He remembered the way his brother held him, the strong, warm arms that shielded him from the world. They were his very own cage that bound them together, forever and always, away from Gabriel's harsh words and actions.
The arms that held him now were nothing like Kyoya's.
They offered him the support he needed, they held him, not budging, not letting go.
"I'm weak!" He gasped into her embrace, "I'm weak! I'm weak! I'm weak!" Each word was a gunshot to his heart, each word hurt more than the previous one, yet he did not stop.
She denied his words, instead saying how he was strong, stronger than anyone she had met.
"Liar!" He accused, "Liar!" Yet he did not pull back, yet he did not run away. He just tightened his arms around her, unwilling to release her, unwilling to let go of the support he needed so desperately.
Once again, she denied it, whispering that she would never lie to him, especially not him, never him.
Then, as her hands moved, he immediately retaliated, "No! I can't!" Insistently he shook his head, hair messier than ever before, "I can't let them see me like this...!" He forced out, trying to make her stop, "I can't let... him see me like this...!"
She was silent.
And then, the ground beneath his feet disappeared.
_
The feeling of the wind brushing against his skin was the same as when he was running—exhilarating.
"Open your eyes." Came a breathy whisper.
Reluctantly, he did as told, and his vision was overwhelmed by blue, blue, blue. White, fluffy clouds were layer atop each other, mere inches away from them.
How high up were they?
"Touch them." Chikara spoke, already raising her own hand.
And he did.
It didn't feel any different from running through fog. Little, almost nonexistent, damp droplets stuck to his skin, barely seen by his eyes. Yet, he marvelled at the thought of it, of touching a cloud, and he truly was touching one.
"I come here when I feel like there's an obstacle I can't get over."
An... obstacle?
"I came here when my parents passed away. I came here when Yua moved away, and I came here when she also passed away," There was something about the way she said those words, that made Yuma feel the same way she felt, "The last time I was here, was when I saw you the first time. I came here and I wept for you looked like the world was weighing on your shoulders."
She... wept? "For me? You wept... for me?"
Gently, she threaded her fingers through his hair, fondly, as if she were a mother coddling a child, "I did, and I'd do so again," The violet shades of her irises overlapped, just as they always did, "but I don't think you need my tears, you've gotten over your obstacle."
Maybe... maybe he did, but-! "If I didn't, you wouldn't be here," He averted his eyes, drawing them back to the cloud, "If I hesitated, even for a single moment, it would've been over for the both of us."
Her hand stilled, "Both... of us?" She sounded like she didn't understand what he was saying.
"I already caused death before, I don't think I'd handle being the cause of another."
"None of it would've been your fault, you know that. You were a child—you still are—Yuma...!" Her words had taken on a rather urgent tone, as if she were trying to convince him.
Convince him... "You may be right, auntie," he peered back at her, "I'm still... working on getting past that. I know none of it could've been avoided, no matter how much I tried, but that doesn't ease the guilt that's been amassing for years."
She didn't say anything, instead she pulled him close and pressed her lips against his temple, "I'm so happy I can finally hold you like this..." she whispered, "I wanted to do so since the moment I laid my eyes on you."
Since the moment she saw him, huh? He could still feel the dampness of his own cheeks, and feel the already drying tears that rested there.
The moment she laid her eyes on him, huh? He couldn't imagine how that felt like, to want to be near someone—to touch them—but can't.
For a second, a fleeting feeling washed over him and for a single instant, he could swear he saw a field of lavender that spread far and wide around him.
And then, it was gone.
"We should go back, shouldn't we?" He broke the silence and Chikara hummed in reply.
"Maybe. Do you need more time?"
Does he need more time? He didn't quite know the answer to that, but... "I can't run away from this, right?"
He heard her let out a light chuckle, "Perhaps. You know, your cheeks are still wet," Then, she swiped her thumb under his eyes, clearing the half-dried liquid away, "There, much better," She grinned, lips pulling back at the corners, "My, my, aren't you a cute boy?"
Huffing, he looked away, "I'm not cute."
She laughed, arms coming to wrap around his middle, "My bad, I meant to say pretty~"
The wind picked up and he almost spluttered when a piece of her hair flew inside his mouth, "Don't call me pretty, auntie."
"What, boys can't be pretty?"
He opened his mouth to argue and say that, yes, boys can't be pretty, but he quickly clamped his lips shut when Todoroki's face appeared in his mind. Instead, he turned away once again, unwilling to let her see his expression.
"That's really suspicious, but I'll ignore it... for now. I think it's time we get down, I don't want them to think I kidnapped you or something."
That would be an interesting headline: Pro Hero Manipula kidnaps an U.A. student who was, coincidentally, her nephew!
"I'll ask again: Do you need more time?"
Time. Time. Time. Time. Time.
"Aren't I getting heavy?" He put up a weak argument.
She didn't laugh.
Did he need more time? That was the question he needed an answer to, but couldn't find one.
"We go down." He settled with that, knowing that if he didn't make up his mind in that moment, they would've been stuck in the sky for a long time.
"Hold tight." With those last words, Chikara tightened her arms around him.
And then, they were falling.
_
"Are you willing to explain what happened?" Aizawa stared them down.
Yuma didn't look away as he answered, "Panic attack."
The man showed no reaction to his words, "And flying high up in the sky helped to calm you down?"
