The moment All Might yelled for the kids to get out of here, Hagakure assigned herself as your anchor.
"C'mon, guys! There's nothing we can do!" She dragged you along and you hardly resisted. You were obeying All Might just as much as she did, but you kept staring over your shoulder.
All Might will win. No phony lab error can beat him.
Uraraka spat out some of her own hair. "The wind pressure's so strong..!"
The blows All Might and the Nomu exchanged were on a whole other level. The boys beside you, who were still near the fight, had to brace themselves and shield their faces. Why they didn't fully retreat was beyond you.
Uraraka lifted a pinky as she tentatively swiveled your head forward using the rest of her hand. She mustered a comforting smile. "He'll be alright, [L/n]! This is All Might we're talking about!"
"..I know." You then noticed that Uraraka was stumbling a bit from the wind. You could also hear Hagakure's footsteps pick up an unusual stutter-like pattern.
You wrapped your arms around them and picked up your pace. To yourself, you blatantly stated, "I am meant to help people."
I know how powerful All Might is. Surveying this battle is unnecessary.
Your heavy weight would at least reduce the girls' stutter steps. It worked, as it kept them grounded.
"Uh.. thanks." Uraraka flashed you a grateful look, although it was a bit strained. She really still wasn't sure what to think of you. One moment you were completely set on mass murder and the next you were helping out your peers without being asked.
Hagakure was sassy as usual, although her tone was more playful now. "Finally! Let's hurry this up!"
You three watched the fight from the stairs. You'd taken your helmet off, and your hair shifted in the breeze All Might constantly produced.
"Tell me, villain..! Do you know the meaning of—" All Might braced himself to throw the final punch and it landed, sending the Nomu through the air. "—PLUS! ULTRA!"
The breeze became a strong wind as it ran its fingers through your hair, you having taken your helmet off when you and the girls reached the stairs. Your face was still and you appeared to not be impressed in the slightest.
Startling everyone, you were the first to say, "Plus—"
Everyone followed with bright grins and pumped fists, "ULTRA!"
All Might coughed, looking pretty disheveled but grinning nonetheless. "Phew! That would've taken five hits in my heyday!"
He chuckled and added, "But that was three hundred hits just now."
You and everyone else froze at this information.
Sucking in a breath, you thought, Exactly how much has his health declined..!?
Shigaraki and Kurogiri wasted no time in lunging at All Might.
The former rasped, hands outstretched, "This is for Nomu..!"
Your eyes widened significantly.
The only thing keeping you rooted to the ground were All Might's orders.
It took only a second for the villains to get just a few feet from closing the gap..
but Midoriya was faster.
The boy had fear written all over him, his legs flailing, teeth bared and one fist pulled back as he zoomed through the air.
Despite his fear, he came to All Might's aid.
Midoriya wasn't the coward you thought he was.
Shigaraki quickly shoved his hand through his accomplice and it warped towards Midoriya's face, but a bullet stopped the older male from turning the younger into dust.
You deeply and sharply inhaled before spinning around. You hadn't even realized you'd stopped breathing.
There Iida was, standing at the top of the stairs with many of U.A.'s teachers by his side.
Iida furrowed his brows and took a huge breath before shouting, "President of Class 1-A, Iida Tenya! Reporting for duty!"
Your tense form relaxed only slightly. You knew these Heroes were obviously on your side, but being so new to the influence their kind had on the world, you weren't as quick to put your trust in them.
Shigaraki was pelted by bullets before he could continue his attempted assault. When he was engulfed by Kurogiri, Thirteen leaned over the steps to suck them up.
"I may have failed here, Symbol of Peace," hissed Shigaraki, "but the next time we meet, you're dead, All Might..!"
With that, he and Kurogiri vanished.
You took off from the ground before Hagakure, Uraraka or anyone else could stop you.
The power shooting from your hands allowed you to fly towards All Might, landing ten feet from the ground with a slight stumble. "All Might!"
Some of the smoke concealing All Might accidentally flowed away upon impact. He stepped back to hide before snapping his head to you, clearly surprised by both your presence and the fact you'd raised your voice.
Midoriya turned to you as well, eyes wide. He'd momentarily forgotten that you'd already seen All Might's true form. "[L-L/n]!"
