Chapter 21 - Past
Birds were chirping and the sun was shining brightly in the blue sky with the occasional clouds lazily floating by. It was another day as you rose from your bed after a good night rest and went about doing your morning routine as you got ready for the day.
The only difference this time was that you woke up each morning with a smile gracing your lips, feeling like you were on cloud nine. After all, you were finally as free as a bird taking to the sky, its wings soaring to higher heights.
That was the best way of describing the euphoria bursting in your heart.
Humming a cheery tune, you flipped the egg with a flick of your wrist, landing perfectly on its other side in the pan. A few minutes later, your egg was done and breakfast was served.
"Itadakimasu!" You happily exclaimed with clasped hands and dug into your food.
You were halfway through eating when suddenly the handphone that was placed on the table next to you went off, indicating there was an incoming call. Placing down your fork, you picked up the device and swiped the green button, accepting the call.
"Hello? Who is this?" You asked, not sure who the person on the other line was considering you didn't check the name before answering the call.
"(Name)-chan! It's me, Izuku!" Came the familiar voice of your childhood friend, Midoriya Izuku.
Immediately you perked up as a smile began to appear on your face. It was good to hear from the green-haired boy again as it had been a while since both of you last saw each other. "Izuku-kun, how have you been?"
"I've been good," Izuku answered and you could hear the smile in his tone.
"That's great." You hummed. "So, what's up?"
"Are you free tomorrow for the entire day?" The 16-year-old asked.
Furrowing your brows, you tried to recall if you had any plans planned for tomorrow but came up with nothing. "Yeap. I don't have any plans, so I'm free. Why?"
Upon hearing that, Midoriya couldn't stop the excitement leaking into his voice as he replied, "Since this is the last week of summer vacation, our class decided to have one last gathering and just have fun for the day before the new school term starts next week. On top of that, it's also to celebrate your release from the hospital as well as being free!"
(E/C) eyes softened when you remembered the reactions you received from your classmates after sharing the good news about your situation. There were all sorts of mixed feelings - some of them were shedding tears of relief while others were simply happy for you.
You couldn't have asked for a better group of friends and you were very thankful for having the opportunity to meet them.
"That sounds lovely. I look forward to it." Your voice was thick with emotions as you willed yourself not to cry lest your omelette became salty due to your tears.
Midoriya must have sensed something was off because his voice was gentle when he spoke once more. "You've missed out on such much and we thought this will be the first of many happy memories as you begin a new chapter of your life."
Wiping away the tears that had gathered in the corners of your eyes, you nodded your head. "Thank you, Izuku-kun. Your words mean a lot to me, I really appreciate it."
"You're my first friend and the only person who ever stood up for me against Kacchan and his bullying back when we were kids. It's the least I could do." The greenette smiled upon remembering his younger days spent with the (h/c)-haired girl.
"Anyway, the gathering will be a picnic and it will be held at U.A. High's rooftop since you can't exactly leave the school compound. We've asked permission from Aizawa-sensei and he gave us the green sign as long as we behave ourselves." Midoriya informed you.
You raised a brow when you heard that your strict homeroom teacher allowed a bunch of kids who attracted troubles wherever they go to have a picnic on the school rooftop where potential harm might happen.
However, you weren't one to complain so you simply just went along with it. "Is there anything I need to bring or prepare?"
"Hmm," Midoriya hummed thoughtfully, pondering over your question before answering you. "I think everyone's bringing food to share, so I guess you can do that too."
"Alright, I'll see what I can prepare."
"Nice! We're all meeting at three pm at the school gate before heading up to the rooftop. You can either meet us at either place, it's up to you. I can't wait for tomorrow!" Midoriya exclaimed and you could imagine the excited grin stretching on his face.
Chuckling at your friend's enthusiasm, you replied, "Same here. I'll see you tomorrow Izuku-kun."
"See you tomorrow, (Name)-chan! Have a great day today!"
The two of you exchanged one last goodbye before the call came to an end. Without even looking in the mirror, you knew your face was glowing with happiness as (e/c) orbs twinkled in excitement for tomorrow.
All that occupied your thoughts for the rest of the day was the picnic tomorrow and you were looking forward to it, your heart swelling at the thought of spending an entire day sharing laughter and creating new memories with your friends.
***
Music was playing in the background as your body danced in tune, your lips singing along to the lyrics of the song. It was the day of Class 1-A gathering and you were currently bustling around the kitchen preparing the food you had decided to bring to the picnic.
