The Eyes That Make the Storm

35) Groundhog Day

Visiting All For One was getting repetitive, to say the least. Every time he would talk all too much about things Stasia wouldn't care about and when it came down to the question, he would run out of things to say. She knew he was doing this on purpose. He taught her she had to earn what she wanted, after remembering this she couldn't give up, because that meant losing. If there was one thing Stasia was incapable of doing it would be that.

    So there she sat, in the same dull room day after day, trying to squeeze answers out of a dried-up man.

    "You again?"

    "You should be excited, it's not like anyone else ever comes to see you."

***

    "You're wasting your youth visiting so much."

"How much time did you waste to look like that?"

***

"Don't you have any friends?" All For One asked.

    "I do, I know you don't."

***

    "Your face gets more annoying every time we meet."

    "You literally look like a sunburnt raisin."

***

"I'm getting tired of seeing you."

    "With what eyes?"

***

    One time Stasia just stared at him for five minutes straight without speaking, "How old are you?"

***

"Time goes by so slow when you're around." All For One noted.

"Because I slow it down."

"That's not fair."

"Well, then you should have kept the quirk for yourself."

"Now that would be selfish."

"We both know you have no problem being selfish. I mean this has been going on for weeks, at first I thought you were just stringing me along, but now it's almost as if you enjoy the company."

"It is nice to finally talk to you, we haven't had a real conversation in years."

"When have we talked? I hardly doubt you forcefully giving me quirks and me screaming counts as a conversation, but sure."

"And I don't count you coming to visit me just to brag that you caught my successor as a conversation either."

"Well I said much more than that but I guess that went in one side of your head and out the other. And successor? Never knew you gave him that official title."

"Well, I had to replace my old one since she betrayed me."

"Betraying implies that I was ever on your side. I have literally always hated you, and I always will. You ruined any possible chance I could have had at a normal childhood and filled it with torture and abuse. Every day was a near-death experience and the one day I actually begged for death out of the tremendous pain I was in, you saved me, not them but me, why?"

"You know why."

"I have a guess, but none of it makes sense. You let the ones who were actually on your side die. I know I made you think I was with you as well, but no one can be that clueless. You've had to have known at least something."

"I did."

"So why-"

"You had potential, more than the others, you were always going to surpass those two-"

"Screw you." She scoffed, effectively cutting him off. She pushed back the chair and got up to leave.

"Nora."

"I told you not to-"

"Come back one more time."

"Why would-"

"I'll give you the answer, the one that you really want." She left without saying a word. Every visit repeated itself over and over again with no end in sight, until now. With a light at the end of the tunnel so felt it would only be right to finally give him a call.

"Why the fuck are you calling me?" Bakugou asked

"Oh shit, wrong number."

"Hang up on me and I'll kill you."

"You don't even know where I am."

"I have your location dumbass, so much for off the grid."

"Don't-"

"I'm not gonna tell anyone, also who would I tell, no one cares about you."

"My dad told me you all started sucking once I left."

"Please five of those losers interrupted a mission just to help me. Even though I was fine."

"What are you talking about?"

"Stupid All For One and his League of Villians tried to kidnap me."

"Tried or did," Stasia asked as she gritted her teeth.

"Shut-"

"I'm sorry."

"Wha-"

"I'm really sorry."

"You didn't do anything, it's fine." Even with this being true she couldn't help but feel she could have done more. She went silent and Bakugou just got annoyed. "You know I saw you right?"

"Huh?"

"That night, when All Might was fighting All For One, I saw you."

"Oh," She paused and Bakugou waited for her to say something that would show her embarrassment of being caught but, "Yeah, that's because I was there."

"No shit!"

"Pretty sure a camera caught me, also I think Todoroki mentioned it in front of the class, it's not news, what did you want a congratulation?"

"Just own up to it!"

"I just did. Why are you even bringing this up?"

"Because you got the number wrong, dumbass. Three."

"What?"

"We've had three interactions." Stasia stopped and went back to their first fight when she said two. Then even further to their first interaction, the real one.

Bakugou stopped abruptly at the sight of Midorya's tears, then ran into a girl who seemed to be in a hurry. His piercing crimson eyes looked down at her with anger and she looked back up at him with pure embarrassment.

"Watch-"

"Sorry." She said and ran off before he even got the chance to finish.

Now that was something she didn't mind reliving. She hadn't taken note of it before but, they really have come a long way. Even if it was a wrong dial, he was the first person she had talked to, from class since she left. In all honesty, she was glad it was him. It would be a while before she would admit it, but he really was starting to become her best friend.

"Hurry up and finish that mission so I can get back to kicking your ass."

"I mean you've lost every time we've gone against each other but, yeah," She smiled, "Yeah, will do."