As Long As I'm Here

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The streets are dark as I creep down them. There is one place, in particular, I want to see right now. It took a lot of convincing Dabi that I just needed some alone time.

Which wasn't completely a lie. Those comments the other villains had made have been racking my brain since we left this afternoon. I tried my best to hide it but unfortunately, Dabi knows me a little too well.

I pull my jacket around me tighter and keep my hood low. There is something comforting about this cold weather.

I duck down another side alley and dodge the piles of trash littered everywhere. I finally come out onto an empty street.

I stand not far from the Todoroki residents. My heart pounds in my chest. I shouldn't be here. Who knows where Endeavor might be lurking? The front gate opens a little and a figure walks out.

It's Natsuo.

My feet start moving before I can process what I'm doing. I stop in his line of the path. He looks up from his phone and stops dead in his tracks.

"Can we talk?" I ask quietly.

He practically throws himself at me. His arms wrap around me, squeezing me tightly. I freeze out of fear. There is a moment of silence between us before I decide to break it.

"Natsuo?" I whisper.

He finally draws back, looking into my eyes. "You shouldn't be here." he takes me by the hand and pulls me further away from the house.

He stops once we round the corner.

"I know I shouldn't be here," I start. "but something inside me felt like I needed to come back here."

"Are you dumb?" He whispers. "You know he's inside right now, along with two other UA students? If they saw you, it would be all over."

I nod and look away from him. "I realize this."

"Can I at least ask you why you did what you did?"

I pick at the end of my fingernails. "I got overwhelmed. There were also rumors that they were going to frame me for the attack on UA."

He places a hand on my shoulder and I bring my attention back to him. There is sadness in his eyes.

"I could care less about you becoming a villain. I missed you after Touya's death. You left us without even saying goodbye." He says. "You were the last part of our brother we had left and you vanished that day along with him."

Tears tickle the edges of my eyes as I stare into his eyes. They are nothing like Touya's or Dabi's, yet I feel some kind of comfort from them.

"I'm sorry,"

His grip tightens on my shoulder. "You're not. If you were you would've come back."

I shake my head. "I regret that decision every day of my life. I wanted to come back, I longed to have you guys around me even if Touya wasn't there any longer. But, I just knew that if I stepped back inside that house with him not there, I-I,"

I swallow the lump in my throat.

Natsuo pulls me into a tight embrace once again. "I stepped out of line. Sorry, he put me in a bad mood." He says. "I just wish you had reached out to us earlier."

I nod and lean into his embrace a little. "I wish I had too, then maybe I wouldn't be in the trouble I am in now."

He pulls back. "I'm sure this can all be fixed."

I shake my head with a soft smile. "I don't think so. This was set in stone a long time ago. This society will never accept me."

"Maybe we can get him to convince everyone. He's apparently a changed man now."

"Miracles don't happen to people like me," I pull away from him. "I have to get going before someone spots me."

He shoves his phone into my hands. "Even villains have numbers right?"

"I have a burner phone right now,"

"I don't care, I'm not losing contact with you again. I won't speak a word of this to anyone, including Fuyumi. Please, just do this one thing for me."

I sigh and look around me. "Don't contact me, I'll contact you."

"Regularly?"

"Regularly, I promise." I type my number into his phone. "I'll let you know if the number changes as well."

I hold the phone back out to him and he takes it. He types something on the screen before showing me. The phone in my pocket vibrates but I'm too focused on what he is showing me.

I've missed you, big sister. AKA, Touya's wife.

I roll my eyes but I can't help but smile. "You know Shoto told me that you told him that I was Touya's girlfriend."

He laughs. "You basically were. Even Mom joked about it. She said one day he would come to his senses that you were his soulmate."

"If only he knew that you all talked about him so much."

"I'll let you get going. Villains don't have curfews, do they?"

"This one does. I'm glad I got to see you again."

"Catch you later, Mrs. Todoroki." He walks off back toward the main road.

I watch him until he fully disappears. I hear voices rising from where the Todoroki house is. I don't decide to stick around.

I walk down the street, hood pulled up over my head. The oncoming headlights of cars give me anxiety about someone seeing me but this is the quickest way back and I've already spent too much time out.

A loud explosion comes from just up the road. I stop and watch. Some villain making a scene. Looks like there is a hostage. I squint trying to get a better look and my eyes snap wide open as I see Natsuo being flung around like a ragdoll.

I start sprinting down the street, my hood slips from my head. The fear rises on civilians' faces as they come to realize who I am. I could care less about them right now.

I make it to the scene. Endeavor is there along with Shoto and the other two students that Natsuo mentioned. They haven't seen me yet meaning I could sneak away.

Natsuo sees me. The fear in his eyes. He never asked for any of this. I activate my quirk and go running past the four. I lunge at the villain who seems surprised by my presence.

The plasma burns straight through whatever material has Natsuo trapped. He falls to the ground but I get side-swiped in the process. My body crashes into a nearby building. Dazed and confused I pull myself from the wreck.

The sight before me makes me stop. Endeavor is embracing Natsuo. I watch them in silence, taking it all in.

Something between anger and grievance sits in my stomach. A little too late for him to start feeling compassion. The damage has already been done. Natsuo shoves him away.

All eyes turn to me. Bakugo starts to move toward me but Endeavor grabs him by the back of the shirt. He doesn't look away from his son.

"It will be the end for you engage in if you try to fight her," he says.

This seems to anger the blond. "She's a villain. She's the reason I got captured." He yells.

Endeavor finally looks at me. "I know."

"Run!" Natsuo yells at me.

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