Third person pov
Sero stared silently at Harper for a long time as he processed what she'd just said, his expression slack and far from readable. Were Harper not a mind reader, she would have no idea what he was thinking in the least. The brunette internally braced herself for a total freak out. He was painfully close to the very lamp she was afraid of being attacked with. She tried to have some faith in Sero and in his mental integrity, but she knew he was unstable right now. Not that this fact was his fault in the least. Damn villains and their tampering. Sero could've led a normal and happy life had they not seen something in him and his quirk.
Sero's situation was fragile right now. The Chief did not want him here. It wasn't as secure as a prison would be. The villains could, in theory, very easily get to him if they knew he was being held in such a low-security place. Sero's compliance was the only reason he was being allowed to stay, but with every tantrum thrown at the guards, patience was thinning. Harper didn't want him taken to some high-security prison to be ripped apart. She had faith that Stain could handle it, but Sero was a teenager just like she was. She's come to know him, and she knew he wouldn't last in a place like that. Harper was convinced he was more innocent than he appeared. He was a victim. He didn't need to be locked away like a rabid animal.
Sero's mind was racing a mile a minute as he stared at Harper. These days, he could very easily say that Harper was his best friend. She was just about his only friend in this accursed place, and she made it bearable. He trusted her, and she hadn't let him down yet. She was honest with him when she could be and had pulled an amazing number of strings to keep him here and not in some max-security facility that would eat him alive. He knew the tired teen had been searching for any and every loophole to try and get him out of here and to try and get him help. At first he'd been somewhat faking it, but along the way, he'd come to desire a normal life. He wanted to be better, both mentally and as a person in general.
The days when he would go to class at UA were well missed. Sero knew his friendships hadn't been real, but he still found himself yearning for them. To laugh and let loose! Even though he'd been there to get information, most of the time he was supposed to be a student. He got info where and when he could, but that hadn't been very often. Most days consisted of him being a normal teenager just like everyone else. Sero missed the simplicity of it all. He could remember training with his quirk and pretending, even if it was just for a moment, that he really was a student there for real. That he was going to become a hero that saved people.
Now, Harper was here telling him that his past memories were a lie and that all of that could've been possible. That Aimi was a lie, and the past he recalled having wasn't even a part of who he was. That he hadn't committed that crime and that his family's death was possibly not his fault. She was gazing at him in that steely, no-nonsense way. She wasn't about to snort and say 'sike' and make this out to be some dark joke they could both laugh at. Their humor worked like that. If any of his old friends from 1-A could see him now, they wouldn't recognize him. Even if that admittedly saddened him quite a bit, he was glad he could be himself with someone.
"I...I didn't kill them?" Sero breathed out, gaze meeting Harper's head on. Some of her tension seemed to melt off, her arms uncrossing as her posture went from semi-defensive to somewhat open. He watched her brow furrow, and her lips twitch down. Her eyes shifted to the left just briefly before connecting with his again, and her shoulders hitched a tad. She didn't know the sure answer to his question, but he could tell she had a hunch. And Harper's hunches were usually right. "I-I can't believe it. Aimi is--"
"I don't think you killed your family, Sero. I... I found the box you always freak out over. At your old house. I think it was used as a way to brainwash and traumatize you. It was in the cabinet-- which is where you hid with your sister when it happened. I don't... I don't think you did it, Sero. I think you're innocent." Harper's words were sort of everywhere. Normally, she was more collected than this. She felt out of her depth. Wasn't she too young for this? "And Aimi is alive. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I've spoken to her on a few occasions, and it was decided that we shouldn't tell you until we had more information. I should've been straight forward with you from the get-go."
Sero stared. He gazed at her and tried to figure out just what in god's name to do. He felt like crying. Everything was crumbling around him. His chest was tight and his head hurt. He tried to think back and to remember what really happened. A sharp pain shot through his skull like a bullet every time he dared peer too closely at that night. The pain was enough to make him sink to his knees and clutch his head, because he didn't know what else to do. It hurt, and he didn't understand. He hadn't killed his parents? His sister was alive?
