12: To The Lives I Once Lived

 Hands clasping behind your back, you kicked a bit of the rubble aside and stepped over a fallen beam. Half of the place was up in flames. The other half was covered in blood and bodies. It was a challenge to keep your nice kimono from getting any ash or human remains on it. This was your really fancy one, too. Kai could probably clean it out, but then he'd ask why you got it so dirty in the first place.

 The narrow hallway opened into a much larger, grander one. The walls were so sleek that the death screeches could bounce along them for miles.

 You unclasped your hands to pick up the edge of your kimono while stepping over a fidgety corpse. Standing for a moment in a clearing, your mind blanked as you wondered where you were in this maze of hallways.

 Oh yeah! It should be just to your right. After a bit more walking, you followed the sounds of struggle until you reached two large arching doors. You stepped over a couple more bodies, entering the main room. Inside, the last of the warriors fought one another until the only remaining were Flect Turn and the twenty or so men who surrounded him with weapons.

 You opened your mouth, allowing your voice to resonate across the massive, circular, pristine room. The place that honestly looked like the home of a cult. "Leave him to me. This man won't go down easy."

 "Yes, Sister!" The knights of sorts bowed and passed on through the room into the command center. Flect sent a laser their way, but you used a directed Decay attack through the ground to close off the doors with rubble just in time to block it. The glowing man snarled at you. Obviously, he was more than furious about your betrayal. You had tried everything to nudge him in the right direction, but he was so set in his ways. All of this was infuriating for you as well.

 There was something so calming, though, about a plan actually going the way it was intended. There was that sweet sweet dopamine rush from seeing things play out exactly as you had imagined them. You couldn't help but appear calm! ..and a little bit prideful~

 "I KNEW LETTING YOU JOIN OUR RANKS WAS A MISTAKE!" The man spat. "DON'T THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH THIS!!"

 You placed your hand on your chest, through the veil looking at him like you were innocent in all of this. "My good sir.. I didn't do anything treasonous~ .. If anything, it is you who have betrayed everyone else in Humarise!... All I did was reveal the true schemes your branch has been plotting behind everyone else's backs. You should have known worldwide terrorism wouldn't sit right with a mostly peaceful organization~" Your words grated against his skin and you knew it. "Before you are sent off to prison, at least allow me to offer you one simple act of kindness." As you stepped within ten feet of he man, you reached out your hand. "Allow me to take that burden of a quirk from you."

 Flect ground his teeth. "You already know that is impossible!"

 "I'm trying something new today~" The hole in your hand started to glow. As you took more steps forward, the man prepared his quirk for a fight. As you came closer, however, the very fabric of his quirk started to collect into thin light blue streams and fly for your hand. The man gasped. Flakes of blue left his skin, revealing a much more human tan. Flect was stunned with disbelief as his means of attacking and defending were chipped away. Your excited grin was not helping him. You were equally amazed, excited to see this quirk combination was actually working!

 Flect took a weak step back in retaliation. You strode forward. It wasn't much longer before Flect Turn was nothing but a normal man laying on the ground. You grinned and watched your hand as the rest of his quirk embedded itself into your flesh. You knelt again and used Decay to quickly break away the rubble that had fallen over the door. Immediately after, the remaining soldier/knight look-alikes ran through, they cheered at the sight of their enemy now powerless and at their mercy. They swarmed and congratulated you for taking down such a powerful villain. You chuckled and smiled.

 All in a day's work.

---------------

 "Thanks for lending me your power..." You whispered to Ms. Inko, who was laying still in her bed, sleeping soundly. You returned the woman's quirk slowly as not to wake her. Hopefully, she didn't need to use her quirk much in the time you held possession over it. You dropped a smaller quirk in there that would keep the woman healthy well into her late years as a small thanks. Hopefully, she would forgive you.. if she found out, that is.

 You disappeared in a portal shortly after and spent the rest of the long night sleeping soundly.

---------------

 You'd trained Buddy well these last few weeks since you'd gotten him. Turning into a cat, you easily carried the bunny around by the skin of his neck without him putting up a fight. You liked to show him around the campus this way. It was much easier to chase after him as a cat were he to run. Good thing he was starting to get the hang of this and so wasn't really running away anymore. My, you could even say the two of you were becoming friends.

 Eri was following you around today. Halfway to four, the little girl could get around a lot better than before. She liked to play with you and Buddy as animals, so this became your favorite babysitting method as of late.

 You waited for Eri to catch up before scampering onto the grassy field. You led Eri over to the pond and set Buddy down once you'd reached your favorite spot under the shade of a nice tree. You flicked your tail, taking a moment to appreciate this beautiful Sunday afternoon.

 Kinda sucks that you rarely have time anymore to visit the Todorokis. You only started visiting again recently just to ensure them that you were still alive. Thankfully, they just assumed you had found another family to hang out with. In a way, you sorta did. Eri, Buddy, and you had become an unlikely trio.

 Eri picked up your front half and your front half only. You were too big for her to pickup fully and so eventually the little girl gave up trying. Buddy hopped around like crazy, kicking his legs high into the air. He was clearly enjoying the outdoors as well.

 Mimic appeared in his tiny form to take pictures of you lot from behind the tree. When you looked over him with lazy eyes, he gave up hiding and took some group photos of the adorable trio. "The boss is going to love these!" He finally revealed why he was doing this. You allowed him regardless. As long as he wasn't getting in anyone's way.

 Eri pulled out a ribbon from her hair and used it to tease you with. You played along by chasing the thing around. The girl's giggles were well worth playing the fool. 

 Then after all the games were played and everyone was starting to get a little tired, you, Eri and Buddy cuddled together on the grass for a relaxing nap.

 Though these moments were few and far in-between, everybody heard the tales eventually, which brought a little more light and cheer into this darkened overly serious place.

---------------

=================

I'm sorry guys I simply can't write "lustful dialogue" even when I try, so I can't make Midnight sound as creepy as she does in the anime/manga. TvT Just imagine she's being all weird for me, okay? It's kinda important for the plot.

==================

 "Alright, class!✨ It's time for my favorite part of this year's curriculum; we're going to dedicate this whole week to finalizing the designs for your costumes and work-shopping your hero names with real professionals! For today, we'll be focusing on the costumes! Remember, everyone~ you're free to change whatever you want later, but NOW is the time when you have to distinguish your brand! You must dig deep into your true passions and pull out the essence that really makes you you!" The woman twirled. By now, everyone was half desensitized to her looks and personality. "Now get changed into your costumes, everyone! You are all going to stand at the front of the class and endure the harshest criticism of all; from your classmates! Don't hold your punches, anyone~ Remember that it's also important for us to learn how to handle criticism before the media gets their chance!" Really looked like she had some personal beef with the media there.

 This was an absolute nightmare for all the shy kids. You had to drag poor Komi into the changing room. When everyone returned in their costumes, the criticism began. It was all very constructive in nature, thankfully. Small problems people had with each other's costumes were finally addressed. Whoever was standing had to take notes of everyone's tips no matter how much they disagreed with it. They were encouraged to at least consider the other may be right. Before anyone was allowed to speak, however, Ms. Midnight used her well trained eye to detail the positive traits about each costume, then when the students were done, she would give some of her own professional advice. Most of her advice was to "let loose," whatever that means.

-----

In the other classroom:

 "Hmmm, it's pretty boring." 🤔

 "Yeah, it is kinda boring." 🤔

 "Sorry but I have to agree.." 🤔

 Iguchi: "Frick you guys."

-----

 "What a marvelously designed costume Shimura has here! As you all can see, the white cape works to contrast the black clothing, which accentuates his figure! That paired with the red cape around his waist really comes together to give him more of an hour glass shape~ Oh, and the red matches perfectly with your eyes~!"

 O///O "Wa-wait, what?!." Tenko nervously hugged around his midsection. "I- I never really thought about it like that.."

 Random student: "I mean it was originally designed for a woman."

-----

 "Looks pretty solid to me."

 "Yeah I can always get behind a woman in a suit!"

 "Maybe a utility belt to help you accessorize with first aid equipment?"

 "Too baggy." Komoi Ai, or Frame Rate, who STILL wore a biker's helmet over his head, leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his neck. You could sense the smirk radiating off of him. "I mean, wouldn't running around in that thing be a bit too restrictive?"

 Knowing his silent perv motives already, you gave him a look while placing your hands on your hips. "Says the one who wears a leather jacket~"

 "Hey, it looks cool!"

 "Ohhh~"

 "Ohhh~"

 "Gottem~"

 "The pockets are useful for carrying supplies!"

