The next day, you and Eri were watching TV with Mirio when you got a message on your phone. It was Himiko, who was asking if you were okay. You leaned against Mirio's shoulder, feeling the way he adjusted to support your weight against his. You replied to her, telling her that you were doing better than you had been at first.
And truthfully, you were. Things were actually going okay for once. You had Mirio and Eri with you, and everything seemed perfect. Almost too perfect. You couldn't help but feel as if something was going to crash into your life and fuck it all up. Maybe it was just your anxiety, though. You were taking your meds again, which was good. You carried them with you in a bag that you constantly kept by your side. You didn't want to lose them was all.
After missing a few dosages, it felt a bit weird getting back onto them, but you didn't mind too much. This had happened a few times back in your home universe when you had forgotten to take them for a few days. You were pretty used to the loopy feeling of getting used to the medication again.
Suddenly, you remembered something. You needed to find Aizawa to ask him about Eri's living situation. She didn't have her own room, and right now she was switching between sleeping on the dorm's couches and sleeping in your room. You needed to ask if it was possible for her to get her own room- not that you minded bunking with her. You just wanted her to be able to have her own private space if she needed it.
You excused yourself from where said little girl and Mirio were sitting, telling them that you'd be right back.
You asked someone in passing if they had seen him, and they told you that they heard him going to Nezu's office. That was fine, you figured. You needed to talk to Nezu too about the pills he had given you. You didn't know if you were supposed to get a second dosage or not once they ran out.
You made your way to his office, humming to yourself as you walked. You absentmindedly touched the comet charm on your necklace, wondering if the League was doing okay. You had yet to check in with them again, and while you knew that Himiko was worried, you were still hesitant.
You saw on the news what they had done to Overhaul in revenge for what he had done to Mustard. Shigaraki had cut off his arms. You knew that it was going to happen, but you were still a little shaken by it. What happened if something like that happened to you? You doubted that it would, but you were concerned anyways.
You knew that Overhaul deserved it, too. You knew that he was a horrible person that deserved to burn, but you couldn't help but feel a little bad anyways. He had helped you, after all. You didn't necessarily like the man, but you didn't think that he deserved have his limbs cut off. That was just... gruesome. It was the first time that you truly had to sit back and think about the company that you were keeping.
No, you decided. The League could wait to see you for a little while longer. Your priority right now was Eri, anyways.
You arrived at Nezu's office and noticed that the door was almost completely shut. You decided to just wait until they were done talking inside. Whatever it was, you could tell from their hushed voices that it was important.
You didn't mean to eavesdrop. You really didn't. But the door was open, and the voices inside weren't the quietest. So you listened in on their conversation as you sat outside, paling considerably when you realized what they were talking about.
It was you. You were the subject of their conversation. You decided to listen more intently then, trying to get ahold of what exactly they were saying about you. You heard three voices, two male, and one female. You quickly realized that Nezu, Aizawa, and Midnight were the ones in the room.
"This isn't a good idea, Nezu. She's still just a kid," you heard Aizawa say. "She wants to go home. Can't we at least give her that?"
"She has information," Nezu squeaked, and you narrowed your eyes. Just what was he going on about? "Don't you think we should at least attempt to get her to tell us these things? We could use what she says to save so many people from injury or death... just think of the things that could come of it."
"That doesn't take away from the fact that we're using her!" Snapped Aizawa, voice deathly serious. "She doesn't deserve that, especially on top of everything she's had to witness so far. Hawks tried to kill her when he found out that she knew things about the hero commission. Is it really a good idea to trust them?"
Using you? You thought to yourself in stunned silence. The heroes were using you? That couldn't be right. You didn't want to believe that. You couldn't believe that.
"And what are you going to do about it, Shouta? Should I tell her that you were the first on board with this idea? It doesn't matter what you think now. You were still in complete agreement when we began," Nezu scolded. "The hero commission knows what's best. If they want us to convince her to trust us with the information they require, then that's what we'll do."
"I agree with Nezu," Midnight told them. "If she can really tell us the future, we could use that to attack the League of Villains before they even knew what hit them. The commission has the right idea."
"Yes, and she'll tell us everything we need to know soon enough," continued the principal. "Can't you see it? She's already breaking. It won't be long before she shatters completely. It's not my first choice, of course, but if you were to help her while she was in that state, I'm sure that we could gather what we need from her."
"And what if she finds out? She could easily turn if she figures out what you're doing," Aizawa tells them. "You're trying to convince me to emotionally manipulate someone into giving me what you want. I won't do it."
"She's scared. She wouldn't turn," Nezu chided. "Recently our little helper has told us that she's been staying in her room, isolating. She's traumatized. By what, I don't know, but we can use this to our advantage. We'll be saving lives. This is for the greater good."
"You told her that she was going to explode!" Aizawa hissed. "What was the point in lying to her about that? What was the point in giving her fake pills to regulate her behavior? You terrified her on purpose and for what purpose? To try and get her to trust you?"
"It was a necessary action," Nezu told him. "Her dependence on us is all but required in order for this to work. If she believes that we are helping her, then she'll be more willing to help us."
The sleep deprived man spoke up again, clearly agitated. "This is wrong."