Things from back then were muddled and they blurred together like smeared paint on a canvas. It was like he was looking at a twisted, abstract piece of art and trying to figure out what it meant. His heart was beating so loudly he could hear it in his ears, drowning out everything else aside from the sound of his own breathing. He was alone and cold-- or that's how he felt, anyway. It hurt in a physical and mental sense. Now, it seemed pretty obvious that something was blocking his memory. He wanted to rip it away but couldn't. It hurt.
"Hey, hey, Sero. Look at me buddy." Harper's voice came from somewhere above him, but he couldn't pry his eyes open. He felt someone grab his shoulders. Their grip was tight, but not too tight. The door slammed open and the sound echoed and made everything even more painful. Several sets of feet entered the room in a hurried fashion, but Harper didn't let go and she didn't pull away. "Sero. I said look at me."
The bite in her voice forced his eyes open. His cheeks felt sticky and wet, and he was gripping his hair tight enough for it to sting. He let his hands loosen as he attempted to catch his breath, his dark eyes gazing into Harper's concerned chocolate ones. She looked at him in a way that told him she was here, and that she genuinely cared. She was sorry, but she didn't pity him. Harper didn't look at him like everyone else. Like he was a cornered animal in a cage. She looked at him like he was her friend. Like he was a person. A strangled sob fought its way out of his throat. "I don't know what to do."
"I could've broken that to you a little easier, I think. I'm sorry." Harper said in a level and sure tone that grounded him. He continued to breathe in a labored manner, more tears dripping down his cheeks. He didn't look away from her. "It's going to be okay. Aimi is on her way here now to meet with you, if you think you're ready. I'll be in the room the whole time. We're going to get to the bottom of this, Sero. I'm not letting them take you anywhere."
Several armed guards were in the room, watching them like hawks. They were waiting for Sero to do something. And he could, if he wanted. He could ram his head forward and break Harper's nose, or trap her in a crushing headlock. He could grab her and hold her hostage, or punch her in the jaw. He could do any number of things. A part of him fought for it-- like he wanted to. Only he didn't. The last thing he wanted to do was to hurt Harper. Harper was his friend. He trusted her with his life. He understood why she had withheld information. She had his best interests at mind-- he knew that. He was sure of that.
Sero started to cry harder, his hands slipping away from his head. He wrapped his arms around her instead, burying his face in his shoulder. He was careful. He didn't move too fast. He knew the guards had no patience for him and wouldn't hesitate. "I just want some Advil and for this to all be over. This is bullshit. What did they do to me? What did they do to my memory? Is-- does Aimi hate me? Is she okay? I just-- she's alive. She's fucking alive! Oh my god, she's alive."
Harper glanced back over her shoulder as she grimaced and rubbed Sero's back, lightly shaking her head at them. They shared a set of looks that made her want to kick every one of them where the sun don't shine, but she had other commitments to attend to. Sero was having a hell of a time. She wasn't sure if giving it to him straight had been a good idea. He would've only gotten frustrated if she beat around the bush, however, so was there really a winning situation here? He wasn't choking her out yet or throwing things. She'd count this as a point in her favor considering how bad her luck seemed these days.
The guards filed right on back out, save for Tsukauchi. He was anxiously lingering by the door and chewing on his thumb as he stared at them. It was a little awkward. Harper's back was beginning to hurt from being hunched over. It was a weird position to hug in, but she'd dealt with worse. Why was she getting hugged so much today? She could also feel Sero's tears starting to soak through her clothing and onto her bare shoulder which was sort of disgusting, but she couldn't very well shove him off. That wasn't a very friendship-y thing to do. Besides, she really did care about Sero. He'd grown on her like some sort of invasive weed and, honestly, she'd probably die for the guy at this point. Sort of deep. She'd try not to think about it.