 You showed off the pockets in your suit jacket and pants. "Same here."

 "Ooo~"

 "Ooo~"

 "Showed him~!"

 It was actually a pretty fun change of pace, this whole costume thing.

---------------

 "Ayyyyy~! Finally a break today~!" Hawks made sure to boast on call right after you finished school. Since you were working with him now, you found yourself hanging around the guy more than you ever could have imagined before! Meant you knew each other's schedules pretty well by this point.

 "Oh? Really?"

 "Yeah! Wanna watch a movie with me for old time sake!? I'll buy the tickets~"

 "Ohhhhyeah! I'll be there!"

 "Yusss!"

----------

 While walking down the dimly lit hall with your bowls of popcorn, "So how are you supposed to watch a movie with that blindfold of yours??"

 "It's complicated, but if I focus on the projector itself, I can make-out the chemical compounds inside that create the color needed for the picture-"

 "Yeah, that sounds too complicated." Hawks hopped a tiny bit to pull your blindfold down. "Just watch the movie like a normal person!"

 You were glad no one was paying attention to the two of you as you quickly covered your eyes again. "Idiot, I admitted to being blind on live television, I can't just say I got better!"

 "Fine then!" Laughing anyway. "We'll sit in the back so nobody else can see you taking it off!"

 "Eh, I guess that works."

----------

 You two could barely hold in your laughter. Scratch that. You couldn't. Worst part was this was supposed to be a super sad and dramatic scene, but neither you nor the winged hero could take the main character's acting seriously.

 "PHAAAA!" You finally laughed aloud at one part. Hawks was wheezing beside you, trying to breathe as he was slowly falling out of his chair.

 "You guys can shut up, ya know!" Ms. Zeyale sitting a couple rows in front of you guys turned around to glare.

 "Pfff!" 😳 "Ms. Zeya?!"

 "Pfff!" 😳 "Ms. Zeya?!"

 Surely this wasn't a coincidence! Both you and Hawks side eyed each other suspiciously, wondering who had spilled the beans. Neither of you ever said out loud which movie you'd be watching for this reason. Yet here the woman was! In professional wear too, meaning this wasn't just her having time off.

 "Stop disturbing the peace or I'll be forced to drag your a##es out of here!"

...

 "Yes ma'am." 😔

 "Yes ma'am." 😔

 A silent sigh of relief resonated throughout the crowd. ... What a killjoy.

----------

 After that half disappointment of a movie, you guys still had some time to kill, so you went ahead and bought an early dinner. He paid for the tickets, so you insisted you pay for the food.

 Nothing special in particular was discussed that evening. You guys shared memes with each other, talked about new heroes popping up, laughed at some trends the younger kids were coming up with, and shared your opinions on some of the drama that was happening abroad.

 Laughter fading out, "You know, it's pretty crazy to think I'm already twenty. Twenty-one in half a year!" He rubbed his face, leaning way back in the bench. "Aghh, I'm not ready to be an adult!. Yet here I am already talking about teenagers as if they're little kids!"

 You snickered a bit. "Ould man!"

 One of his feathers detached to poke your arm. "Hey, you're my accomplice here! You're eighteen already. That's legally an adult now."

 You crossed your arms and protruded your bottom lip. "Don't have to remind me.." Yep, this was it. Back to the same age you were when you died in your past life. Strangely enough, you had more friends, family even, compared to the past. Even so, growing up was just as daunting as before. Maybe even moreso. You don't want to be forced into the world of adults so soon! Your past self had no other choice, but now you kinda do. And you wanted to remain as you were for as long as physically possible! You laid your forehead on the table, hands clasping over your head. "Can I just stay a teenager forever..? That would be nice.." Teenagers don't have to do so much busywork. Teenagers don't have to figure out taxes and other complicated paperwork. Teenagers don't have to worry about growing apart from their friends. Teenagers don't have to have others relying on them for everything. Teenagers don't have to get married off in some kind arranged marriages with the Yakuza! Teenagers don't have to try and convince a whole country to agree with things they themself don't agree on! Teenagers--!

 Keigo placed his warm hand on yours. "Hey. It's going to be okay.. I had a lot of help when I was starting out my agency, and you will too.. You also have me to come to if you need some elderly advice." He smirked. But as you looked up, his eyes were genuine and pure. It was.. actually really pretty. They were so calm and assertive at the same time. Calmed your nerves instantly. 

 That's funny... You weren't even thinking about all the being a hero ahead of you. That item was fairly low on your stress list.

 With Hawks' help it was nearly zero.

---------------

 Class was over and everyone was breaking off again into groups to head out. You and Tenny met up with Hoku and Iguchi and walked outside together. Just at the front doors, about to exit, the squeaking of shoes hastened your way.

 "(Y/n)! Hey, (Y/n) Diforester, can I please talk to you real quick!?" Kobayashi's wings fluttered as she chased you down.

 You turned to her casually with your hands in your pockets. "Sure. What's the matter?" After Kobayashi skidded to a halt, she bowed briefly then dug into her bag.

 "I- I've been meaning to ask you something!" She pulled out a small cloth bag full of cookies, offering them to you. "Would you consider hiring me as one of your sidekicks when you open your agency? I've been thinking long and hard about it and I really want to help you out! I know I'm not good enough to become a fully fledged hero, and I know I probably never will, but a- as your sidekick, I know what kind of a hero you want to be already and I can help you with that! I can-... help you..." She lost all confidence by the end, retreating a few steps and staring down at the ground. You studied her smaller form while considering the offer.

 Your gut response was an obvious 'yes... Yes.. Yes, please stay with me. Be my friend forever. I'll protect you as long as you never leave me.' She wasn't a best friend by any means, but you'd grown close in the past two years. You had a lot of fond memories together.

 But... at the same time, you had to be realistic. Kobayashi was right. As much as you wanted to hype her up, she couldn't perform on the same level as most heroes. Her quirk, though useful, restricted her fighting style and range. She'd be crushed anywhere outside of her comfort zone and everyone knew it, especially her. It's why she only had three internship offers her first year, then only two in her second. Dragging such a person into your world just wouldn't be fair. Not only would it be in the city, where she struggles the most, but it's also simply too dangerous of a place for the weak.

 Your voice was caught in your throat.. so long that the girl already knew what you were about to say by the time you said it.

 "..I'm sorry... I can't... My.. my agency is going to be handling a lot of really tough cases.. all of which will be out of your element... Trust me, I wish I could bring you along, but I ca-"

 "-I get it..." Kobayashi smiled up at you with tears in her eyes. She hoped that you were as blind as you said you were, and that you couldn't see the mess she was becoming. She sniffed and wiped a few tears away. "...Thanks for being honest." She gave you the cookies anyways, then ran away to have her cry where no one could see.

 This was the scary thing about being a third-year.

 It becomes all the more obvious who will succeed... and who is doomed to flop at the starting line. Though you all had grown so much, there were some, no, many.. who simply would never make the cut.

 Less than a fourth of graduates from the UA hero course even become heroes. The rest settle as sidekicks.

 And of even those who go on to become heroes, only about 10% actually achieve their dreams. The rest is just a mass of people who try...and fail.

 You'll have to expect a lot more proposals like this as your final year progresses, most of which you'll sadly have to turn down.

 An extra twist of tragedy to think that so many dreams now lay at your unworthy feet.

 How were you even supposed to know what was the right choice??

---------------

 You finally had some time to yourself, which you unfortunately had to use to catch up on homework. While begrudgingly trying to remember complex arithmetic formulas and graph stuff, Morse code again entered your head. Glad to have an excuse to do anything else, you pulled out a blank sheet of paper and set to decoding the message.

- "8 i n s t e a d o f 4"

 "Oh!" You turned to your math homework and, sure enough, your original calculations were off by a little bit. You fixed the problem real quick before giving a thumbs up.

 Now that he was here watching you, a crushing question weaseled its way onto the translating paper. " 'Are they experimenting on you?' "

...

 Radio silence filled you with dreadful suspense.

- "y e s" He responded at last. A pit formed in your chest.

 " 'Is it really bad?' " First of all, how on earth was anyone legally allowed to be experimented on?! The thought that such a thing was even possible was terrifying.

- "r i g h t a r m i s n u m b, b u t I a m o k"

 It's what he deserved. Both of you knew it. He deserved that and so much more. But still. The thought that this was happening to anyone was what stirred your stomach sick. That and... You had to admit, you were afraid for him. Strangely, he was showing promising signs of improvement before his capture. All of that could be undone if he continued to see only the worst parts of humanity. 

