AN: Hey! Sorry it's been taking so long! AHHHH
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(Continuing from last chapter :D ENJOY)
The second I stepped onto that peak I felt like I was going to hurl. When the wind caused my hair to move from my face, my pulse grew. He walked closer to me and I backed up. We did this repeatedly for about 10 minutes, then he yelled at me.
“What are you hiding, Aiko? You leave for months and then you come back and you won’t even let me come close to you? Did I do something?” His voice was deeper than before, and he was taller too. Tears filled my eyes as I walked closer to him. I rested my forehead on his shoulder and closed my eyes.
“I missed you so much.” Hiccups followed my every breath, all he did was pat my back. You can’t really do much when your best friend is crying on you and you do not know why. His hand gently touched the brand fresh scar that traced my face. Toya didn’t speak for a while, and I wasn’t really planning on talking either. Eventually, I looked up at him and smiled.
“A villain attack. I thought that a stupid, Quirkless, weakling like me could help to stop a villain. I can’t be a hero if I’m too weak to take a single attack. Maybe there is something wrong with me. I think that he’s right. I shouldn't be alive every single day. Like the rest of my family, I should be dead. Toya, I’m scared.” My tears burned my skin worse than the fire that Endeavor burned me with. Of course, I would not tell him the truth but it also kind of was. Endeavor felt like a villain that showed me how weak I really am. Toya hugged me tightly and shook me. He stopped and held my face in both hands, tears in his eyes. This was the only time I saw him cry. I can always hear those words that he said to me. . . ‘You are not and have never been a weakling. You’ve grown and learned. Sure, maybe sometimes you don’t make the smartest decisions, but you always fix the problems in the end. I can count on you to make me laugh and make sure that my father doesn’t ruin my day. You, Aiko, are the reason I want to get up every day and make sure that you laugh too. I want to see you happy every day. When you cry or say that you’re scared, it’s okay. When you cry, it’s okay. You are going to have days when you cry and days when you’re scared. That’s normal. That’s okay! You are perfect. I am so glad that you are who you are. I love you, Aiko. You’re my best friend and I couldn’t ask for a better person to fill that role.’
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Chapter 4
The sky had never looked so beautiful in the morning as Dabi and I made our way through the airport. Of course, we went our separate ways so that people wouldn’t think we were working together or that we even knew each other. I boarded flight 965, and he boarded flight 322. The second I sat into the soft, first class leather seat, I wanted to run out and find his plane. After last night, Dabi wasn’t much of a jerk to me. He knew what bothered me and what he shouldn’t say around me. He understood. Somehow Dabi made me feel safe. People feared him because of the way he looks, not because of the way he acts. If it was how he acted, then they would just say that he was a selfish jerk.
The animals in the back of the plane made the least amount of sound that I have ever heard. My eyes shut, but my mind still didn’t allow me to fall asleep. Even when Dabi was humming and trying his best to put me to sleep, I couldn’t. That voice in the back of my head said that he could kill me if I did. I trusted him, though. Only a little.
“Would all passengers please fasten their seatbelts as we are preparing to land in just about 30 minutes, thank you.” The captain spoke as if his microphone was inside of his throat. A woman in a blue uniform collected the trash from the other first-class passengers, smiling at each one. When the plane finally stopped moving, I was the first to exit. I hated flying. It made me feel like I was dead. Of course, I wouldn’t hate that. The rest of the day was like a blur.
We returned to the hidden bar.
I went back home.
I had another nightmare.
The voices grew louder.
⛶
The birds sat on the balcony outside my window, singing like opera singers. Of course, I woke up on the floor, my face covered in drool from crying. Today was going to be a shitty day, I could tell just by the way my hair fell after brushing it. The sun hurt my eyes as it shot through the bathroom window, reflecting off of the mirror. ‘Wonderful.’ The amazing hell buzzer rang, making me want to just throw a grenade down the laundry shoot and wait for it to blow up the entire basement. My boots stomped against the floor, pressing the button to allow up my guest. Regret. What else could I feel when the man that practically was my father stood at the door, waiting for me to let him in. All Might. Why?
