” Eijiro smirks, and once again, Bakugo and I drink.

“Dude- Kate how are you not absolutely sloshed?” Mina questions, and I shrug.

“Really high tolerance I guess. The leader of the LOV said I was given enough tranquilizers to drop Elvis.” At my utterance of the LOV, the room grows a little too quiet.

“Never have I ever survived being touched by hand-man” Bakugo breaks the silence, and Tsu, Deku and I all take a drink.

“I feel like I’m being targeted,” I whine, and Katsuki rolls his eyes.

“Not my fault you’re an attractive target.” He snickers and Mina laughs.

“Okay, okay, Never have I ever thought a member of the LOV was kind of hot.” Shoji, Mina, and Aoyama all take a drink. I blank.

“The fuck is wrong with you guys?” I question, and Mina giggles.

“Dude- that fuckin’ fire quirk guy was super hot! Pun intended.” She defends herself, and Aoyama nods.

“He was tres magnifique.”

“And… that blonde girl was pretty.” Shoji admits, I swear I can see a blush creep up under his mask.

“Her name is Toga. She’s actually pretty sweet, kinda intense though. I’m pretty sure she has a thing for Izuku- The burned guy is Dabi. He’s a good dude- he let me out of the base and kept me safe when I was there.” I ramble, and the group stares me down. “The only one there who was a giant creep really was Shigaraki.” I shrug, and Bakugo swallows.

“We never really talked about it… huh?” Katsuki leans forward, and Ei places a hand on his back gently.

“When… uh… when we were kidnapped. Shigaraki had Kate sitting on his lap and he was all… touchy with her. I was gonna blast his goddamn face-off but then AllMight got in the fuckin’ way- and then in Columbus…” Bakugo seems to get choked up, and Eijiro is quick to pick up where he left off.

“You were just laying there Kate. Shigaraki wouldn’t let us get close. Midoriya actually managed to pick you up, but Shigaraki grabbed you right out of his hands and… then the portal thing. We all for sure thought you were a goner. Shigaraki gave up that big dude to keep you.” Eijiro explains to the group, and I nod.

“I don’t even remember most of it… I guess my brain just blocked out the trauma. The last thing I remember is running down a hallway away from… something? And then ending up in Dabi’s bedroom.” I nod, and Denki pipes up.

“Never have I ever bested the league of villains as a freshman!” The room erupts into cheers as all of us drink. “See? S’ all good- we keep winnin’” Denki slurs happily, leaning back against Sero.

“You’re right dude- you know what? I have a karaoke machine.” Mina grins ear to ear, and several people groan while others cheer even louder.

“Deku- Dude you have to sing don’t trust me!” I beg, and Bakugo glares at me while others gawk.

“Doll-”

“No, you guys have to hear it! He sang it on the way home from patrol once and he sounds JUST like the guy- c’mon please?!” I beg, and Izuku blushes profusely, but stutters out a “fine”, wiping his hands on his pants and standing while Mina busies herself setting up the karaoke system. Izuku eyes me warily, and shakes his head.

“If I’m gonna sing, you all have to too.” He reasons, and I nod.

“I’m just buzzed enough to do it.” I agree with a grin.

“I’m not fucing singing for you extras.” Katsuki growls, and I roll my eyes.

“SO… you’re a pussy?” I question, with a coy grin.

“Sit your ass down Deku, I’m going first.” Bakugo launches himself off of the couch and yanks the mic from Izuku, shoving the green-haired boy to the side. He selects a song quickly, and smirks as the music begins. “We don’t have to dance- Andy Black.”

Katsuki’s eyes slowly trail over the room as he clears his throat. The smoky quality of his voice sends shivers down my spine. He sings boredly, his eyes half-lidded as he boredly recites the lyrics, until he starts the middle of the first verse. His eyes bore into me, intensity behind them that I’m completely unfamiliar with.

“You're never gonna get it, I'm a hazard to myself. I'll break it to you easy; This is hell, this is hell. You're looking and whispering, You think I'm someone else! This is hell, yes. Literal hell.” His eyes break from me to stare at the boy sleeping on my side, an angry look washing over him as he looks back at me.

“We don't have to talk. We don't have to dance.” He tears his eyes away, staring down Eijiro, who just looks generally uncomfortable. “We don't have to smile We don't have to make friends.” Katsuki looks back at me again. “It's so nice to meet you, Let's never meet again. We don't have to talk. We don't have to dance. We don't have to dance.” He grins, really getting into it now as he hops up on top of the table, bending his knees slightly and leaning backward to get more power behind his deep growl as he holds the microphone in an iron grip.

“Bottles smash, I raise my hand, How can you all even stand it? Why is there joy in this poison, oh, Faking smiles and confidence. Driving miles to capture this excitement I can't take anymore, oh.” I sink into my seat through the rest of the song, realizing what he’s doing.

I still don’t understand why he’s so angry with me? If we were dating, what part of our breakup left him so broken up? I can’t imagine cheating, and I don’t think I would have done anything to outwardly hurt him- so just what is it? I get lost in my thoughts as Denki takes the mic, gyrating his hips wildly as he drunkenly sings out “talk dirty to me” by Jason Derulo. When Izuku finally steps up, I have resolved to simply stop caring about Katsuki and his stupid opinions.

The second Izuku starts, the ‘competition’ is immediately left slack-jawed as they realize just how correct I was about Deku being a great singer. Denki lights another blunt, toking it before passing it around. When Izuku sits, the girls all start to fawn over him, much to his intense discomfort. I lean over to them, and eye Izuku.

“Girlies- how about this, a game of beer pong. Winner gets to take Deku out on a date.” The girls drunkenly scramble away, and I giggle.

“Don’t worry Dude, they’re all too fucked up to remember that.” I pinch his cheek, making him blush even more.

“Thanks for looking out, I guess.” He chuckles nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

“You know what hits different when drunk?” Denki asks, passing the blunt to Sero. “Fuckin’ peach rings dude.” He finishes his thought, looking far off in contemplation. “You know what else hits different?” Denki continues, and I smirk, cutting him off.

“My dad.” I stifle a laugh at my several-layer deep pun.

“Your dad hits you?” Izuku asks, eyes drawn up in worry.

“Nah, Hit as in past tense… since he’s dead and all that.” I giggle, and notice the boys all stop their jovial behavior. Fuck- wrong time to joke I guess. “But, like- it heals so it doesn’t really matter- doesn’t leave a lasting effect or anything.” I shrug, receiving the blunt and taking a deep inhale. As expected, I choke again.

“Dude- I just fuckin realized I don’t actually know anything about you, sunshine.” Denki muses, tilting his head and resting it against Sero’s shoulder.

“Not much to know. Grew up in Colorado, had a few friends- I wanted to be a doctor but my dad wanted me to be a Hero- my parents are divorced, I ended up living with my dad here.” I shrug, and then lean back, staring at the ceiling that kind of looks like it’s starting to spin.

“You’re really cute.” Denki blurts, and I giggle.

“Not really.” I shrug, and Katsuki rolls his eyes.

“I have to disagree with you there, Kitty.” Shoto pipes up from my side, leaning his head against my own as he wraps his arm around my shoulders. I snuggle into his warm left side as if on instinct. Izuku gets up, going toward the bathroom. Sero vacates the premises as well, walking off toward the kitchen to join the girls in a game of beer-pong. I can feel Katsuki staring at me, and when I look at him I find that my instincts are as impeccable as always.

”Nah, I definitely agree with Todoroki, You’re super cool Sunshine.” Denki compliments, and I smile, giggling.

“You’re pretty badass yourself pikachu.” I grin, only to hear Bakugo grunt on the other side of the couch. “Got something to say, Boom boom boy?” I question playfully, and he scoffs.

“All I’m saying is, it’s not your fuckin’ personality that draws dudes in.” His tone drips with venom, and Eijiro shakes his head at him, nudging his shoulder with his own.

“Cool it dude.” Eijiro warns, but Katsuki continues anyway.

“You know what your problem is, Katie? You are so fucking boring.” Katsuki chuckles, taking a drag off of the blunt and passing it back to Denki. He exhales, but is punched in the chest by Eijiro, who shoots him a warning glance. Katsuki just shakes his head, still chuckling. “Nah- you know what? I’m gonna be honest with you because no one else will. Any guy who says he’s interested you beyond just fucking you- is full of shit.” Katsuki’s scleras are nearly as red as his irises. He’s high out of his mind, and he reeks of alcohol- so why do I let his words hurt me so much? My eyes water, and I stand up, walking around the couch blindly due to my blurry vision. “That’s right- Just fuckin run away- I love to watch your ass jiggle when-” A warmth erupts behind me, and the room lights up.

I turn slightly to see Shoto on top of Katsuki, throwing punch after punch into him, his left hand is on fire, his right is encased in ice. Katsuki is fighting back with explosions while Eijiro and Kaminari try to stop the fight. Izuku comes out of the bathroom, seeing the scene and immediately jumping in to try and help break it up. I can’t take it, running up the stairs and into a bathroom, slamming the door and sobbing quietly on my own.

God- I just have to fucking ruin everything, don’t I? I shouldn’t have even come- not with everything going on with Eri, I should be with her right now- god I’m so fucking stupid! I begin to hyperventilate and crawl into the bathtub to try and feel like I’m not so out in the open. It doesn’t help.

Chapter Text

A vicious sob wracks my throat as I hug my knees close to my chest, trying to use the breathing thing Mirio taught me. It isn’t working. Why isn’t it working?! Fuck.

I pull out my phone, finding that I have no one to call. Who exactly could come get me? Aizawa? Fat chance. Maybe I could call Hawks? No… not after he already had to take time out of his day to deal with my school bullshit.

Not to mention I don’t want to deal with the idea that he’s feeding directly into what Katsuki claimed- that or we WERE actually dating, in which case it’d probably break his heart for me to call him for help at… fuck. It’s two in the morning.

I have no family, I don’t want to be around my friends right now- I really do have no one huh?

I never thought I could be so lonely in a crowded room.

I’m always causing problems, aren’t I? I’m such a fucking waste of space. Katsuki is right, the only reason anyone hangs out with me is to use me. Why would anyone like me? I don’t even like me.

It’s so fucking cold in here. A dress was a bad idea. It doesn’t even cover my knees, it just pools around my waist. I choke on my sobs, and try again with the fingers and breathing. C’mon, Kate. Don’t be a bitch. Stop being weak. Turn it off. Shove it down. Just don’t feel it. You don’t have to feel anything

. A knock on the door alerts me of a presence. “Occupied!” I shout, trying to erase the shaking from my voice.

“Doll? Hey it’s Izuku- are you okay?” Damn it, he sounds concerned.

“I’m fine- just- Leave me alone please.” I beg, hearing my own voice break despite my permission.

“You don’t sound fine. Let me in.” His tone is demanding now, along with concerned.

“I promise I’ll be okay in like ten minutes if you just let me be, okay?” I can’t hide the way my voice breaks when I talk this much, and Izuku is clearly not buying it.

“Let me in.” He repeats, but I don’t have the patience for it right now.

“Go away before I kick your ass, Deku.” I warn, but he is unrelenting.

“Open the door.” He demands loudly, and I roll my eyes, cuddling more fully into myself and covering my ears.

“Go AWAY!” I all but scream as the pounding on the door gets louder. Even over the loud music and the pounding and my hands covering my ears, I can hear Izuku shouting at me through the door. Can’t a girl be alone in a bathroom at a party in peace? I don’t want to be yelled at right now. Why does everyone yell at me? Even fucking Deku, the most disaster-prone bastard I’ve ever met thinks he has some sort of moronic right to worry about me and yell at me. He’s an asshole- they’re all assholes.

The shower curtain suddenly rips back, to reveal Deku with an incredibly worried expression across his face.

“Kate- You don’t look so good.” He comments, still standing. I look past him, at the broken doorknob.

“Did you really just break the fucking door?” My rage outweighs my depression. Good. One less thing to worry about.

“Sure did, Doll. Now get up.” He demands, reaching down to pick me up. I flail, kicking at him. He grunts, allowing me to make a few shots but making sure none of my attacks to his head hit. He eventually grabs me, pulling me upward.

“Alright- look at me-” He demands, but his voice is soft- like a chastising father. He grips my chin, checking over my face and sighing. “You’re definitely drunk but you don’t look drugged.” He mumbles to himself, releasing my face but still peering down at me. “What’s going on with you, Kate?”

The question is met with a long bout of complete silence- save for the loud music and partying sounds coming from just beyond the bathroom door. I don’t owe him anything, not an explanation, not a reaction, nothing. I stare at him blankly, and then look away, back at the ground. His hands wrap around my upper arms, keeping me from crawling back into the tub. Izuku sighs, and releases his grip on me, taking a step back. “Well, are you gonna tell me why you’re in here crying in Mina's bathtub?” His question comes out a lot more stern than I’d expected him to talk to me, and I recoil.

“Fuck off Midoriya.” I grumble, stepping past him and opening the door. It only opens a few inches before his palm is on it, slamming it back shut. He towers over me, an eyebrow raised, daring me to try it again. I huff, turning on him and crossing my arms over my chest. “What do you want Deku?” I use his hero name as an insult, but he doesn’t react.

“Does it have something to do with Todoroki and Kacchan’s sports festival rematch in the living room?” He asks, keeping his hand firmly planted beside my head to prevent me from opening the door.

“It’s not- No, it isn’t any of your business!” I deny, but Izuku is unrelenting.

“Was it Kaachan’s song? It seemed pretty suggestive. I know you guys broke up recently. Kirishima is still pretty sore about it.” Izuku begins to mutter, not catching the hint.

“I DON’T want to talk about it- especially not after you fucking used Aizawa to strong-arm me off of the Eri Mission.” I grit through my teeth, and he looks hurt for a moment before he regains his composure.

“You wouldn’t listen to me! And I went to Aizawa so I wouldn’t have to go to NightEye and get you fired! You’re a great hero but you’re not thinking clearly.” He defends his actions and I laugh.

“It wasn’t your place! What exactly am I to you, Deku? Your friend? Or am I just a body to you too?” I question angrily, and Izuku is taken completely off guard.

“What? Kate, what the hell are you talking about?” He asks, trying to look me in the eye.

“That’s why I’m in here. Katsuki said… he said…” I choke on my words, and Izuku waits patiently, silently for me to compose myself. “It doesn’t matter what he said. He’s right. I’m fucking useless.” I laugh humorlessly, and wipe at my face. Black streaks of mascara coat my palms and I push past Izuku to look in the mirror. Yep- I look like a mess. Sounds about right. I rip off a bunch of toilet paper and begin scrubbing at my eyes.

“Did Kacchan tell you that? That you were useless?” Izuku’s voice is actually angry now, and I pause.

“No, just that I’m boring and only worth a fuck. Same thing.” I shrug with another joyless chuckle before dropping the tissue into the toilet and flushing it.

“He’s wrong. He’s always wrong! He’s- I’m gonna-” Izuku’s voice gets louder, and I can feel the crackle in the air as those familiar tendrils of pink energy trail up his arms. I shake my head.

“Jesus christ- clearly I’m being problematic… I’m just gonna go home.” I try to open the door, but he holds firm.

“Home where? I’ll drop you off. I shouldn’t be here while I’m this angry anyway.” He offers, and I shake my head.

“You’ve been drinking, and you don’t have a car.” I remind him, but he keeps pushing.

“I’ll call an Uber.” he tries again, I grit my teeth before responding.

“Just leave me alone.” I beg, but he shakes his head.

“Where exactly do you plan on going at two in the morning? The dorms are locked up tight, you don’t have any family in the area other than Sir, and I know for a fact you aren’t gonna call him, so, where am I dropping you off?” He isn't asking to drop me off at all. He’s telling me he will.

“I’m going to walk to a hotel.” I try to open the door again- Jesus why is he so goddamn strong?! Izuku squints.

“Alone?” he questions, sounding skeptical.

“Yes, DAD.” I roll my eyes, giving up on the door.

“Let me get this straight. You’re gonna storm off, in the middle of a house party, alone, all upset. You’re not gonna tell any of your friends what’s got you down, you aren’t gonna tell anyone where you’re going, and you’re gonna WALK to a hotel, ALONE, at two in the morning- Is that right? Am I in the ballpark?” His tone is borderline condescending, and I scoff.

“Yes- can I go now?”

“You do realize you just set up the perfect beginning to a horror movie, right? Especially with the League still out there and the Shie Hassaikai being your biggest fans.” He points out, and I have to make a conscious effort not to blurt out that he’s being a dick. “Didn’t we just get done having a conversation about how gross the leader of the league is with you? What if he finds you drunk and alone? No matter how much you say he wants you to come to him willingly, he’d be a fool not to take advantage of you when you’re like this. There’s a reason Mineta is taped to the ceiling of his dorm room right now.” Izuku tries to reason with me yet again, but I can’t begin to care. So what, at this point? So what if the villains want to use me, or control me? How does that make them any different from the Heroes?

“You got any better ideas, broccoli boy?” I ask, trying to joke to calm myself. He isn’t buying it.

“You can stay here and spend the night with Mina like the rest of the girls, Or I’m sure Shoto would be glad to take you home with him.” He offers, and I shake my head.

“I don’t want to be a bother, really I’m-”

“Coming home with me then. I’ll call my mom.” He pulls out his phone, not waiting for an answer from me.

“Izuku it’s-” He begins to dial a number, but I react too quickly, finding the opening he left by taking his hand off the door. I duck out of the bathroom before he has time to react, dodging people and questions on my way up the stairs. If I make a break for the front door, He’ll catch me. He’s faster than me. With how drunk everyone is, no one even notices me slip into an unoccupied bedroom.

The mess of bright pink everything makes me very aware that this is Mina’s room. I steady my breath, and approach the window. Peering out, I can see Izuku rushing out of the house, his phone pressed to his ear as he talks to someone. He runs a hand through his green curls, and looks both ways down the street before looking up at the sky, as if he expected me to be flying away. I don’t even have my capture weapon on me, so the only thing I can actually rely on is my own body.

I wait for Izuku to go back into the house before climbing out of the window and careful, carefully ambling to the side of the house to climb down where I know people won’t be able to see me from the other windows. Once my feet are flat on grass, I move to the side yard and hop the fence into the neighbor’s property before slipping out of their gate into the alley. I don’t want to be spotted, so I need to be careful.

I walk through the alleyways for a good five minutes before slipping onto a real street. Shit. It just dawned on me that I have no idea where I am. I pause, pulling out my phone and googling maps. My phone case holds my credit card, at least, so I can get a hotel room for the night- maybe even treat myself to room service.

I find my location, and a route to the closest hotel. A three hour long walk, eh? Not too bad, actually. Could have been worse. I silently thank my lucky stars I’d chosen to wear flats instead of those strappy heels that Mina tried to force me into.

Chapter Text

I walk for a while, my arms wrapped around me, but it doesn’t do much to block out the cold. I’m only a few miles out now, I shouldn’t be so weak. I’ve only been walking for a half-hour anyway, it’s not that bad. This is fine- everything here is fine. It’s fine, Katherine. Stop crying you idiot I just said it was fine.

A car honks to my left, and I jump, shooting a warning glare and keeping my hands at the ready. To my surprise, Mirio pokes his head out of a shitty white ford focus. I hurriedly wipe at my face, not wanting to see my impending mental breakdown. I furrow my brows.

“I got a pretty panicked call from Midoriya?” Mirio shouts out of the open window, and I groan.

“He’s dramatic, I’m just headed home.” I lie. Figures that Izuku would call our “boss”. In all honesty, I’m glad it’s Mirio, and not Sasaki.

“Get in the car- you’ll freeze!” He chuckles cheerfully, and I soften. Mirio’s safe, he’s kind. Tamaki trusts him, so he can’t be as much of an asshole as I thought he was, right?

“You better not try to kidnap me, at this point, you’d only be another cliche.” I warn as I step in the car, shivering.

“I’m pretty sure you could easily kick my ass this time, sunshine.” Mirio chuckles, glancing over at me. When he looks over my attire, he is quick to crank up the heat. “Holy crap, sunshine- what are you wearing?” He asks with a chuckle, and leans across the center console, grabbing a hoodie and dropping it in my lap. “Put that on for me, babe.” He instructs, putting the car back into gear. Oh. He drives a manual? Weird. “I’m getting cold just lookin’ at you.” He chuckles as I slip the hoodie on over my head and click my seatbelt into place, rubbing my hands together. “Where are we headed? You said home right?” He questions, glancing at me for only a moment before training his eyes on the road again.

“Oh, uh… Actually, I was gonna go to the Mariott. I don’t have any family in town and the Dorms are closed.” I explain, and he frowns.

“You mind if I drop you off at the dorms instead of a hotel? I can just walk through the front door to unlock it and I don’t know if I feel comfortable leaving you in a place like that- I’m pretty sure Sir would murder me if something happened to you.” He chuckles, and I nod.

“Yeah- My mom would probably be super pissed if she found out I died on his watch. She might even send a strongly-worded email.” I joke back, causing him to genuinely laugh. I wait for him to calm a bit before speaking up again. “Yeah… do you mind just driving for a while? I… I don’t actually want to be alone.” I admit quietly, and he shrugs.

“Whatever you want- But if you don’t mind, can I park somewhere so we don’t waste gas?” He asks, and I clear my throat.

“Uh yeah- that’s fine.” God- this whole thing is so awkward.

“So- do you wanna talk about it- I can’t guarantee I’ll understand or have any advice or anything, but it’s probably nice to vent.” Mirio tries, and I sigh, going silent for a long moment to contemplate.

“What do you think of when you think of me, Mirio?” I ask, and he seems taken off guard, pausing.

“You’re tenacious. And kind of reckless, but also incredibly calculated. You’re really smart, and you care a lot about other people. You’ve got a great sense of humor, and you’re really understanding of other people. Tamaki told me you tried to heal his anxiety, something you’d never done before just because you wanted to help him.” I bristle.

“He wasn’t supposed to tell anyone about that.” I admit, huffing warm air onto the window and then drawing a frowny face in the condensation.

“He also wasn’t supposed to tell me you were in his thoughts. That he felt you in a memory you weren’t a part of- Tamaki is actually pretty great at secrets, I just have a way of getting them out of people. Don’t worry though, if you don’t want anyone to know it can stay between the three of us.” He smiles, pulling up to a slight cliff, overlooking the city. He pulls the parking break, making several clicking sounds before it snaps into place. “Try not to mention it to Nejire though, she’s not very good at keeping things to herself.” He jokes, flipping down the visor and looking at himself in the mirror. He pulls down his bottom eyelid, making a funny face at himself before chuckling.

“I mean- what do you think of when you hear my name- like what do you picture in your mind?” I try again, not wanting to hear his bullshit compliments.

“Probably the look on your face when you realized you hit me the first time we sparred, you looked so surprised with yourself- That time your smile actually reached your eyes.” He turns more toward me, and smiles. “Why do you ask, Sunshine?” I flinch at the nickname, but he doesn’t react.

“You don’t think the same way as everyone else then.” I lean back against the seat, staring up at the carpeted ceiling of the car.

“Coulda’ told you that. But could you be more specific? You’re kinda talking in circles here and I was dead asleep when Midoriya called me- so I’m a little fuzzy.” His smile is still warm, and I wince.

“Just…” I pause, taking a deep breath. “Do you want to be my friend?” I ask, hands shaking. Mirio pauses.

“I- well… I kind of thought we were friends? People don’t drag themselves out of bed at two in the morning to pick up their mentally unstable ACQUAINTANCES from the bad side of town.” Mirio’s tone has grown more serious. I nod, and swallow, choosing to whisper my next question.

“Do you want to have sex with me?” Mirio’s tired eyes immediately fly open.

“Woah- hold on now, that’s a bit forward- I just met you a couple of weeks ago!” He protests, and my eyes water. “Hey- don’t- ah fuck. Don’t cry okay? I mean, you’re a cute girl but-”

“No! I’m not- god, it’s just nice to know that you don’t just see me as my body.” I laugh humorlessly through my tears, and Mirio stiffens, tilting his head.

“Did… did something happen at that party?” Mirio’s tone is dangerous, almost angry. I’ve never heard him angry before.

“No- Not like it would matter if it did. Everyone’s already seen me mostly naked anyway thanks to those stupid pictures and videos from the USJ.” I wipe at my tears, but they won't stop flowing.

“Not everyone. I haven’t seen any pictures.”

“You haven’t?” I pause, looking up at him suspiciously. He doesn’t seem like he’s lying.

“Nah, I don’t do social media. Not since people started posting pictures of me when I couldn’t control my quirk all that well.” I can tell he’s being honest.

“But you saw the security footage-” He cuts me off with a shrug.

“I left the room when Shigaraki melted your shirt. I didn’t want to see that- Tamaki walked out too.” Mirio explains, and I let loose a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. “The only one here who’s seen the other one naked is you, Sunshine.” He beams, and I make a hesitant chuckle.

“Yeah- I meant to ask about that. Why don’t you just wear underwear that’s made of the same stuff as your hero costume?” I question, scrunching my face at the memory.

“I DO, but I had to throw you off your game somehow, especially after you single-handedly escaped the League of Villains when even AllMight failed to save you.” He admits, and I pause.

“You were… afraid of me?” I ask, and he laughs.

“No- more intimidated, Especially after Nezu said they were considering moving you up in your first year like that. That’s never happened before.” Mirio looks out, over the dashboard to the sparkling lights of the city below. “Not to mention, it’s hard not to be intimidated by a pretty girl who can definitely kick your ass.” He reaches across my lap, opening the glove compartment and pulling out a handful of napkins. He hands them to me, and then shuts the compartment.

“I’m not even pretty, I just have a big butt.” I shake my head, wiping at my face with the napkins instead of the already-soaked sleeve of Mirio’s way-too-big-for-me hoodie.

“You’re special ya know? Not because of what you look like, not even because of your quirk. Just you. Who you are as a person. You’re pretty because of what’s inside you, not that you’re not pretty on the outside too.” Mirio points down at a flickering set of lights in the far distance. “See those?” He pauses for me to nod. “They’re really pretty right?” He asks, and I sigh, melting further into his seat.

“Yeah, they are.” I nod, feeling the tiredness begin to creep up on me. I yawn.

“Okay, so yeah, those are pretty- but think of your favorite flower. What is it?” He questions, and I begin to question my own coherency, but I answer anyway.

“Lilies.”

“Okay, and lilies are pretty too, right?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, Those lights, and lilies, they’re both pretty. But they’re nothing alike. You don’t look like the lights or the lilies, but you’re just as pretty. Does that make sense?” He leans back in his seat, and I yawn.

“Not really.” I admit, and he laughs.

“Yeah, I’m not great with metaphors.” He chuckles, and glances over at me. “You look tired. We should head back to the dorms.” He warns, and I whine.

“I don’t wanna go to the dorms.” I complain, internally cringing at how much I sound like a tantruming child. “My room is so cold and empty and grey and LONELY.” I groan, pulling my feet up onto the seat, hugging my knees. Oh- I’m more drunk than I thought. The floor is shifting slowly side to side- but I’m pretty sure I’m not moving. “I don’t wanna be alone.” I mumble into my knees.

A long silence passes over us. I lean against the window, watching as the city shifts. It starts to rain, the water blurs the lights even further, making my disorientation far worse. I close my eyes, feeling the cool window on my forehead, and Mirio’s soft breathing from the driver’s seat.

“You can stay in my room… if you want.” He says suddenly, and when I look up I realize he’s been looking at me the entire time.

“I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that. I know you’re tired and I’m being a burden-” Mirio cuts me off, placing a huge hand on my thigh.

“Sunshine. You are not a burden. If I didn’t want you to sleep over, I wouldn’t have offered.” He tilts his head, and looks me in the eye. “Would you want to spend the night?” He asks genuinely, his eyebrows drawn tightly together. Something about how the light dances off his blue eyes, how his blonde hair hangs haphazardly over his face, how he has this… sleepy, confident smile over his face- it draws me in. I feel good. Happy. Safe.

“Yeah.” I answer before I can get in my own head, and change my mind.

Chapter Text

Mirio’s dorm room is... a myriad of instances of boyhood. From the anime posters on the wall to the star-wars sheets that cling to his full bed, his room is actually pretty similar to Archie’s. It feels like I’m home again. Really home.
When I was younger, I had a crippling fear of thunderstorms. I’d spent my entire life in the desert, and it rained so infrequently that I never really got used to them. My younger brother wouldn’t ever say anything about it when I’d spend the night on the floor in his bedroom. Not even when Matthew would pout and complain that he wasn’t invited to our sleepovers.

Matty had other things with me- he was a regular for learning how to skateboard with me. Since he was immune to pain, he was always down to try something that would probably get us hurt.

Archie though, he was my best friend growing up. We were four years apart, but when we were younger we were two peas in a pod- especially when we realized how easy it would be to steal the cookies on the top shelf with his flying quirk. I was there for every single bump and bruise, and he was there to roll his eyes at me when I cried over boys and friends when I was in middle school.

Archie would have loved Mirio. Archie would have loved UA. Not the actual school, of course, at least not the work involved- but he would have loved the atmosphere, he would have loved how different everyone was here. Archie would have adored Izuku, and he would have tried to fight Bakugo. He’d of lost of course, and he would have prattled on about how he needed a rematch, the sun was in his eyes, as I healed him up. It wouldn’t be the first time. Matthew probably would actually beat the snot out of Bakugo.

It fills me with joy, actually, the idea of my ten-year-old brother beating the crap out of UA’s number one first year. It’s what Bakugo deserves. I wonder how Archie is doing without me… without dad. I never talked to them after what happened. I wonder if they blame me. I do. That’s probably why Mom signed me away. I’m too much to deal with. I’m a problem. I-

“Kate- hey!” Mirio grabs at my face, forcing me to look him in the eye. “You’re doing the thing again- c’mon, get out of there.” He prompts with a nervous chuckle, and I blink rapidly.

“Oh- sorry.” I apologize, and huff, looking forward again at the flat-screen TV hung on Mirio’s wall. We sit together on his bed, a few inches apart, staring at the anime he’d put on. Or, at least I’m staring, I’m pretty sure he was actually watching the thing before I distracted him with my irregular breathing.

“Don’t apologize, sunshine. It’s all good. You just looked like you weren’t having a great time- I notice you do that alot. Is there something specific on your mind?” He leans over the side of the bed, grabbing a huge tub of red vines and sitting it on his lap, offering me one.

“Your posters… they remind me of my brothers. I haven’t talked to them since… well, you know.” I gesture vaguely, and Mirio raises an eyebrow.

“Uh- I don’t actually?” I pause.

“I thought NightEye would of… well, uh- so You know how I was Kidnapped by the LOV?”

“Yeah, it was all over the news and Sir spent, like, two days working at trying to find you.”

“Yeah. Um. So, when I was kidnapped, the league also broke into my house to steal all of my stuff, but my dad was there and they killed him. My brothers were home… They left the state before I escaped. I never even said goodbye.” I start to get choked up, and Mirio scoots closer, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

“Have you talked to anyone else about this?” He asks gently, and I shake my head.

“No- I don’t even know why I’m telling YOU. I just-” once again, I struggle with words and cut myself off with a sniffle. Mirio’s arms tighten around me.

“‘S okay. Let it all out, Sunshine.” Mirio prompts, and I let it loose.

I sob, I cry, I muffle my screams on his yellow tee-shirt. At some point, I crawl into his lap and begin clutching onto him as I lose it completely. Mirio holds me, hands trailing over my back and in my hair as I attempt to gasp out words. I spill everything to him. Everything. The memory issues, the weird bullshit with Chisaki, the Hawks situation, even the old suicide attempts. By the time I’m done, the clock strikes five in the morning. Finally, I calm down, and lean back to look at him. He’s got a somber look on his face.

“Kate… I think maybe… maybe you should get away for a while. Take a sabbatical and go back to Colorado for a week or two to recuperate after we get Eri out of there.” Mirio suggests, tucking a hair behind my ear. I shake my head.

“I don’t have time. I have to-”

“Hey! You have to have time for you. Can’t be a hero if you can’t even take care of yourself.” Mirio tries, but I shake my head.

“I don’t need to be taken care of, my quirk makes sure of that.” I shrug, but Mirio grimaces.

“Sunshine. Look at me. You need love and care just like everyone else. Don’t shove your feelings down because you think they might be inconvenient. You deserve better than you are allowing yourself to have, and as your friend, I have to be honest with you. It’s actually kind of frustrating listening to you insinuate otherwise.” I’m taken aback by the sudden seriousness of his tone.

“Listen, I wasn’t going to say anything- you’re a freshman, and my best buddy has a thing for you, and you’re going through a lot- but if I had the chance, sweetheart, I’d love the hell out of you. You’re a great gal. I admire the heck out of you, sunshine. If you could only see the way you look through my eyes, you’d get why so many people are trying to help you.” I freeze, soaking in the confession.

“You like me? But… Why?” I ask, and his jaw drops.

“Excuse my french sunshine, but the FUCK do you mean WHY?” His voice is borderline angry now, and I shrink back a bit, though finding it more comfortable to cling to him than to crawl away. “You’re… god, for a prodigy you can be pretty dumb sometimes, Sunshine.” He chuckles, and gently cups my face in both of his hands to look me in the eye. “All night I’m sitting here telling you how great you are, and it just… goes in one ear and out the other huh?” His smile is sad now as he shakes his head. “You know what- let me try this. Do you like me back?” The question is so blunt it feels like I was beaten with it.

“I- don’t really know you. You’re handsome, and sweet- and you really came to my rescue tonight, but every time we’ve met before this I’ve been too busy with the sky falling to notice boys at all…” I trail off, my cheeks heating up.

“You think I’m handsome huh?” He grins, and I roll my eyes.

“Is that all you heard from that?” I ask playfully, and he shrugs.

“Hey, I’m just saying two people can play the ‘selective hearing’ game. You ignore how much I like you, I’ll ignore how much you don’t like me.” He rests his huge hands on my waist and I roll my eyes, leaning backward to look at him more fully. He ends up holding up most of my weight to make sure I don’t fall back onto the bed.

“I never said I don’t like you. I said I’m unsure.” I protest, and he chuckles.

“Alright, Kiss me then.” the absurdity of Mirio’s request forces me to giggle.

“What?” I ask, and eyebrow raised.

“Kiss me. If you like it, You’ll know if you like me or not.” He makes what my very drunk brain perceives as a valid point. I huff, scrunching up my mouth to one side of my face as I think.

“How would I even kiss you? Like what kind of kiss?” I question, earning a shrug and easygoing smile.

“Whatever kind you think is right. I’m not a picky guy.” His hands are slowly slipping downward, resting on the barely-covered skin of my bottom. I don’t stop him.

“That’s really helpful, Mirio.” I say sarcastically, awkwardly wrapping my arms around his neck. He chuckles again, an easy-going smile on his face.

“Oh, so little miss ‘I hate people controlling me’ suddenly wants to be told what to do huh?” His smile shifts ever so slightly as he begins to palm and knead the flesh of my ass. I gasp, sitting forward. Still, I don’t stop him. “If you want me to stop, I will.” He pauses, suddenly very serious.

“I- I like it.” I shudder and stutter, looking him in the eye so he knows I’m not lying.

“Good.” He clears his throat, and continues his movements.

Slowly, tentatively, I close my eyes and bring my face close to his. I can feel his warm breath fan over my face as he leans in, capturing my lips before I have a chance to kiss him first. I kiss him softly, moving my lips along his gently. He groans, pulling at my ass to push me closer to him. I didn’t even notice I’d been straddling him until now.

I trail my tongue over the seam of his lips, and he opens them without any further prompting, allowing me to taste the inside of his mouth more effectively. He moans into my mouth, but otherwise holds still. When I draw myself even closer however, he breaks away.

“Wait- I shouldn’t- I’m- I’ve gotta-” He squeezes his eyes closed as he stutters out a breath. I draw backward, and feel the bulge just below his grey sweatpants. Oh. That’s what he’s worried about? I bite my lip and roll my hips against him, letting loose a small moan of my own. “Shit- Sunshine you don’t know what you’re doing to me- you have to tell me to stop.” He all but begs, his hands gripping tighter onto the flesh, almost bruising it.

“I don’t want to stop.” I squeak as he lifts me, switching our positions so that he’s hanging above me.

“You sure?” He asks softly, searching my face for any sign of regrets, but I give him none. He leans down, kissing me deeply again and rutting his clothed hips into mine. His hands work under my dress, pushing it up my waist. He pulls me to sit up, and pulls the dress over my head, leaving me in just my panties. He throws the dress across the room as he reattaches his lips to mine, rutting his still-clothed cock against the damp area of my underwear.

“Sunshine- We don’t have to-” He gasps against my lips, and I cut him off.

“I want to.” I confirm, kissing him again. He swallows, and leans over to grab his wallet. He pulls out a condom, and bites his lip.

“I don’t even know if it’s still good. It’s been there since eighth grade.” He looks at me for guidance, and I clear my throat.

“I don’t think they have an expiration date.” I murmur, and he nods.

“Okay.” His voice is lower than usual, he blinks and suddenly all of his clothes pool under his knees. He kicks them off of the bed and opens the packet with his teeth before pulling the ring out of the plastic. He flips it around a few times, trying to find the right way. When he finally figures it out, he slides the clear latex over his- wait that thing is huge. No fucking way that’s going to fit it’s even bigger than Ei!

“I uh- I’ve never done this before.” He admits, swallowing as he falls to hang above me, resting his weight on his elbows at my sides. That’s surprising. He’s older than me, and really cute and charismatic.

“I have.” I nod, trying to put him at ease. He nods, and licks his lips. Slowly, he begins to push inward. Unlike with Eijiro, I’ve had no stretching, no prep. I wince, and wrap my arms tighter around his neck, burying my face in his shoulder.

“Ah- Oh god.” He pulls back and glances down at where our bodies are connected. “Su-SHIT.” He pulls out quickly, leaving me whining at the empty feeling. “You’re bleeding!” He sounds panicked as his hands fly over my body, but I swat them away.

“‘M fine! It happens… ‘cuz I heal?” I try to explain, and his eyebrows draw together.

“Doesn’t it hurt though?” He questions, but I shrug.

“Only for a second. After that it feels really good. Please keep going?” I hate how needy I sound, but Mirio takes in a deep, lustful gasp before slowly lowering his body’s weight on top of me again.

“You have to tell me if it hurts. I don’t want to hurt you.” He brushes sweaty hair out of my face, and I nod, reaching up and giving him a kiss as he pushes in again. I gasp against his lips, and he takes the hint, slowly rocking his hips against me. “Feels good?” He questions, and I nod.

“Ah- you’re big.” I comment, and he manages to blush.

“Thanks, I guess.” He chuckles, but the jovial nature quickly divulges into wanton moans from the both of us.

Chapter Text

“Oh god- Feels- fuck! It feels amazing.” Mirio groans, and I can feel his back muscles tighten under my hands. I hold on tighter, just as he juts his hips just right, smashing the blunt tip of his cockhead against that spongey place inside of me that has me seeing dancing lights.

“Mir-Mirio! Right there- Fuck- Don’t stop!” I beg, and he chuckles.

“Sunshine- you don’t know what you’re doing to me- Ah- fuck your hands feel so good.” He follows my instructions, and leans down to attach his lips to my neck. “You’re so beautiful- My Sunshine- God I’ve wanted this for so long.” He whines as he grinds against me, massaging my sweet spot rather than attacking it.

“My Sunshine- Ah- Yeah? Look at you- You’re really sensitive huh?” He questions, pressing a thumb to my clit.

I can’t help it, the orgasm hits me like a ton of bricks. My eyes roll back into my head, my back arches up off of the bed, pressing my chest flush to his. Mirio takes the opportunity to wrap a strong arm around my waist, pulling me upward to sit on his lap and ride him.

“Holy shit- Did you just cum? That’s amazing sunshine! Do it again- Fuck that felt so good- ah your face!” Mirio doesn’t really give me the chance to move on my own as he tightens his grip around my middle, wrapping the other arm around my bottom to bounce me on his cock.

“You’re so tight- fuck it’s like you’re sucking me in!” He whines, and I cry out, muffling my noises against his shoulder. “Yeah- fuck yeah sunshine- ah, baby! You make me feel so good- Take it, take everything!” He moans into my neck while his thrusts get sloppy.

“Ah- gonna- gonna- I can feel it- Oh GOD, KATHERINE!” His hips stutter for a moment before he pulls me down harshly on him, deeper than he had before. I stiffen, accidentally tightening around him as he bashes against my cervix. Slowly, he rocks through his orgasm.

“Can we keep going? I wanna make you cum again.” He asks, pulling back to brush the hair out of my face and look me in the eye.

“Ah- yeah, i-if you want- but isn’t it… over ‘cuz you came?” Mirio laughs in earnest, a bright smile over his face.

“Sunshine- I don’t wanna stop after just once. You think I don’t have that endurance?” He chuckles, pressing his lips to mine and starting to thrust again.

“Ah- Mi-Mirio you’re supposed to change the condom after every- ah- t-time” I warn, and he groans.

“I only had the one- ah, fuck can I- can I just do it raw? I’ll buy you the pill in the morning- Please? I wanna really feel you.” He continues to rut needily against me, and I blush.

“I’ve never done it… without a condom before.” I admit, and he chuckles.

“Then I’ll your real first, aren’t I? It doesn’t count as washing your hands if you have gloves on right? I’ll take care of you I promise.” His eyes search mine while he bites his lip. I nod.

“O-Okay.” I squeak, and Mirio grins, pulling out of me fully just to phase through the condom, and then slowly push back in again. He groans louder, and bites his lip again.

“Fuck- yeah this is better.” He laughs lightly, rutting up again. “Oh- Yeah, Sunshine- Feel it? Deep inside? Yeah- All that sloppy cum inside you? I’m gonna make you cum while MY cum is all over you already.” Mirio’s tone borders on bragging, his eyebrows are drawn tightly together but his face looks nothing short of blissed out. His hands tighten on my ass as he moves me to rock against him instead of bouncing. All the better for my already tired thighs.

“Can I- Fuck- can we do doggy? I wanna see your ass- God it’s so fucking perfect.” Mirio pauses his thrusting to ask me the question, wanting a coherent answer.

“Isn’t doggy supposed to be deep? You’re already ah- filling me up.” I warn, but he giggles. Mirio captures my lips and begins to grind against me as I moan.

“Yeah- I know. That way I can- fuck- get that spot you like easier- c’mon sunshine, I want you to cum on my cock.” He moans the words against my lips, his eyes never leaving mine.

With our faces pressed together like this, it’s impossible to see anything but the sea of blue in his eyes. They’re so purely electric blue, so warm. So safe to get lost in.

“I wanna… I wanna see you though.” I protest and he pauses, then breaks out in a grin. He stands suddenly, never leaving from being inside of me. I have to keep my legs wrapped around his waist in fear I might fall, but his arms hold on to me tight to prevent it either way. He stops halfway across the room and pulls out of me, patting my ass to signal for me to let go.

I stand on wobbly legs as he turns me around to face the wide, floor-length mirror mounted on the wall next to his dresser. He is quick to squat down on his knees, and pull my waist to make me fall to sit on his thighs.

He reaches behind him, grabbing a pillow from his bed and throwing it onto the floor in front of me. “For your knees.” He chuckles, and pushes me forward. “Is this okay? I should have asked before I started-” He begins to sound self-conscious, but I nod.

“It’s fine.” I squeak, and he chuckles.

“Lean forward, let me make you feel good sunshine.” he presses a soft kiss to my neck as I follow his directions, feeling very exposed with my naked core pushed out into the empty air of the room. The feeling doesn’t last long though, as Mirio slowly pushes back into me with a heavy groan. As expected, he doesn’t even go flush against me before he’s pressing against my cervix. I gasp, eyes flying up to meet with Mirio’s in the mirror.

“Oh- you were right, looking at your face- those expressions- so much better.” He bites his lip, pulling back and pressing forward painfully slowly. I can feel the thick, flared head of his cock drag against my walls. I pant, letting my head fall forward as I moan. My arms give out, and I lean forward further, resting on my elbows instead of my wrists. Mirio gasps at the new angle and begins to thrust faster.

“Ah- Baby- Fuck there’s my sunshine. Yeah- fuck yeah Oh OH!” He grunts, gripping onto my hips to steady me as he lifts his leg, resting on one knee and one foot so he has more leverage to drill inside of me.

“God I need you to come- Fuck you feel way too good sunshine- ah- Gimme- gimme your hands.” He demands, but doesn’t wait for me to respond on my own. He leans over me, hitting even deeper as he grips onto my wrists and pulls them backward, suspending me in the air with our clasped hands.

“God- touching you is the best feeling in the world Sunshine. You’re so warm- so fucking wet and tight too- ah Sunshine!” He juts upward, his balls slap against my clit and I don’t have anywhere to hide my scream this time.

“Oh, you like that huh? I’ll just keep doing it then- yeah Sunshine? Fuck- Cum for me- won’t you cum for me Katie?” He questions, keeping a constant tempo against both spots, making white dots fill my vision. I open my mouth to correct him- but I find I don’t hate that nickname from his lips, not right now, anyway.

In the mirror, I can see him staring down at himself slipping in and out of me, pure wonder and adoration in his eyes. It’s all too much- I flutter, sucking in a harsh breath as I come. Everything seems to explode around me, light and colors and sounds and pure ecstasy that I’ve never felt before. God, how in the hell did he do that?

“Shit- ah! I can feel you cumming on my- ah!” He cries out, shoving himself deep inside again to come right up against the gummy ring of my cervix. “Katie-Katie-Katie- FUCK KATIE” He screams. I can feel his hot cum painting my insides, and I nearly come again from the sensation.

“Ah- I’m not done baby- I usually go three rounds or so on my own- Su-Sunshine. I’m gonna keep pouring my cum deep inside you- cuz I want you to feel it- I want you to feel how much I like you sunshine.” I spasm, tightening around him as he lowers my front half back onto the floor, liting my leg and turning me while never pulling out. My foot goes through his chest as I turn, and I wonder how much control he must have over his quirk to be able to do that when we’re… like this.

“I wanna see you squirm Katie, c’mon I know you have one more for me yeah? Don’t you, Sunshine? I’m gonna keep going until you do- I don’t care if I’m too sensitive- I’ll push through it for you, Sunshine.” He babbles, one hand holding my hip up while the other wraps around my breast, squeezing as he toys with the nipple under his thumb.

His hair is wet, hanging limply over his forehead, his pupils are blown. His chest is damp, dripping with sweat. His muscles- like sculpted by god himself- roll over his stomach as he thrusts.

“Su-Sunshine, Do you feel it? My cock deep inside you? Huh? You feel how much I like you? Yeah you do huh? You’re perfect- god you’re perfect. Let me hear you say it.” His hand trails down from my breast, stopping where we’re connected. He rubs my pearl with the pad of his thumb, sending me quickly to the brink again. Too many times- this angle, his adoration- “Say it sunshine. Say you’re perfect. Say you’re perfect and then Cum for me- C’mon Katie, I’m so close.” He begs, and, for once, I actually want to follow directions.

“I’m- I’m perfect-” I gasp as he shoots another hot load inside of me, sending me over the brink with his continuous, unbroken pistoning against me.

My eyes slam shut as I cum again- but a new feeling this time, Intense, overstimulation, so much pressure built inside of me, finally escaping in one metaphorical- and literal wave, as something drips own our thighs. I jump, the new sensation startling the hell out of me.

“Oh my god-” Mirio pauses, holding very still as he stares down at where our bodies are still connected.

“What- what the hell was that?!” I question, but Mirio just grins, leaning forward and kissing me, causing his softening member to jostle slightly inside of me. I whimper, but he chuckles.

“That was you… you uh… squirted.” He lets a short, clipped laugh escape as he slowly pulls out of me and stares down at my leaking core.

“I- I’ve never done that before.” I shake my head, and he grins.

“It’s super hot actually. Can you do it again? I wanna watch!” He’s giddy. I wince.

“Uh maybe not… I’m kinda- that was… a lot.” I blush deeply, closing my eyes.

“Oh, yeah- Definitely. Next time though?” He questions, and I swallow, finally looking up at him.

“Next time?” I question, but Mirio laughs.

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow morning. You look tired, Sunshine. Let’s cuddle, okay?” He rolls back to get into a squat, and lifts me like I weigh nothing before dropping me on his bed. I bounce slightly, and he rolls into the bed next to me, manhandling me to my side so he can spoon me before covering us both with his Darth Vader blanket.

“Goodnight, Katie.” He kisses my temple. “See you soon, my sunshine.”
Oh God. What Have I Done?

Chapter Text

My eyes open to an unfamiliar room. My throat is dry, and there’s something HEAVY laying on top of me. Worse yet, someone’s fingers are dancing around on my clit, making me pant. I panic, and scream, pushing back against the person on top of me.

“Woah- Sorry Sunshine! You were moaning and already wet so-” Mirio’s voice cuts through my panic, and my breath gets caught in my throat.

Oh. Oh fuck. Mirio backs up, and I sit up, keeping the blankets close to my chest. Shit- I’m completely naked. The memories from the night before come flooding back to me, and I suck in a breath.

“Fuck- This wasn’t supposed to- Oh. I gotta- I gotta go.” I move to stand, but Mirio’s arm tightens around me.

“You feelin’ okay sunshine? You’re all jittery.” He comments, and I swallow, looking down at him. I bite my lip, and will tears to stay behind my eyes instead of falling out of them. “Babe?”

“Don’t- don’t call me that.” I shake my head, and push his arm off of me. “I have to leave.” I mutter, dragging myself out of the bed with just the blanket as protection from his eyes. I leave him with the sheet.

“Sunshine- wait what about your pill?” He asks, standing as well and picking up my underwear that had been discarded to hand to me. My face burns as I take it from him.

“My what?” I ask, and he pauses with his head tilted.

“Your pill- I told you I would buy it, remember?” He questions with his eyebrow raised.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. It was a long night and I’d had a LOT to drink, If I told you I needed medicine or something don’t worry about it I have a really good immune system.” I joke, slipping on my underwear and then searching with my eyes for my dress.

“Oh- Fuck… were you- You were drunk?!” A panic, and a guilt, washes over Mirio’s form immediately. “I took advantage of you- oh fuck… we have to- you have to go to the police I-” I cut him off.

“What the hell are you freaking out about?” I question louder, and he pauses, eyes wide.

“We had sex. I uh- I came inside. I swear, Katie, I had no idea you were drunk- I didn’t think you could get drunk! Oh man-”

“I know we had sex- I’m not mad at you, I remember saying yes- and honestly, I wanted to. But I shouldn’t have done it- not when Tamaki has a crush on me, and I’m kind-of-but-not-really dating Shoto and with all the stuff going on at work- not to mention you’re technically my boss- It’s not even your fault. Everyone wants to fuck me.” I mutter, and grit my teeth. “I remember having sex too… well, parts of it- mostly just feelings. Sorry if I got your hopes up or anything.” I pick up my dress, and wince as I realise it’s going to look like the ultimate walk of shame when I get back to my dorm.

“Katie- This is my fault. I should have made sure you were sober- I even came inside you! You can’t consent if you’d been under the influence! I ra-” “

No!” I cut him off. “No you didn’t. Don’t say that, okay? Just- fuck- this is awkward. Could you still drive me to the drugstore? If you… finished without protection, I need Plan B and I don’t wanna ask Denki to drive me.” I run my hands through my hair and stare up at him.

“Of course! Let me get dressed and- ah, I’d like to buy you breakfast too, if that’s okay? It’s totally fine to say no I don’t wanna pressure you, but I feel like I owe you because I-”

“Sure, Mirio. We can… go to Ihop or something. We’re still friends, right?” I nod, and swallow. “But uh- You have to tell Tamaki.” I watch as he stumbles while putting on sweatpants.

“I- ah- kind of already did… He was… happy? Uh- Here. Scroll while I find a shirt that doesn’t smell.” Mirio hands me his phone, opened to messages between him and Tamaki

KoolaideMan: I’m gonna tell you something

KoolaideMan: and if you don’t wanna be my friend after

KoolaideMan: I totally get it

KoolaideMan: I really broke bro code here man

HentaibutWholesome: ?? I would never stop being your friend, Mirio. Are you okay? Should I come over?

KoolaideMan: I slept with Katherine

HentaibutWholesome: what do you mean?

A picture of me sleeping on his chest. Mirio’s arm is around my waist and he’s got the biggest grin on his face- I’ll have to yell at him about that later.

HentaibutWholesome: Woah. How did that happen? I thought you went to bed after the raid last night?

KoolaideMan: I did

KoolaideMan: But then Midoriya called me all panicked

KoolaideMan: at like, two in the morning

KoolaideMan: Katie had apparently stormed off after a fight with her ex

KoolaideMan: That fuckin’ Bakugo kid man. I knew I didn’t like him for a reason.

KoolaideMan: I’ll have to kick his teeth in later dude you won’t believe the shit he said to her.

KoolaideMan: I found her on the side of the damn road in the shittiest part of town shaking like a leaf

KoolaideMan: Seriously, it was like thirty last night

KoolaideMan: and she had on a tiny dress with nothing but her undies underneath

KoolaideMan: When I picked her up she cried for like an hour about the fight.

HentaiButWholesome: Katherine never cries? Even during the fight at the USJ she was stone-faced. If she was crying over a boy there was a lot more going on. She wouldn’t break down like that otherwise.

KoolaideMan: I know!

KoolaideMan: Apparently that shithead called her a whore or something Idk

KoolaideMan: Fuckin asshole kid, dude.

KoolaideMan: I was gonna just drop her off and then go back to that party and have a talk with him

KoolaideMan: But

KoolaideMan: She said she didn’t wanna be alone

KoolaideMan: So I invited her back to my dorm

KoolaideMan: I was just gonna sleep on the floor though

KoolaideMan: I swear I had no intentions of having sex

KoolaideMan: We got back and I put on fucking Ouran Highschool Host club

KoolaideMan: Because I know girls like that shit-

KoolaideMan: No offense I know you have a thing for it too

KoolaideMan: Even though you simp for the dude that has the same name as you lmao

KoolaideMan: But I figured since you like it and you and Katie are really similar that she would like it too

KoolaideMan: So I put it on hoping she would like it and calm down

KoolaideMan: But she was still all broken up

KoolaideMan: She spent like four hours crying on me dude.

KooladieMan: It was fucking awful hearing her like that you have no idea

KoolaideMan: And she kept apologizing

KoolaideMan: She was worried about “sounding weak”?

KoolaideMan: It was wack.

KoolaideMan: She talked about her family and apparently she has selective amnesia?

KoolaideMan: She said she doesn’t even remember most of the attack at the USJ

HentaiButWholesome: That’s a trauma response. She’s repressing being assaulted. It’s an unhealthy coping mechanism. Kate must really trust you to be telling you all of that. You probably shouldn’t be telling me. It might make her uncomfortable.

KoolaideMan: I know

KoolaideMan: But we tell eachother everything- I told her that already so

KoolaideMan: It should be fine

KoolaideMan: Anyway, I tried telling her that she should take a break

KoolaideMan: And she got all weird and avoidant

KoolaideMan: So I told her I liked her.

KoolaideMan: Dude- I’m so sorry I know you had a thing for her

HentaibutWholesome: I don’t mind. I am very happy for you, Mirio. You and Kate are both amazing people. I should probably talk to you about something when I see you next. Are you free for lunch? Also, You shouldn’t take pictures of her without her knowing. Remember the stalker thing?

KoolaideMan: Shit

KoolaideMan: You’re right.

KoolaideMan: I wasn’t thinking.

KoolaideMan: She’s just so cute.

KoolaideMan: Yeah, I should be free all day.

HentaibutWholesome: Are you two dating now?

KoolaideMan: I don’t know?!

KoolaideMan: I kissed her and then she started grinding on me and shit

KoolaideMan: So I asked her if she wanted to have sex

KoolaideMan: We used that condom you and I picked up at Pride back in middle school

HentaibutWholesome: STOP

HentaibutWholesome: Don’t tell me the intimate parts- It would make Katherine very upset. It’s inappropriate to talk about her like that with anyone. You should also show her these messages so she knows what you told me.

KoolaideMan: Will do.

KoolaideMan: Thanks for being the best bro anyone could ever ask for, Tamaki.

HentaibutWholesome: I love you, Mirio.

KoolaideMan: Love you too man.

HentaibutWholesome: Talk to you at lunch.

I huff, and put Mirio’s phone down on the bed. “God- I really should not have finished that bottle.” I mumble angrily.

“Uh- yeah, I meant to ask about that. Are you sure you’re okay? If you drank so much you don’t remember things from last night- shouldn’t you be sick?” Mirio leans down, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder. I tense.

“Healing, remember?” I gesture with my hand, which he grabs. He brings my hand up, and kisses the knuckles.