 ...By this point, though, was it even worth it to reform him? Or would it be better to just let him go..?

 I mean... He'll never get to live a normal life. He'll never have that chance of being treated like a normal person. He never was treated like a human and he never will be treated like one. It's a fact of life he's undoubtedly already accepted and is probably alright with since he has no prior knowledge or experience living any other way. It's easy for the villain's own daughter to know how that can feel. To be so separated from humanity thanks to only a few key factors. Biggest difference between you and him is you remember your past life, where you really were just some average person. Perhaps, without those memories, you wouldn't have turned out too differently from your old man.

 ... Why did he treat you so kindly anyways...? He knew nothing of your past life, so being nice wasn't necessary for him to groom you into another version of himself. Why did he..? Why did he even live the way he did?! Why live in a suburban house?? Why let his wife, who was an active threat to his plans, be free and live life with him instead of just locking her away somewhere like he did with his brother ages ago? And why did he try to keep the appearance of a normal family up years after your quirk had been confirmed? He knew what your mother would try, yet he attempted to keep peace with her. He let normal civilian life live for as long as it possibly could. ... Now what reason did he have to do something like that? Did he want you to live the kind of blissful childhood he never could, or was there something sinister behind it? You couldn't trust that you knew anymore.

 All these thoughts accumulated into one daunting question.

 " 'Do you want to die?' "

...

- "n o"

 ..." 'But, why though?? You'll never get what you want! You're the villain, after all! They always lose at the end and you should know that! No one will forgive you for what you have done. No one will care about who or what you are. You will never belong here, so why even keep trying to stay alive??' "

- "I h a v e n e v e r h a d a r e a s o n t o l i v e o t h e r t h a n t h a t I f e a r d e a t h. T h a t w i l l n e v e r c h a n g e."

 You swallowed the growing lump in your throat and dropped your pen to rub your face. It was so simple, but it still caught you a little off guard.

- "I l o v e d v i l l a i n s b e c a u s e t h e y h a d n o t h i n g t o f e a r. T h e y W E R E f e a r. . I n e v e r f i n i s h e d a c o m i c b o o k b e c a u s e I d i d n o t w a n t a n o t h e r r e a s o n t o f e a r f o r m y l i f e."

 " 'I see... It's always been you against the world, hasn't it?' "

- "Y e s. E v e n m y b r o t h e r. M y w i f e. Y o u."

 " 'Sorry to disappoint. From what I heard though, you were given plenty of chances by each one, your brother, wife and I, to turn around, but you never did. ... So how do you expect anyone to defend you if you've never even tried to change?' "

. . .

 The pause was so long, you started to do homework again.

- "I a m h u m a n"

 Startled, you took to writing quickly. " 'You've killed countless other humans without a problem.' "

- "Y o u c a n d i e t h e v i l l a i n o r l i v e l o n g e n o u g h t o b e c o m e t h e h e r o."

 " 'Bull####. That saying usually goes the other way around. What you are talking about isn't realistic.' "

- "b u t t h e r e i s h o p e, r i g h t?"

 ... " 'I suppose.' " Suddenly, you had another question. " 'How much of what you told me as a kid was a lie?' "

- "2 t r u t h s, 1 l i e. t h a t i s h o w I r a i s e d y o u."

 " 'Got it... Mind telling me which ones were lies?' "

- "a n o t h e r t i m e. Y o u n e e d s l e e p."

 " 'This is more IMPORTANT than sleep!' "

- "I s u p p o s e. I d o n o t w a n t t o r i g h t n o w, t h o u g h."

 " 'I hate you.' "

- "I k n o w."

 He wouldn't respond to anything after that. Guess you'd just have to bank on him coming around to it eventually. You really had a lot of chaos flying through your head. Some clarity sure would be nice.

 He didn't want to die, though. That was the big takeaway you had for today.

 Why did you have to be the one put in charge of making the decision on whether he lives or dies? Whether countless villains live or die??

 You were supposed to be a hero, not an executioner!

---------------

 You were testing out the base model for that uber cool motorcycle you'd ordered, which was mostly black with some sweet blue and white accenting to it, when a loud rumble was heard several blocks down. The shadow of Hawks swooped over-head, the hero already on his way to the crime scene. You sped that way as well, still getting a hang of the controls but not far behind the other.

 ""Hawks!"" Ms. Zeyale barked into the earpiece suddenly. ""Focus on the villain and let (H/n) deal with this one.""

 ""Sorry, ma'am, but the building's going down! (H/n) won't be much help here!""

 "Heyy!" He was probably right, but still. If the boss was so set on you handling it, then she must have some kind of plan... Already though? Dang. Fast!

 ""(Y/n)! The villain's fleeing East! You capture them while I save the civilians!"" Hawks ordered.

 "Aye-aye!" You had no reason to argue. Agreed even that you would do better chasing a villain than handling a falling building.

 You took a few sharp turns and set your sights on the prize. A large villain was running away with a leaking bag of cash. How iconic. You decided to test this bike's more advanced features, starting by driving it up a wall to follow the villain running into an alleyway, as well as grabbing a small foam grenade from the compartment and throwing it on top of the guy. It exploded and surrounded the villain in a thick goop that quickly hardened tough as concrete. Though strong, the villain had no room to even move his arms, so he was trapped. You and your bike fell to the ground after the capture, since there was nothing but a dead-end to run into ahead. Ow... You still had a lot of things to practice with this motorcycle.

 Pleased with yourself, you waited for one of Hawks' sidekicks to show up to watch the villain while you ran back to help out the winged one however you could. By the time you arrived, beams from a nearby construction site were hastily placed to prop up the largest part of the crumbling apartment building. Your hero friend was busy helping the last remaining civilians out of the rubble.

 You jumped in by helping comfort the people who'd just lost their homes, as well as clearing passerbys out of the area should these very rickety props crumble. As an aspect of your hero training, you especially have had to study construction and destruction protocols, since your quirk requires that kind of knowledge the most. So, from a glance you can tell this thing will last only about thirty minutes. You can use Decay on it in a little bit to ensure no further damage is caused.

 While your back was turned to the site, shooing some especially impatient people away, a loud shriek was followed by a rather painful thonk. That thonk being the sound of someone falling onto pavement. Hawks was in more of a panic than usual, for good reason, as he landed beside the woman to help her. The woman, aged mid-twenties, shrieked and cried, repeating over and over again that her leg was broken. That was obvious. D###..

 "What happened here?" You asked Hawks. Good thing the paramedics showed up just a minute ago. They left the lesser injured to care for the lady who'd just fallen. Hawks didn't answer, like he was afraid to.

 "He dropped her!!" A witness accusingly pointed at the hero. Another few verbalized or just nodded their agreement. Even more cameras were pulled out than before, all focusing on the young hero and the lady. Hawks ignored them. He ignored everything pretty much. Something was wrong. He was clearly trying to remember what to do in a situation like this, but the issue was so specific he hadn't a clue!

 A paramedic pulled Hawks aside. "Do you need some water?" When Hawks waved the offer off, he was forcibly pulled aside and away from the increasingly agitated crowd's line of sight. You were left alone to handle the situation. You had so little context for what happened, but you were forced to answer for the hero's wrongdoings. Rumors spread like mad among them. That a hero just dropped a civilian out of nowhere. Facing them all was like trying to get a swarm of hornets to settle down after touching their hive. Everyone was already uneasy after seeing what had happened to the building, and now this??!

 Suffice to say the aftermath of the incident took ten times longer to deal with than the incident itself.

 How did Ms. Zeya know?

----------

 After that long mess was all sorted through, you were not in the brightest mood. You swung open the door to the costume prep room, which had become something of a meeting room as well, and slammed the door shut behind. Your stomping feet could be heard by all who were inside. You knew Hawks was in there. He, a few other sidekicks and staff. "Alright, mind explaining to me what the f### happened out there?! You dropped someone??"

 Keigo stood from the folding chair everyone was surrounding while rolling his eyes. "I know, I know, I messed up big time. Now can you guys leave me alone, already?" Seemed he was exhausted from having to explain himself over and over again. He didn't even have the energy to confront you about it.

 You noticed his attitude and chilled out. "Well.. Can I at least know why?"

 "Don't pay any attention to him, (H/n)!" An older guy who looked like an officer laughed while slapping Keigo's back. "He's just being a crybaby!"

 That's when one of Hawks' own sidekicks decided to make a comment. "Yeah, mans was blessed with such good looks, he doesn't know what to do about it!"

