【𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 • 𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐃𝐄𝐊𝐔 𝐗 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑】

60| A String to the Past

You weren't paying attention, so you think it's strange when the whole place goes quiet. You realize why, though, when you look up.

Dynamight stands at the door, unmoving, his eyes locked onto Midoriya.

❧

"Kacchan?" Midoriya says, meeting the hero at the door. 

It's the first time he's shown so much emotion to any of the heroes that have greeted him, and he suddenly looks sad. Angry. The emotions swirl on his face like a hurricane, and you can't imagine how he must be feeling.

Shinimi must feel it all, though, because he rushes forward, grabbing Midoriya by the arm.

"Fighting won't help anything,"  the teen whispers, pulling him back, "it's not his fault."

He wanted to . . . fight him? You wonder, watching them closely.

Midoriya clenches his fist at his side.

"You're really . . . ," Bakugou mumbles, taking a step forward, " . . . alive."

Then, the blond hero does something you didn't expect, especially since Midoriya looked mad.

He hugs him, with tears in his eyes.

"You idiot,"  Bakugo says through clenched teeth, "You fucking idiot."

Midoriya starts to cry, then clutching Bakugo's shirt. 

"I'm not the idiot," he says, his voice thick with tears, "you should look in a mirror some day, Kacchan."

"Midoriya?"

Both Kacchan and Izuku turn around, with a snap of the head. You sense recognition in their reactions.

At the door stands the famous hero, Shoto. His hair is a mess of red and white, like he rushed to the police station straight out of bed. 

The trio embraces, with grips like they're going to lose one another once again. 

Midoriya looks up from the hug, and for a moment you think he's inviting you to join, and your heart fills with a feeling you can't place. A smile grows on your face.

But then, people push past you to embrace them.

He wasn't looking at you at all.

Uravity, Froppy, Iida, Shinso, Kirishima, Chargebolt, and even the stoic Eraserhead. A big group hug, with a bunch of Midoriya's friends from the past. All of the heroes involved in the case.

Group hug.

Shinimi takes your hand, his quirk allowing him to feel the frustration and fear that fills your veins. 

The sour feeling is soon replaced by anger; a bitterness you can't explain.

"Alright," you say with a hint of aggravation in your voice, "we'd better start the meeting if this is everyone."

You don't speak any more, but spin around on your heel and leave the room. The lights flicker as you exit, as if mocking you. 

He could leave any moment, like the lights above your head. 

Why is it so hard to hold onto the string of a single memory? Why can't you grasp the fact he promised? He promised.

He promised.

But that's the problem. 

Wouldn't a string to the past hold stronger than one of the present? 

Promises are easier broken than memories are forgotten.

❧

Shinimi and Nakano join you in the conference room first.

"Hey," Shinimi says, sitting beside you, "are you okay?"

"Why do you ask questions you already know the answer to?" You sigh, laying your head down.

It's quiet for a moment, until someone breaks the silence.

"You know what I think is ironic?" Shinimi says, leaning back in his chair, "How years of love can be forgotten in the anger of a moment."

You look over at him, and Nakano who stands quietly at his side. Both of them have this look of regret, like a curtain shrouding their faces in darkness.

"The last thing I said to my brother," the teenager murmurs, "was 'I hate you'."

He looks at you then; his young, dark eyes holding the depth of a thousand seas.

"Don't forget all that you've been through just because of how you're feeling now."

It's as if his words have broken through a wall inside of you. There's no reason you should be doubting Midoriya, right?

After all, you're not following him because of blind trust. It's been built upon, sheltered. You've been through so much with him.

That's enough.

"Thank you," you tell him, "I think . . . I think I really needed to hear that."

He smiles, giving you two thumbs up. 

❧