“Yeah. I remember. I have questions about that too.” He marvels at my hands before speaking again. “Do you… bleed like that every time?” His voice dips lower as he speaks, concern. I hate concern.

“I don’t think I would if I was really prepared but we just kind of went for it- but yes. My hymen re-grows every time.” I push myself out of his grasp, and he nods.

“Right- that’s my bad definitely. I should have been more careful with a lot of things. I didn’t want it to go like this.” He sighs, and grabs his car keys from his desk. “You should wear this- your dress is kinda short.” Mirio hands me the hoodie from last night, and I give him a small, tight smile.

“Thanks.” I slip the cloth on and move toward the door.

“Wait- ah… I- I need to know. What was the answer?” He pauses, his cheeks go red as he looks off to the side.

“Answer to what?” I tilt my head, and he sucks in a big breath before speaking.

“I asked you to kiss me to see if you liked me back. Do you?” He fiddles with the sleeves of his long-sleeved V neck. I swallow.

“I still- I’m not sure, okay?” Mirio sucks in a breath.

“Okay well… How about this. Today, we’re boyfriend and girlfriend. And, when the sun sets, you can decide whether you wanna break up or if you wanna date for real.” He gives me a coy smile, and I roll my eyes.

“Toogata… that’s the setup to a cheesy romance novel.”

“Fine by me, sunshine- I’m a sucker for a happy ending.” Mirio grins, and bites his lip. “How ‘bout it then? Sound like a deal?” He questions teasingly, and I bite at the inside of my mouth.

“Okay. But, there have to be ground rules.” I cross my arms, and Mirio nods.

“Agreed. Rule Number one. No sex. I really wanna prove to you that you’re worth more than that.” Mirio states, and yet again, I am caught off guard.

“Yeah, that makes sense. Rule Number Two: No one but me, you and Amajiki knows until I make the decision- Tamaki is allowed because you tell him everything anyway.” I explain, and Mirio nods vigorously.

“Rule Number Three. I’ll pick the food if you pick the movie.” He throws out, and I shrug.

“Rule Number Four, If this goes wrong, we never talk about it again and we go back to being friends.” I reach out my hand, signaling that I want to shake on it.

“And Rule Number Five, If it goes right, I get to call you mine.” He holds my hand, and brings it to his lips, kissing my knuckles again. “And I get to possibly get murdered by your uncle because he specifically told me to stay away from you.” He jokes, and I smack his arm.

“Mirio! Please tell me you didn’t actually talk to Sasaki about me.” I whine, and he laughs.

“Nah- he caught me and Tamaki talking about you and told me that if I tried anything funny He’d make sure all record of me was wiped off the planet- he told Tamaki to go for it though.” Mirio leans in and kisses my cheek. “Lets go babe- I’ve only got... “ He pauses to check his phone’s clock. “Ten hours to convince you. Can’t waste a second!” He opens the door to his dorm. “So, First stop, Wallgreens for the pill?” He questions, and I nod as we walk down the hallway to the elevators.

“Yeah, that part is kind of important.” I laugh awkwardly, but her reciprocates.

“Definitely. Do you wanna stop at your dorm and grab clothes first? It’s ten so the doors should be open.” Mirio holds all of the doors open for me, and keeps in constant step. It must be difficult, his legs are so long compared to mine.

“I can go in on my own, Mirio, you don’t have to-”

“Ah, ah, ah- Full ten hours, not wasting a single second, remember Sunshine?”

Chapter Text

The door to the dorm opens, and I’m met with emptiness. No one has come back yet. Oh. I turn toward Mirio. “Uh- I’m gonna stop and get Mineta off the ceiling. We taped him there last night so he wouldn’t creep on any of the girls while they were drunk.” I gesture to the boys’ hallway, and Mirio nods.

“Nice of you to do that I guess… But leaving him here all night? If he’s that bad why hasn’t he been expelled?” Mirio questions, I shrug.

“Well, honestly it’s because he doesn’t do much worse than unsolicited groping and everyone here can easily kick his ass. He’s never tried anything more dangerous I guess.” An unfamiliar look washes over mirio for a moment before he hums, and follows me to the dorm room. I knock twice. “Minoru? It’s Kate.” I introduce, and a muffled scream calls from the other side. I sigh but open the door to find him literally cocooned in tape. Only his nose is free for breathing.

“Hey, buddy- I came to spring you-” I say sarcastically, and pick up my shoe. Mirio watches with his eyebrow raised as I pull off the sole of my shoe and retrieve a small blade.

“You had a knife this whole time?!” He questions, and I shrug.

“I’m on too many shit-lists to not carry at least this. My quirk only works on living things and organic materials in a severe pinch.” I explain vaguely, and slice through Sero’s tape, helping the purple-haired boy down.

“Thanks.” Mineta mutters, staring straight at my bare legs.

“Yeah- you wouldn’t be in these pinches if you would keep your hands to yourself.” I remind the smaller boy, and he sighs.

“All worth it for boobs.” He nods with a far-off look. I groan. Horn-ball. Mirio and I leave the grape to his own devices and amble up to my bedroom. When Mirio steps inside, he tilts his head.

“There’s a lot of locks on that door.” He comments. I nod in response before speaking.

“Uh- so you know… kidnapped… stalker,” I mutter, bending down and digging through my bag to grab clothes. “What should I wear? Like, do you wanna treat this like we’re really dating? Should I wear a dress?” I question, drawing attention away from my safety precautions.

“Whatever’s easy and comfortable. I’m wearing sweatpants.” Mirio notes, and I roll my eyes.

“They’re the thin grey kind though.” I gripe and Mirio looks confused.

“Is there something wrong with thin grey sweats?” He asks genuinely, and I suppress a laugh.

“They’re whore attire for men, because you can basically see your dick through them.” I explain, and pull out a black sundress with sunflowers printed on it, and new underwear.

“Oh- I didn’t know that!” he chuckles and turns around so I can get dressed.

“Yeah, especially when it’s big like yours is.” I say bluntly, and Mirio laughs out loud.

“Quite straightforward of you, Sunshine- But remember rule number one!” He beams as I walk around him to grab my phone off of my bed.

“I’m all ready to go.” I nod, ignoring his pass.

“Alright, off we get then. I’m probably gonna bring you along for Lunch with Tamaki because it’s already close to eleven.” He mutters as I close the door behind us, locking it tight.

“Are you sure that’s okay? It sounded like Tamaki wanted to talk to you about something important.” I mention, and Mirio shrugs.

“I only have ten hours to convince you though, and Tamaki is comfortable around you so it shouldn’t be a problem.” As we step into the common room, my phone buzzes.

“You mind if I check my messages on the way? I don’t wanna be rude.” I murmur, and Mirio nods with a grin.

“Sure, But the phone’s going up after breakfast.” He teases without much real meaning behind it. I giggle.

42 missed messages

39 missed calls

FUCK.

4 messages from Shoto, five missed calls

FreezerBurn: I am sorry that I resorted to violence after you specifically asked me not to.

FreezerBurn: I was well over-intoxicated but it is no excuse

FreezerBurn: I went home after you left as to not cause more problems

FreezerBurn: Text me in the morning so I know you got back safe.

KatBlack: I spent the night with Toogata. Talk about it later. I’m turning my phone off till tomorrow.

7 messages from Eijiro, two missed calls

TheRock: I am so sorry

TheRock: I didn’t know he was going to say something like that

TheRock: He doesn’t mean it he’s just jealous and stupid

TheRock: I swear he’s actually really sweet

TheRock: Midoriya said Toogata picked you up. I’m glad you’re safe

TheRock: I’m sorry I dragged you into this.

KatBlack: All good. We were all fucked up. DW abt it. I’m turning my phone off till tomorrow.

18 Messages in the GirlsChat, Seven missed calls

RibbitForHerPleasure: What happened?

JohnCena: Yeah, where tf did you go @katblack

Trydefyinggravity: Deku said she’s fine, she went to hang out with Toogata

Pinkiepie: She’s not fine. Bakuhoe needs to get his ass beat for what he said to my homegirl.

HumanAuxCord: deadass. You deserve better than that asshole Kate.

Trydefyinggravity: Are you coming back @Katblack?

RibbitForHerPleasure: You should, Kirishima made Bakugo leave

JohnCena: I’m in their backseat y’all this is WILD I’ve never hear Kirishima yell before.

PinkiePie: ssdbfisbgfi YOU SNUCK IN THE BACK SEAT?!?!

RibbitforHerPleasure: Send audio

JohnCena: ==Audio message== 3:00

JohnCena: ==Audio message== 3:00

YaoMomo: Is anyone gonna check on Midoriya? He just walked off on his own.

Pikachu: Yeah he’s fine, Sero and I caught up with him

HumanAuxCord: Who tf let Denki in the GC

PinkiePie: That’s my bad. I promised I would if he sang

RibbitForHerPleasure: the worst trade deal in the history of trade deals.

YaoMomo: Be nice

KatBlack: I take it everything’s fine then? I’m turning my phone off till tomorrow.

One message from Katsuki

Kaachan: Sorry.

I roll my eyes, and do not dignify him with a response.

One message from Kai Chisaki.

Kai: I will be providing dinner for tonight. Do you have a preference for wine?

I suck in a breath and glance at Mirio. I weigh my pros and cons. In all reality, I should be able to sneak out if I do it through someone else’s room. I can probably bribe Mineta with a pair of my underwear… Not to mention he owes me one because of the tape thing.

KatBlack: I won’t be able to get out until 8 pm. I’m sorry, I know I was supposed to spend the whole day but something came up. Friend emergency lol.

Kai: Understood. I expect you to make the time up. Will you stay all of Sunday then?

KatBlack: Yes, that should be fine.

Kai: Good. It will be a late dinner then for tonight. Is there a Kind of wine you like?

KatBlack: I don’t really like it at all, it’s too sour.

Kai: Then I will find a sweet one, Angel.

KatBlack: If you insist. I’ll be turning off my phone until eight.

Kai: See you then. Dress warmly, it’s going to be cold tonight.

I grimace. What’s with him trying to get me to like him all of the sudden? Uncomfortable.

Lastly, and most disparaging, is the TWENTY-FIVE missed calls from Izuku. And the FOURTY TWO messages.

BwoccowiBoi: Katherine where did you go?

BwoccowiBoi: Kate answer your phone

BwoccowiBoi: Where are you?

BwoccowiBoi: Are you mad at me or something?!

BwoccowiBoi: Whatever I did I’m sorry!!

BwoccowiBoi: Just tell me what I did and where you are!

BwoccowiBoi: Katherine. Answer your phone. Now.

BwoccowiBoi: You’re being dramatic now.

BwoccowiBoi: If you don’t answer right now I’ll tell Sir Nighteye that you were drinking underage.

BwoccowiBoi: I’m not kidding. I’ll do it.

BwoccowiBoi: I’ll rat out the entire class to Aizawa.

BwoccowiBoi: You’re being a real bitch right now.

BwoccowiBoi: You don’t care that what happens to you affects all of us?!

BwoccowiBoi: Katherine, please

BwoccowiBoi: I’m sorry I don’t mean it I’m just worried about you

BwoccowiBoi: You don’t have to pick up

BwoccowiBoi: just text me that you’re safe

BwoccowiBoi: I called Mirio, if he doesn’t find you in an hour I’m coming after you myself.

BwoccowiBoi: I’m looking for you too.

BwoccowiBoi: ANSWER

BwoccowiBoi: THE

BwoccowiBoi: PHONE

BwoccowiBoi: I called your mom but she said you would be fine?!

BwoccowiBoi: What kind of mother says that about her kid at TWO IN THE MORNING?!

BwoccowiBoi: Katherine pick up the phone right now

BwoccowiBoi: WHERE ARE YOU?!

BwoccowiBoi: Don’t make me find a way to track your phone

BwoccowiBoi: Do you even have your phone on you?!

BwoccowiBoi: Please, for the love of god just tell me that you’re somewhere safe.

BwoccowiBoi: Pick up the damn phone.

BwoccowiBoi: ANSWER ME

BwoccowiBoi: If something happens to you I don’t know what I’ll do

BwoccowiBoi: Actually I do

BwoccowiBoi: I’ll kill Kaachan

BwoccowiBoi: So you better be okay

BwoccowiBoi: Please answer the phone.

BwoccowiBoi: I checked every hotel in the city but no one will tell me if you’re there!!!!

BwoccowiBoi: I called Sir Nighteye but it went to voicemail!

BwoccowiBoi: Katherine please I’m begging you to just tell me you’re okay.

BwoccowiBoi: Mirio said he found you.

BwoccowiBoi: Text me back, please

BwoccowiBoi: I’ll see you when I see you then I guess.

Jesus- okay, that one actually gets a phone call. I press the call button on his contact and bring the phone to my ear, earning a raised eyebrow from Mirio as I climb into his car. Izuku picks up on the first ring.

“Katherine- oh thank god.” He sounds like he’s on the verge of tears.

“I’m just calling to tell you I’m fine and I’ll be gone till Sunday night.” I say calmly, and there’s a long silence before Izuku speaks again.

“You’re with Mirio though, right? You’re not going back to Overhaul?”He questions, and I huff.

“Not that it’s any of your business at all, but yes, I’ll be with Mirio.” I half-lie.

“Okay. Put him on the phone.” Izuku’s voice brightens, and I pause, but roll my eyes, passing Mirio the phone.

“It’s Deku.” I mutter, and he chuckles.

“Hey, Midoriya!” He answers brightly. “Oh, yeah- big plans for the day. Gonna go hang out with Tamaki later too, maybe see a movie. Just really take some time off, ya know?” He pauses, letting Midoriya speak. His eyes glance over to me suspiciously for a moment. “No, She didn’t mention it.” His face goes red as he starts the car. “Yeah? Thanks for looking out. Katie’s completely safe with me.” He grins. “Nah- well… Unsure. We’ll have to find out.” Mirio hums, backing the car out of its parking space. “She’s alright Midoriya, we’re just going out to pick up some stuff.” He chuckles, starting down the road toward the convenience store. “Yeah, Good looking out. Text you later.” He murmurs and then throws my phone in the back seat.

The military-grade phone case will protect it, but I still scowl at him for his flippant behavior.

“SO! Uh, here starts the date part, I guess. We should talk about… stuff people who are dating usually talk about.” He murmurs, and I laugh.

“Okay well, uh, you first. You’re better at social interaction.” I reason, but he raises an eyebrow.

“Are you serious? You can’t lie to me, I saw the footage of your licensing exam, you’re a beast at dominating conversations and keeping people calm. It’s why your score was so high.” Mirio argues as he safely merges into the turn lane.

“Yeah, but that’s like… a fear response… When my adrenaline gets high I won’t shut up. I’m too calm with you to be dominating much of anything.” I look out the window at the people passing by on foot or in their own cars. What normal lives they must live compared to me.

“There were so many double entendres in that sentence I’m not even gonna bother picking a favorite.” Mirio jokes and reaches over to grab my hand. “Here,” He says, “Help me shift. Do you know how to drive at all?” His hand completely envelops mine on the gearstick.

“No, my dad was gonna teach me and then… ya know.” I shove those bad feelings down again. Not the time.

“Well, no matter what happens tonight I’m gonna teach you. It’s an important skill. I don’t really like the idea of you walking around all the time. You’re all… tiny.” He chuckles, and I grimace.

“Mirio, I don’t know if you noticed. But I’m a hundred and sixty pounds.” I gripe, and he rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, and you’re like four feet tall. Easily stuffed in a trunk.” He quips with a grin.

“I’m five-four!” I all but shout in annoyance, and he nods.

“Yeah, that’s what I said.” He squeezes my hand to shift down when he moved into another lane. “You’re about as much as what an average, untrained guy can deadlift. Which, honestly isn’t a lot. For example, just by going to UA, my lift is 400 pounds for ten reps. I could ragdoll you. And with as many people after you from every side, it’s probably best you don’t rely on arbitrary numbers to keep you safe.” He turns into a Walgreens parking lot and unbuckles.

“I hate when people worry about me.” I groan, and Mirio laughs.

“I’m not worried about you, Katie. I’m worried about ME. If something bad happens to you Sir is gonna be all over it. I’m actually not the best at academic work and I can’t afford to miss more school to go out looking for you.” Mirio flips down the mirror and checks his hair and teeth. I pause.

“Okay. You teach me how to drive on Mondays and I’ll tutor you on Wednesdays. I’ve got an eidetic memory, so as long as I get the textbooks I can figure it out.” I offer, and he nods.

“So that’s what the roundabout arguing is about- The burden thing.” He speaks cryptically, and I raise an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?” I ask incredulously as he climbs out of the car. I scramble to do the same. Mirio all but sprints to my side of the car, opening the door for me and helping me out of the seat with a smile.

“Well, you went on and on last night about feeling like you’re a burden- which you aren’t- So I think I’ve got you figured out. If I want to do something for you, I have to let you do something for me.” He surmises as we approach the drugstore. “Like- you’re letting me buy the pill for you and drive you here because I’m the one who got you into this mess.” He gestures widely, and I blush.

“Mirio! Keep your voice down.” I hiss through a whisper as we walk into the store.

I scan the aisles until I find the one I’m looking for. Family planning. Mirio reaches out, grabbing my hand as we walk. I flinch, but he doesn’t react to my discomfort. Upon coming to the Aisle, I have to stand on my tiptoes to see the top shelf. Mirio reaches slightly to the left, grabbing a box labeled “Phexxi”. I don’t know what that is, and I don’t think I want to know.

My heart stills as I find the plan B- or, rather, the spot where the plan B is SUPPOSED to be.

“It’s not here.” I say lowly, and Mirio frowns.

“I’ll go ask the lady at the prescription counter. Stay here.” He reaches up and ruffles my hair, then turns on his heel to walk away. I stand in awkward silence for a few long moments before reaching out and grabbing a pack of tampons. I might as well pick some of those up while I’m-

“Hey!” A voice calls behind me, and I turn to see a mop of green hair and a surprised smile.

“Deku? What are you doing here?”

Chapter Text

Izuku stares at me for a few long moments before he reaches to his left and grabs the first box his fingers fall on. “Just buying…” He pauses to look at the forty-count box of condoms. “These.” He blushes, and doesn’t meet my eye.

“Huh, I’m guessing you and Ochacco really hit it off then?” I ask with an awkward giggle. His blush deepens.

“Oh no! It’s not like that-” He’s cut off by Mirio coming up behind him, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey Midoriya! Funny running into you here-” Mirio’s smile is slightly tight, and something twists in my gut again. Off. This is off. Not bad- just wrong.

“They don’t have the thing.” Mirio sighs at me, and releases Izuku.

“What?!” I ask, panicked, and Izuku frowns.

“What are you guys looking for?” The green-haired boy asks, and I swallow.

“It’s… embarrassing. I gesture to my box, and he nods.

“Oh- If you need like… medicine I have plenty in my dorm room that I bought before I met you and you started healing me.” Izuku offers, and I shake my head.

“Thanks but it’s something else.” I give him a tight smile and shoot a look at Mirio ‘help me’ written across my eyebrows. Mirio is perceptive, and takes charge of the situation.

“We should really get going- no time to chat, we’re kinda on a time crunch. Lets go check out.” Mirio reaches forward and grabs my box, leading me out of the aisle and away from Izuku. “Kinda glad they don’t have it here- would suck if Midoriya saw us like that.” Mirio’s voice is low as we get in line. “What kinda candy do you like?” He asks suddenly, looking over the wide selection.

“Chocolate- anything but stuff that has nuts.” I speak through my heart pounding. What does he MEAN they don’t have it?! Mirio must sense my anxiety, because he leans in close to whisper. “It’s okay, we’ll just go somewhere else. There’s a CVS right up the road.” He murmurs extremely lowly- oh, I did tell him the entire ins and outs of my quirk I guess. I relax minutely.

The check out is awkward. My box of tampons, every chocolate bar they sell without nuts and whatever the hell “Phexxi” is looks pretty suggestive. The clerk gives Mirio a very apologetic look after glancing at me for all of a moment. Oh. I suppress a laugh as I realize what exactly this looks like. I’m PMSing and Mirio is my hostage. How funny. Mirio pays for it all and we amble back into the car, not seeing Izuku again.

“You okay?” Mirio asks once we settle into our seats.

“Worried. I need that pill. My mom got pregnant in Highschool and it stalled my dad’s career and she never finished school and-”

“Hey, hey! Breathe, Katie, Breathe.” Mirio pauses, reaching for my hands and holding them between his. I pause, looking up at him with watery eyes. “We’ll find the damn pill. Even if I have to drive all over Georgia, I’ll get you what you need. I promised you I would take care of you and I mean it, okay?” He looks me in the eye and squeezes my hands tighter. I nod, and breathe. “Even if… something happens. I’ll still take care of you. This is my fault entirely. I’ll do anything you want.” His tone is deadly serious. He means everything he’s saying.

“My Dad tried to take care of my mom. He was religious. They got married when she was seventeen and they had Archie a few years after… They hated each other. The only reason they got divorced was because of how toxic they ended up being together and it was negatively affecting my brothers. I don’t want those same things to happen to us.” I shake my head, tears falling freely.

“They won’t, Katie. I swear to you, I won’t let anything get in the way of the future you want.” Mirio wipes away my tears with the pad of his thumb, and waits for my breathing to regulate before he starts the car. “Eat a candy bar for me, please.” He glances down at the bag in my lap. “You need the sugar. Your quirk is slowing down again. Your eyes are still puffy.” He comments, and I tilt my head. He notices something that small? Well… he is one of the big three.

I obey quietly, opening a three-musketeers and eating it slowly. I can’t taste the chocolate or nougat over my own fear. He pulls up to the CVS and takes a deep breath.

“How about you wait in here and I’ll go get your pill. You look like you need a break.” He smiles softly, and I nod.

“Thank you, Mirio.” I say earnestly, and he leans in, kissing me softly on the forehead. Platonic. Kind.

“Be right back. Lock the doors.” He all but jumps out of the car, hurrying to the entrance. I reach back, grabbing my phone. I have a few minutes, and I’m curious. I click on the first Audio message that Toru sent, and listen closely.

“She SMILED at us Kats. She hasn’t done that in weeks. She was happy and joking and exactly like how she was at the Sushi Bar. Tonight was our chance to win her back. We were having a good time. We were ALL having a good time and then you fuckin’ ruined it!”

“All I’m saying is she didn’t have to go into the fucking closet with brainwash-guy after we told her he might be the stalker- and Yeah, I was pissed off that she was hanging on Icyhot all night and fawning over damn Deku.”

“You really are a real fucking piece of work, Kats. How fucking dare you talk to her like that after everything that’s happened to her. Everything the two of you have been through together! You said you fucking loved her and now you’re telling her you only ever wanted her for her ass?!. ”

“Ki-”

“No- you shut the fuck up because I’ve fucking had it with this macho-bravado bullshit. It isn’t fucking manly to treat girls like shit just because she doesn’t fucking want you. And for good fucking reason too because right now I don’t fucking want you. No one is ever gonna want to be around you if you act like this. You know that. We’ve fucking talked about this. I thought you were getting better man- you said you were going to therapy!”

“I was- but after she fucking dumped me-”

“US! SHE DUMPED US BECAUSE OF YOU! That’s your fucking problem man, everything is always about YOU isn’t it? Did you EVER stop to think about how your behavior might affect me?! We’re supposed to be in this together but it’s always the fuckin Bakugo show! I’m TIRED of it! I liked her Kats. I really fucking liked her and I liked what the three of us had- it felt RIGHT and you had to go and fucking ruin it because you couldn’t fucking keep it in your pants and stop worrying about Midoriya for five fucking seconds. I don’t get your deal man! Do you wanna fuck him too or something? It’s the only explanation for how goddamn obsessed with him you are.”

“I’m not obsessed with fuckin Deku- I told you, man I fucking hate that guy. He’s a creep. You saw the fuckin’ notebook-”

I suck in a breath, and press on the next audio.

“He’s AUTISTIC Katsuki- and you’re an ableist prick if that’s the reason you hate him so much. He’s never done anything to you- or to Kate. He was the ONLY one besides me who was ready to risk it all and save you both. He almost got caught by Hand-guy just to save you.”

“I know- Fuck, I know. But you don’t know him like I do. I’m telling you man, there’s something off about him.”

“No, Katsuki. There’s something OFF about you. There’s something wrong with you. You’ve got so much anger and hatred in you. Look at you, I can smell the glycerine coming off of you. Your hands are in fucking fists even when you’re driving. You shouldn’t even BE driving right now- we’re both drunk.”

“If we crash, you’ll be fine.”

“Oh don’t start that manipulative bullshit with me, Kats. Threatening to hurt yourself won’t change anything. Why don’t you go ahead and go back to threatening me, huh? That works so much better. You know, it really is no fuckin wonder why Kate flinches when you get close. Everyone is always afraid of you. Everyone but me. Because I know you can be better than this. I know you ARE better than this. But you know what? The only Villain that ever had a chance of beating you is you. Is that who you want to be? The bad guy?! Because if so, you’re doing a real good job. You’ve got everyone terrified of you. Kate didn’t cry that much when she was fucking RAPED. You scared her so much she locked herself in a bathroom. And you know who had to take care of her while I was busy worrying about you? Midoriya. Midoriya made sure she was safe while you were having a dick measuring contest with Todoroki. You don’t get to hate him for being a better man than you. ”

“I know. I- I fucking know, okay. I know how horrible I am, you don’t have to keep saying it.”

“You need to fucking fix it, Kats, You need to go back to therapy. You need to make a big fucking apology to Kate, and another to Mina for fucking ruining her birthday. You knew how much she was looking forward to that party. She’s been talking about it since middle school, dude. You have to make it up to them.”

“I will. I’ll figure it out, okay? Please… please stop yelling at me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too.”

I swallow. Well, while I’m here… I check the voicemails left by everyone last night.

Three from Izuku

“Kate- please call me back.”

“Me again. Please pick up the phone.”

“Pick up the phone Kate- we’re all worried.”

I swallow. Okay. A voicemail from Kiri

“Hey, I’m so sorry about what Katsuki said. None of it’s true. I hope you know that. I think he and I are gonna take a break for a while and figure some stuff out. If you need anyone to talk to, I’m always here for you. I do still care a lot about you. Uh, stay safe and block Katsuki in case he wants to say anything else stupid. See you Monday.”

Kirishima… always the mediator.

The last voicemail… Dad.

My finger hovers over the play button. Do I want to listen to that right now? Can I handle all of that? I’m still contemplating as Mirio approaches the car, bag in hand.

“I got the thing- and a Coke. I saw you drink one at lunch once so…” He trails off, and looks me in the eye.

“What’s up?” He asks softly, and I show him my phone.

“Uh… he sent this while I was kidnapped. I never opened it.” My hands are shaking.

“You should wait until you’re feeling better. No use in stressing yourself out any more than you already are. You already waited this long. If anything, you should probably listen with Sir there. You should be with family.” I laugh, wiping my face for tears that haven’t actually fallen.

“Yeah, Uncle Sasaki and Dad kind of hate each other. Sasaki always said my dad ruined my mom’s life.” I joke, and Mirio tilts his head.

“He’d be there for you if nothing else. Sir cares for you. A lot.” Mirio nods as if this is an immutable fact. Maybe it is. I open the bottle and down the pill.

“I’m just gonna ignore it until tomorrow. I don’t want to ruin today.” I offer Mirio a small smile, and he sighs, starting the car.

“If you want, Sunshine. But nothing could ruin time I’m allowed to have with you. So, Ihop?” He ends his thought casually, as if he didn’t just say the sweetest thing I’d ever heard. I blush wildly, staring down at my hands.

“Yeah. Sounds nice.” I cough out.

Chapter Text

“Can you take a bite of this first?” I question, pointing down at my pancakes. Mirio raises an eyebrow, but does it anyway.

“Why?” he asks as he chews the dough.

“I have… a phobia of eating food that I didn’t watch get made, or if it’s not packaged.” I explain, and he nods.

“Weird- but Kinda cute. I’ll never turn down extra food.” He chuckles, digging into his own hashbrowns. I look down at the strawberry and get an idea.

“Hey- wanna see something cool?” I ask, and he grins, nodding with his mouth full. I take a bite of the strawberry and then focus on it, pushing healing into the small fruit. Slowly, it re-forms, looking good as new. He swallows, and his jaw drops.

“Holy- That’s so cool! How’d you figure out you could do that?!” Mirio’s tone is so light and airy, so happy. I giggle.

“I figured out if I can hurt plants I can heal them too. Takes more energy than it’s worth, but it’s a neat party trick.” I explain simply, and he nods.

“So- it only works on things that are alive, right?” I nod.

“People, Plants, Animals too. I saved my mom thousands in vet bills when our dog tore her ACL.” I clarify, and tilt my head. “I can heal parts I don’t have, but those wounds become internal. Usually attacking my blood cells directly, so I have to be careful or those kinds of wounds make me pass out.” He nods in contemplation.

“You said you healed Compress’s arm- how does that work, does your arm fall off or something?” He takes another bite as I answer.

“Nah, It heals like any other wound. It reforms while passing the wound, so it’s just intense pain, and it FEELS like it’ll fall off, but it stays intact. My limbs usually pretty numb for a couple of hours after.” I gesture with my hand. “I can heal any wound as long as the person still has brain function. But, since my body heals all living things, there’s not much I can do about bacteria- besides the fact that my body is basically penicillin. So, if I wanna heal that, a person has to ingest some of my sweat or blood. I can handle viruses normally though, since they’re not living. They’re just jacked-up pieces of DNA. I can even cure cancer.” I nod, cutting my pancakes into tiny pieces so I don’t have to pause to eat. “I can also uh… heal memories? I guess? I’m not sure what that was with Tamaki, to be honest.” I shrug, and Mirio nods.

“If you wanna train that, Tamaki would definitely be down.” He offers, and I sigh.

“Yeah, I should talk to Tamaki about it. And the possibility of giving him some vials of blood to use for his quirk.” I agree, and Mirio sticks his tongue out.

“Well, we can all talk about it over lunch… in like three hours because we had breakfast so late.” Mirio chuckles. I snort a laugh and shake my head.

“I can’t eat that much. I’ll get fatter.” I warn him, but he rolls his eyes.

“So, there will be more of you to love, who cares? It only matters that you’re healthy, and since it’s basically physically impossible for you to be unhealthy you can pretty much do whatever you want! Not to mention, your quirk works on energy, so it’s probably actually better for you to have a little extra meat- Like Fatgum.” Mirio pours more syrup over his hashbrowns. The boy has a definite sweet-tooth.

“Yeah, but I don’t like it. I wish I was prettier, not just fuckable, you know? I wanna be one of those girls who walks into a room and everyone falls in love. Not someone everyone wants a piece of, but someone everyone gets peace from being around.” I toy with the fork, swirling the pancake on the end of it around in the strawberry syrup.

“You’re… an idiot, Sunshine. You ARE that girl.” He shakes his head, and laughs humorlessly. “You have to stop taking shit from douchebags like Bakugo and look around you. I’ve never seen a single person who didn’t look at you like you were the only light in the world. It’s why I call you Sunshine.” He looks me in the eye, and tilts his head to the left.

“I think you just might be the most beautiful girl in the world. When I first met you, I thought you might have a fire quirk too. Because the second I walked into your classroom, I felt so warm. You are so warm. Just being around you makes everyone happier. Overhaul was onto something about people being healed in your presence… but I don’t think it has anything to do with your quirk. It’s just… YOU.” He sighs, leaning back in his seat. “You and Tamaki are A LOT alike. It’s probably why I like you so much.” He leans in, and lowers his voice.

“Don’t tell anyone… I kind of have a crush on him.” He mumbles lowly, and I shake my head.

“Why’s that a secret?” I ask, brows furrowed.

“Well, He’s my best friend. And I don’t want to ruin that.” He swishes his straw in his water, and I blow air through my nose in a slight laugh.

“Didn’t bother you when we… did what we did.” I argue, and he purses his lips.

“You know what? You’re right. I’m gonna tell him.” He sits up, and looks me in the eye.

“Maybe the three of us could date- you did that with Kirishima and Bakugo, how did it work?” He questions, and I blank.

“I… don’t remember dating Bakugo. The LOV took the memory of him for some reason, remember?” I note to the conversation we had last night, and he groans.

“Yeah, figures. Guess it’d be new territory for us all then. I’ve had a few girlfriends, but never got as far as… we did. Tamaki’s too awkward to talk to girls, but he had his first kiss before me with Nejire. They had sex a few times before they split, it was a clean break. They wanted different things.” He nods, I wince.

“Are you supposed to be telling me this?” I ask, and he shrugs. “I was never asked to keep it secret so it’s not one. All of the third-years know so it’s no big deal if you do too.” Mirio takes the last bite of his food. “The way Tamaki described sex was… nothing like how it was though. He said it was awkward and sweaty and took a lot of self-control to stay calm and not cum prematurely. The last part was pretty true… but everything else was… amazing. I don’t know how it was for you… but I can’t imagine anything better.” He keeps speaking as my face heats up beyond belief and I search the restaurant to make sure no one’s listening. No one is, thankfully.

“I don’t remember most of it… but I do remember… making a mess? It felt good but it was really weird.” I keep my voice very low, and he nods.

“Yeah- that part was my favorite. I still wanna see you do it again. Maybe on my face?” He grins, and I flinch.

“Mirio!” I hiss his name, and look around again. Still, no one cares. “Rule number one.” I remind him, and he shrugs.

“Just because we won’t do it, doesn’t mean we won’t talk about it. I wanna talk about it. We don’t have to if you don’t want to, though.” He speaks with a stern nod, and I gulp.

“Well… uh. I liked… you being nice to me? I dunno… I just like praise I guess.” Mirio grins.

“Oh, I can definitely do that. I liked the way you’d react to it. You would go all tight and fluttery inside. Felt really good.” He paused to take a sip of his water. “I liked when you would touch me. Your hands feel really good on my skin, like morphine but not numb. Just… good.” He licks his lips, and then continues. “Also your little moans are really cute, but we’d have to be more careful if we did it at the dorms. The walls are pretty thin. We got lucky since basically the whole school went home for the weekend.” He chuckles, and I nod.

“Sorry, I can’t really help it.” I mumble, and he rolls his eyes.

“I JUST said I like it. Don’t apologize.” He speaks as I take the last bite of my pancakes, chewing with my ears hot. “You know what else I like? Your face when you’re embarrassed. You go all red and your eyes get really big.” He teases, and I grimace.

“You’re a jerk, Toogata.” I grumble, and he frowns.

“I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I meant that it’s cute. Endearing.” He offers his hand, palm up. I stare at it for a second before taking it. “You need to lighten up, sunshine. Tell you what, after lunch, how about we go to the carnival? It’s in town till tomorrow. Is that something you would like?” He questions gently, and I let loose another short breath from my nose.

“Sure. Why not.” I nod, and start stacking my plates and cup at the end of the table. Mirio is quick to follow. I stop him when he’s about to stack cups together. “Those have to be separate or they’ll topple over on the serving platter and break.” I explain, and he raises an eyebrow at me. “My mom was a waitress.” I mumble quickly. “She has a flying quirk, but after she had me she kind of gave up the idea of being a hero. She also has premonition dreams, but she can’t control getting them like Sir does.” I clarify as Mirio slaps some cash onto the table.

“Ah, that makes sense. Sucks it went that way though. A flying hero with a future-telling quirk would have been really cool to see- If she and your dad had stayed together they would have dominated in search and rescue.” He offers his hand to help me up, and I take it gladly.

A prickle goes up the back of my neck. My stomach twists, And a single thought rushes through my mind. I’m being watched. I squeeze Mirio’s hand, and lean into him.

“Something’s wrong. Check my six.” I feign a smile and speak through my teeth, eyes dancing across the room. Something is definitely wrong here. I don’t see anything out of the ordinary.

“Some of the teachers are here?” He nods across the room, to where Aizawa is sitting with Present Mic and Shinso.

They realize I’ve spotted them. Aizawa and Shinso look away quickly, but Mic hails us over with a warm smile. Mirio moved before I do, pulling me around the partition wall toward the group.

“Ah, Miss Black! I have to say, your essay on R and J was stellar! You really got the material!” Mic compliments, and I nod.

“I’ve read it about a thousand times so I wasn’t worried. I know old English can be daunting but I’ve got a propensity for languages.” I shoot a glare at Aizawa. Couldn’t have cheated on that test. Mic was standing next to me the whole time and I still aced it.

“Glad to hear it! Up next is Gatsby, but don’t go around thinking you can just watch the movie and get a good grade, Ya dig?” He jokes, and leans back. “SO, you two lovebirds out for brunch? Gotta say, a smile is a good look on ya, Kat!” Mic grins wider, looking at me over his yellow sunglasses.

“Nothing like that. I’ve just been told I’m not allowed to go out on my own anymore and I figured a member of the big three is safe enough.” I glance at Shinso, who looks ragged. “Hey- you good?” I ask, and he nods.

“Tired. Party ran late last night, you actually left pretty early.” He winces as he speaks. Oh, he’s VERY hungover.

“Gimme.” I reach out my hand, and he sighs, obeying. I take the slight cellular death. “Drink some water and take a nap, you’ll be fine.” I offer softly, and Shinso frowns.

“Thanks, Mom.” He rolls his eyes.

“I take it Toogata brought you home then, and you did not go do anything stupid and or illegal?” Aizawa’s tone is accusatory. I don’t care for it.

“Yep, Kept an eye on her all night. She won’t be going back to that Overhaul creep any time soon. Sir made that abundantly clear.” Mirio nods helpfully, and I bristle. He better just be playing his part. If he thinks he can waltz into my life and-

“Good. I’m glad that Katherine finally has some good influences in her life. Thank you, Toogata.” Aizawa speaks solemnly. I grit my teeth.

“Well, as nice as this was, I’ve got more errands to run today, since I’ll be on house arrest for two weeks.” I spit, turning on my heel. Mirio is quick to follow.

Chapter Text

“The animosity between you and Mister Aizawa has to stop, Kate.” Mirio tries again, his voice is soft, it’s a suggestion, not a command.

“You don’t get it. He’s such a prick!” I shake my head, glaring out of the window.

“He obviously cares a lot about you. He wouldn’t be getting in your way otherwise. He’s going about it all the wrong way, that much is obvious, but he’s trying.”

“He’s trying to be my dad and he’s fucking not” I grumble, and Mirio’s hand places itself over my thigh again.

“Hey- Breathe. You’re getting upset again.” He warns, and I nod, taking a deep breath before I speak again. “Eraserhead is a really busy guy. He still works as a pro and is a teacher at UA. He oversees all of your class’s progress… even in your academics. If he’s this invested in you, it’s more than trying to fill the role your dad left. It might be him trying to pay you back for saving his life. I saw that fight at the USJ. It was really bad. He probably feels guilty about what happened with Shigaraki too. He was the reason you stayed, and he was powerless to help you then.” Mirio surmises carefully, drawing small circles on my thigh with the pad of his thumb. I pause.

“That… makes alot of sense actually.” I agree, nodding. “Maybe I owe him an apology.” I mumble, and Mirio shrugs.

“That’s all up to you, Sunshine. Just do whatever makes you happy, okay? I hate seeing you down all the time.” He sighs, and I grimace again.

“Then why do you want to be anywhere near me? I’m kind of awful. I’m a total bitch to everyone, and I’m very defeatist and nihilistic.” I point out over the dash.”You’re a really cute guy, and you’re sweet and charming and talented. You could have anyone in the world, why inconvenience yourself with me?” Mirio smiles, and shakes his head.

“I sure didn’t pick you because of your brains. All the perfect memory in the world doesn’t help if you have no common sense.” He sighs, and picks at the end of my dress, pulling it down to cover my knees. “You are the farthest thing from an inconvenience.” He adds, before tilting his head to the side, and biting his lip. “Wanna go be feral in a Target for a few hours while we wait for lunch with Tama?” He asks with a smile, and I laugh.

“‘Feral’ Jesus, what kind of trouble can we actually get into while at a superstore?” I question with an eyebrow raised, but he just smirks.

“You’ll see.” He says cryptically, and I pause.

“I warned you against kidnapping me already, right?” I joke, and he nods.

“Hm. Would be easy though. You’re already in my car… I could keep you in a box with a hole just big enough to slide food into, and just walk through the wall if I wanna hang out. I’m sure Eraserhead would LOVE keeping you prisoner.” Mirio teases, and I roll my eyes.

“I would fuckin’ kick the shit out of you before you got the chance, pretty boy.” I retort, and he whistles.

“Wow Sunshine, you kiss your mother with that mouth?”

“I’ll kiss yours.” I keep up with the banter, and he laughs.

“You’re a quick one!” He nods happily, pulling into the target parking lot. “Not quick enough though.” He clicks the seatbelt out of place, and leans over the middle of the car as it shuts off. He licks my face. A full, flat tongue across my forehead, just over my eyebrows. “Gotcha.” He chuckles, and jumps out of the car, booking it into the store. I sit in dumbfounded silence for a few long moments before my phone pings.

PrettyBoy: Come and get me, Sunshine.

Oh. It’s fucking on.

I climb out of the car, and stalk through the parking lot, past a car that honks at me. I give it a middle finger. I don’t give a shit. I step into the building and listen carefully. Mirio, you cheeky bastard. Where are you? It’s Saturday, ten-thirty in the morning. Not to busy. I listen beyond the hum of electricity, the chattering of people. Some kid crying in the clothing section. Mirio’s heart should be pumping harder. He was running, and he’s being chased, Even if he knows I won’t hurt him, a human’s natural response to being chased is fear. He’s fucked himself. I listen harder, honing my hearing. I slept well, I ate. I’m at the top of my game. All I have to do is use my skills.

My stomach twists. Left. I follow it, listening to the voice I ignore so often is uncomfortable, but fuck it. I’m in a TARGET for gods sake. Nothing bad ever happens in a Target. That’s what WallMarts are for. I pull out my phone. Let’s see if this idiot left the ringer on. Music starts to play from the Arts and crafts section. A loud “SHIT!” rings over it. I rush forward, as he answers the phone. I press mine to my ear.

“Oh, that wasn’t very smart of you…” I tease in a singsong voice. A short chuckle comes from the other line.

“Ah- has anyone ever told you how hot you are when you’re angry?” His voice shakes. Awe. He’s actually a little scared. Cute. I glance up, at the mirrored surface of the security camera. I made eye contact with him through the reflection, and his eyes widen.

“Found you, pretty boy,” I murmur, and he runs. “You can’t run for long. And I can hear your footsteps.” I remind him. I don’t run. I walk. I stalk him like he’s prey. It feels good to be the aggressor for once.

“Ah- Using your quirk is no fair!” He says in a hushed tone. I giggle.

“Oh, I’m using ALL of my talents. I don’t plan on making things fair after you LICKED me.” I turn slightly, checking my surroundings. If I push him closer into the video games, he’ll be cornered. Easy enough.

“I’d like to lick you more. Maybe make you cum on my face, Just an option if you choose to stay after sunset.” He mentions lewdly, and I roll my eyes.

“Careful. I might be able to hear your dick slapping against your thigh if you go and make yourself hard.” I warn, and he chuckles.

“All fun and games until you’re screaming for it. ‘Oh Mirio- Right there, Don’t stop’” He moans mockingly in a hushed tone. He’s goading me. It won’t work. The cold calculation has set in now. I’m too pent up in my anger.

“Hm. Bold words for a boy in pegging distance.” I shift on the balls of my feet. I can still feel his presence. I’m herding him. He hasn’t realized it just yet it seems.

“Is that actually on the table? Because I’m not gonna lie, Sunshine, that sounds really hot. Maybe tomorrow we can go pick out a strap. Nothing too big, I don’t wanna feel sub-par or anything.” He’s whispering as softly as he can. He’s using the hum of electricity to cover his voice. The phone drowns out the ability to hear him organically. He’s smart- or lucky. Probably lucky.

“Shoulda’ known you were the type.” I chuckle. A prickle at the back of my neck. Behind me. No, Mirio is in front of me. That is something- someone else entirely. I move forward again, and glance up at the camera. A person. Can’t tell height from the way the bulbous mirror stretches and warps the image, but a person nonetheless. Blue jeans, dark hoodie. It covers over their face.

They pause when I do, and duck behind the nearest Aisle. I huff, pulling the phone away from my ear and covering the receiver. “I don’t know which group you belong to, but you better scurry on home before I put my foot up your ass. I’m having a good time with my friend and if you ruin it, I’ll stomp your kneecaps backwards, Kay?” I speak loudly, clearly. I can see the person’s back as they retreat in the reflection. Good. I’ll worry about that later, I guess. I press the phone back to my ear. “Mirio, are you having fun?” I question languidly, tiptoeing around to where I can hear his pittering heart.

“The time of my life! You’re nowhere NEAR-” I Wrap my arms around his tee-shirt clad waist, shoving my face into his muscular torso.

“Found you.” I mumble softly, and look down at my phone. “Twenty minutes. Not bad. I should have told you search and rescue is my specialty. I’m usually better at the rescue than the search, but this was pretty good practice.” I hum, and he stiffens.

“You’re uh- You’re kinda scary when you get all primal like that.” He admits, and I release him so he can turn around. The sheer difference in size between us makes it kind of funny that he’s even remotely frightened. He’s a half a foot taller than me, and buff as all get out. “You won the game though! I’d say let’s switch roles, but you’d never get caught. You could probably hear me coming a mile away!” Mirio smiles warmly, and I giggle.

“You are… exceptionally heavy-footed.” I comment, and pause. Should I tell him we were followed? He looks so happy and at peace right now… No… I think it should be fine. Besides, the person was following me, and not him. And they went away when I asked. Couldn’t have been that bad.

“We still have a few hours until Lunch. Anything you wanna do?” He questions, and leans forward, checking out the games on the shelf.

“We’re already here right… what do you like to play?” I question, and he raises a brow. “Oh, uh… well Tamaki and I play Destiny. He’s really good. I don’t think he’d mind carrying you if you wanna learn? We actually could use a Warlock.” He suggests, and I nod.

“Uh- sure. But I’ll have to buy a system and a TV to play it on too. I have lots of money since dad’s life insurance policy was in the millions… no one ever thought he’d go because he was basically Immortal. No one but me and my mom knew he could be taken out by enough fire.” I mumble, glancing over the games. “Should I get a switch? Animal crossing looks fun.” I hum, and Mirio grins.

“You’ll have to visit my island. I can dump a few million bells on you to get you going- don’t want my girlfriend sucking Nook’s Knob for froggie chairs.” He jokes, and I giggle.

“Noted. I’ll get that too then. Would you help me mount a TV in my room?” I bend over to pick up the game I wanted, and Mirio wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me back upright.

“Your skirt is too short for you to be bending over like that.” He whispers seriously, and I wince with a blush.

“My bad- I’ve never worn it before, Midnight picked out most of my clothes and they’re all kinda revealing.” I gripe and he frowns.

“Well, we’re already in the store- why not pick out stuff you actually like then?” He suggests, and I peer up at him.

“That’s gotta be boring for you though- You’re a guy?” I say it like it’s a question. Yes, Clearly he is a guy Kate. Less than eight hours ago, that GUY’s penis was-

“I don’t mind. Sounds like fun. C’mon, you can even try stuff on and I’ll give you my opinion. Not that it’s needed or anything- and honestly, I’m not the best with fashion. I’ve had these converse for, like, since the eighth grade- but you know what they say, with converse, you gotta wear them till they fall off.” He rambles, and I laugh, leaning into his ribs. He takes his hand out of his pocket and gives me a side hug. “And, ya’know, if you wanna try on Lingerie or something-”

“MIRIO.”

“What? It’s not breaking the rules. I can look and not touch, I’m not an ANIMAL.” He drawls, holding me tighter. I laugh, shaking my head.

“Rule number one was YOUR idea, dingus.”

I tease, and he nods. “Not regretting it at all. I respect you as a person and I, as a grown man, can keep my bits to myself. Even when you bend over in front of me with lacy black panties on- by the way, those kind are my favorite.” He ruffles my hair and steps away, trailing his hand down my arm to grasp at my fingers. He always seems to want to be holding my hand. It’s cute.

Chapter Text

“Why would you ever BUY an oversized hoodie when you can just steal mine?” Mirio pouts as he lifts the TV onto the mount.

“Because I like having my own stuff.” I roll my eyes, looking back down at my screen. “I’m gonna name my Island Funkytown.” I giggle, and he laughs.

“Mine is Hell, but only spelled with one ‘l’ because Nintendo is a buncha baby-backed bitches.” He complains, and steps back to check and see if the TV is level. “You can play the switch on the big screen too. But I’m gonna set up your XBox first.” He gets to work doing just that, fiddling with wires and such. I lean back onto my bed, and focus on collecting fruit. “So lucky that you got peaches first. I got stuck with Cherries. I’m pretty sure Nook was bullying me for being a virgin.” He chuckles, and flops onto the bed next to me, controller in his hands.

“You think being a virgin ONCE is bad?” I click my tongue, and he winces.

“Yeah, sorry again about that. If I’d known I would have been a lot more careful in the beginning.” He peers over at me, and sighs. “C’mere.” He pats his lap, and I squint at him. “‘M not breakin’ the rules. Just wanna be close to you.” He grumbles under his breath, and I roll my eyes, but obey anyway, sitting between his thighs with my back pressed against his broad chest.

His arms wrap around me as he goes back to work on the settings for the game system. I quietly work on my pixelated island. “Last time we were in a bed together like this…” I trail off with a salty attitude, and he hums. The vibration tickles my back.

“Shouldn’t have happened.” He mutters, and I raise an eyebrow, but keep up with the buttons on my switch.

“I mean… I liked it.” I admit, and he swallows.

“That’s real sweet. But I wish you were sober” he pauses all movement, and I hear the thud of him leaning his head back against the wall without care for hurting himself. “I never want that to happen again. I want you to want me for real. None of that under the influence stuff. I already kind of felt bad because you were in an emotionally-charged state, when you said you had been drinking too… Not gonna lie I kinda wanted to go out and get my shit rocked on purpose. I definitely deserve it.” His tone is no longer light and jovial.

I take note of his pose. Every piece of him is curling inward on me. Protective. “I wanted it. Stop acting like you took advantage of me or something. If I didn’t want it, I would have stopped you. We both know I’d kick your ass if I had to.” I argue, but he shakes his head, and shoves his face into my hair.

“I joke a lot- but the truth of the matter is I didn’t even notice you were drunk because of how keen I was on getting my dick wet. I thought maybe I just didn’t know you all that well and you were finally coming out of your shell. You told me things that I’m pretty sure you’ve never told anyone else. You were vulnerable and I took advantage of that, regardless of whether or not you were drunk that was a really shitty thing for me to do. You deserve better, Katie. I’m gonna show you better. Even if we don’t date, even if we just go back to being friends.” something wet drips on my hair. Mirio’s breathing is irregular. Oh- he’s crying?! I squirm, and turn around, straddling him. He avoids my eyes, looking to the far left. I’m having none of it, pressing both of my palms to his cheeks. My fingers tangle against his scalp. The closer I am to touching the actual wound, the easier it is… C’mon Kate. Push.

I can feel the panic in my stomach. I glance down, at my- No, Mirio’s phone.

KoolaideMan: Forgot to ask while on the phone, what’s Kate wearing?
Midoriya(Deku): Black dress, no sleeves. Short Poofy skirt, heels but without the heel bit
KoolaideMan: It’s 30 degrees out?!

I glance back up, and see a figure, hunched and shivering, walking down the street. I see my own face glance upward from slightly behind, and Mirio’s hand lays on the horn. I can see myself jump, and brandish my hands, ready for a fight.

The Image shifts.

I can see myself sleeping, on Mirio’s chest. His hand comes into view, and he brushes hair out of my face. Memories of the hours before scatter his mind, regret being the most prominent feeling. I hear myself moan, and can feel my own face digging into his chest. Light breaths dust the skin there. I’m squirming, whining. Strangely, I can feel the tight pressure of Mirio’s growing erection. He huffs, and swallows. His hand snakes under the blanket, and I can feel my own skin under his fingers. He brushes over my nipple, and I moan into his chest. He sucks in a breath, and shimmies out from under me. His hand snakes down, and I can feel the wetness on my thighs with his hand. He swallows, and looks back up at my face. “Katie- wake up.” He hums, pulling his hands away from me. I groan, and turn to lay on my back, writhing with quiet moans. “Sex dream huh?” He chuckles, and glances down at my limp body. Slowly, he reaches his face down to catch my nipple in his mouth. I moan louder, and he begins to suck.

The Image shifts.

I see my own back, leaned up against Shoto. I can feel a twist in Mirio’s heart. I can see myself smiling and having a conversation. “See? I’m pretty sure she’s with Todoroki. I’ll never get a chance…” Tamaki’s shaky voice calls from Mirio’s left, and the image shifts ever so slightly to look at him. “Maybe they’re just friends? She leaned into Midoriya like that too at Sir’s office and he said there was nothing going on between them.” Mirio’s voice is calm, but his thoughts are jealous. “She’d be lucky to have you, man.” Mirio nods.

I suck in a breath, looking into Mirio’s eyes. “You… you were in my head.” He swallows, and stutters out a breath. “Why were you in my head?” He questions, and I shrug.

“You… seemed hurt? I wanted to help but- I only got memories of me?” I struggle to piece together what I just experienced, and He nods.

“Makes sense. That’s what hurts…” He glances down at his watch. “Lets just… f-forget about it and go to lunch. We gotta go pick up Tamaki… Midoriya said you liked sushi?” Mirio is quick to change the subject. I welcome it. Awkward is bad. I nod in response, and he falls back into a small smile. He pauses, and sucks in a sharp breath. “I- ah. You have to move. I don’t wanna touch you and get all… ya’know.” He glances down at his lap, that I’m straddling. “You’re not very good at the whole personal space thing.” He chuckles, and I roll my eyes, climbing off to the side. He squeezes his eyes shut and takes another stuttering breath. “Not to be like, a misogynist or anything, but could you please put shorts on or something? I don’t wanna walk around at the carnival with a hard-on.” He begs.

“Ah, yeah. Pick something out- I wanna catch this fuckin’ jumping beetle thing.” I plop myself down to be sitting on top of my bed, swinging wildly with the net in my video game. Mirio’s breath hitches in his throat, but I really have no idea why.

+++
Tamaki looks very uncomfortable by the time he steps into the co-pilot seat of Mirio’s car. I chose to sit in the back, so much better for long legs to be in the front. “H-Hey Katherine.” The dark-haired boy greets awkwardly, and I give him a soft smile.

“Hey Tama! How are you doing?” I ask politely, reaching out a hand. Tamaki stares at it for a long moment before releasing a shaky breath and taking it, eyes flittering over to Mirio. More sore back, a few scrapes from hero work and such. Nothing too traumatic. Tamaki relaxes in my grip, and I can hear his rapid heartbeat begin to regulate.

“I di-didn’t know you were coming, Katherine.” Tamaki muses quietly, leaning back in his seat. The way he all but curls into himself makes me uncomfortable. Who made him hurt this way? I’ll kill them. Well, maybe not KILL them. But I have plenty of villain friends that would be happy too. Not that the villains are my friends or anything.

“Yeah, It turns out I also have a lot to talk to you about- but if you want time alone with Mirio I totally get it! I can go try to figure out ‘Destiny’.” I offer, but Tamaki shakes his head.

“N-No, I think I w-want you around? You make me comfortable.” The anxious boy offers, and I nod, knowing that he’s staring at me in the rearview mirror.

“That’s good.” I hum, and glance at Mirio, who’s red as a tomato. “So! Have you given any thought to whether or not you’d like to try the quirk thing we talked about?” I question, and Tamaki gulps.

“I- uh. I don’t want to hurt you or anything. So I wouldn’t want to…Bite you.” I can catch the blush on his neck from the back seat. Mirio stifles a laugh badly, and covers it as a cough.

“I was thinking maybe I could give you a few vials of blood to keep on a belt? Or I can just cut off a piece of my thigh. It’ll heal really fast, so don’t worry about it hurting. And I have really big thighs so there’d be enough to last a while! We’d have to try it first, of course.” I ramble, and both of the boys begin to look more and more uncomfortable. Not anxious, just awkward. Good.

“Cannibalism doesn’t sound like a very heroic venture, if I’m being honest.” Mirio jokes, and I roll my eyes at him.

“‘S only illegal when the person’s dead, or if they don’t want to be eaten. I don’t mind. I’m really curious, So I’m excited to try it out! Besides my dad and Recovery Girl, I don’t know anyone else with a good healing quirk, so it would be really, really cool for someone else to be able to use it.” I explain, and both of the boys seem to be satisfied with my analysis. We finally pull up to some sushi restaurant, and I bristle. I’ve been here before… with Eijiro and Denki and… someone else. I focus on the memory, if there was a third person, It had to of been Katsuki, right? It was! I can’t remember him being there, like there’s a fuzz around the image of him. He’s censored. Like I’m not allowed to remember him? More on that later, I guess.

