Chapter Text
Exhaustion weighs heavily on my body as I collapse onto the couch. The iciness of the night feels like it's seeped all the way into my bones, and that I'll never feel warm again. All over my body, there are various cuts and bruises from my nightly patrol. The couch's cushions are a welcome sensation after taking punches all night. The scent of lavender hangs heavy in the air, helping to mask the smell of the blood that I've got on me. My various weapons dig into my skin from their spots in their sheaths. My still healing wounds from the final battle against All for One ache fiercely, reminding me that I'm still not fully recovered from that day. I should've taken it easier on patrol tonight, but I got lost in the rhythm and before I knew it, the scars and freshly healed skin were acting up.
If I weren't so tired, I would fall asleep on my couch, in my suit with my weapons still on.
However, my stomach rumbles loudly, interrupting that particular plan. I whimper pathetically before forcing myself off of the couch and towards the kitchen. I open the fridge, praying to the gods that there is something I can just throw into the microwave. I'm way too tired to cook and it's too late to try and order something. The gods must have heard me because I'm greeted by Chinese leftovers that I must've ordered a couple of days ago.
I hurriedly grab the food and pop it into the microwave. My foot taps against the linoleum flooring as I wait for the microwave to beep, signaling that it's done. The smell of the food reaches my nostrils as it warms up, and my stomach rumbles once again.
A few minutes later, I'm sitting on the couch, eating the food slowly, despite my fierce hunger. If I eat too fast now, I'll only end up with a stomach ache and be in an even worse mood.
As I sit there, I think back to my patrol. I saw some of my former classmates in the early hours of the evening, returning from some hole-in-the-wall ramen place. I had followed them for a few blocks, filled with yearning. But I refrained from revealing myself and let them return to the UA dorms.
I still have no idea if I should confirm whether I'm alive or dead.
Ever since the Commission made it look like I was a villain to try and get me to do what they wanted, I've been in hiding. To fix the mess the Commission made, I had faked my death to get everyone to stop looking for me. It had worked, and the Commission admitted that they had lied. The public wasn't happy about that and certainly didn't want to trust them to keep them safe, but they didn't exactly have a choice, with All for One and the League looking to destroy everything.
Without anyone or anything standing in my way anymore, I began to hunt them down. One by one, I took down the major players of the League and left them for the heroes to deal with. The heroes were perplexed, as they couldn't figure out who was beating the League, but they never found me. I always made sure not to leave any sort of DNA they could use to find me.
Eventually, it was down to me and All for One. It was a long and gruesome fight, ending with me severely injured and barely conscious and the notorious villain with a gaping hole in his chest.
It still haunts me, that I killed him. I've killed before, but this one bothers me more than the others. This one was the most cruel way I've killed someone. I made sure that he felt pain in his last moments. I made sure that he would never bother anyone I loved ever again.
I take a deep breath, cutting my thoughts off before my mind wanders into that dark place. Don’t beat yourself up. You didn’t have a choice. It was kill or be killed. You did what was necessary to protect everyone.
But is it enough for them to let me go back?
It's been a dilemma I've been wrestling with for the past month after All for One's defeat. The media has been searching for the person who defeated him, even going as far as to say that I didn't actually die, and that I had been the one to fight him. They aren't wrong, but I'm not sure if I want to prove them right.
It's been so long since I've seen everyone. I miss Aizawa's grumpiness. I miss Iida's weird robotic motions. I miss Uraraka's kindness. I miss Midoriya's mumbling. I miss Todoroki's comforting silence. But the one thing i miss more than anything is Katsuki.
I miss his cooking, I miss his smile, I miss his laugh, I miss his crimson red eyes, and his spiky blonde hair. I miss the smell of caramel and nitroglycerin and the feeling of warm, strong arms around me.
Tears prick at my eyes as my memories start to consume me.
All of a sudden, a knock at the door interrupts my pity party.
A groan leaves me as I get up from my comfortable position on the couch. My muscles seem to be protesting at my movements, and I almost want to say fuck it and ignore the door. But old habits die hard, and it feels rude to ignore someone.
Who would be knocking at my door at...3 in the morning?
I unlock the door and swing it open. "Whatever you want, why couldn't this have just waited for normal waking hours?" I ask, rubbing at my tired eyes. I have no clue who it is, but I don't feel any intent of danger from them, so I allow my eyesight to be blinded momentarily.
The person doesn't respond, so I wait for the spots to clear from my eyes and look at them. My eyes widen and it feels like time has stopped.
Standing in front of me is Katsuki fucking Bakugou. His blonde hair is as spiky as ever and his garnet irises are shining in the low lighting. He's wearing a black hoodie with a skull on it, paired with black sweatpants. An air of nervousness and hope surrounds him as he gazes at me.
I barely register that there are other people in the small hallway behind him. I think I see Aizawa, Midoriya, Todoroki, Iida, and Yaoyorozu, but I'm not quite sure.
I have no idea what to say, but my mouth seems to move faster than my brain, because the next thing I know the words, "How the hell did you find me?" are leaving my mouth.
My eyes widen even more as I realize what I just said. "Oh fuck. I'm too tired to deal with this shit. This is probably some sort of hallucination because I'm so sleep deprived." I mumble to myself.
A warm hand is placed on my shoulder and I look at Bakugou again. The expression on his face is one of sadness. "This is real." he says in a calming tone. "We're all really here."
It seems that that's my last straw, as exhaustion and pain win out. Darkness clouds my vision as I collapse to the floor. My consciousness starts to leave me, but not before I can hear someone say, "Hang in there. We're bringing you back. You don't have to do this alone anymore."
A familiar voice speaks just before the darkness fully envelops me. "Let yourself rest, princess. We got you."
I listen to the voice and everything falls away.