The Agonising truth (BackugoxOC)

9. You're the Twin

All was quiet, save for the intermittent ring, indicating Izuku's continued unavailability.

RING

The sound reverberated in the room. Moments ticked by until a mechanized voice broke the silence.

"This person is currently unavailable. Please call-"

With a sigh, I pressed the red button and turned my attention to the scattered mess ahead. Grumbling a few choice words under my breath, I began the task of tidying up.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Time crawled by, but I finally managed to tidy up the mess my mom had left before the clock struck 11:30. It was nearing 12 o'clock now, and still no response from Izuku after the text I sent him when he missed my call.

Anxiety gnawed at me. Izuku, quirkless and alone, past 12 o'clock with no means of self-defence. Was he even training? And if so, what for?

A sigh escaped my lips as I surveyed the now spotless living room and kitchen.

Creak

The sound of our old apartment door opening from behind caught my attention. It had to be Izuku.

I turned, making my way to the corridor, where I found Izuku tiptoeing in, attempting to be as silent as possible not to disturb either of us. He hadn't noticed me.

"What are you doing getting home so late, Izu?" I whispered, mindful not to wake Mom.

"AH- Oh, Ayumi, it's just you," he exclaimed in a hushed tone, matching my whisper.

"Why are you home so late, Izuku?" I fixed him with a firm gaze, leaning the brush I held against the wall in the nearly empty hallway.

"Oh- Um, I- I--"

"Stop stalling. Just answer the damn question."

Every detail was grating on my nerves now. His tone, his scared posture. How he returned home so late without a word to Mom, leaving her worried sick. I, on the other hand, had at least texted her about my late arrival tonight. Yet all he could offer was some vague excuse about training before disappearing. What could he possibly be training for?

He was just an ordinary, quirkless kid.

"I was out training," he finally spoke up.

"I know that. But why?" I retorted.

"You know, to get into UA-"

"Don't feed me that excuse again, Izuku."

"Excuse?"

"Why bother trying to get into a school you have no chance of getting into?" I interrupted, my gaze piercing through him. I saw his movements slow as his eyes widened in response.

"You're quirkless, Izuku. There's no way you'll pass the entrance exam without a quirk," I stated bluntly. My words were calculated, meant to shake his resolve, but he needed to face reality. He couldn't become a hero.

"Izuku, going to those exams puts you at risk of serious harm. You have no means of defending yourself," I added firmly, meeting his gaze head-on.

"I always knew you looked down on me, Ayumi. You're the twin who has everything. You have a great quirk, a great soulmate..." His words hit me like a sudden gust of wind, catching me off guard. 'How does he know about that?' I wondered.

"...Your life's perfect. You have all these people following you around, wanting to be friends with you. You've always had it easy. You have no idea what it's like to be laughed at, stared at while walking in the hallways. Not for something like your looks but because you were born powerless in the age of power. I thought that maybe, just maybe, you would believe in me. My mum and sister believe in me, even if it were impossible. But no, you just have to be as selfish and egotistic as your soulmate. You two really are made for each other." He spat out the last sentence with venom, leaving me confused as he walked of into his room not afraid to slam the door as a loud bang echoed through the house surely waking mum up. 'How could he know about me and Kachan? God. What have I just done? He's probably not going to talk to me for like a month now. Relax, Ayumi. He needed to hear that sooner or later he'll realize that he can't do it and he'll give up on that dream and find a much safer one to follow. I'll have to talk to Kachan at break tomorrow.'