Your Hand in Mine ((TOGATA X MIDORIYA X OC))

21

"Rinny, Rinny!"

Rin bolted into a sitting position under Mina's constant jostling, and inhaled a sharp breath as she frantically looked around the room. Her heart raced ceaselessly in her chest, and the grip Mina had on Rin's shoulder was concerned and tight.

"You were crying in your sleep." Mina said when Rin finally looked at her.

"I-I was?" She asked, breathless as she plastered a sweaty palm on her forehead. She brushed her bangs back.

"Yeah," Mina nodded quickly. "You said something about... Beau? Then you started tossing and turning. Is everything okay?"

"Beau..." Rin trailed off as her heart suddenly calmed. Her body slumped under Mina's touch. "Um... yeah. Everything's okay. It was just a nightmare."

"Rinny," Mina's tone was questioning as Rin slid off the bed. "Who is that?"

Rin paused in her reach for the door, and drew her fist back to her chest as she turned her head to look at Mina. She forced a smile onto her face.

"Just someone I used to know." She said simply.

All that was given in response was Mina's worried expression, and she neglected to say another word as Rin left the room. She slowly got ready for school with trembling hands, and had to redo her hair several times as her mind raced with the nightmare she could barely remember. It had been a month and a half since Beau's death, and she had neglected to have a single dream about it until that day. An unmistakable ache pounded in her chest, and she had trouble finding the exact source to her pain.

"Good morning, Rin." Deku's voice drew her gaze upward as she entered the kitchen, and offered him a loose smile at the sight of his risen hand.

"Hey, Zuku." She replied weakly. Her demeanor alone was enough to make a frown fall on his face.

"You look a little tired," he pointed out as she passed him to get to the fridge. She pulled out a yogurt cup. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I... don't know," she confessed weakly and turned in his direction. However, her eyes stayed glued to the tile beneath them. "I had a dream about Beau last night."

"Beau?" Deku's face lit in recognition. "Wasn't that one of Poseidon's henchmen? The one who helped you escape?"

Rin simply nodded, and felt the weight of Deku's hand fall on her shoulder. She looked up to see his soft smile, and felt a little lighter at the sight of it.

"I know how much you cared about him, Rin," he began. "It's normal, what you're feeling. Grief comes in a lot of different ways."

"Grief?" Rin's head tilted to the side.

"Yeah," he nodded. "It's like... a deep sadness you feel when you lose someone. That's what it is for you, isn't it?"

Rin took a moment to think before finally nodding. "Well, yeah. I suppose that's it."

"I know it'll never be the same without him," Deku continued as he motioned for her to follow him into the hall. "But it'll get easier to manage, I promise."

Rin found the spirit within herself to smile, and let out a gentle breath of relief. Talking to Deku always helped in settling her nerves.

"Thank you, Zuku," she said as she nudged him with her elbow. "I feel a bit better now."

"Glad to hear it." Deku smiled cheekily as they made their way outside. Togata stood by the pillar that held up the awning of the dorms, waiting for them as they exited the building.