He nodded, "Yes, it did. The sensation is similar to that I get when I run, and I run to clear my thoughts."
Aizawa looked at Chikara, "You were reckless to do that," Somehow, as he said that, the tone of his voice lowered, almost angrily so, "If, even for a moment, he lost control, both of you would've suffered the consequences," Ever so slightly, his eyes narrowed, "and we know what the consequences are."
Yuma couldn't argue against him, what he said was the truth.
"I'm sorry, sensei, I'll try and not let it happen again."
At the sound of that, the man's expression softened, "I'm glad to see you're better."
Well, that was confusing, "Better?" Yuma asked, lightly tilting his head, "How so?" He didn't sense a change in himself, although he did feel a bit more... at ease knowing that he managed to not hurt Chikara.
"I guess you could say you're more relaxed than before."
Hearing that, he looked at his aunt and saw the small smile she tried to hide. Oh. It was the same for her? He truly looked more relaxed? Huh... that was something he didn't expect to hear.
He looked back at Aizawa and made move to say something, when a sudden throb made him freeze up. A dull ache spread throughout his head, almost making him close his eyes at the feeling, "We... may have a... problem," he mumbled out, taking a shaky step back, "I think I'm going to... pass out." Something wet slid down his lips and he made peace with the inevitable.
"Yuma...!" An arm wrapped around him and it was lights out.
_
When he awoke, he was met with the onslaughter of feelings he couldn't understand. Fleeting images of a dream was all that he could see, but he couldn't make out a single scene.
Yet, as he caught sight of the boy besides him, he was sure he was in it.
"Todoroki...?" He spoke, making move to sit up.
The boy immediately stood up from the small chair and inched towards him, "Lay back down, Recover Girl told me not to let you get up." His hands were raised, but he seemed to not know what to do with them.
Yuma did as told, but not without a small sigh. He turned his head to the side, so he could get a better look at Todoroki. He was still in his costume, but he did look a bit rough around the edges, "You passed?"
He nodded, "So did you."
Yuma blinked, caught off guard by his words, "Really? That's unexpected." Chikara must have been involved with the final choice, he wouldn't be surprised if that was the truth.
"It isn't. You're strong, aren't you?" Todoroki said it as if he were stating a known fact.
"I passed out. That's not quite strong, is it?"
Todoroki sat back into his chair, hands coming to rest atop his knees, "Didn't that mean you tried really hard?" His brows were furrowed, a somewhat stern expression taking place. He looked like he was daring Yuma to say otherwise.
Yuma never was one for dares, "Maybe."
"I watched your match," Came the words he dreaded, "You tried really hard." Todoroki repeated his previous words.
He tried really hard, eh? He did, he tried really, really hard because there was nothing else for him to do. He couldn't give up, could he? Without even trying? That would mean he was giving up on everything Chikara tried to give him, everything she tried to help him with. That was the least he could do, wasn't it? Maybe... But-! Unconsciously, he bunched up the sheet that covered him, fingers digging into the fabric. No... he tried because he didn't want to run away anymore, he didn't want to be... alone anymore. If he didn't reach out to something, then how was he supposed to get near it? How was he supposed to take hold of it?
"I..." he began, "didn't want to run anymore," He released the covers and raised his hands, watching as the ceiling light pierced through his parted fingers, "I think I finally understand how this... power of mine works. I was blind before, not understanding that the more I fight against it, the more does it fight back... No, that doesn't sound right... I didn't want to admit to myself that all my tries were in vain, that all my struggles didn't matter, that all I ever needed to do was accept it as it is—a part of me—I guess."
He looked back at Todoroki when he heard the chair scrape against he floor, "But you understand now." The boy said, once again nearing him.
"Yeah, I do," Not caring about Recover Girl's orders, he sat up, "Can I... ask you something?"
Todoroki stared back at him, "Yes."
"Could you give me your hand?" As soon as the words left him, he came to the conclusion that he really wasn't good with words, but he made no move to say anything else.
"My hand?" Even as his confusion was evident, he still reached out to Yuma, knees pressing against the side of the bed.
For a moment, crippling fear pierced through Yuma and he harshly swallowed, shakily reaching his hand towards Todoroki's own. His chest throbbed, heart threatening to burst out at any given moment, but he didn't stop. Mere inches separated their hands, mere inches before he would finally properly touch him, properly feel the warmth of him.
And then, he halted. What if... he made a mistake? What if what happened with Chikara was a one-time thing...? He didn't... want to hurt Todoroki.
Before he could come to the conclusion, the other boy's fingers brushed against his palm. He didn't move as they slowly inched across it and climbed to his own fingers, leaving feathery soft touches. He breathed in and reluctantly looked at Todoroki, and saw how he looked at his hand in wonder. And then, his fingers slipped through Yuma's own, gently intertwining them.
Heterochromatic eyes slid to his own and Yuma forgot how to breathe.
"Is this... okay?" Todoroki's voice was barely audible, but there was no way Yuma wouldn't hear him.
He gave a small nod and glanced at their hands, "That's... okay, more than okay," Unable to not do so, he looked back at Todoroki, "Thank you."
"For what?" The boy asked, looking down at him.
"For sticking with me, I guess." He gripped Todoroki's hand, liking the way it felt in his own.
Todoroki didn't answer, instead he tightly held onto Yuma's hand, seemingly with no plan of letting go any time soon.
Yuma didn't mind, he'd rather he never let go.