Your mind was going at a million miles an hour. You couldn't think straight. You were breathing shallowly, heart racing out of your chest at what you'd heard. You didn't want to believe any of this. And to think that Aizawa had been in on it at first... you couldn't believe it. You took a step back, shoes squeaking against the floor's tile.
"Someone heard us," interrupted Midnight sharply, making the conversation freeze.
You backed up, taking off into a sprint down the hall. You felt as though you were running on air. Your body glitched as you ran, warping and becoming more and more distorted as your emotions grew.
The heroes were planning to give you to the commission? They were manipulating you into giving them the information you knew about their futures? This... this didn't make any sense. You ran faster, ignoring the burn in your legs as you moved. Tears welled up in your eyes, but you blinked them away. You hadn't expected this sort of betrayal. And to think that you had been so terrified of dying here due to something you couldn't control only for it to be a lie.
You were panicking. You couldn't stay here. You couldn't stay where these people were trying to trick you into falling into their plans. You had to leave. But where?
And what about Mirio? Had he been the helper that they were talking about? Had he known? Had this just been an elaborate plot to get you to give the heroes information? You felt bitter as you thought of the kiss you shared with him. You didn't want to believe that he was capable of that, but you hadn't thought that the heroes would try and sell you out to an organization who would try to experiment on you, either.
You arrived back at the dorms before they could figure out that it was you who had heard them. You struggled to open the doors, hands glitching uncontrollably as you fiddled with the knob. After what felt like a lifetime you managed to get it open, bursting back into the dorm. Thankfully, no one was around to see how distraught you were.
Mirio had left, and Eri sat alone in the living room, still watching tv. When she turned back to see you, her eyes went wide at your glitching figure. You were still figuring out where to go when it hit you.
The League. You could go to them. You weren't the closest with them, but you viewed them as your friends. At least you knew that they weren't actively using you. The worst they had done was attempt to blackmail you, and in comparison to what the heroes were doing, that didn't seem all too bad.
You were going to get out of here, you decided. You were going to take Eri and leave. You were going to go to the League and pray that you were safe there. You shakily took out your phone, asking Himiko to tell Kurogiri to create a warp gate behind the coffee shop you normally went to see them at once you gave her the word. She replied almost immediately, concerned about what was happening.
I'll explain later, you told her. It was too much to explain through text. You took a deep breath, trying to calm yourself down. Your heart was still racing, and not in a good way. If this kept up, you knew that you were going to spiral into a panic attack. And you couldn't do that. Not when the heroes were going to try and figure out who had been listening to them.
"We need to go," you told Eri, and she tilted her head. You briefly explained to her that there were more bad men here, and she gave you a tiny nod. You sent her to collect some of her things and you went to do the same, shoving a few pairs of clothes into your bag. You didn't have too much stuff, so there wasn't much to pack.
You heard a knock at your door and froze. You were still shaking as you approached the door, opening it just a crack to see who it was.
Behind it you saw a familiar blond boy. He was smiling, but his expression morphed to confusion when he saw your frazzled state. He was still staring at you through the crack in the door as he asked you, "Is everything okay?"
You didn't know what to say. There was so much you wanted to ask him. Mainly if he knew about what was going on. You decided to ask just that. "Have you been reporting my movements to Nezu?"
"What? No," Mirio told you, but you were still on edge. You couldn't tell if he was lying or not. He sounded genuine, sure, but you were far too paranoid right now to just take his word for it. He called your name and your eyes flicked back to him. "What happened?"
"I'm leaving," you told him unflinchingly. "The pros are using me to gather information for the hero commission. I'm not going to stay here anymore, and I'm taking Eri with me."
Mirio opened his mouth, then closed it again, clearly shocked. "Where will you go?"
At your silence, his eyes widened further. He tried to protest, but you shook your head. "I've already made my decision."
You were quiet for a moment. You didn't want to leave him, but you knew it was your only choice. But, you realized, you could offer for him to come with you. Deep down, you knew that he'd never take the offer. He was too determined to become a beacon of hope for people. It didn't stop you from wishing that he would.
"I can't stop you, can I?" he asked sadly, and you shook your head again. His expression turned to steely determination. "Then I'll stall for you. Be safe, okay?"
"You don't have to do this," you told him, and he gave you a half smile.
"Yes, I do," he replied. He looked at you, then, and you might have described it as longing. As if he was on the verge of trying to convince you to stay. But it seemed that he ultimately decided against it because moments later he disappeared from view. You sighed as he left. You... you really liked him. You didn't want to just leave, but as you thought of what the heroes had in store for you, you knew that you didn't have a choice.
You returned to packing, leaving to find Eri once you were done. Thankfully, she was waiting for you by the couch, things tucked messily into her Hello Kitty backpack. She was clearly confused as to why you were leaving and questioned you once more about the circumstances behind it. You just smiled weakly at her and held out your hand for her to take.
She took your hand without hesitating, and the two of you set off in search of the League of Villains. But even as you left, you couldn't stop yourself from looking back to try and see what you could've had if things had been better. It was a shame that you'd never find out, you thought to yourself.
Truly a shame, indeed.