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Chapter Text

"Bon anniversaire, Yuga!"

It was May 30th--little Yuga's birthday! He always loved celebrating his birthday. It only came once a year, after all. His parents always went the extra mile to make it as special as possible. On his 9th birthday last year, his parents flew him back to his birthplace. It was a small city in France with lots of tiny towns and pretty landscapes--nothing like his home in Japan. He hadn't been there since he was an infant. It was like a dream come true.

He wasn't sure how they could top it this year.

When Yuga ran into the living room and saw his parents beaming at him, he knew he should feel excited. His parents never let him down on his birthday. But he still had school today.

The big grin on his face began to falter.

School had always been hard for Yuga--and it wasn't just keeping up with his homework. None of the other kids ever wanted to be around him. All they cared about were their super special quirks. They didn't want to be around the quirkless losers.

In Yuga's tiny private school, he was the only one quirkless.

When Yuga first started kindergarten, he'd come home on the brink of tears asking his parents why he was so different. Now that he was older, he was mature enough to hold it all in. Although it still hurt just as much.

He knew his parents would be the only ones celebrating his birthday (or even knew it was his birthday in the first place). But that was okay. He loved his parents very much. They were the only people he needed.

Today, they were holding a rectangular white box with a purple ribbon on it.

"This is your only gift this year," his mother admitted. Even so, she looked like she was about to burst with excitement--even more than his birthday last year. "But I think you're going to like it."

"No--you're going to LOVE it!" his father agreed, his similar expression making Yuga intrigued.

"What is it?" He ran over to the gift, and when his parents allowed him to hold it, he grabbed the box and shook it slightly. It was heavy, but it didn't make a sound–as if the object inside was so valuable it had to be tightly packaged. Yuga knew he wasn't supposed to open gifts until later in the day, but the curiosity was killing him.

To his surprise, his parents were motioning at him to open it. "You can unwrap now," his mother said, her eyes glistening with joy. "I hope it's everything you wanted."

Yuga did not wait another second. He slipped off the ribbon and opened the box.

It was a belt.

Yuga did not understand.

A belt? This was the gift they were so excited about? He picked it up and held it in front of him, his expression as puzzled as ever. The shiny purple orb in the middle was pretty, at least…

"Well? What do you think?" they asked, fidgeting with anticipation. It's like they expected him to understand why a fancy belt would be the ultimate surprise.

"It's...sparkly?" he said, turning the belt over so he could get a good look from every angle. "It's kinda like a hero belt." Maybe that was it. Maybe they wanted him to feel like he fit in by wearing a fake piece of hero equipment. Based on the way their faces lit up from his words, it seemed like he was right.

So he was supposed to pretend to be a hero? He knew his parents didn't really understand quirks when they weren't a common occurrence in France, but this was a whole new level of naivety.

His mother eagerly nodded her head. "It is like a hero belt, isn't it!"

"One that you would wear if you had a quirk!" his father excitedly added.

Completely confused, Yuga tilted his head. Were they just trying to make him feel bad? "But I don't have a quirk," he said, trying to disguise his disappointment.

"Well, do you want one?"

His father's words made Yuga pause. That's what he wanted more than anything. But that wasn't possible. They knew it wasn't possible. Why were they pushing for it so much?

Whatever excitement his mother was holding back finally exploded, and she cried, "Mon chou, we found a way to get you a quirk!!"

…What?

Yuga didn't want to get his hopes up. This was something he'd been wishing for forever. Doing all of the crazy tricks online like going to bed with all of his clothes on inside out and spending every morning stretching his pinkie toes. None of it ever worked.

Why would today be any different?

"I told you guys that quirks don't work like that," Yuga said, frowning sadly at his belt. "Wearing hero stuff doesn't give you a quirk."

"But what if we knew a guy whose quirk was giving other people quirks?"

Now that caught Yuga's attention. He didn't know if he should believe it...no way a person could do that…

Then he saw the way his parents' eyes shone, the two of them too excited to do anything except give him the happiest, most adoring of looks–and his heart began to leap for joy.

"Remember the doctor who said you won't ever get a quirk?" his mother enthusiastically asked, the words beginning to spill out of her mouth like an overflowing teacup. "He said he knows a guy who has a quirk so unique that he can give one to anyone he wants to! And guess what: he told us he has a quirk picked out just for you!"

"That's what the belt is for," his father added. "It'll help you aim your laser. Your navel laser. Isn't that awesome?!"

Yuga had never felt so overjoyed before.

"YES!" he exclaimed, swinging the belt around as he happily hopped around the room like an energetic monkey. "I'm getting a QUIRK!"

He'd fit in with his classmates!

He'd never have to sit alone again!

He'd finally be an equal!

"Because this man is being so kind, he does want your help with some stuff," his mother warned gently. But her loving gaze never wavered. "It's the least we can do."

His father gave him a determined look. "You think you're up for it, son?"

"OUI! I'll do anything!" Yuga paused his frolicking and finally settled down enough that he could throw off his shirt and try on the belt.

It was a perfect fit.

It really was the best birthday ever.

~*~

"I need to steal the teachers' schedules...so they can kill All Might?"

Aoyama had barely walked in the door to his house when his mother suddenly leaped towards him, the bright lights above making the bags under her eyes more apparent than ever.

She didn't look the same as she did six years ago.

"Yes, that's what All For One wants," she quickly spoke, leading her son inside so she could shut the door. "I really don't think they can kill All Might, so you don't have to feel guilty about it. Okay?"

Aoyama had only just started his first school year at UA, and he was already getting orders from his "uncle" All For One. The very idea of having to betray the school's trust so the villains could kill the Symbol of Peace made him feel sick, but there was nothing he could do about it.

And he certainly didn't want to make his parents feel any worse.

"D'accord, maman," he said offhandedly, walking away so he could finally unwind after a long day of school.

Aoyama didn't want to admit it, but he wasn't feeling very good about his position in UA. Everyone else in his class was simply excited to get accepted, but he had to worry about whatever demands All For One had for him. His desire as a child to have friends meant nothing when he was too scared to get close to anyone--or else All For One might hurt them in some way.

He wasn't really happy.

But Aoyama knew it would break his parents' hearts if he even dared to utter those words. They already regretted working with the real life equivalent of the devil and wished they had known better than to bargain with him. But they had only done it to make him feel better. They only did it because he wanted a quirk.

So if Aoyama had to steal some teachers' schedules, then so be it.

-

The next day of school, everyone in Class 1-A had battle training: 2-on-2 battles between the "heroes" and "villains." Aoyama was paired up with a bubbly pink-skinned girl named Ashido, who was not very good with keeping her quirk under control.

"Oops, sorry!" she apologized as Aoyama stared in horror at his disintegrating cape. Her gleeful smile didn't exactly show that she was sorry, but maybe she was just too excited to finally be training for real battles.

Aoyama wished he could feel that way too.

After their inevitable loss, Ashido started back to the waiting room. Aoyama knew he should follow, but an idea popped up in his mind.

All Might wasn't supervising his classroom. Where all of his important papers were.

"Désolé, mademoiselle, mais I must take a detour," he suddenly spoke, giving a slight bow as he changed his walking course and headed in the opposite direction.

Ashido stared back for a few seconds, her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, before she said, "I have no clue what those first words were, but okay! See ya later!"

Aoyama said nothing more as he darted out of sight. Sure enough, after a bit of backtracking, he found that All Might's room was empty. No teachers, students, or anyone else in sight.

Let's make this fast, he thought uncomfortably, heading for the teacher's desk and beginning his rummaging. After a bit of searching, he found the papers he needed.

Aoyama immediately felt dirty.

Taking the long route back so he could throw the papers into his locker, Aoyama eventually reconvened with his classmates, showing off his twinkling smile to give the impression that everything was just fine.

When he got home that day, his parents were very proud of him.

"Your mother said you did exactly what All For One asked," his father commented once he got home from work. "Good job...I knew you could do it."

His slightly off tone said all Aoyama needed to know--he wasn't happy about their situation either. But Aoyama had to stay optimistic. His parents hadn't sacrificed so much for nothing.

Aoyama sent pictures of the schedules to All For One that evening. He wasn't exactly sure why the most evil villain of the century was contacting him via text messaging, but it was in his best interest not to question All For One.

After the pictures were sent, All For One said nothing more. Somehow, that made Aoyama feel even worse. He'd just done something absolutely terrible and All For One couldn't even acknowledge it.

The guilt festered.

Eventually, Aoyama found out what the specific details to All For One's plan were. Apparently All Might would be stranded with Aoyama and his classmates in an off-campus facility known as the USJ. The villains would lock everyone in, isolate All Might, and take him out with a bioengineered monster named Nomu. All For One made sure to promise that Aoyama would not get hurt.

That was the least of his worries.

Aoyama believed in All Might. Everyone in the country idolized him--and for good reason. He was the hero the entire world needed. Surely he wouldn't be bested by a couple of thugs...right?

But no matter how reliable All Might was, Aoyama couldn't stop feeling bad about his actions. Even when he tried to distract himself, his thoughts always went back to the fact that he just severely betrayed his school.

Those thoughts only worsened as the date of the USJ attack crept closer and closer. Everyone else in Aoyama's life seemed to be doing just fine: his classmates were happy spending time together as they all grew closer as a class, Aoyama’s parents were relieved that their son was so willing to protect them, All For One was thrilled that Aoyama was working against the school without hesitation…

But Aoyama was suffering. The burden of carrying such a heavy sin was too much for a single teenager to handle. He didn't want to risk anyone's life. He didn't want his parents to be unhappy. He just wanted to have a normal life like the rest of his classmates.

It was all he could think about.

Aoyama was having a hard time coping. He knew that perfectly well. But he had no way of letting his feelings out. Telling his teachers or classmates was out of the question because that would only lead to them wondering why he was so stressed in the first place. The only other people in his life were his parents, but…

"Are you happy we found you a quirk? Because now the other kids at school hang out with you, yes?"

"Of course he is! There's no need for us to regret anything because we gave our son the life he always wanted. Isn't that right, Yuga?"

…they obviously didn't need to know.

So Aoyama came to the logical conclusion that he was the only person who could ever know about his true feelings.

The evening before the attack, Aoyama was attempting to finish his homework before heading to bed. But all of the numbers on the page were blurring together, and he couldn't concentrate.

It's all my fault.

People are going to get hurt because of me.

I'm the only reason this is happening.

The barrage of thoughts was relentless.

After a few more minutes of attempting to solve just one problem, Aoyama suddenly pushed back his chair and stood up. This wasn't working. He needed to clear his head.

A cup of tea always did the trick.

Determined to make things right, Aoyama headed downstairs and began boiling some water. At that point of the night, his parents had already headed to bed. Aoyama was completely alone.

With only the kitchen light on, the rest of the house looked rather dark. Feeling a bit unsettled, Aoyama reached into the cabinet to grab a mug. But as he lifted his arm–

Merde!!

He'd been too distracted! In his carelessness, he had managed to dislodge one of the mugs and knock it off of the shelf. Aoyama instantly felt sharp pain as the broken ceramic glass skimmed his hand.

Merde...now I'm bleeding.

Scowling at himself, he grabbed a paper towel and pressed it against the wound. It was only a small cut, but it really hurt.

For a moment, it was all he could think about.

It didn't take him long to notice a few things. As the bleeding of the cut slowed down and he instead focused on carefully brushing the broken glass into a pile, he realized how easily distracted he'd been by the tiny mishap. The pain of the cut was so sudden that it made him forget all about his constant emotional turmoil for the first time that day.

He also realized that after the pain faded away, he only felt mind-numbing relief.

Aoyama glanced pensively at the broken glass.

Trading emotional pain for physical pain. Did that even work? It just worked for Aoyama. But it felt wrong. Hurting yourself to get rid of the pain felt like backwards thinking.

And yet, as Aoyama tossed out the broken glass, an idea was forming in his mind. Losing interest in his hot beverage, Aoyama dumped out the boiling water and raced upstairs. Quietly.

Can't have my parents walking into this.

Sneaking past his dozing parents, Aoyama went into their bathroom, grabbed his mother's disposable razor, and slithered back into his room with his newly-obtained treasure. After an embarrassingly long period of trying to break open the razor, he finally got the blade out.

I'm just trying it out. That's it.

Anything to make his head stop screaming.

He only made two cuts that night--both on his left forearm. The first one was experimental, but the second one made him pause.

It was helping.

Since he didn't apply too much pressure, the pain was subtle. But it gave him something else to think about. Sure, his problems were still there, but for a moment, they weren't so loud.

Aoyama tucked away the blade in a secret spot for the night, but he knew it wouldn't be the last time he'd be using it.

-

The attack on USJ finally happened.

Aoyama didn’t see any of it. He was teleported to a separate area by one of the villains, Kurogiri. Even so, he knew All Might survived since the rest of his classmates wouldn’t stop raving about how awesome his fighting skills were. Despite just being in an incredibly risky situation, they were all high-spirited. That was better than what Aoyama expected.

But not everyone made it out okay. Thirteen was wiped out by Kurogiri, while poor Aizawa…his entire face was mutilated as if a giant claw tore it up. The rest of his body wasn't doing much better. Just seeing Aizawa’s injured self resting on the hospital bed filled Aoyama with dread.

That was his teacher. He did that to his teacher.

Aoyama did not stay in Aizawa’s room for long.

