The door opens after a knock and you see Todoroki coming in.
"Hey, Y/n," He says, taking a seat next to the bed. "How are your injuries?"
"They're okay," You're staring at the wall in front of you, with so many emotions mixed. "Is my br- err, Hawks outside?"
"Yeah," He says, glancing at the door. "He's here and the other one's are probably your parents. Hawks doesn't look good-"
"Did you need anything?" You interrupt him. "I'm sorry but I'm not in the best mood."
You're not trying to be rude but you have a lot on your plate right now and Todoroki isn't the person you're going to tell him your worries about.
"No, you're right," He sits up right, taking a deep breath in. "I wanted to ask you something. Sorry for bringing the memory back to you but when Bakugo was taken by the villain with the fire quirk..." He hesitates, looking at you like he's thinking what to say next. "You said...You said a name. Touya."
You have a really bad feeling about this. Things can't get more fucked up than they already are, can they?
"Y-Yeah, I...I did. Why?"
He rests his arms on his knees, biting his lip in nervousness which is making you more nervous every second spent in silence.
"How do you...How do you know that's his name?"
You can't tell him. What are you supposed to say? Anything you say requires your own backstory and as much as you hate your brother right now, you're not going to give information he has kept a secret for so long.
"Todoroki, why are you asking me this?" Avoiding the question is the best you can do.
"I have three siblings," He starts. "The eldest died years ago from an accident with his quirk." He pauses for a few seconds before continuing. "His name was Todoroki Touya."
Yes, things can get more fucked up. What in the fucking hell do you tell him? If Touya is actually Todoroki's older brother, you can't keep it from him. He has the right to know.
"I, uh...Okay. " You have to lie to him. "When I was a kid...I was taken by some people that trained us to become special heroes or something, I never really cared to know. I met Touya there but he died after a while."
You even said a part of the commission, you can't say more than this, it's too much already.
"He died? Then, how do you know he's Touya?" Good question. Very good question which you have no idea what to answer without giving away Hina. No, wait, there's something.
"Once I heard villains were attacking us, I ran to Kota to save him," You say. "I brought him back to the camp where Sensei was and Dabi was already there fighting him. I had a nickname back then; he addressed me with it."
"So-"
"Touya's alive." You know damn well Kei has heard all of this from outside. You had to give Todoroki answers, though. That's his brother and you know how it feels needing answers.
And that's exactly when he opens the door with disbelief written all over his face.
"I'm sorry but can you give us a moment, please?" It sounded more like an order than a favor. "I need to talk to her."
"Don't worry, I was about to leave," He stands up, giving you a last glance. "Thank you for telling me."
Great, now you feel guilt because that's half of the truth you told him. Kei moves to the side to let the boy pass and closes the door behind him quickly.
"Touya is alive?" He doesn't seem angry that you know about it. Yet. "What the fuck happened in that camp?"
"Exactly what I said, Hawks," You can't hide it any longer. He's gonna be pissed but since Hina never told him then... "I wanted Hina to tell you but..."
"Hina?" He frowns. "What does Hina have to do with this, she wasn't at the camp, was she?"
"No," Well, now the cat's out of the bag. You have to tell him about that night and if you're being honest you're so done with secrets. "She was not there. Look, can we just be honest? Please? I won't be mad, just please no more lies, I can't handle anymore lies."
He sits down on the chair, nodding. He exhales deeply, crossing his fingers.
"The mission I was sent to," He starts, looking at you like he's proving he's telling the truth this time. "Was involved with the League. I had to capture Giran, a person who brings in anyone who might be interested in joining the League. One night I heard him talking to Dabi and Shigaraki, their leader, came in after a while, saying something about a mission. When I called you last night, it all connected. I didn't know what their mission was, I promise, I just connected the dots too late for me to actually do something. I contacted the commission to send reinforcements but they refused to endanger the possibility of the League finding out they're being spied on.
"I did lie to you about one other thing, though. Hina has secretly been in contact with me for the past three months. I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure what Hina was planning and if the League was involved. Turns out, she just wants to leave them and come back to us. She said that once she's ready to leave she'll let me know but every time something gets in the way and gets postponed. She will be back, though, and so will Bakugo. The police with other heroes are investigating already and putting up a plan."
Damn, all you had to do was listen to him. You don't blame yourself for reacting that way, though, you're dealing with a lot.
Now, it was your turn to tell him everything. You started from the night in Kyushu, right after you left Kei's apartment and then explained everything that happened at the camp. From the moment he called you, until the moment you saw Katsuki being taken by Dabi.
Surprisingly, he wasn't angry. He didn't even react the way you thought he would. He just...sat there and listened calmly.
"I see..." That's all he says. Seriously, why is that all he says?
"You're...You're not angry with me?" He looks at you confused.
