Suggestion

Chapter 22: Move Forward

"Can't they go in the same car as me?" asked Midoriya.

"Midoriya-" started Mr. Aizawa.

"We're going to the same place, right? So, why not?" interrupted Midoriya.

"Those two were the reason you were brainwashed, correct?" asked Mr Aizawa. He held his hand up to silence Midoriya before he could answer. "They need to be processed separately for now, so that we can see how your state of mind is after coming in contact with them again."

"They are just kids, sensei. They are orphans. They have nowhere to go! I promise they weren't with the league by choice!"

"That's fine, but that doesn't change anything. You don't have to worry though. I'll make sure they are okay, and we will figure out how to house them later. For now, calm them down, and let's go."

"Y-you're going to abandon us too. Aren't you?!" screamed Yuta, hiding Yuya behind his back, seemingly protecting her from everyone in the area.

"No! I promise I'll do what I can for you." Midoriya quickly kneeled in front of Yuta, pleading for him to understand, but Yuta obviously didn't believe a word of it.

"Considering that they've been with the league so long, they probably know things they shouldn't. Odds are, they will be put in U.A. like Eri to protect them from being attacked." Bakugou stood behind Midoriya, not bothering to look at them. "Right?" asked Bakugou as he turned his head towards Mr. Aizawa.

"I won't promise anything." Mr. Aizawa rubbed his tired eyes as he saw the expressions on the children; Yuya barely stopped her sobs and Yuta trembled waiting for an answer. "But if they are determined to be of low risk then yes, they will probably move in with Eri."

"See?! That's great, right?! And Eri is just about your age. She's really sweet too. You'd like her a lot." Midoriya smiled gently, waiting for the kids to respond. When they didn't, he pulled them into a hug. "Just be the good kids I know you are, and we'll see each other again before you know it. Okay?"

Yuya tightened her grip on the back of Midoriya's shirt and nodded into his shoulder still trying not to cry. Yuta took a moment to decide, but he soon nodded as well, his arms falling limp to his sides. To keep them feeling as comfortable as possible, Midoriya took them to the car and buckled them in himself. He kept his smile as he watched them drive off. Then he let his face fall. No one spoke. Instead, Todoroki and Bakugou lead Midoriya to their car. A police officer slid into the driver's seat as Todoroki made sure Midoriya was buckled up as he seemed too consumed in his own mind to accomplish basic functions.

Only the racing wind outside filled the backseat of the police car. Bakugou and Todoroki sat silently on either side of Midoriya as he stared blankly at his limp hands in his lap. His mind seemed blank, but also tired. He was on edge, happy to not feel or see anything, but knowing he was barely keeping the memories at bay. Then, it happened. A flash of blue raced through his mind. Flames. Chaos. A disheartened smile.

A hand pulled Midoriya's head down to rest on Todoroki's shoulder, snapping Midoriya out of his trance. He felt a firm hand grip his on the opposite side. Midoriya looked out of the corner of his eye to see his and Bakugou's hands connected as Bakugou watched the passing scenery.

"It's okay to cry, Midoriya," said Todoroki. It hadn't registered to Midoriya that he could feel something trickling down to his chin. Once he made this realization, they only grew in size. Tightening his grip on Bakugou's hand, Midoriya sobbed into Todoroki's shoulder.

"It was the only option, right?" Midoriya asked. "He would have been killed regardless, right?"

Todoroki tightened his arm around Midoriya's trembling shoulders. "Right. You did your best." He wasn't sure about the specifics of what happened. Midoriya had been vague when telling them the situation, but in that moment, he felt that if he said the wrong thing then the boy in his arms would break. Even Bakugou couldn't make one of his usual snide remarks, so Todoroki could only agree and hope that his touch comforted Midoriya.

After this, neither Bakugou or Todoroki would agree to Midoriya sleeping alone or switching out, so all three slept together for a while. Midoriya thought it was a bit awkward, but he was happy he wasn't alone. At first, there was a lot of arguing between Bakugou and Todoroki, but eventually they would calm down enough to rest in silence. Midoriya glanced over to peek at Todoroki, leading Todoroki to fully turn on his side towards Midoriya with a smile.

Midoriya stared up into Todoroki's eyes, specifically his blue eye. They looked exactly the same. He wondered how he never noticed before. Should he tell Todoroki about Dabi's true identity? What about Endeavor? Knowing would probably only hurt them. Perhaps this was a secret Dabi best took to the grave.

"Is something wrong, Midoriya?" asked Todoroki.

"N-no. I was just looking," whispered Midoriya. Todoroki smiled and blushed but found it hard to keep eye contact.

"Stop flirting and go to sleep!" yelled Bakugou. Midoriya didn't have to be facing Bakugou to know the vein in his forehead was probably bulging out, so they all tried to rest.

Every time Midoriya attempted to close his eyes, he saw blue flames. If he kept them closed long enough, he could see Dabi standing just out of reach with that sad smile staring back at him. If he didn't open his eyes soon, he'd be able to make out the blisters and melting skin, and before long he could even smell burning flesh.

Midoriya's eyes burst open. Once he steadied his breathing again, he tried to keep his eyes open as much as he could. They stung as they dried out. Each night that passed, his eyes grew more and more tired. To distract himself, he'd try to find something in the room to entertain his mind. Counting ceiling tiles, listening for his bedmates to talk in their sleep, identifying when and where he got each of his hero memorabilia...

Midoriya found he'd stare at Todoroki's sleeping face most nights, a calm coming over his constantly overwhelmed mind. He found every breath, every hair falling in place, every flutter in his eyelids endearing. Midoriya couldn't figure out what the real reason was for this. Was it simply seeing someone at peace, or perhaps these were old feelings finally showing back up? Maybe it was because of the features Todoroki shared with the man Midoriya could only see in his dreams. He hoped that wasn't it, because Todoroki deserved better than that.

Strong arms wrapped around Midoriya's waist as he felt Bakugou's steady breathing against his neck. Surprisingly, Midoriya found comfort being held by his childhood friend. He muffled his own laughter at the thought of such a stubborn man reaching out for cuddles in his sleep. His scarred hand slid up to hold onto Bakugou arms, a gentle smile spreading across his face.

Safety. Warmth. Peace. These were the things Midoriya felt with these two amazing heroes by his side. It'd be a long while before he could forget the pain of the past year, but with these two he felt he could get through it.