We sat there, silent for hours across the room from each other. He sat on the comfortable couch while I stood in a dark corner, waiting for him to say something wise that would make my skin crawl. All Might wasn’t the same, buff, loud, smiling superhero that I once admired. Now, he was this skinny, dying, soul that could barely breathe. His dead eyes looked up, cutting through the atmosphere, piercing into mine.
“Little Fighter, I’m-”
“Don’t call me that. I’m not the same person who I used to be.” My voice peered its way into the world, making me want to cringe. He looked hurt, like the day I had nearly killed Endeavor. I grinned, knowing that I had finally gotten him back. This is what I had been waiting for. A time where I could make him hurt almost as bad as I did when he let them send me away. Then he smiled. Why the hell are you smiling? His laughter filled the air.
“I’ll be back in a month to check in on you again, don’t be so mean next time or I won’t bring you any mochi.” He dropped a plastic bag onto the table and walked out the door. Of course, right when I thought that something was going to happen, he left. He’s been visiting since I escaped from Tartarus. All Might is the only hero that knows where I am. Mainly because I reached out to him the day after The Mission of Montague. That mission was the very first that Dabi and I did together. That day, that terrible day. . .I killed over 300 people. Whenever I looked at my hands, I saw the blood that covered them. The second time the phone rang, All Might answered, and quickly made his way to the apartment that I now call my own, even though he’s paying for it.
Why must it have been that night that I saw all of that blood? I mean, that night I told Dabi about the woman in the corner that would put her stiff hands on my throat. He slept on the floor that night beside my bed. He’s gone through many of my nightmares, so he knows what to do. Everything has changed between us since then. We had that fight and then I told him about who I truly am. For once, I trust someone.
The darkness of the room made me shiver. Something rattled the window, making me jump. Without warning, Dabi climbed through the small opening and closed the curtains, not noticing me on the floor behind him. When he turned around, I ran into his arms, crying into his chest. At first, he didn’t know what to do, but after several minutes, his arms hugged me tightly as we both fell to the floor. His humming calmed me, allowing for me to lean my head on the wall with my eyes closed.
“It’s that bad?” His voice grew from the darkness. I nodded, not knowing if I could talk without crying again. “I’m here for you, Aiko. Even if you don’t want me to. I got your text, the one about how you couldn’t move, and came here pretty quick.” Dabi’s hand lifted into the air, his fingertips igniting in the beautiful blue fire he’s known for. My hand gingerly traced the scar beneath his left eye. He jumped slightly, turning his head to me slowly.
“I’m surprised they don’t disgust you.”
“They’re beautiful. Sure, you might not like them, but I think that they’re important. They show what you’ve been through. It’s a way you can let people know that you’re strong. I love them. I really do. You should too.” My voice was slightly breaking, while the words poured out of my throat. I leaned my head onto his shoulder, my hand falling onto his. Dabi took my hand, resting his head on top of mine, his breathing calmed me. The night went by quickly, we slept on the floor but it was the best sleep I had ever had in my entire life.
Once I woke up, Dabi’s gentle snoring allowed me to stretch peacefully, knowing I was safe next to him. He woke up shortly after I did, yawning. I didn’t even realize he had taken his patchy jacket and placed it over me. He took it back as he stood. My legs felt like pins and needles while I rose to my feet. The cereal fell into the white bowl, making me yawn. Dabi took the bowl and threw a spoon into it, beginning to chow down.
“What a great host you are.” He grinned, taking a sip of water. Rolling my eyes, I poured another bowl, this time with less. After We finished eating, I went to my room to change. That’s when it hit me, I didn't have to hide my face anymore. The jumpsuit hugged my body, making me spin. Great, I lost more weight. Losing weight is great, but I hate it. Nothing fits me anymore. Dabi opened my door, watching me pull my hair up into a messy ponytail. It looked terrible. He chuckled and walked over, pulling it down and re-brushing it. This time, it stood up perfectly and stayed in place. When he finished, he flicked my ear and pulled my hair. Dabi pulled off his tank top and threw it onto my bed. I turned around, seeing his scar covered back.
