"Rei." You said, walking up to where she sat on the couch in her lonesome.
"Yes, y/n?" she said your name like she'd known it a lifetime. Not as if she'd only known you a few months.
"Why is Shoto afraid of me?"
The woman blinked, unsure as to why such a young thing would wonder that.
Putting her book down, she just smiled.
"Shoto cares about you very much dear, you know that."
"I know." You said. "But he's afraid of me too. He moves away sometimes when I wanna hug him, like my mom and dad did. Why?"
Rei gave a sadder sort of smile.
She reached out and caressed a hand down your hair, some streaks of grey in your color.
You looked, wide eyed, so confused as to what this warm feeling in your chest was.
No one had ever been... kind... enough to touch you so unhesitantly.
Even if it was a gesture so common and plain as running a hand through your hair.
She took you in her lap that day.
Read you some stories.
Held your head on her shoulder when you grew tired.
But she never answered your question.
She didn't know how.
No one ever did.
***
Kaminari was fine after a few minutes. Still the scene repeated over and over in your mind like a loop: his muscles seizing, his entire body turned stringent like a board, his eyes wide and confused.
You had to stare down at your hands to remember that they'd been the cause of it.
Walking up the stairs and back to the stands, you kept the image of everyone in the stands fresh in your mind.
Afterall, they had the same looks on their faces as Denki did when you used your power. It was as if the mere sight of it was as stunning as its existence.
Monster. You thought again. Would make a cool name for a special move like that I guess.
You took some more steps, still staring at your hands which now seemed so weak for some reason.
Monsters frighten everyone don't they?
With the last thought, you flexed your fingers as if on instinct.
Don't they?
Reaching up slowly, you ran one of those hands up and down the side of your head, closing your eyes to focus on the feeling. As your hair made its way between your fingers, you sighed.
It didn't feel the same.
If anything it made you miss the fact that you'd forgotten about Rei for this long.
Perhaps it was for the best to forget though.
Even if you wanted her again so badly.
Just for the comfort of someone to distract you from the numbness like she did all those years ago.
On the last step up of the second to last flight, your footsteps began to echo.
No, not echo, rather be mimicked.
Looking up from the ground, you caught sight of another crossing your path.
Bakugo was walking down the stairs.
Hands in pockets, shoulders slumped and heavy.
There was at once focus in the way he stared at the ground and distraction.
Like all he wanted was to concentrate on his next match, but there was something bugging him in the back of his head.