Knowing that everyone survived the attack should’ve made Aoyama feel better. His parents felt a lot better, that was for certain. It was like a lifelong weight was temporarily lifted off of their shoulders. But didn’t they know that this was only the beginning? All For One’s plan had failed. There was no way he wouldn’t be contacting Aoyama again with even more traitorous tasks.

The bad feelings were still there. And after seeing Aizawa, they were only worse.

Naturally, Aoyama gravitated to his new tool.

Aoyama had told himself that he would only use it if he really needed it. A last resort for when he just couldn’t manage anymore. He wasn’t at that point now, but…

Just to get my mind off of it.

From that point on, his gallery of scratches only kept on growing.

At first, he only did a few cuts every so often. Whenever he thought too much about the attack or All For One, his razor blade gave him the relief he needed. Then he’d wait a bit and the scratches would heal, only occasionally leaving very light scars.

Then All For One contacted his parents again.

“Yuga! Come downstairs!” his mother hollered below, prompting Aoyama to pause his evening activity and meet her in the dining room.

“You have a new task from All For One,” she said plainly, frowning at her phone screen. Aoyama’s heart immediately sank.

“What is it, maman?” He didn’t want to know the answer. He knew the answer would ruin his day.

But he had no choice.

She squinted at what Aoyama assumed to be All For One’s message. “It looks like…he needs information about a training camp. Along with a class roster.”

Class 1-A had just learned about the upcoming training camp. Aizawa gave a short sneak peek today right before class ended. It would be a week-long trip at a camp in an undisclosed location--but the students would only be allowed to go if they passed their final exams.

If All For One wanted to know about the camp, which was supposed to be a time of relaxation and fun…that couldn’t be good.

And the fact that he needed the class roster…was All For One targeting his classmates?

Aoyama’s stomach felt sick, and he had to excuse himself before it got worse.

He knew what All For One wanted to do. He knew how enticing of a target his classmates were, especially after knowing the lengths the teachers would go to protect them (like Aizawa at USJ). Predictably, the call of the blade led Aoyama straight to his room. Only this time he was a little more emotionally unstable than usual.

Aoyama ended up cutting a little more than he had intended to. His forearms looked more like zebra hide than human skin. He didn't know how he felt about that.

...I think I went a little overboard.

This was just the reality of his situation. He had to cut if he wanted to keep his emotions under control.

Things were supposed to be better now. Even so, the feelings he thought he erased were still lingering in the back of his head. Aoyama quickly pushed them away before he reached for the blade again.

The next day at school, he ran into a problem.

"Get into your gym outfits so we can start your physical training for the day," Aizawa ordered in his usual dull voice as everyone headed for the locker rooms. Aoyama followed like he normally did, heading for his spot near the end of the room.

...My gym shirt. It's short-sleeved.

He hadn't worried about people seeing his injuries yet because they were usually very minor. After last night, they were glaringly obvious. What was he supposed to do?

Aoyama glanced around him. Mineta was already changed and trying to spy on the girls (unsuccessfully). Ojiro was adjusting his clothes so his tail wouldn't interfere. Kirishima was talking to a few of the other guys as he lifted his shirt over his head. Nobody had a problem with wearing short sleeves.

Should he wear a jacket? No, that would look out-of-place. He needed something discreet--something that wouldn't draw anyone's attention.

Maybe something underneath?

The black suit he wore underneath his hero costume was pretty subtle...and it was thin. If he wore it underneath his gym uniform, it would cover up all of his scars. Maybe it wouldn't make them completely disappear, but he wasn't Hagakure. As far as he was concerned, this was his best option.

After taking a pit stop to grab his hero suit, Aoyama changed clothes. As soon as he saw himself in the mirror, he knew he made the right choice.

Looking twinkling as always~

Once he met up with the rest of his classmates outside, class resumed. It was only around halfway through that someone made a comment.

"Why are you in that hot outfit?" Hagakure suddenly said behind Aoyama, nearly making him jump out of his skin. "It's too hot for long sleeves!" The girl had just completed her workout and was now gathering into a small group with the other finishers, who were all curiously listening in on their conversation.

At first, Aoyama didn't know how to respond. The idea of being called out on his self-harm scared him, and he almost forgot what to say.

Non, don't freeze! I can't look suspicious!

Thankfully, he had this all planned out.

"Ah, non, I need this outfit!" He gave a confident smile, letting a few sparkles shine around him. "It helps my tummy."

Using his health condition as an excuse probably wasn't the best idea when it wasn't even true. But the others were buying it, so did it really matter?

Clearly feeling a bit bad for overstepping, Hagakure took an awkward step backwards and said, "Oh, sorry! I didn't know it worked like that!"

It doesn't. Aoyama kept his grin as steady as possible, and eventually, people began to shift their attention to other things.

Aoyama's distraction had worked.

Nobody bothered him about his choice of clothes after that. Although Hagakure was right--the material was thin, but it was pretty warm outside. By the time class was over, he was a sweaty mess, and his arms were beginning to sting.

That's just how my life has to be.

As delighted as Aoyama was about getting off the hook without anyone finding out, his happiness didn't last for long. A series of texts was waiting for him in the locker room.

Maman💖: can you take the train to kamino with the papers for your uncle after class? He needs them in person becaus he thinks phone texts are too risky

Maman💖: He said that someone with patchwork skin and a black hoodie will pick them up at the station

Maman💖: i put money in your account so you can pay for the ticket

Maman💖: Thanks xoxo

...Aoyama was delivering the papers in person.

He wasn't even home yet and he was already feeling like shit.

Aoyama didn't want to stall. As soon as the bell rang, he darted out of the school, not even taking a moment to wish his classmates farewell. Shortly later, he was on the train to Kamino.

C'est chaud, Aoyama thought uncomfortably as he tugged on his sleeves. He had changed back to his regular uniform right before he left, but he was forced to overheat in his long-sleeved button-up shirt when so many people would otherwise see his scarred arms. And there wasn't much room in his cabin.

I'll just unbutton my sleeves. Nobody's really looking at my wrists.

Two hours later, the train arrived at the Kamino station. Aoyama cautiously stepped out, clutching the papers with both hands as he surveyed the station.

A man with patchwork skin and a hoodie...none of the people he could see looked like that. Most of them were urgently walking in a straight line like they had somewhere important to be. Aoyama didn't know what else to do, so he did the same, walking in a direction that seemed right enough.

After only a few moments of walking, a hand suddenly reached out from behind one of the station's poles and grabbed Aoyama's shirt. He didn't even have time to comprehend what was happening before he was suddenly pulled to the side. His anxiety spiking, Aoyama embraced himself for the fight that was surely about to break out, when...he noticed his kidnapper's skin.

Oh, it's the patchwork dude.

Aoyama was immediately intimidated. The man's ice cold stare and emotionless frown sent shivers down his spine. He was a villain, no doubt about it.

"You the traitor?" the man simply asked.

Surprised to hear the term he was now apparently going by, Aoyama nervously nodded his head.

"Figures. You look like a damn tourist gawking around like that." The man was looking at the slightly crumpled papers in Aoyama's hands. "Those are the papers, I'm guessing?"

"Ou-er, yeah," Aoyama stuttered, trying to keep his voice steady so the villain wouldn't catch on to how nervous he was.

The man held out an impatient hand. "Well, hand 'em over. I can't risk standing here for too long. I'm not a wanted man for nothing."

Gulping, Aoyama handed the papers over, his nerves making his hands shake. He was too distracted by his anxiety to notice how far his sleeves had slid down.

But the man noticed.

As his hands reached the papers, he paused, his blue eyes inspecting Aoyama's wrists. Then he scoffed, taking the papers and turning away--but not before giving Aoyama a disgusted stare. "How pathetic."

It wasn't until the man disappeared from view that Aoyama realized what he meant.

He relapsed pretty hard that night.

Maybe a little too hard.

"Merde," Aoyama hissed to himself when he saw how deep his last cut had been. The shallow cuts hadn't been doing the trick, so he had instead focused on worsening his already existing cuts instead of starting all over. But after five minutes of applying pressure, the worst of his cuts wouldn't stop bleeding.

Aoyama hated that the man could control him so easily just from one measly comment. But he also couldn't deny that he was deeply ashamed of his scars. Aoyama didn't want all of his suffering to be visible from a simple glance at his arm–especially when the only person who'd seen those arms was someone as judgmental as the patchwork man. Just remembering how his disgusted eyes looked down upon Aoyama made him feel gross on the inside.

Aoyama was finally done with his self-destructive fit, but he wouldn't be able to leave until his big cut stopped bleeding.

I can't sit here forever waiting for the blood to stop.

After a few more minutes of uselessly pressing down on the wound, Aoyama snuck to the bathroom and found the gauze hidden in the back of the cabinet. He couldn't remember the last time his family had used it. Hopefully he wouldn't need it again after tonight.

Before Aoyama wrapped up the big cut, he took a moment to examine it. It wasn't that deep overall, but it was still bigger than what he was used to. The sight of it made him sad.

Aoyama knew he was only falling deeper into the dark hole of self-harm. The cutting wasn't helping anymore, and it was only making him feel even more trapped. He was still stuck being the school traitor, no matter how many times he sliced himself up. His scars were only a reminder of this.

Aoyama went to bed early that night, only spending his last moments awake by kneeling at his window and wishing that there would one day be an answer to his hopeless situation.

-

"Aoyama, you can't be the only one presenting!!"

Ashido's high-pitched squeal caused the two other teenagers in the group to stare at the sparkling French boy. Ashido's pink finger was pointed accusingly at Aoyama, but the boy's trademark grin never wavered.

"She's right," Jiro agreed--albeit much less chaotically. "As much as I don't want to stand up there and talk, it would be best if we all said a part. Also, do we even know how we're answering this assignment?" Koda nodded his head, his glazed expression showing that he was already trying to think of an answer himself.

It was the day after Aoyama's trip to Kamino. Midnight had assigned her students into groups of four so they could discuss how everyone would best assist in a fake rescue scenario. For Aoyama and his partners, they were all stranded in a crashing airplane thousands of feet in the air, out of power and unable to use any technology to call for help.

Aoyama was already ready to present.

"Are you doubting moi?" he asked, innocently placing a hand to his chest. "I'm more than capable of acing this assignment!"

Jiro rose a disbelieving eyebrow at him. "Didn't you almost fail the midterms…?" 

Oh Jiro. If only she knew the whole story. Aoyama would've glared at her for her misguided insult, but today he only grinned back.

Instead, Ashido took charge by waving her hands to slience Jiro. "Wait, Jiro, let him talk." She gave Aoyama a quizzical stare. "You have an idea? What is it?"

"Well!" Aoyama dramatically held up a finger before going in-depth about his plan. "First, the goal would be to find help. Jiro's Earphone Jack quirk would be très bien in this situation. If we can't communicate through the regular system, then she could aim her soundwaves to the ground in a morse code pattern so someone on the surface would hopefully understand and send for help. Alternatively, Koda's Anivoice quirk would give him the ability to contact passing avians, who could deliver a written message to someone on the ground.

"Since this would be a crisis situation, the state of the plane would not be more important than saving the lives of the passengers. Therefore, Ashido's Acid quirk could disintegrate the seats to allow everyone to move as freely as they can. Otherwise, she would be best at comforting the stressed passengers and making sure that everyone on the plane is okay until more help arrives." Then Aoyama bowed. "Voilà."

Ashido's starry-eyed gaze was filled with admiration. "Wow, you really thought that through!" she eagerly praised, Koda nodding along.

Jiro didn't seem to be in agreement yet. She shortly countered, "But wait, what about you?"

"Ah, moi?" Aoyama shifted his pose, his hand once again resting on his chest as he gave the group a self-assured glance. "I'll be flying the plane, of course."

"But the plane would be busted!" Ashido argued, her amused smile showing that her teasing was light-hearted.

"Then I will pretend to fly the plane," Aoyama simply said, still holding his pose.

"Just say he'll help me and Koda by shooting his laser to catch people's attention," Jiro told Koda, who had been jotting down notes the whole time. "Can your laser reach far, Aoyama?"

Aoyama winked. "Only if you want it to!~" Jiro looked a little weirded out, but she didn't argue. Eventually, Koda was done with the notes.

Ashido briefly surveyed the rest of the groups. "Great! We're the first ones done!" She nudged Aoyama's side, still appearing as impressed as she was before. "Smart thinking, Aoyama! I didn't know you had such great ideas in that brain of yours!"

"Merci," he thanked her before facing away, propping his head in his hands and staring out into the distance as they all waited for their next directions.

The presentations went as expected. Aoyama volunteered his group to go first (much to Jiro's and Koda's anxiety). He only was able to talk for a short bit before Ashido cut in, reminding him that the others needed to speak too if they all wanted a good grade.

By the time class was over, they were all satisfied with their performances.

"Lunch time already?" Jiro asked after she glanced at the clock. "I'm not even that hungry." She turned to Ashido, who had almost left to congregate with some of her other classmates. "Hey, you wanna eat with me and Momo Yao?"

Ashido shook her head. "Sorry, I would, but I'm with the Bakusquad today!" Despite her apologetic words, she still looked as cheerful as ever, playfully making a peace sign with her fingers and holding it up to her face.

Jiro looked at the group Ashido was referring to with a small smile. "That's what you guys are calling yourselves? Wouldn't you rather name your group after someone a little more...un-Bakugou like? Like the Kirisquad?"

"Nope!" Ashido chirped. "We call ourselves that because Bakugou's a butt and he needs to lighten up more! So that's his reminder that there are still people out there who can tolerate his terrible personality!"