“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” His voice was deep, rising from the silence. I pulled out one of Toya’s old t-shirts and threw it at him. My brain got ahead of itself, forcing me to walk over to him and place my hands on the scars on his upper back. His body stiffened. Breathing out, my lips gently pressed onto the highest one, moving onto the next, and then the next, and the last one on his back. My hands rested on his sides, waiting for him to react. He gently touched my hands, pulling them off. When he turned around, I braced myself for the worst.
“Why?” He asked, still holding my hands. I put them onto the scars on his stomach and looked into his ocean blue eyes.
“You don’t like them. They actually disgusted you, Dabi. You,” I looked around then at him, placing both my hands onto his face, “You are fucking amazing.Dabi, you remind me so much of my old friend. The one that I had a nightmare about? Toya would hide so much from me, like his scars. He wanted to worry about me but wouldn’t let me worry about him. Ever.” My words hit him, I could see it in his eyes. About to pull my hands away, he put his on mine, closing his eyes. I could see it and feel it. He’s hurting. Standing on my tiptoes, I placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.
Eventually, he pulled the shirt on and his jacket, still shook by what just occurred. We climbed out of the window and sat on the roof, watching the sunrise. Shigaraki sent out a group text, telling us to arrive at the bar at 7:30. We didn’t plan on it. Dabi asked me if I was serious about what I said. My headshot to him, punching his arm. No matter what I said, he didn’t believe me. I want to know more about him but he doesn’t trust me. I trust him a lot.
When we finally moved our asses and arrived at the bar, Shigaraki stood there, angry. I walked by him, breathing out. Dabi sat beside me, closing his eyes tight. Shigaraki droned on about the success of our mission. Crossing my arms, the leather squeaked, making me cringe. My phone rang, making everyone turn to me. I answered and walked into the other room. I am 100% sure my heart stopped beating when I heard his voice.
“Let us help you, dumbass.” Bakugo’s voice shot through the phone, making me freeze. He knew everything. He wanted to know, and I let him know.
⛶
I locked myself in my room and didn’t leave for two entire weeks. Bakugo noticed first, He knocked on my door for fifteen minutes straight, making me go insane. He walked in after kicking open the door, scaring me. He gently closed it and sat beside me on my bed. I told him everything. Even the things I didn’t tell the pros, I just spilled. He held my hand when I started crying. When I first met him, he wouldn’t call me anything but names. Now that I’m closer with him, it’s easier for me to let loose around him. We talked little, I just cried a lot. He flicked my nose and told me to stop thinking bad thoughts.
Katsuki Bakugo. One of the main reasons I am still alive. After the League of Villains captured him, I freaked out. He’s always been the type of person to do things himself but I always wanted to let him know that people around him can help. He’s been different around me since. Kind of. Bakugo’s Quirk explains why he has such an explosive personality. He’s a bit of a bully but I’ve grown to be used to it.
Silence filled the air as he rubbed my back, my head on his chest. His heavy breathing let me know that this scared him. My head being where it is and what we were doing. I looked up at him, wiping my face. The second I went to say thank you, he told me to shut up and go to sleep. I did just that. When I woke up he was sitting there, head nodding, trying not to fall asleep. I remember my hand falling over in eyes and telling him to go to sleep. Even though he didn’t want to admit it, he’s tired. When he fell asleep, I could hear the change in his breathing and the calmer beating of his heart.
Maybe it’s bad that I ran away like that and didn’t tell him what was really going on, but I also just thought he’d be mad at me. After that, he understood what I truly have in my head and what I think of. A week after our mini sleepover, Bakugo pulled me aside and asked me if I was okay with doing the exercises that the rest of the class had done. It’s not like I could say anything but he told me he was there for me. I joined that day but he stood beside me the entire time. When we walked back to the locker rooms, he waited outside the door for me. If anyone asked him what he was doing, he would yell at them and bully them. He’s been there for me in ways that no one else has and it’s made me realize that he really cares. Even if he denies it, he does.
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