Mirio opens the car door for me, and reaches for my hand to hold on the way to the door. He also takes the opportunity to swing his free arm over Tamaki’s hunched shoulders. I glare down the street toward the hospital I’ve spent too much time in since I moved here. Mirio, always the perceptive one, notices. “Hey- Hey, you’re slipping again. Stay here.” He reminds me, and Tamaki gives me a questioning glance.

“D-do you do that often? The slipping?” Tamaki asks as we enter the sushi place, I shrug in response.

“It only happens when there’s something too familiar-” I cut myself off. A memory, not gone but muddled. “I couldn’t look Aizawa or Kirishima in the eye for a little while after the attack at the USJ. I’m pretty sure now that it had something to do with Shigaraki. I blocked the memory out but it still… affects me? Like I still get anxious when I see red eyes, even when I know that Shigaraki can’t hurt me.” I bite my lip to avoid giving away anymore pertinent information. Maybe I should though? If I was going to talk to someone about all of this, Mirio and Tamaki are a safe bet. They can’t control me at all, and if things go sideways I can easily avoid them since we are not in the same class. I already told Mirio everything, and He did say that he tells everything to Tamaki sooner or later. Might as well. I’m still mulling over my choices as a waitress seats us.

“Anything else that makes you… slip?” Tamaki wonders aloud, and I open my mouth to speak, but Mirio beats me to it.

“Food that wasn’t packaged or prepared in front of her. Which is why I thought the Hibachi was a good idea.” He gestures to the table we’re seated at and I hold back a slight gasp. Oh. He thought this through? I thought he was just kind of going with the flow of things but… That Target trip kind of seems premeditated now too. He’s putting on an air of easygoing confidence but… he’s being incredibly careful to control variables. He has been since breakfast. No one’s ever cared about me like that before. Uncomfortable, but understandable. I don’t hate it.

“I don’t like being in the USJ at all. I hate wearing the UA uniform. Whenever Aizawa looks worried about anything it sends a prickle down my spine. I don’t like training on school grounds around other students unless AllMight is there, Everything Hawks does makes my stomach twist, and whenever someone touches me intimately without asking I get all jittery.” I speak quickly, pushing the information out of me as if I can get rid of it. Tamaki nods solemnly.

“Mirio said you were having memory lapses too, can you not remember any of the events that trigger these bad feelings?” His tone is soft, his eyes stay on the table, as if he’s afraid to look at me.

“Yeah? How’d you put that together?” I question with my head tilted, intrigued.

“S-sounds like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.” He looks up finally, his eyes burning into mine. “You should talk to a therapist. Mine’s good.” He adds, and swallows. I pause, deep in thought. PTSD? I hate that that makes sense, but it’s nice to have an idea of what’s going on with me.

One thing is for certain, I don’t think the repressed memories are my own doing. Shigaraki alluded to the commission having something to do with it, and Hawks seemed to think that the LOV was involved. They were both placing the blame for it on eachother, which means it could have been one of them- or, it could have been someone else altogether. God, I really need to start keeping a journal on “things I need to deal with for the sake of my mental health” Like a To-Do list or something.

Chapter Text

“C’mon, just a nibble!” I tease, pressing my fingers against Tamaki’s cheek, he rolls his eyes.

“I’m not going to eat your fingers. Too many bones.” He complains, through the last hour Tamaki has loosened up considerably, mostly because I’ve been incessantly annoying the shit out of him.

“Okay, the arm then! C’mon Tama!” I beg, and he huffs at me, stretching out his fingers into tentacles to pin my arms to my sides as Mirio loses his shit laughing.

“I’m not going to bite you! I already told you that!” He grumbles, and I whine.

“Mirio, back me up here!” I turn my attention to the blonde boy, who’s busy stuffing his face with rice. He shakes his head and swallows quickly.

“No way, Sunshine. I’m with Tama here. Friends don’t eat friends.” I take the opportunity to absolutely destroy him.

“That’s not what you were saying in Target, pretty boy.” I cock an eyebrow and grin. Mirio turns bright red and looks straight down at the table. Tamaki, ever the socially inept, tilts his head.

“What’s that mean?” Mirio leans in, and whispers in Tamaki’s ear.

“She’s talking about… eating her out.” Mirio’s words make Tamaki flush the same color of vermillion.

“I can hear you.” I remind Mirio, who blushes even harder. “Okay, okay. I’ll stop bullying you guys. I gotta pee anyway.” I giggle, and Tamaki releases me so I can stand. I swerve in between tables and find myself at the back of the restaurant. When I turn the corner, someone pulls me back into the kitchen, hand around my mouth, arm around my waist. I’m not able to see the person holding me.

“You need to do a better job of checking your corners, Doll. Someone’s been following you all day, and it wasn’t me.” The unfamiliar male voice calls, and I raise an eyebrow. “I’m supposed to be making sure you’re not picked up by a rival group, but you’re being tailed EVERYWHERE. I’ve counted three separate instances in the past four days, all different people.” The man warns quietly. I nod in response. I still can’t speak. “I’m still watching out for you, but you HAVE to be more careful and stop running off on your own. I had to take out a Shie Hassaikai underling in the back, boss isn’t going to be very happy with that.” He rambles, and finally releases me. I get a good look at the guy. I have no idea who he is. No voice recognition, no face to put to a name.

“Thank you, I guess? Mister…” I trail off, and the guy rolls his eyes.

“It’s me, you idiot. Toga.” He whispers lowly, and I gasp. “Oh! Sorry, didn’t recognize you!” I apologize, Toga nods.

“That’s the point. I gotta be on the down-low since the thing with AllMight, but Shigaraki wanted someone to keep an eye on you. You have to be more careful with Overhaul. His guys are following you around all the time.” She explains quickly, and looks to the side.

“Mirio is really cute. If you don’t want him, can I tap that?” She smirks with the unfamiliar man’s face, and I sigh.

“I thought you had a thing for Deku?” I enter the bathroom with her hot on my heels.

“Yeah, but there’s nothing wrong with having an entire bouquet of good flowers.” She giggles- It sounds so weird in the man’s voice. I use the bathroom, and when I exit the stall, she’s gone.

Well then, nice to know someone’s looking out for me, I guess? I hurry back to my seat, to find that Mirio and Tamaki have fallen completely silent, blushing even harder than they were when I left them.

“Uhm” Mirio clears his throat, and glances past me at Tamaki. “So- I’d like to renegotiate the terms of our date thing.” He tries to speak professionally, but it sounds too forced. I draw my eyebrows together and tilt my head, gesturing for him to continue. “Ah- well. Instead of you choosing whether or not to date me…” Mirio trails off, and Tamaki swallows loudly.

“Date US?” Tamaki finishes awkwardly. I pause.

“Oh. That’s what you two were talking about while I was gone huh?” Is all I can think to say. I cough, but there’s nothing wrong with my breathing. “Uh. Yeah. I guess that’s fine. Do you… already know the rules?” I ask Tamaki, and he nods.

“I have my own to add, If that’s okay?” He suggests, and I nod. “Rule number five. If you choose to date us, it has to be both of us. And rule number six, No more dirty talk unless the three of us are alone. I don’t like being flustered in public.” Tamaki’s terms are reasonable enough.

“Sounds like a deal. How do you do a three-way handshake?” I question, and Mirio grins.

“Like in football? Break on three?” Mirio thrusts his arm out, palm down. I place my hand over his. Tamaki’s pale hand covers over mine completely. We break on three.

“It’ll be easier to spend time with you once you move up in classes.” Tamaki nods, and looks over at Mirio.

“Though, you’ll be in class A so it’ll only be me for the majority of the day… sorry.” This is probably the most I’ve ever heard Tamaki talk. His voice is soft, warm. I like it.

“I don’t know if I wanna skip ahead yet. I feel like I’m supposed to be getting some kind of social education as well as academic and physical. I’m still not the best with people if I’m not in dire straights, ya know?” I look up, and realize I am griping about the wrong thing to the wrong person. Way to go Kate. Worry about your social ineptitude in front of Tamaki Fucking Amajiki, the most Awkward boy to ever walk the face of the earth. To my surprise, the dark-haired boy nods.

“I completely understand. Well, if you do decide you want to move up, I’ll be there for you. I’m not the best with other people but… Neijire is there always. She’s good.” Tamaki offers, and I soften.
“Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it.” I look between the two of them. Mirio gives me a thumbs up, his cheeks round stuffed with food.

“So, uh… what… led you to end up with Mirio last night, if you don’t mind me asking?” Tamaki questions, and I shrug.

“Mirio already told you. It was nothing really, just a fight with a kid in my class. It was honestly kind of dumb for me to get upset.” I fondle the pile of rice in front of me with my chopsticks, and Tamaki sighs.

“If it upset you bad enough for you to run off on your own like that, it wasn’t nothing. I only ask because… well, I work with Kirishima… and he talks about you and Bakugo a lot…” Tamaki’s awkwardly wavering voice draws me in. Fine, I’ll bite.

“Really? What’s he say?” I question, and Tamaki swallows before he speaks.

“I should probably k-keep that information to myself.” He began to flush.

“Oh, right,” I respond, looking down at the table. It would be kinda shitty to talk about your work buddy to his ex, and it’s even more shitty when you’re trying to date her- right. This whole thing is just so messy. Just once, why couldn’t life be simple?

++
Cotton candy. All the trauma in the world could never outweigh my deep, unbridled love of cotton candy. Carnivals aren’t usually my idea of a good time. Too many people, lights, sounds- everyone is getting hurt. Old equipment, bumps, bruises and scrapes, sunburns. As a kid, carnivals were my least favorite place ever, right next to hospitals and schools. But it’s safer now. With Mirio holding one hand and Tamaki holding the other. The noise doesn’t bother me as much with Mirio’s constant chatter giving me something to focus on, and Tamaki’s constant onslaught of anxieties keeping my thoughts out of my own head.

Good, safe.

Rollercoasters were always something I loved, even if I hated amusement parks. Getting up really high, the rush from the Gforce, adrenaline. My Adrenal glands are larger than the average persons', mostly to help deal with pain. Rollercoasters and rides are always exhilarating.

“C’mon, please! Just one ride! That one’s a four-person so we can all sit next to eachother!” I point at the ride that does the loopty-loops and corkscrews.

Tamaki looks a little green around the gills as he shakes his head. “I’m fine holding the food and stuff. I don’t wanna get sick…” He trails off, and I pout. He sighs, and squeezes his eyes shut. “O-okay. One ride! But… not that one.” He swallows, and looks around at the other rides, then points at the drop tower in the center of the park. “That one seats four… and it’s over the fastest.” His voice is small. Mirio grins.

“You must be some kind of magic, Katie. I try to get Tamaki to go on these rides every year and he’s never been on ONE!” Mirio compliments me, and Tamaki shakes his head.

“That’s n-not true. I went on the boat swing in the seventh grade.” He looks away, and I rub his back.

“If it’s getting hurt that scares you, I’m the best medicine.” I remind him, but he shakes his head.

“I-I don’t want people to think I’m weak if I cry…” Tamaki finally admits, and I huff.

“Well, if you cry, I’ll cry too. I can be the center of attention.” I beam up at him. Really, that is NOT my idea of a good time, but I’ll suffer through it if he’ll just chill out. Tamaki looks at me quizzically for a few moments before nodding, and agreeing to go along with my ludicrous plan.

Mirio keeps up his blabbering about everything and nothing at all, and I try my best to keep up. “But yeah, theoretically, I feel like if we were in the omegaverse, I would be a beta. Just not an Alpha kinda guy, you know? Katie though, you would DEFINITELY be an Alpha, you have to be in charge all of the time and you’re great at plans and super protective- hate to say it Tamaki, but you’re omega as fuck.” Mirio’s sensless ramblings continue as we get into line.

“No, I’ve read enough Omegaverse to know you’d be an Alpha, Mirio.” Tamaki disagrees quietly, and glances over at me. “Kate’s maternal personality would make her a good Omega. Not gonna disagree with me being an omega though.” He huffs, and I screw up my brows.

“I am NOT maternal. I fuckin’ hate kids.” I lower my voice so no Karen bitches about me cursing at a family event.

“No, I saw how you were holding on to Eri. You have like, this motherly way about you- especially around people who are hurt. You get all worried and stuff- and you’re only ever really into the leader role when you have to be for other’s safety. I don’t think it comes naturally to you.” Mirio postulates, and the line moves again.

“It was more… big sister, I guess? I’ve got younger brothers and I can tell you, oldest daughter syndrome is definitely a real thing. I don’t think I EVER want to have kids.” I finish my thought as the ride operator ushers us into our seats. We sit in the “typical bodies” section. I still don’t like that they call it that. There has to be a better term. Tamaki sits between Mirio and I, and I reach to grab his hand. I try to push healing thoughts into his head, but I’m still not sure how it works. The ride whirs to life, and all jovial conversation stops.

“Ka-Kate?” Tamaki asks, whipping his head around to look at me. I swing my feet, and crane my neck to look at Mirio, who also looks a little frightened

. “You good, pretty boy?” I ask, and he swallows.

“Ah- I haven’t actually ridden any of the rides either, Didn’t want to without Tamaki.” He blinks hard, and looks up at me. I huff.

“You’re both being babies! I promise it’ll all be fine okay? Look!” I point out at the horizon, now more easily seen from how high we are in the air. A man with wings flutters closer, the crimson feathers are tell-tale. “Hawks! See? If Hawks is here, there’s no way anything bad could ever happen right? He’s number two!” I grin, and The winged figure flies toward us faster, stopping in front of the three of us, high up in the air. Squeals sound below us, pictures are snapped.

“Hey, songbird! Fancy seeing you all the way up here!” He grins, and looks down at Tamaki and I’s clasped hands. His eyes snap to Tamaki, who looks like he might lose his lunch any second. “Not a fan of heights?” Hawks asks languidly, leaning back as his wings flap almost lazily against his back.

Tamaki doesn’t answer, but Mirio does. “Oh yeah! Kinda hate em!” Mirio chuckles, and looks down at the ground. The people look like ants from here.

“Oh, hey Hawks, I had a thing I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow if at all possible? What do you look like for a late dinner, ‘round eightish?” I question casually. Hawks seems to glow with… some unknown emotion.

“All of my time is free for you, Songbird. Whenever you want me, I’ll be there.” He smirks and looks down at the ride operator. “Ah, looks like they’re dropping in three

Two

one.”

Chapter Text

Tamaki won’t stop shivering. His face is pressed up against my neck, his arms are hanging limply at his sides as I hold his hunched form. Hawks seems unaffected by the boy nearly sobbing in my arms, and we hold light conversation with Mirio. “You boys are seniors, right? Just showing Kat the ropes?” Hawks leans over a stall, grabbing a few bottles of water and handing them out to Mirio and I. Tamaki keeps his eyes firmly closed.

“Absolutely Sir! Kate’s a good friend, and when Nezu asked if she should move up to third year, Tamaki and I both said yes, even though she’ll probably replace one of us in the big three.” Mirio’s tone is as bright as ever, and I get a distinct feeling that he is probably a big Hawks fan. I understand why. Through everything I’ve learned in the last couple of weeks, they have similar personalities. They’re hard workers, they value a sense of humor, and they care alot about other people.

“So, does my Songbird finally have a boyfriend that’s less of an asshole than that fuckin’ Bakugo kid?” Hawks teases, gesturing to the boy in my arms, and I flush.

“Uh- not quite. Tamaki and Mirio are together.” I offer, rubbing my hand over the dark-haired boy’s back.

“Ah, but you are over that asshole though, right? Because I’m not gonna lie kid, it sucked waking up at two in the morning to you sobbing on the phone.” Hawk’s joking tone holds some hurt to it. Did I do that? If I trusted Hawks like it seems I must have, then I probably did. It hurts that I can’t remember it. Mirio’s smile slips from his eyes, but stays plastered on his cheeks.

“Oh, totally over him. Last night proved that. I… I thought about calling you but I was afraid I’d wake you up or you’d be busy.” I admit, and Hawks clenches his jaw.

“Kate, I said you could call me anytime. I meant it.” He sounds hurt. “I’ve picked you up in more dire straights, remember that time I picked you up from your house after your dad-” He cuts himself off, glancing at the boys I’m with. I know what he was going to say. After my dad lost it and hit me again, nbut no, I don’t remember him picking me up for it. “You should have called me. You know I’m always here for you. Thick and thin.” Hawks offers, and I nod.

“Ah, it’s okay though! Mirio picked me up and we’ve been hanging out all day.” I grin up at the winged man, and he chuckles.

“Well, thank god for you young man!” Hawks claps a hand over Mirio’s shoulder and gives him a thankful nod. His phone rings. The ringtone- familiar. I’ve heard it before. An alleyway, my legs were broken- I was afraid? I suck in a breath as Hawks answers, a frown working over his features. “Alright, alright, gimme ten. Bye.” He sighs and hangs up. Hawks shoves his phone into his pocket and scratches the back of his neck. “Duty calls. See you tomorrow, Songbird. Do me a favor and try not to let that one-” He points at the still-shaking boy in my arms. “On any more rides. Don’t wanna have to come back here to take him to the hospital.” Hawks jokes, and hops up into the air, wings flapping lazily to keep him aloft. Then he was gone. Blink and you’d miss him fast. Fastest man alive, just behind AllMight in his prime. Once his red wings are completely out of sight, Mirio’s smile drops.

“How many times did Bakugo say something like he did last night to you?” Mirio’s question hangs thickly in the air. I shrug, and finally release Tamaki, who also looks upset, but this time, for a completely different reason.

“I don’t remember any of it, don’t remember calling Hawks either.” I shake the thoughts away and point at the game booths. “Do you think I could win a teddybear?” I change the subject. Tamaki grabs my hand, and forces me to look up at him.

“How much don’t you remember, exactly?” His eyes are wide, fearful. His lips are pressed together in a tight line.

“I uh… don’t really remember either Hawks or Katsuki past like… a month ago, I guess? I dunno it’s kind of a blank right before the internships started-” I point at a giant, five foot tall bear. “Oh! I want that one!” I try to walk away, but Tamaki holds tight. He doesn’t stop me from moving though, walking forward with me. I try to miss the look he gives Mirio.

“I haven’t been able to do this since I was little. One summer, I think I was nine? My grandma took me and Archie down to Nevada while my mom was super big and pregnant with Mattie, and we went to a carnival in vegas. It was loud and everything, but Grandma had me put on these big headphones that people who shoot machine guns use and gloves so I didn’t accidentally touch anyone. She had the same float power my mom does. She used to cheat a little at the games with her quirk and Archie and I ALWAYS went home with a bunch of stuff. She died a couple years back...” I swallow back the memory.

“Archie can float like mom, but he also has some of the telekinetic power grams did- Gosh, I wish he was here right now. He’d win this easy-peasy! And the BAR game, where you just have to hold on for a long time? Oh, Mattie used to DOMINATE those games. He’s immune to pain so his only problem was he’d get bored.” I laugh, looking between the two of the boys I have somehow found infatuated with me. “Neither of you would be really good at the clown thing, huh?” I ask, pointing at the game in front of us.

“Oh, I bet I could definitely get you the bear.” Mirio breaks out in a smile, and Tamaki releases my hand.

“I’m not the best… but I can try.” the thinner boy nods, and swallows. I watch his adams’ apple bob in his throat.

“Let’s make it a competition then- Winner gets to pick the next thing we do.” I grin, and Mirio laughs.

“Oh, you’re so on! We’re doing the AllMight Ride.” the blonde declares but the other boy shakes his head.

“I w-wanna do the Ferris wheel. More quiet there, inside. Not so many people...” Tamaki hunches forward, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“I wanna do the Haunted house. I LOVE horror movies and I wanna see y’all piss your pants.” I giggle, and slap down a couple of tickets onto the table. The guy running the stan eyes Mirio before flickering his gaze to Tamaki and back to me.

“Which one of y’all is playin’ first?” the man asks. Mid-thirties, balding, pair of horns sticking out from behind his ears and curling over like a helmet on the top of his head.

“I’d like a shot, please.” I reach out my hand, and the man drops five balls into my palm. Okay. Just like in the licensing exam. Not hard. These don’t even move- and they don’t throw things back at you. I cock my arm, and knock down one of the clowns on the top.

“Great goin’ girlie. Just two more and you get the big bear.” The guy smirks, crossing his arms and leaning against the wooden wall inside of his stall. Giddy, I throw the next ball. It hits the clown square in its big red nose. I jump up and down, excited.

“One more! You got this Katie!” Mirio praises, and I bite my lip. Concentrate- and… I hit it? Square in the thing’s nose again, with enough force that it shakes, but it doesn’t fall back. I frown. “It didn’t move?” I point to the clown, and the man shrugs.

“Didn’t hit it. Try again.” He smirks. Oh. It’s rigged. Of course, it’s rigged. Everything is always rigged. I huff. Fine. Be like that. I push backward, rolling my shoulder and swinging my arm around. Get fucked, clown. I whip the ball forward at full force, so hard that the ball comes bouncing back, only to be caught by Mirio, who’s standing slackjawed.

“Woah there sunshine, roll back the rage a bit, okay?” He chuckles. I ignore him, whipping the last ball at the clown. Again, I don’t miss. The target shudders at the impact, but again doesn’t fall.

“C’mon man- I hit it, you saw me hit it!” I whine, and the guy shrugs again, chewing on something.

“Sucks.” He smirks again. Asshole. Mirio steps up next while I sulk. Tamaki shuffles forward, and shoves his face into the back of my head, mimicking the way that he bonks his forehead against walls to avoid looking at people. His arm snakes around my middle, resting over my stomach. I wince, and grip his wrist, moving his hand to my hip instead.

“Do you have a stomach ache?” Tamaki’s question is very low, spoken directly into my ear. “I’ll tell Mirio it’s time to go home if you’re not feeling well.” He offers, but I shake my head.

“Nah, I’m fine. Just don’t like being touched there. Kinda self-conscious about it, ya know?” I laugh it off, and he doesn’t respond further. Mirio kocks down two of the clowns before running out of balls, and steps back. “Alright, your go, Tama.” Tamaki swallows, and looks up at the attendant.

“W-what are the rules again?” He asks softly, and the Attendant rolls his eyes.

“You knock down all three of the small clowns, you get the big prize. Keep your feet on the line, and only the balls can knock down the clowns, you can’t throw anything else.” Tamaki nods.

“Fair enough.” Tamaki picks up his balls, and grips one in his hand. He throws the balls slowly, carefully aiming. He hits the first two targets with four balls, and only has one ball left when it’s time for the last target. He looks back up at the attendant. “I’m- I’m sorry, can you tell me the rules again? I wanna make sure I can get my girlfriend that bear.” The attendant scoffs, and sighs.

“Three little clowns gets you the bear. Keep your feet on the line, only the balls can knock down the clowns, dont throw anything else.” The horned man glances at me and Mirio.

“That’s it? That’s all the rules?” Tamaki asks, and the man growls.

“Yes, now are you gonna fuckin-” Tamaki’s hand morphs into several tentacles, and he slams the ball straight into the clown, breaking its stand. “You son of a-” The man is quickly cut off by Mirio.

“Woah- Super impressive Tama! Good thing you asked for the rules, ‘cuz you followed them. Only the ball touched the clown.” Mirio gives a sly grin to the man, who grumbles under his breath as he talks the large bear off the shelf and all but throws it at me. It’s too big, and I get knocked over without proper footing. I begin to fall, but Tamaki’s tentacles catch me around the waist and steady me. I gasp.

“Kate? Are you okay?” Tamaki asks quietly, and I giggle.

“Thanks for saving my shorts, they’re new.” I straighten, clutching my obnoxiously large bear to my chest. “I’m gonna name him Suneater.” I squeeze the bear as Tamaki flushes bright red.

“I’ve got half a mind to knock that guy a new one.” Mirio smiles through gritted teeth, and I roll my eyes.

“Guy just couldn’t handle how BAD ASS Tama is.” I turn toward the Ferris wheel in the center of the park. “Off we get then, since Tama won- Do you think they’ll let my bear on?” I question, and Mirio softens.

“Definitely, that or you and Tamaki can go up on your own. I kind of hate heights.” Mirio admits, and I raise an eyebrow.

“But you wanted to go on the AllMight ride?” I point out, earning a blush from Mirio as he scratches the back of his head.

“Yeah, I just wanted the picture thing they do on that one. We can find a photo booth later though.” He keeps in line with Tamaki and I, and reaches out to grab my bear so I can see while I walk. He hoists the thing over his shoulder.

“Good luck with that. I HATE pictures. You’ll have to drag me in kicking and screaming.”

Chapter Text

“Are you sure it’s okay that it’s just us? There’s only four hours until sundown.” I remind Mirio for the millionth time, and he smiles, kind as ever.

“Of course! Tamaki missed out on the first few hours, only fair you two spend some time alone.” Mirio nods, and I huff.

“Okay- be careful and don’t get kidnapped. It’s not as fun as you’d think it would be.” I tease, stepping onto the ride behind Tamaki. He nestles into his seat, and lifts an arm as an invitation, flushing bright red all the while.

“You… you should know that if you date me it won’t be like this all the time. I don’t like going out more than I have to. Even right now I want to go home- Not because of you or anything. I just don’t like being around people. Y-you don’t count as people- not that I don’t see you as a per-” I cut Tamaki off with a hug. I wrap my arms fully around his middle, under his arms, and press my ear to his chest.

“Calm down.” I mumble, and wait for his heart rate to slow. “I don’t like crowds either. They’re too loud… there’s too much going on and someone’s always hurt- Plus, I don’t really ‘get’ people all that well. I can manipulate them, and make them like me, but I don’t really understand them. I like going out every once in a while but I prefer to do it somewhere more secluded. Like, camping and stuff. Hiking is fun. I like museums and libraries because they’re really quiet.” I explain. Tamaki tentatively reaches up his hands, and begins to tangle them in my hair, scratching at my scalp. I hum, and melt into the touch.

“That’s… relieving. I’m glad we have things in common.” I can hear him swallow. “Earlier you said you’re learning how to play Destiny… we can play together… if you want.” His heart began to pick up again, and I hum again.

“You’re going to have to teach me, My brothers are both geniuses at videogames, but I suck.” I giggle, and lean back out of his touch. His hands stay on my hips as he stares down at me, eyebrows drawn.

“You have really good hand-eye coordination. You’ll do fine. We can even put you as the healing class so you don’t have to worry about aiming as much.” the smallest of smiles breaks over his lips. I shove down the petty comment of already being a real-life healbot in favor of the boy’s feelings.

“Monday, after school… maybe we can hang out and you can show me how to play? Or- whenever you’re free. I’m kind of grounded to the dorms until the week after next.” I offer, and Tamaki’s smile widens.

“I’d like that.” He nods, and his heart picks up pace again. I lean over, looking out of the plexiglass to the ground below.

“Wow… we’re really high up.” I state, and his heart beats faster.

“K-Katherine?” He pauses, and I look back at him.

“Yeah?” I question, and he swallows. I can hear his heart racing. What’s got him so nervous? I reach out my hand to take his, but he pulls it away, bullying his hands into fists at his sides in concentration. He squeezes his eyes shut and takes in a stuttering breath.

“Can I… K-kiss you?” His eyes are still shut tight, as if he’s afraid of me. Of all the people I’ve ever met, Tamaki is probably the only one besides Mirio that could probably put my ass on the floor. All he’s gotta do is pin my wrists and I’m screwed. He’s also a very handsome boy, and the whole point of us being here is to help me decide whether or not I want to date both him and Mirio. I should kiss him. I should go for it, right? Fuck it, what’s the worst that could happen? I clear my throat, and finally answer his question.

“If you want to.” his eyes pop open like he’s surprised. I don’t get why. He’s a total dreamboat. Tall, dark, handsome. Aloof. Too awkward to cheat, too quiet to yell at you. Not the controlling type, but VERY sweet. Not to mention he’s part of the big three, and a SENIOR.

“Okay.” He nods to himself, and then sucks in a breath. He leans forward, and I meet him in the middle. When our lips touch, it’s slow. Tentative. He seems frozen in place. I huff, and move closer, slotting my legs between his and grabbing at his hands, pressing them into my hips. He moves robotically, and I whine, aggravated. I pull back.

“I thought you wanted to kiss me?” I blush, looking down. “You don’t have to if you-” I’m cut off by him pressing his lips to mine again. His hands hold me more tightly this time, pulling me into his lap and digging his fingers into my hips. I moan into his mouth, and he takes the initiative to open his mouth, and slip his tongue inside, working fervently against my own tongue. He pulls back.

“I- I do want to! I just… I- got too carried away before… I- I don’t wanna scare you.” He’s searching my eyes, looking for something.

“You can’t scare me. I’m pretty brave.” I brag, and he laughs lightly, licking his lips and leaning back, pulling me onto his lap.

“M-my quirk comes out sometimes when I get too… excited.” He explains, and I shrug.

“Mine never turns off… I can’t control it all that well without warning either. If you’re afraid of hurting me or something…” I pull up his shirt slightly, and press my palms against his warm back. He sucks in a breath. “This way, you’ll know… that you aren’t hurting me, and I’m not scared.” I nod, and he blinks hard before leaning in and kissing me again. Still slow, but deeper this time, more enthusiasm from Tamaki. I pull him closer, swinging my leg around to straddle him. His hands worm around my waist again, and I rock against him. He pulls back, eyes wide.

“S-stop. Don’t- Don’t do that. You’ll… get me… hard.” His hands leave my sides, and he uses them to lean back, trying to touch me as little as possible.

“Oh- Sorry! I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” I crawl off of him and back into my seat.

“NO! I liked it I just- Not here. Okay? I- I don’t want anyone seeing my… fuck.” He swallows, and palms himself. “T-too late.” He closes his eyes tight, and tries to cover himself with his hands. I clear my throat, a blush working over my cheeks.

“Uh- it feels like we’ve been up here a long time, right?” I try to change the subject, and look out the window. Oh shit. There’s some definite smoke coming out of the control box on the ground. I look down at Mirio, who’s got a panicked look on his face. Oh, shit. “Uh… good news is no one’s gonna see your.. problem.” I try to keep my tone light. “Bad news is we might be stuck up here for a while.” I wince, looking back at him. He bites his lip, and looks away.

“C-can you just uh… talk about school or something so it goes away?” Tamaki’s cheeks are flushed redder than they’ve ever been.

“Uh, well… I’m pretty sure Aizawa has like, Adopted Shinso now. Mirio and I saw them at Ihop together with Present Mic- speaking of, I think Present Mic also doesn’t believe Aizawa’s bullshit claim of me cheating. He made it pretty clear earlier today- which means there are other people who know what’s going on with him. Mirio thinks Aizawa is just trying to protect me from Hawks, but it doesn’t make any sense because like, you’ve met Hawks. He seems to really care about me, Ya’know? What pro hero stays up late to talk to a teenage girl about her boy troubles? Not to mention he’s the only one who stood up for me in front of AllMight and Nezu- It just seems kind of Sus on Aizawa’s end. And he’s using my memory lapses as an excuse, but they’ve never affected my schoolwork, so it’s kind of dumb.” I cross my arms and pout. “What do you think?” I tilt my head, and Tamaki clears his throat.

“It S-seems like Aizawa knows more about the Memory lapses than he’s letting on… you should talk to him… if you want to.” He adds the last bit hastily, as if he doesn’t want to push me. I appreciate the gesture.

“Yeah, I’m gonna. But there’s also the whole part where Aizawa showed me some pretty confusing paperwork. There was a whole joke about ‘my mom all but signed adoption papers to get rid of me’ - turns out, Not a joke! Mom signed over her rights to Hawks after my dad died… apparently, Hawks was in my dad’s will and everything. I was supposed to talk to Hawks about it this morning but after last night I completely put it on the back burner. At this point, there are so many pots back there I’m pretty sure I’m cooking industrially at this point. Honestly, I’m overwhelmed and today has been the most I’ve been able to breathe in months.” I admit finally, leaning back against the door.

“I know you asked about school, but honestly I’ve just been doing my work and then going back to my dorm and dealing with all of this because I’m avoiding all of my friends. Kirishima is still simping over me, I know it- and Bakugo is a huge dick who constantly reminds me that I was never anything but a fuck to him. Deku is being weird now too because he thinks he has to care about me and Todoroki and I were supposed to be kind of dating but he’s so goddamn INTENSE all the time- I caught him beating up our friends for hitting on me which was NOT okay- and then I was a total Idiot and slept with MIRIO who’s way too sweet to be having to deal with any of my bullshit- and let’s not even talk about how apperantly every Villain in the city is trying to fuck me.” I knock my head back against the thing again. “Is your… thing okay now?” I ask, staring up at the sky through the metal grates at the top of the carriage.

“Yeah… it’s gone. That was… a lot. Do you feel better after talking about it?” I look back down at Tamaki, who’s pulled both of his legs up to hug his knees. I realize I’m doing the same thing, about a foot away.

“Not really. Honestly, I just feel more overwhelmed admitting that I’ve got this much going on at once. I just want it all to stop. There’s this awful feeling in my chest. Like… I want to go home but I never HAD a home, ya know?” Tamaki leans forward and wipes at my face with his hoodie sleeve. Why in the hell is he wearing a hoodie?! It’s ninety out... I’m crying. God, I didn’t even notice I was crying. “You must think I’m a mess.” I laugh humorlessly, looking up and trying to will the tears to stop.

“Y-you’re not a mess. You’re trying your best. It wouldn’t hurt this much if you weren’t.” He tries, and I sniffle.

“Yeah, and the fact that my best isn’t good enough just makes this all so much worse. I’m just not good enough.” I look away, but he dips his head infront of me, catching my eye without moving me at all, instead making sure I’m comfortable- way different from how people usually get my attention. I swallow.

“You are, and have always been good enough, Katherine. You’re like Mirio. You’re… bright.” He glances down at my lips, and looks me in the eye. I nod, and he leans in for another kiss, just as the Ferris wheel starts to move again.

Chapter Text

“You two look like you had fun.” Mirio smirks, elbowing me in the ribs. Tamaki is still flushed bright red, but, at least he doesn’t have a boner this time. “Didn’t break any rules though, I hope?” Mirio’s brow cocks, and this time, I also turn red. Mirio bursts out into laughter, linking his arm with mine to pull me - and, consequently, Tamaki, who’s holding my hand, along toward the Haunted house. “Oh C’mon Katie, it was just a joke! Lighten up a little, you’re always so on edge.” Mirio points out, he’s right, so I try not to be mad at him for it.

Mirio slaps down the tickets for the haunted house, and I start to get giddy again. I turn back to Tamaki, who’s got a neutral expression across his face. “You gonna be okay with this?” I ask quietly, quiet enough that not even Mirio would hear our conversation as we stand in line.

“The scariest thing about these is they’re just actors… and they wanna talk to you- b-but it’s okay because you don’t have to talk back.” He shivers a bit, but composes himself. I reach out, and hold his hand again. Tamaki’s shoulders immediately lower ever so slightly, and his breathing slows.

“Sunshine, you wanna piggyback?” Mirio asks, and glances down at my feet. I never changed out of my flats, and with the constant rubbing of them, and my lack of calouses, my feet have begun to bleed out of my shoes. I huff.

“I didn’t even notice, to be honest. I usually don’t” I explain, and bend down, using Tamaki’s shoulder to steady me as I peel off the shoe. It’s wet, which means it’ll blister even worse after the wounds heal. Mirio whistles.

“Ouch, c’mere and let me carry you, that looks like it hurts.” He tries, and I shrug. It does, but it’s not nearly as bad as other stuff I’ve had to deal with.

“I don’t wanna get blood on you.” I toss both of my shoes in a nearby trashcan. “I can walk fine without shoes. The only reason I even wear them anymore is so people don’t look at me like I’m a freak.” I clarify once I see the confused looks on their faces. “And Momo made those, so, they were worth all of, like, a granola bar.” I shrug. Tamaki bites his lip and gives Mirio a look.

“Can’t that get infected?” Mirio tries again. I huff out a breath to move the loose strands of hair out of my face.

“If it does, I’ll just cut it off. No biggie.” I turn toward the partition ropes. We’re coming up on being able to go into the Haunted House. Fun.

“I would feel better if you would let me carry you.” Mirio tries to reason with me again. I grumble, crossing my arms.

“I’m not a little kid. And I’m too heavy.” I argue back, and, to my chagrin, Tamaki is the one to follow up.

“You’re not heavy.” He makes his point by placing his hands on my hips, and lifting me up in the air at arm’s length for a moment before setting me down without difficulty. Like lifting a kitten. I try my best not to scowl at him. Tamaki is too sensitive for me to be my usual bitch self with. I don’t actually want to hurt anyone, I just don’t like being treated like I’m made of glass.

“I wanna walk- I’m not going to be able to get much fresh air the next two weeks.” I give up the pretenses, Mirio nods.

“Alright, but if you start to feel tired or anything, let me know. It’s perfectly normal for a boyfriend to carry his girlfriend.” I know we’re technically supposed to be dating for the next four hours, but it’s still kind of unnerving that he says that with such ease- such certainty. Mirio seems to be so sure about everything, So… relaxed. God, I wish I had a hit of whatever it is that he smokes. It would be nice to feel calm and -

My stomach twists. I stop dead in my tracks, planting my feet. The pain dulls.

Don’t go in there. Bad. Wrong. Danger. Away. Go Away.

“Woah, Katie, you okay? You’re real pale all the sudden?” Mirio pauses, looking over me. I swallow, and shake my head. “S-something’s not right. We’re not… My stomach.” I hunch forward as the pain starts to intensify.

Someone’s watching.

“I think I ate too much sugar… I’m sorry.” I murmur, and Tamaki is quick to react, pressing a cool hand to my forehead.

“It’s probably the heat, you didn’t drink your water from Hawks.” Tamaki’s tone is shaky, worried.

“Alright, let’s not panic. We’ll go pick up some Gatorade at the food booths, no worries, okay?” Mirio is far calmer, turning on his heel and leading us toward the food. The pain dulls, but it’s still there. A throbbing ache without a message, as if it isn’t strong enough to make noise in my head just yet. I swallow, closing my eyes tight and focusing on listening to my own thoughts. C’mon, there’s got to be more here. God, I wish Sasaki would have actually spent the time training this with me instead of-

A man. Medical mask, watching me from inside of the haunted house. He’s dressed like the scarers, in a torn and bloody pair of scrubs. In his pocket, a syringe, capped needle. In the other pocket a gun. He’s on the phone, talking to someone. I can’t hear him. He pulls away the phone, and hangs it up. 4:30 PM.

I suck in a breath as Mirio taps on my face. We’re propped under a tree now, I didn’t notice us move. “Katie- Katie? Fuck, I think it might be heatstroke or something-” Mirio’s voice is incredibly worried. Tamaki is holding an open bottle of water. The front of my shirt is wet.

“‘M fine.” I cough, feeling water going down the wrong pipe. “Sorry.” I mumble, shaking the vision from my eyes.

“Don’t aologize- Fuck, Katie, you about gave me a heart attack!” Mirio murmurs, and Tamaki lets out a breath it sounded like he’d been holding for a long time.

“Your healing must have kicked in, your pulse was really slow for a second there.” Tamaki explains, calmer than Mirio. I shake my head.

“What time is it?” I ask, and Mirio furrows his brow, checking his phone.

“Quarter past four, why?” Mirio’s question has my heart beating out of my chest.

“We- we have to go. We have to go now. There’s someone following us- he has a gun.” I keep my voice low, and both of the boys stiffen. “It hasn’t happened yet- we have time. I had a- a vision.” I grab an arm off of both of them, and walk toward the exit. “We have to be fast, we only have fifteen minutes before he comes looking.” I murmur, and the boys do not question me.

We get to the car in sixty seconds flat, and there is a deathly air of silence as Mirio starts the thing up and drives. The tension is thick. I sit in the back seat with Tamaki, who holds my shaking hands as Mirio carefully drives. “Okay.” Mirio starts, his breath shaky. “You’ve never had a full-blown premonition like that. What exactly was it?’ He’s precise with his movements. Clinical as he turns on the blinker and turns right.

“I was scared, I felt the stomach thing again and I focused on the thoughts and… I saw a guy with a gun and a needle. I have the feeling the needle was for me.” I swallow back the tears, trying to keep rationale around me. “The gun… I don’t think they were normal bullets. It felt planned. He was on the phone with someone, but I couldn’t hear anything. I didn’t recognize him at all.” Tamaki scoots closer, his arms wrapped around my shoulders as I shake, pulling out my phone. “I gotta call Hawks.” I swallow, but Tamaki takes my phone.

“No- Y-you can’t call him. Katherine you won’t like this b-but… I think Hawks was following you too. You have him blocked out for a reason. What if it’s the same reason you have Bakugo and Shigaraki censored?” Tamaki reasons, and my heart drops. Oh.

“W-we have to- to call someone! Who can we trust?!” I question, eyes wild, and Tamaki sucks in a breath.

“Fatgum, Tamaki’s boss. Whoever is looking for you is probably casing Sir already. They won’t expect us to go to him” Mirio interjects helpfully, and I nod feverishly, my breathing uneven as I begin to panic.

“Hey, Katherine? Look at me- Look at me.” Tamaki cups my face in both of his hands, his soft eyes wide. “We won’t let anyone or anything hurt you. Do you understand?” His usual warble tone is covered over, repressed. He’s trying to be strong for me.

“No matter who this bastard is or who he’s with, he can’t get through both Me and Tamaki, when we get to Mr.Gum, he’ll know what to do, alright? Just… calm down and breathe. Don’t pass out or anything, okay?” Mirio’s usual calm tone is bordering just as panicked as I feel now. How strange for Tamaki to be the calm one.

“I’ll call Mr. Gum now.” Tamaki offers, taking out his phone and dialing the number. He puts it on speaker.

FatGum, despite being probably incredibly busy being a pro, picks up on the first ring. “Hey Tamaki, What’s goin’ on bud? Ya’ alright?”

“No sir. I’m here with Katherine Black and Mirio Toogata, we just thwarted a suspected kidnapping attempt for Katherine- we need help.” Tamaki’s voice slips a little, he’s terrified.

“Holy Smokes. Alrighty, meet me at my apartment, and be careful- do we know which group is involved? I know miss Black has been a target for a number of organizations right now, but the League a’ Villains has a no-contact order ‘round her accordin’ to our underground sources. Little strange they’d even attempt an attack in broad daylight” A shuffling noise on the other end, like he’s readying something.

“Sir- we have reason to believe Hawks, the number Two pro, may be involved. He approached us earlier today unexpectedly, and there’s been conflicting information on his involvement with Miss Black.” Tamaki answers carefully.

“That is… real concernin’. Y’all far out?” I can hear the slight unease in FatGum’s voice. Barely- there. He’s calm, but worried.

“Five minutes sir.” Tamaki’s shift to professionalism after the events of today is mind-boggling.

“Alright then. Stay on the line for me, Miss Black, You listenin’?” He startles me by calling my name, but I swallow back the fear, and answer.

“Yes sir, I’m here.” I try my best not to let my voice shake, no reason to freak him out any more.

“Well hello there, I’m FatGum, sorry to be meetin’ you more officially on such unsavory terms. How you feelin’ Darlin’?” He sounds… paternal.

“Not so good. I’m scared.” I admit without thinking. Damn, not even a truth-telling quirk to blame on this one.

“It’s alright to be scared. I want ya’ ta’ know that Mirio and Tamaki are two of the best damn heroes I have ever had the pleasure of workin’ with, and you are in very good hands, Ma’am. I trust those boys with my own life- and you are a force to be reckoned with yourself, ain’t ya?” Stroking my ego might have worked before I saw the needle, but now, I’m just scared. I can’t be killed, but I can be drugged.

“Th-thank you.” God, I sound pathetic.

“I don’t need no thankin’ sugar. Just statin’ facts. Can ya’ tell me a little more about what’s gotcha all riled up?” He sounds like my dad when I was little, gently asking about nightmares and reminding me that none of it was real. Maybe this isn’t real either.

“I… had a vision. A guy was gonna drug me and hurt Mirio and Tama. We ran before it happened.” I sound like a fucking child. He’s not your dad, Kate. Snap out of it. Calm down.

“That was real smart of ya’ sugar. I’m proud of ya’. Gettin’ away as fast as possible was the best thing you coulda’ done. Can ya’ tell me who it might be that’s followin’ ya’?” See, definitely not dad. Dad would be pissed that you ran from a fight, he certainly wouldn’t have told me he was PROUD.

“Uh… Like Tamaki said, It might be Hawks… Or it could be the league- But I don’t think so. It might be the Shie Hassaikai. A friend of mine in the underground said they caught one of them following me recently.” I try not to sell out Toga, she wouldn’t appreciate it, I don’t think.

“Ah, that is troublin’. You talked to anyone about bein’ followed?” I can hear a soft ‘click’, accompanied by several more ‘clicks’

“No sir… I didn’t want to implicate anyone else.” Good, tell him the truth.

“That wasn’t a good idea little miss. This kinda stuff really should be dealt with by the pros. I’m glad you called me. You’re gonna be okay. I’ll take care of ya, you hear? ” His voice is so warm, soft, sugary. He sounds very sure that everything is going to be okay. Maybe it will be.

“Thank you, sir.” I choke back a sob.

“What’d I say darlin’? Ain’t gonna take thanks for tellin’ the truth. Now, you got a cellphone of your own?”

“I do.”

“ ‘Course you do, all the kids do these days… Alright, I’m gonna need you to chuck it out the window. It might be bein’ tracked. Hawks is real good at buggin’ stuff.”

“Yes sir.” I obey, retrieving my debit card and ID before throwing my phone out of the window.

“Good. I ain’t gonna let nothin’ happen to ya’ or those boys, so you can relax. Ope- I see your car now, be out in a second.” With that, the line goes dead. Mirio is quick to exit the car, and stands in a ready position, watching around us for trouble. My stomach has completely settled. We’re safe now. “You think you were followed?” Fatgum asks, barreling down the stairs quickly. I recognize the voice perfectly, but the body doesn’t match. Tall as Fatgum, but thin. Muscular as all hell.

“We weren’t I can feel the… calm.” I swallow, and nod to the man, offering out my hand to shake. He ignores it, stepping forward and crouching down slightly to give me a hug. He lifts me clear off the ground in his large arms, and I resist the urge to hurt him for it. Thankfully, he puts me down just as quickly.

“Alright, let’s get y’all inside. I gotta call Eraserhead and get him down here to check on you.” FatGum looks me up and down. “I’m starved. Postmates?” He questions the group of us, we nod.

Chapter Text

Both of my hands wrap around one of Mirio’s while Tamaki’s arm slings over my shoulders in a protective fashion. FatGum’s warm smile keeps me grounded in the here and now. My knee still won’t stop bouncing. “Alright little lady. Here’s how this is goin’ down. Since Hawks is your legal guardian, I’m suppos’d ta’ call him and tell him you’re here. I ain’t gonna do that since ya’ think he might be the one behind this, so we have to get creative. ‘Till then, no one can know you’re here but me and Eraser. If Hawks goes to the cops, there ain’t no evidence against him just yet, so you’ll have to go with him and Eraser and I could lose our licenses- you got anyone you can call that ain’t someone I have to arrest? Not tryna be difficult or nothin’ but we’re already kinda skirtin’ the law here, Darlin’.” FatGum piles more pizza onto his plate as he speaks, and I nod.

“I can call…” I trail off. Who can I call? Who can keep Hawks away but also scare off the Hassaikai if needed and isn’t a known Villain. Without the villain part, Dabi is the obvious choice. Hawks is a lot of things, but he’s not fireproof, and Dabi has a talent for not being found when he doesn’t want to be- Hawks isn’t fireproof. He’s Number TWO. Number one is- “Endeavor. His son and I are close.” I look up at the group, and Mirio nods, his brows drawn together.

“Alright then, go ahead and call ‘im up. I got the number to his agency, we’ll see if we can get ahold of ‘em” He sighs, and starts scrolling to find the number.

“I have his personal number memorized. I have an eidetic memory…” I trail off, and FatGum nods.

“Alright then.” He responds just as the doorbell rings. He puts his finger to his lips and pushes his hand through the air downward. Okay. Get down. Mirio huddles in front of me, Tamaki slightly canted to the side, but also in front. No, if something happens- I keep my hands on theirs, just in case.

“She here? She’s safe?!” Aizawa’s voice calls from the hall, and Mirio moves to stand, but I keep my hand tight.

“Yeah, she’s fine, Eraser. Come on out, kids.” Fatgum calls from the hallway, and I breathe a sigh of relief, standing. Aizawa comes into the room quickly, his hair is down, he’s wearing his capture weapon.

“You had a vision?! When did those start?! Damn it, Kate, you’re supposed to tell me-” Aizawa is cut off by Fatgum, who sounds almost a little peeved.

“Calm down, Eraser. Don’t bite the girl’s head off. Apparently, this is the first time this has happened- Oh, hey Hiz!” Present Mic comes in moments later, Shinso behind him.

“Hey Tai, good to see ya’. How’s girlie holding up?” Mic pushes past the boys to look at me.

“I’m fine.” I lie, giving him a weak smile, and his eyebrows draw together. He turns back to Aizawa, scowling.

“You need to fix this, Sho. She’s shaking like a fucking leaf.” Mic’s voice comes out deep, lower than I’ve ever heard him speak before.

“Why’s Shinso here?” I question, and both of my teachers stiffen.

“She’s already scared, ‘zashi- I don’t want to make it worse.” Aizawa sounds scared. My heart drops. Leave. I’ve gotta leave. The three men start to argue loudly, but my heart is pounding in my ears and I can’t concentrate. I step backward, bumping into the wall. Tamaki’s hand squeezes mine, and then he lets go. Hands cover my cheeks.

“Hey- hey, stay here. You’re okay. Don’t go hiding in your head. You’re safe- I-I know it feels better to hide up there but you have to be present.” His voice is low, comforting. “What can you see?” He asks, and I swallow, staring down at his black hoodie. There’s a logo on it I hadn’t noticed.

“Gang Orca.” I answer, and he nods.

“What can you hear?”

“Your voice.”

“What can you smell?”

“The pizza?”

“What can you feel?” I have to focus more on that one. I always block that part out the most. Mirio’s hands are on my back, massaging the bare skin through my halter top.

“Mirio.” I answer, my breath hitching. I look past Tamaki, to Shinso, who looks like he might be sick. I clear my throat.

“Shinso… are you still not feeling well?” I ask, and he takes a wide-eyed look at the arguing men before sighing and making eye contact with me. He blinks hard, and licks his lips.

“Fuck it.” He grumbles, and then opens his mouth to speak. “What’s going on?” he asks, and I sigh.

“A lot actually-”

“Remember.”

The command comes like a freight train straight through my thoughts. I gasp, stumbling back into Mirio. Every touch, every fear, every nightmare- all at once, burned back into my mind with a fervor. That night, in the shower, Aizawa, Shinso- the talk in the closet- All of it. I gasp, but hold back the scream.

“What’d you do to her?!” Mirio’s voice is muddled through the dark thoughts.

“Kate- Katherine?!” Tamaki calls, but I can’t respond. Hawks… Keigo… he- Oh god. And he- He doesn’t know that I know. Shigaraki- Oh god, what have I done to Katsuki?! No wonder he fucking hates me- God…

“W-why would you do that to me?!” My shaky voice raises to a shout. All three of the men stop arguing to look at me. I direct my rage at Aizawa. “I get violated physically- and your fucking solution is to violate my THOUGHTS?! How could you do that to me? To Shinso?!” I point at the purple-haired boy. “He had to… to walk around and know what you made him take from me- You… you knew…” I begin to hyperventilate. Tamaki tries to soothe me, but I slap away his hands. “Don’t- STOP FUCKING TOUCHING ME!” I growl, pushing both of the seniors away. They step back. “Jesus christ- You fucking- you took so much from me- I had a deal with Hawks. I kept myself safe- And then you fucking crippled me. I had it all under control and then you- You took it from me… you took EVERYTHING. I TRUSTED YOU!” I’m screaming now, but stationary. My hands are balled into fists at my sides.

Aizawa swallows, and steps forward. “I- I didn’t know…” He trails off, and I scoff, not bothering to answer.

“Righty then- tensions are mighty high, why don’t we all take a breather real quick, alright? Kiddos, why don’t y’all congregate in the guest room real quick eh?” FatGum’s voice is loud, but kind. He’s trying to deescalate the situation. I don’t want to disrespect the man in his own home, so I lead the charge into the room.

“Katherine, I’m-” Shinso starts, but I cut him off.

“I get it. You did what you were told. He’s your legal guardian right?” I ask, knowing the answer. “You didn’t have a choice. It’s not your fault.” I run a hand through my hair.

Mirio’s jaw tightens. “Can someone please explain to me what the FUCK is going on here?!”He questions angrily, I wince.

“Aizawa had Shinso erase my memories, of anyone I’ve ever had a nightmare of- I didn’t block them out myself.” I grit my teeth, and look up at the tall blonde. “He took my fucking memories and then tried to use the blank spots to manipulate me too.” I flash my gaze to Tamaki. “That’s not someone who cares about me. That’s someone who wants to control me. That’s fucking evil.” I shake my head, backing away. I need space- fuck, why is this room so small? “S-sorry for yelling at you guys. I know you actually care and were only trying to help.” My voice breaks.

“You’re allowed to be upset, and you’re allowed to not want to be touched after being triggered.” Tamaki inerjects, offering out his hands, palms up. Not threatening. He gets it. I take one of them, holding tightly.

“Hawks doesn’t know that I know what he did. He was making shit up at the park, trying to plant false memories to make me trust him. It had to of been him- he hired someone to take me. The breakdown on the Ferris wheel doesn’t seem coincidental anymore…” I’m putting together pieces that might not actually fit, but my mind is scattered. Everything is so unclear. “I can’t… I can’t let him know that I know. It was a handicap, but now I can use it against him… I had- FUCK!” I grip the roots of my hair with my fingers, pulling. “Goddamn it- I had EVIDENCE! I recorded him admitting to what he did- It was on my fucking phone! My- my voicemail from my dad...” Mirio is quick to pull my hand away from my face, sparing me from scratching myself.

“Hey- Katie it was an iPhone- All of that stuff is backed up onto the cloud, It’s still there.” Mirio reasons carefully, catching my eye.

“I- I can make Hawks leave you alone.” Shinso offers behind Tamaki.

“No- that won’t work. He’s smart. Way smarter than me. He knows what you can do… remember Finals?” I shake my head, and huff. “This- This has to go a very particular way.” I start, and look at the boys. “No one can act like this happened. I had a mild panic attack, as anyone who’s met me in the last few months is liable to tell you might happen- B-because I heard a scream inside of the Haunted house. It’s believable. I threw my phone because it rang and scared me- won’t be the first time I’ve had a tantrum and threw my phone. Hawks knows that, he bought the damn thing because of a meltdown of mine. No one knows about Hawks. Ya’ll got that?” My breathing regulates as I regain control of the situation. That guy had a GUN. It’s not about me anymore, and that’s better- easier for me to deal with. Protecting other people is easy. Fear goes away when I’m not worried about me.

The boys are silent as I work through my plan out loud. “We leave FatGum’s apartment, and finish out our date. We weren’t followed, but Hawks has a way of finding people when he needs to. We have to act like we don’t know- no one else but the people in this apartment know that I had a vision, or can have them at all.” I explain, Mirio sucks in a breath.

“Why can’t we go to Endeavor or the police?” The blonde boy questions, I sigh.

“Because they are all bound by the law. There’s no evidence of the stalking, I only have the audio of him admitting to rape.” At the utterance of the last word, all of the air seems to be sucked out of the room. Oh. Right. They didn’t know that part. Mirio looks like he might punch something, Tamaki looks petrified, and Shinso looks like he might puke. “Even then, the evidence I have is completely circumstantial, and knowing how high up he is and the kind of lawyers he’d hire he’d probably get a slap on the wrist. The courts are in the government’s pockets and he’s their favorite playing. If I’m going to get out of this with my sanity intact, it has to be done my way.”

This time, It’s Shinso who answers. “Whatever you need, Black.”

Chapter Text

Aizawa’s tired eyes stare at me. He’s pissed. Mic is clutching the raven-haired man’s knee, keeping him seated. “Absolutely fucking not. You don’t seem to understand that I found you BOILING yourself ALIVE- I did what I had to do to keep you out of a padded room where they won’t let you have shoelaces.” Aizawa’s venom doesn’t affect me like it used to. He’s scared. I’m not. He might be bigger than me, but I’m bigger than my body.

“The only thing you did was take away any means I had to protect myself.” I remind him coldly, leaning back. “You’ll do this how I want or I’ll be happy to do it myself and leave you out of the loop. I’m only telling you as a courtesy and so you reinstate my Work-Study.” I tap my fingers on the glass of Iced tea that FatGum was so kind to give me.