Jiro let out a tiny laugh. "I mean, I don't really get it, but you do you." As the punk rock girl was about to head out the door, she turned around to give Ashido one last look. "If you ever want to study for the finals at lunch together, let me know. But for now, I guess I'll see you later."

As people started departing for the lunch room, Aoyama returned to his seat. He always ate lunch alone. It was imperative that he kept his distance from people–for obvious reasons. For the other classmates, however, he made up the story that he couldn't go because he had tummy problems. It wasn't necessarily a lie, but it was easily solvable.

Thankfully, nobody ever tried to change his mind.

After Aoyama spread his usual white cloth over his desk, he pulled out his lunch bag, his mind excitedly buzzing over that delectable cheese danish his mother had packed earlier that day just for him…

"Hey, Aoyama!"

That voice was Ashido's. The rest of their classmates were already heading out of the door--the Bakusquad included--but she paused right before the exit. "I just wanted to say how impressed I was with your plan for the presentation today!" Then her expression changed, and she narrowed her eyes at him. "You always eat here, don't you?"

A bit startled by her sudden presence, Aoyama took a moment to respond. "Oui!" he said energetically. "It's my personal lunchroom!"

Ashido put a finger to her chin and frowned. "But you're eating alone."

Well, yes, that's what he had to do.

"It's part of my diet," he recited, directing his attention to the cloth as he wiped away the wrinkles. "Lunch Rush's cuisine does not agree with my tummy."

Ashido was quiet for a moment. When Aoyama looked back up at her, he was shocked to see that she didn't seem convinced by his reasoning. It was the first time any of his classmates had ever doubted his fake explanation.

"That doesn't mean you have to eat here all by yourself," Ashido argued. "You can bring your lunchbox and sit with us!" She turned towards the exit. "See, there's--oh, they left already. But I was gonna eat with Sero, Kirishima, Kaminari, and maybe Bakugou if he's not grumpy today. We'd love to have you join us!"

"Oh, non!" Still a little surprised that Ashido hadn't left the room yet, Aoyama waved her words away, turning his face so he didn't have to look at her. "I am just fine here. Merci beaucoup."

"Aoyama, you know I don't understand French!!" Ashido impatiently hopped in place as if her anticipation would somehow convince him to go. "Come oooon! Just for one day!"

Why does she want me to go so badly?

Ashido gave him a pleading look. "It'll be fun, trust me!"

Aoyama could see that his classmate's mind was resolute, but so was his. He remained in his spot, silently waiting to see how this showdown would end up. He wasn't going to the cafeteria unless Ashido physically dragged him there.

Unfortunately for him, that's what she was planning.

"Fine. I'll take you myself then, and then you'll see how nice it is to eat with company." As it dawned on Aoyama what Ashido was suggesting, he began to back away so he could dodge the hand that Ashido had suddenly lunged towards him. But before he could escape–

Ashido grabbed his arm.

Right where his deep cut was.

The problem was not that Ashido could possibly feel the scar underneath his sleeve. The UA uniform was fairly thick; it would have to be an extremely bumpy scar for her to even notice anything.

The problem was what she did right after.

Ashido was not exactly known for being gentle. So when she clutched his arm, she did not hesitate to turn towards the exit and forcefully yank him out of his seat. "And then you won't want to be all alone anymor--"

"MERDE!!"

In the timespan of just one second, Aoyama was doubled over, groaning with pain as the aggravated wound began to throb.

He didn't expect the pain to flare up so suddenly.

"Oh shoot, did I pull that hard?" Ashido's tone had softened, the girl clearly feeling guilty from her actions. Aoyama couldn't even look at her.

I've dealt with worse pain. Why am I overreacting so much?

Maybe he should hurry and assure Ashido that everything was fine before she began to worry. Aoyama slowly rose back up, pushing his pain to the side as he promised, "Don't worry, mademoiselle, I just wasn't expecting it. I'll be--"

"Oh my god--you're bleeding!!"

Putain.

PUTAIN.

Sure enough, as his expression became aghast with fear, he saw that the wound had reopened. The blood was starting to stain the gray fabric, even when his vest was as thick as it was.

He didn't have time to worry about how much the cut was bleeding. Right now, he needed to get Ashido out of the room before she started asking too many questions.

His heart dropped when he saw Ashido's guilt-ridden face, her eyes anxiously targeting his bloody sleeve.

"My god, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to--" To his absolute horror, she went for his arm, her concerned gaze hinting at what she was about to do. "Here, let me--"

"Non!!" Aoyama whipped his arm away, the anxiety in his body shooting up to levels it had never reached before. "It's fine!"

"Aoyama, it's getting worse!" She pointed to his sleeve, which was now an obvious red splotch that wouldn't stop expanding. "Your entire sleeve will be bloody at this rate!"

Merde. She had a point. There was no way he could return to class with his clothes as stained as they were.

Aoyama didn't know what to do. He was running out of options, and it was making him freeze like a deer in the headlights.

Ashido took advantage of that.

"I'm just going to look at it to see if we need to get Recovery Girl or not…okay?"

Aoyama couldn't move.

The open air on his collection of cuts felt especially chilly today.

And there went Aoyama's second most closely-guarded secret.

Aoyama uncomfortably grimaced at the ground, the vulnerability of his exposed skin making him unable to look back up at Ashido. He didn't know what she was thinking, or how she was reacting. He didn't want to know.

He should've just gone with her to the cafeteria.

A few long, eternal seconds later, he heard Ashido quietly say, "Aoyama…"

Aoyama forced himself to look up, and he was horrified to see the look of pure sorrow on her face.

"Did you do this to yourself?"

Something about the bluntness of Ashido's words made Aoyama immediately become defensive. Snapping out of his stunned trance, he suddenly jumped backwards, pulling his sleeve back down in one quick motion. "Arrête!" he loudly scolded, his anxiety out of control. "That is my personal boundary you are crossing!"

Ashido only stared back with the same sad expression.

"It's nothing worth discussing or overreacting about! No need to worry, mademoiselle!"

Ashido continued to stare.

Aoyama sighed, dropping the act as he shamefully glanced away. "...Stop looking at me like that."

"Aoyama...why?" The girl still hadn't moved from her spot, her eyes filled with grief.

You don't want to know. He didn't know how else to respond, so he only looked up at her uncomfortably.

"I thought you were happy," she said quietly, coming close enough that she could get a closer look at his arm despite it being covered. He purposely moved it closer to his body, tugging anxiously on the sleeve. "You always act so happy at school." Her empathetic eyes gazed at him, and it only made him feel even more exposed. "I didn't know you felt so sad."

The alarm bells in Aoyama's mind were still ringing like crazy. He wanted to deny everything, pretend like Ashido was completely wrong about everything…

Unfortunately for him, his arms told the whole story.

Burying the emotions rising in his chest, Aoyama suddenly turned his face away from Ashido. "Like I said, it's nothing to worry about," he spoke gravely, returning to his seat so he could resume eating his lunch as if everything was normal.

The rise in Ashido's voice caught him by surprise. "How can I not worry?!" She suddenly popped in front of him, her appearance making him flinch. It was like the soft empathy that had enveloped her personality earlier had disappeared, only to be replaced with a passionate anger that almost disguised her concern. "You're cutting yourself! Your entire arm is covered–and I bet the other one is, too! And that one cut is so bad, it's bleeding through your shirt!"

Aoyama wished more than anything that he could redirect Ashido's attention to something else.

"It's not that bad," Aoyama retorted, trying to push away the emotions stirring from her words. "None of them are that deep."

You're just overreacting.

He wasn't about to say that.

Then Ashido's expression became dark. Frowning, she muttered, "So you're saying that you're only going to cut deeper."

"Non!" he yelled back, frustrated. "I never said that."

"Well how am I supposed to know!" Her voice broke off at the end, and Aoyama realized that there were tears in his classmate's eyes. He could only lower his head in shame. "You're such a fucking lier, Aoyama! You lied to everyone and pretended like everything was fine! And now--now I don't know what you're gonna do! What if you cut too deep one day and end up killing yourself? How am I supposed to deal with that?!"

"That's not going to happen," he said, trying to calm Ashido down before she started yelling too loudly. "I'm...I'll make sure it doesn't."

Then Ashido went quiet for a moment. She still wasn't smiling, her expression much more serious than usual. Then she demanded, "Who knows?"

"Right now, just you," Aoyama admitted.

Ashido didn't look happy to hear his answer, but it seemed like she was expecting it because she didn't directly comment on it. Instead she chose to quietly say, "We should go to Recovery Girl. She'll help it stop bleeding."

Didn't Ashido understand by now that Aoyama did not want people to know? Her finding out was a total mistake. He didn't want this to blow up. It was only supposed to be his problem.

So he shook his head. "I'm not doing that. I'll be fine."

Instead of freaking out again like he expected her to, Ashido only stared back, her gaze cold and unfriendly. "Good luck stopping the blood then."

"Pas de problème. I've got some gauze," he said more cheerfully than the situation called for, grabbing the white ball of gauze out of his bag and giving her a friendly wink. She did not appreciate the gesture, only ignoring him as she simply walked back to her desk.

"Fine. If you're so confident in your first-aid skills, then you can find a change of clothes yourself."

Aoyama's face dropped.

"You better hurry, too. Our classmates will be coming back aaaany minute now…"

Merde!!

His shirt was in no condition for him to wear--not unless he wanted people to notice the blood right away. He needed a change of clothes--and fast. But he only had the uniform he was wearing now, since he always left his extra one at home...but if he wore any other outfit, he would stick out like a sore thumb…

"...I do have an extra shirt and vest in my locker."

Aoyama's head whipped around to look at the desk behind him. Ashido was still frowning at him.

"S'il vous plaît! Please!" he pleaded desperately, lowering his head in a bow. He knew Ashido would surely want something in return based on the way her voice sounded when she mentioned the extra clothes, but Aoyama was desperate.

I can't have more people finding out.

"Hmm…" Her voice trailed off, her eyes analyzing Aoyama as she took a moment to think. Then she said, "You have to do something for me, and I'll give it to you."

"D'accord, what is it?" Aoyama hastily agreed, painfully aware of every second ticking by.

Surprisingly, for the first time in a while, she smiled--just a small one, but a much more fitting expression for her. "You'll have to find out. I'll tell you after class is over." Then she became serious again. "But you have to do it. Got it?"

"Oui! Oui!" He nodded his head, silently urging Ashido to move a bit faster. "I'll do it!"

"Okay, then let me get it out of my locker." Ashido finally rose out of her seat, Aoyama shortly following her lead. "You might want to come too if you want to change."

"Oui!"

Then they were on their way to the locker rooms.

After a few moments of waiting, Ashido came out of the girl's locker room holding a clean shirt and a clean vest. As soon as Aoyama saw the clothes, he let his nervous body relax--he no longer needed to worry about hiding his bloody sleeve anymore.

“I think it should still fit since you’re around the same body type as me,” Ashido commented as she held the shirt up, comparing Aoyama’s body to the shape of the shirt.

“I think so too,” Aoyama agreed, reaching for the shirt. To his surprise, Ashido didn’t hand it over right away.

Did she change her mind? he thought with a pang of alarm. Because if she did, he didn’t have any other options!

But Ashido didn’t seem concerned about the shirt. She glanced at the floor for a moment before looking back up at Aoyama with remorseful eyes. “Hey, um, I’m really sorry for yelling at you back there. I just got a bit emotional. I’m sorry if I made you feel any worse.”

Taken aback, Aoyama shook his head. “You’re fine, Ashido.”

I'm sorry for making you worry.

And for making you get involved with my horrible situation.

“It’s just…” Ashido’s eyes were deep. “You’re not the first person I know who’s gone through this.”

Aoyama didn’t know how to respond to that, so he just respectfully nodded his head. Although he couldn’t help but wonder what the story behind that comment was.

“But you know what?” The serious atmosphere evaporated, and Ashido’s bubbly smile shone through again. It even brightened Aoyama’s tired face. “This was all supposed to happen! Because now I can really be your friend!”

My friend?

Hearing Ashido use the word “friend” reminded him of the attack All For One was planning on his classmates, and Aoyama struggled to keep his smile. Having a taste of a real friendship made him want more, but if they’d only end up dying at the hands of All For One…

He didn’t want that.

Forcing his smile, he quickly agreed with her, hoping that they could end their conversation soon.

Thankfully, he got his wish. Ashido bid him farewell, promising that she did not mind missing lunch when it meant she got to spend time with the real Aoyama. By the time she had walked away, Aoyama was having a hard time holding his nausea in.

I can’t hurt her…but the class roster papers I gave to All For One…

No, he shouldn’t worry about it now when he had no control over the situation. He could save his fretting for later.

It was hard, but he had to try.

Ashido was right about the clothes. They were a little snug, but they were much better than walking around with a giant red stain. Good thing the boy’s and girl’s uniforms were exactly the same (excluding the pants/skirt, but that didn't apply here).

When he got back to the classroom, it was almost time for the afternoon classes. Only a few people were out of their desks. Ashido was patiently sitting at hers, looking up at him with a knowing smile. Memories of their recent conversation flashed in Aoyama's head, and he immediately felt unsettled, forcing an awkward smile as he sat down at his desk and put his uneaten lunch away.

I'll have to get used to that.

Class continued. It was hard for Aoyama to focus when the only person who knew his secret was sitting right behind him, observing his every movement. Even though they were on good terms now, he still felt very uncomfortable about the events from that day. He just wanted to go home to process everything.