 Even the elderly janitor, who'd joined in at some time, started smiling and picking on the young hero. "Yah, count ya'self lucky, kid! It isn't offen a woman'll give ya 'at kinda attention! Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-ekkh, ack!" Bro wheezed so hard he almost died.

 Your arms were crossed and eyebrows tense as you studied the scene from a distance. Took a moment to piece everything together, but when you did, you were appalled. All the other guys continued making jokes about it until Keigo finally forced a smile and joined in. That seemed to do the trick, as the older men one by one started to leave the young man until at last it was just he and you. You watched as instantly his smile dropped. He rubbed his head and shuffled across the room. He sat at a desk and looked at his reflection only for a few seconds before hiding his face in his arms atop the dresser.

...

 You took a step forward. "..Kei-?"

 "CAN I JUST BE ALO-NE?" A prepubescent squeak broke it's way in there. He mumbled further nonsense into his arms, but you couldn't comprehend any of it. While you were definitely up for giving the man some space, you didn't want to leave him so terribly conflicted either.

 "...Is that what happened? You were assaulted and panicked? Dropping her by accident?"

 "I don't know?!" You pestering him certainly wasn't helping him calm down. You knew it too. You could practically see the agitation radiating off of him. Keigo sniffled and started wiping at his nose with his sleeves, still keeping his face down and out of sight, even to the reflection. You stayed put in the center of the room, not wanting to upset him anymore than you already were. "It happened so fast," He started, mumbling mostly. "It's a blur, but I was carrying this lady to safety when suddenly she grabbed my crotch. I panicked, dropped her.. and yeah... Worst part is she's the same lady who's been posting uncomfortable videos about me for years now, which have been progressively getting worse... So I can't help but be suspicious she might have caused that whole incident on purpose, but I shouldn't, because there's no evidence, and we can't even interrogate people unless we have reason to!" He slammed his fist on the desk to emphasize his frustrations. "And now I'm getting sued by that same woman! ####!" You were shook. Frozen in place... He was never like this! It was scary!

 But it made perfect sense. There was no justice in any of this. This was a story where the villain wins. And there's nothing the hero can do about it.

 "...I'm sorry to hear that..." You lowered your chin, hands holding one another. There really wasn't anything you could add here. And you didn't know Keigo well enough to know how best to comfort him. Moments like these were more than rare! It was annoying how little you could help out here! "If you need anything.. I'll.."

 "-Remember when you made me fall the other day?" He chuckled softly.

~ flashback ~

 You guys were enjoying the view up in Ms. Zeya's office, just talking about different exercises and stretches to do throughout the day, when you teasingly mentioned shoulder rubs being helpful and grabbed the other's shoulders to demonstrate.

 "Dang, your shoulders are really tough!" The moment you tried to massage them a bit, his legs lost all strength and he fell over like a fainting goat. You leaned over the poor hero as he lay helplessly on the ground. You smirked. Slowly, you slipped your hand out and formed the 🖖 peace sign with it. "I come in peace."

 Keigo covered his red face with his arm while chuckling. "I know." The hero exhaled. "I'm just not used to being touched- in- like.. not hostile ways."

 Both of you laughed after that, followed by you helping the guy up.

~ end of flashback ~

 "..Think you could..?" Sitting up a bit more, he looked really awkward asking for it. Didn't end up finishing that sentence. He just pinched his shoulder a little bit while peeking back to look over at you.

 "Tsss, of course, man. Not a problem for me at all." Happy to now have some kind of direction on what to do, you strode across the room and started massaging the man's shoulders. He was shockingly timid about it. He stared either at the desk, his lap, or his hands the whole time, deep in thought. "...I know where you're coming from."

 "Coming??" 😳 He hoped you were joking.

 "Yeah, after I was reborn, I wasn't used to affection at all!" You laughed. "Always felt super awkward, or like my skin was on fire, or worse, being pricked by thousands of needles."

 "Oh.." Keigo breathed. "So that is normal..."

 "Psh. Yeah, but it still feels good, right? Just takes a while to get over the initial fear of contact. Don't worry. I was abused too, so I know how it works. Takes a while, but if I can get over it, so can you!"

 "That's...good to hear. .. Are.. are you using a quirk on me by chance?"

 "..Nooo...?"

 "Okay, so it's just me then.."

 "Why? What's wrong?"

 "N- nothing!"

 "Keigooo..."

 "It just feels like you're brainwashing me into forming a closer bond against my will.."

 You took your hands off of his shoulders. "I can stop."

 In the reflection, he looked at you; he looked at your hands; he looked at himself. Mumbling, "please continue." When you did, he also added, "Can you get around my wings too? Those muscles are painfully tense."

 "Aye-aye, cap'n." After all, it was the only thing you could do to help. Even Keigo's superiors were admittedly stuck here. There really isn't much a hero can do in a messy situation like this. When the law turns against itself.

---------------

 "Allow me to apologize for my actions." In the main office, Hawks bowed to the woman in a wheelchair. This was embarrassing... Standing not far away beside the man, you felt sick to your stomach. You'd decided to watch some of this woman's videos to see what Keigo was talking about, and indeed they were appalling. Not to mention the physical harassment too. But, unfortunately no one could prove that ever happened, so Hawks' testimony fell dead in the water. That means the only 'victim' here was the lady herself, who agreed to drop charges as long as she got a heartfelt apology from the hero himself. You could tell she was secretly relishing the young man's submission, having a hard time holding in her smile. Such an appalling creature. You had to remind yourself not to kill her on the spot at least eighteen times. On top of that, the woman was twenty-nine, making this even more disgusting.

 There was no justice in any of this, and everyone silently knew that. From you to Ms. Zeya to the police chief to even the random medical staff and police officers. This had turned out to be a much bigger event than it needed to be, and this woman in the wheelchair was being called a "hero" now for being so kind as to not press charges or spread rumors for something who "clearly" deserves it.

 Hawks held his bow for an uncomfortably long amount of time as he waited for the lady to respond. She finally did, saying something generic about how chivalrous men like him are so rare, and how handsome he is... Yeah, f### yourself, madam.

 When the lady had finally been carted away, Hawks turned to you firstly with the most defeated look you'd ever seen on him before. He waddled up to you and leaned his forehead against your shoulder while groaning painfully. You rubbed his back, feeling how much he'd been shaking. "Mind if I go home now, Ms. Zeya?"

 The eldest sighed, having just said her farewells to all those in the police force who'd visited. They were really just there as extra witnesses. "Hhh, I suppose you can have half a day off."

 "Half??"

 "Quit whining. I'm being generous in giving you any time off for this... You cost us one heck of a headache for disobeying my orders."

 😔 "Yes ma'am..."

 You, perhaps being the only one who even cared about the poor guy, pulled him in for a quick embrace. "I'll work twice as hard today to give you some extra time off." You whispered.

 "No.. It's okay..." Worming out of the hug, "I just need some fresh air." Turned from you, his wings were droopy as he walked out toward the exit. Both you and Ms. Zeya watched him until the guy was gone. Then, the woman's eyes landed on you.

 "You're still here?" You both realized just then that you were the only ones in the woman's big office now.

 "There's actually something I've been meaning to ask you.."

 "Oh?" One brow rose.

 "Yeah.. How did you know what was going to happen?"

 "Instinct. I've been in the business for so long, I know-"

 "-Liar." You growled. "Because that's not the only time something like that has happened either! What about the movie theater?! I trust Keigo enough to know he isn't lying when he said he didn't tell you about that! And-and you keep doing it over and over again too! You keep knowing things you shouldn't, and going places that have no history of you there! No camera footage, no witnesses!."

 Ms. Zeya stood even straighter as she quickly held her hands behind her back. "Have you been spying on me?"

 "Just because you spied on me! Some of the stuff you claimed to see me do, there weren't even any cameras there! Like, what the heck!?. You can't tell me you're quirkless; you really can't! I won't believe you!"

 The woman chuckled, looking down while shaking her head. "I really don't know what to tell you. I'm just good at my job." Her dismissal was disingenuous. She wanted you to drop the topic and you could tell.

 "No! You're a liar, and I know it! I mean, I just found out you're my sister the other day! If you're able to hide that, then surely you'd be able to hide a quirk!"

 "You think I'm your sister?? Where did you get that idea?!"

 "The family picture book!"

 "Bring it to me."

 "No!"

 "Then you have no evidence."

