I ended up over at the boys' place, to no one's surprise. Sero hadn't taken long to find a ride there, walking right into the garage once he arrived. I had a feeling he knew that was the only place in the house Katsuki would let him smoke.
"Finally caved, huh?" Sero asked as he plopped down on the couch next to me, offering up the joint in his hand along with a lighter.
I didn't respond to his question, just took the gift quickly. Within seconds the joint was lit and I was taking a long inhale, the less than pleasant flavor welcome for once. I held my breath for a moment before finally exhaling. "God, I missed weed," I said with a content air to my voice as I handed the joint back to Sero.
Sero silently raised it in a 'cheers' motion before hitting it. "You gave me a reason to end my T break, you really took one for the team."
Eijirou laughed from where he sat in front of us on a bean bag. "Were you holding out for him or something?"
Before Sero showed up, I'd asked my boyfriends if they were planning on smoking with us and was a little disappointed when they said no. Katsuki wasn't a fan of actually smoking weed, preferring other methods, and apparently Eijirou wasn't allowed to smoke anymore, a rule he'd given himself. Something about an addictive personality or something. Couldn't be me, I had thought sarcastically.
"Not him specifically," Sero shrugged, the joint shifting to my hand again. "I was just waiting for someone to ask me to smoke, so I'd have a reason to."
The door connecting the garage to the house opened and Katsuki appeared through it, a water bottle in his hand. When Sero showed up, I'd asked him if there was anything to drink in the house since cotton mouth was a bitch. I smiled brightly when I saw that he'd found something.
"It's all we got," he explained, dropping it in my lap as he pushed me over to sit beside me.
I let him get situated, unscrewing the cap of the bottle greedily. "This is perfect," I said honestly as I took a few gulps of the liquid. "You're my hero, Kacchan."
I relaxed into him as his arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me to his side. "I better fucking be," he grumbled in a low voice.
"Mhm," I hummed happily. "My hero right behind Sero."
My boyfriend made a startled sound behind me as Sero and I laughed at his reaction. "He brought me drugs, Kacchan. He's winning right now." I blindly reached behind me, flapping my hand around trying to pat the top of his head. I ended up half ass smacking him a few times instead.
"Fuck Deku, stop hitting me," he said while burying his face into my shoulder to try and avoid the unintentional assault.
I let my hand go limp, resting lazily on top of Katsuki's spiky hair. I readjusted, getting more comfortable against him as my eyes slipped closed. "I could fall asleep like this," I mumbled, ignoring Eijirou's laughter at my words.
I peaked my eyes open as Sero yawned, finding it amusing the cartoonish way his eyes widened. "Hm," he hummed, looking thoughtfully at the joint in his hand. "I may have grabbed the wrong one."
Katsuki's grip tightened on my waist, but I was too busy laughing at the dark haired teen in front of me to care. "What the hell do you mean?" The blond didn't find Sero's realization as funny as I had.
"Calm down, I just didn't mean to grab this strain. It tends to make people tired," Sero said with a wave of his hand, taking another drag and blowing the smoke right at Katsuki and I.
I squinted my eyes against the cloud, rubbing them dramatically. "Oh god, there's weed in my eyes!" I exclaimed, falling into hysterics quickly. It earned a chuckle from Sero, but my boyfriends didn't seem to understand the genius of my joke.
I sighed and let my head fall back, glaring up at the ceiling. "I crave nicotine, this is stupid."
Cold metal tapped the side of my arm not even a second later. My head whipped up and was met with the sight of Sero handing me a vape. I took it with zero hesitation. "Oh my god," I said in between rips. "You're my fucking savior right now, dude."
Katsuki snagged the vape from my hands, tossing it back at Sero. "Don't give my boyfriend a nicotine addiction," I couldn't see the scowl, but I knew it was there. I could hear it in his snappy response.
"Sounds like he already has one," The black-haired boy said with a shrug, pocketing the device again.
"Used to," I admitted. "Pretty bad actually, but then my mom went all prison mode and I had to quit cold turkey."
He cringed at the thought, shaking his head. "Sounds like ass, dude."
Sero ended up hanging out until school ended, when Ashido and Kaminari joined the group. They had both quickly jumped at the chance to smoke with us, so I spent most of the day blazed. It wasn't until I headed back to my own house, drenched in Eijirou's body spray, that I started sobering up. All I wanted to do then was go to sleep, so I crawled into bed and did just that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Over the next few days, Shigaraki's text became more frequent and personal. He was slowly piecing my life together from whatever shadowy hell hole he was hiding in. He knew exactly who was close to me and exactly how to piss me off with the information.
I was understandably jumpy and on edge all week, every text freaking me out a little more than the last. I was snapping at my friends and boyfriends over little things and then immediately apologizing in a twisted cycle. Even though they were all very understanding, I could tell my anxiety was getting to them as well.
It was Friday during forth hour, right before lunch, when I finally said fuck it. Shigaraki had been blowing up my phone all day, taunting me with all the things he knew about my life.
Unknown~
You should tell the blonde to wear a helmet
Motorcycles can be so dangerous
It'd be a shame if someone wasn't paying enough attention and he ended up as nothing more than roadkill somewhere
It wasn't the first time he had indirectly threatened to kill Katsuki or Eijirou or any of my other friends, I was almost used to it at that point. I'd been silently taking everything he'd thrown at me, but I had finally had enough of the cyber bullying.
Izuku~
Grow a pair and stop texting me like a preteen girl
I'll be the first to admit it wasn't my smartest moment. Everyone, the cops, my mom, my boyfriends, all of them had told me to not text back. It was pretty much my only rule.
Unknown~
Look at that, the little snitch does know how to respond
I was starting to get bored
I bit my lip as I read the conversation. The sneaking suspicion I had just made a mistake taking hold of my gut.
Unknown~
Here's what's going to happen, little snitch
You're going to become my little errand boy again
And if you say a word to anyone, I run the blonde off the road
Sound like a deal?
I stared at the phone in my hand, unblinking. My hands were clammy where they met the heated metal of the device, almost causing it to slip from my grasp. I reread the texts over and over again, but the words stayed the same. I had played right into his hands and now I was stuck. He knew exactly what to lord over my head.
My thumbs hovered over the keyboard, while my brain tried to formulate a response. I couldn't just give in, but I knew Shigaraki's flavor of crazy. I was intimately aware of the fact he wouldn't hesitate to try and kill the people I care about.
Unknown~
Don't keep me waiting
I'm not known for my patience
I took a deep breath, trying to steel myself as I typed out my response.
Izuku~
What do I get out of this deal?
Unknown~
The hearts of your friends and family keep beating
Do you need more incentive?
My head shot up as the bell rang, signaling it was time for lunch. I released the breath trapped in my lungs, glancing back at my phone.
Izuku~
How do I know you're not bluffing?
I clicked the power button on my phone, watching the screen shift to black as I slid it into my pack pocket and stood. I slung my bag over one shoulder and started for the cafeteria.
I was fully aware I was poking the bear, but I had a reason. I needed to know how far he was willing to go. Shigaraki was ruthless and vindictive, a violent and unfeeling person capable of murder, but he was also incredibly lazy. I had been close with him at one point, watching as he gave up on countless enemies for the sheer fact of losing interest. I was feeling him out with that text, sizing up his threat level for myself.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, causing me to pull off to the side of the hall and fish it out. When I opened the chat, I was met with a photo. It was a candid shot of me, Sero, Katsuki, and Eijirou in the garage, Sero mid-rip off the joint in his hand, taken through a window. It was from just a few days ago.
My breathing stalled.
Unknown~
Does it look like I'm bluffing?