𝙃𝙀𝙔, 𝙁𝙇𝙀𝙓 𝙏𝘼𝙋𝙀 // 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙤 𝙭 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

thirty-six

I lay on the couch, my hands bandaged up. I had my head in Denki's lap and my feet in Mina's. My hands were bandaged up after Hanta had taken me to recovery girl. I was feeling tired, like I just wanted to fall asleep, yet everyone was being so noisy.

"Your hands okay?" Denki asked. I hummed a yes.
"Good," he replied.

"You seen Hanta?" I asked.
"I think he's with Satou? No clue," Denki said.

.
.
.

It was dark out, and I should have been sleeping. There's the keyword, should. I kept hearing noises and couldn't seem to just put it to my imagination after a while.

I laid awake for another three minutes, listening to the yelling and stuff. At home, I would have thought nothing of it, but I wasn't. I was in a school dormitory, with a now doubled security system, meaning that whatever those noises were were hopefully coming from a student.

I slid out of bed and slipped down the hall, down the stairs and out through the door. The cold night air hit my face and I breathed it in for a second.

I padded to where the noise was coming from, and saw All Might lurking in the shadows, watching Midoriya and Bakugou fighting. I stayed in the shadows as well, further back than All Might.

'I could get in a lot of trouble for this,' I thought as All Might walked forwards. Bakugou had Midoriya's head pressed to the ground.

"That's far enough, you two," All Might said, "I'm sorry, but I've been listening the whole time. I'm sorry. I never noticed."

'Never noticed what?' I thought.
"Why... now..." Bakugou said, "why Midoriya?"
"He was helpless... yet he was more of a hero than anyone else," All Might explained, "I thought you were already strong. So I decided to help him stand in the arena, rather than you, who had long since been in it."

"But I'm weak too..." Bakugou replied, "that's why I wanted to become someone strong, like you! I'm fucking weak! I'm why you're... like that!"

"This is not your fault. I was approaching my limit anyway... this outcome was unavoidable. You are strong," All Might said, "however, I focused solely on that strength and I made you shoulder far too much. I'm sorry... you, too, are still young. I've been a hero for a long time, so this is my opinion. Obsessing over victory, like Young Bakugou, and thinking you want to help those in need, like Young Midoriya."

All Might went on and on, and I tuned out until Bakugou started speaking again.
"Hey, you. You've got the strongest guy laying out the path for you. Don't go fucking losing."

"I will get stronger. Strong enough to beat you," Midoriya said.
"Who else knows? That you passed your power to Midoriya?" Bakugou asked.
"Recovery Girl and the principal. As for students... only you," All Might said. I swallowed.

'Deku didn't tell him then,' I thought. The green-haired boy looked panicked. I guessed he was also thinking the same thing.
"You don't want anyone to find out, right? I won't tell a soul. Unlike this shit-for-brains, Deku," Bakugou said. I stepped forwards and tripped, my bare foot stubbing the ground. I yelled a stream of curses, rolling around on the ground holding my foot.

All Might, Midoriya and Bakugou all stared at me.
"Well, fuck," Bakugou said, "Finger Guns."
"Young Irezumi?" All Might sighed, "care to explain yourself?"
"I-I swear, it's not what it looks like!" I stood up and waved my hands around, "I heard some noises and got freaked out so I came out to see what was happening."

"I guess you heard all of that," he replied.
"Yeah... but I-I already knew! About One for All!" I said. All Might looked back at Midoriya.
"I-I didn't tell her, I swear!" he exclaimed.

"I figured it out, during the USJ incident," I said, "it wasn't hard. I know a lot of stuff about you, All Might."
All three of them blinked.
"Stalker," Bakugou said.
"Not like that, Boomer! My mom told me a lot of stuff!" I replied.

They all nodded.
"Irezumi—... you have to keep this a secret. It stays between us four, okay?" Midoriya said.
"I will, I promise," I replied, rubbing my left eye.

.
.
.

"They got into a fight?!" Mina yelled.
"House arrest?" Hagakure exclaimed. I sighed, rubbing my hands together. My foot was bandaged from where I had fallen the previous night, as I was barefoot. I had sliced it on the ground.

"Eh? Are they getting along now?" Uraraka asked.
"I wouldn't say that..." I mumbled, limping over and taking the hoover from Midoriya. I had been given two days house arrest because of the fact I was a bystander and did nothing to stop them. I think Aizawa was just doing it to piss me off.

"The shoot style... I wonder how it went," Midoriya mumbled.
"The wind up motions are too big," Bakugou replied, "even with the speed up, I was able to react at the last second. It's not cut out for a slug test."

"Ah... I see," Midoriya sighed.
"Throwing in that punch seriously pissed me off," Bakugou said.

I tripped over the hoover tube and groaned.
"Give it here," Midoriya said, taking it back.
"I need to fix everything," I huffed, "I've lost my sense of balance ever since I joined UA and my aim has gotten a lot worse with all this pressure to live up to Kamikaze's name. Oh — speaking of, I have to submit a new costume design by the end of the month. And I still don't have a hero name."

I stood up carefully and leant against the back of the couch.
"Why're you getting a new costume? Did something happen to your old one?" Midoriya asked.
"It just wasn't practical. It didn't really look cool, like yours or Boomer's..." I sighed.

Midoriya shrugged, kneeling down to vacuum beneath the couch.
"If you feel that way, then it's probably a good idea to do so," he said. I smiled, turning around and looking over the back of the couch at him.

"I just can't draw. I have sucky art skills," I replied.
"You could always ask someone else to draw it for you," he said, "Kacchan's art skill are amazing!"
"Wait, seriously? I'm gonna ask him to draw me," Tetsuya hopped and and jumped away.

"No, I was just just—" Midoriya started, but she'd disappeared, "—kidding."