“He’ll know you’re lying. You’re way out of your depth here, Katherine. You can’t even swim.” Aizawa scoffs, I roll my eyes.

“Doesn’t help that you already pushed my head under the water though, does it- Jesus, do you really not feel even the least bit guilty?” I laugh without any humor. “You are one miserable sack of shit, Eraserhead. Fine then. I’ll do it by myself. I didn’t need your help to begin with.” I stand, glaring down at his half-hunched form. “I’ll see you Monday, Sir.” I nod curtly, and turn on my heel.

I find Fatgum and the boys huddled in the kitchen, murmuring to each other in a language I vaguely recognize as eastern-European. Huh, okay, weird as fuck but whatever. “Guys… we can go now… Sorry for wasting your time, Mister Gum.” I rub the back of my neck, and Fatgum gives me a worried smile.

“No, no- It ain’t never a waste of time to make people feel safe darlin’. You’ll get that when you’re pro-in’ out on your own in a few years. Tell you what, I’ll give you my number and if you ever need anythin’ at all, you call me. Wasn’t gonna say nothin; ‘cuz it ain’t my place and I don’t kiss and Tell, but your ma’ and I go way back.” He chuckles to himself. Oh- well, mom always did like blondes- tall blondes. I glance up at Mirio. Ah, must be genetic. I flicker my gaze to Tamaki. Broody is also a turn-on. I swallow and look back at Fatgum.

“Thank you sir. I’ll be sure to update you on the situation.” I reach out a hand to shake, but he swipes it away and envelops me into another bone-crushing hug.

“Y’all come back now, ya hear?” He grins, and leans down, placing a kiss on the top of my head. Southern people are weird. I turn toward Mirio and Tamaki.

“So, uh… horror movie?” I ask, Tamaki nods blankly, but Mirio bristles.

“We’ll talk in the car.” the blonde boy nods, ornery. He sounds like my dad when he’s going to beat me but doesn’t want the company to see. But this is Mirio. He’s not my dad, and he can’t hit me. If he tries, I’ll kick his ass. He knows that.

Everything is silent for the first few minutes before Mirio clears his throat. I sit in the back seat, Tamaki is upfront. They want to give me space. I can’t tell if I want to be held or never touched again.

“Katie.” Mirio starts, his voice wavers in just the two syllables. “Now that you remember everything… Did Shigaraki-”

“No. He never- he threatened it but- I don’t think he actually would. He just wanted to scare me.” I’m quick to dismiss. “And- Katsuki never even led on to… wanting to do that. We had sex. Once. It was completely consensual- Kirishima was there too, it was fine. Bakugo got all possessive after, Kirishima backed him up. I broke up with them- It was meant to be just a temporary break but Bakugo wouldn’t let up so it became more permanent and then… I lost the memories.” I shudder. “Todoroki, Bakugo and Kirishima all know what happened with Hawks, and Aizawa knows. I don’t know who else he told, but I’m pretty sure Mic knows too. They’re not actual witnesses though, since none of them were there- In the end it’s still my word against his.” I stare out the window.

“This is so messed up- He can’t get away with this!” Mirio punches the steering wheel, and I flinch.

“Can we just… drop it. I was having a good day before all of this.” I grumble, and Mirio sighs.

“Fine.”

“Y-yeah. But can we go back to my apartment and watch a movie? I think we’ve all had enough of the Public today?” Tamaki asks, and I don’t even try to hold back the giggle that breaks the tension in the air.

“You’re definitely right on that one. I’ve still got a meeting after Eight so that leaves…” I glance at the clock. Jesus. It’s already six. “Enough time for something short, maybe Texas Chainsaw? I heard it was based on a true story- I love those.” I lean forward in my seat. No need for a seatbelt when car crashes are at best a mild inconvenience.

“You’re on, Heads up though, Tamaki might need cuddles after…” Mirio trails off, and I know he wants to add that he will too.

“You boys are gonna have to fair with just each other. I can’t spend the night, I’ve gotta work.” Mirio’s shoulders are tense as he listens to me. Shit.

“Tell me you’re not still going to the Hassaikai tonight, not after everything that just happened.” Mirio sounds desperate. I try not to be angry with him over it.

“I have to keep up appearances, Mirio. I have to act like I had no idea that it happened.” I reason. I can see his eyes darken in the rear-view.

“The box is looking more and more appealing.” he grumbles, and I snort. There’s a long bout of silence before I try to fill it again.

“So… Uh. Maybe we should, uh, renegotiate terms again?” I look up, and the boys share a glance. “After what you both saw today- I’m sure you’ve realized that I’m more trouble than I’m worth.” I continue, and, surprisingly, it’s Tamaki who has the angry voice.

“What the hell is THAT supposed to mean?” He asks, turning in his seat to look at me.

“I’m… a problem. I’ve got too much going on all the time. I’m complicated. It’s fair if you want nothing to do with me, let alone don’t want to date me.” I clarify, and Mirio scoffs.

“You are the dumbest prodigy ever, I swear.” He laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “If so many people are obsessed with you, has it ever occurred to you that maybe it’s because everyone likes you?!” Mirio’s voice is rising, but not angry, frustrated, maybe, but not mad.

“Kate… I’m all in if you are.” Tamaki pipes up quietly, and I melt.

“It would be plain fucking stupid to NOT want you at this point- there’s something to be said for a man’s ego, having what others can’t.” Mirio’s joke warrants a forced laugh from me, through the tears I refuse to let fall.

”Thank you both… for being… well… you.” I sniffle, and Mirio sighs.

“If you’re ready to make a decision now though… we can always just call it a night and forget the rules- I sure would love to let that Bakugo fucker know where he stands.” Mirio jokes, I giggle in earnest.

“Oh sure, THAT’S the rule you want to break.” I roll my eyes, and Mirio huffs.

“I want our first time to be special. Tamaki and I are gonna have to really prepare for it. Do something really romantic- When’s your birthday again?” Mirio rambles, I try my best to keep up.

“You missed it, It was April- Though I never did get to have a sweet sixteen.” I admit, and Mirio shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

“Ah- I forget you’re a freshman. Kinda weird to think about having sex with someone who was fifteen less than three months ago…” He trails off, red in the cheeks.

“Don’t be like that. You’re only like, what, eighteen? We’re only two years apart. Before Hawks did what he did, I considered dating him- and he’s in his twenties!”

“Well, Tamaki and I will have to throw you a real birthday party then- make it really special.” Mirio nods, seemingly very keen on changing the subject away from Hawks. Okay, that’s sore for him.

“D-does it have to be a party? How about a picnic on a roof? Ya’know, with stars and m-maybe fireworks? The fourth of July is next weekend…” Tamaki offers, and I swallow.

“That- That sounds nice! Parties usually aren’t my thing. I drink too much and then…” I trail off, and Mirio nods fervently.

“Oh, yeah, definitely! No drinking- Maybe a glass of wine or- or like that champagne stuff? But no getting drunk. Definitely don’t want a repeat of last time- Oh! But! Can we still do other stuff? I still want you to do that thing on my face.” Mirio’s excited demeanor has both Tamaki and I flushed red as tomatoes. “Tama, she does the most AMAZING thing- Pretty rare, from what I could find online- You have to see it for yourself, dude, it’s SO HOT!” Well, now is the time to throw myself out of the car- stupid child locks.

“I- I don’t think Kate wants me to know about any of that.” Tamaki stutters, staring intensely downward and crossing his legs over each other. Mirio glances back at me in the rearview mirror and his eyes widen.

“Oh- shit I didn’t mean to make you upset or anything! I just- that was really exciting for me, It was the first time I’d ever had sex and I made you cum on my first try so I was pretty damn proud of myself, to be honest! There’s also the fact that you said you’d never squirted before so it was extra special- a thing only I can do! So I wanna do it again and again and show Tamaki how to do it too- Because I want you to feel good. I like making you feel good.” Mirio’s horny rambling really just drives home my point from the earlier argument. He’s just a teenage boy too. We’re not all that different.

“Mirio, please, s-stop.” Tamaki begs, squeezing his eyes shut and hunching over in his seat.

“Oh- fuck sorry! Didn’t know you were bein’ serious when you said you got hard easy- We’ll be at your apartment soon- ah, shit second time today too, that’s gotta be rough.” Mirio laughs, and shifts to make the car go faster. “I can help though- Unlike with Katie I actually know what to do with a dick from experience- well, with my own at least. But it can’t be that different- I made Katie cum just with what I’ve learned from porn so I think I can figure it out. I’ve never sucked a cock before but it doesn’t seem that hard. Tasted my own Jizz once though, ten-out-of-ten do NOT recommend. I’d swallow for you though, Tama. You’re my best bud! And you eat better than me so it probably won’t taste as bad- but I can DEFINITELY jerk you off, no problemo. I’m also super down to bottom, if you’re into that. I’ve kind of always wanted to get pegged-”

“For the love of God, Mirio, please shut up!” Tamaki whines, smacking his own forehead against the dash.

“Sorry! Sorry man. Pulling up to the parking lot right now, see? I can help in a minute- or Katie can- wait, fuck we never did get an answer…” Mirio pulls the parking break once we get into the lot. “Katie- are we dating?” Mirio’s question catches me off guard. I lick my lips.

“If… if you guys are in, so am I. I’m warning you though, today was easy compared to others you’re going to have with me.” I nod, and Mirio cracks a grin.

“To Tamaki’s apartment then- ah, don’t worry about sneaking around or nothin’, he lives alone.”

Chapter Text

Tamaki unlocks his door, and drops his keys in the bowl on a small table beside the front door. His apartment is cozy, warm lights and earthy-toned furniture with jewel-toned accents. “So, how do you live alone?” I question, looking around. Tamaki shrugs.

“‘M eighteen. My parents both work overseas- My dad’s in the army, stationed in Japan I think. Mom’s a journalist covering some big story in the middle east.” He points over to his couch, a huge TV is mounted on the wall, and he’s got every game system I’ve ever heard of, and a few that I haven’t, stacked in cubbies-turned-shelving. Everything is immaculately clean, precise, orderly. “P-please sit. Would you like something to drink?” He says this line as if it was rehearsed in a mirror, Knowing Tamaki, it probably was.

“Maybe water?” I nod, and he breathes a sigh of relief, practically running away from Mirio and I into the kitchen. I take my seat on the couch, and Mirio plops down next to me, he looks to think for a moment, with his lips pulled up to one side of his face. He then proceeds to grab my knees and lift them, nestling my legs into his lap.

“Much better.” He chuckles, and turns on the TV. He glances down at my feet. “Totally forgot you weren’t wearing shoes- Jeeze those look painful.” He trails his fingers over the scabs and mud.

“Not at all, actually. I can stand for a shower, but they’re fully healed, that’s just dried blood.” I lean forward and scrape a large scab up, showing the perfect skin underneath.

“Woah- Gotta say your quirk never ceases to amaze me- and the fact that you technically have TWO is also super badass.” Mirio compliments, and I shrug.

“If you ask me, it might all just be one power- the ability to not get hurt and keep others from being hurt. Both proactively and reactively.” I gesture with my hands when I speak, and Mirio watches with a Lazy, almost drunken smile.

“There’s also the memory thing?” He asks, still smiling.

“That’s not even a quirk, Eidetic memories existed before quirks.” I nod, and stretch, and wince. “Tama?” I call, not knowing where he ran off too. He pops up suddenly, glass of ice water in his hand.

“Yeah?” He questions. He is just a total bundle of nerves right now- shit.

“Uh, I could really go for a shower, do you mind?” I ask, and he nods vigorously.

“Uh, yeah, sure. Let me grab you a towel and… some clothes?” He offers, still warbly.

“I think I left a pair of gym pants here- way too long for your legs but will fit over your butt.” Mirio smirks, reaching down and palming one of my ass cheeks and squeezing. I roll my eyes. Yeah, there isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that anything Tamaki wears will fit over my thighs, but I’m a men’s small up top, so I can definitely borrow shirts.

“I’ll.. uh… start the shower too because the controls can be tricky.” Tamaki nods, and disappears again down the hall. I hop to my feet and follow him. He keeps his hands in his pockets, and his head is down. No wonder his back hurts all the goddamn time. “Neijire left a bunch of her bath stuff here after we broke up, she said she didn’t want it back but I don’t like smelling like a girl so… you can use that.” When the bathroom door opens, I am again impressed by his cleanliness. Lived in, definitely not sterile, but orderly. “There’s also uh… p-period stuff in the cabinet, if you ever need any of that. I carry it in my work bag b-because I like to be prepared.” He stammers, and leans forward, opening the glass door to his shower and turning it on. “If you n-need anything Mirio and I are right outside…” He turns, finally looking at me. “Are you okay?” He asks, hushed.

We’re alone for the first time since the carnival. Close. I nod, swallowing. “Funny thing is… today was still the best I’ve had in a long time.” I admit, and he sighs.

“Can I give you a hug?” His voice is soft, kind as always. I nod, stepping forward and burying my face in his neck. His arms wrap around me tightly, squeezing me reassuringly. “You’re m-mine now, right?” I answer with a nod. “W-well. I t-take very good care of what’s mine. Y-you’re gonna be okay.” I can feel wetness on my shoulder. He’s crying. I encircle his waist with my arms and squeeze him back. “Mirio said you’re going to the Hassaikai… why?” He murmurs, and I suck in a breath. Right. He doesn’t know.

“I’ve been seeing Overhaul. I let him use my quirk so Eri doesn’t get hurt when he extracts material for his bullets. I’m spending the night tonight.” I explain, and Tamaki stiffens.

“W-would you be mad at me if I said I don’t want you to go?” His voice wavers. I shake my head, nuzzling my forehead farther into his neck.

“Not mad. I don’t really want to go either, but I have to do right by Eri.” I shrug.

Tamaki steps back. “Okay.” He huffs, something akin to anger in his eyes. “The water should be warm now… you… you can go ahead.” He steps to the side, and opens the bathroom door. “Mirio’s already seen you uh… naked… so if you need anything I can send him in.” He promptly leaves before I can object.

The shower is nice, a little cooler than I would have put it, and Neijire uses the same ridiculously expensive products that Midnight made me buy. I take my time, scrubbing the sex and alcohol and fear from my body, letting the lukewarm water soothe my tired muscles. By the time I step out of the shower, I find that someone laid out clothes for me- Mirio’s gym pants and an oversized Pink Floyd tee that smells like the towel, so it must be Tamaki’s. I get dressed, and pad to the living room.

The carpet soaks up any noise, and when I come to the room, I find only Tamaki sitting on the couch. I can only see the back of his head, because the couch faces away from the hall and kitchen. Nothing’s on TV, he’s just sitting in silence.

I move closer, and find Mirio on his knees on the ground, his face shoved into Tamaki’s crotch. Tamaki’s pants are down, and his eyes are screwed shut tightly, his mouth hanging open. I make a noise of surprise, and Mirio pops up, a grin on his face. “Oh- sorry for starting without you, thought you needed some time to yourself.” Mirio chuckles while Tamaki desperately tries to hide his dick.

I shield my eyes. “Sorry! Didn’t expect to see… that!” Tamaki and I are both flushed the same shade of crimson.

“Well, don’t be a stranger sunshine, c’mere and join in!” Mirio offers, and I flush harder. I amble around the couch, and sit down. Tamaki and I avoid eachother’s eyes. God, why’s this so awkward? “You guys both look really tense… do you wanna watch the movie instead?” Mirio questions, dragging his wet bottom lip into his mouth and leaning back onto his heels.

“I- I have to- to…” Tamaki whines, and curls in on himself. I bite my lip.

“I can do it…” I offer, and his eyes fly open.

“Ah- Kate you don’t have to-” I cut him off, plopping myself into Mirio’s lap and taking Tamaki’s dick into my hands. He’s smaller than all of the others I’ve seen. Good. It probably won’t hurt with him like it does everyone else. I lick up the bottom of the head, and dip my tongue against the slit.

“Oh- I’ve never seen anyone do it that way.” Mirio says, voice full of wonder and admiration. I giggle.

“Bakugo didn’t always suck- but he always sucked.” I joke, earning a hearty laugh as I pop Tamaki’s head into my mouth.

Mirio grips at my hips, and rolls them against his, dry humping me. “Ah- s-sorry. Can’t help it.” Mirio mouths at the side of my neck. “Sucks that I can’t give you hickies.” Mirio whines, rutting faster. I take Tamaki into my mouth deeper, ignoring my need for air and sliding him clean down my throat. Tamaki gasps, and leans back, biting onto his knuckles. I make eye contact with the dark-haired boy, and he whines.

“Kate- I’m gonna- Gonna… stop or it’ll-” He gasps when I ignore his warnings, bobbing my head up and down instead. He comes, over my tongue on the uptake. For whatever fucking reason, the boy’s cum has the audacity to taste like maple syrup. Must be part of his quirk? Whatever the reason, I’ll have to remember to do this for him again since I don’t actually mind either the act or the taste. I swallow heartfully, and continue to suck until he stops cumming. I clean him fully- he doesn’t seem to be the type that appreciates a mess- and let him slide out of my mouth. “You’re uh… really good at that.” Tamaki compliments, a blush still over his cheeks.

I grin. “Thanks, I don’t have much practice. I’ve only done it twice… three times now.” I nod, and Mirio chuckles.

“You weren’t kidding when you said you were a fast learner then huh? Wow- you gotta show me how to do that! It only took you two minutes and I’ve been working at it for like twenty like a jackass!” Mirio complains, I giggle, tucking Tamaki’s dick back into his pants for him and zipping them while he looks dazed.

“You got it ready. I can… uh… do the same thing for you?” I question, and Mirio stills his hips.

“Nah, I’m good. I just wanna hang out with you to be honest, Tamaki really needed to get off.” He gestures to his- our boyfriend. Tamaki is still flushed, eyes closed. I move to stand, but Mirio is way ahead of me, and stronger, lifting me as he plops himself down on the couch right next to Tamaki. Mirio bends over me slightly, and grasps my thighs, then swings them around to drape over Tamaki’s lap. “Texas chainsaw it is then- Tamaki and I will just have to annoy you all night with texts about how scared we are- You’re taking my phone by the way. I have two, one for work and one for home. You still have to be able to contact people if something goes wrong and NO, I will NOT be taking no for an answer.” Mirio rambles, and snuggles into the couch, holding my waist tenderly.

“I can accept these terms.” I nod, nestling myself to be more comfortable. “You doing okay there, Tamaki?” I poke him in the stomach with my big toe, and he nods, swallowing.

“Y-yeah. S-sorry for… c-cumming in your mouth.” He stammers, and I giggle again.

“‘Sokay. I wanted you to… and uhm… your… you know… actually tastes good. Like pancakes.” I admit, and he shudders.

“I m-manifested syrup from b-breakfast so it would taste good since you wouldn’t stop.” He admits, and I gasp.

“That’s actually really cool! Lucky that you can do that during sex. My only cool power is I regrow my damn hymen every time. Which sounds cool at first, especially to guys- but in the end, it’s more a nuisance than anything.” I grumble, and Tamaki blanks.

“That sounds like it hurts…” He tilts his head, I shrug.

“Really high pain tolerance, but, ya know. If I’m not careful I bleed everywhere.” I laugh, and he nods.

“We have to be careful then, no biggie.” Mirio interjects and kisses my temple. For the first time, maybe in my entire life, I feel genuinely understood. I don’t ever want to leave this moment. But, Kai’s meeting is only two hours away.

Chapter Text

I get to the meeting place on time.

Tamaki’s apartment is way closer to the mall than the dorms, so I didn’t even have to call an uber. A brisk, twenty-minute walk in bare feet and clothes that are way too big on me gets me where I need to be. To my surprise, Kai himself picks me up. No driver, no goons. No blindfold. Oh. He must be starting to trust me then? Good.

“Angel.” he removes his mask after I step into the car and smiles warmly. “I missed you.” He hums, and I laugh lightly.

“I guess I would miss the only person I could comfortably hug too. Is Eri already asleep?” I ask, and he nods, putting the car into reverse and pulling out of the parking lot.

“She’s comfortable in bed. She missed you too.” He confirms, and reaches over, touching my hair. “You showered?” He questions with a furrowed brow, and I shrug.

“Yeah, I had to throw away my shoes because they got bloody and gross.” I offer no further context, and he doesn’t ask for it. “Uh, so… about the wine thing. You know you can’t legally serve me alcohol, right? I’m sixteen. I could get in trouble too.” I remind him, and he sighs.

“Well, I won’t tell if you don’t. But, if you are uncomfortable with alcohol consumption, I suppose I could find something else. Though, I seem to remember sending multiple men to ward off trouble just last night after you went and got yourself good and inebriated.” He sighs, and looks me in the eye. “That was a stupid choice, Angel. Do you have any idea how easy it would have been to simply pluck you off the street and keep you with me? There would have been nothing linking me to your disappearance.” His tone is frustrated, but not angry.

“I know… sorry for worrying you.” I mumble, staring straight ahead. He sighs again.

“It’s fine. I suppose. You are… only a child.” He says the last bit as if it is a complaint. “Why couldn’t you have been older?” He mumbles, so lowly under his breath that I know I wasn’t supposed to hear him. I don’t want to think about what that means. “I shouldn’t worry about you, Unbreakable doll, but I do. Ears on the ground say you’ve had a rough go of it these last few months.” He hums, and turns down a dark street I don’t recognize.

“Nothing I can’t handle.” I defend myself automatically, and he chuckles.

“Of course not Angel. I didn’t mean to make you sound weak. I simply meant to say that I could make all of those difficulties disappear… If you so wished.” He gestures vaguely with his hand. “Any problems you have, I’ll be happy to fix. I do owe you a great deal. You’ve made production easier, Eri has stopped trying to run away, and you do wonders for my health.” His golden eyes flitter back to me again. “And… as much as I hate to admit it, you do make me laugh. Which is a rarity.” He looks back at the road.

“The only thing I want is to help. I’m not going to lie to you Kai. I don’t like you. It’s not even about whatever bullshit drug stuff you do- Honestly, I couldn’t give a shit- It’s what you did to Eri. What you would STILL be doing to Eri that makes me hate you. Hurting an innocent kid like that… that makes you undeniably evil.” I shake my head, and the car is deadly silent for a few long moments before he speaks up again.

“I will take that into consideration. Perhaps… therapy for the girl… and… I will halt production if not under your supervision.” He offers, and I blank. Just like that? He would… attempt to be better for her… just because I told him I don’t like him? Too good to be true.

“Why?” I ask seriously, and he pauses.

“I want you to like me, Katherine.” He uses my first name for the first time. It shouldn’t unnerve me as much as to does. I know that he knows who my father is. A ten-second google search would show him everything he ever needed to know about me. “I… don’t have many options for genuine contact. I get ill from touching any living thing, I can’t even have pets.” He explains, and then regard me again with those strange cat-like eyes. “So, if at all possible, I’d like to attempt to keep you.” He flickers back to looking at the road. My stomach is slightly unsettled, but I did have very greasy pizza and about four pounds of pure sugar in the form of cotton candy today, so it could be that. “You seem perturbed, Angel.” He hums, and reaches to turn up the heat to the car. “You shouldn’t walk around with wet hair. You could catch a chill.” He smirks. I roll my eyes.

“I can only really get sick with Bacterial infections, and my body still attacks them at an exponential rate.” I explain, and he nods.

“Understood, still. I wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable.” He slows the car in front of a large metal gate, and presses a button on the dashboard. The gate swings open to reveal a square, sterile-looking concrete structure. Just beyond it, is a pool, and a rock garden, complete with a Koi pond. Kai slips on his bird mask before stepping out of the car, and walks around the front of the vehicle to open the door for me. He offers a bare hand, and I take it. “This is a recent purchase of mine, for personal use.” He murmurs, leading me into, what I assume, is the front door. The inside is pristine. Not a speck of dust to be seen. Neutral tones, bright. The first thing I notice is the grand piano in the foyer.

“You play?” I ask, and he shakes his head.

“I meant to learn, but I can’t stand to sit so closely to anyone to do so.” He mutters, and I shrug.

“I could teach you. My mom made me take lessons when I was little- Oh, I could teach Eri too. It’s good for kids to learn music.” I ramble, he removes the mask and leaves it in a bin with a lid, alongside his gloves. He also removes his coat, and his tie. He looks more relaxed than usual.

“That would be nice.” He hums, and reaches out his hand. I grab it, having no qualms about touching him. He’s never hurt, so I don’t really mind anymore. “Let me give you a tour. I’m thinking about moving Eri here so that she can experience a more normal childhood. Perhaps hire tutors… I can’t send her to school because her quirk is quite volatile. She may hurt someone.” He leads me into a kitchen, and pulls out a bar stool for me to sit at the island.

“Ah, I know how it is. I ended up wearing gloves every day until I moved here. I just recently got a handle on not passing wounds to other people without healing them. The neutral zone is hard to maintain though, and my body’s first reaction is to heal others.” I look around the room. Silver appliances, emerald green cabinets. White marble countertops. In the corner, a glass tube. “Is that an elevator?” I ask, pointing at the thing. Kai hums, reaching into the fridge to pull out meat and vegetables.

“It is, it goes straight to the master bedroom. Quite nice for midnight snacks.” He chuckles to himself, and gestures to the ingredients he laid out on the counter. “I wanted to make dinner myself so that we don’t have to be interrupted by my men. Some of them are useful, but it’s nice to not have to wear the mask.” Kai’s laid-back demeanor is very different from his usual uptight shtick. I mean, I guess he is at home. “You still haven’t asked about Eri’s quirk, or mine. Why?” He asks suddenly, carefully dicing onions.

“I… don’t care? I guess? Like… a quirk isn’t everything, ya know?” I try to explain, and he purses his lips.

“If I could rid the world of quirks, I would. They’re diseases.” He mutters, I snort.

“Yeah, I get that. Especially with certain drawbacks. This boy I dated- He’s slowly going deaf because of his explosions. One of my friends has severe scarring on her throat from stomach acid because she pukes if she over-uses her power- I’ve healed both of them and most of my other classmates, but I can’t fix everyone.” I huff, and lean forward, propping my elbows against the counter and supporting my head in my hands. “Mine has an even worse drawback though.” I grumble, and Kai raises an eyebrow.

“Oh? And what’s that, Angel?” He looks intrigued.

“Nothing you can use against me-” I roll my eyes. “I can’t die. I’ve tried. Multiple times.” Kai’s face falls.

“I am… sorry to hear that, Angel.” He sounds genuinely remorseful. I shrug, resigned.

“It’s fine. I’m over it.” I lie, and Kai grunts.

“Ow. Fuck!” He wasn’t paying attention and he cut his finger. I shush him reflexively, and lean over the counter to grasp his hand.

“It’s just a little cut, it’s okay.” I murmur, and take the wound. It heals instantaneously. When I look up, he’s squinting at me.

“If you hate me, why were you so quick to comfort me?” The question is straightforward, Kai is not a coy man.

“Reflex.” I respond simply, and pull the cutting board and vegetables away from him. “Gimme the knife. I pinky promise I won’t stab you.” I joke, and he smirks, but hands me the thing anyway. He hums, and presses a button on the smoke hood over the stove. A rack of wines pushes out from the wall, a spot that I wouldn’t have guessed was storage.

“I selected a red.” He hums, and pulls out a bottle. He places it on the counter, and I raise an eyebrow. “Bottled in 2000. A good vintage. French, from Bordeaux. Sweet, as you requested. Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac” He drawls the french name on the bottle and I grimace.

“No matter how you string it up, it’s still just grape juice that went bad.” I giggle, and he chuckles. “Hm. Maybe. Better not be, though. This bottle was three thousand dollars.” He shrugs, and uncorks the thing easily. My eyes bulge.

“Three grand?!” I question, and he sighs.

“Yes, well, it is over twenty years old so I suppose the vintage adds to the price?” He pours two glasses, and swirls the red liquid in his glass and sniffs it. “Aromas of toast, coffee, licorice, creme de cassis, and roasted nuts.” He compliments the wine before he tastes it, and hums in appreciation, eyes closed.

“Creme de la what now?” I question, feeling way out of my depth.

“Crème de cassis is a sweet, dark red liqueur made from blackcurrants.” He pauses, then looks at me. “Blackcurrants are a fruit, similar to grapes in shape, but much more tart and intense in flavor.” He explains, and then taps my glass. “Take a small sip, just enough to coat your tongue, swirl it between your teeth and along the roof of your mouth, and then swallow. It’s only twelve percent alcohol by volume, so it shouldn’t burn.” Kai lifts my glass to my lips, and I take a tentative sip. Coffee and fruit my ass! It still tastes like grapes that went bad. But… I guess it’s alot sweeter than the stuff my mom used to sneak me at restaurants. I do exactly as he says, and find it does get sweeter after you do the strange tongue movements. “Do you like it?” He questions, taking another sip from his own glass.

I nod. “It gets better after a second.” I admit, earning a warm smile.

“I supposed it does.” He agrees, and turns toward the stove. “I procured A1 Wagyu for dinner, and rare European white truffles to pair with the potatoes. I also brought saffron tea for bedtime, since you always seem so restless.” He hums while he works, and opens the fridge again, retrieving a charcuterie board. “Snack while I cook, since it’s late.” Kai begins pointing to and explaining the meats and cheeses. “Jamón ibérico, prosciutto, Almas Caviar, Densuke Watermelon, Pule, Bitto, Stilton, Époisses de Bourgogne….and for dessert, Knipschildt chocolate.” I sit dumbfounded.

“I’m pretty sure you’re just making shit up, Kai.” I giggle, and he smiles.

“Anything for you, My angel.”

Chapter Text

“Saffron Tea is an antidepressant, you know, and it’s meant to help with menstrual issues,” Kai speaks candidly as we eat, and I nearly choke on a mouthful of steak. “No need to be embarrassed dear. Though I agree, perhaps your menses is not proper dinner talk.” He chuckles to himself. I shake my head.

“No, I don’t care I just… you’re a germaphobe so…” I trail off, and he nods.

“It is a… disgusting process. Blood of any kind is liable to make me ill.” He admits, and I raise a brow.

“The steak is Blue rare?” I remind him, and he nods.

“Ah, yes, but it is purebred wagyu beef, and something I’ve wanted to try for a long time. With you here, I’ve finally had the opportunity without risking illness.” He smiles, and reaches across the table to take my hand. “You make so many things more tolerable, Angel.” He strokes my knuckles with his thumb. My stomach twists painfully. I did just have a lot of exotic cheeses and raw meats. No visions, it can’t be that bad. I curl my arm around my stomach, but don’t let the pain show on my face. I’ve definitely had worse. “You look a bit pale, Angel. Did you have too much wine?” Kai tilts his head, genuine worry sweeping across his face.

“I thought alcohol is supposed to make people flushed.” I retort with a small laugh, earning a nod.

“Yes, but when one has had too much, they run the risk of making themself sick. Do you feel queasy at all? Do you need to lie down?” His fretting over me is almost sweet, but my stomach is getting worse by the second.

“I’m fine, I think something just didn’t agree with me. Lots of new stuff. I probably shouldn’t have eaten so much of that gooey cheese.” I laugh lightly, and take another sip of wine. He frowns, and takes the glass.

“I think I’m going to cut you off for the night. You can have more tomorrow.” He moves to the stove and starts a kettle of water. “You don’t have any allergies then, I presume?” He questions, and I shake my head.

“Mildly allergic to ragweed, but it only makes me sneeze.” I push away my empty plate. “The beef was amazing, and those mushroom things?”

“Truffles.”

“Right, the truffles were really good. I’ve never had anything like that before.” I smile, Kai tests the temperature of the water before pouring it over the leaves in a separate pot.

“A shame. You deserve all of the luxuries life has to offer, My Angel.” He pours a cup of tea for me, and I take it gratefully.

“I’m pretty happy with greasy takeout and fast food though, I’m more a fan of the simple things, ya’know?” Just as the twisting in my stomach reaches a crescendo, I sip the tea. Not very hot, almost lukewarm. I like it. The twisting stops immediately. Oh. “Wow, this is really good stuff!” I compliment, drinking more. “My tummyache is, like completely gone!” I gasp.

“Glad to hear it, Angel.” He hums. “I think after you finish your cup it may be time for bed.” Kai suggests. I nod.

“I might need to change for your skin-to-skin thing though. This is kind of a lot.” I gesture to Mirio and Tamaki’s clothes, Kai smiles.

“I have some pajamas stocked up for you in the bedroom. You may head up on your own.” A small ache returns once I stop sipping the tea. My heart drops as the voice comes back. Run. Get out of there. Something is off. The tea- the tea…

An image, empty cup, my finger is bleeding- it wont heal. Why isn’t it healing? Kai sits across the table, he finishes his glass of wine with one gulp. He sucks at his teeth. He says something to me, but I still can’t hear anything. I watch myself push off of the counter and run-

“Angel?!” Kai is cupping my face, there’s a broken teacup and tea spilled all over the counter. Kai’s eyes are wide. “Are you- are you alright?!” He questions, I can hear his heart pattering quickly.

“I’m f-fine.” I bat his hands away.

“Just- got lost there for a second.” I shake the memory away. “I think the tea didn’t agree with me.” I bite my lip, and look over my shoulder. “Hey- didn’t you say something about a tour of the house? I’ve never seen a house with an elevator before… also I’m intrigued by the Koi pond.” I change the subject quickly, and Kai nods, something dark in his eyes for a moment. I need to get out of here. I need to get near the front door.

“Of course angel. Maybe we should talk for a bit first in the living room, you still seem sort of dazed… and of course, there is the chocolate.” He hummed, and turned to the fridge to retrieve a brown box. “Come, “ He reaches out his free hand. “The fireplace is exquisite.” He explained, taking my hand and leading me further into the building. He prods me to sit on the white leather couch, and opens the box. Round, coca-powder-covered chocolate sits in the middle of the cardstock, and Kai hands me a small golden tasting spoon. I tentatively take the box, and he guides my hand to dip the spoon into the chocolate, then prods my lips. It’s too much, too intimate. I shy away. His jaw tightens, but he doesn’t say anything. I feed myself, and attempt to start another conversation.

“How’s Eri doing with the workbooks I left? Did you find someone to teach her while I’m gone?” I question, and his demeanor shifts. He sits back in his chair, and sighs.

“She’s a fast learner. She’s burned through almost every Dr.Suess book you left, and she gets frustrated with the man I have watching her if he doesn’t comply with ‘making the right voices’ for characters. You’ve spoiled her.” He smirks, and languidly draws his eyes over me. I repress the urge to run.

“Kids need to be spoiled sometimes.” I argue, and he nods.

“You may be right. She only seems to want to listen for you, she doesn’t cry when I walk into the room with you by my side. I do hate when they snivel.” He bites his lower lip, and looks away. I look over at the clock. Midnight- thirty.

“Jeeze, it’s late… eh, it’s fine. I’ve been sleeping like shit for months now anyway.” I laugh, and look back at Kai. He seems expectant.

“Have you?” He questions seriously. I nod in response.

“There’s just been a lot going on…” I admit, he tilts his head.

“Oh? Tell me about it. Maybe it will help us both sleep.” He drawls, and I huff.

“I uh… recently came to terms with the fact that I’ve been lied to… Multiple times, by several unrelated people on several unrelated instances. One of the people was someone I really, really trusted. I’ve been feeling a lot of guilt about it… I uh… haven’t actually taken the time to sit down with anyone and talk about it either. Like I’ve told a few people what happened, and everyone keeps asking if I’m okay, and I say that I’m fine because I don’t want to be a bother and- fuck, why am I telling this to you? Is that truth serum guy around?” I tease through my tight throat, and he chuckles.

“No, but you did have five glasses of wine. You may be a bit inebriated.” He reaches up, and bushes my hair behind my ear. “Not drunk enough to forget anything though.” He murmurs, and leans forward, brushing his lips against mine. I ruffle, pushing him back by the chest.

“What are you doing?!” I question incredulously. He frowns, and huffs, and sits back in his seat.

“I thought you were opening up to me.” He sounds melancholy. I almost feel bad for him, but my stomach turns and tells me not to. He sighs, and licks his lips. “Do you think you would ever grow to like me?” He asks suddenly, and I am taken completely aback.

“Maybe? Not any time soon though. I don’t want to be your friend right now.” I grumble. He nods.

“And, what if I wanted more than friendship?” He urges, but I shake my head.

“I don’t really want anything to do with you. I’m here out of duty for Eri. I put up with you because I have to. If it wasn’t for her, I’d be at my boyfriends’ right now.” I shrug.

Kai’s jaw tightens. “You’re tipsy. Lets get you to bed.” He huffs, and grips my wrist, leading me toward the kitchen. He opens the elevator. The fit is tight, I think it’s only meant for one person. As promised, the door opens to a bedroom. “Lay down.” Kai mutters, gesturing at the bed. My stomach twists itself viciously. Oh. Bad. This is bad.

“I want to talk a little longer, I’m not even tired.” I lie, backing toward the door. Kai sighs, and looks up at me.

“Don’t throw a tantrum. Get over here.” His voice is low, even. He’s decided on something. I don’t know what- I don’t think I want to know.

“I’d rather stay over here, actually if that’s okay.” shake my head, my heart beating erratically.

“I’d hoped you would behave… but if I have to do this the hard way…” He tightens his jaw as he stands. “I will.” He lunges forward as I sidestep out of a door. There’s no one else around- why is there no one else here? The building is a maze- one that he bought specifically for this... My feet move quickly as I shoot down the hall.

The ground juts up around me, shaking and reforming on a whim. I’m tripped, several times as I throw open doors and run through them, trying to find an exit. My stomach warns me of dead ends and bad paths, and I trust it blindly, leading me up and down halls and through stairwells. Kai stays hot on my heels, stopping repeatedly to slam attacks into the ground, making me lose my footing. I’m faster than him- I’ve trained for this, he hasn’t.

Just long, blank, white hallways and stairs. Another attack sounds, and my ankle twists. It’s broken. I know it’s broken. I’m crying, bleeding, scared out of my mind. I was warned. I was told this would happen. So many people tried to stop me but I just wouldn’t listen. I didn’t care if I got hurt, I was only worried about Eri- but they were right. My mind is working in overdrive, trying desperately to find a way out of this. Not here, not now, not with him. My broken ankle is difficult to run on- not because of the pain, I easily ignore that, but because it wobbles with every step. I’m slower, my reaction time is suffered.

A spike comes jutting up out of the ground, impaling my thigh. I grunt, gritting my teeth and trying to pull it out, but Kai gets to me first, smacking me in the head with a rock. I’m disoriented just long enough for him to clap something over my wrists behind my back and pull the rock out. I blink, my mind becoming un-muddied just in time to find him slinging me over his shoulder and walking back to the bedroom. My stomach twists painfully.

“Kai- Kai please- think about what you’re doing. Think about what I can do to you if you do this- what Tomura will do-” I try to reason with him, but he’s completely silent as he walks through the now-pristine walls. “Kai- What are you doing?” I ask, trying to calm myself as he sets me down on the bed almost gently. He stands back a bit, looking at me before he grimaces.

“I thought about this… for the last week. I haven’t slept since you left. I enjoyed our time together last… and while I’d prefer for this to be mutual, I am not a stupid man. I know you’d never agree. So, I’ll just have to take what I want.” He shrugs off his jacket, dropping it on the floor.

“What do you want?” I ask, desperately praying to whatever gods above that it’s not what I think it is. He doesn’t answer me, instead moving forward and disintegrating Tamaki’s Pink Floyd Teeshirt. “No.” I whisper, and shake my head. “No- pl-please. I- I don’t want that.” I try to back away, but there’s not much room to do so, and with my hands bound behind my back, there’s not much opportunity.

“I know you don’t.” He sighs, and tilts his head. “I tried so hard to make you see the correct answer. The wine, the food, the house. It was all for you. There’s a space for Eri, I’ll let you take care of her… but tonight is just… tonight is for me. I don’t expect you to participate much- but try to enjoy it.” He frowns, leaning down and caging me between him and the bed.

Chapter Text

“I- I was raped before.” I swallow, closing my eyes to try and blank out the feeling of his mouth on my neck. “By a classmate. He drugged me and… and he recorded himself raping me in the woods. He sent a video of it to all of my classmates.” I continue, and Kai pauses. “He- he was careful. No one knew who he was until- until Shigaraki found him. Shigaraki cut off his finger, and Dabi burned him half to death. And Toga and Twice beat him within an inch of his life. The only reason he isn’t dead is because I asked them to quit the killing.” I open my eyes, and stare at him. “If you do this, I won’t stop Shigaraki for you. He’ll kill you. I’ll let him. I really will.” I plead, and he sighs, leaning up and unbuttoning his top slowly. “He- he wasn’t the only one. Hawks.” I grit my teeth, crying hysterically.

“Hawks? The pro hero?” Kai raises a brow, staring at me intently with his lips pressed into a fine line.

“He tried to kidnap me today. He sent some guy to drug me and shoot my friends! He wants me- He- he raped me too. While I was sleeping- Shigaraki has him thinking they’re working together. He’s going to rip his wings off.” My threats become more frantic as he goes back to undressing himself.

“Oh, That was my agent, not his. I was… losing my patience. After you told me you were going to be late I assumed you were seeing someone. Seems I was correct. I don’t want to share you.” He continues unbuttoning his shirt without a care in the world.

“Y-you won’t even be the first one! That’s pathetic!” I wriggle underneath him, and kick my legs. He all but ignores me. “Stop- i-if you don’t stop so many people will kill you. I have friends. People like me you can’t just- STOP!” I scream, but he doesn’t listen, turning Mirio’s gym pants to dust. He leans over, grabbing a needle off of the nightstand. “No!” I force myself to sit up, but one hand over my chest forces me back down.

“I tried with the tea… but you had an adverse reaction. It works best when it’s delivered intramuscularly I guess. Thank you for being my guinea pig. Don’t worry, this isn’t permanent. It’s only for the night.” He pricks my shoulder with the needle, and a cold numbness sweeps over me. My breathing halts. My eyes go blurry ever so slightly, and suddenly I can’t hear his heart beating or the electricity buzzing through the lights.

“W-what did you…” I gasp, pausing my struggle.

“It erases your quirk… this formula will only work overnight, but I have a permanent solution as well.” He nuzzles my chin, and kisses my neck again. “It’s just for tonight, so you won’t fight me… if you run again, I’ll break your legs.” His voice is husky as he kisses down my chest and stomach. I turn my head to the side when he lifts my legs over his shoulders. There’s no getting out of it. There’s no forgetting this one. There’s no drugs or sleep to distract me. “I… still have no interest in cunnilingus it seems. Sad. You’ll still have to be prepared or you’ll be even more of a screaming nuisance.” He huffs, and presses two fingers into me. I suck in a breath, and allow myself to cry. This isn’t happening. It can’t be happening. “Stop your caterwauling. You’re fine.” He complains, and I squeeze my eyes shut.

His fingers pump in and out of me, and squirm inside of me, as if he’s trying to find something. I let him, for several long moments. I let him think I’m being quiet and complacent. He doesn’t know me. He doesn’t know that I am NEVER quiet and complacent. His breathing is picking up, and I stare up at the ceiling. I hear his belt clink, and move quickly. I swipe my leg upward, and lock my ankles around his head, rolling around to throw him to the ground.

I don’t waste time in worrying about the fact that I am already completely naked. I jump off of the bed, and book it down the hallway again, only to find it blocked off by a wall jutting out of nowhere. “Katherine.” Kai’s voice growls behind me. “Get back in the bed. Now. If you quit the tantrum now, I won’t punish you.” His pants are undone, slung dangerously low on his hips.

“P-please. I- I don’t want to.” I fall to my knees and back against the wall, pressing myself as far away as I can. “I’ll… I’ll stay. I won’t leave. You can take my quirk- You can keep me locked in a room- Just don’t- don’t…” I beg, pinning my head between my knees. A deep sigh comes from the other side of the hallway.

“I don’t WANT to hurt you, but I need this. I need you.” He kneels beside me, and brushes my hair out of my face. “I won’t hurt you. I’ll go slow and be careful. You just need to behave.” Kai reaches behind me, and turns the cuffs to dust. “You can come with me now, or I can drag you back.” He offers out his hand.

“I hate you.” I sniffle, looking away.

“I know.” He hums, and pulls me to my feet. “Would you like more wine before we get started? Maybe a Xanax?” He tries, leading me down the hall back toward the bedroom.

“I don’t want to- I don’t-” I’m hyperventilating. My lungs hurt, my muscles are locking up, I can’t breathe- Kai lays me down on the bed again.

“I know, Angel. I know.” He drops his pants, and I stare at the ceiling so I don’t have to look at him. “I’ll be gentle.” He reminds me again, and something cool and wet slathers over the space between my thighs. Then the warmth of his cock presses into me. I screw my eyes shut, sucking in a breath as resistant flesh gives way. “Oh god-” Kai huffs above me, teasing the first ring of tight muscles. I scream, but he claps a hand over my mouth. I don’t bother trying to push him off. I’m quirkless. He can just tear me apart and put me back together. He can cuff me again. He can do whatever he wants and there’s not a goddamn thing I, or anyone else can do to stop him. No one knows where I am. No one knows what he’s doing. I didn’t listen. I was warned, and I didn’t listen and now here I am, reaping the consequences.

“You have to- to relax.” Kai stutters, and keeps pushing. I stay still, but keep screaming into his palm. Finally, finally, he presses fully inside me.My screaming halts as my breath is stolen from me. I never want to breathe again. He gasps, and buries his face in my neck, panting already. “That’s… so good angel- So fucking good.” He whines, pulling just his hips back to press back in again. It’s gentle enough not to rock me, but the stretch and intrusion is especially painful when I don’t want it. I cry against his palm, and try to turn away, but he pulls his head up and forces me to look him in the eye. His pupils are blown, his face is flushed.

I hate him. I’ve never hated anyone before. I hate him.

“Dreamt about this- for… years.” He admits with a tight laugh, rutting against me again. He moves a hand downward, and fumbles around, looking for my clit. He finds it when I tighten around him without meaning to. “Oh- Angel- ah- fuck” His breath hitches in his throat, he begins to move faster, wet sounds of slapping skin overpower the blood rushing in my ears. He moves his finger faster as well, trying to make me reach that peak with him. I don’t want to, but my body reacts without me. He removes his hand from my mouth, finding that I don’t have it in me to scream anymore. My voice is gone. He took that too. My arms hang limply by my sides.

A thought occurs. “C-condom?” I ask, voice hoarse.

“The point-” He pauses to moan, and thrust, “Of this is to-” another moan, another thrust, “feel you, Angel.” He trails his hand over my body, touching everywhere. I’ll never get rid of him. He’s touching everything. I find the will to fight again, and move to slap him, but he grasps my wrists and pins them above me, hips never stilling. “Not again Angel- there’s only so many times you can get away with a sucker punch.” He warns.

“P-please I’m not- I’m not on a pill or anything- You have to s-stop!” I squirm, and he huffs.

“Children are disgusting creatures… I’ve already been snipped.” He rolls his eyes, and continues to pound into me. “It’s not- not one hundred percent! Please!” I beg, and he growls, pulling out. I don’t have time to thank him before he’s flipped me over, and re-entered me from behind. One hand presses hard against the space between my shoulder blades, the other grips my hair from the roots and shoves my face into the sheets. I squirm, trying desperately to escape but he’s not letting up. “Stop fighting me, It’ll be over soon, and then you can go to sleep, and we can try again in the morning.” He pants, and groans. My stomach churns, and I know it’s not from the premonitions.

“Please-” I beg, but it falls on deaf ears.

“I’ll give you- give you anything you want just- fuck- stay still.” He whines, and stutters his hips. “F-fuck- Angel you’re so- fuck! That’s good. Exquisite-” He moans, leaning over me to press kisses over my back. I give up. I blank. Nothing in, nothing out. I hold my breath as long as I can, I shove my face into the blankets. Maybe I’ll die. I’m dragged back by him prodding that spot inside me that Mirio found so easily. I burst into tears again as he forces himself on it. “Oh, there? Yeah? Angel- ah fuck, my Angel- You’re never leaving me. Never. Fucking leaving- Never Never, Never. My Angel- Ah!” He whines as I tighten more around him. “Good- fuck that’s- ah! So good-” He bites onto my shoulder, leaving a tail of blood to roll over my shoulder. “Wish- wish that was permanent- Ah, fuck! I’ll- I’ll marry you! You can’t- can’t fucking leave. I won’t let you.” He groans directly into my ear.

I try a different approach. This isn’t Kai… It’s Mirio… and Tamaki is rubbing my shoulders and I am sucking his cock and I am not here and I’m in Tamaki’s apartment and we’re all a little tipsy and I’m NOT here and Mirio is praising me and Tamaki is petting my hair and it’s good and I am NOT HERE. Everything comes to a sudden, crashing, exploding feeling inside of me as I orgasm. It’s violent, painful, not at all how I would have wanted it. I feel him stop. Everything goes thick and warm inside. My breath hitches in my throat. Kai groans loudly, stuttering his hips. He collapses on top of me, his weight is suffocating. It’s all real again

“I want to go home.” I sob into the blanket. I feel him kiss my hair.

“Pick a house. I’ll buy whatever you want.” He mutters, and pulls out of me, rolling to the side. It’s over. It’s done. You survived Katherine. Now push it down. Don’t feel it. It didn’t happen. You’re fine. Kai is quick to pull me under the blankets and hold my naked body to his. ”Shh. Stop crying. You did a good job. I enjoyed myself. I’ll take care of you.” He hums into my neck, pressing kisses there periodically. He falls asleep soon after. I stare blankly at the ceiling and wonder if the sun will ever rise again.

Chapter Text

________________________________APRIL 4th, 2021______________________________________

New student Joined UA High. Met her on the way to class, first impressions, some sort of wound healing quirk. Daughter Of Doctor Daniel Black, but seems that she is not fond of him. Introduced herself as Katherine Black. Google says Katherine Alicia Black, Birthdate April 20th 2005. Same as Kaachan. Avoids touching people, might have trouble controlling her quirk. I noticed my messed-up hand was fixed, and she babied hers after accidentally touching me, though once we got to class it was completely healed. Need more information.

Katherine is opposed to social interaction, though seems kind when goaded into conversation. Sits next to Kaachan on the bus. On edge often. Katherine brandishes her hands when there’s any unease, and seems ready to break up a fight at any time.

Katherine Black (KB) is the most impressive hero I’ve ever seen besides AllMight. Tactical prowess, unwavering determination, incredible use of her power even when thoroughly drained, as well as immeasurable courage. Used Leader of League(See page 137) power against Nomu (see page 139). The leader took interest in KB, but Kaachan, Kirishima and I thwarted his kidnapping attempt. KB seemed to be out of it by the end of the fight, but continued on with incredible skill and level-headedness despite being sexually assaulted publicly. Attempted to Heal AllMight, he says he felt organs reforming. Impressive. Even in the midst of the fight, KB took the time to heal my broken finger, and was fiercely protective of me and other classmates.

Sidenote: No birthmarks, scars, freckles or blemishes of any kind. All of her skin is pale, I don’t think she can tan at all. Slightly overweight, but good fat distribution. Large hips, adequate breasts. Attractive. I don’t think she’s done much physical training before UA.

Not buoyant. Cannot swim or was too shocked to.

Joked with AllMight during the fight, showed proficient use of sarcasm.

Suspected previous relationship with Pro Hero Hawks, the look on his face was more worried than I’ve ever seen him make on the news and such. He took her out of the USJ first despite there being far more injured people nearby.

When we arrived at the infirmary, KB’s first worry was about AllMight, despite her previous ordeal. Once told he was fine, she allowed herself to relax.

KB does not like needles.

KB expressed anxiety about being unable to perform at her full ability for classes, again, despite the previous ordeal.

Her breathing is even in her sleep, and she does not snore, but she did have a nightmare, fear on her face was kind of scary.

_____________________________APRIL 5TH 2021__________________________________
KB’s father came to visit me, I gathered the following information.

Favorite food: Fried chicken
Favorite color: Pink
Has two younger brothers, Matthew and Archibald.
Did not have many friends at her old school
Her quirk is, in fact, more powerful than her fathers
Recovery girl is her paternal grandmother
Her phone number is (678) 555-0121
does not have a significant other
does not like to sit still
has a dog
likes all animals
can heal animals too, and wanted to be a vet when she was very young
also wanted to be a teacher, doctor, ballerina and gymnast
did not like heroes growing up, but she has some Hawks posters from her mom
has a good relationship with her mom
Has a secondary quirk that might be danger sense
Has good grades
Doesn’t like math

I checked the hospital but found that she’d already left with Kaachan, Kirishima and Kaminari, and was fully healed on her own. I tracked down their location.

She likes Unagi rolls and strawberry boba tea. She uses chopsticks ambidextrously. KB isn’t as quiet in smaller groups, and seems friendly with the BakuSquad. Kaminari keeps touching her, Kirishima won’t stop staring.

________________________________APRIL 6th 2021___________________________________

KB is under constant supervision by Aizawa, he seems worried about her. She was dropped off at school by Hawks, they seemed friendly. She’s currently staring out of the window. She looks dazed, but responds to questions and chatter when forced to. I noticed Toru snap a picture of her, but I won’t ask questions. KB is wearing a red feather, I assume it belongs to Hawks.
KB attempted to nap through lunch, but was thwarted by Kirishima. He has a crush on her. Understandable. KB continuously jokes about the attack, but when she doesn’t think anyone’s looking, she seems sad and scared. Humor as a defense mechanism. KB ate none of her lunch. Concerning. From what I can gather, she is not invincible. She has to eat and sleep to use her power. Calorie count for lunch was 60. She drank half a carton of chocolate milk.
Strange development, Kaachan defended KB against other classes. He went out of his way to keep them from talking about her in front of the rest of the class. I saw them talking privately around the corner. He didn’t yell, and smiled at her. When the conversation ended though, he seemed angry, and slammed a door in her face. She looked like she might have cried. I watched her check her phone for something, but I was too far to see what. When she started to look frantic, I moved to see what was going on but Todoroki beat me to it. She was startled and punched him hard in the gut. They had a chat about training together for the sports festival. KB agreed to train at Todoroki’s house.

________________________APRIL 9TH 2021_________________________________

KB was dropped off at school with Shoto. She’s living at his house until the festival. I spoke to her about it. She was quick to offer the information that she spends the night in Todoroki’s sister’s room. KB seems the most comfortable around myself, Todoroki and Kirishima. She is the most at ease in AllMight’s presence. I noticed she gravitates toward Aizawa when the class gets loud. She has a nervous habit of cracking her knuckles, but at closer inspection, I found she was actually breaking them.
KB dozed through class again, but when papers were handed back I noticed that she constantly pulls in 100%. The girls in the class and the ‘bakusquad’ all vie for her attention consistently, but she only seems to walk to talk to me, Kirishima, and Todoroki. Kirishima pointed out that she refuses to look him in the eye, but there’s no problem for anyone else. He noticed she has the same problem for Kaachan. Todoroki reminded us that Shigaraki had the same eye color. She’s more broken than she leads on.
Calorie count for lunch 164. Medium apple, half a carton of chocolate milk, plenty of water. She again, attempted to sleep through lunch. Kaachan threatened to murder Kaminari when he attempted to wake her.
After lunch, Katherine offered to fully heal the wounds from the attack at the USJ. I let her, and the entire interaction lasted only a couple of seconds, but I can’t wait to get hurt again. Holding her hand was the most ethereal experience I’ve ever had. When I went to the bathroom, I noticed in the mirror that my eyesight had improved, and some of my freckles faded. Right now, she’s staring out the window again. Every time I think she’s going to catch me looking, I find that instead, she doesn’t notice at all. I wish she would.

______________________________April 10th 2021_________________________________

Again dropped off by Endeavor. But today I watched him stare at her as she left the car and walked up to Aizawa. He didn’t stop staring as he drove away.
I’m beginning to grow concerned over the amount of animosity Kaachan shows at anyone who tries to bother Kate during her naps. Kirishima drapes his jacket over her head every day, and Kaachan threatens anyone who comes close. Kirishima woke her up ten minutes before the end of lunch. She ate.
Calorie count: 500. Fish and fries, water. I’m glad she actually ate something.
Katherine approached me again, she notices how often I get hurt during training. She offered free ‘bandaid’ services as long as I try to be more careful. I promised her that I will.

______________________________April 12th 2021_________________________________

Katherine told me to call her Kate. She does not like the name Katie. Kate studies harder than anyone I’ve ever met, and yet never seems to be paying attention in class. I caught Todoroki staring at her today. I didn’t like it.