 "GHH!" You stomped the ground before realizing how immature you were being. You rubbing your forehead. "..You're right. You're right.. Gotta be more mature about this..." You dragged your hand down your face, blindfold falling over your nose so your eyes could stare out the wall of window at the scenery for a change. "...If you don't retract your demand forcing me to convince people that the death toll's such a great idea.. I'll gather all the evidence and prove you're that b######'s daughter too. That way, you'll be in the same boat as me."

 The woman stared at you for a moment with a thoughtful expression. Then, she laughed suddenly. Laughed so loudly she had to throw a knee slap in there. "That's so funny.. Gotta admit, I admire the attempt. Go on. Have my blood. Have my baby photos. Have it all!" Crossing her arms, the woman smirked. "If you seriously think you can prove me of anything, I dare you to. Dig through my files all you want, it'll only throw more on the pile of incriminating evidence I already have on you~"

 You blinked, brows furrowing. Was she serious or not?? What was this confidence coming from?! From her assurance that she's not related, or from her threat!? Either way, crossing this woman was clearly going to be a gamble. It was almost like... Oh my God, it was almost like the tactics your dad likes to pull! Even in the way she acts and speaks, it's uncannily similar to him in a way!

 The more you consider the similarities, the more terrifying this woman gets... Ughh, and you thought you were finally done with your dad. Now you're up against his gender bent carbon copy! 😭

 "Tell me one thing before I release you to do whatever you want with this challenge."

 "Yeah?"

 "Are you or are you not on your father's side?" Her glare was so sudden, it startled you. "Because you keep attempting to defend him. That monster of a man who deserves nothing but Hell itself."

 Your hands flung up and waved back and forth. "I- it's about more than just him! What about the other villains?!"

 "Not all of them will be put to death, idiot." The woman growled. She combed a stiff hand through her hair. "We can set something up to ensure only those with life sentences who have no intention nor ability to improve will perish. It's not just a 'your dad' issue either. Ever since All Might's death, crime has risen more than ten percent, and that's hit the prisons just as hard as everywhere else. Perhaps even worse. To say it straight, the newer prisons weren't designed to hold so many prisoners. Prison breaks happen more frequently now thanks to the short staff, and there aren't enough resources to go around in there. Starvation and worse have become commonplace and we can't evenly distribute everything without everyone suffering. With the state we're in-.. Hhhhh..."

 Ms. Zeya rest her forehead in her palm. "...This has a lot to do with your father, yes, but that's only because, just like how All Might was the symbol of peace, justice and heroism, that man is the symbol of evil and villainy. And it sends a really bad message to the people if we allow him live while All Might's six feet under. I'm asking you to separate yourself from your emotions and think about the facts. I know you must have some nice memories with him, but trust me, those are nothing but fabrications of joy, peace, and safety. You've been lied to your entire life and it's okay. It's okay to admit that you've been brainwashed. It's okay to admit you've been taken advantage of, manipulated even.. It happens to the best of us. But don't look back on those fond memories and think that they were real. Don't look back at that image of your father and think he was real. He's nothing but lies and he doesn't know how to be anything but."

 "You talk like you know him really well... You sure as Hell act like him." Ms. Zeya was so struck by your comment that she nearly lashed out at you. But she bit her tongue instead, getting far sterner with you.

 "All I'm asking for is that you look around for once. Stop caring about how you feel and try caring about how the average person feels!.. Make your decision from there. Should, or shouldn't evil die?... In my opinion at least, if something's broke and doesn't care to fix itself, the only place it belongs is the trash." Ms. Zeyale turned on her heel and started toward her desk. "I have work to do. You should get going too. Give yourself some time to actually think things through."

 She was clearly uninterested in talking anymore. No doubt, you'd struck one serious nerve by comparing her to your dad. As terrible as it was to call someone similar to the very image of sin on earth, right now, at least to you.. it felt like that comparison fit her.

 Again, why was all of this left up to you?! Why did your feeble mind have to decide between what should and shouldn't be morally right?!

---------------

. . .

 " 'Dad?' "

- "a"

 " 'Can you, without using any common phrases or words used to describe it, tell me how you personally experience 'love?' " Perhaps, now, you'd finally have your answer. You'd finally know...

. . .

- "I k n o w t h a t i t i s m i n e. N o. L i k e i t i s a p a r t o f m e. I t i s j u s t a s m u c h m e a s m y h e a r t i s. W i t h o u t i t, I a m n o t w h o l e."

 This answer intrigued you for some-odd reason, as both a mix of what you expected and you expected not to expect.

 " 'How do you know you love something? Or someone?' "

- "W i t h a q u i r k, I s e e a n d I k n o w. W i t h a n o t h e r, i t i s c o m p l i c a t e d. B u t, w h e n i t i s g o n e, g e t t i n g i t b a c k i s a l l I c a n t h i n k a b o u t."

 " 'What do you still love?' "

- "r I g h t n o w... m y b r o t h e r, y o u r m o t h e r, a n d y o u." It was chilling hearing you again being mentioned on his priorities list. Didn't he sort of disown you??.. Guess that kind of stuff fades with time. Or, was he just being dramatic for a little while?... Or was he lying right now? "I f y o u c a r e a t a l l a b o u t m e a n d m y p l a n s, r e a d t h e B l u e p r i n t s."

 " 'I deleted those already.' "

- "I s e e... W e l l t h e n. H o w I p l a n t o a q u i r e y o u a n d t h e o t h e r s w i l l r e m a i n a m y s t e r y.

;)"

 Wait a minute... So, those "Blueprints" had more than just his childish dreams for you in them...?

 ...Did he seriously just give you the key to his every plan, knowing you would delete it..?

 🧍

---------------

 You weren't in the most positive to start with the day after, so to find disturbing patterns in everyone's updated hero costumes ticked you off more than it usually would.

 Firstly, while almost everyone had some version of a mask over their face, Animorphs were prioritized to wear full-on helmets or masks that completely covered their faces. This was something you'd noticed among the pros already. Saddest thing was, most don't really think about it simply because it's been so normalized. No one even realizes it might be considered racist to prefer one group cover their faces over another. No doubt Iguchi was already speaking out about this in his classroom.

 Secondly, and closest to home for you, were the women's outfits. Midnight had made changes to all the men's costumes, of course, but she made the most changes to the women's! The costume industry as a whole, not just Midnight, made all these, frankly quite disturbing changes. Mostly things like tightening of clothing, more show of skin, and even replacing certain patterns or stitch-work to accentuate the female figure all the more. Objectively, one could say the costumes looked better, so it was hard to complain about the changes without looking ungrateful.

 Your female classmates were stuck. Some didn't want to seem rude by asking for their old costumes back. Others assumed the adults must know better and didn't want to question it. Others were simply too shy to ask. Most were a combination of these. The only reason you could even tell they wished for their old costumes was through subtle comments like "it's a bit tighter than I thought it'd be", "guess I'll have to lose some weight to fit the look", "really not looking forward to those tan lines." It was disheartening to hear. There were girls who actually liked the changes, but they were the minority for the most part.

 You personally had enough of a backbone to stand up to any unwanted changes, but you were also put in a very fortunate position compared to most of these girls. You already had a clear hero career set ahead of you. Most of these girls don't even know if they'll even make the cut to become heroes. They'll be having to fight their way to the top, which unfortunately as a female hero means comparing looks just as much, if not more, than actual skill.

 Reimu Luuki, while definitely more feminine in figure than she was her first year, was still the same tomboy at heart as always. Therefore, a costume that made her feel even more uncomfortable in her skin than dresses and skirts had her more outwardly panicking than most. You were sitting on your desk, hero costume on same as everyone else, wondering what exactly you should do when she crawled up to you and latched into your arm. Everyone was still in the classroom presently adjusting to and talking about their upgraded costumes at the moment. Yours was the only one which hadn't changed all week, which everyone noticed already.

 You were tugged alert by the arm, glancing down to see Luuki looking up at you with the most pleading eyes. "Hey... Can you ask Midnight to give me my old costume back please?"

 "Why?!" Ms. Midnight somehow heard across the room, acting genuinely offended. "These costumes were tailor made by the best designers in Japan! Perfect to fit both your quirk and body!"

 "I think that's kind of the problem here." You uttered, patting Luuki on the head. You sighed, rocking yourself off your desk and strode to the center of the room with your hands in your pockets. Everyone turned their heads, noticing how casually you were standing up to authority. Midnight started to get a little uneasy as you approached. You stopped to stand in the middle of the room, standing in the most casual pose to make yourself appear as least threatening as possible. Some of the girls were starting to gather behind you, intuitively knowing what this was about. "I think you should give the girls a little more freedom to choose the size of their costumes. I personally think it's a good idea for women to have just as much variety as the men have."