"Why would I be angry?" Now it's your turn to be confused. "Hina most likely wanted to keep Dabi's identity a secret; I understand that. You didn't tell me because you wanted her to tell me. You wanted to do the right thing."
"Okay, Mr. I-read-people-like-a-book," He smiles, finally making the mood lighter. "I got it."
"It's one of my talents." You roll your eyes because he really has amazing skills when it comes to reading others. A knock is heard on the door, showing Asami behind it.
"Everything okay?" She asks you more than Kei, squinting her eyes like she's suspicious Kei is making things worse.
"Yeah, don't worry." You finally smile.
"Now, rest, okay? I have..." He glances at Asami. "A much tougher opponent to fight."
"Damn, I don't know what you do but teach me sometime."
"Nooo, no, no, no! I'm not having two of you messing around with me."
"Messing around?" She smirks, mouthing "watch this" at you when Kei isn't looking. "With all due respect, sir," You watch as Kei's expression changes in an instant after the honorific she used. "I do not believe I am-"
"Got it!" He raises his voice, walking up to her, wrapping his hand around her waist. "Now you can give me back my girlfriend."
You all laugh and you feel so much better after all that rollercoaster of emotions.
You say your goodbyes with Asami telling you they'll be at a hotel near the hospital, since Kei is investigating with the police and needs to be here, so you can call her if there's anything you need.
Once you're left alone, your mind drifts back to Katsuki once again. All the questions you can't answer coming back to you.
Where is he? Is he hurt? Is he cold? Has he eaten anything or drank any water? Has he even slept at all?
Kei said the heroes and the police are on it already but you can't just stay there and do nothing. That's when another knock is heard. Are people even allowed to enter and exit whenever they please in a patient's room?
You see your classmates coming in but they don't look like they're about to ask whether you're okay.
"Y/n, we have a plan to save him," Kiri says and it brings hope to your eyes. "But we still need you."
***
Apparently, Shigaraki had formed a team with certain members from the League—new and current ones—and from what I could understand, they were sent on a mission.
I got a little suspicious because if Dabi is chosen for it, I'm usually in it. Even if he isn't, I'm sent for other stuff too, so not including me and Dabi not saying a word about it had me thinking.
The second I stepped inside the bar area, I was faced with the boy I had stabbed back at the USJ, the one who won the sports festival.
Katsuki Bakugo. Shigaraki had mentioned he wanted him a couple months ago but since there wasn't any further discussion about it and didn't do anything to actually go and get him, I thought he forgot about it and didn't bother searching it more.
How wrong I was.
"Why the fuck did you keep this from me?" I say, pissed off, trying not to scream at his fucking face while I have him pinned on the wall by the collar of his shirt. "Why is Bakugo here?"
"Boss' orders," He says so nonchalantly, it makes my blood boil. "No one else except the assigned members of the Vanguard Action Squad, should know about the mission. He wants him for the League."
"Do you realize I'm the only fucking member of the League that was left out of this mission!?" There goes me trying not to yell. "And since when do you follow "boss' orders"!?"
"First," He tries to break free from my hands but I'm so irritated, I clench harder. "Get your hands off me, Hina."
"Or what?" I say between my teeth, bringing him closer. He stares at me, saying absolutely nothing. "That's what I thought."
"Hina," His tone sounds demanding and I couldn't care less. "We've been through this before; and you being there was not the best idea."
"Why?"
"Oh my God, you really don't fucking listen to me." He throws his head with a groan.
"Well, if you keep important things from me, then no, I won't listen."
"I was ordered to keep it from you!"
"I don't fucking care and neither do you, Dabi!"
"If you were there, you'd surely try to stop us!" He pushes me enough to get me off him, tripping on my steps but no falling down. "Shigaraki already knows you have ties with one of the students and a pro hero, that's why he didn't want you there! Besides, what were you going to do, huh!?"
"What do you mean?" I scoff, crossing my arms over my chest.
"What do I mean?" He was about to leave when he stopped at the door, turning to look at me and having the audacity to look angry. "A stupid little brat was in charge of filling the forest with poison gas while I burned the rest of it from the other side. In the meantime, the rest of the squad searched for Bakugo and should anyone from the killing list get in the way, we were ordered to kill them. They eventually found out our target; you'd be so happy to fight with your sister for kidnapping her boyfriend—she'd probably hate you all over again—and then watch her get burned after getting in the way."
I sucked in a breath as my eyes went wide with the last thing he said. Indeed I wouldn't want to be there after listening to all this but...
"What did you say...?" I stare into his eyes—more like his soul—as I approach him. "Did you just say you burned my sister?"
"Yeah," He admits and it makes me grab his collar again. "I'd do it again if she got in the way."
"You burned my sister!?"
"Chill, I didn't kill her." Have I lost my sanity or did this man actually say what I think he said?