When Sero got weepy, he apparently got very clingy. Even after Harper managed to calm him down with shitty knock-knock jokes and subtle threats, he still didn't want her to leave the room. That was an issue because she sort of wanted to go greet Aimi. She was apparently here and had been for fifteen minutes, as Tsukauchi had dutifully thought at her. While Harper knew the girl would wait, she'd rather get this over with now. Some of them had school tomorrow and needed sleep.
"I can't do this. I can't. She hates me. What if I did kill our parents? What if I hurt her? What if Harper is wrong, and I did do all those things?" Sero was once again panicking. Harper was ready for this day to be over. She had school tomorrow. They were going to be talking about the whole summer camp thing. She really didn't want to go like, at all. Yet she'd probably be attending anyway. She got out of exams, but could she wriggle out of this? Harper only wished someone would think about where they were going so she'd know. Aizawa refused, and even Mic had it under wraps.
"Calm the hell down." Harper grumbled, swatting at him. "It's your sister. She's missed you. You can say hello, she can say hello, and the world will keep turning on its axis. Nothing's going to blow up."
"I know that." Sero hissed. "She's right. I'm being an idiot. This isn't an interrogation. I'm seeing my sister again. That's all. That's it. I'm just going... going to see Aimi. And Aimi is alive and well, even if she can't... can't talk anymore. It wasn't me. I didn't do it. She was there, and she knows I wouldn't... I didn't... did I?"
"Alright, moving on." Harper cleared her throat. "Aimi is right outside the door, dying to see you. You think you can make it? We can send her away and she'll understand. No hard feelings, no anger-- we can just reschedule. It's completely up to you."
Sero looked at Harper, searching her eyes for answers or some inkling as to what to expect from this all. Harper knew she should probably say something comforting or encouraging right about now, but really had no words. What could she really burst out with that would make him feel better? A 'go get 'em tiger'? He'd elbow her in the stomach before she could even get the words out, and she wouldn't even blame him for it. Instead she'd have to settle for just gazing deeply into his eyes and hoping he took it positively. It had worked the two other times she did it.
"...No, I'll be fine. I'm ready." The teen shook his head, grimacing. Harper turned to Tsukauchi and nodded. "I'm not ready. I'm really, really not ready. Fuck, I want to throw something at a wall. Smash a window. Break this stupid fucking metal table. They could've at least painted it to look like wood. But no, it's metal. Everything is fucking metal and I fucking hate it. And now my sister isn't dead which is great and horrible and I don't fucking know what to do."
Harper didn't openly wince at Sero's mental ramblings but the pain in her eyes was there. Tsukauchi hesitated in opening the door, but did so apprehensively. His thoughts were unsure and addressed directly at her. "I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I trust you. Sero has done well so far. If you think this will help him remember, then so be it. I guess it has to happen eventually. If we had kept the secret any longer, it could've been detrimental to him. He deserves to know what's going on. It's his life."
Harper nodded in agreement, and Aimi stepped into the room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For a long time, both of the siblings just sat there. Harper was on Sero's side of the table, leaning back in the chair Tsukauchi had dragged in for her. Normally he wouldn't have been able to give her a seat that wasn't bolted to the ground, but one withering glare was enough to kick him into action. Now she was sitting there silently while Aimi and Sero both gazed at each other tearfully. Harper could hear their thoughts jumbling and knocking against each other in a chaotic sort of panicking way. Sero's were more erratic than Aimi's. Aimi was younger when it happened. She probably didn't remember it, or her brother, all that well.
"Oh, Hanta.... he's so much bigger, a-and he looks so different." Aimi's thoughts choked out. "But he still has that same, dumb haircut. And his eyes are the same. I wish I could say something out loud. Tell him it wasn't his fault and explain. He looks like he's seen a ghost."