After your phone call with Midoriya, you spent the whole day searching for ideas on what you should bring. Once you settled the final list of food, you went out to the closest grocery store, with permission from Aizawa, to buy the necessary things you needed for preparation.
Since the picnic was happening in the late afternoon, you had plenty of time to prepare. So, you spent the morning lounging around and didn't start until after lunchtime.
"Should I cut the sandwiches into triangles or rectangles?" You muttered, staring at two different pictures of sandwiches on your phone. "What's the difference anyway? It's still sandwich no matter what shape I cut them in."
Just then, the doorbell rang throughout your apartment, bringing you out of your mental debate on sandwich shapes.
An excited grin appeared on your face, (e/c) orbs glowing when you realized who was at the door. Placing the knife that was in your possession gently on the countertop, you wiped your hands on the apron you were wearing before making your way towards the entrance.
Unlocking the door, you opened it to reveal familiar spiky blonde hair that always seemed to defy nature.
"Katsuki-kun, you came! I thought you were going to abandon me." You waggled your eyebrows teasingly and moved out of the way so the blonde could enter.
"Shut up!" Bakugou growled while removing his shoes and marched past you towards the kitchen.
Chuckling to yourself, you closed the door and made sure it was locked before following after the blonde. Upon entering the kitchen, you saw that Bakugou was unloading his own bags of grocery.
Picking up the knife once more, you started to cut the sandwiches after finally settling on making them triangular. For the next few minutes, no words were spoken as both of you settled into a comfortable silence while doing your own stuff.
A small smile appeared on your face as you packed the last few of sandwiches into a tupperware and snapped on the cover real tight. With a satisfied nod of your head, the tupperwares were placed into the basket sitting on the countertop next to you amongst other snacks you had bought.
You glanced to your right and saw that Bakugou was just about done with his preparation as well, placing the pot of Japanese curry that he had cooked into an insulation bag. This way the curry would stay warm until it was ready to be served.
Just then a thought crossed your mind which you voiced out to the blonde. "Ne, Katsuki-kun, I'm surprised you're coming for the picnic. You usually won't waste your time on such things."
"I didn't have any intentions of attending, but I was forced against my will by that shitty red-haired who wouldn't stop harassing me with calls and messages until I agreed to turn up." The 16-year-old growled irritatingly when he remembered his phone going off non-stop as Kirishima's name flashed across the screen.
"Oh..." You frowned.
Truth be told, you thought the reason why Bakugou was going for the class gathering was because of you considering the picnic was in your honour. However, looked like you were wrong to assume otherwise.
You tried not to let the disappointment showed by forcing a smile on your face in the hope of throwing Bakugou off. "I-I see! Kirishima-kun is really one of a kind, so hold on to your friendship with him!"
However, you failed miserably because the teenage male saw right through you. Noticing the sudden change in your mood, Bakugou raised a brow in question. "What's with you? You were fine one moment and the next you're not."
You knew Bakugou didn't mean to be insensitive towards your feelings because it was just the way how he showed his concern to those who were close to him. So, you weren't bothered by it because it was his usual attitude.
Still, you wanted to have some fun with the blonde.
"K-Katsuki-kun, why are you so mean to me all the time?" You sniffled, (e/c) orbs glossing over with crocodile tears. "Can't you be more sensitive towards my feelings?!"
Ruby reds widened in surprise, not expecting you to react in such a manner. Bakugou was taken aback at the sight of you crying at what he had said considering you usually just brushed off his brash attitude with a smile.
Mild panic washed over the 16-year-old teen as he flitted around you to try and consoled you while you stood there in the middle of the kitchen crying your eyes out. "Shit! I didn't mean to make you cry! Look, I'm sorry alright?!"
"Y-You mean it?" You turned towards Bakugou with big, hopeful eyes. "You are really sorry?"
"Goddammit, yes! So, stop crying already!" Bakugou shouted, the tip of his ears becoming red due to the fact you were in his personal space and peering up at him with those sparkling (e/c) orbs that always made his heart raced. "Also, why are you standing so close to me?! Do you not understand what personal space is?!"
Seeing the fluster blonde, you could no longer hold it in and burst out into laughter which confused Bakugou.
"HAHAHA! I can't believe you fell for that! You should've seen the look on your face!" You howled. "Man, I wish I have a camera to capture that golden moment!"