______________________________April 13th 2021_________________________________

Katherine isn’t happy about the sports festival, I asked her about her plans for her birthday but she said it didn’t matter. I’m confused. I thought sweet Sixteens were important to girls? Katherine doesn’t seem to care about most of the things the other girls do. She doesn’t brush her hair most days, she wears shorts under her skirts so she can sit with her legs open, and she curses like a sailor. I like her a lot.

______________________________April 14th 2021_________________________________
Katherine keeps standing next to me in lines and hangs around me during classes. I think I make her feel safe. I like that. Kaachan is jealous, I can tell by how much meaner he’s gotten. Kate is the only one in the class who calls me Izuku. I like it. She winces whenever someone calls me Deku. I like that too. Kate apparently cannot stand cherries or cinnamon. She gagged when she picked up Kirishima’s cup instead of her own and tasted his Dr.Pepper instead of her daily Coke. She always drinks coke now. She keeps a bottle of it in her bag.
______________________________April 17th 2021_________________________________

Kate was extra tired today, but wouldn’t talk about why. She fell asleep on MY shoulder during lunch. I spent the entire time trying not to sniff her hair. I never noticed before, but Kate always smells like firewood. I thought it might be because of the training with Shoto, but HE doesn’t smell like firewood. She smells like a warm summer night by the campfire. Weird for a girl to smell like that. Usually they smell like baked goods or flowers.

______________________________April 18th 2021_________________________________

Kate’s eyes change color with her mood. Today they were very grey. I think she might be sad. I left her a candy bar in her bag, and she smiled when she found it. She doesn’t know who gave it to her. That’s okay. I just want to see her smile. I hope she smiles more.

______________________________April 19th 2021_________________________________

Kaachan wrapped his arm around her shoulder today while she took her nap. I wanted to kill him. I didn’t.

______________________________April 20th 2021_________________________________
Today was Kate’s birthday. The class and I left cards in her’s and Kaachan’s lockers. She read every single one, and I caught her almost crying at a few of them. Yayarozu and Todoroki put money in theirs. Kate also brought a card for Kaachan. Kaachan threw everyone’s but hers and Kirishima’s away. Kate posted cards in her locker as a collage wall. At lunch, Sato gave her and Kaachan Cupcakes. She actually did cry a little then, and she wouldn’t stop saying thank you after we sang happy birthday. She still went home with Todoroki.

______________________________April 21th 2021_________________________________
Todoroki was in a really sour mood today. Kate’s dad apparently never called her for her birthday. I get that he’s a busy pro hero, but that really has no excuse. I don’t like Kate’s dad.

Kate gets more and more tired the closer we get to the sports festival. I’m worried about her, but Kirishima is at least making sure she’s eating lunch. I wish I knew what she ate for Breakfast and dinner. I wish I could watch her sleep again. Once again, I am incredibly jealous of Shoto Todoroki. She’s so cute.

______________________________April 24th 2021_________________________________
Today was the festival and it was EXHILARATING. Kate worked with Shoto like they were two sides of the same coin. She predicted his movements like she was in his head. It was enthralling to watch.

She touched me again, she climbed on top of my back and let me give her a piggyback ride past the finish line during the obstacle course. It was incredible to have her so close. I tried to get her to join me during the cavalry battle, but she got brainwashed by Shinso.

I wanted to hurt him for using her like that. Touching her while she was dazed, but she didn’t seem all that affected by it. I was terrified to have to fight against her in the round-robin. I didn’t want to hurt her. Kaachan beat her up, just like he did Ururaka. I guess I don’t have to worry about him having a crush on her. Kate kept offering to heal my wounds all day, but I didn’t want to risk her losing energy for the festival.

She came in third, but I know something is off. She didn’t seem to actually want to win. There’s always something about her I can’t quite put my finger on. She had a nightmare while she took a nap between battles. She’s a really heavy sleeper. When I asked her of she was okay, she told me that she just had some pain from the battle. She’s not very good at lying.

She threatened Shigaraki on live television. She’s got a tenacity I’ve only ever seen in Kaachan, but she’s still kind.

I think I might love her.

______________________________April 25th 2021_________________________________

The amount of photos of Kate online is upsetting. Both me and her, apparently. I hate the ones from the USJ the most. No one should have seen her like that. I caught her scrolling through twitter looking at the posts. She looked like she wanted to cry. If I knew how to fix it, I would. Kate went home with Hawks again. I don’t like the way he looks at her.

______________________________April 26th 2021_________________________________

Kate seems to have completely recovered from the birthday fiasco. She seems to be sleeping better now, and talks mostly with Kaminari and Kirishima during lunch. Occasionally Mina too. Kaminari keeps putting his hand on her thigh. She either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care. I don’t like how he keeps his hand on her back when they walk to classes together. I heard him tell Sero he was going to ask her out soon. I hope he doesn’t.

______________________________April 27th 2021_________________________________

We picked out our hero names today. Kate chose Voodoo Doll. That’s what Shigaraki called her. I’m worried she might be a little too focused on revenge, but she should also do whatever she needs to heal. I was surprised to see that she didn’t go home with Hawks, and instead got into a Taxi with Iida. I don’t remember the two of them being close. I’ll have to keep an eye on him.

______________________________April 28th 2021_________________________________

Kate has a fear of spiders. One ran through the english classroom today, and she squeaked. She still demanded that someone (koda) make it go outside, and yelled at Kaachan when he tried to kill it. Funny how she can be shaking in every limb but still not wanting to hurt the thing that scares her. Intriguing. She didn’t talk to Iida all day, and they avoided eachother during training and lunch. I think they may have gone out on a date and it didn’t go well. Kind of sad. Iida is one of the only guys in the class I trust.

______________________________May 1st 2021_________________________________

Kate had the sniffles today! Apparently, she has a mild allergy to ragweed. Kind of funny to see a girl immune to death sneeze like a kitten over and over. She scowls afterward every time, as if it offends her. It’s adorable. She and Todoroki seem to have had a fight. They’re avoiding each other. I hope it doesn’t have something to do with the way Endeavor still stares at my Kate.

______________________________May 2nd 2021_________________________________

She and Tenya had apparently been tracking the hero killer for days. She repeatedly sacrificed herself for the team during the fight, even when she knew Shigaraki was in the vicinity. She told me she was glad I was there. My only regret is hurting myself bad enough that I wasn’t able to be the one that carried her out of the alleyway. Fucking Todoroki got the glory AGAIN. A nomu attacked, and she risked everything to heal me again. I knew she was nearing the end of her limit, but she just kept pushing. Just like AllMight.
I think that Katherine Alicia Black might be the love of my life.

______________________________May 3rd 2021_________________________________

She still sleeps like a rock. The doctors decided she didn’t need any medicine, but kept her for observation in the same room as Todoroki, Iida and I. I woke up first and watched her for a while. It hurts that every time I’ve seen her sleep, I know she’s had a nightmare. She apologized to all of us for being wreckless and scaring us, and admitted to being scared herself. But most importantly, She said she trusts me.
______________________________May 4th 2021 _________________________________

I’ve never been more angry in my life. Last night, well after we had all gone to bed, Kate snuck into our hospital room and woke us up. Well, I guess it was more today since it was three in the morning. She had another nightmare. Apparently, someone sent her a really hateful note. I promised her I would deal with it. When we finally calmed her down enough to sleep, she pushed her bed up next to mine and curled up into a little ball. When she was completely asleep, I put down the guard rails and held her. She didn’t have another nightmare. I made sure to move back to my own bed before she woke up. I have to protect her now. She deserves better.

Chapter Text

I’m still awake, and it’s still dark out when Kai rolls out of bed. He walks around the room to the elevator and disappears down it. I curl up in the blankets and sob into a pillow again. I feel like I’m going to be sick. The wound on my shoulder is gone, so I know my healing is back. No telling on my wounding.

Kai returns around an hour later with a platter of foods. “Foie Gras paired with Mānuka honey and Yubari king melon, and Black Ivory coffee with Nakazawa cream... I prefer my coffee black, but you prefer things sweet, so we’ll try it this way.” He hums.

I stare blankly at him. “I’m not hungry.” I shake my head, and hug my knees closer. He frowns.

“I had hoped you would be in better spirits today, Angel. Until your behavior improves, I’m afraid you can’t see Eri. I don’t want your poor attitude reflecting on our daughter.” That does it. I lean over the side of the bed, and vomit up my dinner from the night before all over his plush white rug. Kai curses, and leaps across the bed to grab at my hair. He rubs my back in an attempt to be soothing, but it only makes it worse.

“Don’t touch me-” I beg, but he hushes me again.

“I know, I hate a mess too. It’s alright.” He tries, and I reel on him, pushing him away from me.

“You make me sick, you piece of-” He cuts me off with a backhand across the face.

“You will watch your tone.” He speaks callously, and huffs. “I’ll forgive you this once, as you are ill and I suspect it may legitimately be my fault. I must’ve overestimated your ability to handle bacteria when I gave you so much uncooked meat and aged cheese and then took away your quirk. It won’t happen again.“ He promises, and stands with the platter. “I will refrigerate this for lunch. Is there anything I can get you?” He questions, and I bite my tongue.

Opportunity, Kate. Don’t waste it. Be smart about this. You know what to do. “I want to call my mom. I don’t feel good.” I whine, and he shakes his head.

“That’s-”

“Please? I- I want my mom. I always go to her when I’m sick. I want my mom… I want my mom.” I tear up, and he sighs, pulling me into his chest and awkwardly hugging me.

“These hysterics are exactly why I want nothing to do with children.” He complains, but pets my hair anyway. “I am… not equipped to handle such outbursts. You are lucky I feel better when you are in a good mood.” Kai grips my chin to study my face. My tears have devolved into pitiful sniffles. My throat is still sore and husky from screaming last night. “I forget that you are… young.” He sighs deeply through his nose, nostrils flaring. “Fine. If you are still feeling poorly tomorrow, you may call your mother. However, it will be done from an untraceable phone and in my presence. Forgive me if I don’t trust you after last night’s theatrics.” He sighs, and I nod tersely.

“I understand.” My voice shakes. I just have to survive the day. “Uh… can I have something simple… like… toast? Sorry…” I look down, and Kai nods, petting my hair.

“Of course Angel. I didn’t think you would have stomach problems with your healing quirk?” He tilts his head.

“I- I have stomach aches all the time. It heals fast but they still happen. It’s the only part of me that’s very sensitive. I get carsick too, remember?” I lean into his touch to keep his sympathy. He huffs.

“Well… I guess no one is perfect- is there anything I can do to remedy or prevent this in the future?” He questions, I nod.

“Uh… It happens when I’m stressed, I can pick up illnesses from other people… I think I just got myself too worked up after hanging out with my friend.” I shrug, he nods.

“Well, you will be spending time only with Eri, my men and I. I keep everything clean, so you’ll likely never have that problem again.” He kisses my forehead again and smiles. “I have just the thing for stress baby. I’ll make you some tea and toast. Why don’t you go shower?” He kisses my cheek and pulls me off of the bed, toward a door on the wall opposite the elevator. “After breakfast, We’ll go see Eri? That should put you at ease.” He hums, and I nod.

“Thank you.” I offer, and he grins.

“You should show me my thank you… I could use a shower as well.” He pulls me toward the bathroom. I let him push me up against the shower wall as the water immediately comes out scalding. He doesn’t seem to mind the heat.

“I’m too heavy to lift up.” I mumble, and he rolls his eyes, pressing a palm to the wall. A piece of concrete juts out and offers a seat. He sits, and pats his thighs.

“Face away from me. I have no desire to watch you cry again.” He grumbles, and pulls my hips to sit on his lap. I grit my teeth. “You’re so tense still. I have medicine for that.” He hums, rutting his hardening cock against my ass. I shake my head.

“I- I don’t want to be drugged again.” I whine, and he sighs.

“Then stop being such a crybaby.” He says this like it’s an offer. I know it’s a threat. I swallow.

“If… if you’d never had sex before me why’d you get a vasectomy?” I question, Kai doesn’t stop grinding against me. He’s not inside me yet, so I suppose I should be grateful.

“I thought it would curb the urges. Before you, I had no ability to touch someone so intimately without getting violently ill.” He explains, and slips his fingers over my thighs. His fingers worm over my clit, and I try not to react, but my shaking legs give me away. Kai groans against my shoulder. “I didn’t want to have sex with a high schooler, I assure you… but when you blew me off for some blonde nitwit I knew I didn’t have much time before you went and wasted your time on someone else. You’re made for me.” He kisses my neck, and I flinch. “He can’t give you what I can. None of them can. Not the Blonde boy, not Shigaraki, not Hawks. Just me. Anything in the world, name it and it’s yours. Anything.” He promises, and slips a pair of fingers inside me. I grit my teeth and screw my eyes shut, attempting to ignore it.

“I want to go to UA.” I respond, and he scoffs.

“I can get you private tutors. You don’t need those vermin, Angel.” He growls in my ear, working his fingers faster as he breathes over the back of my neck.

“I want my friends.” I try again, and he chuckles.

“You can make more. You’ll like Kurono, and Mimic.” He offers. I try not to cry.

“I want to go home.” He prods my entrance with his cock, and rubs around for a moment before he finds the right angle and pushes in.

“Ah- Fuck… so fucking tight...” He pants against my shoulder for a second before gathering his bearings. He sits still, allowing for both of us to adjust while he speaks. “I’ll give you a new one. We can go house shopping in a month after you learn to behave. Anywhere in the country… or even out of the country if you prefer, somewhere they speak English preferably, or Italian. Maybe French. I’d be alright with Japan...” He hums as he guides my hips up and down on him. I refuse to react.

“God you’re still so tight… every time- Fuck!” He bites onto my shoulder again. I let him. He’ll catch me if I try to run again unless I can find a way to knock him clean out. I can do the double concussion, but I need to be dressed first. I can’t waste time finding clothes after he’s knocked unconscious. I have a feeling he turned our clothes to dust on purpose. Kai doesn’t seem like a man without a plan. Not to mention, I’m very sure he has men on the property in the event of my attempted escape. Parading in front of them naked seems like a recipe to receive far worse treatment. No, I have to stick to a plan. I have to trust that Aizawa is coming for me. I have to trust that someone’s actually coming to save me this time.

“My angel, Mine.” He mouths my shoulder and neck, planting kisses and bites whenever he can. “So tight - just for me, only mine-” He’s given up on guiding my hips and instead holds me still and drills up into me wildly.”I’ll take-take care of you- ah! Fuck I can- I can feel so deep inside you- holy- fu-fuck!” It hurts. I’m not ready, and I want no part of it. “You’re so good- such a good fuck- such a good fuck. Mine- Oh, My Angel- My fucking Angel- My Angel to fuck.” He’s moaning behind me, panting into my hair. “No one else can ever touch you… you’re mine- fuck! No one- no one will ever hurt you- P-promise.” He moans against my neck, wet slapping sounds nearly shadow over his voice.

“I love you- I love you! Can- can you feel me inside you? Tell me you can feel me Angel!” He prompts, I don’t have it in me to give in. I shake my head, and grit my teeth. “You can- I know you can- you’re gonna show me.” He growls and goes back to rubbing against my clit. “You’re gonna- you’re gonna cum on me again. You have to. Its all you have to do for me, Angel. Behave.” He demands, forcing me up to that edge again. I keep shaking my head, but it’s no use. He presses me past that precipice, and I come undone on top of him, sobbing all the while. He comes soon after, pressing me down into his lap to jab the tip of his cock against my cervix. We stay like that for a few long moments before I move to stand.

He keeps an arm locked around my middle. “Can- Can I please get up now?” My voice is tight. The shower water intermingles with my tears.

“Just let me hold you.” He growls against my back, holding me tightly. “I just- want to hold you all the time. Never going to let you go.” He hums, kissing my neck again. I keep my eyes forward. Nothing in, nothing out.

“If we sit here all day, I can’t see Eri.” I complain outwardly, and he huffs.

“Fine. Ten more minutes. One more good fuck.” He pushes me to stand, and forces me to face him. “No more of that crying, Angel. I know you’re enjoying yourself. It’s okay. You belong to me.” He pulls me to straddle him, and his cock slips inside me more easily this time. He leans back slightly, and wraps one arm around my waist to keep me steady. He palms my breast with the other.

“Such a sweet little body you’ve got here. I’ve always been more partial to thin women but… I have to admit there’s an allure to curves.” He hums, forcing me to grind back and forth on him. “Make you a deal. It can be over as soon as I cum. But you have to make it happen.” He kisses my cheek, and leans back, placing both of his hands clasped behind his head. I tighten my jaw and stand, He raises an eyebrow, but I drop to my knees. “Angel, just what do you think you’re- OH!” He gasps as I take him into my throat.

It tastes like blood. My blood. Don’t bite. Don’t bite. You know you can, but don’t. Kai’s hands tangle into my hair, but he doesn’t move to push or pull, instead he lets me do what I will. It doesn’t take long for him to spurt in my mouth. I spit it out onto the tile floor, and watch as it swirls the drain. My hair curtains my face and gives me the privacy to cry again. I’ve been doing a lot of that lately.

Chapter Text

“I think… I may have a preference for your hair being wet. It’s attractive.” Kai surmises, walking into the closet to select trousers and a shirt. I don’t know why he bothers taking time to do so, it’s always the same thing. I sit, naked on the bed. I wait.

I could kill him. I could just kill him and it would be over. I could wait until we’re in the kitchen again, and I could slit his throat. It’d be self-defense. I wouldn’t even get in trouble for it. I swallow back those thoughts. No. I am not a murderer. I will not kill him. He deserves worse than death. Kai walks out of the closet, fully dressed. He tousles his wet hair. His shirt is unbuttoned. And he’s not wearing a belt. It’s kind of strange to see him relaxed.

“Who taught you to do that thing with your tongue? I’ll have to thank him, and then kill him.” he hums, and I look away, my jaw tight. Kai sighs. “Still throwing a tantrum I see. I don’t want to use sex as a punishment, but if it’s the only thing that will get a response out of you…” He trails off, but I still ignore him.

“Not even that huh? What if I beat you with the belt?” He questions, but there’s silence after. “Drugs it is then. Fuck you’re difficult.” He grumbles, I shake my head.

“Oh, that got a response huh? Guess that run-in with your classmate actually fucked you up quite a bit hm?” He approaches, and kicks my legs apart so that he can stand between my knees.

“Look at me.” His voice is softer than it was. “I said look.” He grips my chin with a force that doesn’t match his voice as he wrenches my face to meet his. “You are mine. Do you understand me, Angel? You speak when fucking spoken to, and when I say that I can do whatever I want to you, I mean it.” He drops my face, and grabs me by the hair.

“Someone needs a fucking time out.” He growls, and forced me off the bed, toward the nightstand. “Upsetting that I have to use this. It’s a grand a dose, you ungrateful bitch.” He retrieves a syringe, and I scream. I attempt to scramble away, but his grip is iron-tight. I press the wounding of him ripping out my hair into his stomach, but he doesn’t relent, and stabs me anyway, shoving down the plunger and letting the cool liquid invade my body. I choke, and fall to the ground once he releases me. My hands are shaking as I look at them.

He took my quirk… again. Something out of that nightmare I had of Hawks. This whole thing is a nightmare. When I wake up, I’ll be on the couch with Tamaki and Mirio and I just shouldn’t have watched a horror movie that close to bedtime- that’s it. None of this is real. “Y-you said you weren’t going to take my quirk again.” I hiccup, and Kai grunts.

“I said I wouldn’t let you get sick again. Quirks themselves are a disease. Now… while you’re nice and clean…” I hear him unzip his pants. “I’ve learned that anger often causes this. It’s your responsibility as my fiance to fix it.” I shake my head.

“You’re insane, Kai.” I spit, but he doesn’t listen. Once again, he pins me, stomach down onto the bed.

“I would use lubricant, but this is a punishment.” he growls, and pushes inside me with one quick thrust. I don’t have it in me to scream anymore. I’m pinned, quirkless, useless, scared. I squeeze my eyes shut as he pants, and grips my hips, not even bothering to hold me down anymore. He knows I can’t get away if I try. The sheets smell clean. He changed them right after the shower. Something tells me he changes the sheets every day. There’s a small, almost unnoticeable houndstooth pattern to them, hidden in the very subtle shades of charcoal.

“That’s it Angel, I knew you could behave. There’s a good girl.” Kai groans into my shoulder, biting at my flesh again. He likes to leave marks on my shoulders. The way he eyed it earlier leads me to believe he dislikes that they don’t stay. “Tell me you love me.” He whispers, stilling inside me. His body is draped over mine, I feel like I’m suffocating under the weight.

“I hate you.” I offer, and he growls, reaching forward and grabbing his belt off of the poster.

“I’m getting really tired of your disobedience, brat.” he folds the belt in half, and leans up. It whistles through the air before it welts my back. “You’ll do what I fucking tell you to do.” He doesn’t stop fucking me. I bite onto the blankets, and ignore the pain, but it’s harder when it doesn’t go away. “Tell me you love me, Angel.” He hits me again.”I love you.” And again. “I love you.” And again. At some point

I’m crying again, but I refuse to scream, and I refuse to say what he wants me to. “I’m going to come inside you.” He pants, and abandons the belt, trailing his fingers over the broken, bleeding skin. “And then… I’m gonna come all over this pretty back.” He huffs, leaning down to whisper in my ear. “And since you want to be a bitch, I’ll cum in that useless fucking mouth again.” He licks up the side of my face, tasting my tears on his tongue.

“Stop crying or I’ll give you a reason to cry.” He threatens, and straightens to get more leverage. He thrusts faster, reaching his high. “This time, you’re gonna swallow my cum.” He hums to himself an affirmitive. “And you’re going to THANK ME.” He moans, and throws his head back. “I’m gonna cum. Say thank you, Katherine.” He smacks one of the open wounds on my back, and I whimper, but do not give in. He can’t make me. He can fuck me, and he can beat me, and he can keep me prisoner, but I will never give in. He’ll have to kill me first. It doesn’t matter. He cums anyway, whimpering and writhing and panting like HE’S the one who’s hurt.

Once again, he collapses on top of me. My stomach is churning but I don’t have anything else to puke up.

“Kai. You’re heavy.” I speak slowly, I give him nothing. I don’t acknowledge the fact that he’s still inside me.

“Comfortable. Don’t be a brat.” He mumbles against my neck, and presses a kiss there, like this is normal. Like we’re a couple. He stays like that for what feels like an eternity before he starts to languidly thrust his hips again. “Still gonna- gonna cum on your back.” He hums, kissing my neck more. “I want to be in your blood. I want to make you clean.” He pulls be back so that my hips are no longer nestled against the bed, and worms his arm around me, toying with my clit. “I can stay inside you all day. I just might. Doesn’t that sound nice?” He questions, snapping his hips against mine hard enough to bruise. A low rumble erupts through his throat. “Behave.” He warns, and twidles his fingers faster. I shake my head.

“Please- s-top.” I beg, and he scoffs.

“Why are you so opposed to cumming for me? Doesn’t it feel nice?” He questions, moving faster.

“I- d-don’t want this. I don’t want any of this. I hate you.” I remind him, and he sighs.

“That really is too bad. Doesn’t matter. I like the way it feels on my cock, so you don’t get much of a choice.” He tries to angle himself to find that internal spot, but I refuse to arch my back to help him. “Not that you have a choice in any of this, to be fair.” He lets loose one short, clipped laugh. I reach up, trying to pull the blankets into a cushion for me to cry into, but he yanks my arms back. “Lets keep these pretty hands where I can see them. You have no idea what I can do to ten little fingers now that you don’t have that pesky quirk in my way.” He warns, jutting his hips upward, and then going deep to grind again.

“I’m in a better mood now, Angel. Let’s not ruin that.” He teases. With the grinding, he finds that spot inside that has my toes curling. “There we go. Much better. Try moaning for a change. The crying and screaming is getting old.” He jokes, and then moans. “F-fuck… It’s- ah- kind of nice that you DON’T want it actually… mmm… you probably… wouldn’t be as… tight.” He’s regressed into the moaning mess he was last night and in the shower. “Might- ah- might have to go get the v-vasectomy reversed.” He kneads my ass between his hands. “If I put a kid in you, you can’t ever leave… Fuck that sounds nice… even if you… fuck- get away… You’ll have to- FUCK- see me.”

That does it, he gets his goddamn response. “Get the fuck off of me.” My voice is darker than I’d thought I was able to muster. I jolt my head back, smacking into his face. He reels, but doesn’t let up.

“Shut up.” He decides, clapping a hand over my mouth and rocking faster, as if he’s just trying to get it over with. “You love me.” He mumbles against my cheek. “I love you.” He whispers, and suddenly I’m empty. Hot ropes of cum shoot over my back, and I grit my teeth as I feel it seeping into my wounds. It hurts. He leans back and massages his cum into me, as if it’s lotion. “And, you can fucking forget about seeing Eri today with this bad behavior. We can try again tomorrow. Same goes for your phone call.” I’m still crying, but it’s silent now.

If I kill myself while he’s got the quirk-nullifying drug in me, will it stick?

“I have things to do today. I can’t trust you to behave, so I’m going to lock you in the closet.” He says this like he’s describing the weather. It’s better than being with him. I stand, and try not to cry about the feeling of his cum running down my thighs. “What? No witty remarks?” He questions, fixing his pants and grabbing his belt. I watch as he slides it through the loops. “I miss your little jokes and teases. I do wish you would lighten up. I’m not that bad.” He tries to defend himself.

I can’t help it, I laugh. He raises a brow, and I shake my head, still laughing. “Sorry… just. ‘I’m not that bad.’” I mock his voice. “Like you didn’t just hold me down and force your dick in me, and then threaten to make me a teen mom.” I roll my eyes, and laugh again. “I can’t decide if you’re pure evil or genuinely fucking deranged.” I giggle, and cross my arms over my bare chest. He grimaces.

“You are such a brat.” He rolls his eyes. “But… you are MY brat. That I get to do whatever I want to.” He smirks, and points to the closet. “Get in and shut the door. I’ll lock it up on my way out.” His tone is dismissive. Indignant, I grab the clean blankets off of the made bed and drag them with me into the closet. He doesn’t seem to mind. I curl up into a ball in the corner, and Kai steps into the closet next to me. “Your quirk should be active again in about an hour,” He pauses to regard me carefully, and then sigh. “I’ll have Kurono check on you periodically. Behave yourself.” He nods. I glare at him. He rolls his eyes and steps back. He shuts the door, I hear the lock click, and then several more locks I hadn’t noticed, and I’m left in the walk-in closet.

I curl in on myself. I don’t think I’ve ever been so alone- but at least I’m safe in here. For now

Chapter Text

I’ve always had night terrors. Ever since I was a little kid I’d had these vicious nightmares of all sorts of awful monsters and dangers that were either completely my own imagination or something I’d seen on the news while looking for my dad. He was always too busy with hero stuff to hang out much with me and my brothers, so we’d stay up late and watch for him on the news. He was a fan favorite in our little slice of heaven, Aurora, Colorado. I never was a big fan of heroes, so my hero was always my dad.

When Archie and I played hero, he pretended to be AllMight, and I pretended to be Dad. Dad used to think it was adorable. He would watch the videos my mom would take of Archie and I’s ‘fights’ and send ‘critiques’ on how to ‘be better heroes.’ Archie and I sat up all night practicing, and we fell asleep in each other's rooms so often, I pretty much forgot how to sleep alone. Due to this, I had a fear of the dark.

I used to be terrified of being completely alone. I had a plastic Dora-the-explorer night light that looked like it was made of Perler beads. Dad picked it up in Hawaii on a business trip, and used it as a ploy to make me learn Spanish. I loved that damn thing, and, I was terrified of the dark. Despite my memory, certain tasks, like turning the Nightlight off during the day, seemed to always slip my mind. I left the lamp on for so long it caught fire.

I was asleep when it did, and didn’t notice smoke filling my room until Maisey went ballistic barking and howling and woke the entire house up. Archie was the first one in my room, he pulled me out of the room and, in the most six-year-old boy way he could, tried to calm me down. I was still panicking when he ran and got Dad. My dad put the fire out and yelled at me for hours for being reckless and stupid and useless. He yelled for so long that I fell asleep on the couch with him still berating me. Mom had me sleep in bed with her that night, Archie too. Mattie was in the bassinet by mom and dad’s bed.

It was the night mom decided she wanted a divorce. I still kind of blame myself for them splitting, no matter how much mom says they just couldn’t stand each other. I know that everyone has a breaking point. Everyone has that one straw that breaks the camel's back. Dora’s fire was the end for my mom and dad’s marriage. Their divorce was the end of mine and Archie’s friendship. He blames me for the divorce too, It’s fair, I guess.

I think, that this might be the straw that breaks me. There’s no getting out of this one. There’s nothing to dull it. My worst fears have been realized and served to me on a silver platter. Everyone I know and love is in danger, I’ve been raped, I’m alone in a dark room, and I’m quirkless. Both of my parents abandoned me, I pissed off and pushed away the few people who tried to care about me, and I didn’t even succeed in the one thing I’d set out to do, save Eri.

It would be fair for me to give up. It would be fair for me to give in. But Something inside me is too much of a raging bitch to do that. I’m not done. It’s not over until I fucking say it is. He can take a lot from me, but If he wants to take me away from me, he’s got another thing coming. I don’t lose. I learn. And I’m not giving up yet. If I’m still breathing, I’m still fighting.

I slowly, slowly stand and gather my bearings. I press my fingers together, and breath in for four, out for five. I can feel the wounds on my back start to heal. All I have to do, is get through the drywall. I take one long moment to search the closet for anything I can use as a weapon or method of escape. There are several shirts and pants, but the idea of putting his clothes on my body makes me feel ill. He’ll just disintegrate them to get to what he wants anyway, so there’s no point.

The hangers are metal. Perfect for digging and burrowing through drywall. I take one, and bend it to expose the sharp end. I have to be smart about this. If Kurono sees what I’m doing before I’m done, he’ll probably take my quirk. Not to mention I’m sure that Kai would not leave me here completely alone. There’s bound to be some sort of guard rotation going on outside.

I press my ear to each wall, listening carefully to see which one is thinnest. The far wall has the buzz of electricity on the other side, which leads me to believe there is a room there. I crouch into the corner, and get to work scratching at the drywall. Slowly but surely, I work up a quarter-sized hole to the other side. On my hands and knees, I look through it to find an empty room. Probably a bedroom. This one hasn’t been touched by Kai, and it has a window. From the angle, I can’t tell what’s on the other side of the window, but I do know we’re only one story up because of the clear walls in the elevator. I keep working, pulling small pieces of the drywall from the big slab, until I have enough to stick my arm through. Several hours have passed, or, at least, that’s what it feels like.

Kurono knocks before he enters the closet. I make sure my escape is covered with the blankets before he enters. He removes his mask, and sets it on the floor. He sits across from me, criss-cross applesauce. He appraises me for several long seconds before he speaks. “Are you a singer?” He questions suddenly, I blank.

“What?”

“Are you a singer? Do you sing?” He repeats, head tilted.

“No… Why?” I ask, confused by his line of questioning.

“Hm. Strange. You have a pretty powerful set of lungs. I could hear you screaming all the way from my car.” He muses, and leans back, resting his weight on his palms. “Boss is lucky the house is kind of out of the way- but it was pretty impressive nonetheless. Didn’t expect such a big sound to come from such a little lady- especially through concrete.” He compliments, and chuckles to himself. “The men and I made guesses on what the boss was doing to you. Rappa said he was fucking your ass, but I think he probably wouldn’t want to deal with the mess.” His eyes drag over my body, and he smirks. “There’s nothing the Boss hates more than a mess.” He continues, and his eyes flicker back up to my face. “So did he? Fuck you in the ass? Or was it something else? My money was on him tearing you apart over and over again. He’s fond of that for interrogation.” Kurono’s amused ramblings make my stomach turn.

“What do you want from me?” I ask finally, a shiver running down my spine. He rolls his eyes.

“Were you not listening? I want to know what he did to make you scream like that. Be honest now, I have two Superbowl tickets on the line.” He smirks. My suffering is a joke to him. A bet. A jest. Every single one of them is irreparably evil. “Make you a deal, you tell me what he did, and I’ll let you out of the closet.” He hums, and my heart skips a beat. I eye him warily for a few seconds before I open my mouth.

“He had sex with me. I didn’t want to.” I admit, my voice wavering.

“Hm. In the ass?” He questions, and I shake my head. He scoffs. “Alot of noise just for run-of-the-mill vanilla sex.” He raises a brow.

“I didn’t want to.” I repeat myself, and he sighs.

“Well, I guess I get to keep my tickets. But, I also don’t get that damn brisket recipe Rappa’s been holding over our heads.” He huffs, and moves to stand. “You have a brisket recipe? A good southern woman should cook.” He tries again with conversation. I swallow.

“Uh… no. You should try google.” I offer, he opens the door behind him, and leaves it open. My heart jumps in my chest. I keep one of the blankets wrapped around my chest, and step out into the bedroom.

“There’s a lot of blood on these.” Kurono kicks the old white sheets on the floor. “He must’ve been rough with you.” He hums, and looks up at me lazily. “Shame. You look like such a sweet little thing.” My heart is pounding in my ears. Kai isn’t here. “Doesn’t make much sense to me, to be honest.” He continues his rambling. “Why would he be rough with you? He’s always preaching about using the carrot and not the stick- You must’ve really pissed him off.” Run. Run while you can- get the fuck out of here. “You’re integral to his plans now, just like the other girl. But I think you might be his favorite.” Kurono sits on the bed, legs crossed at the ankles. At ease.

“He certainly kicked up a fuss about you hanging around with that blonde boy. Marlo? Mario?” He tasted the names on his tongue, and then snaps his fingers, pointing. “Mirio!” He gasps, and then chuckles. “Got to say, you didn’t scream like that for MIRIO.” He smirks, and I pull the blankets tighter to my chest. “Though from the lack of moisture on the sheet I can tell MIRIO probably did a better job of getting you off. You should try cumming on the boss next time. He might get grossed out enough to leave you alone. Not like MIRIO, who kept begging for you to squirt all over his face.” His grin widens.

“Please leave him alone. He’s got nothing to do with any of this.” I’m shaking.

“Oh, I have no plans to go after your little boyfriend or HIS little boyfriend. Not right now, anyway.” Kurono sucks in a breath. “I wonder if you would scream like that for ME?” He tilts his head, his white hair spills over the side of his shoulder. “I’m a gamblin’ man, Katie. I bet I could make you scream AND cum.” He bites his lip, and pats his thigh. “Come sit on my lap and I’ll show you, yeah?” Fuck this. Fuck that. Nope.

I take a step to run, but something stabs me in the shoulder. The wound immediately heals, but I can’t move. It’s like the air is jelly, too thick to move in. “Running off when a man offers to fuck you is considered rude. The polite thing to do is simply say no thank you… Granted, now you won’t be able to say much of anything.” He hums, and sweeps me off of my feet, carrying me back into the closet. “I’ll take your silence as a no though, I’ll be back in a few hours.” He drops me in a pile on the floor. I feel a jolt of pain as my back makes harsh contact with the ground. “I prefer enthusiastic consent. I like it when women beg for me.” He smirks.

“See you soon, Katie.” He shuts the door, leaving me in the dark. I can hear him re-locking everything. The paralysis lasts only a minute, too similar to Stain’s frozen state. I didn’t even catch a good look at how he did it. The wound was a slice, so I assume he has to hit me with some part of his body or a blade to do it again. I’ll just have to be faster next time, or get through this damn wall faster.

Chapter Text

++Aizawa++

“Shouta!” I hear Midnight shout as she pounds on my door. I groan, dragging myself from Hiz’s arms on the couch to answer the damn door. Hitoshi perks up as well, on edge from that meeting with his cunt social worker yesterday morning. I swing the door open, and glare, resisting the urge to use my quirk.

“Kayama, this better be fucking important. It’s SUNDAY.” I growl, my hand still on the door, ready to slam it in her face. Her demeanor makes me falter. Surprisingly, she’s wearing pajamas. Her hair is a mess, and she looks frantic. Midnight NEVER looks frightened, but right now, she’s not midnight. She’s Kayama, and she’s scared about something.

“I just got a phone call from Katherine Black.” she’s distressed, and sounds worried. Hizashi sits up from his spot on the couch, and Hitoshi pulls out his phone, texting someone quickly. Kayama pulls out her phone, and presses play.

She always records phone calls. Her sleeping spell quirk tends to have adverse affects on her memory.

“Hello?” Kayama answers, and Kate’s voice comes out shockingly calm.

“Hey mom, It’s Katherine. I’m not feeling too well. I’ve got that thing I had when I got sick in the shower last month.” She sounds like she’s in control of the situation, like she knows exactly what’s going on and she has a plan.

“Okay honey, do you want me to call the school?” Midnight responds accordingly, as we are trained to do in these kinds of situations.

“Yeah, I probably won’t be able to go to class for a couple of days. You have to call Aizawa and tell him. Also call my friend Mirio, because I might have gotten him sick too.” Kates ability to give subtle details and instruction while she’s being watched is impressive. That kind of insurgent talent isn’t something we teach here, or anything she would have learned from her father or Nighteye’s agency. It’s a natural talent. If she can cultivate it, she’d make an amazing spy.

“Okay, darling. I’ll be sure to call your teacher. Get better soon.” Kayama offers, and there is an audible hum from Kate.

“Yes, ma’am,” The kid answers, and the dial tone sounds before Kayama puts her phone away.

“If she asked for me specifically, she’s in big trouble. After the blow up last night she wouldn’t want anything to do with me…” I admit.

“Her instructions were clear. Contact you, and Toogata.” Midnight swallows, and tightens her jaw.

“Kayama. She’ll be okay. Kid is tough.” I offer, and Midnight nods.

“I know she is, but the way she said it. ‘Sick with the same thing she had in the shower’? You saw how she was- she never told me what happened, but she talked to you. What does that mean?” She questions, and I grit my teeth.

“I can’t divulge that information with you in her interest of privacy- but I do know that if She referenced a highly vulnerable point that she tried to ignore WHILE it was happening. One that only you, Nezu and I would know about- it means that she needed you to listen carefully to what she said next.” I work through my thoughts aloud. “She said she ‘might have gotten Mirio sick too.’ He might also have been abducted. If we can’t find him, it’s definitely kidnapping, if we can, he’ll have information. She wouldn’t have mentioned him without reason.” I pinch the bridge of my nose, and exhale. This kid is going to give me high blood pressure, I swear to god.

“Hiz, call up Toogata. If he answers, see if he knows where she might be- after the bullshit with Hawks we have to be careful how we go about this. There’s a delicate work here of being with the law.” I warn, and Hizashi nods, pulling out his cellphone and walking into the other room. “Kayama, contact Nighteye, he’s her closest next of kin since her mom filed the ‘no contact order’ against the school. I’m going to the 1A dorms. One of them might have a lead.” I slip on my shoes at the door. “I swear to god if Midoriya has something to do with this…” I mutter, stepping out into the hall.

Katherine Alicia Black. Age 16. The girl single handedly responsible for the development, and curing, of my stomach ulcers. I am aware that it is a side-effect of her quirk to make me care about her as much as I do. It’s a defensive property. It’s meant to prevent people from hurting her in the first place, but it interacts with different people’s brains differently.

Some get possessive, as well as protective, as seen in Bakugo and Todoroki, some vye for her attention by any means possible, Hawks, some are fine just being her friend, Ashido, Yayarozu. Kirishima, And, some get an overwhelming sense of worry. Myself and Midoriya. It gets worse the more she heals you, I found.

I’ve been monitoring the behaviors of the class for months, trying to get a handle on how to deal with Katherine. As her guardian, I want to keep her from doing reckless things, but as someone ‘under her spell’ I find myself too often ignoring or giving in to her whims in an attempt to make her like me. It’s a conflict of interest, but that sick, spell-bound part of me doesn’t care. I’d follow her to the ends of the earth.

I’d be whatever she needs me to be. A teacher, a friend, a father. And right now, if she wants me to save her, that’s what I’m going to do.

Katherine’s quirk makes her hard to ignore, but she’s also a formidable hero-in-training with a natural knack for heroism. She’s calm in situations even I find myself uncomfortable in. She radiates an aura of safety in dire straights. She’s excelling physically, emotionally, academically, and in mastery of her quirk.

I have faith that she is handling the situation as best she can. The fact that she mentioned her shower episode… I have an inkling of an idea- based off of what she forgot- that Whatever’s happening is probably similar to the catalyst of her nightmares. That scares me more than anything else. If he’s touching her- I’ll kill him. No if, ands, or buts. He will die. I’ll make it look like an accident. I don’t have a quirk to get in the way and leave evidence. I’ll slit his throat like a goddamn criminal if I have to.

++Mirio++

“She went to overhaul last night. I gave her my work phone to track.” My knee won’t stop bouncing as I explain to the room of heroes what’s going on.

“She didn’t mention any of her plan to us though- how can we be sure she didn’t turn on us?” Centipeder questions, and I grit my teeth.

“I know Katherine. She wouldn’t do something like that. Her not sharing her plan is my fault. She knew I or Nighteye would attempt to stop her.” Eraser hangs his head.

“Katherine said that Overhaul made her uncomfortable. She said he was ‘touchy’.” Midoriya speaks up, and Sir glares.

“And you didn’t think to bring it up to me that she was going behind my back to contact the Hassaikai, why?” He’s seething with rage.

“You know Katherine. No matter what you did, she would have found a way to do whatever she wanted, and Midoriya probably didn’t want to risk being left out of the loop for when something like this was bound to happen. She’s stubborn.” EraserHead is quick to defend Midoriya, and I pipe up.

“She left a bottle of her blood in the fridge for Tamaki before she left.” I interject, defending Kate. “She wouldn’t do that if she wasn’t still on our side.” I continue.

“Why her blood?” Ryukyu asks, eyebrow raised.

“Kate had a theory that Tamaki could channel her power through consuming her flesh or blood, and be able to heal himself and others.” I clarify, and Sir grimaces.

“As much as I’d like to defend her, that’s still circumstantial at best. It seems unusual that she wouldn’t leave more specific instructions.” Sir admits. My blood boils.

“She couldn’t. She was being tailed, Kid apparently has visions like yours, Nighteye- caught some guy tryna’ drug her while she, Suneater and Lemillion were at a carnival.” Fatgum pipes up.

“Again, why am I the last to know these things?!” Sir questions angrily, but is overshadowed by more pressing questions.

“And she still went out?!” Ryukyu asks, now both eyebrows raised.

“To be fair, we were operating under the impression that it was someone else.” Fatgum gives a sheepish smile and leans back. “She gave the best instructions she could with what she had. She stacked contingency plans and made sure that information got where it needed to be.” Fatgum tries, Rocklock whistles.

“Kid’s an evil genius. She got herself kidnapped on purpose so we’d have probable cause and wouldn’t need a warrant. She found the girl and I’ll bet she’s gathered evidence- she even made sure we would still have a healer. That right there is a warning about a fight.” Rocklock folds his hands on the table. “You’re doing a great job with those kids, Eraser. She handled this better than most pros I know.” Rocklock commends, but Aizawa frowns.

“I had nothing to do with any of this. She did it all on her own.” Eraser admits, and stands.

“We’re working on tracking the phone now. Everyone get some sleep. We’re going out before the sun tomorrow to get the drop on the Hassaikai. Meeting Adjourned.” Sir takes off his glasses, and drops them on the table, pinching his nose.

I stand, and grip Tamaki’s hand. I pull him out of the room, and around a corner. Tamaki is already starting to panic, and as much as I am too, I can’t let it show and make him worse. “She’s okay. I know she is. Katie is the strongest person I know.” I place both hands on his shoulders and attempt to catch his eye. He’s tearing up.

“What if she isn’t though?! What if he hurts her? What if we can’t get her back?!” His voice is raising, which only stresses me out more. Tamaki NEVER yells.

“We’ll get her back- She made sure of it, right? Do you trust me?” I ask, and he nods, swallowing.

“Of course.” He responds, a single tear falling down his cheek.

“And you trust her?” I implore, he nods again.

“Absolutely.” He lets out a shaky breath.

“Then trust we will figure this out together, yeah?” I pull him into a hug so he can’t see me cry as well. “She made sure you were going to be okay Tama, and she asked for me. We’ll pull through. Katie knows we’re coming for her. She trusts us too, and she’s always right, right?” I can hear the tears in my voice, and I know he can too.

++Izuku+++
I’m never letting her out of my sight again.

Once.

One time I let her get away and she gets abducted by the Hassaikai.

I can only pray that they’re just using her for her quirk and not something worse.

Her mother says that I shouldn’t worry, that she’s a strong kid- but that woman is an idiot.

Sir is angry with me, that much is obvious from his glare across the table.

My journal of her whereabouts and the fact that I know exactly where she is, is inconsequential. I can’t share that information without outing myself for following her, so I’m forced to wait until she’s tracked down by the tech-gurus instead.

Until then, I know for a fact no one else is going into her room, and that means I can check on her diary again. I know that reading it is probably a breach of privacy, but I like to be in the know of all of the people I’ll have to arrest when I’m number one, and I like to keep track of her emotional state to avoid another melt down.

Todoroki has done a great job of tricking her into taking the Cymbalta, but I have to keep track of dosage and side effects. Convincing my therapist to double my dosage wasn’t too hard after the Camp attack….

Everything was finally coming together. After all I went through, Documenting her every move, watching every reaction, tearing out the pages relating to Kaachan, Hawks and Shigaraki from the spiral-bound notebook- It was all finally calm.

She was relaxing, and then Shinso gave her the memories back and now she’s going to ask questions about what happened to those pages-

She’ll assume it was Aizawa, and she’ll let me brush her hair while she vents about it. That’d be nice, but first, rescue.

Chapter Text

Finally, finally, I work up the hole big enough to get through. It's a tight fit, and once again I am jealous of Jiro’s lithe body. I can hear Kurono’s footfalls downstairs as I crawl through the hole, but I move faster than he does without his quirk slowing me down. I move quickly toward the window, the blanket tucked around my chest.

The window looks out over a courtyard and a koi pond. That should break my fall enough to get me where I need to be. I try to open the window just as I hear Kurono open the bedroom door. “Katie… Have you thought about my offer? I’d like to sweeten the deal.”

I’m trying, but it’s sealed shut with paint. Who would do that?! If you’re going to paint a room, do it correctly and put some fucking tape down you goddamn heathen! “You scream for me, I let you out of the room. You can go anywhere in the house…” He still hasn’t opened the closet door.

This is a fire hazard! God damn it please just fucking open! Open! Poor fucking craftsmanship will NOT be the end of me, I swear to god. I rush across the room to grab the hanger, and scrape the paint off of the pane. Finally, the window slams open. “Katie?!” Kurono calls.

I swing one leg out of the window, and then the other. Fuck- that pond looks deep. No time to worry about it now, Kate. I hear the locks clicking as I jump. “What the-” I don’t hear the rest of his expletives as I splash into the pond, fuck- fuck I can’t- shit.

It’s too deep.

I can’t touch the bottom. I thought it wouldn’t be that deep- I’m scrambling, fighting against the water. The blanket is too heavy, it’s weighing me down. I sputter, kicking wildly and clawing at the water to try and dig my way to the top. It’s no use.

I never learned how to swim. Shit. I got so goddamn busy I never took anyone up on their offer to teach me how to swim. That was stupid. That was so goddamn stupid. I should have learned how to swim- I should have stayed the night at Momo’s. Tsu was supposed to teach me how to swim this weekend. I would have learned yesterday. I would have been able to get away. I wouldn’t be fucking bested by a goddamn Koi pond! I can’t breathe-

Is this it? Is this how it ends? After everything I’ve done. After everything that’s been done to me. That’s it. Just… over. Dead. In a koi pond. I wonder what they’ll do with my body. I doubt they’ll have the decency to bury me next to my dad. I guess I shouldn’t complain, I did ask for this. I wanted it. I wanted to die. I guess I just didn’t expect it to happen like this. I knew that the only way I would ever get taken out it would be my own hand, but I assumed that meant I’d have a choice. Well, I guess I’m getting ahead of myself here.

I’m still awake. My body has stopped fighting. It knows what happens next. Maybe Kurono will pull me out in time for me to come back? Maybe I’ll keep drowning over and over again. Maybe this is some sort of cosmic punishment for expecting Aizawa to save me after I was a mega bitch to him over him trying to help me. Maybe I deserve this, Maybe I deserve Kai too. Maybe. Something pulls the blankets off, and warm arms wrap around me. I’m slammed onto the ground, and someone taps my cheeks.

“Hey- c’mon kid. The fuck were you thinking?!” A familiar voice calls, shaking my shoulders. I cough up water, and he rubs my back. I look up, to see a black mask and bodysuit.

“T-twice?” I question, and he nods.

“You don’t look like you’re here on your own volition.” “YOU LOOK LIKE SHIT.” He chuckles, and brushes my hair out of my face.

“Y-you have to get- get Shigaraki!” I beg, shaking. “He- Overhaul is insane!” I sob into his chest. Twice lifts me off of the ground.

“Let’s get you the fuck out of-”

“Bubaigawara, you found the boss’s pet. Be a dear and help me put her back in the kennel.” An unfamiliar man asks, and Twice turns. A blonde man with a bird mask stands, gun in hand.

“The fuck is going on here?” Twice questions, looking between me and the Yakuza. The man in the bird mask sighs.

“That-” He points at me. “Belongs to Overhaul.” He explains as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“Man… c’mon. You can’t be serious. What the hell is he doin’ with a naked teenaged girl jumping out of his window?” “SAME BUDDY.” Twice backs up, and pushes me behind him.

“Look, I don’t feel the best about it either. But if she leaves the grounds, Overhaul will be distraught.” The unfamiliar man threatens. I swallow. Twice isn’t a bad guy. I don’t want him to die. I grip onto his arm, and pull him behind me.

“Go ahead and shoot me. See what happens.” I growl, blocking him from hitting Twice.

“I do not wish to hurt you, child. You’ve been through enough. Please, let's just get you inside before the boss finds out what happened and punishes us all, yes?” The man offers, and Twice shakes his head.

“No fucking way man. I’m calling Shigaraki- this is way messed up.” Twice pulls out his cellphone.

“Go on then. Do whatever you need. But she is going back from whence she came.” The Yakuza nods, and offers out his hand. “Please ma’am. Do not make this harder than it needs to be.” He nods. And I swallow.

“Boss? Yeah, they have fuckin’ Cleric here- No, she’s- Here.” Twice hands me the phone.

“Doll?” Tomura’s voice calls.

“Tomura- you have to help me.” My voice cracks, and there’s a beat of silence before he speaks again.

“I’ll handle it. I need you to find a way to contact your heroes so I have cover. Can you do that?” He sounds pissed off.

“Yeah, yeah I can.” I whisper, nodding even though I can’t see him.

“Do it then. I’ll pick you up soon.” He hangs up. I look up at the Blonde man.

“One- one more phone call and I’ll go back. I want to call my mom.” I promise, and the man raises an eyebrow.

“Fine. Put it on speaker.” He nods. I bite my lip. Fuck. Please let this work. Please let this work. I dial the number, the phone picks up on two rings.

“Hello?” The feminine voice answers, confused.

“Hey mom, It’s Katherine. I’m not feeling too well. I’ve got that thing I had when I got sick in the shower last month.” I speak quickly and carefully. There is a pregnant pause.

“Okay honey, do you want me to call the school?” Midnight asks, immediately catching on. I look at the blonde man, who nods.

“Yeah, I probably won’t be able to go to class for a couple of days. You have to call Aizawa and tell him. Also call my friend Mirio, because I might have gotten him sick too.” I explain, and she hums.

“Okay, darling. I’ll be sure to call your teacher. Get better soon.” She offers, and I swallow.

“Yes ma’am.” I answer, and the line goes dead. She’s going to get Aizawa. They’re going to track Mirio’s cellphone that I left in Kai’s car. They’re going to come for me. I’m not alone. I choke back tears, and nod. “I’ll… see you later, Twice.” I mumble, handing him his phone.

“Wait- Cleric no that’s-” He begins to object, but I cut him off with a hug.

“I’ll be okay. Really. It’s fine.” I nod, and pull back before he has a sense to react. I turn on my heel and follow the blonde man back into the hell house. I don’t look back at the man who tried to save me. Kurono does not look pleased when I walk into the living room.

“I already called the boss. He’s on the way.” His jaw is tight. I nod.

“I’m… sorry.” I clasp my hands together infront of me.

“You will be.” He nods, and points at the couch.

“Sit. Overhaul will be here any minute.” He sighs, and walks out of the room. I pick at my pristine cuticles and shiver. Soaking wet and completely naked does not mix well in a sixty-five degree livingroom.

Kai enters the room by the time I lose feeling in my fingertips. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” He growls, and at first I think he’s talking to me, until I see him push Kurono out of the way and feel him drape a blanket over my shoulders. “All of you, get the fuck out.” He demands, and grips onto my shoulder. He leads me into the elevator and pushes me up against the wall, gripping my chin. “Your lips are fucking blue- those idiots were going to give you hypothermia.” He squints, and rips off his mask, dropping it on the ground.

“If you want to take my quirk again… I understand.” I whisper, trying to reduce the damage that will be dealt. Aizawa is coming. I just have to survive the next couple of hours.

“What, so you can try and fucking kill yourself again?” he questions, brushing wet hair out of my face, and turning my neck to see if he can spot any more damage. There is none.

“What?” I ask, and he laughs, disbelief written across his face.

“You think we didn’t do our research?” He shakes his head.

“I’ve been watching you specifically since you stepped foot in Georgia, Angel. You and your father. Someone with a healing quirk known for reversing damage was exactly what I needed to perfect an anti-dote to the quirk-nullifying drug. I’ve had men watching both of you for months.” He admits, and the elevator opens. He doesn’t release my shoulder, pulling me into the bathroom and starting the shower. He turns his clothes to dust and walks into the shower, muttering for me to drop the blanket. I do as told. I don’t need to like this. I just need to survive without him finding something more horrible to do to me.

“You’re still shivering. Come here.” he grumbles, pulling me under the water into his chest.

“Bathing this often will dry out your skin.” I warn, and he chuckles.

“There’s the attitude I missed.” He hums, forcing me to turn so he can look at my back. His hands trail over my hips. “I knew you couldn’t swim. I know everything about you. Your favorite song, your closest friends.” he pulls me closer, pressing my back against his chest. “I know which ones I need to kill to keep you in line. Now, I’d rather not have heroes breathing down my neck, so… you are going to try and behave now, yes?” He tries, and I nod. “Good girl.” He trails his hands over my breasts. “You really pissed me off today. Again. I think maybe, we should stay up all night and fix that. Doesn’t that sound nice?” He questions.

I nod my head.

“There’s my good girl. Now, You’re going to suck my cock, I’ll finish my work for the day while you behave, and we’ll head to the compound since I can’t trust any of my men to keep you in line. I’m sure Eri will be a wonderful incentive.” He forces me to turn again, and looks me in the eye. “I’ll break HER fucking legs if you try to run again.” He promises, then points to the ground. “On your knees.” For once, I do what I’m told.

Chapter Text

Behaving meant kneeling beside Kai’s desk on a pile of salt as he worked, letting him fuck me over the desk, and then letting him hold me while he slept, after forcing me to ‘try new positions’ for hours on end. Day two with zero sleep is starting to wear on me, but I have faith that today is the day that it ends.

Kai doesn’t bother with the blindfold anymore. The drive to his base is started in abject silence, and I keep my face stony. Kai allowed me to have my original clothing after I begged for an hour straight. They still smell like Tamaki, which brings me some small comfort. I’m made to sit in the back, between Nemoto and a buff guy that I never got a name for.

“So… Nemoto?” I ask, and the man flashes a pair of weary eyes through the rearview mirror at Kai in the front seat. Kai shrugs, and nods.

“Yes… Miss Black?” He questions, blue eyes studying me carefully over his mask.

“I noticed your quirk is similar to the truth-telling one Kai had used on me the first time we met without the League… Was that your quirk or someone else’s and if it was someone elses, are you guys close friends?” I question, and Nemoto nods.

“We are, miss.” He confirms without further divulgement. Damn. I need more evidence if I’m going to put all of these bastards away for good.

“Uhm… are you and Eri close too?” I ask softly, playing the role of the meek girl will work better than my usual brash attitude.

“We are not. You are the only person I’ve ever seen be close to Eri.” Nemoto seems on edge. I reach forward, and brush the bare skin of his wrist. He recoils, but not before I feel some old scars on his back and hips heal.

“Oh… sorry! You seemed upset and I-”

“Please refrain from quirk use unless asked, Angel.” Kai pipes up from the front seat with a chuckle. “She won’t bite Nemoto. My angel only ever means to help.” Kai glances at the man in the rearview, and smirks. Nemoto nods, and offers out his arm again.