He soon learned that there was something else in store for him that afternoon.

"Aaaand that's a wrap!" hollered Present Mic in his melodious voice, erasing the various English sentences still on the board. "Go home and study for that final, kids!"

Finally, Aoyama thought with a sigh of relief. He slid his notebooks back into his bag, already mentally planning his evening activities…

Then Ashido suddenly popped her head into view, leaning over her desk and scaring him half to death. "Hey," she chirped with a wide grin on her face, "remember that deal we made earlier? Because I sure do!"

Oh great, I forgot about that. He did promise that he would do whatever Ashido wanted. It was rather generous of her to share her clothes, so he couldn't break his promise now. Especially if it would mean she might spill the beans.

"Oui," he nodded, feeling a little uncertain. "What is it?"

Please don't be something too crazy…!

Ashido motioned her hands towards the group gathering near the middle of the room. "We're going bowling, and you're coming!"

Aoyama blinked at her.

She wanted him...to bowl with their classmates? Honestly, he should have expected that knowing how extroverted she was, but he didn't particularly want to be around people when he was the reason why they might die in a week or two.

"And you can't refuse because you said you'd do anything! So come on!" She shot out of her seat and reached for his arm, only realizing her mistake at the last second and grabbing his hand instead. He was powerless; he didn't try to resist as he was unwillingly dragged along.

"Hey, man!" greeted Kirishima when he saw who Ashido brough to the group. Sero, Kaminari, and Hagakure turned and smiled at him.

"Nice to see you!"

"What's up my dude?"

"Aoyama!!"

Aoyama immediately knew that Ashido said something to the others about giving him special treatment. As much as he wanted to yell at her, it wouldn't be appropriate now.

"Bonjour!" he greeted back, feigning his excitement.

"You coming with us?" Kaminari asked with his usual friendly attitude.

"Yyyyup!" Ashido interjected before Aoyama could say anything (even though he would've had no choice but to say yes). She put her hand on his shoulder, slightly wiggling him as she spoke. "He'll be playing a game with us. Isn't that right, Aoyama?"

Aoyama gave her a silent look of are-we-really-doing-this, but she only grinned back, the both of them knowing fully well that she was the only reason why he was going.

"Oui," he simply said, choosing not to say what he really thought.

"Great!" Kirishima said, already turning to the exit. "Let's round up Bakugou so we can go!"

After a lot of resistance, Bakugou finally accepted his fate and was forced to join the group. They all took the bus heading towards the local bowling alley. Aoyama never really went bowling since his parents weren't good at it. He doubted that he was any better.

I have a feeling that this isn't going to be that fun.

Ashido was obviously just trying to cheer him up. But she didn't understand how stressed he was over putting them all in danger. There was a good reason why he was isolating himself. It would hurt him more if he grew too attached to his classmates.

He didn't want Ashido to know this, but he was really dreading their bowling trip.

When the bus arrived, everyone else hopped out of the bus excitedly (excluding Bakugou, who was more preoccupied by Kaminari's challenge of "which of us is better at bowling?"). Aoyama tried to copy the pep in their steps, but he felt rather flat today.

After finally convincing Ashido that he could pay for himself, Aoyama joined the others as they all began their game.

"Okay, who's going first?" Sero asked as he examined the rules. "Age order?"

"Move the hell over!" Before anyone could do anything else, Bakugou barged in, grabbing the heaviest ball he could find and stepping up to the rink. Everyone else was too startled to argue.

"Hope you're ready for this one, Crappy-nari!" To everyone's absolute horror, Bakugou started spinning in circles like he was about to throw a discus instead of a bowling ball. Aoyama could see the disaster that was about to happen, and he became filled with terror.

"DUDE!" cried Kirishima, who looked just as horrified. "You can't throw a bowling ball like that! Not unless you want to accidentally hit someone!"

"Just you wait!" After a few more spins, Bakugou's hands began sparking with orange explosions. Now everyone was screaming.

"Bakugou, DON'T"

"You fricking idiot!"

"We're about to get kicked out aren't we--"

Then, as Bakugou spun to face the rink once again, he chucked the bowling ball. The explosions emitting from his palm sent the ball flying, somehow on a trajectory that was aimed towards the pins--and not the pins in the adjacent aisles, either. The ball crashed into them with a loud bang, sending all ten flying as he achieved a perfect strike.

Everyone's mouths were wide open.

"There! Told ya nerds to wait and see!" Bakugou sauntered by, proudly brushing off the dust from his explosions with a cocky grin.

"That was...kind of insane," Kaminari breathed, shocked and relieved that they all somehow survived.

"I think my whole life just flashed before my eyes!" Hagakure said with a slightly terrified laugh.

"Yeah, yeah," Bakugou said, casually waving his hand. "Just get the next person going so I can win."

"Everything's a competition with you…" Kaminari said under his breath, loud enough that the people around him were snickering.

Aoyama was greatly confused and greatly frightened. That's not how he expected bowling to work. It didn't make him any more eager to play.

Thankfully, nobody else was as insane as Bakugou when it came to bowling. They all took caution to do exactly the opposite of what Bakugou did. Ironically enough, nobody else got a strike.

"Dang, you got more than me, Hagakure!" Kirishima said as the invisible girl passed by, eight knocked pins behind her. She giggled, assumably looking at the scoreboard based on the way her clothes were positioned.

"There's only one person left for the first round!" she exclaimed, turning towards Aoyama.

Oh, I guess that's me, he realized, hesitantly getting out of his chair to grab a bowling ball. He was surprised at how heavy they were--even the lightest ball was hard to hold.

"YOU GOT THIS, AOYAMA!" Ashido's extremely loud voice made him cringe, but he tried to smile back. When he looked back at the long rink in front of him, he immediately became nervous.

Those pins were pretty far out.

No time to be doubtful! he scolded himself, livening up enough that he could enter the most elegant bowling pose he could come up with. This throw will be flawless!

He threw the ball on the straightest path he could. However, his ball must have had other ideas because it ended up swerving its own way and--not even halfway through--dropped into the gutter with a thud.

Aoyama, still frozen in his throwing pose, stared at the disappearing ball with a dumbfounded expression.

Well that didn't go as planned.

"That's okay, you still got one more try!" Ashido called from behind him.

Aoyama didn't really want to play anymore.

He never did in the first place.

Grabbing another ball, he entered the same pose, a shadow covering his face as he let his twinkling grin shine. Dramatically stepping forward, he rolled the ball like he did before--only this time, it went straight into the gutter.

"How tragique!" he cried, resting his hand against his forehead as he dramatically faced away. "I was so close!"

He clearly wasn't close at all. They all knew that--which is why they were all completely silent.

Sorry Ashido. It's just not working. He returned to his seat, keenly aware of Ashido's disappointed expression. But she made no comment, and the game continued.

Aoyama didn't hit one pin that night.

"Oh là là! I missed again!"

"Tant pis…next time for sure!"

"I almost got it that time!"

His classmates were growing tired of it.

"...Is he even trying?" muttered Kaminari to the others after Aoyama once again messed up his first throw.

"He's missed every one so far…" Hagakure pointed out in a hushed voice. "He hasn't even gotten one point."

"Maybe it was a bad idea to bring him, Mina," Sero sadly suggested.

Then the group was silent.

Aoyama didn't need to see their reactions. His classmates understood. Aoyama didn't need to be there. It was better if he wasn't.

He didn't have the heart to see Ashido's reaction.

Aoyama ended the night with zero strikes and zero spares. And zero points in general.

"How's it feel to lose so miserably, Crappy-nari?!" Bakugou teased, standing a little taller than normal to overshadow his electric friend.

Kaminari sheepishly shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, I didn't expect myself to be so bad at bowling." He looked curiously at Bakugou. "Also, where'd you get that nickname from? Can I start calling you Baku-bitch?"

While Bakugou began barking like mad, Hagakure was nudging Kirishima. "Let's go to the arcade! There's a really cute llama plushie I want to win!"

"But we haven't even gotten pizza yet!" Kirishima whined, gazing wistfully at the concession stand as a tiny trail of drool peeked out of his mouth.

Sero was amused. "Maybe you should've gotten pizza while we were still bowling? You can't eat pizza and play arcade games at the same time."

"Darnit, you're totally right!" Kirishima looked away, his eyes closed as he suffered from Sero's truthful words. "I should've thought of that!"

Aoyama's classmates continued to mingle, their eyes bright with joy as they enjoyed each other's company.

I think that's my cue to head out, Aoyama thought as the others slowly left him. There wasn't much left for him to do here. Not wanting to waste their time with a goodbye, he headed for the exit. But sure enough…

"Aoyama, where are you going?"

Ashido stood behind him, her eyes filled with worry. Aoyama was aware of the others' eyes on them as their conversations came to a pause.

"I've got things to do!" he exclaimed happily, holding out his palm to add flair to his words. "Homework to finish, dinners to cook, laundry to wash. Ça alors!"

She only looked disappointed, which made him even more upset.

Just let me go home, he thought, as if he could communicate through his strained expression and his inner thoughts. I did what you wanted me to.

After a few more moments of silence, she glanced back at the others before locking eyes with Aoyama. "Fine, but at least let me walk you out."

Aoyama agreed to that. He said goodbye to the rest of his classmates before he left the building with Ashido.

As soon as they stepped out the door, Ashido spoke up. "I'm sorry, Aoyama. I thought you would like hanging out with the bunch of us, but now I get that you're not that type of person. I shouldn't have invited so many people when you're not even used to them yet."

Aoyama was expecting to be immediately scolded for purposely bombing the hangout. So seeing her ashamed face surprised him--and made him feel a little guilty. "Non, it's okay. You were just trying to help."

Then her apologetic expression shifted as amusement lit up her yellow eyes. "Your fake acting was terrible though! Getting a gutterball every time? Come on, do you think we're dumb?!"

Aoyama smiled, but he wasn't feeling quite as amused. He didn't enjoy trying to fail every attempt at bowling.

After a bit more walking, they reached the end of the path, the bus stop on the other side of the road. He glanced at Ashido. She had already spent a lot of time away from her friends; wouldn't she want to go back by now?

Once they stopped, Ashido stared ahead with an expressionless face, the wind rustling her fluffy hair. "So this is it, then."

"Oui..." At first he wasn't sure what she was referring to--until he remembered that he wouldn't be seeing her again until tomorrow. Then he understood.

"Can you at least promise me that you won't do anything tonight?"

Aoyama frowned. He knew Ashido wanted him to say yes. He knew his life would be easier if he just said yes.

Truth was, after he made his first throw at bowling today, he'd been thinking about hurting himself ever since.

The longer the silence lasted, the more Ashido understood. She sighed. "If you can't even promise me that…" Reaching into her pocket, she whipped out a slip of paper and held it in Aoyama's direction without even looking at him. "It's my number."

"Oh." Aoyama hesitantly took the paper, opening it up to reveal that it was indeed a phone number.

Once the paper was out of her hands, Ashido suddenly got into his face, her intense eyes boring into his as the words passionately poured out of her mouth. "If you EVER need anything, please reach out to me. I don't care if it's 3am and there's school the next day. I don't care if I'm in the middle of vacationing out in the Bahamas. I don't care if you think it's not important or whatever dumb lie your brain comes up with." Her expression softened. "I want to help you, Aoyama. I want to be your friend. But that can only happen if you let me."

You're making a big mistake there, mon chéri. Aoyama wanted to say more. He wanted to explain why Ashido should stay away and why he was even hurting himself in the first place.

But he couldn't. Not when he'd only risk his parents' lives if he shared his secret.

Still, wasn't it cruel to rope Ashido into his mess of a life?

"It's fine if you don't want it to be me, by the way," she quickly added, stepping back as she became a little less intense. "If you hate me and you have someone else to talk to, then that's fine. I get that I'm kinda headstrong sometimes." She narrowed her eyes and poked him in his chest, the sudden action making him uneasy. "But I don't want you doing whatever the fuck you've been doing this past semester. Because that's obviously not working."

"I hear you, mademoiselle," he affirmed, slowly bringing her finger away from his vulnerable spot. At the sound of his words, Ashido smiled.

"See? You got this, Aoyama!" She punched him in the arm and grinned, her pearly white teeth shining brightly at him. It was an endearing sight--but Aoyama wasn't entirely focused on the conversation. He wasn't feeling so good anymore.

"Oh, and by the way--" Taking a few steps back towards the bowling alley, she gave him one last look. "You can call me Mina."

Aoyama almost forgot that he needed to respond. "Oui, mademoiselle." He was on autopilot, not even able to emote more than a straight face.

"Okay, byeeee!" she called, her figure becoming more blurred as she walked into the distance. "Don't forget what I saaaaid! Because if you do then I'll be very mad at youuuu!"

And there went the very last drop of optimism he had that day.

Aoyama quickly crossed the road, hoping that the bus would hurry up so he could get home sooner. When it did eventually arrive, the sun was just starting to set. The darkening sky prompted his house lights to turn on as he finally returned to his home.

"There you are!" The sound of his mother's concerned voice made Aoyama wish he'd taken another entrance in. Her concerned face was even harder to look at. She came in from the living room, giving him a welcoming hug that he didn't try to fight against. "It's getting late. I didn't know where you went to. Were you studying with your classmates?"

Aoyama couldn't stand looking at her, so he kept on walking by. "I was hanging out with a few of them."