"Why you..." Bakugou growled lowly, irk marks appearing on his forehead when he figured you had just been messing with him the whole time.
Grinning at the agitated look on your friend's face, you glanced towards the clock hanging on the wall and realized it was almost time to meet your classmates. With one swoop, the picnic basket was hanging off your arm as you walked out of the kitchen.
"You better move your ass now if you don't wanna be late, Katsuki-kun!" You hollered and grabbed your valuable items before heading towards the entranceway of your dorm to put on your shoes.
You could hear Bakugou grumbling behind you as he also put on his shoes while you unlocked the door and stepped out into the hallway, holding the door opened for him. After checking the door was securely locked, both of you made your way towards the school rooftop where the picnic was held at.
Bakugou was still in a sulky mood from your antics earlier on, the corners of his mouth pulled down into a frown.
"Oh come on, Katsuki-kun. I was just playing with you earlier on." You elbowed the blonde in his side which earned you a glare. "So stop sulking already. You're gonna ruin the fun atmosphere later with that permanent snarl of yours."
"F*ck off or I'll blast your ass to space!" Bakugou threatened with a small spark of his quirk.
You rolled your eyes at his meaningless threat that you were honestly getting tired of hearing every single time. "You always say that and honestly, it's getting kinda old. You gotta be more creative than saying you'll blast my ass to space. I expected more from you."
At this point, you were really getting on the teen's nerves and he was going to go off if you don't shut your trap anytime soon. However, your next few words caught Bakugou off.
"Even though you were forced by Kirishima-kun, I'm still glad you're coming." You lifted your head and smiled softly at Bakugou, (e/c) orbs glowing with genuine joy. "For that, I'm thankful."
Bakugou stared at you with wide eyes before flushing a light pink when he realized he was staring so openly at you. He turned his head away so the only evidence of him blushing was the red tip of his ears poking out of blonde locks.
"Kirishima was just an excuse." The blonde half-admitted, unwilling to confess the whole truth.
Despite that, you were still over the moon because you were the reason why Bakugou was attending this class gathering just like you hoped.
Time skipped
"Everybody! We're here!" You announced your presence as you opened the door and walked out into the open space with Bakugou following behind you.
A chorus of different greetings was thrown your way as you smiled and waved at your classmates with a happy grin on your face, unlike Bakugou who was wearing his infamous scowl.
"You're late!" Iida scolded, his hand going up and down in its usual chopping fashion the moment you approached the trio of good friends.
"Sorry." You apologized with a sheepish smile on your face and placed your picnic basket next to the others.
"It's alright! The important thing is that you're here!" Midoriya smiled. "The picnic won't be the same without you. After all, it's in your honour."
"(Name)-chan!" Uraraka's gaze was directed at your basket, her eyes sparkling as she began to drool imagining the food that awaited her. "What did you bring for the picnic??"
Chuckling, you replied while unpacking the tupperwares containing the sandwiches you had spent the entire afternoon preparing. "I didn't really have an idea of what to prepare and nothing can go wrong with being classic. So, I prepared sandwiches for everyone."
You lifted one of the tupperwares' cover to reveal your homemade sandwiches cut into perfect triangles for easy consumption. Immediately, your friends' eyes widened in amazement, their mouths itching to try one.
Seeing the eager look on their faces, you smiled at them and held up the box, offering them to take a sandwich each. "Here, why don't you try one for yourself and tell me how it tastes?"
"Itadakimasu!" Both Midoriya and Uraraka exclaimed before taking a huge bite of the bread. You watched with anticipated eyes as you waited for their verdicts. "So, what do you guys think?"
"The sandwich is really delicious, (Name)-chan!" Midoriya answered while Uraraka nodded her head in agreement, too focused on finishing the sandwich to say anything. "I didn't know you can cook!"
"Well, it's not that hard to prepare it. It's just sandwich after all. Anyone can easily make it." You rubbed the back of your neck, feeling slightly flustered at the compliment.
Upon hearing the commotion, the rest of Class 1-A stopped whatever they were doing and headed towards where the four of you were seated at - curious to know what was going on.
"What's going on here?" Kaminari asked on behalf of everyone else.
"(Name)-san brought homemade sandwiches and we tried some." The class president answered. "All of you should eat some, they're good sandwiches."
