The Eyes That Make the Storm

68) Probation

 "What the hell is wrong with you two?" Mr. Ikakun yelled.

Bakugou and Stasia were told to stay back during lunch for a 'talk' which only meant their teacher lecturing then as they stared at him blankly.

"You hit Stasia so hard you bruised her airway."

"Hey," Stasia interjected, "I'm fine."

"You're not fine if you have to sign everything you want to say because every time you speak you bleed out of your damn mouth," he assured her.

"I shouldn't have let my guard down, it's whatever."

"It's not whatever, especially since instead of going to the infirmary the moment you knew you were injured you threw Bakugou through a wall."

"I didn't throw him," Stasia corrected. "I punched him hard, and he didn't dodge, it was his fault."

"Screw you," Bakugou said, still facing Mr. Ikakun, yet Stasia finally turned over to him.

"That's the talk that gets your ass punched through a wall again, and I don't think that worked out for the last time I checked, what was it, damaged spinal cord? Something close to paralyzation."

"The only one close to anything was you being close to not breathing if I hit you a tad harder."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, wanna prove it?"

"Knock it off! Both of you!"

The two turned back to their teacher who could only sigh in disappointment.

"I'll just talk to you separately, Bakugou, you get out of my sight first."

Mr. Ikakun waited for Bakugou to slam the door on his exit before he turned back to Stasia.

"You're better than this," he signed.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, do better! I mean what was that? You know if I had the mind to I could put you both on probation-"

"Oh, probation from what? All the missions I go on? Haven't been on one since November. You know I haven't even been outside with my hero costume since what was it- March. And Gang Orca gave me an intercom to help the new recruits but he hasn't called for me since early June and it's mid-July, we'll be back from break in August before he needs me again, if at all. He basically made me bring in my own replacements-"

"Sugiyama."

"What? You all basically have me trapped in the dorms, sitting and waiting for the Mortelle to make their move and when they do I'll have to be the one to run out and save the day cause no one else could even come close to stopping them. We all saw how our number one held up. I know that I'm your best bet but did you ever think about how I'm only seventeen, how I have a baby sister I promised to protect, or do you all just like to forget that?"

"We didn't forget."

"So you just don't care? Good to know," she paused. "By the way, all the secret-keeping is ruining everything, I mean all of the friendships I worked so hard for are disintegrating and I can't do shit but fuel the flames because that's what you all told me to do!"

"It's better to feed into it than blow the mission."

"As if I care about this damn mission anymore."

"Sugiyama!"

"Put me on probation! Do it! I don't care, just don't act like you still won't send me out there as a damn offering because everyone else is too weak."

Stasia's hands were red and raw from how fast she was signing and took a deep breath when she was done. She turned around and headed for the door only to pause as she reached for the doorknob.

"You know," she began to say, actually speaking, her voice hoarse as she tried to keep down her blood, "you asked what happened?" she remembered, turning around.

"I did."

"If Bakugou trusts anyone, he trusts me, and he doesn't."