"Oh, you were!" she exclaimed, her bright eyes showing how pleased she was--probably because he didn't do that very often. "That's great, mon chou!" Then her face fell, and she frowned--almost seemingly against her will. "But...you can't get too close to them, remember? I wouldn't want you to start bonding with the other kids and end up heartbroken because of All For One's plans."

Aoyama paused. She was right. He'd been saying the same exact thing this whole time.

It was an entirely different experience hearing someone else say it out loud.

She clearly felt bad for saying that because she forced a sympathetic smile. "I know it's hard to do that, honey. But that's what your family is for. We'll be here for you no matter what. All For One will never hurt us if you do the right thing."

So she's basically saying I shouldn't be making friends or I'll be hurting her and papa.

That's what he was trying to tell Ashido. But she wouldn't listen. Now she was insistent on becoming his friend.

The conflict in his heart was too much to handle, and he could barely say goodnight to his mother before he fled to his room.

He had never felt so frustrated before. He slung his backpack to the corner, the heavy object crashing into his dresser and nearly knocking his sparkly lamp over. He fell face-first onto his bed, letting the anguish wash over him.

I can't--I don't--

WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?!

He felt even more trapped now than before speaking with Ashido. He had been alone, yes, but at least he wasn't dragging anyone down. He was dealing with everything himself--even if he was suffering, at least he was keeping his family safe.

Now he'd have no choice but to hurt Ashido. Because she was too nice and wanted to help him.

Why doesn't she understand that I can't be helped? he thought as the despair mercilessly attacked him. I can't even explain why I'm keeping everything a secret. My situation is hopeless.

The storm of bad feelings only grew stronger. He didn't have time to consider his options--not before his hand reached for his hidden spot.

Now that the blade was in his possession again, he could feel better.

The emotions rushing throughout Aoyama were making his movements twitchy, and he didn't have much conscious control over what he was doing. All he could think about was how he was going to hurt everyone, and it was making him feel disconnected from himself.

I can't take this anymore.

There was a lot of blood that night.

Aoyama didn't intend on making the deep wound worse. He didn't intend on traveling farther up his arms. He didn't intend on getting blood on Ashido's shirt.

When all was said and done, Aoyama still felt terrible. All of the bad feelings he was trying to erase were still there. And worse yet, he let Ashido down.

Deeper and deeper into the hole he fell.

-

Spirits were high in Class 1-A.

"Happy Friday, everyone!!" Hagakure pranced into the room that was now quickly filling up, Asui and Tokoyami quietly trailing behind her. People were still out and about as they waited for the final few students to arrive before class started.

Aoyama was lounging in his usual position--hands propping up his head as he smiled straight ahead.

I'm not looking forward to today.

His night had been incredibly rough. He forced himself to forget the details or else he wouldn't be able to get through the day as his normal composed self. On the bright side, the cut he had deepened yesterday finally stopped bleeding this morning. Although he wasn't sure what he should do about Ashido's ruined shirt.

The thought of Ashido only put his stomach into guilty knots, and he lowered his head a bit. He didn't think he could bear to look at her today--not after--

"WHAT'S UP EVERYONE!" To Aoyama's misfortune, Ashido entered the room, her hands holding the edges of the doorway as she gleefully leaned inside.

"Eyyyy!" Kaminari called back, making finger guns back at her. She almost fell over trying to return the gesture, laughing at herself.

"Nice to see you again, Mina," Asui croaked calmly from her seat. Ashido waved back, her cheery grin never leaving her face.

If Aoyama had control over his seat placement, he would do two things: 1. put it somewhere that wasn't right next to the entrance, and 2. put it somewhere that wasn't right in front of Ashido. Of course, the universe didn't care about that, and he was forced to be right in Ashido's direct line of sight.

Thankfully, while she did look at Aoyama, she didn't force conversation right away. Instead, she walked by, gently tapping on his shoulder and greeting, "Hey Aoyama."

Aoyama was thankful that she couldn't see the grimace that reflexively appeared on his face.

It wasn't long until Aizawa arrived, commanding his class to quiet down before entering teaching mode. Then the next teacher took over, and the next--until it was lunchtime.

Oh boy.

As people started to migrate to the cafeteria, Aoyama remained still. He wasn't exactly sure what Ashido was planning. Was she going to bug him all lunch again? Was she going to drag him to the cafeteria? Or--if Aoyama was lucky--would she just leave him alone?

As much as he wanted that to be the case, he knew she'd never do that. This was Ashido he was talking about--once she set her sights on something, she'd never give up. And if that included becoming Aoyama's friend, then so be it.

Sure enough, when he looked to the side, he saw that Ashido had stolen Ojiro's seat and was already setting up her lunch.

...How did she do that so quickly?

When Ashido finally saw that he was giving her a puzzled stare, she waved. "Hey! I'm your eating buddy now!"

"N-" Aoyama took an anxious glance backwards to confirm that there was nobody else in the room. "Non, you can't do that!"

She frowned innocently. "Why not?"

Because you are making the biggest mistake of your life!! Frustrated, he shook his head, trying to disguise how upset his frown was. He hated seeing how attached Ashido was to him--even after only a day of truly knowing him--but he couldn't push back unless he wanted her to aggressively care even harder.

She was a damn stubborn girl.

"Well…" Ashido slumped back into her chair as she casually stuffed a dumpling into her mouth. "You're stuck with me now. Sorry."

Ashido… The dark curtain of despair fell over Aoyama, and he forced himself to set up his lunch before Ashido started asking questions.

After about a minute of silent dining, Ashido spoke up. "So did you tell anyone else?"

The comment surprised him. She was clearly talking about his self-harm--had he made it seem like he was actually going to tell someone else? Obviously he wasn't--so why was she asking?

"Non…?"

Then, not even looking at him, she beckoned with her finger. "Alright then. Sleeves up."

Instantly he became alarmed, whipping his head around to stare at her. "Wha--"

"What, you really think I'm letting you off of the hook after yesterday?" There was still a smile on her face as she gave him a knowing look. "Come on, you know me better than that. I'll just check real quick and that's it."

"…"

He silently looked back down at his half-eaten food.

Ashido was privy to the change.

"You…" she breathed, the sorrow in her voice making his heart break, "...you did it again, didn't you?"

I never said I wouldn't.

He was too sad to say it outloud.

"...Was it my fault?"

Why does she say that?

Why is she just trying to make it worse?!

Aoyama aimlessly pushed around his food with his chopsticks.

Ashido was quiet for a moment. Then she gently grabbed his left arm as she simply said, "I'm looking now."

Aoyama felt her push up his sleeve, and he tried not to let his emotions show.

"...Why did you wrap this up again?" Her voice was strained as if she was having a hard time hiding her emotions too. It made him desperately wish that he weren't here right now.

Ashido was talking about the deep cut. He had wrapped it up in gauze this morning in case it started bleeding again (and to prevent yesterday's incident from happening again). He was hoping that she would think that it was the same as how she saw it yesterday and let it be.

But this was Ashido. He could already feel her unwrapping it.

He could feel his mind going numb as the gauze fell off.

It was like the release of the gauze also released the storm of emotions that he'd been suppressing for far too long.

Aoyama was still staring at his food.

At first Ashido was angry. "Aoyama...I told you you could message me at any time! Why didn't you listen?! Do you just not care?" But then she became quiet.

I can't take this.

The training camp attack.

All For One's manipulation.

His worsening addiction.

His parents' happiness.

The safety of his classmates.

Ashido's friendship.

The guilt.

I CAN'T TAKE THIS.

"...Aoyama?"

Aoyama's chopstick snapped in half.

He was too distracted by his utter anguish to respond to her. The feelings were overflowing, and he didn't know how to escape. No amount of cutting could ever fix his problems. He was still trapped after everything.

Ashido couldn't help. Nobody could. Not when he was the one who started this entire mess in the first place.

"..."

He didn't know what to do anymore.

"C'mere."

Aoyama hadn't been aware of it, but Ashido had gotten out of her seat and was now kneeling next to him. Before he could react, she put her arms around him, wrapping him in a tight hug.

"It's okay, Aoyama. Everything will be--"

Her words were cut off by Aoyama completely breaking down.

Every emotion he'd been holding in for far too long flowed out all at once. A waterfall of tears streamed down his cheeks as he started sobbing, his whole body shaking from the anguish overtaking him. He couldn't control himself as he helplessly whimpered, and in his desperation, he clutched onto the back of Ashido's shirt as if she were his last hope of ever escaping the terrible hell he was trapped in.

He knew this was probably not what Ashido was expecting when she decided to eat lunch with him today. But he couldn't stop himself. He felt so hopeless and he wanted an answer. He wanted to be free from his horrible position as the school traitor. He didn't want to worry about his family and friends dying. He didn't want to hold everything in anymore and pretend like he was fine.

But he was sworn to secrecy.

At first, Ashido was at a loss of words. But after she had gotten used to his crying, she quietly said, "I don't understand..."

The way her voice trembled told Aoyama that she was close to tears too--if she wasn't already crying.

That certainly didn't help him stop.

Now he was pretty sure she was crying too. He would've felt bad if he weren't already so preoccupied by the sheer amount of despair overcoming him.

"I don't understand..." she repeated in between sobs, "...why you feel like this, Yuga…"

I can't tell you, he thought hopelessly.

Ashido stopped trying to talk after that. The two of them remained in their hug, giving each other company in their misery as they shared their awful feelings together. Slowly but surely, the moment passed, and Aoyama could finally deescalate enough that he wasn't crying as hard anymore.

Aoyama let go first.

Ashido's voice was trembling with desperation. "Can you just tell me what the problem is." The poor girl was clearly struggling not to break out into tears again. "Please."

"I…" Aoyama looked away, knowing that she wouldn't be happy with his response. "I can't say."

Ashido didn't try to argue--which only hurt Aoyama more knowing that she was respecting his privacy despite desperately wanting answers. He could see how much his silence was hurting her. He hated how useless he felt.

She probably feels just as useless right now.

Sniffling, Ashido wiped her tears away. "I don't know how I'm supposed to help you." The pain in her voice was obvious, and Aoyama could only despondently look at his lunch again.

That's why I don't want you to help.

There wasn't much left to say after that. If Aoyama wasn't willing to share anything, then what was Ashido supposed to do? There was no answer here. They couldn't do anything to fix this.

Even so, Ashido tried to fix it.

"Can I just say something then?"

He hesitantly looked at her. Her eyes weren't leaking with tears anymore, but she still looked upset. But there was also a passionate spark in her eye that wasn't there before. He was too depressed to think much about it. "Sure."

She took a deep, shaky breath before starting, managing to calm herself enough to speak in a decently steady tone. "I don't know what's going on. But what worries me is that nobody else knows you're feeling this way. I didn't even think anything was wrong until yesterday. If I never found out, then you wouldn't have anyone to talk to...right?"

When he realized she was expecting him to answer, he barely nodded his head.

"That scares me," she admitted, her voice getting a little more emotional for a moment. "To think that you'd be suffering so much without anyone knowing. But since I know now, well...what I'm trying to say is, I see you. I see you're struggling. You don't have to ever feel like you're fighting this battle by yourself again...even if I have no idea what this battle is. But it doesn't matter because I'm not leaving your side either way. Okay?"

Aoyama was staring at his food the whole time she was speaking. Each sentence made his eyes well up more and more before he broke out into tears again.

Ashido must not have been paying attention to his reaction because she kept on speaking. "And if you're tired of me, then you'll just have to deal with--oh fuck, sorry!!" Maybe he was tired of feeling so many emotions--or maybe was just feeling a bit delirious--because the dramatic way she yelled those final words connected to Aoyama in a different way--and he started laughing.

"Uhh, Yuga?" she asked, her excessively concerned face making it hard for him to stop laughing. "Are you okay?"

"Sorry, I just--" He forced himself to stop before she became too concerned, but he was having trouble containing his giggles. "Your face was just--" He didn't know how to describe it. Did he himself even understand why he was laughing?

Ashido still looked extremely freaked out, but there was a hint of a smile in her gaze. "You legit scare me."

The mood of the room shifted, and things became light-hearted again. After they both spent a few moments calming down their emotions, Ashido reached for her phone, held it up to her face, and began touching the skin below her eyes. "Fuck, my makeup started running…"

Aoyama was only half-listening. Now that the big breakdown was coming to an end, Aoyama finally had an opportunity to process it. Technically, he was at the same exact spot as before--his secret was still a secret, the training camp attack was still happening, Ashido was still stuck not knowing anything...

But, oddly enough, he felt a sensation that wasn't part of his usual emotional concoction. One that he hadn't felt in a long time--relief.

Seemed like he didn't necessarily need to cut to get the same feeling anymore.

"This is why I sometimes hate being so empathetic," Ashido said out of the blue, still poking her face as she stared into her phone screen. "It makes feeling things so much harder."

Aoyama tried to understand what she was saying, but he couldn't figure it out. "Pourquoi?" he finally asked.

"...Uh, I'm just gonna assume you want an explanation," Ashido guessed, reminding Aoyama that she was clueless when it came to foreign languages. "If you want to connect with someone, you have to really understand what they're feeling. Which means you have to feel the same things they do, even if it's super hard." She bumped him with the back of her hand. "For you, that means getting my heart ripped out without even knowing why it's happening."

Feeling awful for putting his classmate through that, Aoyama's first instinct was to apologize, but knowing that Ashido would only reprimand him, he thought of a loophole instead. "Je suis désolé."