You were feeling a bit overwhelmed as your classmates crowded around you, eager to have a go at your "famous" sandwiches. Nonetheless, you were swelling with happiness when you heard approval sounds coming from them - telling you that they enjoyed your sandwiches.
"Alright, everyone! Let's get this party started!" Ashido cheered, throwing a fist into the air.
Everyone else followed and the atmosphere was one of laughter and fun time as the students of Class 1-A passed the food that they had either made or brought around while mingling and chatting with one another.
You were sitting next to Bakugou and trying some of the Japanese curry he had prepared earlier on in your kitchen. The moment you took a spoonful of it, spicy and sweet burst on your tongue.
"Katsuki-kun! This curry tastes so delicious!" You glanced up at the blonde with a giant smile, licking your lips.
"Of course, it's f*cking delicious! It's cooked by me after all." The 16-year-old boasted, his mouth quirked up into a smirk.
Ignoring the fact you had practically just fed the blonde's ego, you dug into the bowl of curry once more with the occasional moans leaving your lips. When you realized you had finished eating, you peered up at Bakugou with hopeful eyes while holding up the empty bowl to him.
Bakugou rolled his eyes as he scooped the second round of curry for you. Beaming at him with a thankful smile, you finished the bowl of amazing Japanese curry just as quickly as the first round.
***
With the food happily digesting in everyone stomach, the students of Class 1-A were seated in a circle and currently playing a game of Truth or Dare.
"Go Ashido-chan!" You cheered along with the rest of the girls as all of you watched Ashido finished her mini-dance performance with a bang. Grinning, the alien girl took a bow before settling in her seat once more and spun the bottle since it pointed to her last.
"It's gonna be..." Hagakure muttered.
Everyone held their breaths as the bottle began to slow down at each turn before coming to a stop.
"...(Name)-chan!" The invisible exclaimed, completing her sentence from before.
(E/C) eyes widened in surprise as you pointed to yourself. "Me?!"
"Yeap, the bottle clearly points to you!" Ashido confirmed your question. "So, truth or dare?"
"Why me of all people?" You grumbled, not expecting the bottle to land in your direction considering there were 21 people and thought your chances were slim. "I guess I'll go with dare. What's the worst that could happen?"
Before anyone could even open their mouths, Mineta jumped in. "I dare you to do a sexy dance for us!"
You were about to object the dare when Tsuyu's frog-like tongue shot out of her mouth and whipped the perverted purple-haired boy across the face, leaving behind a red mark.
Sending your friend a grateful smile, you spoke up. "How about someone else come up with another dare, albeit more appropriate this time around?"
You glanced around the circle to see if anyone had any ideas when your eyes landed on Ashido and Hagakure who were glancing at one another. Even though you couldn't see your invisible classmate, you knew she was sporting a similar expression to your alien classmate who was wearing a smirk on her face.
(E/C) eyes narrowed in suspicious, not trusting them one bit at all as you flashed back to the hot spring scene during the summer camp. "Whatever the both of you are planning, I'm not gonna do it. I learnt from before and I'm not gonna fall for it a second time."
However, your words fell on deaf ears as both of them looked in your direction and pointed to Bakugou who was seated next to you on your right with a bored look on his face. "We dare you to kiss Bakugou!"
"WHAT?!" Both you and Bakugou yelled in shock, eyes widened tenfold.
Meanwhile, the rest of the class were brimming with excitement as they began to chant "Kiss! Kiss!" repeatedly, drowning out both your protests against the dare.
"Do all of you want to f*cking die?!" Bakugou growled. "I'll set your ass on fire if y'all don't shut up now!!"
You, on the other hand, had become very quiet amidst the chaotic scene. A zoo of animals had been set free from their enclosures and was currently rampaging about in your stomach as your heart threatened to jump out of your chest with how fast it was beating than usual.
Being shy wasn't the reason why you were reacting this way because this wasn't your first time kissing Bakugou. Rather it was due to the fact that you were about to kiss the boy you loved in front of an audience which you had never done so before.
Your cheeks deepened in colour at that thought. The teasings from your classmates were starting to get to you and you just had about it.
"Man up Bakugou! It's just a harmless kiss with the girl you loved." Kirishima smirked infuriating his best friend even more. "Besides, I'm sure this isn't the first time both of you kiss each other."
"Kirishima," Bakugou growled out the red-haired name in syllabus. "You wanna f*cking die is it? If so, I'll be more than happy-hmpf?!"