“You may… continue?” He nods, and I do so. I press my palm to him, and focus. C’mon, do the thing- do the- nothing. Fuck. It only happens when I want to heal someone… and every memory I’ve ever seen revolved around me, that might be part of it. Damn. I heal Nemoto anyway and give him the warmest smile I can muster. “Thank you, Miss.” He nods, and takes his hand away. Kai’s eyes wash over me in the reflection, and from the crinkles surrounding them, I can tell he’s smiling.

We pull up to the building and The large man grips my upper arm. “You can go ahead and put Angel with Eri. I’ve got a meeting.” Kai steps out of the car after we do, and takes a moment to pull off his glove and cup my cheek. “You behave for Kendo, and I’ll give you a treat later.” He hums. I hate the way he sounds so confident that I will do as he says. I nod anyway. Complacency will keep me in one place long enough for Aizawa to find me.

Kendo, a rather large man, leads me through the building. No blindfold. I have an exit if I need it- I can get out. I can get Eri out… but with those damn quirk-erasing bullets it’ll be hard to get far if Kai is alerted. I’ll have to knock Kendo out and carry Eri- but there are probably cameras everywhere so they’ll find me either way. No, Kate. You have to wait for Aizawa. He’ll come for you.

Once the door to Eri’s room opens, I find that she’s still asleep. It’s early, not quite six in the morning. I bite my lip and slide into bed behind her, wrapping my arm around her and hugging her close. She smells like Kid’s strawberry shampoo and she’s small and she’s Not Him. Eri yawns, and turns around. “Doll?” She asks, and I nod.

“Eri… some big things are going to happen today. It’s going to get very scary but I need you to trust me, can you do that?” I whisper, and she nods quickly. “I’m going to get you out of here. We’re going to see the sun together, okay?” I pull her into a hug so she can’t see the tears brimming my eyes. I breathe deeply and pull back, tucking the hair behind her ear. “Are you hungry at all?” I ask, and she nods. I swallow, and climb off of the bed to the door, opening it. Kendo is still standing there, alongside several other armed guards.

“Uh… can someone bring us some cereal or something? Eri needs breakfast before I can start lessons.” I keep my head down, and one of them walks off, hopefully to do what I asked. I look around Eri’s room and cringe at how sterile and white it all is. I don’t know where she’s going to go when all of this is over, but I hope it’s somewhere with color- anywhere is better than with Kai though. “So, Eri… what have you been up to since Thursday?” I ask, and sit back on the foot of the bed. Eri hugs her knees and shrugs.

“I finished The Lorax. He speaks for the trees. Nanny says there’s a movie about the book too. I wanna see it.” She doesn’t smile, but there is hope in her eyes.

“I will personally see to it that you see the lorax movie AND the Horton hears a who movie.” I promise, and she gasps.

“Horton hears a who is a movie too?!” She shouts, full of wonder. I nod.

“Mhm. lots of books have been made movies. But only the best ones become musicals.” I grin, and she gasps again.

“What’s a Musical?” Eri asks, red eyes sparkling.

“Oh You’ll love it- Some day, I’ll take you to see-” The door slams open before I have a chance to finish my thought.

“Angel- We have to leave.” Kai’s voice is calm and even, but his eyes show distress. I nod, and move to stand. Kurono pushes past me and lifts Eri into his arms while Kai grabs me by the upper arm.

“Kai?” I question, earning a glare. As the two men pull us down the winding hallways. I can hear several pairs of feet running upstairs. My heart jumps into my throat when I can pick out Mirio’s voice from the group. I burst into a fit of laughter. Kai looks at me questioningly, but doesn’t stop dragging me in whichever direction he pleases.

“What’s so funny Angel?” Kai’s tone is dangerous.

“You idiot. Kidnapping me was the nail in the coffin for you. They have probable cause. You’re going to prison.” I grin at him, and he rolls his eyes.

“We’re not getting caught. Now, behave.” He growls, and pulls out a needle. I scream, and try to pull away from him. Without my quirk, I can’t defend myself at all- Kai was a distraction. Kurono jabs me in the thigh, and the breath leaves my lungs. It works cold and unforgiving under my skin, different from the last one.

“You won’t get away with this.” I warn him, he squeezes my arm harder, pulling faster. The ground starts to shake with the force of attacks. My heart jumps into my throat. They’re really coming- They actually care…

“So much noise. Those fools had better be doing their jobs.” Kai grumbles.

“I hate to say it, but I think this is the end for the Hassaikai.” Kurono sounds resigned, but Kai shakes his head.

“As long as the boss and I live, the Hassaikai will too. Angel will be able to heal the boss eventually once we succeed in our goals. Most of the men remain loyal to him, but don’t understand my way of thinking. Even though I respect the boss’s will more than any of them do.” Kai pauses to pull something from his coat pocket. It looks like an Altoids container but bigger. “As long as we have the finished product and the serum, I can bring us back from the brink of extinction.” Kai replaces the container in his coat. That must be the quirk-erasing drug. “This little incident will make a good story for potential investors. We’ve developed a drug that Heroes are afraid of, and with Angel we can develop a cure for it. Last night when I gave her the six-hour serum she slept it off in an hour. No telling what the permanent formula would do. We have exactly what investors are after. They’ll finance it happily.” Kai’s hand moves from my arm to my throat.

“And on that note, It’s time to pull your weight, temps.” Kai instructs.

“ ‘Kay.” A familiar feminine voice behind me calls, and I wrench my head to the side to catch a glimpse of Himiko and Twice.

“You can leave it to us, Overhaul.” Twice nods in our direction.

“But, uh, Shiggy won’t be too happy about you taking his favorite toy like this.” Toga warns, and Kai forces my head back around.

“I’m sure. I’ll deal with him later.” He continues, and turns, cutting me off from the villains. He seems to be completely in control of the situation. He doesn’t care at all. We move faster, and I begin to trip over my own feet. I feel dizzy, disoriented. Everything goes blurry. Kai rolls his eyes and lifts me over his shoulder, pinning my thighs to his chest as my face makes harsh contact with his back. “The Valium is working at least.” Kai grunts, and I giggle. I lift up my head to look at Eri. She looks terrified.

“The building’s shaking. Irinaka’s usually so careful. Sounds like he’s finally getting serious.” Kurono hums. I decide to ignore them both.

“Hey- Eri!” I call to the girl. She looks up at me, still frightened. “Hey Bunny, everything’s gonna be okay… Remember what I told you earlier? Things are going to get a little scary… but we’ll see the sun together, right?” I ask, and Eri nods.

“Angel… What have you done?” Kai’s voice is angry now. He seems to always save his anger for me, every other time it’s apathy.

“I outmanoo- nu- euver--vereded you Kai. If you were smart you’d let us go and save your own mis-er-able butts.” I giggle, earning a harsh smack to my bottom. I laugh harder.

“You’re going to regret that, Angel.” Kai warns, and Eri’s eyes widen. A white suit and blonde hair draw my attention toward the wall.

“MIRIO!” I scream, scrambling against Kai to try to reach the blonde. Kai holds tight, and growls.

“Excuse me, Gentlemen. But we need to talk. You’ve got some explaining to do. Why don’t we have a chat about those girls.” Mirio eyes me warily, But Kai turns, cutting me off from being able to see him. I beat on Kai’s back, but he holds tight.

“Angel, I hope you know I won’t punish YOU for this.” Kai warns, and my breath catches in my throat. “As for you… You shouldn’t have been able to get here so fast.” Kai sounds amused as he shifts my weight, resting a hand on my bottom instead of my thighs.

“I took a shortcut. Give me the girls. I’m here to rescue them.” Mirio says, he sounds mad. Mirio is never mad though- He’s probably mad at me. I should have listened to him. I want to apologize, but my tongue feels really heavy in my mouth.

“Now that you know the situation you’ve decided to play hero, eh, schoolboy?” Kai taunts, and sets me down on my feet. I sway on my feet, and grip onto the nearest wall for support. It turns out to be Kurono, who wraps an arm around my waist. “You were happy being ignorant when we first met. Unfortunately for you, this girl didn’t wanna come with you. You’re no hero to the little one.” Kai’s smug voice makes me sick.

“You scared her- not gonna-not gonna let you be scary no more.” I attempt a threat, but my tongue isn’t cooperating.

“That’s why I’m here.” Mirio agrees with my nonsense, and I giggle, nearly slipping, but being lifted into both of Kai’s arms instead. My head rests against his chest.

“I’m not getting through to you.” Kai sighs lowly, and turns. “Allow me to be clearer. You’re going to die down here.” Kai’s arms tighten me to his chest as he speaks. I can hear Mirio fighting, but I can barely move my limbs.

“Give ‘em hell Miri-ooooooh.” I huff, trying to hit Kai but being unable to muster much of a punch. Surprisingly though, Kai is hit. He stumbles back, and drops me on the ground. I make an ‘oof’ noise and look up to see Mirio already carrying Eri. “You gotta- gotta run. I can- can wait. ‘S not good but… I’m okay” I mumble, struggling to stand.

“Can’t do that, Katie.” Mirio warns. “I’m never going to let you down again, Eri.” Mirio warns, cradling Eri to his chest.

“Gotta run! Gotta run!” I plead in a whisper, but he must not hear me.

“I am going to be your hero!” Mirio proclaims despite my warnings. And I huff in frustration.

“Filthy.” Kai seethes, gripping my arm and pulling me back to his chest. “Come back Eri. How many times do I have to tell you? It’s your fault. You break people. That’s just how you were born.” Kai attacks Eri with words, and I roll my head back, headbutting him in the chest. He grunts but otherwise doesn’t react, instead choosing to press my hand to the bare skin on his forearm. I can feel the punch Mirio gave him. Ouch. Everything’s all blurry and confusing. “You’re hurting Doll. You know how this goes. I always have to get my hands dirty because of your selfishness. Every action you take results in people dying. You’re a cursed human.” Kai’s voice breaks through the swirling lights and colors.

I’ve had enough of this grown man bullying an actual child. I grip onto his arm and pull it to my face. Before he can attempt to stop me, I bite him. I tear a decent chunk off of his arm before he flings me backward and I collide with a wall. I’m too delirious to catch myself, and I fall next to Kurono.

My skull cracks against the ground and everything goes black.

Chapter Text

“Doll- Doll wake up!” Eri cries. My ears are ringing. I’m groggy, but clearer now. He drugged me. That bastard drugged me.

“Eri- are you okay?” I ask, checking her body for wounds. She seems fine.

“Yeah, but… him!” She points to the fight on the other side of the room. I grit my teeth. I reach down to grab a sharp rock and rip off the bottoms of Mirio’s gym pants to free myself for movement.

“You stay here. I’ll take care of it. Cover your eyes.” I give her a smile and pat her head before standing. “You made a mistake Kai!” I shout, forcing the men to pause mid-fight to look at me. “You let me hit my head.” I grin. Kai growls, and slams an attack into the ground toward me, but he’s thwarted by a punch from Mirio. Kurono aims his gun for me, but Mirio is quick to kick the gun away. Kai’s eyes burn into mine. “Where’s Aizawa?” I question, falling in line beside Mirio.

“He got held back. Last I saw he was with Deku.” Mirio answers.

“Are you okay?” Mirio doesn’t look at me to ask.

“Fine. He drugged me, but concussions are an instant heal.” I explain. I’ll talk to him about last night and this morning later. Right now, I have to end this bastard.

“You hear that? Doll is back in the game. You lost this fight, Chisaki!” Mirio taunts. And Kai glares.

“Don’t use that name so casually fool. I’ve abandoned it.” Kai growls, but I deliver a high-kick to his chest to knock him down.

“Master!” Calls an unfamiliar voice. It seems to fill Kai with newfound resolve as he responds with

“Nemoto! Shoot!” And throws the red Altoids case. “ I’ll clip the angel’s wings.” Kai resolves, starting toward me. Mirio shoots up out of the ground and decks him in the face.

“I won’t let you lay another finger on her!” Mirio’s angry voice sends shivers down my spine. I’ve never seen him this way before. I brandish my hands. Nemoto aims not for me or Mirio, but for Eri. Mirio leaps. No. Those are the- this is his plan. He doesn’t want to hit Eri. He knows Mirio will jump. He won’t expect me to jump too.

I leap in front of them both, and Kai screams out a “No!” The bullet rips through my hand before anyone has time to react. It’s not enough to stop it. My hand is too thin, it tears right through the flesh and lodges into Mirio’s shoulder. I watch as the wound heals, slower than usual, but fully. I turn that hand to Mirio’s face, cupping his cheek and taking all of his wounds from the fight.“You are diseased. Your quirks allow you to dream you’ll become something bigger. But that way of thinking is an illness of the mind. I’m offering the world a cure!” Kai is monologuing. God, could he get any worse?!

“You have to run. Get Eri out of here- he took your quirk.” I whisper, but Mirio shakes his head.

“Ironic, isn’t it? You came here to save these girls, and it’s their power that will end everything you’ve come to rely on. You’re powerless.” Kai screams, but Mirio is already on the move. Mirio throws The henchmen who shot him, and slams a punch into Kai before the masked man can react. I watch in horror as Kai dissolves his gloves, and I scramble to my feet. I’m slower than Mirio, but I can still make a difference. I block each and every dissolving blow, and land a few punches of my own without using Kai’s quirk against him.

Whatever Tomura does is what he does, but I will not be a murderer.

Mirio gets sliced on the thigh with a jutting spike attack, but I slam that wound into Kai without a second thought. Kai sends a spike at Eri, but Mirio jumps in front of it, taking the spike straight into his side. I pull him off of it, and take the wound, gritting my teeth and rushing Kai, who slams spikes upwards to skewer my legs into place. I give him no reaction, but I’m pinned and we all know it. When Mirio tries to move to help, he’s struck by a similar attack.

”You wanted to become a hero so badly, and you couldn’t even save Eri. You’re filthy, Lemillion. Infected. But I’ll fix you all with her power and my angel’s. Every last one of you.” Kai threatens, and Mirio forces himself off of the spikes. I reach out my hand, and he takes it, healing himself quickly.

“Get Eri the hell out of-” I’m cut off by a flash of green electricity. Deku. Behind him, Sasaki and Aizawa. Oh thank god. Deku immediately lands a punch on my spikes, while Eraser lands one on Kai. With my limbs free, I can fight again.

“Katherine-” Izuku starts, but I cut him off with a wave.

“I told you so’s later. For now, let’s make sure that creep can never hurt anyone else again.” I grit my teeth, and look back at Mirio. “Please… please get out of here. You have to listen to me. Just this once- Please.” I beg, and he nods, lifting Eri into his arms. I look at Sasaki. “Make sure he’s honest.” I demand, and turn back to the fight. My first plan of action is to touch both Izuku and Aizawa. Aizawa offers his hand freely, and a clear stab wound winds down my back. Ah. Toga. Izuku doesn’t seem to be hurt at all.

“You already backed him into a corner. Let’s finish this.” Aizawa instructs, and Izuku and I respond with the customary “Yes, Sir.” Suddenly, Aizawa grunts, and the rocks jut up again. I grip Izuku’s arm, and climb on his back in the same manner I had in the sports festival, nestling my hands against his cheeks to take the damage from the spikes as quickly as possible so he isn’t slowed down. Something explodes in the center of the room, but before I can call out to Katsuki, Kai emerges. A monstrosity with extra arms, his expensive jacket is torn to shit.

“I’ll be a good sport and acknowledge that you were stronger than me, Lemillion. I respect your perseverance. But in the end, I will still be the victor. Now, heroes. I’ll have you return the girls to me!” Kai’s voice is unhinged. He’s not the suave, handsome gangbanger who taught me how to taste wine. This is who was in the bed, and in the shower personified. He was always this monster, but now he’s shown his true face.

“Kate, are you okay?” Izuku asks quietly, and I hum an affirmative.

“If you’re going after him I have to be touching you. His destruction works the same as Shigaraki’s decay. I can ride on your back and hold on like at the festival. Do you think you can carry me?” I plan quickly, and Izuku nods, unzipping patches on his costume.

“I had Hatsume add these for something like this.” He explains, and I smile.

“Best team ever.” I nod, slipping my hands into his jacket and nestling my hands against his chest.

“Angel, come on back to me right now and I might let the heroes Live. I see Nighteye is here. It would be a shame to lose more family today, so soon after your father’s death.” Kai’s voice cuts through the silence on the ground. I grit my teeth. “And Lemillion, You chose to try to take My angel from me, and Eri. And now your quirk is lost forever.” Kai’s arrogant spiel makes me want to puke all over again.

“It’s not. The formula doesn’t work on me like it does other people. I might be able to heal him.” I whisper to Izuku, who nods in understanding.

“If only you’d backed down sooner, you could have held on to your pathetic dreams. But instead you fought, refusing to give up even after your quirk was gone. And now, thanks to your heroics, your friends will die along with you!” Kai leaps for an attack, and is able to start one before Izuku leaps and smashes a rock into one of the grotesque arms sprouting from Kai’s side. Kai is quick to counter, but Izuku is faster, blocking with the iron soles of his shoes.

“Stand down Deku and Doll! I’ll deal with him!” Sasaki proclaims, and my heart drops.

“Will you now?” Kai questions, voice incredulous. I miss the rest of the conversation, jumping off of Deku to stay with Sasaki. I have to be in the fight. If I’m not in the fight, someone is going to die. Kai dodges Sasaki’s stamps, and I try to keep up with my uncle. It’s difficult to say the least. He’s all long legs and lithe movement and I’m barely five-four and running on zero sleep or food as well as still nursing a mild Valium dose.

“Katie you have to leave!” Sasaki demands, but I grunt, avoiding yet another move by Kai.

“I’m not going to lose you too. I just met you!” I refuse his chivalry, and move to keep up. “He can’t take my quirk if that’s what you’re worried about. The bullets don’t work on me the same way.” Kai’s eyes fly to me and he squints.

“Brains as well as beauty, you are a gift from god, Angel. Since your father is dead, maybe I should ask your Uncle for your hand instead? I should make you an honest woman after all.” Kai’s words cut deep as everyone in the room, minus Eri, understands the meaning.

“You deployed your prized weapon instead of sneaking it off to safety. Were you that frightened of a pair of teenagers?” Sasaki is quick to change the subject, but from his tone alone I can tell he’s pissed and he’s not going to let that remark go.

“Angel… Last chance. Get over here and I won’t kill them all. You have my word.” Kai tilts his head and offers two hands. “You too, Eri.” He looks past us to the girl huddled with Mirio and Izuku.

“You leave her the fuck alone you bastard!” I demand, leaping at him. He sidesteps and slams an attack in the ground, I dodge but it wasn’t meant for me. A spike shoots up out of the ground and impales Sasaki. My uncle spits blood as a second spike rips through his arm. The fight is still on- Kai’s full attention is on me now.

“I warned you, Angel. And now they all have to die.” He sighs. I distantly hear Mirio screaming. I sprint to Sasaki.

“Oh- oh fuck that’s a lot of blood. I have to- have to pull you off.” I’m crying now, no telling when that started.

“I’m f-fine.” Sasaki coughs, and I laugh, though there isn’t much humor in it.

“Maybe we really are related.” I grip onto his open jacket and pull him off of the spike, and immediately pulse healing into him. A shot rings out. A blooming pain opens up my spine and the healing stops, but it’s only three quarters done. Sasaki will survive but he’s still out of the fight. I wheeze, the dust in the air is suddenly unbearable. I still have a quarter of Sasaki’s wound in me. My lung is caught in the crossfire and I can feel warm heat leaching out onto Tamaki’s shirt. I turn toward Kai, my hands covered in a mix of several people’s blood. I think some of it is mine now. “What… what have you done?” My hands are shaking. My knees scrape as I stand and I can feel them bleeding. Kai reaches while I’m disoriented and grabs me by the waist in one of his huge hands.

I can feel the bruising, but there’s no relief. For the first time since I can remember, my large wounds aren’t healing. This is bad. This is very, very bad. Izuku re-joins the fray. I’m trying desperately to press my wounds into Kai, but there’s no use. I’m losing blood, and I can’t do continuous pain like this. Kai’s grip on my waist is crushing my good lung, and breathing is difficult. Black dots fill my Vision as A spike comes up toward Izuku. No. No!

Chapter Text

+++Tamaki Amajiki+++
“You’re Kurono right? I know how your power works, so don’t even try to use it on me.” I warn the white-haired guy. I’ve got him pinned already, and the police are at my back. Even with Mirio leaning heavily on my shoulder I can keep the thug from hurting anyone.

Kate’s blood turned out to be more useful than I thought. It’s like she knew what was going to happen when she left a water bottle of the stuff in my fridge. She always seems several steps ahead, she’s always got contingency plan on top of contingency plan. Something inside me says she knew what would happen to her, and she let it to guarantee success on the rescue for Eri. Mirio already told me what Overhaul said- what he did to her. She sacrificed herself without a second thought, and now she’s still missing.

“Take him.” I command the police, but keep my eyes trained on the villain.

“Don’t move, resistance is useless.” Warns one officer, stepping closer to the villain. Kurono glares, but does nothing to stop the officers as they carry out their arrest.

“Suneater! Thank goodness. I’m glad he’s okay.” The frog girl comes bounding up from down the hallway, her voice is laced with worry.

“Froppy.” I think that’s her name? “Have you found Doll? What’s happening?” I question. My chest is tight. Mirio is fully healed, but he’s quirkless and exhausted. Even Kate can’t heal tired.

“Deku’s fighting, and we can’t find Kate. She disappeared in the middle of the fight!” Froppy’s worried tone makes my fingertips itch.

“Katherine is strong- she’ll… she’ll be okay.” Mirio’s eyes are watery. Damn.

“I know she has a plan. She gave us everything we needed to track her here. Wherever she is, I’m sure she’s fighting like hell to come back to us.” My voice shakes. Being the reassurance has never been my strong suit.

Mirio nods, and hangs his head. “She told me to run- to take Eri and get out of there and I didn’t- she must have had a plan after that. She’s always got a plan.” Mirio’s crying is interrupted by Eraserhead.

“She’s scared. After what happened yesterday, she wouldn’t have asked for me unless she was terrified. She did the same thing when she was kidnapped by the league. We have to track her down. I have a feeling we ARE her plan.” Eraserhead shakily moves to stand. “We have to go.” He confirms, pushing past me in the doorway. I reach out with my hand, and push healing into him. He’s been cut, but nothing too horrendous.

Kate wasn’t joking when she said it still hurts.

We hurry through the destroyed building back out to the street where Froppy last saw Deku and Overhaul, but what we see when we get there is nothing short of horrifying. There’s a small girl on top of Deku and she’s… glowing. I don’t completely understand what’s going on, but before I can really question or panic, Eraserhead deactivates the girl’s quirk and she falls unconscious. I spot Overhaul and several other villains but…

“Where’s Kate?” The words fall from my lips before I can stop them.

“Oh no…” Mirio gasps.

++Katherine Black++

“Wakey wakey eggs and bakey.” A raspy voice calls, patting my cheek. “You’ve been out for a while, Cleric. C’mon. We’re getting you revenge.” I open my eyes to see a pale, grey hand. We’re moving. If I had any food in my stomach at all I would have been carsick by now.

“Tomura?” I question, shaking away the disorientation.

“Right here, Ceric. I’ll play hero just this once.” He sighs, and brushes my hair out of my face.

“He… he…” my voice cracks, and Tomura shushes me, pulling me into his chest.

“Oh, I know what he did. Your quirk only started working again ten minutes ago. If Twice hadn’t of found you when he did you might have bled out. He’ll pay dearly. Spinner, how close?” He looks up, and pulls me up to a standing position. Tamaki’s shirt is torn open, and there’s bandages wrapping around my middle, soaked in blood. The wounds seem to be gone though, thankfully. Tomura keeps both hands on my ribs to keep me from falling over.

“Thirty seconds boss, open the doors.” Spinner calls back, and Tomura nods.

“You’re going to need this.” Compress drapes a cloak over my shoulders and pulls up the hood. There is a dark, sheer panel of fabric that hangs over my face and conceals my identity. Oh. I guess I’m part of this now. The back of the truck opens. I stumble, but Tomura pushes me to stand with Dabi.

“He’s going to need some HP, Cleric.” Tomura climbs on top of the truck and crouches.

“Hey lizard, stop weaving! I get motion sick!” Dabi complains.

“Don’t call me ‘lizard’! The name is Spinner!” Spinner calls from the driver’s seat.

“Shut up and focus on driving!” Dabi growls. Now is not the time for an argument between comrades.

“Please Mr. Spinner? I also get queasy.” I admit, and surprisingly, the car steadies considerably, but it’s still weaving. I understand why.

“Let’s go.” Dabi smirks, lighting a flame in his palm. His other hand grabs mine, making sure that he isn’t burning himself with his quirk. I look up to find that we are attacking police cars.

“Wait… don’t… no killing.” I shake my head, and Shigaraki scoffs.

“Either we kill them all or we don’t kill anyone. That includes Overhaul.” He gives the ultimatum.

“Understood. No killing.” I shout back, and he growls.

“Fine. We’ll switch to non-lethal damage. But when the Wizard casts fireball it’s your problem whether or not they make their Dex save, Cleric.” Tomura gives the warning. As if on cue, Dabi fires off a tornado of blue flames toward the police car. I scream out a “No” and move to stop him, but the flames are already being blocked by a mess of sand. A hero I don’t recognize pokes his head out of the police car. Do none of these people care for seatbelts?!

“Ugh, Of course they sent a hero with them. What a pain. Spinner, slow down!” Tomura’s commanding voice is all too new to me. I grip Dabi’s hand harder.

“How hot does your fire go?” I ask, and he huffs.

“Around four thousand degrees, why?” I glance back at the Hero.

“Glass is formed out of sand at approximately four thousand two hundred degrees.” I point at the man’s hands. “If you encase his hands in glass he can’t use them to fight. It will hurt a lot but he’ll live and I can heal him later., and you’ll be able to block visibility for the police.” I explain, and Dabi nods.

“You got it, boss.” He hums.

“She’s not the fucking-” Tomura begins to protest, but Dabi is already doing as I asked. I hear the hero scream as the glass encases the entirety of the front of the police car, exactly as planned. Compress flicks a marble into the road. A large rock appears out of nowhere and the transport vehicle bashes into it, turning upside down.

“That worked better than expected.” Compress admits, jumping down. Dabi grips my hand and pulls me to jump with him. We approach the vehicle, and the hero, cradling a policeman who was knocked unconscious. Thankfully, no one looks seriously injured.

“So predictable” Dabi chides, and releases my hand. Heroes always prioritize innocent lives.” Dabi comments, gesturing at the two of them. I step forward, silent. I don’t want to be recognized. I poke the hero in the shoulder, and feel the melted flesh fuse back together on his lower arms. I hide my hand in the long sleeve of the cloak so he can’t see my wound as well. The hero glares at me, but doesn’t move to attack. Not that he could. His hands are still encased in glass. It wasn’t annealed properly, so it’ll be easy to break off.

“We’ve been finding burnt corpses all over the city. That’s your doing, isn’t it?” The hero asks, looking past me at Dabi.

“Cleric, get your ass over here!” Tomura calls from behind the wreckage. I find that Tomura is kicking the plank Kai is strapped to.

“Tell me again who the next leader is going to be.” Tomura teases as I approach.

“Did you come to kill me?” Kai questions, his eyes look distant. He knows he’s lost. I pull off my hood.

“No. You deserve far worse than death, Kai.” I spit, and his eyes widen. “I warned you. I really, really did. I told you I’d let Tomura do whatever he wanted to you.” I straighten my back, and look up to Tomura. He nods, and pats the top of my head.

“Maybe we should teach you a lesson about touching things that don’t belong to you.” Tomura spits, and removes his mask to show his wide grin. “I hate you. Truly. You’re too full of yourself.” Tomura speaks as Compress turns one of Kai’s arms into a marble.

“I owe you this, My lady.” Compress tosses me the marble, and I pocket it. How funny to have been given both a finger and an arm. I suspect I will also receive one of Keigo’s wings. Good.

“Two little boxes. Which one holds the finished product?’ Tomura asks.

“The red one.” I answer with a nod, and Tomura hums.

“I’ll take both anyway.” He shrugs, and pockets the cases. Kai’s eyes widen.

“That’s mine. She is MINE.” Kai looks deranged.

“You know what I think, Overhaul? Someone so obsessed with erasing Quirks shouldn’t have one of their own.” He reaches down and grasps Kai’s arm with all five fingers. I watch as the decay spreads slowly. “Don’t you agree?” Tomura taunts, and Kai’s face shows true fear for the first time. Excellent. Be afraid, you jackass. “If we don’t cut that off, his whole body will turn to dust, Cleric. You should do the honors.” Tomura hands me a knife.

“Well. It’s this or he dies. There’s the option of using my quirk but… I don’t really feel like it... Not up to snuff, you know? Must be that bullet you shot me with.” I feign sadness, and slam the blade through his elbow, separating the decaying flesh from the good stuff slowly, sawing back and forth as Kai screams. It sounds like revenge. He made me scream. It’s only fair. It’s only fair.

“Just like that, you’re helpless. A weak, Quirkless loser. And all the fruits of your labors belong to me! Now you don’t even have a thumb to suck on. You’re doomed to watch from the sidelines as your dream falls apart.” Tomura cackles, and I tighten my Jaw.

“Dabi?” I call.

“Yes, boss?” he responds readily, stepping closer.

“Make sure he can never hurt anyone else again.” I pull my hood back up.

“Uh… My lady, we already took both arms.” Compress cuts in. I shake my head.

“That’s not all he hurt me with.” I point to the spot between his legs. Kai screams.

“No, Please, Angel please don’t-” I cut him off with a swift kick to his head.

“Funny. I seem to remember saying the same thing.” I taunt, and look toward the blue-flame villain.

“Dabi?” I ask.

“Yes Ma’am.” He responds with a curt nod. His name is all the command the burned man needs to light the fucker up like a Christmas tree. The smell of burning flesh and fabric permeates the streets. I can’t tear my eyes away as I watch his flesh melt. It doesn’t feel as good to watch as I wanted it to. He’s not screaming enough. This should hurt more. He hurt me more than that. He deserves worse. It’s only fair.

“Do you feel better?” Tomura questions softly, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and breaking me out of my thoughts.

“Not really. But Thank you, Tomura, for trying.” I pick up his mask, and replace it on his face. His eyes look soft behind the fingers.

“Revenge can be underwhelming sometimes. You should break some stuff. Kill a few people. It usually gets the rage out.” Tomura suggests, and I shake my head.

“I’m not done with him yet. He fucking BIT me.” I walk to the unconscious police officer, and pick up his pistol. It will work. No one questions me as I crouch beside Kai, who’s still crying and screaming. “Always wanted to be a doctor. Never considered dentistry.” I shrug, and slam the grip of the weapon into his teeth repeatedly, knocking as many out as I can as he screams. A car horn honks.

“Backup’s coming, we gotta go!” Spinner shouts. I sigh, and stand.

“I hope they throw you in a hole, and throw away the hole.” I spit on him, and turn to Tomura, who nods, and gives me an awkward side-hug. Tomura keeps his arm around my shoulder as we turn away from the flaming wreckage. Besides Kai, all of the injuries are minor and will heal on their own in a few short weeks. Kai’s screams almost bring me comfort.

Almost.

Chapter Text

Compress drops me off six blocks from the hospital with a warning to not get kidnapped again. I feign a laugh and give him a salute before he drives off. I’m not going to bother attempting to shove this one down. I’m never going to get the image of him sweaty and on top of me out of my head. I’m going to have to boil him off of me. Cut him out of me. Something.

I push forward, up to the hospital steps. Reporters are hounding, begging for the story, but I ignore them. Aizawa spots me from the waiting room and rushes to escort me into the building. “Katherine?! How the hell did you-”

“Sasaki?” I cut him off, I’m tired. Weak. I used a lot of my energy. I have one good heal left right now.

“He’s fine… you managed to patch him well enough up before Chisaki shot you.” Aizawa looks at me. “I need you to tell me the full truth. What happened?” He’s gruff, straight to the point. I shake my head.

“Later. I promise… But… Mirio and Eri?” I question, and he huffs.

“You’re not going to take care of yourself until you see that they’re all okay, are you?” He asks retorically, and I laugh, nodding.

“You know me well enough by now, Sir.” I tear up. Aizawa huffs, and shakes his head.

“God damn it.” He grumbles, and pulls me into a hug. I can’t help it. I sob into his chest, and he cradles my head. He smells like detergent and antiseptic. “It’s okay. I got you.” He whispers, and pulls me into an empty hospital room. His capture weapon is on the side table, and bloody clothes are on the floor. This must have been his room.” Igot you.” He repeats, but I shake my head,

“I was stupid and reckless and I didn’t listen and I’m sorry- I’m so sorry Sir.” He shushes me, and holds me tighter.

“I am so proud of you, Katherine. You did it. You saved Eri.” He draws circles on my back with his palm as his other hand cups my head to his chest. “There wasn’t a single casualty. Not one.” He confirms, and pulls back to look me in the eye. “I should have never underestimated you.” Aizawa cups my cheeks, and wipes tears from my face with his thumbs. “You were strong, and brave, and you survived. Don’t get me wrong, you are so very grounded when we get home, young lady.” I laugh in response and nod.

“Yeah, I get that.” I confirm, and he nods along with me.

“You scared the shit out of me. When you weren’t with Midoriya we all panicked. No one could find you and we were afraid that Eri…” He pauses, and I blanch.

“Eri what?” I ask, but he shakes his head.

“There’s a lot to explain. We should go check on the others before word gets out that you’ve been found. Hawks will be on his way.” Aizawa huffs. I back away as quickly as I can.

“I don’t- No! He can’t… I don’t want him to-” I’m breaking, shaking. Aizawa steps back and pushes both palms out in front of him.

“No one is going to touch you, baby. He can’t do anything to you while you’re with me.” Aizawa’s stern voice slowly pulls me back, but my breathing stays fast.

“I want- I want Izuku. I want Izuku. He can- he stopped- he-” I’m panicking. I can feel Kai’s hands on my wrists. They hurt but there’s nothing there.

“Hey- hey. We’re going to see him right now. Do you want to come see him?” Aizawa asks, his arms are open. His body language is meant to say he’s not a threat. I nod. “Okay, okay. He’s just down the hall. Can you walk on your own?” He asks, I nod again. Aizawa nods along with me and turns his back, leading me through the doorway. I follow several steps behind. When we finally arrive at a new room, my heart skips a beat.

“Please sir, how is everyone else?” Izuku asks, his back is to the door. I recognize that green hair from anywhere.

“I can fill you in, Midoriya.” Aizawa calls, but I stand behind him. Aizawa is a bad shield.

“Kate?!” Izuku calls, and the dam breaks. I push past Aizawa and rush Izuku, hugging him close and taking a deep breath. Safe now. Deku is always safe. Nothing bad happens once he gets there. He always stops it. “You’re okay?” Izuku questions, and I nod.

“The serum doesn’t work as long on me.” I mumble against his shoulder, and I can feel him nod.

“That’s good. Where were you?” He asks, and I grit my teeth.

“That sounds like something that should be discussed with Nighteye, since he is technically in charge of you two problem children. We should go.” Aizawa offers, and I nod, but I can’t move my feet. My arms don’t leave Izuku. I don’t want to let go. Izuku sighs, and breathes against my hair.

“Do you want to piggy back?” Izuku asks, and I shrug. “Okay, It’s okay, Kate. Just like before, yeah?” He questions, pulling back to look at me. He’s crying too. He turns around and crouches, allowing me to climb onto his back. I stuff my face into the crook of his neck and block out the sounds of the hospital. This is a safe place to be. Nothing bad ever happens while I’m on Deku’s back. Eri was safe here too.

There’s some silence as Izuku and Aizawa walk. “How are all the others?” Izuku asks, and I perk up.

“With Amajiki having absorbed some of Kate’s power, he took over on healing as much as he could, but he couldn’t handle the pain intolerance, so Kirishima, Fatgum and RockLock all still have some minor injuries. Apparently, Kate planned ahead and left about a liter of her own blood to Tamaki in anticipation that something was going to happen.” Aizawa glances back at me. “That kind of planning ahead really saved Amajiki when he went three to one with Hassaikai bosses.” He sighs.

“Wait… Kirishima and Amajiki were there too?” I question, Aizawa nods curtly.

“Sixteen heroes including myself and Deku as well as three dozen policemen led the charge. With the emergence of the quirk-cancelling drugs and your abduction, the state put as much firepower as they could into the raid.” The teacher explains. I swallow.

“I’m sorry…” I mumble, but he raises a brow.

“For what?” Both of them ask at the same time.

“I didn’t… think it would be… I don’t want to be…. A problem.” I swallow. They both pause.

“Katherine. You don’t understand. The raid was going to happen either way. Nighteye saw that both he and Izuku, as well as several police officers and I were all supposed to die. Because of the call, we had probable cause and could enter without a warrant, saving us precious time and giving the Hassaikai no time to properly react. Your preparations with Suneater meant that he was able to get to me in time to prevent my death, and your quick reaction time with Nighteye saved his life. The doctors said his wounds would have been fatal. You set everything up for us as best you could. Your phone call to Midnight, your blood, your preparations made it happen faster and more smoothly without casualties.” Aizawa explains, and I bite my lip, shaking my head.

“I- I didn’t have a plan. I just set some failsafes and went for it.”

“That is as valid a plan as any other.” Sasaki’s voice calls from behind me. I jump off of Izuku’s back to face him. He’s wearing sweatpants, and his torso is wrapped completely in bandages. He’s got bags under his eyes, and his hair is a mess, but he’s alive. “You may not have realized it, but what you did was a method of manipulating the future by butterfly effect. Do not mistake this as praise. You got lucky. It will not happen again, do you understand me, Girl?” Sasaki’s voice is stern, angry.

I nod. “Yes sir.” I respond, and he sighs.

“I’ll let it slide since no one died. But if you ever disobey direct orders from me or Eraserhead again, I will see to it that you are barred from ever doing hero work again.” He swears, and I bow my head.

“Understood sir. I learned my lesson.” I swallow, and there’s a bout of silence.

“Aizawa… can you-” Sasaki is cut off by Aizawa.

“No, Nighteye, She’s YOUR niece. You do it.” The black-haired man sounds frustrated, and uncomfortable.

“You signed up for this, I didn’t have a choice when my idiot sister-” Sasaki argues, but is cut off by Aizawa, who’s seething.

“This is not at all what I signed up for! This isn’t supposed to happen!” His voice cracks. Sasaki’s eyes are watering.

“It has to be done and I don’t know if I can-”.

I step back, and whisper at Izuku. “What’s with them?” I question, but he’s just as clueless as I am. The men continue to argue before I put my fingers in my mouth and whistle. They both turn to look at me. “What needs to be done?” I ask, and they share a weary look before Aizawa throws a glance at Izuku.

“You should go check on Kirishima. Room three oh eight.” The teacher’s tone leaves no room for argument. Izuku skitters off. Both of the men look so uncomfortable and forlorn that my anxiety begins to spike. They are silent as they lead me into a private waiting room. They both sit, and coax me to do the same. “Katherine… we need to talk about… what happened with Overhaul.” Aizawa starts, and my heart pounds in my chest.

“He… said what he did. Isn’t that enough?” I ask, looking down at the ground.

Sasaki sighs. “We should get Midnight in here, or Ryukyu…” He suggests, but I shake my head.

“I don’t want anyone else to know. Can… can I see Mirio?”

Aizawa shakes his head. “After you tell me what happened, we can go see whoever you want.” He promises, and I swallow.

“I- He… Made me… He held me down and he-” I choke, my hands are trembling against my knees as I grip at Mirio’s pants.

“Did he… use contraception?” Aizawa’s voice is tight. He doesn’t want to ask these questions, but he feels like he has to know.

“It’s- he- He said he had a vasectomy… and I’ll heal any diseases so it doesn’t matter.” I shake my head, but Sasaki still looks pale.

“Did you heal him before he did what he did?” Aizawa asks, and I feel like I’m going to be sick again.

“Yes.” My voice is small.

“Then there is a small chance that-” He doesn’t have to finish the sentence before I interrupt him.

“I can take a pill. It was only a two days ago. They have a pill for… that.” I tighten my jaw, and will myself to not cry or be weak in front of them again.

“They do, but you still need to be checked out by a doctor, they have to collect evidence.” Sasaki tries to be more clear, and I breathe harder.

“No. I don’t want anyone else to… to know. I don’t need a doctor. I don’t want a doctor to…” I swallow, unable to finish my sentence. Aizawa offers me a tissue, and I take it, blowing my nose comically loud for how silent the room is.

“It would help keep Kai in prison and away from Eri.” Aizawa concludes. I feel that tug on my heart. I grit my teeth.

“F-fine.” I resolve, and Sasaki shakes his head.

“No, Katherine, if you’re going to put yourself through something like that it has to be for you. You have to think about yourself for once.” Sasaki reaches out a hand, but I scoot away.

“I have to make sure it’s over. I have to make sure he can’t come back.” I swallow. “I’ll… be fine. I’m always fine.” I joke, but no one laughs.

Chapter Text

The process of getting a rape kit done is invasive, painful, and nearly as traumatizing as the event itself. It doesn’t matter how much you tell them there are no cuts or bruises, they still want to look at every part of you, take your blood, stick things inside of you and take pictures. It’s awful, it’s draining, It takes hours, and no one laughs at my joke to “Just cut the whole reproductive tract out, I’m not usin’ it”, but it’s done. And I decide I’d rather take Mirio up on his offer of a concrete box than ever have to do that again.

My doctor is a lady. She smells like baby powder and her smile never reaches her eyes and she works with such precision that I know that she has done this too many times.

Aizawa and Sasaki both wait outside of the door. I shove down the emotions. I don’t need them anymore. It’s officially over. They got their evidence, and I never have to think about it again, so I won’t. Because If I do, Aizawa will just take it away again because he doesn’t think I can handle it. Hell, maybe I can’t, but that’s not for him to decide, thank you very much.

Hawks had to be called to get the okay for a non-emergency medical procedure, but he told them to do whatever I wanted. He still doesn’t know what I know.

They confiscated my clothes, and I resolve that I’ll have to apologize to the boys for losing them. Aizawa makes the trip to the dorms to grab things for me to wear. I dress as fast as I can. I don’t want to be naked ever again.

When I exit the room, Aizawa is waiting with Izuku and Mirio. I can’t meet their eyes. They know that I know that they know. “Hey…” I offer, and attempt a smile. Izuku returns it, but Mirio has this haunted look in his eye, and Aizawa looks like he might puke.

“Eri is still feverish and sleeping fitfully. She’s being quarantined for now.” Aizawa offers, and I frown.

“I want to see her.” My voice is sharp, more demanding now that I’ve had the time to bottle it all up again.

“The doctors wanted to see if there was anything you could do.” Aizawa nods and jerks his head to the boys. “These two have also been begging to see her.” There’s a glint of amusement in his eye. I’m forced to address Mirio for the first time.

“Ah, so… that week off is looking pretty good right now. Any idea what you might want to do for fall break?” I question, earning a small chuckle from Mirio.

“Anything with you.” His smile doesn’t reach his eyes either. This is why I didn’t want anyone to know. I turn to Izuku.

“Uhm. Can you do me a favor and… not tell anyone what happened? And like… Don’t be weird about it at school tomorrow.” Aizawa shoots me a glance.

“You’re not going to class tomorrow… not after-”

“Please? I need… I need to feel normal again. I mean, what else am I supposed to do? Sit alone in my dorm all day?” I shrug, and plaster a smile on my face. “You worry about me too much. I’m fine.” I grin. Aizawa tightens his jaw, but says nothing, instead turning on his heel and venturing down the hall toward Eri’s room.

“Eri has a dangerous quirk and no control over it. It’s called rewind, and it’s known to rewind people out of existence. We think that the nature of your quirk, and the evidence considering the quirk erasing bullets, it may not work on you the same way. If anything starts to go awry, I’m right here to cancel her quirk. I’m the only one that can stop her if she loses control again.” Aizawa explains more as we approach, and I bristle.

“I’ve seen Eri a few times now, and Kai had no problem with me being left alone with her. He must’ve somehow known she wouldn’t or couldn’t hurt me.” I point out, and Aizawa grimaces at the villain’s name.

“Be that as it may, the girl’s quirk is still volatile and she’s considered a danger until we have more information. I’m only warning you in the case of a blow-up where you have to be separated. It’s obvious you have an attachment to the girl.” Aizawa nods to a door, and puts his hands up at the boys. “It’s for the best if Kate and I are the only ones who go inside. Especially you, Toogata.” Aizawa’s voice is solemn. Oh. Right. Mirio is still quirkless. I’ll see what I can do about that later.

I step into the room first, followed by Aizawa. Eri is flushed, breathing hard. I frown and sit on her bedside, pressing my hand to her forehead the way I used to when my brothers were sick. I can feel nothing coming from her currently, only anxiety and fear. I take as much as I can, but I get no images, only feelings. Her breathing slows, and she looks more comfortable but she stays flushed and asleep. “I did all I can…” I murmur, keeping my hand on the girl.

Aizawa sighs. “I thought so. We think it might be exertion, and there’s nothing you can do for that.” He brushes Eri’s hair out of her face. “When she gets better… I’d like her to live with us.” He says suddenly. I pause.

“What do you mean ‘us’? I would have thought that after everything you wouldn’t want to deal with me anymore.” I scratch at the back of my upper arm, and Aizawa shrugs.

“You and I are the only people equipped to handle her… and I didn’t hate your company when you lived with me. Poor girl is going to need some feminine energy around the house now that Hiz and I are going through with adopting Hitoshi.” Aizawa crosses his arms in an attempt to look stern.

“I’ve been meaning to ask… since when are you and present mic a thing?” I pry, and Aizawa grimaces.

“We’ve been married for ten years. We lived in separate apartments because he snores in sonic booms and refuses to use a damn humidifier because it’ll ‘ruin his hair’. With kids though, he’s changed his tune. Thank god. What about you? Since when were you and Toogata AND Amajiki a thing? They both had to be dragged to the hospital by Fatgum and Nighteye because they refused to leave the crime scene without you.” Aizawa teases, and my cheeks burn.

“That’s… recent. It’s been a hectic weekend.” I sheepishly scratch at the back of my neck. Aizawa smirks.

“I did tell you that you could do better than Bakugo. Glad to see you ARE capable of listening to me.” He jokes, and I laugh for a while before harsh realization sets in.

“I’m sorry about-”

“Don’t. We both did and said things we shouldn’t have. Let’s just call it a draw and keep moving, yeah?” He offers a small smile, and I nod.

“Thanks for coming.” I whisper.

“Thanks for calling.” he responds. “You mind telling me where you were now?” Aizawa’s voice is low, like he already knows I was doing something illegal.

“On the record, I was thrown during the fight and ended up on a rooftop. Off the record, the league took me along on an excursion to get revenge on Chisaki. No one was killed, though we did Maim him. He won’t ever hurt anyone else the way he hurt Eri or me again.” I admit, looking at the floor.

“No one died?” He questions.

“No, sir.” I confirm.

“And, with an exception of Overhaul, no one was permanently injured?” Aizawa asks, prodding further.

“That would be correct sir.” I nod, and he breathes deeply.

“Alright then. Couldn’t be helped. The rooftops are so flat here.” He grumbles. I leave him alone in the room after that.

I finally, finally face Mirio alone. “Can… Can we go see Tamaki now?” I ask, and he nods, not saying a word. He avoids my eyes, and every time I catch them it looks like he might cry. “Are you mad at me?” The question comes before I can stop it, and I pray that he couldn’t hear my whisper, but once again, god isn’t listening. Mirio stiffens. His eyes are red.

“You think… you think I’m ANGRY WITH YOU?!” He growls, and reels on me. “I was fucking terrified Katherine! I thought I lost you!” He’s crying now, his hands are in fists at their sides. “That Son of a BITCH almost killed Sir and me- and he was BRAGGING about what he did to you-” His voice is raising. I refuse to shrink back. I tentatively grip his hand, and he sucks in a breath.

I massage his hand open and manipulate his thumb to touch his pointer finger, then middle finger, the ring finger, then pinky. “In for four, out for five.” I whisper, and he nods. “He’s gone. No one died. We won.” I remind him, and Mirio cracks.

“I should be the one comforting you right now.” He laughs and sniffles.

“You’ll have your work cut out for you when I try to sleep. That’s usually when this kind of shit catches up to me. I can’t sleep without being held.” I admit, and he hums, a small smile plays at the corners of his lips.

“I wouldn’t mind that. Neither would Tamaki.”

“You’re going to on Thursday when I get my period and I’m EXTRA emotional.” I tease, punching him lightly on the shoulder.

Chapter Text

If I thought Mirio gave crushing hugs, Tamaki’s are bone-powdering. It seems everything he’s too anxious to say, he shoves into his actions. He did take out three guys on his own, with only my quirk to help him- and I can tell you that from experience my quirk alone won’t help against most of the members of the Hassaikai.

I had to get the OK from Aizawa to go home with Mirio and Tamaki, on the trade off that I agreed to take the day off of school tomorrow. Okay, maybe that part won’t be so bad. Especially since they’d been given the okay to take the day off too. I also had to agree to make an appointment with Hounddog whenever I decided I was going back to school (Wednesday, I refuse to let my grades slip.) I agreed, but it’s not like he can force me to talk.

Tamaki’s car is a chevy impala with a bench seat in the front. Unsurprisingly, my legs are the shortest, so I am made to sit in the middle. I have to admit, it is more comfortable this way for a three person polycule. Mirio’s knee is bouncing, Tamaki’s knuckles are white from gripping the terringwheel so hard. You can cut the tension in the cabin with a knife. I swallow, and break the silence.

“Well, in good news, last time I was kidnapped I had a threesome like two days later…” I joke, and Tamaki pulls over, turning off the car and staring out the window.

“You… you were gone. For two days you were gone and we didn’t even know you were in danger until Present Mic called…” Tamaki’s voice is only a little more of a whisper. His head is turned away, out the window. “I had no idea what was happening to you. I assumed the worst, and when Mirio said… It was worse than I’d imagined.” His words are tight, and I can hear the wobble of tears in the back of his throat.

“I’m fine though.” I speak with a confident nod, and a hand on his knee. “Nothing really happened. He just wanted to psych out Sasaki…” The lie comes so smoothly that I almost believe it myself. I turn to Mirio. “I mean, come on, you heard the vile shit he was spewing to Eri. None of that was true either, right?” I question, but he chokes, and tears up.

“I heard the conversation between you and Sir and Aizawa. Midoriya said that you made it to the hospital and I couldn’t wait to see you so I… I eavesdropped through the door.” he admits. And my heart sinks.

“Nothing happened.” I repeat, shaking my head. “It wasn’t real.” I add, and Mirio looks up, bewildered.

“Katherine?” Tamaki calls, I didn’t even notice him look back toward me.

“Nothing happened. It wasn’t- It didn’t- nothing- nothing…” I trail off, hands shaking as I grip onto my knees. “You- it’s okay. I’m- I’m okay. Nothing happened. He didn’t- he didn’t do anything-” I grit my teeth, and try to breathe.

“Hey-” One of them calls, but I can’t tell who. Two hands cup the sides of my face, and force me into a sea of indigo. “You’re not there.” Tamaki’s voice comes out loud and clear. I can smell the mint gum on his breath. “Who are you with right now?” He questions, and I shake my head.

“Tamaki-”

“Yes, Me and who else?” Tamaki continues, still holding on to my face.

“Mirio.” I answer, giving up on fighting him.

“You’re right. You’re doing an amazing job, baby. I’m going to turn you around, and Mirio is going to talk to you until we get back to my apartment. We’re going to order your favorite food. What’s your favorite?”

“Fried chicken.”

“Right, fried chicken. We’ll order that and start on the Nightmare on Elm street series like we talked about, yeah?” Tamaki pulls away, and starts the car again while Mirio wraps an arm fully around my shoulders.

“Sir rescinded your firing. I talked to Aizawa about your academic probation, and that’s been lifted as well… but you are still restricted to school grounds during the week, and you’ll have to be with someone over 18 any time you leave school grounds- luckily enough, that includes me and Tamaki. Sir is NOT happy with me or Midoriya right now for leaving him out of the loop, and he definitely already threatened to castrate me if I ‘try anything’.” Mirio’s rambling keeps me grounded in the now, his thumb smooths circles over my shoulder as I try not to stare into space.

“He’d probably shit bricks if he found out what we did Friday night.” I offered with a blush, and Mirio nods.

“Oh… I uh… already told him.” Mirio’s voice is just barely over a whisper, I reel on him, enraged.

“YOU WHAT?!”

“You were kidnapped and… he was asking all sorts of questions and he…. Used foresight on me” Mirio’s sheepish smile has me blushing even harder. “He saw us… uh… talking about it with Tamaki.” He explains, and I glance over at Tamaki.

“Well… I guess now’s as good a time as any…” I try, and Tamaki’s eyes widen as he grips harder on the steering wheel. “We had sex. I was kind-of drunk, and don’t actually remember much of it… so Mirio is probably a better source.” I joke, and Tamaki winces.

“Okay… guess we’re having this conversation.” He mutters under his breath, clearly still uncomfortable. “Humor and Hypersexualization isn’t how you heal trauma.” Tamaki says suddenly, and the car goes silent.

“Dude-” Mirio starts, but I wave him off.

“You’re probably right, but if I’m being honest, I haven’t slept in days and I’m pretty sure I still have traces of valium in my system so… I think comedy and hoe activities might just be what the doctor ordered. First time I ever had sex on my own accord, it was after I got kidnapped. You can ask Kirishima how well that went.” I spit out the name, and Tamaki flinches. I pause, feeling an ache in my heart. “I’m… I’m sorry… I know he’s your friend.” I look down at my hands.

“You’re in a bad place emotionally. It’s rational for you to lash out.” Tamaki pulls up to the apartment building, and pauses. “Let’s do this. Get it all out now. Do whatever you need to do, say whatever you need to say. It’ll stay in the car. And when we get out, it’s over, and we never have to talk about it again.” The indigo boy offers, and I swallow. It’s fair. It’s a good idea. It still sucks.

“Uh… well…” I clear my throat. “I… don’t know where to start.” I offer a willingness to try, and Tamaki nods, swallowing.

“How about at the beginning. You’ve got all of your memories now. Tell us everything. Start from your earliest memory and work from there.” Tamaki’s calm demeanor always freaks me out a little.

++Mirio++
It’s dark out by the time we get into the apartment. Katie eats fried chicken like a wild animal, cracking open bones and scooping out marrow with her nails. My stomach churns as I realize she probably hasn’t eaten anything since Pizza at Fagums… She only had one slice. Tamaki and I take a moment to leave her alone so we can set up the bedroom. I’m careful to put on music since her hearing is unmatched. “She needs help. Like, professional help.” Tamaki shakes his head. He’s angry. I’ve never seen Tamaki angry before, and we’ve been best friends since the third grade.

“I agree, but you heard her. She doesn’t want anyone to know or think she’s weak.” I pull up the sheets, and try to ignore all of the stains on his mattress protector only on the far left side of the bed. So, the guy jacks off, so what? I usually opt for the shower to avoid having to clean it up, but to each his own I guess.

“Well, it doesn’t really matter what she wants at this point. You think I wanted to talk to a stranger about my social anxiety as a kid? No! But my parents made me. We know damn well Hawks isn’t going to make her do anything. Aizawa made her promise to go, but someone needs to talk some sense into her and make her actually go through with it.” Tamaki pulls out the clean sheets, and throws one corner to me.

“Isn’t it enough that she just talks to us? I don’t think assault recovery and social anxiety are the same thing…” I tuck the sheet, and he sighs.

“We’ll talk to her about it, I guess. But something really needs to change, and soon. She can’t keep going on like this. With the history of suicide attempts and access to a permanent quirk-erasing drug- I’m worried that she’ll…” Tamaki cuts himself off, choking on his own words. I walk quickly around the bed, and wrap him up in a hug.

“She won’t. She won’t do that. We won’t let her-”

“It wouldn’t work anyway.” Katherine’s voice calls from the doorway. I pull away to look at her. She looks so small. Those big glaucous eyes stare at the two of us with both hurt and annoyance. “One of the reasons he wanted to keep me was to develop a cure to the drug. Every time I’ve been dosed, my body got more and more used to it and warded off the effects faster. He took away my quirk to get me to behave… it got weaker in my system. The last time it was taken it only lasted a few minutes. The permanent formula is just a stronger iteration. Since it would damage all of my cells, my body would attack it faster than it could spread…” Kate’s words cut deep. She mentioned that before, that he took her quirk as a punishment… a cruel thing to do.

“Katie-” I try to tell her that wasn’t the point. It’s not the feasibility of the plan that’s a problem, it’s that she’s thought about it in the first place.