 Midnight crossed her arms, a pouty glare shot at you. "You start saying things like that and we may end up right back where we were eight years ago."

 "Is that really such a bad thing?" You asked dryly.

 Midnight gasped, absolutely appalled. "I'll have you know, before I came and leveled the playing field, female heroes had to work twice as hard just to compete with their male counterparts! Sex appeal is absolutely crucial for a woman to stand out! Or else, she'll work herself so hard she'll be forced to retire early! Heroism is a male dominated space, after all! In order for the women to stand a chance, she has to use every weapon in her arsenal!"

 You rubbed your chin while giving her words some thought. While she did have a point, perhaps even right in a way, didn't mean she was automatically correct. Shoving your hand into your pocket again, "I get your point. But.. don't you think there are now girls out there who are afraid to become heroes because they don't want to be like the ones they see on TV? Or, that there are parents keeping their daughters from becoming heroes for fear of them being sexually exploited? Did it ever occur to you that by solving one problem, you would create another one?? Perhaps one even more detrimental to hero society as a whole?! To women as a whole?!" The strength of your words shook the room. Even Ms. Midnight was forced to consider your point of view.

 The woman groaned while rubbing the side of her head. "I didn't think about it that way..."

 "Of course you didn't." Making another, this time teasingly dry comment. "You're only trying to solve the problems that involve you directly. Think like that and you're bound to make mistakes along the way. I should know... But I'm not here to ask you to undo whatever political stuff you did. I'm just here to ask you give the girls back their old hero costumes so they can at the very least choose for themselves the kind of hero they want to be. .. I don't think that decision should be left to anyone but them." Ending on that, you returned to the back of the classroom, this time sitting in the chair. Chatter got even louder in the class, as now everyone felt free to debate the topic amongst themselves. You didn't care to listen-in.

 Now, you started to realize why. Why all these responsibilities and complicated decisions were thrust onto you all of a sudden: You were perhaps the only one strong enough, both mentally and physically, to not give a crap about what happened to you for speaking up.

 And people listened. There must be some kind of magical aura around you whenever you speak, because the people actually care about what you have to say.

 And you're perhaps the only one here willing to speak up for the voiceless.

 Now that is a pretty rare trait.

. . .

 Best part of the day was finding out Iguchi had stood up for Animorphs in his class, going as far to decide he wasn't going to incorporate a mask into his hero costume at all. Instead, a bright red bandana tied around his head became his trademark.

 Looks like your school had two revolutionaries in this third year. Now that was exciting.

----------

 The whole rivalry between classes thing was nothing like your first year of UA. No rivalry at all, actually. There'd been so much intermingling by this point that it felt more like the two classes 3A and 3B were all just one big glass. It sooort of felt like that in your second year, but definitely not as strongly as now. And, since over a third of your grade was eighteen, the legal drinking age in Japan, with many on the way, you knew all these kids were getting excited to try out some booze.

 It was no surprise then that one of the richer kids, Senjiro, also known as paper crane dude, invited everyone in the hero course eighteen and over to his place where they could have a pool party and try some beverages out. It was meant as a safe alternative to going to some random bar, and everyone was hyped for it.

 Iguchi couldn't go. He was a few months too young. Even if he wasn't, you doubted he would have gone anyways. Tenko, on the other hand, was excited to see what all the hype was about. You didn't want an accidental repeat of when you lost your quirk a couple years back, so the only reason you trailed along was to ensure Tenko didn't get himself into any trouble. That and you like floating around in pools. Heehee funny splish splash. Oh and also snacks. Someone promised snacks.

 There were snacks. Though the party itself was a little later than you would have liked, with the sun already waving its final goodbye by the time people started to arrive, the event itself was actually really chill. Senjiro's modern mansion was on top of a large hill overlooking forest, city, ocean, you name it! Which meant that when the sun was down, the land below was just as speckled with light as the night sky above. The snacks here were good too, but everyone was splashing each other too much for you to enjoy the pool. Bummer. You finally had a reason to wear your cute shorts, too. You even tied your shirt up a little so a bit of your belly was showing. 😔 All for naught.

 You caught Hokusei across the snack table. "Wait a minute, aren't you still seventeen?" You squinted.

 "Shhh!" He held a finger over his mouth. "I'm just here for the snacks." You gave him a weird look but in the end chose to ignore him.

 Looked like Tenko was doing fine. He was already tasting for the differences between wine and beer with Senjiro there to make sure he didn't have too much. Looks like you wouldn't have to babysit him after all.

 Following a sigh of relief, you found a spot to sit alone with your legs dangling off the concrete deck. You occasionally grabbed a snack from the plate beside you to munch on. Since nobody was looking at you, you grabbed a cigar from a portal and lit it to have a quick smoke. You could feel its effects fading shortly after every breath, but that was just another indicator your quirk was still working. The more you smoked, you noticed it became harder and harder to turn off your regen quirk. Like it was slowly adapting and changing in order to keep you from injuring yourself... Eh, figures.

 You weren't exactly bored. You weren't exactly enjoying yourself either. You were content. Contented to watch the stars and city twinkle. Contented to listen as young adults got drunk together, played various games, and even confessed their love. Your back was turned to it all.

 These were aspects of life you had no place in. Unlike the rest of these guys, you weren't interested in romance. Unlike them, the affects of alcohol never lasted. Unlike them, you had a hard time imagining yourself having any fun. Not the carefree kind that everyone here was having anyway... At least not while your life was in the state that it was.

 These guys were all growing up too fast. They were looking less and less like teenagers by the day! The men were shaving. The women were talking more seriously about relationships. People were already starting to date and make long-term plans together. No longer did school feel like a bunch of goofy teenagers just messing around. Entering into their third and final year at UA, everyone was prepping themselves for the real world.

 In a way, it both felt like you were leagues ahead and years behind. You were already starting your hero career, which was rare for a third year. But, in everything else...

 You tucked your legs in close and rest your chin on your knees, sighing loudly. "...I'm not ready for this... Any of this..." You mumbled to no one but yourself. And no one but yourself heard it.

 Though it may look like you're running ahead of everyone else, it feels more like you're the one being left behind.

 And that sucks.

. . .

 The kids were getting a bit rowdy back there. You knew it was time to go when you heard some people making out on one of the lawn chairs behind you.

 You groaned, put the cigar out on the pavement, and tossed it into a smaller portal. You then picked up the plate beside you and started toward the trash can, kicking a leg of the chair the kids were kissing on as you passed em. The two griped at you a little bit, but that was it.

 You realized a little late that time had passed a lot quicker than you imagined. It was 1AM already. Good thing tomorrow was a Saturday, or else everyone here would be doomed.

 You shook Senjiro awake, who'd fallen asleep with his arms draped over a table. "Uh..?" He mumbled.

 Still shaking the lad to keep him awake, "It's 1AM. You can tell everyone to leave now." Though you hid it well, worry was bubbling up. You were so sure Senjiro was taking care of Tenny that you completely forgot about watching over him.

 "...Huh...? Oh... Right. Good idea.." The sleepy one swayed onto his feet and started walking around his backyard shooing the guests away. You helped him out a little, but mostly you were on the hunt for Tenko. You eventually found him cuddling with Hoku on the outdoor couch. Or, more like he was trapped by the drunken teen's full body embrace, who was spooning him from behind.

 Clearly drunk as well, Tenko reached out for you tiredly. "(Y/n)... Hhhelp me... Heskeesingmeneck..." You swat at Hoku like a bad dog a few times until he whined and released your friend. As you pulled Tenko free, the brunette was already whimpering and crying pathetically. You had no context for what happened here with these drunks, so you withheld yourself from killing anyone just yet. But you carried Tenny away quickly through the house. Once outside, your friend started to complain.

 "Auuu-I- Iye, pu-put me down!"

 "You're drunk." Standing before the door, you glared down at him. "Can you even stand?"

 "Ihhm nout drunk!. I- I'm nout drunk!" He repeated himself. You knew better, but decided to let him try to stand on his own anyway. Once you had set him down and let go, Tenko wobbled his way to the nearest beam and latched on to it "Woah!.. Whose kwrk's makin the ground shake??"

 You rubbed your skull to numb the sensation of it shattering into a thousand pieces. "Like I said, you're drunk!"

 "Pfff! No I'm nhaat!.. Aiye only hed like three drinks!" He said while holding up four fingers. You stepped closer to the young man and slapped the back of his head. "Aow!... What-?"