Suddenly, any noises from before came to a standstill as silence hung in the air above Class 1-A as they watched the scene unfolding before them with wide eyes and jaws dropping to the ground.
Apparently, you had decided to act upon your dare in the midst of the blonde's threat, silencing him with a kiss.
Red orbs were as wide as saucers as Bakugou froze on the spot, his brain malfunctioning for their few seconds that felt like forever. All he could concentrate on was the warmth of your lips against his as you lingered a heartbeat or two longer before pulling away.
Your head was downcasted as (h/c) locks hid your flaming face from your friends, too embarrassed to look at anyone in the eyes after what you just did. With your voice barely above a whisper, you asked, "Was that good enough for y'all?"
All everyone could do was nod their heads mutely, still shock by all that had happened. Meanwhile, Bakugou was still frozen like a statue and the only indication that the poor blonde was alive was his red face that put shame to the existence of all tomatoes.
With that, Class 1-A's game of Truth or Dare had come to an end.
Time skipped
The day was almost coming to an end with the sun hanging low in the sky when your past was revealed.
"(Name)-chan, you never did tell us how you came to be a part of the League of Villains?" Tsuyu asked merely out of curiosity and not meaning to pry into your past on purpose.
As soon as the question left your frog-like classmate's mouth, all activities ceased as everyone became silent - so quiet that one could hear a pin dropped.
A look of surprise passed over your face as you clearly didn't expect it at all. "Oh."
You could feel the many pairs of eyes boring into you, especially a certain pair of red rubies who out of everyone deserved to know the truth. After all, he was the last person who saw you before you went missing ten years ago.
Yaoyorozu must have taken your silence as a sign of you being uncomfortable to share. "(Name)-chan, it's alright if you don't want to talk about it."
"It's okay Yao-momo. I'm okay with sharing about my past with you guys." You smiled reassuringly at the black-haired girl. "So, don't worry about it. I suggest y'all get comfortable because we're gonna be here for a while."
Your friends asked you once more about it which you waved away their concerns, affirming their hesitation it was really fine by you. Seeing your insistence on it, they stopped protesting and settled down with attentive ears.
Taking in a deep breath, you tried to calm your racing heart. You had never told anyone about your past and how it linked to the League of Villains, so you were slightly nervous.
Suddenly, you felt somebody's hand intertwining their fingers with yours. Glancing to the side, you were greeted by Bakugou who gave you a small smile and squeezed your hand in silent encouragement.
You returned the gesture with a light squeeze and gave the blonde a grateful smile before turning your attention to the audience seated in front of you, waiting for you to share the tale of your past.
The full moon was hanging high in the inky black sky, providing light to those souls still wandering around this late at night. The few visible stars that outshone the city's bright lights twinkled like diamonds speckled throughout space.
A bright grin was stretched across your face as you hummed a cheerful tune with each skip in your steps. Today had been crazy, but definitely exciting because you discovered you weren't quirkless after all.
Rather, you were just a late bloomer.
Your pace slowed down before coming to a halt as you stared at your hands in wonder, (e/c) orbs reflecting the awe you felt as today's event flashed through your mind.
You could still remember the sudden energy flowing through your body as vines shot out of the ground and wrapped Bakugou in a cocoon, holding the boy in mid-air.
Giggling to yourself when you recalled the look on your friend's face, you began your walk home once more. However, before you could take another step, a pair of arms reached out from behind you.
A hand covered your mouth while the other wrapped itself tightly around your waist as your captor pulled you into the dark alleyway that you had stopped in front of without even realizing it.
Before you could even make a single noise, the mysterious figure breathed into your ear which caused a shiver to run down your spine. "If you move or make a single noise, I'll end your pathetic little life right here and now."
To prove his point, you felt cold metal against your neck close to where your jugular vein was located. Even though you were a child, you still knew with a slide of the knife, you would be no more.
Terrified to the core, you shakily nodded your head and tried your best to hold in the whimpers that were threatening to escape your lips.
Minutes felt like hours as both of you stood there in the shadows as you silently plead for someone to save you. However, the more logical side of your mind thought it was useless even if someone did walk past the alley because you were hidden out of sight in the darkness.
Just as when you were about to lose hope, you heard voices in the distance. "Shit! Where did that villain go?!"
