Rejected Stones

The Price of Success

Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida

51. The Price of Success

Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay its price

-Sun Tzu

Izuku awoke with a gasp, cold sweat covering his body. He could still see the faces, hanging before him in that red hall, only this time, it had been Mei and his mother's faces there, not those of strangers. With a groan, he lifted himself out of bed, checking his clock. It was 4:03 am. Far too early. And yet, Izuku knew he couldn't go back to sleep.

With a heavy sigh, he sat up, scrubbing his hand through his hair. Restless, he took a long, hot shower, slumped on the floor, letting the water patter over his back. After around twenty minutes, he hauled himself out, drying off. He walked into his room and sat, staring at the wall. After a few minutes, he got his arm, but didn't put it on. Instead, he picked it up and carried it with him. He passed Uraraka in the hall, slipping into her room.

"Hey," he said, trying to smile.

Uraraka froze like a startled rabbit, looking at Izuku with wide eyes.

"S-sorry," Izuku mumbled. "I just thought-"

"I was checking on Katsuki!" Uraraka said quickly. "He's back from the hospital!"

"Oh, is he OK?" Izuku asked, looking towards Bakugo's room. "I mean, other than the injuries..."

"No," Uraraka said softly, shaking her head. "But...but I don't think any of us are OK. I...I had a hard time sleeping."

"Me too," Izuku admitted. "Being with Mei helps."

Uraraka's eyes shifted to Izuku's room. "Is she...?"

"What? No!" Izuku shook his head quickly. "I just mean...talking with her, spending time with her. It helps. I hope...I hope you have someone you can talk to, too."

"Yes. I do," Uraraka said quietly, eyes losing focus. "I think so, anyway." Then she blinked. "Oh, sorry. I just...I'm tired."

Izuku sighed, looking down at the arm he was carrying. "Yeah. I understand that. Good night."

"Good night," Uraraka said quietly, slipping back into her room and closing the door. Izuku heard faint sobs from it, but tried to ignore them. He hoped others did when he cried to himself.

Izuku headed down the stairs, taking them slowly. He glanced at Mei and Hari's room, but they'd been up late last night. She was probably still asleep, and Izuku didn't want to wake her. Instead, he headed out to the gym, hoping he could exhaust himself with exercise then fall back asleep.

As usual, the gym had a few occupants no matter what the hour; with the entire hero course on internships that included night patrols everyone's sleep schedule was off. Izuku headed to the treadmills, where he found Shinso already jogging in place.

"Couldn't sleep?" Shinso asked as Izuku set his arm on a bench and climbed onto the treadmill beside his friend.

"No. Bakugo's back, though," Izuku said. "Uraraka said she checked on him. He isn't doing well."

Shinso grunted. "Big surprise there. Christ. I can still see Chikazoku getting crushed when I close my eyes."

"I'm always just a little too slow to save Bakugo," Izuku admitted as he started to run. It was easier without his prosthetic, as his skin grew irritated and chaffed if he wore it for too long while exercising. Besides, it wasn't like he could make it stronger. That was Mei's job. "I almost wish I could have killed Chikazoku."