 "-Climb on my back." You crouched while offering. "I'll carry you home."

 Tenko stopped to think about it for an uncomfortable amount of time. Finally, he agreed. "Hmmkayy.. jss dn't kidnap me again..." He flopped against your back. You had to do the rest in picking him up and carrying him on your back like some little kid.

 You sighed softly, striding ahead. "Don't worry. I won't."

 You had to walk for quite a while, waiting for a blind-spot to finally show so you could pull up a portal to disappear through. While you walked around in this very fancy neighborhood, Tenko rest his cheek on your shoulder, half asleep. It was quiet for a while. Nothing but the sounds of your shoes hitting sidewalk and his soft breaths. 

 He whisper-whined something suddenly, genuine hurt filling his voice. "...Does Hoku 'like' me..?" You didn't want to be reminded of minutes past. You'd just finished applauding yourself for withholding your anger as well as you did. You know he was drunk, but still... He shouldn't have been there in the first place! And now Tenko was breaching teary-eyes as his brain slowly processed the feeling of betrayal caused by a series of dumb decisions. You were one teardrop away from beating Hoku to a pulp. .. But that teardrop never came. They never dared leave his eyes.

 "...Why don't you ask him yourself.. later?"

 Tenko tucked his face against your sleeve, mumbles muffled. "I don't want tooo..."

 "Hhhh... Yes... He begged me not to tell you, but yes... He's had a crush on you for a while now... It's the main reason I've been so against him joining the friend group."

 "...oh..."

 "Yeah..." Strange.. It was one of those little secrets you never really expected to get out. Tenko was oblivious to it for so long, you assumed school would end and the two would naturally part ways before Hoku's secret came out. Strange then to see such things happen so soon. It was scary, but also necessary...

 You'd really hoped you could trust Hokusei at least a little bit. Trust him to at least keep himself together until he could safely and logically explain his feelings.. instead of making such a mess of things like he wound up doing.

 ...The affects of alcohol sure were scarry, weren't they?

...

 Tenko'd fallen asleep by the time you reached a blind spot and could finally open a portal. Only a few steps later and you were at the front door of his house.

Ding... Dong...

 Thinking now, the likelihood someone was awake was-

T'creeee..

 "(Y/n)?" Hana stuck her head through the front door. You chuckled, turning enough for the young woman to get a good view of her little brother. "Oh my.. He told me he was going to a party, but..."

 "Drunkest drunk to ever drunk." Chuckling, you entered through the threshold as Hana permitted. Very few lights were on. It was noticably quiet in here. Every minor sound and ruffle could be heard so easily. Even your whispering sounded like full volume in here.

 "Is he okay??"

 "Yeah.. Pretty sure, at least."

 Hana glared at her brother's sleeping face, planting her hands on her hips as she did so. Ohh was that kid going to get an earful after waking up!"

Click

 Both you and Hana turned swiftly to the door, eyes widening with surprise to find Tenko's mother just now arriving as well. Her chaperone, who politely opened the door for the lady, was none other than Tenko's dad himself. You gasped so violently you almost choked.

 "Mom?" Hana.

 "(Y/n)?" Ms. Shimura.

 "Mr. Shimura?" You.

 "Tenko?" Mr. Shimura.

 After everyone had played the name-calling game, Tenny's mom explained herself before anyone had to ask. "The two of us were just catching up." Hana seemed to know about this already. "We got a lost, and... it took us a while to get back on track."

 You fixed the middle aged man with a stern look and nodded, noting how much his scar had faded since last seeing him. Turning to the mom, "..Glad you're back." You weren't seriously about to get involved in family drama, especially not that of another family. "Well... Tenny's pretty drunk from the party, so I'll be dropping him off in his bed real quick." You explained, then left them as soon as you did. By the time you were finished tucking Tenko in and left the room, Mr. Shimura was gone already. The other women were talking quietly in their wide open space of a living room. You took extra care making sure you didn't hear any words between them. You waved to the woman casually. "Seeya."

 "Seeya."

 "Bye... And thank you."

 "Heh..." Honestly wasn't much. Babysitting Tenko had kinda become your job.

 Which you failed at tonight. Big oof.

-----

 Literally seconds after arriving in your own room, a message arrived.

- "I h b e e n w a t c h i n g u l a t l e y. . . W h y d o u c a r e t o h e l p t h e w h o b e t r a y a b a n d o n e d u?"

 Sighing, you turned on your lamp and set to writing. " 'I dunno. Because love is more powerful than hate at the end of the day?' "

. . .

- "e x p l a i n h o w u f e e l l o v e"

 You were ready for sleep, but oh well. " 'I don't know exactly. I just feel happy when I help others. It makes me feel fulfilled. I like knowing I was able to make someone else's day just a little better.' "

- "p u r p o s e i n.. j o y? S t r a n g e"

 " 'Not really. Joy feels good. Like belonging to the soul... Also, please stop stalking me.' "

- "I s e e"

 " 'Now go to sleep, old man. It's past 1AM.' "

- "I w i l l w h e n t h e y a r e d o n e i n j e c t i n g m e w i t h l i q u i d f i r e."

 " 'Rip.' "

- "d o n t m o c k m e"

 " 'You're right. I'm sorry. Good night.' " You could feel your insides stinging from simply hearing about his pain on the other end.

 For how long exactly would this charade of two sides tugging at your heart strings last? One year? Two?... A decade?

---------------

 You knew you were asleep, but there was no waking up from this. They seemed contented for a while. "Your" quirks. But now something was starting to stir them up again. They were growing ravenous, desperate for control over your body. Over your thoughts, actions, decisions. The lingering souls had opinions of their own. Ones that competed with each other's and your's. Your original quirk was enough to suppress them. But that suppression was naturally at its weakest while you were asleep and vulnerable. When night came, they liked to try their shot at taking over your body every now and then. That, or just plain torturing you. Beating and bruising your spirit into giving up and letting them have the wheel. You never let them have it. You never let them win.

 You'd had enough for today. Enough running. Enough fighting. Enough wrestling with monsters that would never go away. From the conglomeration of quirks, Toya's dropped like the organs spilling from a stomach. Still loosely connected to the mass via strings of flesh, he crawled closer, his body, even separate from the rest, near unrecognizable by this point.

 "Give me... Control! Give me control so I can be what I never could and make my dad SUFFER!" He was merely the one shouting the loudest. The voices of the severed and compiled all groaned in agonizing unison. Clustering together like one flesh, declaring in unison they deserved your place in this hive mind of misery. You'd fallen down, surrounded, unable to think up any plan other than to take the suffering.

 Suddenly, a warm handprint touched your back. You glanced over your shoulder, but nothing was there. As the touch of a hand rubbed your back, you checked again and again. But just like before, no one was there. Though weird, it was comforting. You could feel yourself starting to calm down, especially as a low, soft melody was sung through the air. So quiet it was almost like a whisper.

 It took a moment, but you started to calm down. Your brain fog cleared enough to consider the options you had before you.

 You looked Toya dead in the eyes, since you knew he was heading this whole uprising. "...You want your body back, right?"

 The teen's features twisted curiously, shocked to see you were actually caring to speak to him. Not to mention, it looked like you had a plan. He tilted his head. "Yes?"

 You inhaled long and slow, then exhaled long and slow, all while leaning further back against the invisible hand. "...Fine then. I know how to return you to your body." You then turned to the whole of the crowd. "A few of you may need to share in order to function correctly, but I can promise almost all of you a new body." There were gasps of amazement and wonder. Slowly, the mounds of flesh started slipping away into the darkness. Toya dug his fingers into the pitch ground, fighting the strings of flesh so he wouldn't be dragged off set just yet.

 "You promise..?.. Because I'm not going to keep letting you control me like this!"

 You nodded, forcing a faint smile. "I promise."

 He smiled, then disappeared.

. . .

 Your eyes pried open, for a moment wondering if this was just another dream. Your head, body, everything, were all heavy from exhaustion. Sweat layered your skin, sticking clothes to your body and hair to your forehead. Looks like your pillow was a tad burnt too.

 You were laying on your stomach. Mostly. Your leg and back were curling all shrimp like. The moment you started to stir, the singing cut out. The hand on your back settled to just resting there. You groaned and rolled onto your side, bleary eyes squinting. "...Were you just singing?"

 "No." Kai denied. You didn't believe him.

 Your top arm lifted to assist in rubbing some of the gross tears and crust out of your eyes. Your body was still shaking a little, recovering from such a visceral nightmare. "Mh... Thanks, I guess... Coulda burnt the house down that time... w'fout mu' dad 'round." Rubbing your face dry made talking coherently difficult.