(E/C) eyes widened when you realized those voices must belong to pro heroes who were out doing their night patrol when they chanced upon this villain. Hope burst to life in your heart as you pulled your head forward before slamming it against the villain's face as hard as you could.
"Shit!" The villain cursed as he released his hold on you and immediately clutched his face with both hands.
You were dropped to the floor and without wasting any time, you scrambled onto your feet and made a mad dash for the opening of the alleyway while shouting at the top of your lungs in hope of being heard by those pro heroes. "Help! Help!"
However, your attempt was futile as the villain recovered quickly and used his quirk, which allowed his limbs to stretch like rubber, on you. His arms wrapped around your midriff and began to drag you deeper into the alleyway than before.
"I did warn you fair and square, but you just had to disobey my words. Now, I'm gonna punish a naughty girl like you." The villain cackled lowly, his eyes glowing in the darkness.
"No! No! Let me go!!" Panic consumed you whole. "Help! Somebody help me!!"
Your cries fell on deaf ears as the footsteps of those pro heroes faded away until all you could hear was the thumping of your heart in your ears. It was at this moment hope gave way to despair when you realized no one was going to come for you.
"Ah!" A pained cry fell from your lips as you were thrown harshly onto the ground by the villain who was advancing onto you.
Clutching your sore arm, you scrambled back to get away from the villain. (E/C) eyes darted around to look for an escape but came up with nothing when your back hit a wall.
You were trapped.
"Now, let's have some fun, sweetheart."
The last thing you remembered was metal glinting in the moonlight glow and those eyes glowing with bloodlust as he brought the knife on you.
Time skipped
You didn't know how much time had past as you laid in a pool of your blood, hidden in the shadows cast by those walls that surrounded you. A whimper left you as you brought your knees closer to your chest and curling up into a protective ball.
After the villain had his ways with you, he left you half-dead in the alleyway to rot away.
Just when you thought all hope was lost, someone proved it wrong.
"You know, you remind me so much of my younger self." Came a slightly muffled voice above you.
Eyelids slowly fluttered open to see a pair of unfamiliar shoes in front of you before glancing up to see a figure towering over you. All that could be heard was your laboured breathing as the person kneeled down, revealing himself to you.
"P-Please don't hurt me." Tears welled up in your eyes again as you curled into a tighter ball, your body trembling in fear. "P-Please, I beg of you."
"Shh. It's alright." The man crooned and slowly reached a hand towards you only to stop an inch from touching you when he noticed the slight flinch coming from you. "I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to help you."
Even though your instincts were screaming at you to get far away from the man in case he decided to hurt you, your terrified five-year-old mind craved for comfort and assurance that everything was going to be alright.
And that was exactly what you did.
Unfurling from your tight ball, you reached out a hand towards your saviour. "P-Please save me."
The stranger accepted your hand and gave a light squeeze before raising you up from the ground and being careful of your injuries. He carried you bridal-style out of the dark alleyway into the first early rays of sunrise.
"You're safe now little one. So, rest." His soothing, soft voice caused the adrenaline and fear to leave your body, making you feel safe lying in his arms as he took you to who knew where.
The tiredness finally caught up to your brain as eyes slowly fluttered shut and before you knew it, you had fallen asleep. When you woke up again, you learnt the name of your saviour and that began your life as a villain.
"It's such a contradictory, isn't it? Having a villain save me instead of a hero like how most people would've expected." You smiled wryly, eyes focused on your hands instead of your friends. "Sometimes even villains aren't as evil as we all thought them to be."
No one said anything at all as what they heard sank into their minds. They didn't know how to react after learning it was the leader of the League of Villain, Tomura Shigaraki, who saved you from coming so close to meeting death himself.
Shifting uncomfortably due to the tense silence hanging above everyone, you carried on with speaking. "This is why despite all that Tomura-nii had done, he stills hold a place in my heart because he gave me a second chance in life albeit not exactly in the right path."
"(Name)-chan..."
You ceased talking when you heard your childhood friend calling your name, looking him in his green eyes that were brimming with tears. "You must've been so scared that night. If only I had been there to walk you home, none of this would have happened."
Your eyes softened but before you could assure the boy it wasn't his fault, Bakugou beat you to it.
"If it's anyone's fault, it would be mine." All heads turned towards the blonde whose eyes were hidden in the shadow of his hair, his hands clenched into tight fists. "I was right there with her up until she left the park for home. If only I haven't been so damn selfish and walk her home that night like we usually do, you won't have been nearly killed by a villain."
