Two Heroes and A Hustler

24

Deku doesn't end up going back to bed. He just waves Eri off, settling back into the soft sofa. He tries to read to get his mind to stop thinking about how sick he feels, but it doesn't work.

Very rarely had he actually been alone in the small apartment, though now he actually recognizes how big it actually is. Four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room attached to the kitchen and small dining area.

Even when it's just the five of them, they risk tripping over each other in the tight space.... Because they were almost always gathered all together. In the living room playing games, at the counter studying, and at the table eating.

He remembers meeting his foster brothers soulmates. That was a cramped night, and Deku's didn't even attend.

Maybe next time all the schedules lined up they could.

He smiles at the thought. Amajiki would definitely be wary of Bakugo, just like his brother is. But Mirio and Kaminari would have a great time playing some game on the wii, with exaggerated competitive spirit of course.

Todoroki would color with Amajiki and Eri, while Shinsou and Nejire would egg their partners on from the sidelines. Yamada and Aizawa would try and control the chaos the best they could, with one cleaning and the other putting coasters under drinks with an annoyed glare.

The image relieves him for a moment, but only a moment before his stomach sinks.

Because Deku wasn't included in any of it.

He closes his eyes. No matter how hard he tries, he can't see himself anywhere.

Throwing the book to the side, he reaches forward for the remote.

About an hour into the kids cartoon Eri usually watches, an emergency broadcast cuts it off.

And everything begins to move in slow motion.

Drones with cameras pan over two areas of the city, completely and utterly destroyed. Someone speaks over it, but Deku doesn't hear the words.

He practically falls over himself as he moves closer to the tv, searching every shot for his heroes. Every body he sees he analyzes as quickly as he can, from build to hair color, to clothes that could possibly belong to any student or teacher he knows.

He only catches a glimpse of purple hair and nearly vomits.

He doesn't feel any relief when the age is fair too old for either of his foster brothers.

The sick feeling, he knew it meant something.

He's never experienced anything like this.

Being held down and raped against his will, nothing compared to this destruction and elimination of human life.

He hopes Eri is asleep. He hopes his family is far away from the fighting.

And he hopes his stubborn soulmates are running as fast as they can away from the worst horror movie he's ever seen.

... until the very image he'd been dreading appears.

"NO!" He shouts, slamming his hand against the entertainment center, completely shattering the Just Dance disc that had been laying carelessly on top.

The camera zooms into a grainy image of his foster father with red eyes being supported by some other heroes.

And his soulmate, flying through the air with such jarring grace it's almost beautiful.

Despite his panicked heart beating at a sickening pace, he can't tear his eyes away. Everything was too fast, and like trudging through quicksand as his breath became harder and harder to control.