"May I check your vitals, Mr. Might?" You lowered your voice and ignored Midoriya completely. Your eyes were no longer wide. They were slightly narrowed in seriousness.
All Might blinked at the rare change in expression before worriedly countering, "Where's your helmet, my boy!?"
He released a few hefty coughs.
You stepped closer, steel fists clinking as they closed. "Please. Your health is important, Mr. Might."
The man's eyes softened. He's changed so much in mere days..
It was true. Just by being around other people and especially kids your age, your manner of speech changed a bit, you learned to respect boundaries, and you'd adopted some of their expressions for yourself. The only sign of emotion on your face was the occasionally widening and narrowing of your eyes, but..
it was a start.
Kirishima unintentionally broke the moment. Walking towards you three, he called out, "Oi, All Might! Are you okay—!?"
A cement wall rose directly in front of the approaching redhead. Cementoss covered up, "We need to make sure all you students are safe, so head over to the gate."
He added with an unreadable expression, "I'll take care of the wounded."
Kirishima uneasily nodded before jogging away, raising a brow at the panicked looks of Uraraka and Hagakure.
"Thanks for the save, Cementoss.." All Might smiled a little before sighing and slumping towards the floor. Before he could land, you quickly skidded into a squat and carried him bridal style.
It was a heavy strain on your upper body considering this man was 7'2, but you could manage. Your knees bent slightly to support the sudden increase in weight.
All Might blinked rapidly, blood shooting out his mouth. "Th-thank you, [L/n] my boy, but just put me down!!"
Meanwhile, Cementoss was endearingly rambling about how much of a fan he was of All Might. Midoriya merely gawked at your unintentional show of strength.
"If that is what you desire, Mr. Might." With reluctance, you carefully lowered him to the floor.
You released a breath, not realizing just how much carrying him weighed on you.
Your arms already had a pull of their own on you. Your upper body was currently not up to standard with your equipment, so you'd have to work out a lot more to get your body more in sync with your tech.
All Might sighed and closed his eyes. "Thank you, [L/n], Midoriya, Cementoss."
"It's my pleasure, but you should really stop overdoing it.." Cementoss smiled, eyes also closing as he pressed his hands together.
All Might glanced away before raising a hand to wipe his mouth. "..I'd have been dead if I hadn't."
Both you and Midoriya felt the same sense of dread wash over you.
You were sent away, a flustered Midoriya in your arms as you walked around the wall.
Uraraka and Hagakure, who'd been scurrying up the stairs, yelped at the sight of you when they turned their heads.
The former cried with worry, "Deku!"
"Heyyy!" Hagakure angrily waved your helmet around. "Don't go running off like that!"
Uraraka slumped and muttered, "It was more like blasting off.."
"May I ask of you to carry my helmet for me, Hagakure? I am preoccupied." You raised Midoriya slightly for emphasis and he could only turn his head away from the girls.
His face was bright red with embarrassment. "U-Uraraka.."
Hagakure merely raised a brow at your overly-complicated question before turning around and chirping, "Sure, but don't forget it next time!"
"I will try not to."
As you proceeded up the stairs, you could see Uraraka glance at an unaware Midoriya too many times to go unnoticed.
"Do you wish to carry Midoriya, Uraraka?"
She froze up before spluttering, "N-no! I'm just worried..!"
The boy in your arms began to stutter incomprehensibly.
You merely faced forward again.
..I have decided not to question these two.
You stuck by Hagakure, curiously watching as Midoriya was loaded into the ambulance. Uraraka was standing next to Iida, both of them watching with visible concern.
"Eighteen, nineteen... twenty, twenty-one." Tsukauchi nodded to himself before turning to the crowd that was your class. "All of you have been accounted for. We're going to get you kids back to your classroom now. This is no time to be taking your statements."
Your eyes glinted with curiosity as to what a police statement was, but you kept your mouth shut and decided to Moogle it as always.
When someone asked how Aizawa was doing, Tsukauchi gave you all the details:
Both arms were smashed to splinters, his face had minor fractures, and his eye sockets had been pulverized. He somehow didn't get any brain damage.
You slowly reached up to your own eye socket, a few fingers grazing just beneath your lower lashes.