My legs take some steps back as I look on the floor, until my knees reach the bed and sit down with a thud. The next thing I do, I think terrifies him. I laugh.
I'm laughing. I am fucking laughing. I did lose my sanity, after all. My head falls down and I rest it on my palms as I keep laughing.
"Hina?" He kneels down, trying to look at me and grabbing my shoulders, shaking me. "Hina stop laughing, that's fucking creepy."
"You don't care." I say between my laughter. Then, as I slowly realize, tears fill my eyes. I'm not even sure if I'm crying or laughing or both. "You don't care about anything and anyone that is not me. That's the person you've become."
"You knew from the start I'm-"
"A fucking psychopath," I whisper, letting my tears fall in front of him. By the expression on his face, I can tell it's the first time seeing me this broken. "Yeah, I knew exactly what I was doing. And now I'm starting to hate myself for it."
I fell in love with Touya. Not Dabi.
They aren't the same person anymore and they will never be again. Sure, he cares about me in his own way but I will never hear that he loves me. I never said it either but that's because I thought it was too early for that.
In reality, I was scared. I was scared to actually say the words 'I love you' to Dabi because...he's not Touya anymore. The man standing in front of me will do anything to keep me safe, I know that, but won't care hurting anyone who isn't me.
I'm sure he wouldn't care if he even had to burn the world. But that's precisely the problem. I don't want that kind of protection. I don't want him to care for me this way let alone love me.
He has Touya's mannerisms, his eyes, little parts of his personality but that fourteen-year-old boy who would protect me from the cold is long gone. I only see Dabi, a member of the League of Villains. A man who didn't hesitate to tell me he wanted to kill my brother and tried lying to me about hurting my sister.
For the past three months, I was secretly communicating with my brother. I told him everything I know about the League, including Dabi and excluding the Touya part, and after some time, I would abandon it. I would abandon Dabi.
Keigo was sent here for a mission to capture Giran and obtain information. Not that he needed it, I already told him anything I know, but the commission sent him so he couldn't really decline and blow my cover.
As far as I know from Ayaka and Minori, the commission still wants me. I don't blame them. A quirk that manipulates memories will come pretty handy to their missions.
I should've left a long time ago but I kept lying to myself. Every time I thought about it I would say it's not the right time.
Truth is, I simply couldn't leave Dabi and I surely didn't want us to become enemies. I betrayed him already by giving my brother intel about his quirk and fighting style.
This situation is exactly what I needed to leave. If I start hating him for what he did to Y/n and that he kidnapped Bakugo, it'll be easier.
I still love him. But right now...I need to hate him for my own good.
"What are you talking about?" He frowns like he's not understanding what he did wrong.
"Dabi," My voice is shaky because of what I'm about to say. "I can't. I'm sorry but...I can't do this anymore." His eyes widen and the last thing I expect from him is to smile.
"Of course you can't. You're just like the rest of them!" He stands, takes a few steps back while laughing. He turns around, his hands in his pockets, body starts moving from side to side as if he's dancing. "You leave the moment you realize just how broken I truly am!" He raises his voice, the sound of laughter still audible, and twirls, bedding down to face me from afar, stretching his arms open. "Isn't that right?"
"That's not fair, Dabi!" I let out a sob. "You're blaming me-"
"Oh, but it's perfectly fair." He says in a playful tone. "Like I said; you knew from the day you met me I am a psychopath, Takami Hina. You only realized that I'm no longer worthy to you since I stayed true to myself against your precious siblings. Don't act like you're not one to blame."
"What the fu-" I cut my sentence in half, standing up. "How the hell is this my fault!?"
"Leave the League." He approaches me again with slow, wobbly movements, ignoring my question.
"Don't avoid the goddamn question!"
"Leave me." He leans down to my eyes' level and whispers, "See if I care."
I'm about to slap him so hard but a tiny movement on his face stops me. He's bleeding right where the scar below his eyes meets the healthy skin. He has told me it happens rarely but I've only seen it once with this being the second time.
The blood rolls down his cheek like a tear. That's when I realized he lied so he could hide his vulnerability. I reach to touch his face but he slaps my hand away.
"Get the hell away from me." He growls with gritted teeth. "You made your decision, now get out of here."
He opens my hand he already has hold of and hands me a set of keys. I look at him confused but he doesn't bother answering me; he just opens the door, exiting the room, leaving me alone in the empty room, suddenly so cold.
I look at the keys again and then remember Dabi was in charge of holding the keys of where Bakugo is locked. Of course; I should have known better. He loves pretending not to care when he clearly does.
He's still helping me even though he just made me rethink my decision. But no, I have to go. That was just Dabi's try to make me stay but I don't belong here. I belong with my family; my little sister and my big brother. That's exactly where I'm going and I won't look back.