"I KNOW YOU'RE APOLOGIZING!!" Ashido suddenly yelled, repeatedly hitting his side as she conjured up an angry face. "I knew you would use your French words against me!!" Even with her totally real raging, she was smiling. And before long, Aoyama was too.

Once Ashido finished her act of fury, she took a breath, her face visibly happier and much more relieved--but still covered in wet makeup. "Enough yelling. Come on, Yuga, let's get our faces looking back to normal."

"...Our faces?"

She smirked at him, grabbing her backpack as she headed for the exit. "I'll let you borrow my makeup. Or at least my makeup remover wipes. You're not looking much better than I am."

It was at that moment that Aoyama realized that he wasn't immune to his own makeup running, especially after all those tears. One wipe under his eye and he saw all the evidence he needed.

Ah putain.

Catching up to Ashido, Aoyama walked with her to the bathrooms, feeling a strange lightness knowing that he was in such good company.

When they got back to the classroom, they were surprised to see some of their classmates pecking at Ashido's meal like savage vultures. Or, more specifically, just Kaminari.

"What kinda dumplings are these?" Kaminari asked in the middle of his chewing. "Pretty fricking good, if you ask me!"

"DENKI!!" Ashido cried, half from surprise and half from amusement. "What the hell?!" She ran up to him and started batting him like she'd done to Aoyama earlier.

Aoyama looked down at his meal. Just like yesterday, he had barely touched it. Thankfully, Kaminari hadn't messed with his meal yet. Although Aoyama didn't have the appetite to eat it himself.

Maybe Kaminari would want it?

"Monsieur, do you care for chicken cordon bleu with a side of rice?" He lifted the plate towards Kaminari, who for some reason looked flabbergasted. Even more confusing, Ashido looked the same way. Then her eyes sparkled, and she began fidgeting with excitement.

Kaminari looked apprehensively at the dish. "Uhh, I mean, it looks pretty good...? I can try it."

"It's très bon, " Aoyama concurred as he handed the plate over. "Poulet, ham, and cheese wrapped up and deep fried. It's a classic dish for even the pickiest personnes!"

"Oooh, the cheese is all melty!" Kaminari had cut into the chicken cordon bleu and was eagerly eating the melted cheese by itself. "How'd you even keep it warm this whole time?"

"Chef's secret~" Aoyama said with a wink. He could see Ashido beaming at him from the corner of his eye, and it was making him happy.

At least I didn't completely ruin her day.

As Kaminari eventually devoured the whole meal and Ashido gave Ojiro his desk back, everyone began returning to their seats. Aoyama could hear Kirishima talking to Ashido.

"Hey, are you ever coming back to eat with us in the cafeteria? You kind of abandoned us…"

Aoyama had forgotten just how much Ashido had sacrificed for him. Including the time she normally spent with her friends.

Aoyama sure felt guilty.

Ashido didn't take long to reply. "Maybe!"

"Well, we'll be waiting for ya, then!" Kirishima exclaimed, ending the conversation.

As much as Aoyama wanted to ruminate over his guilt, Cementoss entered before he could even think, silencing every voice in the room.

Now was not the time for ruminating. He could save it for tonight.

...Tonight.

As everyone changed into their hero outfits for their next class, Aoyama was realizing the issue he was about to run into. He had shared that difficult moment with Ashido today, yes, but…

I'll still be alone tonight.

All of his worst urges happened at night. When the sun was set and his parents were asleep, his mind always went wild with thoughts about every bad thing that he either caused or was involved with. And there were a lot of those.

Even worse, it was the weekend.

A part of him wished he could've tried harder to make Ashido hate him. Then he wouldn't have to feel so guilty for relying on his useless coping mechanism for support. Quitting wasn't an option, either, since he hadn't had a day without using his blade since...well, he couldn't exactly remember. Over a week, definitely.

But Ashido was interfering against his will. She would know right away.

That weekend was going to be very interesting.

-

"Another English class, completed!" Present Mic stood tall at the front of the room, dramatically throwing his teaching plans to create a shower of papers. "Happy weekend, y'all!"

The long week of classes was finally over. Aoyama's mind was still spinning over all of the English vocabulary he'd have to memorize for the final next week.

...Wait, I'm supposed to fail the final.

The apparent truth was that the training camp was quickly coming up. The written exam was next Wednesday, the practical exam--whatever that was--was Thursday, and the results would be announced on Friday. Then those who passed would meet at the school on Saturday morning so they could take a bus to the training camp in an "undisclosed location".

It was very much disclosed to the villains.

I don’t know how this whole Ashido thing is supposed to work out.

How could he be around her when he was about to betray her and all of his classmates? He didn’t even know what All For One was planning. For all he knew, All For One could be planning a giant massacre.

Still, when Ashido gravitated to his desk, he didn’t try to stop her.

“I need to talk to you before you leave,” she said in passing, giving him a moment of acknowledgement before jumping into another conversation with a few of the other girls.

Unsurprised by her comment (or the fact that her extroverted self was already talking to more people), Aoyama went back to his own activities–packing up his supplies and getting ready to leave.

After a few minutes, Ashido skipped over to him.

“So where’re you heading to now?” she chirped, prompting him to get out of his seat and start walking with her out of the classroom.

“La maison. Er, my house.”

“Your house, huh…” She gave him a serious look, but there was a hint of concern in her eyes that he wished he could get rid of. “You’re gonna be there all weekend?”

Aoyama shrugged his shoulders. “Probably.”

Her tight frown suggested that she was displeased. “You can’t be at your house all weekend. That’s only going to make things worse.”

Well, what other ideas do you have, mademoiselle? He didn’t want to say that when she probably had a whole slew of ideas that he'd never want to do.

“And what are you going to do about that?” Ashido pointed at the spot where his cut was. “I didn’t get to talk to you about it. Have you even been taking care of it?”

"You saw the gauze." He subconsciously rubbed his arm, wishing he could draw her attention to something else. "And I'm fine being at my house all weekend. My parents are there."

"But you said they don't know the truth," Ashido rebutted.

Technically they know more than you do. The only thing his parents didn't know about was the self-harm and the depression. Ashido basically knew nothing about him, if you considered the fact that he was the school traitor.

"They've always been there for me," Aoyama said as they finally walked out of the building, the summer weather rather pleasant today. "You don't need to worry."

Ashido was not completely convinced, although she didn't seem to outright oppose him either. "Are you sure? I don't mind hanging out with you. You could spend a night at my house or something. Or we could both go to Momo Yao's study party." She looked away sheepishly. "I definitely need to go if I want to pass, heheh…"

"Non, non," Aoyama interjected before she could trigger him any more from discussing the final exam. "No need to do that. I'll be...it should be fine."

There was something going on behind Ashido's eyes, as if she wasn't sure what to do. She looked away for a moment before saying, "I really don't trust you. But I can't force you to do anything." Her yellow eyes narrowed. "You better not be fucking lying to me about being fine though."

Aoyama put his hands up defensively, rapidly shaking his head. "Non, non! No lies here!"

Doubt wasn't the same thing as lying, right?

"Okay…" Right before they traveled under the UA gate, Ashido stopped, giving Aoyama a serious gaze. "But remember that you have my number now. It's okay if you need to use it; I won't get mad at you for that. I will get mad if you purposely avoid using it, though."

"Understood," Aoyama promised, knowing deep down that he would never listen to her requests.

Then Ashido brightened up. "Sounds like a plan, then!" Affectionately punching him on the shoulder, she gave him one last friendly smile. "You have a good weekend, Yuga. I'll see you again on Monday."

"You too, mademoiselle."

It was like a switch turned off as soon as Ashido left.

He couldn't even spend a minute walking to the bus station without feeling the bad emotions attach to him like barnacles to a whale.

…Guess today's events didn't mean anything if I still feel this terrible.

Nothing has changed.

-

The streak continued.

Whenever Aoyama cut, it was always a flurry of emotions that surged out of control with every cut. At the forefront was always his constant guilt that plagued him endlessly.

Today, the guilt was centered around Ashido.

He had never stalled his self-harm for so long before. He'd been up for the past 3 hours, his mind a warzone of "should he" or "shouldn't he".

It was the memory of Ashido's heartbroken face that made him give in.

The only reason why Ashido was so sad the past few days was because of him. If he had tried harder to keep his scars hidden, she wouldn't have felt the need to get involved. But now she was getting crushed by his heavy burden. If he tried to text her for help now, she'd only get sad again.

So after spending hours on his phone with his finger hovering over the "send text" button, he instantly deleted the entire thing and let his self-destructive urges overcome him.

It's for the best.

The cuts might only be surface-level tonight, but he knew that wouldn't be the case next week. With the training camp quickly coming up, his self-harm would surely only worsen as he grew more and more desperate for things to change.

But that's why he was failing the exam, right?

More than anything, he wanted the teachers to cancel the trip. Maybe if he got the majority of his classmates to flunk the exam, Aizawa would be forced to cancel it. But how would Aoyama say that without people asking questions? There was no way people would willingly fail when they were all passionate students who wanted to excel, no matter the circumstances.

Aoyama wasn't like that.

His cutting session now over for the night, Aoyama struggled to fall asleep.

-

There were only two days before the finals.

The sunlight reaching through Aoyama’s bedroom window was only a reminder of yet another Monday he’d have to endure. But he was more distracted by the fact that the training camp was soon approaching. The weekend was supposed to be a break for everyone to relax and have fun, but he had been stressed the whole time, fretting over whether or not enough people would fail for the training camp to be canceled.

Who am I kidding? Nobody’s going to fail. Not even Kaminari.

But if he didn’t give himself the fake hope of the training camp being canceled, he wouldn’t be able to get through the week without his arm inevitably needing an amputation from what he’d do to it.

It’s not like he gave his arm a break this weekend. He limited himself to shallow cuts only–mostly because he knew he needed the space for when the rest of the week got hectic–, but he still managed to self-harm every day. In fact, he almost did it multiple times one day because he couldn’t get his mind off of his troubles.

As Aoyama covered up his arms with the gray vest he put on, he brushed the spot where his heavy cut was still healing. If the scar didn’t fade any faster, he might be tempted to open it up again. With how this week was framed, that was a likely outcome.

…Best not to think about that when he hadn't even walked into the school yet.

Ashido was pleased to see him this morning.

“Yuga!!” she yelled as soon as he stepped into the classroom, not even giving him a minute to see where she was. When Aoyama saw that she was simply sitting on top of her desk, he waved back.

“Bonjour, Ashido.”

“You have a good weekend?” she cheerfully asked as he situated himself in his desk. Her slightly-too-lively smile told him that she wasn’t just asking about his fun weekend activities.

It’s not the weekend you wanted me to have, that’s for sure.

“Peut-être,” he stated, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to understand the lack of certainty in his words. He turned his whole body around in his seat to better see his friend. “Et tu?”

The next events that occurred were ones that he could have never predicted–Ashido suddenly reached into her bag, pulled out a huge textbook, and opened it up, muttering quietly and flipping through the pages as if she were as nerdy as Midoriya.

Then Aoyama read the title of the book, and he almost fell out of his seat from the shock.

“Y-you bought yourself a French textbook?” he exclaimed, too taken aback to keep his usual calm poise. “Quoi?!”

Ashido, in the midst of her searching, did not look up from her book. “Wait, can you repeat what you said? Peu-what?”

Aoyama knew Ashido was a strong-willed person, but this was a whole new level.

“You didn’t have to buy a French dictionary just because of me,” he said, feeling a bit embarrassed and slightly honored that she’d go to that length just to better understand him.

“Oh, I just borrowed this from the library,” Ashido said distractedly, her eyes rapidly moving as she searched through the pages. “Seriously, what did you say?”

An uncharacteristically devious thought entered Aoyama’s brain, and he couldn’t help but verbalize it. “Pleut été,” he simply said.

Ashido paused her searching to look up at him, her eyebrows furrowed. “Are you sure? It sounds a little different…”

“Of course, mademoiselle!”

A minute later, Ashido was violently banging the book against his back.

“YOU LIAR!!” she scolded, her high-pitched yelling filled with amusement. “It wasn’t even raining this weekend!” Aoyama simply accepted his fate, letting his friend get out all of her anger towards him.

“Uh, you might wanna go easy on him, Mina,” Kaminari added from the desk over, his laughter slightly less joyous and much more uncomfortable. “You might actually give him a broken back.”

“HE DESERVES IT!” Ashido gave him one more thump before releasing him from his torture. Aoyama gave her a sheepish grin as Ashido struggled to stay angry and eventually began smiling too.

At least he had one good moment in the day.

Aoyama knew that lunch was going to be a lot less fun than their little morning interaction. Ashido wasn’t going to back off until she knew exactly how Aoyama’s weekend went. Sure, it wasn’t as bad as Thursday night, but he had still hurt himself when he promised he’d contact Ashido first.

Ashido wasn’t going to be happy about that.

As usual, lunch started with Ashido hopping into Ojiro’s seat and setting up her meal.

“There sure is a lot of stuff we have to memorize for this final, huh?” she commented, making small talk as Aoyama finally put out the last of his miniature feast.

Aoyama didn’t want to talk about the final when that’s all the teachers seemed to care about, so he only responded with a curt, “Oui.”

Then Ashido was quiet. He took advantage of the silence and began actually eating his lunch for the first time since Ashido started joining him.

Miam, croissant.

Ashido broke the silence shortly after his first bite. “What did you do this weekend?”

Again, she wasn’t referring to the fun parts of his weekend. Her serious gaze only further proved this.