 "I have a theory..."

 "Bout wut?"

 "It is possible, that.. using my quirk, I could impregnate you."

 ... You pulled the blankets over you some more. Red all over and steam flying out your ears, "...PFFF! WHAT?" You wheezed, which helped to ease the discomfort in your stomach, as well as the sudden tightening in your chest. "I mean, now that I think about it, I guess you could! But the frick are you thinking about this all a sudden for!?"

 Kai leaned away, creating further distance between the two of you. Even with the mask on, you could tell his face was turning a little pink. Heh, join the club. The back of your neck was starting to sting with how red you were! Good thing the room was dark! "The offer stands only if you want to be a mother." He explained himself quickly. "I've never cared about being a father, but if you wanted to give parenthood a try, I know how to do that Asexually."

 "Still weird." You propped yourself up on one elbow, trying to get a better view of the man's face in the dim light. "Why talk about this, um, like, now though?" Playing it cool to cover up the intense blush was proving to be a disaster. The door to your bedroom was cracked open, allowing in a stream of bright golden light, meaning at this angle the guy had a better view of your face than you had of his. His whole form was but a silhouette.

 Kai stared down at the ground, scratching at an itch under his mask. "You mentioned something about fearing you'd be a terrible mother the other day.." Speaking softly, Kai again reminded you of your fight. You held your breath.. Certainly weren't expecting the words that slipped out of your mouth the other day... You'd kinda been hoping he'd forget, but, given the intensity in his eyes, it looked like he'd been giving your words a lot of thought. "I thought telling you I don't agree might comfort you or something..."

 "...Why?"

 "You're naturally good with kids." The man chuckled, now looking up at the ceiling. "Kids of all ages, I've noticed... It's a rare gift. ... You're also really nurturing when you want to be.. I've noticed you don't need a reason to step in and help." He got a little nauseous just thinking back to the other day, resulting in him loosely covering his mouth. But, what struck him the most about that day was how unbelievably pure hearted and kind you were to him. After a terrible fight between you two and everything. You even fell asleep on the floor at his side, silently promising to be there for him as long as he needed you. Your actions said more than any words could. He didn't even know how to thank you... Well, this was his attempt. "Not to mention, biologically speaking, it's like you were made for carrying healthy babies to term!" He smiled playfully while patting your hips.

 Slap! "Creep!"

 You scooted back to sit up in bed, growling at the man while pulling your blankets close. Kai turned his body away, tenderly rubbing his jaw. "..I deserve that..." He mumbled. "Ghh, I don't know how to talk to women."

 "Why not just talk to me like normal, then??" Pulling your legs in close, you cupped your hands behind your neck to help cool down quickly. Your personal space had been thoroughly invaded. You were actively considering throwing Kai out this instant. "It's not like I'm any different than I was the other day!" Your frantic mind tried and failed to wrap itself around this sudden intimate conversation going on! Having kids!? Those were the kinds of conversations meant for married people! Not you! Not him!

 Kai scooted further away and rested his elbows on his knees. "Hhh, sorry for springing the topic on you so suddenly... Thing though is we'd probably be married right now if it weren't for my last minute proposal to Pops... Thought it'd be smart for us to discuss some of these things while we have breathing time."

 After a pause, you glared down at your lap, nibbling at your lip. "...That makes sense."

 "Plus, I thought it'd be a great way to get back at your dad for setting us up like this. Imagine the look on his face when we gaslight him into believing we had sex~" >:)

 >:) "Hehehh, ohhh, he'd be so mad~!" ... Ò///Ó "BUT WAIT I DON'T WANT OTHERS TO THINK I HAD SEX WITH YOU!!"

 ರ⁠_⁠ರ "You seriously find me that repulsive?"

 "Wxkghkflmbdbhrrr!" You grabbed your head, rolling over your lap where you vibrated like some bomb about to explode. "It's- it's, it-itxh's more about what that means... That's like... That's like a grown up thing to do.. you know?" Gritting your teeth, steam streamed out through them as you exhaled, fingers digging into your hair. "...I'm not ready to be treated like an adult... I- I don't want to be treated like an adult." You weren't ready yet.

 Right now, it felt like you were standing on the fence between your childhood and adulthood... It's already too late to go back to the lives you once lived. But.. you're also too scared to take that step into adulthood as well... It's all become too much. Loads of responsibility, shifts in dynamics, heck even external pressures to appear more mature! You couldn't hope to keep up with all of it!

 Kai stared at you sympathetically for a bit, but eventually he had to shake his head and sigh. The man's hand scooted closer to better prop his leaning torso. When you met his gaze, he was already staring deeply into your eyes. "...It's too late for that. I know you're tired of hearing this, but you need to grow up... The world won't stand still for you, so you better learn to keep pace. No one will take you seriously if you keep holding yourself back... You already know that, though, don't you?"

 You whined a little but nodded.

 "It won't be hard once you get started... I think you've gotten a little too used to my insults and have become terribly hard on yourself. You're actually not so bad at being professional and fitting in with the adults when you put in the effort. But, you're still going to need to put in that effort, regardless of age."

 You nodded, then tilted your head. "Did you just compliment me?"

 Kai squinted at you. "Don't try to run a marathon with it... Won't get you very far."

 "Pfff!" You cupped a hand over your mouth, eyes scrunching and smile stretching wide as quiet laughter broke out. "You're a lot wittier than I give you credit for."

 "You give me credit for things?" A hint of an amused chuckle left him.

 You playfully slapped at his shoulder. "I do too!. Just that most the things you do are illegal!.. So I can't exactly talk about them."

 "Hm... You have a point." As you were busy snickering and thinking up witty remarks to throw back at the guy, he grabbed the hand of yours nearest him and guided it a little closer. Sitting on your bed with his legs crossed, halfway facing you, the man kissed the top of your hand. It was moreso a knightly show of respect, but feeling his lips through the cloth mask was bound to make you flustered. "...I still don't know how to repay you for the other day..." He admitted, finally getting to the very reason he was here in the first place.

 "First of all.." you snatched your hand back, the other one running in to rub the spot that'd been 'kissed.' "..mine." You held your hand possessively close to your chest. "As for what you can do..." Your imagination stretched trying to come up with responses. No doubt he felt indebted to you in some way. Made sense. You would too. But.. you just can't think of anything-- oh... Oh wait.

 Now that's an idea~

 Eyes landing on the young man again, you tried not to look mischievous. "I actually have a theory of my own I'd like to test~"

 Kai reasonably so looked nervous/annoyed. "..What is it?"

 "I'm wondering.. if I combine your quirk with Sight, how would it affect the functionality~? Since Sight acts as a sixth sense similar to touch.. I'm wondering if I can reprogram Overhaul to be activated and controlled through Sight. Exactly what would be the limitations of such a quirk combination~? I've honestly been wondering about this for months now and am beyond eager to try it out!" Tapping your hands together.

 Kai shrugged. "I suppose you can lend me the quirk so I-"

 "-It wouldn't work like that." The man stopped and squinted. You stared down at your lap, smiling faintly as you realized this scene looked like two girls having a sleepover. "You see, if I just give you Sight, the only thing that'll happen is you'll have another quirk. I'd have to borrow yours for a little bit in order to properly combine it with Sight to see what comes of it... Risky, I know."

 You were right. Kai didn't look the least bit eager to hand over his quirk. But, as he too thought about it, all while studying the excitement in your eyes, he sighed, giving in. "..You're free to experiment on it for a few days."

 "Wait, really!?"

 "Yes!" Harsher now. "Just no duplicating my quirk... Don't wanna have to fight an army of Overhaul users. No thanks. And don't ask me for anything else after this!"

 You were so excited. So surprised he even agreed. This was indeed a HUGE step from before when he wouldn't even consider letting you have his quirk! You pounced the guy in a hug at once, smiling brightly. "Oh my gosh, thank you!!"

 At least there were still quirks to play with, making you feel like a little kid again. Through them it was like discovering a world full of possibilities.

 Hopefully, in time, you'd figure out a way to sort all your other problems too.

 You knew nothing of the man's secret admiration for you. Even this "immature" behavior he constantly got onto you for, he admired... The man remembered how you were when you first arrived. How similarly you were to him at the start. ... But then, you got better. Your personality gradually took-on a more youthful nature. It eventually became so strong that it brightened the days of anyone you touched. Personally witnessing a dying star being revived was nothing short of a miracle. ... He wanted to know where that light came from, and if he could have it too.