【𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 • 𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐃𝐄𝐊𝐔 𝐗 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑】

28| Broken Dam

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"Come on," you tell the two sulking boys, "let's get out of here before the police show up."

They oblige, standing up and following you. Shinimi looks like he has nowhere to go, and he's just a kid, but you're still surprised.

Once you've all arrived at you and Midoriya's hideout, you turn to the two, shaking your head. "Alright, look," you sigh, "I know things have been tough. I don't understand what you guys are going through, so I won't complain or say anything about it, okay?"

At least not out loud, you think to yourself. It suddenly feels like you're babysitting, but you have to respect them both. Midoriya met Dynamight at the cemetery, and it looks to have taken a toll on him, and who knows what Shinimi has been through.

Shinimi, the red-haired boy with blood dripping down his face. Shinimi, the teenage murderer.

Despite the latter, you feel an urgent need to help him.

"Let's go inside. I'll get you some bandages." You smile at him, in an attempt to cheer him up. He still doesn't look at you.

While Shinimi waits by the cashier, Midoriya follows you down into the cellar, quiet the whole way. You climb down the ladder.

While you search for the first aid kit, you talk softly to your partner. 

"So," you start, not sure what to really say, "are you . . . okay?"

He turns to look at you, a beautiful smile on his face, his eyes full of sorrow and a hint of panic.

"It's like," he whispers, hands to his chest, "there are thousands upon thousands of invisible monsters inside of me, screaming and trying to claw their way out. They know they're trapped. They tear through skin and bone. They've left nothing but shredded remains of who I once was. They destroy me in a desperate and futile attempt to escape."

Midoriya claws at his chest, his breathing becoming shallow. His nails scratch and claw, grasping at the tiny monsters, imitating their escape plan. Your heart pounds and you dash to him, pulling his hands away from where his heart is.

He looks at the ground, ceasing his attack on himself.

"And then? I saw Kacchan. The memories I tried to fight came to the surface, gasping for air in a sea of thick dread and fear. The monsters are gone. But they broke the dam! It's flooding me! The sea! Every memory, from U.A., from the League of Villains, from . . . All Might. My mom. Everything. And it hurts, so damn much. It hurts."

You hug him, clutching the bandages for Shinimi in your hand behind his back. What do you do? What can you do? 

"Close your eyes," you tell him softly, "you're okay now. They're flooding you, but you're on a boat. You're safe."

He nods slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm safe. I'm safe, but it still hurts to remember. I just . . . "

"Do you want to be alone?"  You whisper into his shoulder.

You're surprised to feel him nod against you, despite not letting go of your hug. When he does, he whispers one last thing as you climb back up the ladder.

"Help him,"  he says, referring to Shinimi, "be the hero I can't anymore."

You choke back a gasp, climbing the ladder, the bandages stuffed in your pocket. 

Closing the door to the cellar, you look a the troubled teenager, who's helping himself to some expired convenience store chips.

You laugh in spite of yourself. Compared to Midoriya, compared to the world, compared to the fact he's a murderer? Shinimi looks normal. Like a normal kid, sitting on the counter in a convenience store, chomping down some potato chips.

You sit beside him, gesturing to the bag. "Gimme one."

He does, silently eating some of his own. The bright, happy yellow of the bag contrasts to the doom-and-gloom vibe to the abandoned store. 

You open the gauze, standing up and gently wrapping it around the wound on his head. "It doesn't look too bad," you say to him, circling his head with the bandage, "thankfully it was just a scratch."

The boy crumples the bag in his hand, now a little ball of yellow and crumbs.

"Why are you doing this?" He asks you, not looking up.

"To be honest, I don't entirely know," you sigh, sitting back down and making sure the bandage is secure, "Is that too tight? I guess you just remind me of me, when I was younger."

"No, it's fine. How so?" Now, Shinimi looks at you, his bright red hair falling into his eyes. "I've killed lots of people. Kids. I watched them die."

"Well," you chuckle nervously, "I didn't really kill anyone, but I wanted to."

"Yeah."

"It's more like . . . a feeling. I'm not sure," you admit, "but it seems like you don't want to be that way. Like you're being forced."

"What way?" He smirks, "Killing people?"

"U-Uh, I guess so."

"I don't know," the teenager says, "it's more like a habit now. It used to bother me. I was being forced, I still am, but now? I don't mind it."

"That's messed up." You blurt it accidentally, not thinking first, but you don't apologize, knowing you're right.

Shinimi smiles sadly. "I know. But now I can't go back."

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