As much as he wanted to lie, that obviously wasn’t feasible. Thankfully, there weren’t any bad scars this time–but would that matter to Ashido when he still didn’t listen to her request?

He knew the answer to that question. Still, he had to be honest, so he returned her serious gaze. “It wasn’t that bad. All of them were light.” He turned towards his arm, picturing the scar placement in his head. “So you don’t have to worry. I don’t need Recovery Girl or anything.” He wanted to say that it was an improvement, but when he was still hurting himself every day, along with the fact that it would only get worse this week…

…he didn’t consider that an improvement.

But hopefully the story he pushed for would help Ashido see that she didn’t always have to worry about him. He had only been a victim to his unstable emotions when those deep cuts happened. Those weren’t part of his typical self-harm experience.

He would be just fine.

But when he saw Ashido’s face, he instantly knew that she didn’t agree at all. Her upset face made the familiar feeling of guilt crawl up his skin.

“Yuga, that’s not the point!” Abandoning her meal, she turned her body directly towards him, as if that would make her words more clear. “Are you really that blind? I don’t want you to hurt yourself at all. That’s why I keep on telling you to message me when you feel that way. But you never listen!”

Aoyama shrunk back. He predicted that this would be her response, but he was hoping that she’d see things his way instead. “I–”

“Do you know how much this has been affecting me?!” Ashido suddenly said, throwing her hand on her chest as she got caught up in her emotions. “I’ve been worried about you all weekend! I didn’t know if you not messaging me meant you were fine or if you were bottling it all up again! I should’ve known it was the second one…” The tears in her eyes instantly alarmed Aoyama, and he tried to rack his brain for the right words to make her feel better. But then Ashido said something:

“It was all I could think about…”

…It was all you could think about.

Aoyama recognized those words.

During this conversation, Aoyama’s guilt had only been piling up higher and higher. He knew that this would all be solved with an explanation on why he felt the need to hide his self-harm or even engage in it in the first place. Then Ashido wouldn’t need to cry like she was now.

Aoyama looked away for a moment, frowning at his food until he reached a decision he knew he’d regret.

“Do you know how I told you I couldn’t say why I feel like this?”

Sniffling, Ashido paused her light crying to give him a confused but intrigued look. “Yeah…?”

Aoyama was incredibly uncomfortable. His parents had begged for him not to mention anything about his traitor status to anyone. They expected him to stay distant from everyone outside of his family, just to keep them from dying. His parents put all of the stress on his shoulders, and he was clearly suffering.

But now someone else who wasn’t part of the Aoyama family was suffering. He couldn’t let that happen.

“It’s because…I’m honestly not allowed to say why.”

Ashido blinked at him for a moment, clearly puzzled before becoming irritated. “What does that even mean?! Because you’re not letting yourself tell people? At this point you might as well tell me!”

“Non,” he said, his tone filled with unease knowing that he was taking a huge risk here. “I’m being completely honest when I say that. I'm really not allowed to say why. It’s because…” Was saying that someone told him not to spill the secret too revealing? “...it’s because bad things will happen if I say too much.”

That seemed to alarm Ashido. Toning down her anger, she looked at him with worried eyes. “You can’t…what does that mean? Bad things? Like what?”

“I can’t say more than that,” he said sadly, acutely aware of how badly he wanted to say the truth. But he knew he was still stuck in All For One's prison. “But I hope that better explains why I haven’t been saying much.”

“That explains nothing!” Ashido was obviously annoyed, but the hint of exaggeration in her tone told Aoyama that his “explanation” had helped ease her previous anxiety. And she wasn’t crying anymore, much to his utter relief.

"I know it's not what you want to hear," he empathized. "But just trust me when I say that."

"Well, what am I supposed to do about that?" Ashido asked, much more frustrated than irritated now. "How am I supposed to help you if you can't even say what's wrong?"

Aoyama understood her frustrations. He was frustrated too. He'd do anything to get his secret off of his chest. But her question had him thinking…

How do I want her to help?

Hopefully this wouldn't reveal too much.

"Maybe…" Aoyama looked away for a moment, pursing his lips nervously. "Maybe you should fail the final."

Ashido's eyebrows shot up. "I--WHAT?!"

You don't know how badly I want this trip to be canceled. Aoyama kept his uncomfortable frown.

"That makes no sense..." Ashido said, completely baffled. "I've worked my butt off to raise my grades and keep up with the others, and you want me to fail?"

I know it doesn't make sense, Aoyama thought sadly. It's only to keep you safe.

He was tempted to tell Ashido to ask her friends to fail too, but he felt like that wouldn't be well-received from her end. So instead he said, "Again, it's something I can't go in-depth about. You'll just have to trust me."

Ashido finally calmed down enough that she didn't seem angry anymore. "I don't really understand you or your reasoning, but…" For a change in pace, she playfully stuck out her tongue. "I'm gonna fail anyways! I barely passed the midterms! It's only because I got extensions that I was able to pass."

"...Extensions?"

"Yeah," she said casually. "Accomodations."

"Ah." He had no idea what she was talking about, so he just nodded along.

But he cared more about the fact that Ashido was actually considering failing the final. Sure, she wasn't planning to fail on purpose, but maybe if the test was too hard, she wouldn't feel so bad about accepting the F. Then he could at least save one person's life.

Although he really wanted his entire class to be saved.

"Does that mean you're planning to fail yourself?" Ashido asked as she resumed munching on her food.

That was a good question. While he originally wanted to fail so he could avoid watching the disaster that was to come, he was starting to think that maybe he should pass instead. If one thought about it, he was the only person there who knew about the attack. He'd already be prepared to help save everyone--even more than the teachers, whose experience normally trumped his fledgling skills. He'd be in the best position to make any last-minute saves.

The hard part would be making sure that the villains didn't see Aoyama working against them. But he could deal with that once it happened.

Ashido didn't need to know any of that.

"Bien sûr!" At the sound of his words, Ashido predictably pulled up her French textbook, and Aoyama couldn't help but laugh.

"I will decipher your cryptic code one day, just you wait!" Ashido cluelessly scanned the pages in front of her, clearly unable to interpret any of the words. Sighing, Aoyama decided to play along.

"Bien sûr is an expression, so you'd find it somewhere on the next page…"

By the time they were both finished with their lunches, Ashido had learned a few words.

"Magnifique!" she said proudly, her pronunciation very un-Frenchlike. "How did that sound?"

"...You'll get there one day, mademoiselle," Aoyama remarked, stifling his amused smile. He was happy enough that she was willing to learn his language. Nobody else in his class had ever shown any interest in it.

As they cleaned up their spaces, Ashido pulled out her phone. After typing up a message and sending it out, her phone emitting a tiny 'ding' shortly after, she said, "By the way, you're staying at my house tonight."

Aoyama gave her an extremely confused stare. "Quoi?" While he should be used to Ashido's random orders by now, it still took him by surprise every time.

Her eyes laid on him. "You hadn't had a day without cutting since we first talked, right? And probably even before then?"

"Well, yes, but--"

"Then you're coming over to my place so we can have one day without it," she cut him off, her matter-of-fact tone telling Aoyama that she wasn't about to change her mind. "I want you to see that it's possible to live without slicing up your skin every day." Before he could argue, she stuck her phone in his face, showing a conversation between Ashido and her mother. "Look, my mom already said it's fine! So you have to go now!"

As much as Aoyama wanted to avoid getting too close to people, hanging out with Ashido 1-on-1 sounded much more appealing than playing a sport he didn't like with a bunch of people he barely knew like last week's disaster. Plus, the fact that she knew about Aoyama's wishes for her to fail the final made him feel a little more comfortable in general.

"If that's what you really want, then I can come over," he agreed, already pulling out his phone so he could let his parents know about his plan.

If they complain about it...j’en ai rien à foutre.

Ashido looked extremely happy--and even a little surprised. "Yay, it's gonna be so much fun!" Sacrificing her excitement for a moment, she stopped and held up a finger. "And don't worry about studying. If you actually want me to fail for whatever reason, then I'll save my studying for tomorrow. That way, I'm only low-key failing. Okay?"

Delighted that Ashido was actually going along with his plan, Aoyama beamed at her, genuinely feeling the happiest he'd felt in a while. "Parfait!"

They only talked for a few more minutes before people started returning to the classroom and, eventually, so did the teachers. Thus resumed class.

At the end of the day, Aoyama was in no rush to get packed up. Ashido always took her time to leave because she would jump from friend group to friend group, showing off her utter extroversion that no other student could ever hope to have. It tired Aoyama out more than anything.

While Ashido was still talking to a few of her friends, she beckoned for Aoyama to follow. "Come on, we're heading out together!"

They're coming too? He wasn't necessarily opposed to that, but a small part of him was looking forward to hanging out with just Ashido…

Non. Can't get too attached.

As Aoyama joined the group, Hagakure bounced in place. "So you guys are hanging out together? So fun!~"

So they weren't coming. Aoyama hid his sigh of relief.

"Yep, it's gonna be a blast!" Ashido agreed, swinging her arms as she walked. "I'm gonna make him do all my homework!" She only laughed at Aoyama's concerned reaction.

"That's actually pretty smart," Ojiro added from the side. "Well, the hanging out part, at least. You could get a lot of studying done that way."

Hagakure turned towards him. "Ohmigosh, we should totally study together! We could all video chat and review our notes!"

Ojiro nodded his head. "That's not a bad idea. I was just going to study by myself, but if we invite Iida, I'd definitely join. He's the studying expert."

"And Momo Yao too!" Hagakure said, growing more and more excited the more they talked. "You know she loves study parties!"

Aoyama exchanged a glance with Ashido. Ashido rolled her eyes, giving him an intentional grin that said "yeah, we're not doing that".

He silently thanked Ashido for being so willing to understand his concerns, no matter how unclear they were.

Eventually, they reached the end of the road, and they all split up–except for Aoyama and Ashido.

"So where are we going?" Aoyama asked as Ashido surveyed the area.

"You live in the next ward over, right?" When Aoyama nodded his head, Ashido pointed to the right. "Well I live in the opposite direction. It's only a ten minute train ride from here."

"Ah, d'accord," Aoyama said as they began walking in that direction. Now that he was actually going to Ashido's place, he wondered what it would be like. He didn't really know much about her home life--which was an odd thought considering how open she always was. Guess it wasn't an important enough topic for her to talk about.

He was surprised when she took him to an apartment building.

"It's up here on the left!" she happily proclaimed, skipping up the stairs to the first door. Uncertain of what to expect, Aoyama trailed behind.

If her house is anything like her personality…I'm a little scared to see what's inside.

But Ashido didn't hesitate. She swung the door wide open, turning on the lights and inviting him in. “Welcome to the Ashido accommodations!”

It was a nice little apartment. The main area consisted of a living room and a kitchen, while farther in the distance lay a mostly obscured hallway that extended into the rest of the apartment. There were portraits of what he assumed to be Ashido's family hung around the place. The overall color scheme was a lot less intense than what he expected from someone like Ashido, and the decorations were much more--dare he say--lackluster. He had a feeling that they weren't her choice. He wondered if her room looked any different.

Ashido happily pranced into the room, spreading her arms out to show off the area. “Whaddya think?”

“C’est très bon,” he kindly said, slowly stepping into the room as he absorbed all the details around him. “So you live with your mère?”

“Yup!” She plopped her bag on the couch. “Just me and my mom--if that's what you meant by 'mère'.” Before he could ask any more questions, she jumped towards the hallway–but not before looking back and saying, “I’m getting changed. You need a change of clothes?”

“I couldn’t take your clothes, mademoiselle,” he refused politely.

“Why, are you afraid you’ll get them all bloody like you did with my uniform?”

“I–” When his mind registered what Ashido had said, his mouth hung open for a second. “How did you know that? Did I tell you?”

“Nope.” She turned away, a knowing smirk on her face. “It was kinda obvious. You said you’d give it back, then you come in the next day with bloody gauze wrapped around your arm and never mention the clothes again. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what happened.”

Aoyama was hoping she’d forget about the clothes. But somehow, her knowing but not even mentioning it was even worse than if he just told her. The familiar guilt flooding back, he shamefully dropped his head. “I’m sorr–”

“NO!” She swung her finger towards him sternly. “No apologies! Well, I guess it would be appropriate in this case, but I don’t want you apologizing anyway because you do it too much!”

Afraid of awakening Ashido’s inner beast again, he rapidly nodded his head. “Yes, mademoiselle!”

"Good. Then I'll be back."

Now that he had a moment to himself, Aoyama took a seat in one of the living room chairs, letting himself become comfortable in his new location. He had to admit, while Ashido's apartment wasn't as grand and fancy as his place back at home, it felt awfully cozy and pleasant.

Although he still felt a little bad about ruining her uniform.

A minute later, Ashido returned, already in a new outfit as she carried a change of clothes in her hands. "I tried to find the biggest pair of sweatpants I could," she explained as she tossed him the clothes. "And the shirt...well, you'll see!"

"Merci," he thanked her before she led him to the bathroom to change. When he saw the long-sleeved shirt she had given her, he was too dumbfounded to do anything but stare at it.

She gave me a Hello Kitty shirt.

It was pastel pink with lots of white hearts surrounding the famous Sanrio mascot herself. While Aoyama's style wasn't strongly masculine, this was overkill.