“I’m FINE Mirio. In fact, I’m decently sure I can heal your damaged cells and get you your quirk back.” Kate defends herself against the wrong thing. I look at Tamaki. He’s better at this.

“Kate- are you actively having thoughts of self-harm and suicide?” He’s blunt with his words… I understand why, even if I don’t like it.

“No.” She’s lying. She’s not looking him in the eye, and she’s twiddling with her fingers. I can spot her doing the finger-tapping thing I taught her to calm herself down. “Can we just drop it and watch a movie and go to bed? I’m really tired.” There’s a whimper in her voice. Fear. She’s afraid… of us?

“Sure. The bed’s made. Are you sure you’re okay with sharing a bed with us? You can always sleep in the guest room if you want.” I’ve never been so thankful for Tamaki in my life. He’s so good at this. Good with her. Even though she’s told me everything about herself, twice now, he seems to just get her better than I probably ever will. They’re birds of a feather.

“I ah… don’t want to be… alone.” She admits in a voice so soft it’s barely audible. She always gets so embarrassed when she’s forced to admit needing any kind of help or comfort. I don’t really understand it. Everyone needs a friend sometimes.

“Okay.” Is all Tamaki says. That must be the right answer, because she smiles, and turns on her heel to head toward the livingroom. I glance at Tamaki, who’s staring at the spot she was in. “I have an idea…” He murmurs, and follows her out of the room. I don’t really like the way he said that.

I enter the living room to find Katie setting up the TV, Tamaki nowhere in sight. I sit on the couch, and watch as she toils away, humming as she searches for nightmare on elm street on Netflix. I’ve never seen it, but the way she talks about it- it must be really good. Her fingers are still trembling, I notice, as she tries to press the buttons.

“Sunshine, let me do it.” I hum, reaching to pull her in by the hips, the way I’ve always done. The second I touch her, she freezes, and goes rigid. “Babe?” I call, trying to look her in the eyes. They’ve gone wide, vacant. I stand quickly, and place my palms on either sides of her face. Her breathing has escalated, she’s nearly hyperventilating but her face is stony. “Hey- hey baby. Come on back to me.” I murmur, and begin to feel my heart race as she stays unresponsive. “Tamaki?!” I call out, causing him to run into the room.

“I got it-“ he murmurs, pulling her away from me. I frown, but allow it. He knows what to do. Tamaki will fix it. “Katherine. Can you hear me?” He questions, I notice he keeps his hands completely off of her, and keeps about a half-step back. When there’s no response, Tamaki sighs, and bends, picking her up under the knees and placing her gently on the couch. “Start the movie. Just keep moving and don’t touch her. It’s a disassociate seizure.” Tamaki’s calmness is unsettling. He’s never this in charge of a situation.

“Seizure?! Shouldn’t we call an ambulance?” I question, panicking.

“No, it’s not the same as an epileptic seizure. It’s a PTSD thing. Something triggered her and now she’s going to be like this for a couple of minutes. When she comes out of it she’ll be disoriented and probably a little scared. The best thing you can do is just remind her of where she is, who you are, and that she’s safe.” Tamaki’s knowledge astounds me.

“Where’d you learn all this stuff?!” I ask, calming enough to put her movie on. The new line cinemas logo appears, and music starts to play. Tamaki shrugs.

“When I had my bad attack last year and spent a week in the behavioral health facility my roommate had PTSD. He had a lot of the same symptoms she does. She REALLY needs to see a professional- things like this needs medication.” Tamaki explains, and I clam up. I didn’t even know he was in the hospital?

“You never told me about that?” I try not to sound hurt, but it’s kind of painful to learn that your best friend, now boyfriend, was struggling so intensely he needed to be hospitalized and never told you.

“Kate’s not the only one afraid of looking weak.” He mutters, and slips a rubber band off of his wrist. I watch as he carefully ties her hair back, and looks her in the eye. “If I have to talk about it- or even go with her to the facility I will. She needs someone to be there for her- but she also needs to be told what to do. She keeps making big decisions on her own- she thinks she’s on her own. We have to show her she’s not while also making sure she knows she has choices too. If we try to control her, she’ll push us away like she did Kirishima and Aizawa.” Tamaki’s voice is low. He’s watching her like a Hawk. It’s weird to talk about someone when they’re right in front of you.

“I noticed she didn’t really talk about what happened with her and Kirishima and Bakugo.” I nod along. “She talked about her parents being shitty and having to raise her brothers and even about that kid at camp but she never mentioned either of them unless it was important for context.”

“What I got from Kirishima is that Bakugo got possessive and attacked her.” Tamaki sounds calm, but I am anything but. Rage fills my body. I clear my throat, hoping I didn’t hear him correctly.

“Attacked her?” I question, needing more context. I might have to kill a sixteen year old. Not very hero-like, but without a quirk I don’t have a chance either way.

“Pinned her down and kissed her a couple of times. Kate handled it on her own- she didn’t even report him to the school.” Tamaki’s still placid demeanor is pissing me off even further.

“And why the fuck not?!” I growl, gritting my teeth. Katherine, you beautiful little idiot. You’re going to be the death of me, I swear. I am this close to going through with the concrete box idea. I might have to put Tamaki in there too- especially after he decided to take on three guys on his own when he definitely had a few options for backup.

“Keep your voice down- you’ll trigger another attack.” Tamaki scolds lowly, and hunches his shoulders forward. “Kirishima said that after they had sex he and Bakugo both started feeling weird. Bakugo told Kate he loved her. He and Kirishima had been dating for four months and they hadn’t said it to each other. Kirishima started following her around- he felt like he had to be around her all the time. I noticed similar feelings after she got into my head- I chalked it up to a crush but… I think it might be part of her quirk.”

“That’s no excuse to attack her.” My blood is boiling. How Dare he?! That fucked knew what she’d been through. He knew what Hawks and the stalker did. He was the first person- the only person she trusted enough to tell- and then he turned around and-

“It’s not. But the fact remains that Bakugo already didn’t have the best self control- I’m sure you’ve felt the same pull to her.” Tamaki brushes Katie’s loose hair back out of her face, and sighs. “She’s still stuck. Few more minutes I think.”

Chapter Text

Kai doesn’t let go of my hips as he pushes me toward his office. I’m shivering, dry now but completely naked.

“Over the desk, Brat.” Kai growls, throwing me into the room. I swallow back my tears. I made the phone call. Aizawa is coming. It’ll be okay. Just survive. I bend over the desk, placing my hands flat on the table. “All the way. Face down.” He demands, impatient. “Hurry up. You’re freezing.” His tone almost goes soft. I know better. I do as I’m told, and shut my eyes tight.

I feel his hands travel up my sides. I feel two fingers dip into me, and begin to pump. I’m dry as a bone- I wonder if that matters to him.

“Am I really that horrible? That you’d rather kill yourself then be with me?” He questions, one hand splayed between my shoulder blades, not applying pressure, but making sure I cannot move. “I can give you anything- anything in the world. Money, cars, houses- I can give you stability. Revenge on those who have wronged you. I want you to like me.” He reaches over me, and slides a notebook and pencil in front of me.

“You rape me and threaten my friends. I’ll behave, but I’ll never like you. You can take my body all you want, but you can never have my mind.” I grit my teeth, and he scoffs.

“I understand where this got muddled. You are not going anywhere. You belong to me. Entirely. Body, mind and soul. I own every inch of you. I own this.” He taps a finger against my temple. “And these.” He trails his hands down and cups my breasts. I refuse to squirm. “And this.” He shoves himself inside of me without warning. “Fuck- It’s all mine. You’re mine- Eri is mine, I get what I fucking want.” He growls, pulling back and thrusting forward viciously. The force of it pushes the desk long the floor. Kai plants both hands on my hips, and pulls me back away from the desk, holding me still to rail me harder. I hold onto my own mouth with my hands to muffle my screams. He doesn’t deserve a reaction from me.

“Such a good fuck- this is where you belong, underneath me. Bent over my desk- ah FUCK- I could do nothing but come in this little pussy all day and die a happy man- fuck you’re so tight for me- all for me- FUCK!” His hips stuttered as he came, but he quickly picked up the pace again. “Come for me Angel, I need you to come on my cock- it feels so much better with you clenching and spasming around me- god I love you. I fucking love you- My Angel, my everything yeah? My perfect little Angel. My unbreakable doll- FUCK-” He gasped, and reached down, lifting my knee and dropping my thigh on the desk, spreading my legs farther and giving himself an even deeper angle. I can feel him smacking against my cervix. I take some sort of sick pleasure in knowing my tears are probably staining the important paperwork under my face.

“Ah- ooh so fucking deep inside you. Where I fucking belong baby- right where I fucking belong. You’re taking it well this time Angel- Glad to see you’re finally behaving for me.” He grunts, quickening his thrusts. “Gonna- fuck- gonna have to teach you your place hm? Yeah? Pretty little Angel.” He hums and slams my head down on the desk, squishing my cheek against the mahogany. “Say you love me- all you have to do is say you love me and I’ll give you the world. We can see Eri first thing in the morning if you just say it. Come on Angel, say it. Say I love you.”

My heart clenches. If I’m with Eri, Aizawa can save both of us at once. I swallow back my pride, and something else bubbling up in my stomach.

“I love you.”
==
It seems I blink and I’m sitting in Tamaki’s living room. “Hey Starlight- it’s me, Tamaki- do you know where you are?” Tamaki’s worried timbre has me pausing. I shake my head, blinking rapidly to clear the awful memory from my mind.

“Yeah! Sorry- lost myself there.” I give him a fake smile, and look up at Mirio, who looks like he’s been crying. “Mirio?” I ask, and he looks like he’s seen a ghost.

“Hey Sunshine!” His smile is just as fake as mine. “Do you remember anything that happened just now?” He asks softly, there’s something angry behind his pain, and I falter for a moment before putting that faux-grin back on.

“I was struggling with the buttons because my fingers were still greasy from the chicken and I must’ve zoned out.” I shrug, and look past Tamaki, at the TV. “Oh damn it! I missed the intro!” I grumble, and flop back onto the couch.

“We can rewind it. Mirio and I weren’t even really watching it- we were trying to figure out if we should do kettle corn or regular popcorn.” Tamaki shrugs, and I huff. Well, at least he doesn’t seem concerned at all. I wonder what has Mirio all spun up- and then I remember he hates horror movies, and I giggle.

“Ew I HATE kettle corn. Bring on the butter.” I flop backward, snuggling into the couch cushions. “C’mere Mirio, I’ll hold you since you’re a big baby about scary movies.” I tease him, and a genuine smile washes over his face.

“Oh, I’ll NEVER turn down cuddles with my girl.” He grins, and settles into the couch next to me. I pull his shoulder, guiding his head to rest in my lap so I can scratch at his messy blonde hair. I notice he hasn’t styled it since the fight with Kai. It’s kind of cute down- it doesn’t look like a mullet. Tamaki sits on my other side, and leans in when I lift my arm. I pull my legs up to sit criss-cross applesauce so that both boys can have a thigh as a pillow. Mirio snuggles in happily, and Tamaki blushes like a madman as the movie starts. Spooky scary boiler rooms and a burned man with knives for hands.

“Isn’t this based on a true story from the seventies? Some villain with a dream quirk?” Tamaki questions, and I nod, but Mirio speaks before I do.

“Yeah, good old Fred Kruger. He’s locked up now- jeeze that was fifty years ago. Before even AllMight’s reign.” Mirio shifts in my lap. “Why do you like this stuff- Don’t you deal with enough villains in real life?” He frowns, and I shrug.

“I dunno- My mom and I used to watch horror movies together all the time. Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the Thirteenth, Halloween, Child’s play- I like to be spooked every once in a while. I think my favorite part is always the big fight at the end when the guy gets caught by a hero- This one’s my favorite because it’s literally a quirkless highschool girl who beats the crap out of the guy by outsmarting him.” I explain, and tilt my head. “I guess I just like the idea of the lowest common denominator being able to take care of their own shit without needing to be saved by some big name in a cape-” I pause, and wince. “Unlike now- When I had to be saved by several big names in capes.”

“Back then, only like thirty percent of the population had quirks and now… it’s almost everyone. And quirks are getting stronger. No one really saved you- you orchestrated a rescue for someone else. You were the real hero there.” Mirio tries, and I shake my head.

“I got lucky. I didn’t actually do anything but lay there and take it up until you showed up. I tried a couple of times to get away but I just wasn’t strong enough. I kept getting caught by overhaul and his men.” I admit.

“Exactly. His men. You were so greatly outnumbered- If it wasn’t for your blood I would have definitely gone down fighting just three of them. It wasn’t a fair fight, from the beginning.” Tamaki offers, but I shrug, and sigh.

“I was weak. I was stupid and I went into a fight without being prepared. Do you know what sucks the most? I almost got away. I actually got really, really close, and you know what happened?” There’s a pause of near-silence, with the movie still playing in the background. I take that as opportunity to continue my rant. “I jumped into a goddamn Koi pond and almost drowned because I never learned how to swim. One of my friends is literally a fucking FROG and I never took her up on the opportunity to learn because my head was so far up my own ass with my stupid hero-complex about saving Eri.” I laugh humorlessly. “My little brother and mom and grandmother all literally have floating quirks, and when push comes to shove I sink like a fucking brick!” I wipe my face and take a deep breath. “Which, you know, is extra funny, because I’m pretty sure fat is supposed to float, and I’ve got enough to go around.” I roll my eyes. Mirio frowns deeply, he reaches forward, and pauses the movie.

“It wasn’t your fault.” He states plainly, and when I open my mouth to disagree, he speaks louder. “No, Kate. Repeat after me. ‘It wasn’t My fault.’ I want you to say it.” The blonde is all business now, no jokes or jest, no yelling or tears.

“It was though If I had just-”
“Enough! I’m not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth yourself like this after all the shit you went through. We only won because of you. Eri is safe because of you. All of us are alive because of you. It wasn’t your fault that you couldn’t get away, now I want to hear you say it.” Mirio’s tone is final, and it makes me uncomfortable.

“Just- Lets just leave it, alright? We’re not gonna agree on this.” I shake my head, and move to turn the movie back on, but Tamaki is quick to snatch the controller.

“I don’t like that. I don’t like this self-deprecating humor and doubt.” Tamaki places the controller on the coffee table, and turns to look at me. “Who made you believe that everything not going exactly the way you wanted it to meant failure? Your father?” I don’t much care for how Tamaki is speaking to me- Or Mirio either, for that matter.

“I said drop it- I just want to watch a damn movie.” I try not to raise my voice, and reach for the controller, but a tentacle pushes it farther away on the table. I’m taken aback. “It’ll stay in the car huh? What a crock of shit. Why was I stupid enough to believe that?” I shake my head, and laugh.

“You’re not going to feel better by bottling things up Katie, you have to-” Mirio begins, I cut him off.

“DON’T tell me what I have to do. This… this was a bad idea. I’m going back to the dorms.” I stand, and realize I don’t have a phone. “Can one of you call Aizawa to come pick me up?” I ask, keeping my voice calm despite the mounting rage.

“Storming off in the middle of a discussion isn’t how you resolve it.” Tamaki warns, and I’ve had about enough.

“So the boy who pisses himself trying to talk to a class full of freshmen is going to give me pointers on social cues now?” I dig, and move toward the door.

“Hey now, that was uncalled for.” Mirio puts his hands up defensively, but he just serves to make himself my next target.

“What’s uncalled for, Mirio, is that either of you think you have any right to tell me how to deal with what happened when neither of you have a fucking clue. I’m Leaving.” I turn on my heel, and Mirio is quick to block the door. “Move it, Toogata.” I step to the side, but he spreads out his arms.

“You can’t leave without someone with you. Let one of us drive you back. We can try to talk it out on the way.” Tamaki offers behind me, and I grit my teeth. “Starlight, c’mon.” He places a hand on my arm, and I stiffen.

“You have three seconds to take your hand off of me, or I will take your hand off of you.” I grit through my teeth, and Tamaki stares, wide-eyed for a moment before he regains his composure and removes his hand.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t touch you without asking.” The indigo-haired boy falters, and I swallow.

“Thank you.” I turn to Mirio. “Now move, Unless you want to keep me prisoner too.”

Mirio’s expression darkens. “Now just hold on a damn minute- Sunshine I know you are not equating me caring about your safety to what Kai Fucking Chisaki did to you.” His voice drips venom. He’s never been angry near me before- not like this. I push down my panic, and roll my eyes.

“Are you going to step aside, or am I going to have to move you, quirkless wonder?” It’s a low blow, but it’s one that catches him off guard enough to allow me to slip under his arm and move to the door. Something warm wraps around my waist, and pins my arms to my sides.

“That’s enough, Katherine.” Tamaki warns, there’s a pain in his eyes that’s deep enough to be felt, e's using his tentacles against me, exactly how I knew he would if we ever had to duke it out. He made a mistake though, he's touching my hands.

"So much for not touching me without asking huh? You just love contradicting yourself, don't you Amajiki?" I grit my teeth, and ready myself to attack him if needed. "Let me go or I'll turn you into fucking calamari you freak." I'm making personal attacks- I don't have it in me to feel bad about it.

Tamaki is unphased, as if he expected me to say something like that. “You're lashing out at Mirio and I because you're upset and scared, but it isn't going to work. We care about you Katherine. You’re going to wait for an escort, and that’s final. Am I understood?” Tamaki’s demanding voice shakes me to the core. I have to shove it down.

No it’s-

Shove it down Katherine. It’s not real-

“Am I understood, Angel?” Those yellow eyes narrow at me, and I swallow back the scream.

Chapter Text

The words ring in my ears. They leave the taste of bile on my tongue, the smell of acrid blood and strawberry shampoo swirls in the air like poison gas, threatening to choke me. “Am I understood, Angel?” Those yellow, slitted eyes follow me as I walk across the table. Kai pats his thigh, gesturing where he wants me. His cock is out, but he’s still fully clothed- simply pulled through his slacks. Somehow, that makes this worse. More dehumanizing. More humiliating. He doesn’t have to wait for me to obey, I’ve learned better. I just need to survive. I don’t have to like it.

“Yes, Kai. I understand.” I spit, lowering myself onto his lap. He guides his cock inside of me, and I take in a sharp breath to prevent any noise from showing through. Once he’s fully settled, he gets to work, looking over paperwork and grimacing at the water-spots from my tears.

“You made a mess.” He mutters, and I scoff.

“You should have thought about that before you bent me over the desk, you have no one to blame but yourself.” I roll my eyes indignantly.

He smirks, and nuzzles under my jaw. “Quiet you.” He chides, but there’s no edge to it. He’s placated. Playful, even. “Hm. I’ve got a question for you…” He pauses, waiting for an answer from me.

“Shoot.” I don’t hate the conversation. It’s a welcome distraction from his softening cock stuffed inside me.

“How’d you know there was a guy out to kidnap you, he swears up and down he wasn’t spotted. Says he never actually saw you at all. I drilled him pretty hard but his answer never changed.” He scribbles signatures across pages, not bothering to read them. They’re written in a foreign language that I don’t speak.

Fuck it. A few hours from now and He’ll be dust anyway. “How much research did you actually do on me? Did you search my mom’s side of the family too?” I ask, and he scoffs.

“I asked first, Angel.” He warns, and I nod.

“I know, just- Humor me.” I shrug, and he chuckles.

“I can’t stay angry with you… well, honestly not much, other than research on your brothers. Since they didn’t inherit healing either I focused my attentions on only you and your father.” He adjusts himself, causing him to squirm inside me. I focus on the conversation at hand.

“Well, you should ah- Know that My dad wasn’t the only Pro Hero of the family. My mom has a brother. You’d probably know him as Sir Nighteye.” I explain, and shrug. “I recently developed a secondary quirk from mom’s side of the family. Sometimes I get visions- Sometimes, I can even read people’s memories.” I smirk. “You really fucked up, you know that? You know Hawks and Nighteye are probably going to work together to find me. While they might not kill you… Shigaraki definitely will. I’ve got friends all over.” I turn slightly to look at him. He’s got a contemplative look on his face.

“I suppose you do. Is that what that was with the tea last night? A vision?” He questions, and places a hand on my lower back, turning me slightly to look him in the eye. I try not to notice the way he drags inside me with the movement.

“Yeah. It usually presents itself as a stomach ache first, then like… verbal warnings? Like I hear my own voice warning me about danger. Simple, two or three-word phrases. Then, if I ignore it, it escalates to full on visions. I can’t hear during them, but I can see events. Never too far into the future, I think the farthest I’ve gotten is around fifteen minutes. When I drank the tea, my stomach ache and the voice went away, but the second I put the cup down long enough, they were back. It’s pretty new, honestly. My first ever vision came yesterday at the carnival. Really freaked me out, If I’m being honest.” I ramble, and he hums.

“Recently hm? Maybe it’s a sign.” he offers, pausing his work and placing his pen down softly on the table, giving me his full attention.

“A sign?” I ask, not liking where this is going at all. He’s insane. He’s so deluded into his own beliefs he genuinely thinks some universal force is pulling us together.

“That we belong together. You keep me healthy, I make you stronger. I make you better.” He begins to move, grinding me down on his cock. I wince.

“Can’t we just talk?” I swallow, and grip my hands into fists on the table, squeezing my eyes shut.

“Go ahead. I’m listening.” He taunts, pressing a kiss to my neck and guiding my hips to slowly bounce on him.

“You’re wrong. Everything about my body rejects you. I developed a new quirk just to try and keep you away from me.” I shake my head, desperately trying to block out the feeling of him jabbing against my G-spot every few seconds.

“And look at where it got you. Still here, still with me. You ignored every instinct you have for me. Deep down, I know you want me too. You have to.” He moans into the back of my neck. His nose tickles my nape.

“I hate you.” I respond honestly, and earn a small chuckle.

“Yes, and the line between love and hate is very blurred in times like these. Like pleasure-” he paused to draw quick circles over my clit. “And pain.” he lands a slap on that sensitive numb, forcing me to cry out. “Oh- see, you like it. I knew you would like that.” he teases, bouncing me faster, in time with his labored breaths.

“I don’t like it.” my voice is whiny, petulant, weak. I just need to survive. Grit your teeth and bare it Katherine, it’ll all be over soon.

“Mmm, you hate it just like you hate me. You hate that I make you feel so good, my darling angel.” He kisses my throat again, and cups both of my breasts, pinching my nipples harshly. “The pain feels good, doesn’t it?” He questions, alternating between harsh pinches and soft caresses. Tears are openly spilling down my face now, I can’t stop them any more than I can stop him.

“It doesn’t feel good.” I deny it, knowing damn well I’m nearing that mountain peak again. I hate it. I never want to do it again. I never want to do this ever again. I hate this.

“Doesn’t it? I can feel you clamping down on me. Your mind is poisoned, but this beautiful body of yours is far more honest. Just listen to it hm?” He paused his speaking to draw attention to the wet squelching sounds coming from the space where our bodies are connecting. “You hear that? That’s your body submitting to me. It’s been submitting since the very first time, Angel. Your body knows its master.” He hums, and brushes my hair back out of my face.

“You’re disgusting. You talk so much shit about everyone else being filthy and sick when you’re the sick one. You’re the nasty one.” I grit my teeth, and Kai rolls his eyes.

“You’re still fighting me. I didn’t want to punish you more…” something pricks me in the neck, and I wince. “Now that I’m here, if you hurt yourself I’ll just tear you apart and put you back together. Over and over again, until you’re built just right for me, Angel. You’ll learn to love me.”

“No- You’re not- You’re not listening!” I shout, and the room goes silent.

When I open my eyes, Mirio is on the ground, cradling Tamaki, who’s hyperventilating. “What did you do?!” Mirio shouts, holding onto Tamaki as he stares blankly at me. “Oh- Fuck what- What do I do?” Mirio begs, wiping back Tamaki’s tears. It hits me. What happened. What I’ve done. I back up, breathing hard.

“I- I’m sorry! I didn’t- I didn’t know!” I search my memory for the one I gave him- How would I have been comforted?

“Well- Don’t just fucking stand there! You’re a healer! Fix him!” The memory is gone.

There’s a blank spot between the conversation and the rest of that encounter- the only thing I remember then is Kneeling in salt for a couple of hours, and then another roud of Kai’s bullshit. I didn’t give him the pain- I gave him the WOUND. Something about what Shinso did- It unlocked another part of my quirk that I’d previously had no access to- and now I have no idea how to shut it off. Fuck. I kneel beside the boys, and press my hands to Tamaki’s pale cheeks.

Take it back Katherine- C’mon, you can take everything else- Take it back!

It’s not working. Nothing. I can’t feel any of my pain coming back to me. Tamaki slowly calms himself, hyperventilating but aware. He regards me, eyes wide. “K-Kate?” His voice cracks.

“Did- did you fix him?” Mirio questions, eyes wide as he sits back on his heels, letting Tamaki sit up on his own. I stand quickly.

“I have to go- I have to leave or it can happen again.” My knees are weak, my voice is shaking.

“No!” Tamaki all but screams. “Don’t- You can’t- You can’t be alone again. I won’t let you be alone again!” He begs, and Turns to Mirio. “She gave me the- I saw it. I saw what he did to her Mirio.” He’s got tears streaming down his face, he’s shaking in every limb. “Oh god- you have to- I’m so sorry- I never should have let you go- god!” Tamaki devolves into open sobbing on the floor, while Mirio stares, slowly, he pieces everything together.

“Like the memory thing you did before- but opposite. You gave instead of took.” Mirio worked through his thoughts verbally, and I backed toward the door.

“Don’t go- Please Don’t go. I’ll never make you talk about it again I swear just please stay.” Tamaki literally begs on his knees in front of me, while Mirio stares a us like he’s seen a ghost.

“I just wanted to watch a movie- You guys wouldn’t listen- No one fucking listens.” My hands twitch. “I want to go home. I want to go home and I don’t even really know where home is. I want my Dad.” I choke, and look away, squeezing my eyes shut. Maybe if I try hard enough, they’ll disappear too.

A knock on the door sucks all of the air out of the room. From the heaviness of the footsteps, I can tell it’s Mirio that answers the door. I’m suddenly shoved back, and the sound of a heavy punch has my eyes popping open.

There, standing in all of his red-winged glory, is Hawks.

“Woah- it’s just me kid- Jeeze you’re all on edge in there- what’s going on?” The pro asks, I notice he has Mirio pinned to the ground, he eyes me. “Songbird, you okay? Jesus you’re shaking-”

“You get the fuck out of here you bastard!” Mirio growls, struggling against Hawks’ feathers.

I swallow back my fear, my rage, my hurt. “Hawks- could you please take me back to the dorms. It seems I need an escort.” I don’t allow my voice to waver.

“Katherine!” Tamaki shouts, shooting an arm out to block me from moving toward the door. “You stay away from her! She remembers what you did!” Tamaki summons tentacles on his left hand, and a clam shell on the right.

Hawks’s eyes widen, and he looks past both of the men to look at me. “Songbird?”

“It’s fine, Tamaki. He can take me back to the dorms.” I move forward. Tamaki looks like he might try to grab me, but he thinks better of it.

“Let her go.” Hawks’s expression turns dark. “She was just fucking kidnapped and kept hostage and your response is to tie her down? Not a smart move.” A flurry of feathers fly at Tamaki before he can react, pinning him to the wall. “Let's go, sweetheart.” Hawks offers out a gloved hand. “I think we have to have a talk hm?”

“Katie please- please don’t go with him- I can’t lose you again- Please!” Mirio begs, struggling against the feathers. He’s still telling me what to do. Even now, tied down, he’s trying to detain me. I’m tired of it. I never want anyone to control me again. I never want to be held down again.

“I’ll see you later, guys.” I nod, and take Keigo’s hand, stepping over Mirio’s prone body to get to the door.

“Katherine- please think about what you’re doing right now- you’re making the same choices that put you with Overhaul. You’re not listening to the people who care about you!” Tamaki tries, he looks angry. I flinch.

“If only the people who care about me would listen to me.” I shrug, closing the door behind me as Keigo and I leave.

Chapter Text

“Go ahead and make yourself at home.” Keigo gestures to his messy apartment, and I relax slightly. Pizza boxes litter the floor, along with empty cans of energy drinks and paperwork from completed cases. A few blankets litter the soft-looking couch, and the TV was left on, playing some mindless, violent cartoon.

“Thanks.” I mutter, and flop onto the couch, staring up at the ceiling. “So, while we got the trauma train rolling-“

Keigo cuts me off, pressing a button on his wall. All of the electronics freeze for a second. “I didn’t actually do it.” He says, after the blinking green light dies out on his headphones.

“What?” I ask, incredulous.

“I was supposed to. I tried but I… couldn’t. My dick wouldn’t cooperate.” He flops down on the couch next to me, and opens the mini fridge. “Beer?” He asks, holding one up. I shake my head.

“You mean you-“

“Couldn’t get it up for an unconscious teenager, yeah.” He shrugs, and pops open a bottle, and takes a sip, and contemplates for a minute. “You can tell people I did it. It’ll be easier that way. They’ll let me leave you alone if it negatively affects my image. I was kind of hoping you would post that damn audio online so the commission would get off my back about it.” Keigo swallows, and looks up at the ceiling.

“I’m lost.” I state directly, and turn to look at him. Keigo pauses, and sighs.

“I wasn’t there for your dad- the day you moved in. I was… on a mission.” He takes a deep breath. “I was supposed to court you. After you were almost taken by the LOV my orders were to… speed up the process. I was supposed to marry you by the end of your sophomore year. There was a timeline- spreadsheets.” He reaches behind the couch, and pulls out a Manila folder.

‘Preservation of Heroism, Volume 1’ is scrawled across the top.

“I had a fucking script, I had my orders. And then reports got out about you having relationships with your classmates and I was reprimanded for failure- I had new orders. I drugged your food. I was supposed to- to succeed. By any means necessary. I couldn’t. I tried. But I- I actually like you kid. I couldn’t do it without you wanting it too...” He scoffs, and hangs his head in his hands.

“You’re telling me… the commission-“

“Wanted me to fuck you to conserve your quirk for the next generation? Yes. We knew Dr. Black was a target. He’s been a high-value target of a very powerful player for years. That player finally tracked you guys down in Colorado. The commission expedited custody for your father and moved you to the safest house they had. The entire building had twenty-four-hour surveillance. You were placed in class 1A because of it’s proximity to Eraserhead and AllMight. It was supposed to be safe.” He shakes his head, and clicks to another channel on the TV. “What a load, right?”

My face twists up. “What was all of the spanking and ‘who’s your daddy’ shit about then?” I ask, raising a brow at him. He winces.

“Ah- yeah that one was on me. I thought maybe if I got really drunk during your exam the principal wouldn’t let me take the part time TA job that the commission was trying to shove down my throat. It was just a cover to be a bodyguard for you anyway- UA was supposed to be a safe place for you to develop your quirk, where the commission could watch your progress but it ended up just being a place the villains could always find you since you don’t exactly take sick days.” He takes another big gulp of his beer.

“I knew I smelled booze.” I mutter, and Keigo chuckles, but there’s something sad about it.

“I needed you to push me away- I tried to do things you would hate to make you never want to see me again, but I had to be careful about it. If the commission caught on it could’ve been so much worse for you. Especially after you were already a publicly known kidnapping target. They could have just pinned your disappearance on the LoV.” Keigo grimaces, and looks up at me again. “I didn’t want to do any of the shit I did, but that’s not an excuse. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner Kate. I really am.” He hunches forward, and grips onto his own knees. “When I read that report on Chisaki… I realized you could have handled it if I just told you. We could have worked something out. I’m sorry for underestimating you.”

“At least that cuts the trauma boxes down to, like, half.” I joke, glazing over the mention of Kai completely. “Don’t worry about it. Everyone undestimates me.” I pause, and swallow. “So… why’d they pick you and not… someone else?”

“Well… honestly, I was most likely to succeed. I’m young, a good-looking guy, charismatic- our quirks would mix well, personality-wise we’re a good match. If I failed- if you hated me for whatever reason, there were other options. They were willing to pay you to surrogate in a few years. Luckily, I’m allowed to go slowly again since you proved essential immortality even against the quirk-erasing serum.” He scoffs, and looks over at me. “I’m probably just going to avoid you for the most part after this. You should try being a normal teenager- I didn’t get to.” He finishes his beer, and tosses the bottle behind him, letting it clatter to the floor.

I pause for a long moment, and then bite the bullet. “Quick question though, how am I supposed to trust you? How do I know anything you’re telling me is the truth?” I keep my relaxed demeanor about me. The worst thing that could happen to me already happened. There’s nothing to be afraid of anymore.

“Take a look through that-“ he points at the folder in my lap. “Everything is dated. They had me bug your phones. Every conversation we’ve ever had- anything you’ve said the past two months. All of your grades, Xerox’s of every single piece of work you’ve done while at UA. Personal notes from your teachers, even recorded conversations about you from your classmate’s dorms- all of its in there. I have recordings too. They even fucking tracked your menstrual cycle so I’d have more success.” Keigo drapes an arm over his eyes. “It’s fucking exhausting to chase after you all the time kid.”

The way he said it, the way he’s right. Two months. Everything in my life, every piece of me- broken in just two months. It’s not even July. I moved here in April…Holy Fuck, time isn’t real at all, is it?

I open the folder, only to immediately be bombarded with multicolored tabs that separate sections.

Acquaintances
Appearance
Calls
Classmates
Classwork
Close friends
Habits
Known affiliates
Known enemies
Personality
Schedules
Texts
Trivia
Weaknesses

Wow… it’s even in alphabetical order. Curious, I flip to the “calls” section, and immediately wish I hadn’t. In-text, is the last voicemail from my father. My fingers shake as I trail over the words, not reading them just yet, but feeling the ink on the page. “Is this…” I trail off, and Keigo leans over.

“Oh- fuck my bad- you shouldn’t-“ he snatches the paper away. “You shouldn’t read that yet. You should listen to it first.” He folds the paper in half. “And you should probably have a support system in place that isn’t… me.” Keigo swallows.

“I can read it on my own.”

“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should- listen I’m not gonna tell you what to do, but I’m saying if it was me, I’d want to be around friends and family for that, not some douchebag celebrity who’s been lying to me for months.” He passes the paper back to me, and I swallow.

“You’re probably right. I should at least wait to listen with Nighteye like Mirio recommended… fuck… I really messed up with them.” I hang my head in my hands.

“Yeah, I wasn’t gonna ask but… what was going on before I got there? I heard yelling.”

“They were trying to convince me that I’m not a fucking failure and it… like… spiraled into an argument and I said some really awful things to the both of them because I’m a huge bitch.” I knock my head back against the couch, and stare up at the ceiling.

“You’re the farthest thing from a bitch. You’re sitting here, giving me a second chance after all the horrible shit I did. You went through something that I dont think I would have survived. It’s fair for you to lash out. Don’t dwel on it too hard.”

“What If they hate me?” I whisper, hugging my knees close to my chest and tucking my chin over them. My eyes are watering again. Jesus Christ, can I do anything but cry?!

Keigo reaches over, and places a hand on my shoulder, arm fully extended to give me as much personal space as possible. “They don’t. You heard how scared they were for you. They wouldn’t have attempted to take on the number Two pro if they didn’t care for you. They understand.” He nods, and sighs. “That Tamaki kid especially gets it- that whole bit about making poor choices- not gonna lie, coming with me was pretty stupid kid. Especially since you thought I already raped you once.” He removes his hand, and rakes through his hair. “I’m a fuckin’ monster- you shouldn’t be near me.” He warns, and shakes his head, scoffing.

“You’re not that bad, you know?” I murmur, shrugging. “You’re just a guy following orders- I get that it wasn’t really your fault. When push came to shove you couldn’t follow through. Not to be crude, but, you’re like twenty-two. If your dick can’t get hard it’s a mental thing, not a physical one. That means you’re not a bad dude, just caught up in the wrong shit.” I snort out a laugh, and look at him. Keigo blushes deeply, and looks away.

“Thanks.” he mutters. “Didn’t think I’d ever get complimented on my soft dick.” he laughs outwardly, and swings his boots up on the coffee table.

“God, you’re gross, what are you, like twelve?” I tease, calling back to the first ever conversation I’d had with him. “Keigo… if all this stuff about the commission is true… we have to come forward about it-“

Keigo cuts me off. “You can’t say anything.” His tone is scared- genuinely terrified.

“What?” My heart skips a beat. If Keigo is scared then…

“Katherine, the whole system is corrupt. The commission is government sponsored. If you try to say anything about it, you’ll disappear. I’m serious. I’m talking JFK assasination level cover ups.” His hands shake on his knees. He’s antsy just talking about it. His eyes are wide and I can hear his heartbeat picking up speed.

“But-“

“No, Katherine. Because they won’t kill you. They can’t. But they can kill me, and your mom and brothers- anyone you may have told.” He’s being completely honest. His heart stays steady and he’s looking me in the eye. Oh fuck. How deep does this go?!

“Does anyone else know how fucked this is?” I ask, but I’m not sure if I’m ready for an answer.

“As far as I know… Jeanist, Allmight and Endeavor were all fully briefed on this op.” He shakes his head, and scratches as the back of his neck. “I’m not sure who else knows.”

“AllMight knew about this?!” That I find hard to believe. AllMight?! Number one- symbol of peace- Izuku’s mentor, AllMight?! Does IZUKU know?!

“The commission has prime blackmail on him. He was actually offered my place, but turned it down on moral standing- he said his image would suffer too greatly and it wouldn’t matter since his power isn’t genetic. Endeavor was offered the same thing, he turned it down over his wife, but said to try his son in a couple of years. I was next in line. After me it was gonna be Jeanist.”

“So im supposed to let the commission get away with trying to sell me off as breeding stock?!” The rage bubbles up in my throat. I want to punch something. I want to break several things.

“I already said they’re letting us leave you alone for now- you just have to forget about it, okay? There’s nothing you or I could do…” he’s resigned. This is Keigo. This man never settles. He’s the fastest man alive- and honestly I think he’s stronger than Endeavor. If he’s too terrified to take this on then… I’m on my own.

“I knew the system was broken but… holy fuck. How am I supposed to forget about this?!”

“You just… you have to keep moving. Keep pushing. You can do what AllMight tried to do, and take down the corporation from the inside, replace it, figure out a way to defund it. But the information I gave you today has to stay with me. Anyone else that knows is in danger. I’m gonna turn the scrambler off. Don’t talk about any of the stuff we just talked about okay? We could both be in deep shit if the commission finds out I told you about the program.” He looks me in the eye. “I’m serious Kate. I don’t want to put you through any more bullshit.”

“Fair enough. I’ll keep my trap shut.” I nod, and sigh. Keigo flicks the feather across the room, smacking the button. All of the electronics freeze for another moment, and he pulls out his cellphone.

“I’m gonna call Present Mic to pick you up. Eraserhead kind of hates my guts.” he mutters, scrolling through his phone to find the number.

“Can’t I just stay here?” I pout, leaning back on the couch.

“Only if you want me to get murdered by aforementioned teachers.” He jokes, selecting the number and putting it on speaker while it rings.

“I need to pick up a cellphone at some point. I kind of threw mine out a window.” I mutter, earning a snort from Keigo.

“I have extras- the drawer in the kitchen next to the fridge. I tend to drop mine so I have about six of them on hand.” He chuckles, jovial. “They’re already pre-loaded with the top fifty pro’s numbers too, which is good for a little troublemaker like you.” He reaches over, and ruffles my hair as I stand to walk into his kitchen. Present Mic answers the phone, angry.

“This better be fucking good Takami.” Mic gets straight to buisness. No greetings, no pleasantries. A complete 180 from how he was with Fatgum a couple of days ago… or how he is whenever I see him in the halls at school.

“Yamada, my good man- Listen, I have Black here and-” Keigo is immediately cut off

“You WHAT?!” Mic’s quirk goes off, and there’s a ringing for a moment before the phone fritzes back into working order.

“Don’t bite my head off man, I was gonna ask you to come pick her up. She had a fight with her boyfriend and I doubt your husband wants her spending the night at my place.” Keigo tries to sound jovial, but I know that slightly worried uptilt on his vowels. He’s getting easier to read the better my memory gets.

“I’m on my way. I swear to God Hawks if you lay a finger on her I’ll rip your wings off.” Mister Yamada’s voice takes on a deeper timber. I’ve never heard him angry before. Even when students are awful, he’s never angry like this.

Realization hits me like a cold shock right out of hell.

I made him like that. That’s about me.

I did the same thing to Mirio and Tamaki… two people that don’t have a mean bone in their bodies.

I’m hurting everyone just by being around. Just by existing I’m a problem. My very existence is enough to destroy Keigo’s chances of ever having a normal life because the commission will-

The commission.

If the Commission hadn’t of forced me to move here…

My dad would still be alive.

I wouldn’t have been kidnapped, twice.

I wouldn’t have been raped.

I wouldn’t have hurt Tamaki and Mirio…

The Commission will pay for this.

And I’m done doing things the legal way, I have friends everywhere.

And I’m sure Tomura wouldn’t mind helping me

Chapter Text

“Are you okay?!” Mic places both hands on my shoulders, and forces me to look him in the eye. “Goddamn kid you are givin’ me premature grey hair I swear.” He looks over my face, as if he’s looking for wounds. I do hate when people forget my quirk- though I suppose I hate when people remember it more.

“I’m fine! I just had a fight with the boys and Hawks happened to be in the neighborhood. He was a perfect gentleman.” I defend Keigo, who’s currently tied up in Aizawa’s capture weapon. “I swear, we just talked. He even convinced me to talk to A psychiatrist in the morning.” I lie on the last half, but I know that information will soften Aizawa.

“ Hitoshi! Get in here.” Aizawa calls, and the purple haired boy steps into the room, warily eyeing me. “Ask her if Hawks tried to touch her.”

“What? No that’s-“ Shinso starts to object, but I cut him off.

“It’s okay- I give you consent. Go ahead.” I nod, looking him in the eye. “Ask me.”

Shinso looks uncomfortable, and glances over at Yamada, who’s arm is wrapped securely around my shoulders. “No, Kat. That’s not a good idea- listen, I trust you’re telling me the truth okay, let’s just go.” Mic pulls me toward the exit, but Aizawa is quick to stop him with another whip of the capture weapon to the doorknob, keeping it shut.

“Sorry, Black. You’re not exactly known for telling the truth about whether or not you’ve been hurt.” Aizawa’s tone is deadly. I try not to lash out again. I have a feeling it won’t help either way. I grit my teeth.

“Just ask, Hitoshi.” I drop the last-name- respect bullshit, and just call the boy out.

“Katherine?” The purple-haired boy’s voice is deep, full of apologies that I’m sure he’ll spew later.

“Yes?” I answer, and I blink and it’s over, Aizawa is driving and Mic’s jacket is over my shoulders. I’m lightheaded, and confused, sitting in the back passenger seat with Hitoshi. I look around the car, and try to get a good look at Aizawa in the rear view mirror. His face is stoic, Yamada’s is too. Yamada is staring out of the window, Aizawa’s knuckles are white against the steering wheel.

“What-?” I ask, and Hitoshi’s eyes snap to me.

“Oh- Kat you’re awake, are you okay?” Mic Turns fully around in his seat, green eyes wide. I nod, throat tight. “Jeeze Louise girlie you had me absolutely on the edge of my seat! You were supposed to snap out of it five minutes ago! ‘Toshi dropped his control and you just stayed all dazed- we were real’ worried about you kiddo!” His green eyes dance over my face.

“Yeah… uh. I had a problem with disassociating before the hassaikai raid… I think it’s getting worse.” I admit, scratching the back of my neck.

“Something to talk about with the psychiatrist hm?” Aizawa nods. Fuck. I nearly forgot about that part. Well, that’s a thing I roped myself into. I can’t even fake sick.

“What Shouta MEANS to say, is that we’re glad you are taking steps and admitting you have problems. You’re being really mature about all of this, and we’re both very proud of you.” Yamada smacks Aizawa’s arm, and I swallow.

“Uh. Thanks.” I nod, and look over at Hitoshi. “Are you okay? You look upset.”

“I hate using my quirk on you. It just… leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Even though you asked me to it feels wrong with you.” He shrugs, and looks away, out the window.

“Um… if it helps- I think your quirk may have helped me unlock my memory-sharing ability. Like you created enough of a blank space that I was able to absorb other peoples… and I think once I got my memories back… it helped me figure out how to push memories onto people too.” I admit, and there’s a dead silence for a few moments before the worlds loudest hero breaks it.

“Hold on- what? Did you hit your head?” Yamada questions, eyebrows drawn tightly together. I can tell he wants to reach out and touch me- he wants to offer comfort- but he doesn’t want to cross that invisible line in proverbial sand.

“No! It wouldn’t matter if I had anyway- headwounds are usually instant heals anyway so uh… this is a more… new thing. The only people who know are Tamaki and Mirio… but- I found a way to… heal thoughts, I guess? Memories- so far I’ve only been able to pick up on memories that I’m in. I tried with Eri but I only got feelings- not full images. And then today- the fight I got in with Tamaki I… accidentally showed him a memory of Chisaki. Afterward, I wasn’t able to remember it anymore. It was like… he took the wound.” I try to explain, and Yamada’s eyes widen.

“Could it be a derivative quirk? Healing and visions from Nighteye’s foresight?” Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that Present Mic is both a teacher AND a pro hero. In times like these he shows off that incredible intelligence that is expected from a UA alumni.

“Maybe? I dunno… it was just kind of… it freaked me out. I gave Tamaki a memory and he was on the ground crying- he couldn’t move. It was like he was frozen until he got through the memory.” Admitting I’m afraid. That’s new. Damn you Present Mic, and your weirdly motherly nature.

“Hey- don’t be scared. Don’t be scared. Everyone has that one come to Jesus moment with their quirks- when they realize the damage they can do. I ever tell you I made my poor mother deaf?” He tilts his head, and I shake mine. “Yep. Deaf as a cuttlefish. Shouta almost killed me once by cancelling my quirk. Without it, I can’t breathe. ‘Toshi made his foster mom mute for like a week by accident when he was little. Shit happens kiddo.” Yamada reaches across the center console and places a hand on my knee. “If you have another moment when you can’t control it, Shouta is right here. We’ll take care of you, yeah?” He nods, and when I don’t respond, he frowns.

“It just hit me that you don’t actually know me at all outside of the classroom. Shit- okay well uh, you can call me Hizashi while you’re not in class… or honestly, while you’re in class too since you’re going to live with Sho and I.” Yamada offers with a toothy grin.

“I was actually still thinking about it. And I was actually… going to ask Hawks to put in the paperwork to get emancipated. I have the money, and a job so…” I mention, picking at my pristine cuticles. I’m glad I’d never taken to biting my nails- they don’t grow back nearly as fast as limbs do- whenever I lost my arm it took six goddamn months for my nails to grow back right. Awful.

“Oh- I mean, if that’s what you want. You should still stay with us though. Just like… roomies. And we’ll pay you to babysit Eri.” Hizashi offers, and I contemplate for a minute.

“Okay but… I make my own rules- and I pay rent.” I counter, trying desperately to secure myself some freedoms.

“You’ll make your own rules within reason. If you start to spiral again I won’t hesitate to give you detention or keep you in line.” Aizawa mutters, turning down the street to his apartment

“Isn’t that an abuse of power?” I grit through my teeth, annoyed.

“I tend to find myself doing a lot of that with you.” He retorts, just as salty.

“What Shouta MEANS to say-“ Hizashi pauses to smack Aizawa on the shoulder. “Is that he cares about you, and as your Mentor, is going to do everything in his power to keep you safe.” Mic squeezes my knee, and turns to face forward. “I already had Midnight move some of your stuff to ours.” He shrugs. I swallow.

“I think I might just live on my own. I don’t do well with people telling me what to.” I mutter, crossing my arms over my chest.

The two teaches speak at the same time, and I struggle to hear them both over eachother.

“If that’s what you want.” Hizashi nods
“Over my dead body.” Aizawa growls.
“Shouta!” Hizashi gasps.
“Hizashi.” Aizawa grimaces.

“Wow… I don’t want to be a point of contention. It’s probably for the best if you just drop me off at the dorms. I wanted to speak to Izuku anyway.” I put my hands up defensively, and Aizawa shakes his head.

“I’d feel better if I could keep an eye on you tonight.” Hizashi finally admits, and I nod.

“That’s fair, but- again, don’t want you- either of you- or, anyone really- telling me what to do.” I try again, only to earn a glare in the mirror.

“After everything that’s happened, that’s what you’re concerned about?” The dark-haired man questions, squinting at me.

“After having litterally no choice in anything for the last three months it’s EXACTLY what I’m worried about.” My voice begins to raise, and Mic frowns.

“Both of you- cool it, ya dig? Jesus it’s like cats and dogs with you two.” The blonde claps a hand on his husband’s shoulder. “It is important to be able to make your own choices.” Hizashi looks at me in the rear view. “But it’s also important to recognize and respect that others may make choices for you for your health and safety, capice?” Yamada raises a brow at us. Aizawa and I both mumble out an affirmative.

“How’s this gonna work with us in class though. Is she my sister or something?” Hitoshi sounds annoyed, I roll my eyes and huff.

“No- even if I don’t get emancipated, Hawks is my legal guardian, not Aizawa or Ya-Hizashi.” I pause. “Speaking of sisters, I know it’s only been a few hours, but… any update on Eri?” I ask, desperately wanting some semblance of good news.

“She’s still out of it, but she hasn’t been as fitful since your visit. The hospital has both Hizashi and I, as well as Mirio Togata on speed dial for the moment she wakes up.” Aizawa softens, seemingly understandingly.

“Mirio?” I question, confused.

“Yeah, he also put in paperwork to do some volunteering in the children’s ward when she was admitted. He was pretty adamant about it being his fault that the fight even happened, because he was the one that prevented the initial rescue.” Hizashi reveals, and my heart shatters on impact. Oh. If he blames himself for that then… what he meant was… he blames himself for all of it. So when he was adamant that it wasn’t my fault- was he talking to me, or himself?

Hitoshi seems to catch my expression, because the very next moment I get a text- when did he get this numb- oh. Right. Brainwashed. God that’s uncomfortable.

MegaMind: I’ll help you sneak out if you need to👀👀.

KatBlack: I’m not gonna get you in trouble.😅

MegaMind: Dw about it. It’s the least I can do after everything🤷♂️

KatBlack: I don’t blame you for the memory thing btw, incase that’s what you’re worried about.

MegaMind: it was my idea. 😬

KatBlack: ??

MegaMind: After your dad died I overheard Hizashi and Aizawa talking about how ‘that’s how villains are made’ and how they could have been brainwashing you the old fashioned way with like stolkholm and shit so I offered to wipe the memory.

KatBlack: that’s fucked. 😅

MegaMind: sorry. 😢

KatBlack: I forgive you, on the condition that you NEVER fuck with my memories again.

MegaMind: done. 👌 I swear to never use my quirk on you without your consent.

KatBlack: well now you’ve done it, I have it in writing 🤪

MegaMind: I’m just glad you’re not my sister 💀

KatBlack: am I that annoying😅

MegaMind: nah, I just don’t want things to get weird between us

KatBlack: weird like popping wood in the middle of an exam?

MegaMind: holy shit I forgot about that 💀 my bad tbh, I honestly have no idea what happened there.

KatBlack: you stabbed me with it while you were talking to Hawks. I know he’s a good looking guy buuuuuut

MegaMind: I do have a thing for blondes 💀

KatBlack: ShinsoXBakugo huh?

MegaMind: fuck no- Kaminari tho…

I outwardly giggle at that one, and Hitoshi smirks.

MegaMind: you have a pretty laugh. Don’t think I’ve ever heard it.

KatBlack: really? I feel like I have a really good sense of humor.

MegaMind: you definitely do.

KatBlack: thanks. It’s the ✨trauma✨

MegaMind: 🤣🤣

Chapter Text

My fingers move quick over my keyboard as we enter the apartment building.

KatBlack: I need to talk to you guys

OfficeMax: wssp?

KatBlack: can we meet?

Dusty: Where and when

KatBlack: Idk. I have to sneak out.

OfficeMax: they’re keeping you prisoner?

Dusty: AGAIN?

BloodKinkMcgee: Want me to cut them 🥺

KatBlack: no, it’s okay I’ll just sneak out after they’ve gone to sleep.

“Now since my apartment only has two rooms, Hitoshi, you’re on the couch.” Aizawa drops his keys in the bowl by the door, and hangs up his scarf. Hitoshi grimaces.

“Aw- what? But all my stuffs in my room!” Hitoshi whines, flopping into the couch anyway.

“I can take the couch, it’s not a problem.” I shrug, shrugging off Mic’s jacket and moving to hand it to him. He hangs it next to Aizawa’s scarf. “I’d rather not be… in a bed anyway.” I mutter, and Hizashi frowns.

“Why don’t… we all sleep in the living room. Kat can have the loveseat, Toshi’ you can take the cot- Sho and I can use the pull-out.” Hizashi looks around, and no one argues, so he grins. “Right then- see all Hakunna Matata around here! Let’s put on a cheesy Disney movie and pop some popcorn yeah?” Hizashi reaches over and tousles Hitoshi’s hair, earning a slight glare before he prances off to the kitchen.

“Kids, go get the blankets and stuff from the closet, I’m gonna go talk to Mic.” Aizawa’s gruff tone doesn’t leave room for argument, but I can tell he’s prepared for one- not with us though. Hitoshi shrugs, and the two of us head toward the guest bedroom, where Aizawa keeps the blankets.

“You doin’ okay? If you’re feeling uncomfortable I can always… convince them to let you go to the dorms.” Hitoshi’s voice is hushed, he doesn’t look at me as he speaks.

“You can’t do that- you’d get in so much trouble.”

“Only if they remembered it.” He shrugs, and reaches up, pulling down several blankets. They all topple over, and knock me to the floor. I fall backward, and Hitoshi tries to catch me but he’s not the most physically fit- so we both crash to the ground.

“Ow.” I giggle, just in time for Aizawa to rush in, hair floating. “Everything’s fine! We… we got bested by a bunch of blankets.” I laugh, standing and reaching a hand down to help up Hitoshi, who’s blushing like mad.

“Be more careful damn it.” Aizawa grunts, kneeling beside us to help pick up the blankets. “You’re going to give me a fucking embolism, Black.” He spits, but there’s something soft behind it. Something kind, caring, sweet.

“Sorry sir.” I stifle a laugh, gathering blankets up to my chest. Aizawa drops his blankets over my head, and leaves.

“How do you do that?” Hitoshi asks, pulling the cloth back to look me in the eye.

“Hm?” I ask, tucking my chin over the pile to keep it sturdy as we exit the bedroom.

“You make people who don’t care about anything care about you.” He murmurs, arms also full of blankets.

“Aizawa cares, a lot actually.” I tilt my head. “He’s adopting you and Eri- and you saw during finals how he was with Yayarozu.” I point out, and Hitoshi gives me a small smile, and tilts his head.

“I wasn’t talking about him.” He sighs, heaving the blankets onto the loveseat.

“Who then?” I ask, mimicking his movements and turning toward the TV, setting it up for Disney+

“Don’t worry about it.” he clears his throat, and begins unraveling the blankets, doling them out to the predetermined sleeping arrangements. I’m confused, but too tired to care.

It’s not until there’s a moment of silence that I realize it-

A moment of silence.

Real, true silence. I can’t hear Hitoshi’s heart, I can’t hear the TV buzzing- my hearing is muddled. “Aizawa?!” I call, concerned, he pops his head around the corner, ready for a fight, again.

“What’s wrong?” He asks, looking around the room quickly, Hitoshi is suddenly on edge as well, slipping into a fighting position.

“I can’t- I can’t hear anything. Like- I can- I hear you talking and my breathing but-“ Aizawa loosens, and sighs, nodding.

“Yeah, with Hizashi living here we had the place sound dampened. I didn’t think it would affect you or I would have warned you-“

My beathing hasn’t slowed. I can’t hear. If I can’t hear, I can’t heal- my quirk is gone. He took it again. He took it- I can’t fight- I can’t run- I can’t-

“That’s right. You can’t.” Kai smirks, leaning down and kissing my forehead. “If anything I’m doing you a favor. Doesn’t it hurt to get broken every time? Without it, you’re so much better.” He kisses my neck, continuing to move his hands down my body. “I just have to let you have it back every couple of hours to keep you clean- you can have your quirk when I’m not around, just to make sure you stay alive.” His honeyed voice deepens as he presses into me again. There’s no tear this time, no bleeding. It’s still sore.

“Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,” I mumble, inhaling sharply as he bottoms out inside of me. Kai pauses, and looks down at me.

“What?” His confusion is palpable. I don’t falter.

“From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.” I continue, shutting my eyes tight. I’m not here. I’m in my dorm, I’m helping Sero Study. He sucks at English.

“Is that… Shakespeare?” Kai’s surprised chuckle vibrates against my chest. I don’t pause.

