Mind Boggled

Chapter 46

Third person pov

When they made it back to the apartment, Harper fell asleep faster than she had in years. She was out like a light, slumping down on the couch next to Kurogiri. The ghastly man was silently overjoyed to have her leaning up against him, refusing to move a muscle for fear of waking her up. Dabi also seemed amused. Harper couldn't say, but she got the distinct impression that someone was taking pictures of her in her muddled state of exhaustion, but she didn't give a fuck. She was going to sleep for as long as she could. Even if that meant passing out alongside Kurogiri. Honestly, it was surprising she was able to sleep at all with his excited thoughts screaming at her.

Things with Sero had gone a lot better than she'd thought they would. He didn't throw anything at her, or strangle her. He didn't go nuts on Aimi either. It was almost like confirmation that what Harper believed was true-- he didn't remember jack shit about what happened that night. Or at least, he didn't remember enough. She had faith that he'd get better. And when he did, she'd pull every damn string she could get her grubby little hands on to make sure he returned to UA. He deserved it. As mushy as it sounded, she knew he could be a great hero if he just recovered. 

In a way, things felt like they were coming to a close. Yet at the same time, it was all just starting. It was the beginning and the end of so many things, and Harper was more tired than she had been in years. Somehow, despite her fatigue, she also felt like she was... she didn't really know. Happier, maybe? Though she didn't really talk or think about it, she wasn't blind enough not to see her own issues. She'd wrestled with depression for a long time now. Now that she felt she was getting better, it was apparent just how bad it had been. Harper hadn't even realized. 

It was nice to have people who cared. Tsukauchi was like a third parent to her. He loved and cared for her. In a roundabout way, Sansa did too. He was like that weird, drunk uncle who had a low self-esteem alongside a god complex. Kurogiri was... okay, so he was older than her, but he sort of felt like her child in a roundabout way. Which was weird because she'd honest to god never experienced motherhood in any way, shape, or form. But the feeling was there, so fuck it. There were more concerning things for her to worry about.

Dabi was like a brother to her, and she didn't even want to start on her classmates. She wasn't trying to be sappy when she said she could go on for hours. It was just the truth. Kirishima was undyingly loyal, and her gratitude towards him knew no bounds. Iida was someone she fretted over almost constantly, even if he was getting better now. Todoroki, Bakugo, Midoriya, Tsuyu, Hagakure-- just everyone! She cared about them all. And she was grown up enough to admit that and not be embarrassed about it. 

Even Stain and Sero she cared about. It was... nice. Maybe. She was pretty sure she wasn't supposed to get attached to a mass murderer and her mentally ill ex-classmate, but the damage was done. Her feelings were set. She could scoff and grumble over it all she wanted, but she knew herself well enough to know they wouldn't change. 

Harper slept fairly soundly. They were all very careful not to disturb her. They didn't even risk trying to move her or pull her shoes off to maximize comfort for fear that she'd stir. Instead they let Kurogiri silently vibrate in excitement as she slumbered on his shoulder. The gaseous man quietly requested they take extra pictures so that he could commemorate this experience in his 'Harper Rye is my best friend' scrapbook, which he apparently kept hidden inside one of the couch cushions. When Tsukauchi asked if he could see it, the Warp Gate user had experienced a full-body recoil that made everyone freeze. Harper didn't wake up, but nobody asked about the scrapbook again. 

Harper slept solidly for longer than she had in a very long time, but that didn't mean she wasn't dead tired when she woke up nonetheless. A full six hours of sleep didn't do much for her as she pushed herself up off the couch an hour before her alarm was set to go off and stumbled to the bathroom for a shower. Kurogiri awoke only a few minutes after she did and immediately noticed her absence. His blood-curdling scream of horror was enough to wake everyone in the house, and probably the neighbors to boot. Tsukauchi almost broke down his bedroom door coming out to see what was going on, bleary-eyed and panicked. Dabi was already at the sobbing Kurogiri's side when Harper called from the bathroom for them to 'shut the fuck up'.