(E/C) eyes flashed in pain as you pulled both Midoriya and Bakugou who were your first ever friends into a fierce hug, your voice choked with tears. "None of this was neither both your fault nor mine! Even if Izuku-kun has insisted to stay with me until nighttime, I would've still sent you away because I didn't want to see you being bullied by Katsuki-kun. I would've done the same towards Katsuki-kun by insisting to go home without him because we live on the opposite end of each other."
Green and red eyes widened in shock upon hearing your words, unable to say anything as you moved back so you could look them in the eyes. "I would still have been kidnapped and nearly killed that night even if either of you were there with me, but it's none of our faults because sometimes, things are meant to happen the way it's supposed to be. So, don't ever say it's your fault, okay?"
Both of boys nodded their heads mutely which caused a smile to appear on your face as you pulled them into another hug. "What matters now is that I'm here, safe and sound, now. Let's move on from the past and fix our eyes on the future instead."
Once you said that, the flood gates opened and Midoriya began to cry in your arms while wrapping one arm tightly around you. "I'm sorry for saying it's my fault, (Name)-chan! Wahhh!"
"You've always been such a crybaby, Izuku-kun and nothing have changed." You smiled softly, a hand moving up to stroke his soft curls.
Suddenly, you felt a light peck on your left cheek. (E/C) eyes to turn towards a certain blonde who was gazing softly at you. Light pink dusted your face at the open affection but said nothing as Bakugou raised a hand to cup your face with his large palm.
Class 1-A watched as their classmate leaned down and whispered something in your ear that resulted in tears falling like raindrops. They were curious as to what he said but knew better than to pry. So, they kept silent as they observed the three people who had known each other since young as their friendship became whole once more after missing a puzzle piece all these years.
***
"Nothing can separate us again because I won't allow it to happen. It's a vow that I'll live up to no matter what."
A smile graced your lips as Bakugou's words from earlier on surfaced to mind. (H/C) locks glowed in the rays of the setting sun as you gazed at the beautiful scenery of the city before you, your arms leaning against the railing.
You were enjoying the sunset by yourself when you felt a presence coming from your left. Without even looking, you knew it was Bakugou who had come to join you.
"Are they still setting up the camera?" You asked, eyes still fixed to the front.
"They're a bunch of idiots." Bakugou scoffed lightly. "It's a one-man job, so I don't understand why they need so many people set up a camera."
You glanced behind your shoulder and a chuckle left your lips, a brow raised in amusement as you watched Kirishima, Midoriya and Kaminari fumbling over one another in trying to set up the camera with Iida shouting at them to stop fooling around while everyone else just stood to aside - laughing at their classmates' misery.
Shaking your head, you glanced up at Bakugou with a tilt of your head when you noticed the blonde staring intensely. "What? Is there something on my face?"
Bakugou snapped out of his reverie, his cheeks reddening at being caught. He turned his head away and looked out towards the horizon, mumbling, "Nothing."
You raised a brow in question but didn't push him for an answer. Both of you settled in comfortable silence as you watched the sun sank lower, bathing earth in a warm, orangey glow.
"(Name)! Bakugou! Get your asses here! The camera's ready for photo taking!" One of your classmates informed.
"We're coming!" You answered when you saw extending a hand towards you, his mouth curled into one of his rare smiles.
"Shall we go and join those idiots?"
You laughed at his choice of word used to describe Class 1-A and accepted his offered hand, entwining your fingers with his before pulling him in the direction of where everyone else was. "You should really stop calling them names, Katsuki-kun. They are your friends after all."
The blonde rolled his eyes but didn't deny it at all because even though he might not admit it out loud, he had come to appreciate everyone after going through so much together as a class.
The students of Class 1-A huddled against one another in front of the camera, bright smiles painting their faces as you counted down to three. "3, 2, 1! Everyone says, 'Plus Ultra'."
"PLUS ULTRA!" Their voices reached the sky as their crazy, but exciting and adventurous summer vacation came to an end with all sort of events waiting for them in the upcoming new school term.
You might have a bleak and dark past that led you to meet the future leader of the League of Villains that led you to betray your friends, you didn't regret it one bit because you got to meet the best group of people ever and you knew your future looked promising with them in your life.
That was the one thing you would never trade for anything else in life.