“From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.” I continue through Kai’s thrusts, and he gasps.

“You do love me- fuck I knew it. Good girl. Such a good Angel.” He hums, picking up speed-

“Hey!” Mic quirks, the sound bounces off of the walls and vibrates the floors. Two fingers are pressed to my throat, just under my jaw. “Pulse at two hundred- if she keeps this up she’s going to have a heart attack.” My attention snaps to him, but I find I’ve been staring into his green eyes the entire time. “Palpation- ah wait-“ Somehow, I ended up on my knees on the floor. “There we go- Hey kiddo, do you know where you are?” The living room is familiar, I know I’m at Aizawa’s. I nod. “Good job, little lady. Who am I hm?” He clicks a pen light and shines it in my left eye, I blink, but he does it again, then moves to the right. “Pupillary response Normal, continuous slowing heart rate. Palpations ceased. We might be in the clear.” Mic isn’t talking to me with his call outs. He’s relaying health to his partner- I’ve done this before. I passed this class.

God damn it. I’m the victim. Again.

“Present Mic.” I answer, batting his hand away.

“Verbal response, physical reaction to stimuli. I’ll take it. Okay, and what’s your favorite movie hm?” He questions, reaching onto the coffee table to grab a mug.

“Nightmare on Elm Street.” I mumble, and flinch when he presses the cup to my lips.

“A-plus kiddo. Take a big sip for me okay?” He murmurs, but I push the cup away, shaking my head.

“No thank you. I can make my own.” I move to stand, and no one stops me. Hitoshi is sitting on the couch, eyes wide and staring straight forward with Aizawa rubbing his back. I realize it a split second before Aizawa looks at me. “I did it again- didn’t I?” I swallow, and Aizawa nods.

“It was only a second and I blocked you. Hizashi took the rest of it.” Aizawa’s voice is low, I glance back at Mic, who’s moved to stand behind me, several feet back to give me space.

“It’s okay- hey look. It’s alright.” Hizashi’s voice is soft, almost hard to hear over several different songs playing at once on multiple different devices in the background. “So we figured out quiet is bad. I also picked up on several other things that could be triggers.” Hizashi seems unperturbed by the memory I just unwittingly cursed him with. My stomach twists at the idea that my English teacher now has intimate knowledge of my inner workings. He’s seen me naked and- I feel like I’m going to be sick. “Let’s get you tucked in Kiddo, okay?” Hizashi turns his back to me, and peels back the blankets on the love seat.

“I- I think I should probably be alone-“

“You can’t go back to the dorms, or back to class until that’s under control.” Aizawa buts in, and Hizashi sends him a glare that would melt steel.

“Shouta.” Hizashi clearly is trying not to raise his voice, I clear my throat.

“No- he’s right. I can’t risk- I can’t hurt anyone else. I’m sorry, Hitoshi.” I swallow, and look down.

“You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for, Kitty.” Hitoshi responds, jaw tight. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I shouldn’t have touched you. I knew better- that was on me.” He looks away quickly, and Aizawa blows out a harsh breath from his nose.

“You can stay here until we get this figured out. I’ll even bring home your schoolwork so you don’t fall behind.” Aizawa offers, and I nod. “I made the tea. It has melatonin in it. Drink it.” He nods down at the cup, and I grimace. Hey, at least he’s admitting to drugging me.

“I- I don’t want it. Thank you, though.” I shake my head, and nestle into the couch. Hizash is quick to cover over me with blankets.

“Ah sleeping in jeans is probably-“ the blonde starts, but I cut him off.

“Comfortable.” I mutter, looking at the floor. “The more clothes the better.” I whisper, and no one disagrees.

“Hey- if you need anything- I don’t care if you wanna talk about Gatsby, you wake me up, okay? I mean it.” Hizashi whispers as he tucks the blankets around me, I nod.

“I’m fine. Really. Stop worrying.” I turn on my side, pressing my back firmly against the back of the couch.

—Mic—
“I need a fuckin’ cigarette.” I mutter, leaning my head against the brick wall of the balcony.

“I thought you quit. Again.” Shouta jests, leaning his head on my shoulder and sighing. “How bad is it?” His voice is tight. I know the feeling.

“He made her tell him he loved her while he raped her. I wasn’t ready to see… that.” I admit, suddering at the memory. “You’re right by the way- touching her is addictive. Even when she was showing me the memory I- I couldn’t bring myself to pull away.”

“Jesus.” Shouta breathes, swallowing. “What all… happened.” The question hurts him to ask as much as it hurts me to answer I thinks

“I only got a few minutes worth. From what I can gather the encounter lasted several hours. He took her quirk to keep her placated. That’s what set her off. Not being able to hear like she normally does was too close to being drugged.” I recount, and grimace. “She recited Romeo and Juliet from memory to distract herself. She was thinking about tutoring Sero.” I swallow, and wrap my arm around my husband, closing my eyes. A mistake. All I can see is that monster’s grin. I didn’t even see the fight in person- I was teaching a class.

“She mentioned disassociation.” Shouta nuzzles into my side, bated breaths and flickering heartbeats are shared between us. Fifteen years and it feels like yesterday I talked him into going out with me for ice cream.

“It was weird. I could… feel everything. It was fucking awful. I could hear her every thought during it all. She kept…” I trail off, squeezing my eyes shut tighter, desperately trying to ward the images off. Something good. Something bright. Shouta. Shouta is always my something good, something bright.

“What?” He asks, lifting his head to look at me. I crack my eye open to look at him, and sigh.

“She kept thinking about you. She had this mantra of ‘just survive, Aizawa is on his way.’ She kept herself sane by promising herself you were coming to save her. She… she trusts you. A lot.” I understand why. He’s amazing. He’s beautiful. He’s the hero I aspire to be- someone’s first call.

“She uh- she admitted that she was there when the league attacked the convoy. They helped her mutilate the bastard.” Shouta licks his lips, and looks down. A nervous habit.

“Shit- what do we do?” I ask- turning her in seems like a bad move. If she turns on us- it could be catastrophic.

“I’m letting her get a pass on this one.” He speaks suddenly, and I am taken completely by surprise.

“That doesn’t sound like you at all.” I regard him carefully. Does Shinso have something to do with this?

“You saw… the shit she went through. The shit I put her through. If I hadn’t of-“ Shouta’s eyes begin to brim, I tighten my arm around him.

“Stop.” I cut him off. “Taking her memories was a shitty thing to do, but it wasn’t the reason she was abused. You tried to stop her, but she’s hard-headed. She’s like Oboro was-“

“Don’t.” This time it’s him that cuts me off. “Don’t compare her to him. They're not the same.” His tone is hard. It always gets that way when we talk about him. Or, when I talk about him. Shouta never wants to talk about it.

“They’re not. She’s had it worse.” I whisper, and swallow. “You were right. If we don’t do something now… she’s going to go dark.” I run a hand through his tangled black hair. I wonder how it stays so soft despite the lack of care he does for it.

“That’s one of the reasons I’m taking on Eri. To ground her. You should have seen her in the hospital Hiz. I’ve never see her so… soft.” Shouta is getting choked up, I try not to do the same.

“Three kids in three months huh… and you swore it would only be cats.” I tease, kissing the top of his head.

Chapter Text

I check the room one last time for movement, but all three men are out cold. Aizawa drank that tea, so he won’t be catching me again. Apparently Hizashi sleeps like the dead- Shinso shoved his face into his pillow and zonked out in sixty seconds flat. I envy them. I wish I could sleep like that. I leave my phone on purpose. I also bring Aizawa’s “Evidence against Hawks” folder that he left laying on the coffee table.

I don’t bother with shoes, they’re loud and time-consuming. It doesn’t take long to get to the bus stop, and I immediately recognize the mess of baby-blue hair under a dark hoodie. I approach quickly, keeping my head down. “You okay?” Tomura’s voice is genuinely concerned. I nod, allowing him to wrap an arm around my waist as Kurogiri warps us to what looks to be an abandoned elementary school.

“Where’s Toga?” I ask, sliding into the table where Twice, Spinner, Dabi and Compress are playing poker.

“She’s gotta sleep for a mission tomorrow morming.” Spinner responds, grimacing as he realizes he’s going to lose the game.

“Mission?” I tilt my head, confused.

“Yeah, shit keeps moving.” Dabi shrugs, and looks up. “How you holding up, Sugar?” His face looks bored, but there’s some pain behind his eyes. I wonder why?

“I have… some shit to talk about.” I slide into a chair next to Twice, and pull out the folder from under my hoodie. I slap it on the table, and open it.

Tomura immediately starts leafing through the paperwork, and sighs. “Ya’know I tried to warn you. The HPSC is a big hit for us already. We knew about this.” He grimaces, and I swallow.

“Did you know about the preservation operation?” I question, and Tomura nods.

“I tried to warn you. I was going to keep you safe but you wouldn’t believe me. I was so close to gaining your trust and then I fucked it up- I’m… sorry, Katherine.” Tomura’s hand reaches across the table, and lays on mine.

“Darling, we will get revenge for what they’ve done.” Compress’s voice is harsh, more serious than I’ve ever heard it before.

“I don’t want revenge.” I shake my head. “I want justice. Real justice. I want a revolution. French variety.” I curl my hands into fists, and surprisingly, Twice is the one who places his hand over mine.

“This society is built on oppressing the kind and meek- the small, and the placid. We have to be strong to protect them. You’ve been strong for so long, Darling. Isn’t it time you stop doing it alone?” Compress asks, tilting his head. Tomura stiffens, for some reason.

“That’s why… I want to join you. You want to dismantle Hero society, I want the system crashed. I want the heads of the commission leaders on spikes.” I spit, anger bubbling in the pit of my stomach.

“That’s going to be hard to do with the no-killing rule, gorgeous.” Dabi quips, popping a piece of gum into his mouth.

“No killing the police, or the heroes. They’re victims of the same system. I want the fucking beurocrats dead.”

“All or nothing Cleric, that’s the deal. Getting to the bastards is impossible if we can’t get rid of the heroes protecting them.”

“Tomura- some of those heroes saved me from…” I trail off, a lump in my throat.

“Fine. Give me a list of ones that are off-limits, and we’ll… drug them or something if they get in the way. Toga picked up a shitton of Valium from the Hassaikai.” Dabi shrugs, and Tomura grimaces.

“Once again, she is NOT in charge. We do things MY way.” Tomura growls. I swallow, and nod.

“I- Tomura is the leader. Not me. I don’t want to give you orders. Men just following orders is what got me in this mess.” I shake my head, but Dabi shrugs again.

“I’m gonna do whatever you want. You’re smart. Something about you makes me want to follow you into losing battles.” Dabi’s oath shakes me to my core- and reminds me of something.

Reaching up. I pose my fingers and flick Dabi on the forehead. Hard.

“Ow- what the fuck was that for?!” He grunts, holding the spot I flicked him with a frown as the rest of the men snicker in the background.

“Burned bodies all over the city huh? I didn’t forget, you ass.” I roll my eyes, and Tomura snorts.

“Now you’re in for it.” Spinner mutters under his breath, a playful grin across his scaled face.

“Hey- listen you told me to TRY. I did- I didn’t kill anyone!” The burned man puts his hands up in defense, and I roll my eyes.

“Burning people until they die is killing people, Dabi.” I remind him sarcastically, and compress sputters out his drink, choking on it with laughter.

“Pedophiles aren’t people, Sugar. I only gave them what they deserved.” Dabi all but whines, pouting.

“Why would you…” I trail off, eyebrows drawn together tightly.

“Maybe I got a little… fuck I don’t know- I ran into one of those sonsabitches hanging around a park on my way to a meeting and… I just… look, I only merc’d like… twelve guys. All of ‘em had priors. I’m like… an Antihero at this point. I think.” Dabi smirks, leaning back in his chair.

“Murder is murder. They should be in prison, not dead.” I shake my head.

“Did you not hear me? They had priors. They went to prison already, and the fuckin’ system let ‘em back out. I’m not one for heroes, but I do believe in justice- like you said. And aren’t you the one saying we should guillotine the commission heads?” Dabi makes a valid point, and I sigh.

“Okay, how about instead of a do not kill list- we have a kill list.” I offer, squinting.

Tomura sends down his drink, and eyes me. “I’m listening.” He murmurs, single eyebrow quirked.

“Pedophiles, corporate elites, corrupt politicians, and rapists are on the kill list.” I list, counting them out physically on my fingers. At the last one, the men, specifically Twice, shift in their seats.

“That works out with Stain’s ideals fine. I’m in.” Spinner nods, reaching over and clapping a hand on my shoulder.

“As am I, little assistant.” Compress nods, tipping his glass of amber liquid in my direction.

“You got me till the end of the line, Sugar.” Dabi smirks, Twice mutters a ‘damn right’. I turn to Tomura, eyes pleading. He frowns, and sighs, but nods.

“Fine. But this is a partnership. I won’t tell you what to do, you don’t tell me what to do. We’re equals.” He offers his hand to shake, and I take it.

I don’t even feel his quirk anymore. I remember the dangers I pose to HIM with a touch and retract my hand. “I have to be careful touching any of you… my Quirk has been acting strangely since I was kidnapped. I might hurt you.” I curly my fingers into my palms, and take a deep breath. “I- I can deliver emotional wounds now too. And I can’t control it.” Tomura rolls his eyes at my fear.

“If anyone here has hurting hands, it’s me. We’re not your weak little hero friends. You never have to be afraid of hurting us.” He spits, but I somehow feel that this is meant to make me feel better. It almost does.

“Those hands have done far more good for us than bad. If it’s just emotional pain- we all have more than enough experience to deal with it.” Spinner places a scaled hand on the small of my back, and rubs circles into my hoodie with his thumb.

“If it helps you, I can take all of it.” Dabi says suddenly, not looking up from his drink. “I mean- I’ve seen your quirk in action more than anyone. If someone takes the wound, you don’t have it anymore. I meant what I said, boss. Whatever you need.” He downs his drink completely, and sighs.

“I- Thank you. But no… It’s- I just recently got my memories back. I don’t want to go around and get rid of the bad ones again. It just seems… dishonest.” Tomura drops his glass, and I catch it middair, confused as dark liquid splashes over my hand.

“You got your memories back?” Dabi asks, eyebrow raised.

“Why are you here then? Shouldn’t you hate me? When we met I was pretty damn keen on doing the same fuckin’ thing that Overhaul did.” Tomura’s angry, scared voice is hushed, panicky.

“You’re different now, Tomura. You’re better. You’re… good. I trust you.” I shrug, and he stiffens even further. “All of you- I get that for every one of you, the first thing you wanted to do is hurt me or use me but… you’ve all changed. You all have good, Kind hearts. Better than the fucking heroes that let this shit happen- that’s for sure.” I down the last of Tomura’s drink, and sigh.

“You’re… you’re too good for any of us.” Tomura’s voice shakes. “You’re… pure. You deserve better.”

“You’re all I have left.” I shrug with a sad smile.

“Not for long. I’ll give you everything. I swear it.” Tomura promises, pouring me another drink.

—

I’m still awake when Hitoshi finally stirs. He catches me awake, and yawns. “Shit- why are you up?” He questions in a whisper, rubbing his eyes.

“Early bird catches the worm. I wanna train but I don’t think I’m allowed to go to the apartment’s gym on my own.” I shrug, and look over at the kitchen. “I’m not really hungry for breakfast either, so I’ve just been waiting for one of you to wake up.”

“I’ll go with you but uh… maybe some gloves?” Hitoshi scratches the back of his neck, and I glance down at my hands. So much damage can be done with these. It’s unfair.

“Yeah. good idea.” I nod, and swallow, then pause. “Damn, I really thought I was above them.” I laugh humorlessly while Hitoshi digs in the basket by the door for a pair of grey striped gloves.

“Everyone has quirk setbacks sooner or later. I wouldn’t worry too much about it.” He shrugs, and looks over at the still very unconscious teachers, tangled into each other. “We can go pick up McDonald’s. Do you have a license?” He looks back over at me, and I shake my head. “Eh, I’ve got my permit. I just can’t get my license till Thursday- Just tell Aizawa you drove, ‘kay?”

“Why Thursday?” I ask, confused.

“It’s my birthday.” He shrugs, and I suck in a breath.

“Oh. Do you have anything planned?”

“Nah, Ashido made me ‘share’ her birthday party… that’s why there were a bunch of kids from the support course at her party. She’s… nice.” He blushes, and rubs the back of his neck.

“Mina is honestly one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. I still need to apologize for the scene I caused on Friday.”

“Nah, she understands. She’s good people. Out of all of class 1A, her and Kirishima are most likely to be really good heroes.”

“Can’t say I disagree with you there. Them and Hanata Sero. He’s come out of nowhere to break up fights that I’ve started more than once at this point. I don’t know how he does it.”

“Oh, he has a huge thing for you.” He smirks, holding the door open so that I can leave before him.

“What?” I question, leading the charge toward the covered parking lot.

“Yep.” He says simply, and jangles the keys in his hand, twirling them around his finger nonchalantly.

“How would you know that?” I ask, incredulous and slightly sarcastic.

“I’m friends with Kaminari, the two of them are close. Apparently he’s been hanging back because he’s also close with Kirishima, who carries the statue of liberty’s torch for you.” Hitoshi smirks, and waggles his eyebrows suggestively.

“Oh fuck.” I mutter, and Hitoshi presses a button. Instead of Aizawa’s sensible black volvo, Hitoshi grabbed the keys for Present Mic’s neon yellow Mustang.

“Yeah.” He grins, opening the car door for me to sit. I mutter a thanks, and then think.

“Why me though?” I ask, genuinely confused.

“Aizawa thinks it’s got something to do with your quirk. Everyone likes you.” He shrugs, sliding into the driver’s seat and starting up the car. I try not to think about how much trouble we’ll get in if we get caught.

“Not everyone. My dad, for instance, actually kind of hated me. My mom wanted to get rid of me.” I mutter, still a bit sour about it.

“I feel like that’s not completely true. I can’t say I could think of anyone ever not liking you.” He checks his mirrors before moving, and pulls out of the space, careful to keep at a slow pace while still inside the parking lot.

“I was pretty sure you hated me.” I admit, and he glances at me with a raised eyebrow before crossing the threshold on the parking complex, soaking us in early- morning sunlight.

“Really?’ He asks, genuinely confused.

“Yeah. you didn’t seem to like me at all.” I point out, and he pauses. He seems to be mulling over responses for several minutes before he speaks again.

“I literally called you pet names and kissed your neck. I could not have been more obvious.” He mutters under his breath. I definitely wasn’t supposed to hear him.

“I thought you were just trying to piss off hawks- “ I pause as I realize the true meaning of his words That’s not a friendship type of like. Friends don’t do that. So if he did that to show he liked me then- “wait what?” The question comes out before I meant it to, and Hitoshi immediately starts blushing like a madman.

“Nothing just- Do you have your order ready?” He asks, but we’re nowhere near the restaurant.

“Wait- don’t tell me you have a crush on me. You can’t.” I shake my head, and he grimaces.

“Well I can’t exactly help it, can I? You’re pretty and smart and- Look, it doesn’t mean anything. I know you’re dating Mirio.” He stares out of the windshield, refusing to look at me. “We’d just be distracting eachother- we should just be friends.” He sounds like he’s trying to convince himself more than me.

Chapter Text

“You’re gonna eat the damn breakfast burrito, and I’m not taking no for an answer.” Hitoshi rolls his eyes, pushing the food farther across the counter toward me.

“No, I had three. You had two. That one is yours.” I argue back, pushing it toward him.

“I’m full, and you need to eat for your quirk.” He insists, sliding the burrito back.

“I’ve eaten enough, c’mon, you paid for the damn thing, just eat it.” I reason, only to be met with a scoff and the burrito hurled at my face. I caught it easily, and scoweled at the boy across from me.

“Exactly, I paid for it, I get to decide what happens to it. And I decide that you’re gonna eat it, shithead.” He smirks, crossing his arms, thinking he’s won.

“Who you calling shithead, assclown?” I bite back, ready to yeet the damn burrito right into his fucking throat.

“You are so fucking annoying.” He rolls his eyes, leaning back in his chair.

“So are you.” I quip, in lack of a better comeback.

“Fuck-” Hitsohi looks over my shoulder, at the digital clock mounted on the wall. He pulls out his phone, and his eyes widen. “We need to get back soon- Aizawa would actually kill us both if you go missing again.” He starts to gather the leftovers together, and I help.

“Yamada might spontaneously combust.” I joke, but Hizashi doesn’t laugh.

“Oh you have NO IDEA. After the camp thing, Hizashi has been all but stalking the hero course kids. Something about losing a friend when he was our age.” He reveals lowly, and I raise a brow.

“Losing as in…” I trail off, and Hitoshi nods curtly.

“Yeah.” He swallows. “He’ll talk about it if you ask, but don’t do it infront of Aizawa- apperantly the three of them were close.”

“Oh, that’s fucking awful.” I mutter, holding the door open for Hitoshi as we leave, Hitoshi speaks as we climb into the car.

“‘S the reason Hizashi is way gentler with you than he’s ever been with me. We all know how many of us would be toast if you weren’t here. Tsu, Midoriya, Aizawa. There’s no doubt in any of our minds that without you, they’d all be dead.” He pulls quickly onto the residental streets, not quite speeding like Katsuki, but going a little faster than the limit allows. Jeeze, he must be afraid of getting in trouble with Aizawa.

“I dunno how true that is. I’ve just been in the right place at the right time.” I simper, and Hitoshi eyes me warily.

“You were lucky to be there, and they were lucky to have you.” He mutters, and looks back at the road

“I guess that’s true-“ I’m cut off by Hitoshi having to slam on the breaks to avoid a collision with someone break-checking a little too hard farther up. We stop in time, but the person in front of us slams into the guy in front of them. “Ah shit.” I mutter, unclipping my seatbelt and sliding out of the car. Hitoshi pulls off to the side before climbing out as well, hoping my side as we approach the vehicles.

“Everyone alright? My friend is a healer.” Hitoshi’s voice is calm as the people pile out of the cars, two men and a woman from one, a woman and a kid from the other. I quickly slip off my gloves, and regulate my breathing in anticipation of pain.

“Yeah- everyone’s fine I think.” Answers one of the guys. I notice the woman from the second car is heavily pregnant, and gravitate towards her as Hitoshi looks over the situation.

“Hi! I’m Doll.” I wave, and smile. “You mind if I give you a little healing boost? I know you’re probably not hurt but it’d make me feel better.” I smile, holding out my hand. The woman nods, clearly shaken by the situation. The kid with her is young, maybe seven or eight, and he seems disturbed too. Tentatively, I take the woman’s hand. Sore ankles, a bruised rib from a particular hard kick from the baby, I’d assume from it being on the inside of the ribcage. Some mild bruising where her seatbelt would sit. And… anxiety. Pure anxiety. It melts away from her face as I take it, and she takes a deep breath.

I turn my attention to the boy. “What about you, buster? Any broken bones?” I ask, grinning ear-to-ear and putting on an air of false confidence.

“Is momma okay?” He asks, and I nod.

“Completely! I gave her my patented healing high-five and she’s fresh as a daisy little dude.” I give him a thumbs up, and he smiles, looking up at his mom, who’s looking probably better than she was before the accident. “If you wanna go talk insurance with those dudes I can hang out with little man here.” I offer, and she nods.

“Goodness, thank you so much miss.” The woman’s eyes are brimming with thankful tears, and I wave her off playfully.

“Anytime!” I shrug with an easygoing smile. She scampers off to talk to the guys who caused the accident, and I keep an eye on the sitation. Sometimes these can be messy- but Hitoshi seems to be mediating just fine.

“Wait- You’re Voodoo Doll?!- I know you! My friend in class- he said his sister was pro-hero Voodoo Doll! Do you know Matthew Black?” The kid gets really excited, and practically hops up and down in joy.

“I sure do! That’s my baby brother- though, I’m not a pro-hero juuuuust yet, I’m still in training at UA.” I shrug, and sigh. “Sucks they had to move back to Colorado huh?” I ask, and the kid nods.

“Yeah- I miss him. Matt was cool.” He frowns, I nod, and place a hand on his shoulder. His tank-top gives me access to sneakily take any wounds he has- none, thank god.

“Me too bud. But hey, that’s life right?” I keep my tone light and airy, and he smiles sadly just as his mom returns.

“Ah- Thank you for everything.” She sighs, and looks over her car. “I have no idea how I’m going to get Carson to school.” She laughs lightly, and I glance over at Hitoshi.

“We can call my… friend. He owes me a favor.” I smirk. “You’ll like him.” I grin, and pull out my phone.

“Oh really, you’ve done enough-” the woman starts, but I interrupt her.

“It’s no problem. I’m studying to be a hero. I’d be failing if I let this munchkin be any more late.” I wave the lady’s insecurities off, and dial Hawk’s number. “Just give me two seconds.” I laugh.

Hawks picks up on the first ring- almost like he was expecting me to call. “Heyo- you doing okay, songbird?” he sounds minutely concerned, and I’m quick to give him the details.

“Hey Hawks, There was an accident on filmore and I wanted to know if you could come down and lend a hand?” I ask, knowing he’s not going to tell me no.

“Oh, for sure. I’ll be there in five gorgeous.” He agrees, and I laugh. Damn it pays to have blackmail on number two.

“See you soon, birdbrais.” I hang up, and the boy’s eyes are as wide as saucers.

“Did I hear HAWKS?!” The kid- Carson shouts, ecstatic.

“Yeah, he’s a friend of mine.” I shrug, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.

“I totally thought Matthew was lying when he said he was living with you!” Carson gasps, and I chuckle.

“Matthew doesn’t ever lie.” I’m quick to defend my brother. “Hawks is a friend of the whole family.” I shrug, just as Hitoshi walks up.

“You called Hawks?!” His tone is hushed, but angry.
“Yeah? They need help getting to school and work, and their car is completely totalled.” I tilt my head, unsure as to why he’s freaking out. Hitoshi glares, and exhales harshly through his nose, jaw tight.

“We have to go before dad wakes up- have a nice day.” The purple-haired boy gives a curt nod to the lady, and turns on his heel, expecting me to follow him back to Hizashi’s car.

“I gotta wait till Hawks is here.” I call after him, and he raises an eyebrow.

“The cops will be here any minute and we could get into some huge trouble.” He whispers, knowing that I’m the only one that would hear him. I bite my lip. He’s right. Shit.

“Oh- crap. I just realized I’M going to be late to school. I gotta go- Tell Hawks I said hi!” I wave, and rush off after Hitoshi. Once i slide into my seat, I notice his frown.

“Why would you call Hawks… of all people… after what he did…” He tightens his jaw, and I swallow. I can’t tell him the truth. Our phones are both bugged. I can’t trust that he’d be down with my plan of usurping the Commission.

“He owes me. He’s trying to make amends.” I cover, picking at the loose thread on the sleeve of my hoodie.

“I don’t get you. How could you be so willing to put something like that behind you?” He sounds jarringly like Aizawa right now. I wonder, briefly, if they are actually biologically related perhaps.

“It wasn’t his fault.” I defend quietly, trying to get him to drop it. He doesn’t.

“Don’t tell me you actually blame yourself?!” He slams on the breaks, letting the car jolt forward.

“Fucking easy! If you total Yamada’s car he’ll kill you.” I grip onto his arm, fully prepared to take injuries if there’s a crash. “It wasn’t his fault my quirk-” Hitoshi quickly cuts me off, steadily raising his voice.

“Your quirk isn’t a fucking excuse. If I can control myself-” this time, I interrupt him.

“Is jacking off to videos of me being raped some new form of self-control I’ve not heard about?” The words fall from my lips like vomit, and I immediately wish I hadn’t said them. There’s a long, silent pause. I slip my gloves back on my hands. I can’t guarantee that this won’t trigger me into another attack. I have to be careful. Hitoshi’s eyes are wide, he hasn’t turned to look at me. He swallows thickly, and finally opens his mouth to speak.

“W-what?” he asks. He sounds so small. I don’t answer him. I know the dangers questions carry with him. “K-Katherine… how did you know about that?” his voice cracks- it’d be humorous if it wasn’t so goddamn sad. He catches on that I’m not answering him, and swallows. “I want to know how you knew about that.” I’m not falling for it. That could still be a question.

Hitoshi’s hands shake as he starts the car, and heads off in the direction of the apartment building.
“I- It was only the Hawks video. I never- not with the other one. I- I stopped when I found out it wasn’t- that you didn’t-” He’s fumbling over himself, nervously gripping onto the steering wheel so hard his knuckles are turning white. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that you- I- I shouldn’t have done it. I’m sorry Katherine.” His voice is shaky, unsure. “Please don’t tell Aizawa.” his whisper is so quiet even I struggle to hear him.

“I’m not going to tell him. Forgiveness, remember?” I mutter, and I hear him swallow.

“Tell him then. Tell him, and never speak to Hawks again. Please.” his breath comes out in shaky stutters, and I reel. I look over at him, and wince.

“I’m not going to do either of those things.” I deny him, staring down at my gloved hands in my lap. “Can’t you just… respect my wishes and Judgement? If anything, the worst that could possibly happen already happened. I lost my family, my freedom- My quirk was taken, I was drugged… Hawks can’t do anything worse than what’s already been done.” I mutter, crossing my arms over my chest and pushing my back harder into the seat. We’re in the Parking garage again, the car is still running.

“I hate this.” He admits, causing me to whip around to look at him. “I hate that I care so much about someone who doesn’t give a fuck what happens to them.” I open my mouth to protest, but he isn’t finished berating me, for the first time, looks up at me. “You may not care if you get hurt, but it’s fucking agony for everyone around you... You’re a selfish bitch, Katherine.” He cuts the car off, and quickly climbs out, slamming the door

Chapter Text

The second we walk into the apartment, we are pinned to the ground by Aizawa and his fucking capture weapon. The moment my back makes contact with the floor, I release a breath. I close my eyes tightly, warding off the panic I can feel bubbling in my chest at being detained.

“Oh, and where the hell were you two?!” Hizashi asks, quirking slightly. My ears ring at the noise.

“We just went to get breakfast- and then we helped out with a little fender bender on the way back.” I answer honestly, hoping it will lighten our sentences.

“Did you crash my car?!” Hizashi continues to quirk, and neither Hitoshi or I have any way to prevent it from stabbing against our eardrums.

“No! It’s completely fine- everything’s fine we were safe!” I try to reason with the men. Aizawa sighs, and releases his hold on the both of us.

“Hitoshi, get ready for school. Katherine, you’re staying here with me.” Aizawa pinches the bridge of his nose as he speaks, and a cold sweat settles down my back. Alone with a man. Bad.

“C-can we have someone else come over?” My voice cracks- it never does that. I’m never this vulnerable, this scared sounding. I’ve always got a decent hold on my emotions until they bubble up enough to spill over. But I’m not throwing insults or crying- my fear is plain, unmuddled by anger or sadness.

It does not go unnoticed. Hizashi is quick to speak up, glancing over at Aizawa before settling his eyes on me. “How about you drive with us, and we’ll drop the two of you off at the hospital to stay with Eri while Hitoshi and I are gone hm?” His voice has lowered considerably, no longer quirking. His tone is still hard, authoritarian, but he’s trying.

God I hate it. I hate the pity, the glances the two men share at each other when I flinch. I just want everything to go back to normal- if there ever was a normal.

“Fine.” I say, shoving down my fear and anger. It dawns on me now; why was I so okay with being alone with Hitoshi?

Well, a few reasons maybe. He’s young, not nearing thirty like Kai- he’s not at all on par with me physically. I could take him easily in a fight, and we were out in public the entire time. It would have been easy to escape him. I would have been simple to jump out of the car if I needed to.

Aizawa though… he’s older. He’s got the black hair and the bored voice and I know he can tie me up in a matter of moments before I could react. He can cancel my quirk… dangerous. Scary. Bad.

The drive to the hospital is done with a great deal of noise, though Hizashi is the only one talking. He keeps the radio cranked up to ten, and keeps the sunroof down, letting the wild air whip around us like crazy. It’s nice, the noise. The liveliness. Hizashi always seems so peppy- I wish I was like that.

Hitoshi and I still refuse to talk to eachother. I know I shouldn’t have said what I did- and I know his reaction was probably warranted, but my pride doesn’t want to let me apologize just yet. I know it’s not his fault what he feels for me, and I know if anything, it’s my fault entirely for being so goddamn careless and blind when Tomura definitely warned me about all of this.

Tomura always warns me. He tells me when something is fishy, and for some reason I just don’t listen. I don’t listen to anyone. Maybe I should. If I had just listened to Izuku or Aizawa, or, fuck, even Tomura, What happened with Kai wouldn’t have happened. When did I become so mistrusting? When did that flip switch that told me to never listen to anyone- that somehow, I am always right?

It has to stop before I get someone else seriously hurt. But who can I lean on? Who can I always trust?

Not Izuku. Not yet- not until I know that he knows.

Not Hawks. Despite his recent confession, I have a feeling in the bottom of my stomach that he’s still holding something back from me. I have a feeling that he’s not telling me something.

Not Mirio or Tamaki- In all honesty, I just met them. I don’t actually know anything about them.

The answer is obvious, and I kind of hate it.

Aizawa.

He’s been here since day one. He has never once tried to hurt me, he has never once put me in danger on purpose- every single time I ignore his warnings, I get hurt. I need to listen to him. I need to trust him. I swallow, and look up at him in the passenger-side mirror. He looks like he didn’t sleep at all- which is funny because I listened to him snore for hours before Hitoshi woke up. His eyes are dry again. His hair is a mess, he hasn’t shaved. My fingers itch under the gloves.

Aizawa and I exit the car, and staring up at the hospital, my heart starts to race again. I don’t like hosptials. I never have- I probably never will. But Eri is here, and I want to see her. Aizawa’s hand is placed between my shoulder blades. It’s warm, even through the thick hoodie I have yet to remove. “I’m right here, Baby.” he mutters under his breath. I barely hear him over my own hammering heart. I nod, and walk forward, letting his comforting hand fall off of me. It doesn’t take us long to get to her room, and I immediately slip my gloves off, pressing my hands to her sweaty, pale face. More fear, more anxiety, slight pain from an IV. Nothing more. Her little red eyes flutter open, and I gasp.

“Doll?” She asks carefully, and I nod.

“Hey bunny! I’m here.” I don’t let the tears fall down my face as I climb into bed beside her, pulling her tightly into my chest. Aizawa sits on a chair, watching carefully.

“Who’s that?” She asks, wide eyes trained carefully on Aizawa. I hum.

“That’s… My friend. Mister Aizawa. He’s the one who saved us.” I brush her hair back from her face, and smile. “He’s going to take care of you from now on, him and me both, okay?” I ask, and she nods.

“Hi.” She leans over, looking at Aizawa. He nods curtly.

“Hello.” He responds, and glances back over at me. Quickly, I slip my gloves back on, and straighten. I could never forgive myself if I somehow hurt her.

“Mr.Chisaki..?” She asks, my heart tightens.

“He’s gone. For good. My friends put him in time out, forever.” I nod, looking up at Aizawa.

“Eri, I have some questions about your quirk.” Aizawa asks suddenly, and I grimace. It’s important, I know- but I just want her to relax. I know Aizawa won’t do anything to hurt her but- after all I gave up- If anything happens to her, I will lose it.

“My what?” Eri asks, leaning her small head against my chest as I run my fingers through her hair, carefully detangling it.

“Your power.” Aizawa reiterates, and Eri stiffens, her grip on my hoodie tightens.

“Oh.” She whispers, clearly uncomfortable. I rub my hand over her back, reassuring her.

“Do you know how it works, how to use it at all?” I ask softly, I have a feeling she’s more likely to answer me than him.

“No…” she responds, sounding upset. I’m quick to deflect.

“That’s okay. I’m still learning how my powers work.” I admit, letting honey slip into my voice.

“But you don’t hurt people.” her voice cracks. I can feel my heart crack with it. I shoot a glance at Aizawa, who shrugs, eyes wide.

“Oh, but I do… Sometimes, I can’t control myself either, and… well, I hurt my friends. Really badly. It’s why I wear gloves. Mister Aizawa is helping me learn how to control it better so I don’t hurt people anymore.” I gesture to the man in the chair, and hope dances across Eri’s features for a moment.

“Can you do that for me too, mister?” she asks, leaning across me to get closer to him. I’m quick to answer for the teacher.

“That’s why he’s here, Bunny. To help us both.” I look over at him. Aizawa’s expression is a mix of several indescribable emotions, but I think at least one of them is positive.

“Katherine is right, Eri. When you’re discharged from the hospital, you’ll come live with us.”

“Who’s Katherine?” Eri questions, and I burst out laughing, clutching my side as it stitches. Eri raises an eyebrow, and tilts her head, confused.

“Me, I’m Katherine. ‘Doll’ is my Hero name.” I explain, and Eri’s mouth makes a perfect “o” as she exclaims with an “Oh.” My giggles continue for a few long minutes before I calm myself, and Eri yawns.

“I think it might be time for a nap, for you both.” Aizawa notes, crossing his arms as he leans back in the chair. I open my mouth to argue, but he immediately cuts me off. “You do not look like you slept at all, Kate. I know you probably stayed up all night.” I want to argue. I want to fight back- but this is a simple enough place to start. Maybe I should listen this once. I swallow.

“Okay… but you’re not leaving though, right?” I ask, hating how weak I sound. Aizawa nods calmly, and shrugs.

“Of course, Kate. I’ll be right here.” He reassures me, and leans back in the chair, kicking his feet all the way out and crossing his arms, knocking his head back up against the wall. “Gonna take a nap too, while I can.” He mutters, closing his eyes. I lift up the scratchy hospital blanket, and nestle myself next to Eri. For the first time in days, I fall asleep easily.

When I wake, Aizawa is still there, eyes closed, lightly snoring. Eri is also out for the count. I slip out from under her, and tuck her back in. Quietly, I slip out of the room, intent on finding the toilet before I run into a familiar face.

Mirio, still dressed in the clothes he was yesterday, carrying a big teddybear and basket of candy. He freezes. “O-oh. Hey Katie… what are you doing here?” He asks sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Checking up on Eri… you?” I ask, staring at the floor. Fuck, this is awkward.

“Same… uh listen… about last night…” He starts, I’m quick to shake my head.

“You- it wasn’t your fault. I was being a real bitch. I’m sorry.” I interrupt him, looking down. “I shouldn’t have said any of the shit I did. You didn’t deserve it.” I apologize, and suck in a breath. “I understand if… you don’t want to be my friend anymore…” I trail off. Everything goes silent for a few long moments before I’m lifted off the ground in a bear-like hug.

“God, you’re so stupid.” Mirio teases, but I can hear him getting choked up. “Smartest girl I know, dumb as a box of rocks when it comes to how others feel, huh?” He sniffles. I hug him back, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck and shoving my face into the crook of his throat. “Tamaki and I were so goddamn worried about you Sunshine. All night. We thought something terrible was going to happen and we were going to be powerless to stop it- I don’t even have my quirk to-”

“I want to fix that.” I gasp out, holding him tighter. “I’m going to get you your quirk back. You only lost it because of me. It’s my fault. I’m sorry Mirio. I’m so sorry.” the dam finally breaks, and I’m crying again. I seem to be doing alot of it lately.

“Hey- hey, enough of that okay? Breathe.” He sets me back on my feet, and pulls away, only to bend slightly to cup both of my cheeks in his hands. “Breathe, sweetheart.” I notice he dropped the teddybear and the basket on the floor. “Look at me baby.” He whispers, and I obey. “None of what happened was your fault. I mean that. I know you don’t believe me, but I will spend the rest of my life convincing you if I have to. That bastard took advantage of you because you are kind, and good, and sweet, and everything that he could never hope to be. You did what you thought was best for everyone else. You saved so many lives. You did good, baby. So good.” he’s crying now, harder than I am. I nod. I have to start listening to people. I have to trust people who mean well. Mirio has never been anything but kind to me, no matter how much of a jerk I’ve been to him.

“I’m gonna fix it Mirio. I promise I’ll heal you.” I swear, placing my gloved hands over his and squeezing his fingers. “I just- I have to get myself under control first.” I sniffle.

“Yes, you do.” Aizawa calls from behind me. I turn to see him, his arms crossed, he’s glaring at Mirio.

Chapter Text

“Mirio was here to see Eri.” I gesture to the teddy bear and basket on the ground, and Aizawa squints.

“Right. Katherine, could you go inside and close the door. I need to have a chat with Toogata.” Aizawa’s voice is calm, but his eyes are burning. I swallow.

“Um, yeah but- please don’t yell at him. The argument was one-hundred percent my fault. I was being a huge cunt- excuse my language- he and Tamaki were only trying to help me.” I slump my shoulders forward, and Aizawa’s eyes widen.

“I would never yell at a student. Go on, Kate.” Aizawa points at the door, and I nod, and then remember the too- full feeling in my bladder.

“Ah- right. Gonna go to the bathroom.” I walk past Mirio, toward the privy down the hall.

I know I shouldn’t, I know it’s rude, but…

“What the hell did you do to her?” Aizawa asks as I enter the bathroom. I’m quick to pull down my pants and start my business, careful to listen to the conversation.

“Sir I swear on my life-“ Mirio is interrupted by Aizawa’s deepest growl. If I wasn’t already peeing it might have forced me to- jeeze he can be scary.

“Watch it. I’m liable to take you up on that. What the fuck did you do? She’s placid. She’s NEVER placid.” Aizawa’s serious nature is a stark contrast from the almost gentle way he was speaking to Eri and I earlier. I don’t know wether to be terrified or impressed.

“What?” Mirio questions, confused. I finish peeing, and clean up, then move to wash my hands.

“She’s doing everything I say. She hasn’t argued with me ONCE since I got her back from Hawks. She’s been completely submissive. I know Katherine. She lived in my house for a month. I see her every single day. She argues for the sake of arguing. She was perfectly ready to fight me when she got back from Overhaul, and now she’s different. Now, I know for a fact Hawks didn’t do anything while she was with him. So that leaves you and Amajiki.” Aizawa’s careful explanation makes my heart race. How long has he been thinking this. How long has he been watching me?! I scrub harder over my knuckles, being careful to move the soap up to my elbows.

“Sir, I assure you- the only thing I did was beg her to stay so she wasn’t alone and vulnerable. We had a fight, but I SWEAR nothing happened.” Mirio’s hair rustles as he shakes his head I can hear him breathing heavily.

“And Amajiki?” Aizawa’s question hangs thickly in the air. I flush the toilet with my foot, and begin to rinse my hands, missing the first half of whatever Mirio says next. I dry my hands, and continue to listen as I check my appearance in the mirror. Dark circles. Paler even than usual. I look sick, which is funny. I never get sick. I wonder if it was the lack of food and sleep, or the time outs from my quirk that made my skin all pore-y and lackluster. I was always so happy with my skin. It was flawless. Just another thing Kai took from me, I guess.

“Believe me when I say he would rather put himself in a wood-chipper than ever hurt her.” Mirio’s conviction would convince a fish it could walk on land.

“I was afraid of that.” Aizawa’s voice is incredibly low, barely over a thought. When I walk back out of the bathroom, and all conversation ceases. “Katherine, are you feeling okay?” Aizawa’s aloof demeanor is back, but I don’t miss how he calls me by my first name.

“‘M fine… uh… actually… if Mirio is gonna sit with Eri… I have a favor to ask.” I awkwardly shift my weight back and forth on my feet, and Aizawa raises an eyebrow.

“I’ll just go in then. Text me, Katie. Please?” Mirio questions, and I nod, and gesture at Aizawa to follow me.

“You’re making me nervous, Black.” Aizawa states plainly, but follows. There it is again. Last names. Guarded.

“Uh- it’s nothing- it’s not related to anything hero-y. It’s more… personal.” I scratch at my arm, and Aizawa squints.

“Spit it out, kid.” He’s trying his best to sound irritated, but I know worry when I hear it.

“The voicemail my dad left. I want- I NEED to listen to it. Everyone I’ve talked to about it has told me that I need a support system there to listen to it. I’ve put it off for almost two months now and… with everything that’s happened all I want is to listen to my dads voice. He was always my hero…” I swallow back the lump in my throat. “I want… I want you to be there when I listen to it.” I avoid his eyes.

“Why?” His voice cracks, and he clears his throat. “Why would you want me of all people there?”

“I… well, You’ve always been there- I…” I pause, trying to find the words. “I don’t know. I just… you’re… I…” I can’t say it. I don’t know what I’m trying to say.

“You trust me.” He states, more to himself than to me.

“No. I don’t.” I deny, shaking my head.

“Every time- every time something happens. You ask for me. At camp, after the visions, even after… after Overhaul.” He struggles to say the last bit, and breathes sharply through his nose. “You trust me.”

“I almost panicked at the idea of being alone with you.” I spit, and instantly regret it, but Aizawa is unphased.

“You went through some heinous shit. You have a few phobias that make no sense. When Hiz offered you tea you looked like you might’ve stabbed him.” He points out, and shoves his hands into his pockets. “You trust me, regardless. You slept in my presence. You’ve eaten food I’ve given you without watching me make it. Even when we fight- even when you refuse to listen to me, you ask for me. Why would you do that If you don’t trust me?” He steps forward, only a half-foot away. “I’ll listen to the voicemail. I’ll always be here for you. But you need to know that… “ he pauses, and shakes his head, as if to ward off errant thoughts. “I care about you. I lo-“

“No you don’t.” I interrupt him before he can say something he’ll regret. “You don’t. It’s my quirk. You don’t. Please don’t say it.” I look down, not willing to let him see the tears in my eyes.

“Katherine I-“ his gruff voice behind to raise, but I interrupt him again.

“Please don’t say you love me.” I beg quietly, balking my gloved hands into fists. “Just- be my teacher. Be my friend. Don’t let yourself be manipulated by me. I don’t mean anything to you. I don’t mean anything to anyone.” I deny, and wipe my face, taking a deep, inward breath, before I can finish, I’m shoved into his chest. He smells like aftershave and mint.

“I know.” He mutters. “The cards have been stacked against us for a long time, Kate. I care about you- and it has nothing to do with your quirk. I still feel it when I cancel it. I still feel it when you’re gone. I know that when I say I care about you, I fucking mean it. I love you, kid. I see… I see myself in you. I see HIM in you. You’re so much more than your quirk. I’m so sorry that no one ever taught you that, baby.” He pulls back, and looks me in the eye. “I’m not a gambling man. But I’d bet my life on you.”

“You shouldn’t.” I shake my head. “I’ll only hurt you like I do everyone else.”

“I’m a grown man. I can handle myself.” He proclaims, posturing.

“My father couldn’t.” I scoff, looking away. Aizawa grips my chin, and wipes tears from under my eyes with the pads of his thumbs.

“Your father was an idiot.” He says in his instructors tone, as if it was undeniable truth.

“The Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” I remind him, smiling sadly, the joke is not lost on him.

“You’re not wrong. You can also be incredibly stupid. You said it, not me.” There’s a long bout of silence before I speak again.

“You’ll really listen with me?” My voice breaks, and Aizawa pulls me into a hug again.

“Of course, baby.” I tried not to flinch at the nickname. Where did that come from? I hadn’t… processed that before. He’s done it a few times now. It doesn’t feel… bad. It’s endearing. Like an older brother. I think. Or like a da- no. Not like that. My daddy issues are not that deep. I’m not going to immediately attach myself to the first positive male role model that gives me the slightest attention. My father was a good man. He was a hero. He doesn’t deserve to be replaced.

“Can I… um… have a few minutes to myself before we-“

“Absolutely. I’ll be with Eri. Come in whenever you need to, but don’t leave this hall.” He turns towards the door, and opens it.

“Yes, sir.” I respond, and he pauses. I only get his profile as he speaks.

“Just Aizawa is fine.” He nods curtly before walking into the room.

Right. You can do this, Kate.

Just do it.

Press the button.

Do it, you pussy.

It rings once.

Twice.

Three times.

Just when I’m about to hang up, he answers.

“Hello?” The voice comes through, smooth as day.

“H-hey, Archie.” I stutter. There’s a long silence.

“Kate.” He utters my name like it’s a slur he might get caught saying. “What’s up?” He’s trying to sound casual.

“Uh… I- I haven’t talked to you in a while. We were clo-“ Archie’s tone shocks me.

“You got kidnapped. Again.” He always took after mom. It took him a lot to get angry. He sounds pissed. “Some guy with quirk-canceling drugs. You could have died.”

“Yeah.” I agree, sheepish.

“Don’t-“ he pauses. “Mattie and I- we miss you, Kitty. We lost dad and you- you never called. You never came. You stayed and we lost you too- and then you went and- it happened again. How could you do that to us? That sucks!” His voice is raising. He sounds just like dad when he’s like this.

“I know.” I accept it. He’s right. Archie had a tendency to do that.

“You suck.” He mutters.

“I know.” I agree.

“Why are you calling me?” The question cuts me off guard. Why am I calling him? Why now? What possessed me to do this? To me? To him? Why would I open old wounds like this? I guess I’m just a sucker for punishment.

“I… I’ve been a shitty person the last couple of weeks and… I… I wanted to say I was sorry.” I try, he’s not buying it. He always saw right through me.

“Are you sorry, or are you just trying to make yourself feel better?” Damn. He’s got a point. Again.

“Both.” I close my eyes, sliding down the wall and knocking my head back against it. God this sucks. Why did I think this was a good idea? At least I’m not panicking. Kai isn’t here yet. Everything’s okay for now.

“Are you still going after the guy who killed dad?” Another question that sends me through a fucking loop.

“How did you-“ Archie is quick to cut me off.

“I know you, Kate.” He reminds me. Yeah, he does. Archie always knew me better than anyone, we were two peas in a pod once upon a time. Especially before the divorce…

“I can’t really talk about it.” I mutter, and I can hear Archie sigh loudly on the other end.

“Of course you can’t- look. I know I can’t stop you. No one ever could. But I need you to promise me you won’t let Mattie and I lose you too.” He adds the ‘and I’ part as an afterthought. In his head he’s already lost me. I want to tell him he hasn’t, but that’d be a lie. I’m not the person I was before the move. We both know It, he’s just being the noble one. He’s trying to spare my feelings, again.

“As if.” I joke, trying to lighten his mood. It doesn’t work.

“I’m serious, Katherine. Don’t go to prison.” I can hear him grinding his teeth. I’m not there to prevent dentist visits anymore.

“Why are you assuming I’d do something illegal?” I ask- but I know his answer.

“Laws are rules. You hate rules.” There it is.

“You always knew me best.” I sigh

“Yep.” He agrees. I know that he’s reaching his limit. He doesn’t want to talk anymore.

“Tell Mattie I said hi.” I mumble.

“Okay.” He mutters.

“B-bye Archie.” God damn it. Way to be weak infront of your thirteen year old brother, dumbass. “And… h-happy birthday.” I stare up at the fluorescent lights nestled in the celing.

“Thanks. Talk to you later, Kitty.” He doesn’t mean it.

The dial tone sounds, and I let my heart break for a few long minutes before I compose myself again.

Right. Back to business. Okay. Dad’s voicemail. Here I come

Chapter Text

Hizashi Yamada always seemed so patient, so kind. Well, I probably should have guessed how absolutely pissed he would get when he woke up and realized Hitoshi and I stole his car.

And I should have known as a teacher at UA, his discipline would be horrific.

“Faster, Black! C’mon! Move your ass!” Hizashi calls, sitting on the lawn chair with a magazine and glass of sweet tea, wearing sunglasses. I’m huffing and puffing. No matter how much I’ve trained I still suck at running. I’ve lost count of laps I’ve done around the track at this point, Hitoshi has already lapped me three times.

“What did we learn?!” Aizawa shouts over the pounding of feet on the pavement, he’s standing with his arms crossed.

“You should ask before borrowing a friend’s car?” I try, and am immediately knocked off my feet by a vibrating “NOPE” of Hizashi’s quirk.

“I TOLD you to wake me up for anything- that INCLUDED breakfast. I was WORRIED SICK.” Yamada is obviously struggling to keep his quirk in check. It almost feels good to get yelled at by him. Like I’m not alone in being unable to control my quirk all of the time.

“So you’re NOT mad about the car?” I ask, not making this mistake of stopping. I know better, I know damn well that would make this so much worse.

“You brought it back without a scratch, on you or it- I do wish you’d have asked.” Yamada shrugs, and grins. “Nope, this is about following clearly set rules.”

“I should admit then that I don’t have a license.” I answer back, not wanting it to come up later and be a problem.

“See, now that’s a real problem!” Hizashi shouts, but he doesn’t quirk. “C’mon ‘Toshi! Don’t stop till you drop!” I notice I’ve actually managed to pass Hitoshi, and sigh, sneakily slowing down. “Breaking the law isn’t very hero-like of you. Kit-Kat!” Hizashi is clearly trying to be gentle with me, I want to appreciate the gesture, but it’s just another painful reminder that they all think I’m weak.

“Why’d you have to tell him that?!” Hitoshi whines under his breath, only I would hear him.

“Better now than later.” I say aloud, both of them can assume I’m talking to them.

“Is that what this is? You’re trying to get teenage rebellion out of your system?! Newsflash, chica, I’m totally down to help with that! In a safe, positive setting!” Mic doesn’t quirk, but he is yelling again. He sighs. “Alright! Enough! It’s dinner time. Katie, what do you like to eat?” Mic stands, but Aizawa remains seated, he’s been reading over the script of my father’s voicemail this entire time, marking it up, taking notes. We still haven’t listened to it yet, he said he wanted to be more fully prepared.

“Uh… I prefer Kat… and I don’t mind. I like almost everything.” I shrug, and Hizashi frowns.

“Oh no missy, you have serious control issues. You need to express agency over your body in more constructive ways. Start with food choices.” He bonks me on the head with his rolled-up magazine. “Good job on setting boundaries though. Picking a name for yourself is important. Controlling your image is a step closer to having more control over yourself in general.” Yamada speaks plainly to me- he’s decided to take his teacher role seriously I guess.

“Uh… I guess- sushi? That doesn’t sound too bad.” I shrug, and Yamada grins.

“Proud ‘a ya’ kiddo- alright both a’ ya need to hit the showers. Kat, you can use the en-suite.” He waves us back toward the apartment building, and heads off on his own, Hizashi follows quickly, keen on a shower after a four-hour running session.

“Kate.” Aizawa beckons me over, and I move quickly to his side.

“What’s up?” I ask. He’s been on his phone all day- is there something wrong with Eri?

“I need you to be more honest with me.” Aizawa looks down at the ground and slightly to the left.

“What?” I ask, tilting my head, weirded out by his coy demeanor.

“I can’t go around having a heart attack every time you sneak off. I need to know where your head’s at. I need to know where you’re going. Who you’re with. I’m by no means trying to replace your father but-” He sounds flustered, it’s almost funny, I decide to cut the man a break.

“But you care about me.” I finish for him, and he chuckles, and sighs.

“Yeah. I do. So, can you try to be more open with me? I will not abuse the privelege. Anything you tell me will be in confidence. Unless it’s a direct threat to your safety, I will not intervene, fair?” he finally looks at me, his eyes searching for something. Indication of lying, probably- but I’m not going to.

“Fine… but uh… I want something in return.” I will, however, manipulate a little bit.

“What’d you have in mind?” He asks, suspicious as always. Fair.

“I want more freedom. And I want my academic probation dropped. I’ll even let you track my phone.” I shrug, and he clenches his jaw.

“Fine.” He nods, and walks off, quickly catching up with Hizashi. I hang back, and grip onto Hitoshi’s wrist, forcing him to slow down. He keeps up with me willingly, but doesn’t look at me.

“I’m sorry.” I whisper at Hitoshi, and he shoots me a glance.

“What the hell are you sorry for? I was the one being a jerk.” He retorts, and shakes his head. “I- you’re not a selfish bitch, Kate. You’re just… you’re too nice for your own good.” He shoves his hands in his pockets, and hunches his shoulders. “I talked to Midoriya today…”

“They let him go back to school and not me? Weak.” I grumble, kicking a rock in my path.

“Yeah. Uh. He said he can’t talk about what happened but… from what I saw-“ He starts, I’m curious.

“What DID you see exactly?” I ask, he’s quick to deflect.

“Only a second but-“ He doesn’t want to talk about it- but I need to know exactly what he’s thinking.

“Be more specific.” I prompt, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. He doesn’t pull away.

He pauses, and swallows. The teachers are having an engrossed conversation about some training they did today, Yamada is hyping up his acting skills. “I saw a man, on top of me. He called me Angel…” Ah- I forgot that the memory is shown I first-person… I should ask Yamada what he saw as well.

“Ah, yeah. He did that a lot.” I scratch at my wrist, feeling something constricting around it- there’s nothing there. Hitoshi glances down, and pulls me closer to his side, wrapping his arm around my shoulders instead of holding my hand.