"She's alive." Sero's thoughts proclaimed as he stared at his sister. "I really... I didn't kill her. I didn't... Harper was right. I'm not remembering right-- this isn't me. How much of my personality is a part of this quirk I'm under? How much of me is actually me? We could've had a normal life. If they hadn't... who was it? Who took me? I don't remember. I don't remember anything. I want to remember!"
"Well, if neither of you guys are going to say anything, I guess I will." Harper interrupted the silence and tense thoughts, clapping her hands together loudly to jolt their attention towards her. Sero looked startled by her interruption, but Aimi was simply knowing. Harper let out a breath of air through her nose, trying to think of something to say. Everyone here was damn lucky she was so good at talking out of her ass. Where would they be otherwise? "Look, this really sucks. You were separated after something horrible happened, but now you're reuniting. Hug it out or something. Sitting here staring at each other isn't going to do anything. Neither of you will vanish if you look away. Chill out and try to be... positive or something."
Harper wasn't sure her half-assed statement would do much, but she turned out to be wrong. Sero burst into tears. Only he didn't move to hug his sister. Instead, he pulled her into a hug. This horrifying event was followed by Aimi also bursting into silent sobs and standing so she could come around the table to hug her too. So Harper just had to awkwardly sit there as the two siblings cried into each one of her shoulders. Did tears stain clothing? At least both sides would match if they did.
"There, there." Harper grumbled in a defeated way, patting their backs awkwardly. "I was thinking more along the lines of you guys hugging each other."
"Shut up." Sero said in a weepy way that made her want to bash him over the head with her chair.
"You're in no position to make demands." Harper patted his back a little harder than necessary, and he gave a wet laugh. "You have five minutes on the clock. You cry anymore than that, it's me the guards will have to restrain."
Sero laughed again, and Aimi did as well, but without sound. It wasn't much, but Harper smiled just a little nonetheless. It felt nice to be here, even if she was getting cried on. She was sure Sero was innocent. As the Chief watched from behind the one way glass, his mind thoughtful and considering, Harper couldn't help but feel this was the first step in proving as such.
~~~
Art!
BillCipherHasAGun drew and illustrated these two amazing pieces! I really love their art style and just- GAH! Thank you so much for taking the time to make these! I seriously adore them. The shading looks awesome and your anatomy is super good.
The absolutely amazing AreinYuni has struck again with her stunning art. I cannot convey to you how much I LOVE their art. They captured Harper so well and this is lowkey/highkey my wallpaper right now. Thank you so much for all the art you do for me. I love every piece, and seriously will never be able to repay you for all the time you've taken to make these <3 you've got mad talent.
HiiroXentral coming down with an amazing sketch of Harper. I love-- and I mean LOVE-- how you've drawn her hair in this. Her expression is also on point. She looks so tired and done, and you really captured her so well. Thank you loads for this!
Bookish_Beast did this awesome illustration of Harper flipping basically everyone the bird. Thank you for this stunning work of art. The trench coat looks really good. My anatomy skills could never. Again, thank you for this!!!!
metaruinku illustrated Harper being a literal mood. The way she shaded the hair is on point, and Harper looks about as irritated as she usually is. Thank you for taking the time to do this awesome piece! I really love it, and the coffee cup really sets the whole thing.
*Crashes through door*
sugadaish, MY LITERAL CHILD, YES, MY BLOOD CHILD, HAS DRAWN ME FAN ART???? I love this so much I'm gonna cry for the next seventy-two years exactly. Thank you so much Katsu ;-; you're one of the most amazing people and artists I know. You're so incredibly talented <3 Thank you for going to the trouble of making me art.
Cady illustrated a previous piece and I literally lOVE IT SO FREAKING MUCH AHHHHHHHHHHH THANK YOU FOR THIS??? Cady you're amazing. Thank you for digitalizing such an amazing work of art. Just-- thank you so much ;-;
Define_My_Reality created her first ever piece of fan art and I'm like, so honored???? Thank you so much for this ahhHH it's the best Christmas present I could've asked for. It looks super amazing. You're already so good at art and you've only just begun!