Melissa says I was fortunate enough to have my eyes only blinded by a flash of intense light.
I would have been much more difficult to save if my eye sockets were broken.
[ ]
Melissa dropped her phone to the floor, sea-colored eyes wide, shaking and brimming with hot tears.
The text you'd sent her was mortifying.
She thought it couldn't get any worse when you said there'd been a villain attack, but when she got to the part where two of your classmates stopped you from committing mass murder..
Her heart may as well have just stopped beating right there.
In the days before, you'd told her about the bird, and it'd been fine. She'd understood, although concerned about your lack of remorse.
But when she read you tried to kill people on purpose..
Melissa just started crying.
She was already worried enough about you and All Might, and the fact that you so easily decided to murder people made everything so much worse.
Harshly running her teeth into her bottom lip, she dropped to her knees and swiped her phone up from the wooden floor.
The device was tightly clutched in her trembling hands as her fingers rapidly danced across the screen.
In Japan, your eyes fluttered open on the second ring.
You squinted your eyes with fatigue before instantly sitting up. You only had two contacts— David and Melissa. This call was either important or a telemarketer.
Picking up your phone from the left of your pillow, you blinked your bleary eyes at the caller I.D.
Melissa is calling me at five a.m., but for what reason..?
You pressed "accept." "Hello, Mel—"
"I can't believe you!!"
You swiftly brought the phone away from your ear upon the blast of Melissa's hurt, angered voice.
You could hear sniffling and David's concerned queries in the background, but Melissa dismissed him with "I-I can handle this, Papa."
"..Melissa?" Cradling your phone by your ear once more, you spoke in a softer tone. You didn't care if she burst your eardrums.
You would do anything for this girl.
Melissa is crying.. but why? I have learned from Mr. Shield that a lower tone of voice is soothing..
The last time she cried was from happiness upon seeing you wake for the first time in two years, but now her voice was laced with nothing but hurt.
"How could you..?"
"Why are you crying, Melissa? Are you in danger?" Your grip on the phone tightened.
"No, but everyone else will be if you don't get your act together!!" Melissa's tongue was coated in pure venom. She was beyond furious, a massive change from her usual kind, cheerful disposition.
It took a lot to anger Melissa Shield.
She wasn't even stuttering. Her voice trembled and occasional sniffles could be heard, but that was the extent of it.
"..What do you mean?" Your brows furrowed just the slightest.
How would I be a threat—?
"You can't kill anyone..! You can't! That's not.. the [Name] I know and love!" She was a needle's width away from sobbing.
Her breaths kept hitching as she tried keeping her voice even. "He'd never try to kill anybody! Ever! Even if it's for me, o-or for Uncle All Might!
Killing is never the answer, [Name]!"
You remained silent.
"Th-there.. are so many other ways to protect people! Don't protect just me, Uncle All Might, or Papa, either!
Protect those you know will protect you as well!"
Her crying dulled down to light pants and choked hiccups, and all you could do was listen.
Melissa is in so much distress..
..but all I can do is listen.
You would've broken the phone if it wasn't built to withstand such pressure.
"[Name].. you'll listen to me, right?"
"Affirmative." You answered right away. "I will not kill anyone and I will protect those I know will protect me as well.
You protected me once, Melissa. I will always protect you."
David and All Might have protected you as well, but for you, Melissa always came first.
Melissa could be heard letting out a small whimper. She smiled brightly, her phone held carefully by her ear. "I know, [Name]... I know. Thank you."
She quietly inhaled before moving on. "Never, ever kill anyone.. and—
and don't die.
..Those are my final orders."
You froze. "...Final?"
Melissa firmly nodded even though you couldn't see it. "Yes. Final."
And then she frantically began to add, "Eat healthy, take care of that rat's nest on your head—!"
It was needless to say that she drowned you in "final orders." You would be sure she would give you another one at any time if not for your unwavering trust in her.
"Goodnight, [Name]." Melissa smiled gently, eyes closing. "I love you."
"..Would you like me to learn the meaning of "love" on my own?"
She giggled, bringing a hand to her mouth. "Yes!"
You knew her too well.
"..All I know aside from its definition is that it must be pleasant.
I love you, Melissa. Goodnight."
"Sleep well!"
You did not sleep well that night.