I don't have much of a choice…

When he stepped back into the living room, Ashido broke out into a grin. Putting her hands on her cheeks, she gushed, "Aww, so cute!~"

Aoyama wasn't the most bashful of folks, but the sudden embarrassing comment made him self-consciously tug at his shirt's slightly short edge around his waist. "Je suppose…"

"Honestly, I just gave you that because I wanted to see you in a cute shirt." Hopping off of the couch, she patted one of the cushions before running into the hallway again. "You sit down. I have an idea on something fun we can do."

"D'accord!"

Ashido dashed back into the room with a gaming device and a case big enough to hold the device in her hands.

"What's that?" Aoyama questioned, curious to see what she had planned.

Ashido stopped everything she was doing to give him a shocked stare. "You don't know what a Switch is?!"

"Well, oui, but I've never seen one before." He wasn't into video games like most of his classmates seemed to be. The idea of gaming sounded fun, but it wasn't his cup of tea.

Ashido thrusted the system in front of him so he could see it better. "It's one of the best consoles out there! Denki acts like the PlayStation is better, but he's dumb. The Switch is where it's at!" After Aoyama held it for a moment, she took it back and turned to the TV, fiddling with a few of the cords. "Since my mom's not home until later, we have full use of the TV for a few hours! Isn't that great!"

While Aoyama wouldn't normally care that much about some video game, he was rather intrigued to see what was so appealing about it. Adjusting his position so he was sitting near the edge of the couch, he asked, "What are we playing?"

Ashido didn't answer right away. After she finished her cord-fiddling, she put the console into a little contraption that caused the TV to turn on with the system's home screen displayed. Then she reached for the case. "Sero let me borrow his copy of Mario Party. It's in here." She pulled the game cartridge out--it was a lot smaller than Aoyama was expecting. "It's the only game I have that you can play with just two controllers. I don't have enough controllers to play Minecraft, sorry."

"That's fine," Aoyama quickly said--he didn't know that much about Minecraft in the first place. "Mario Party is bon."

"Yay, okay!" As Ashido grabbed the controllers, an icon on the screen caught Aoyama's eye. He didn't recognize very many video games, but he had heard a lot about this one in particular.

"You have Animal Crossing…?"

Right as Ashido was about to remove the Animal Crossing cartridge, she paused and looked back. "You know about Animal Crossing?"

"It's the one with the petit animaux neighbors, oui? And you make a town?" It was the only game he could actually see himself playing--less because of the animal villagers and more because of the decorating aspect of the game. He needed more relaxing hobbies in his life, and decorating a miniature town sounded like the perfect stress reliever. But he was never motivated enough to go out and buy a whole system just for one game he'd probably barely play. There was always the option of asking his parents for a Switch as a birthday present, but…

...well, he didn't do birthday gifts anymore.

"Yes!" Pleased by his knowledge of the game, Ashido abandoned her original plan, closing the cartridge container without removing the game. "Wanna see my town? It's really cool! And I have some of the rarest villagers!"

Now he was getting interested. "Bien sûr!"

"You said that was French for 'sure', right?" she asked as she jumped back onto the couch, too eager to sit and instead kneeling on the cushion.

"You got it," he praised, Ashido's excitement infecting him too as she booted up the game.

After everything loaded, her miniature persona appeared, stepping out of a tiny house into…

"Dear heavens, what did you do to your town?!"

Aoyama could not believe the disaster he was looking at.

"What's wrong with it?" Ashido asked as if she genuinely couldn't see the absolute clutter in front of her. "I couldn't decide what theme to go with, so I just threw out everything I liked." The more she walked around, the worse the town became. There was no cohesion anywhere. "Plus, I don't have any room in my storage anymore. I'm too broke to upgrade. Also, it's an island, not a town."

The scene in front of him was almost too horrifying to look at. "There are random clothing mannequins thrown around. There's a giant duck floatie taking up half of the space. Those types of fleurs don't even match. And--are those Christmas decorations?"

"Stop judging me, Yuga!!" Ashido playfully smacked his arm, reminding him that maybe he was being a bit too harsh. But he couldn't help it. This island was an absolute crime in fashion design.

"If you think this is bad…" Her character took a u-turn back to the house she came out of. "...wait until you see my house."

Aoyama nearly fainted when he saw the interior.

"I know it's a bit crowded," Ashido admitted with an embarrassed chuckle. "And maybe the colors are a little off. But I'm too attached to my dog corner to get rid of all my pet supplies, and I need this cake out because my in-game mom sent it to me, and Beau just gave me his picture so I had to make a tiny shrine somewhere…"

"Oh, honey." Aoyama put his face in his hands, needing a moment to recover from the visual catastrophe in front of him. "Please tell me you can change your wallpaper."

"Yes, but what's wrong with this one?!"

"Just trust me," Aoyama said, not wanting to be rude but also very much wanting to completely overhaul the entire room. "Show me the other options."

Thankfully, Ashido was compliant, and Aoyama could begin his complete redecorating of the room. He walked her through everything, and in the meantime, she taught him more about the controls and the basics of the game. After a lot of hard work, they managed to turn the nightmare of a room into something much more visually-appealing and actually tolerable to look at.

"Okay, I didn't hate how my house looked before, but this is kinda legit." Aoyama grinned at Ashido's compliment, and she returned the look, excitedly adding, "You even let me keep my favorite colors! You're really good at this, Yuga!"

"De rien," he said back. "You're welcome."

"You know what would be cool?" Ashido walked her character to the doorway on the other side of the room. "If you did my other rooms, too!"

...Oh god, she has more rooms?!

Good thing he didn't have any plans this evening.

"Let's do it."

-

They both lost track of the time. It was hard not to when Ashido had so many rooms she had ruined with her poor decorating skills. When Aoyama finally restored the entire house, she gave him permission to actually control the game and fix the outdoors, too. But he only barely touched the flower arrangement when someone entered the front door.

“Mom!”

Aoyama snapped out of his video game trance and looked behind him. There was a woman who he assumed was Ashido’s mother–considering she looked exactly like her daughter, except her skin was a pale purple. She curiously gazed at Aoyama before smiling--a subtle gesture, but still very endearing. “You must be Aoyama. Nice to meet you.”

“Bonjour, mademoiselle!” He dropped his controller so he could shake her hand. Mrs. Ashido looked a little taken aback by his energy–but also pleasantly impressed.

“Your shirt is quite adorable. Where’d you get it from?” Almost forgetting about his embarrassing shirt, Aoyama couldn't help but blush, badly wishing that people would stop mentioning it. The Ashido girls both laughed.

“Don’t worry, I know Mina gave it to you,” her mother said as she finally stepped out of the doorway. She directed her attention to Ashido. “How about you order sushi for tonight?”

Ashido immediately perked up, beginning to buzz with excitement. “Really?!”

“That would be très bien,” Aoyama said, honored that Mrs. Ashido was that kind. Although a part of him felt bad that they were only doing it because he was there, especially when he was getting the impression that expensive sushi was not an usual occurrence in this household–which is why he added, “But there's no need to spend more than you need to just because I'm–”

“We’re doing it,” Ashido quickly cut him off before he could say anything more. “Don’t challenge it. Now tell me what kind of sushi you like.”

Aoyama sighed, knowing that there was no way around Ashido’s generosity--which he now learned was a common theme in the Ashido family.

Aoyama got to spend a lot of time with the two girls that night. When the sushi was delivered, they all ate together. Then Ashido invited him to check out her room, which–thank god–was a lot less hectic than the Animal Crossing rooms she had originally decorated. She didn’t have as many things in real life, so it wasn’t as cluttered and definitely didn’t feel as uncomfortable. Aoyama felt welcome there.

Even so, it felt odd hanging out with another person when he’d been avoiding it his entire life–and technically, he shouldn’t be doing it now, either…but it made him so happy being able to make a real friend. He felt so free to be himself.

So maybe he could put all of his stressors on the backburner for now.

“It’s getting late, huh?” Ashido commented casually as she sprawled out on her bed, holding up her phone in front of her. “At this point, you might as well stay here.”

Aoyama immediately shook his head. “Non, I can’t stay here! This is your house!”

“Yeah, and?” Ashido leaned her head on her fist, tossing her phone to the side with her other hand. “I’m not letting you travel all the way back to your house in the dark. And don’t you remember our goal here?”

“I’m not going to hurt myself after today,” Aoyama told her, being completely honest this time. The entire day today, he hadn’t felt any urges–not when he was hanging out with Ashido, at least. That was a miracle in itself.

But of course, that wasn’t good enough for Ashido. She glared at him. “Shut the fuck up. I don’t trust you. You’re sleeping here whether you like it or not. I’ll wash your uniform for you, so there’s no reason you need to be home.”

As much as Aoyama wanted to argue, he knew it would be pointless. He felt a little weird sleeping in someone else’s house, but he was being held captive here. So he complied. “Mon amie, if that’s what you want, then sure.”

Ashido clapped her hands together once. “Great!”

They only stayed up for about half an hour more before they called it a night.

“Hm, so you need a place to sleep…” Ashido opened her door, looking back and forth as she decided which room worked best. “We do have another bed…”

“Anything is fine with me,” he politely offered, secretly hoping that she wouldn’t make him take her bed. Aoyama was fine with sleeping anywhere, but sleeping in his female friend’s bed in her personal room felt like an invasion of privacy. Also very inappropriate.

While Aoyama hadn’t been paying attention, Ashido had left the room. A bit curious, he leaned from his spot on the ground to see where she had gone. Shortly after, she popped back in.

“You’re sleeping in my bed.”

Of course, the one place he didn’t want to sleep…

“Non, I can’t do that,” he refused, waving his hands to pair with his words. “That’s your bed, mademoiselle. It wouldn’t be right if I–”

“Just do it, Yuga.” Her tone had changed and was a bit more tense than usual. A bit intimidated, Aoyama uncomfortably looked back at her bed. It wasn’t his ideal sleeping situation, but if she legitimately wanted him to sleep on it, he wouldn’t mind sleeping on the top. He absolutely refused to get under her covers, though.

“I guess that would be fine,” Aoyama hesitantly agreed. He was only agreeing to Ashido's request because she wanted him to.

Ashido looked relieved. “Thanks, Yuga. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Then she left him for the night.

Now that Aoyama was alone, he didn’t know how to feel. Normally, when Ashido left him, he felt like he was being attacked by the bad feelings that had been slowly storing up in him. Now, he didn’t really notice those feelings.

Hanging out with Ashido all day burnt them all up.

So that really meant he wasn’t going to self-harm tonight. He couldn’t–not when it wasn’t even his house.

But what about the rest of the week? And the training camp? How could he just forget about that? This hangout was just a distraction from the reality of his situation.

…Merde, can’t I have just one good day?

Yes, he could. And he was going to–by going to bed.

He sent one last goodnight text to his parents before hesitantly climbing onto Ashido’s bed, only spending a few minutes staring at the ceiling before crashing for the night.

Chapter Text

“Wake up, sleepyhead!”

Aoyama rubbed his droopy eyelids, staring blankly in front of him until he realized with a jolt that his room did not normally look like this.

Then he saw Ashido leaning into the room, and he remembered.

Despite it being so early, Ashido looked as cheerful as ever. “You have a good night’s rest?” As Aoyama sat up, Ashido seemed to notice something, and she gave him an irritated look. “You seriously didn’t use my blankets?! Weren’t you cold?”

Did she really expect him to use the same blankets she slept under when he didn’t even feel comfortable using her bed in the first place? Still, he had to give her an answer. “Non, it wasn’t that cold last night. I was fine.”

Ashido sighed, her exaggerated expression showing that she wasn’t actually that annoyed. “Oh Yuga…”

Aoyama hopped out of the bed, brushing off the top so it looked a little neater. He heard Ashido step into the room. “Hey, speaking of being fine…did you do it last night?”

He looked back at her plainly. “I would never do it at your place.”

“So you didn’t hurt yourself yesterday, then?”

Aoyama could see something stirring in Ashido, so he simply nodded.

“YOU DID IT!” Ashido flung herself in his direction, trapping his neck in a tight headlock and giving him an affectionate noogie. Her excitement was overflowing--Aoyama could tell how thrilled she was just from her gaze. "I'm so proud of you!" 

Her happiness was infectious, and before long, he was blushing from the positive attention. "Merci."

He wasn't entirely happy, though. While Ashido was ecstatic, she had to know that he'd go back to cutting any day...right?

One day is nothing.

"It's the small victories that count, right?" She bounced back out of the room, pausing at the doorway. "How about we celebrate with a homemade breakfast from yours truly?"

"You know how to cook?" he asked, a hint of surprise in his voice. He didn't expect Ashido to be a chef...but then again, he didn't really know what else she was capable of. For all he knew, she could have some amazing secret talents that he just never asked about.

"Just you wait and see!" Then Ashido disappeared out of view. Aoyama wasn't exactly sure if that was a yes or no, but he decided not to question it and instead started preparing for school.

When he walked into the kitchen, Ashido was adding the finishing touches to her dish. "Don't look!" she suddenly snapped, waving him away before he saw too much. "I want it to be a surprise!"

"Oui." Not having anything better to do since he was all packed for class, he took a seat at the dinner table.

Eventually, Ashido proudly strided over, carrying a dish high in the air like she was a waiter. It was only when she placed it on the table that Aoyama could see what it was.

"Voilà! An omelette du fromage!" Her cheesy grin was almost as cheesy as the dish in front of him. But he had to admit--it looked really good. The omelette was a perfect yellow color, no burn marks anywhere, and it was neatly folded into a half-moon shape. It was almost as if he ordered it from a restaurant.

"Oooh là là!" he exclaimed, impressed by her skills. "You did a good job, mon amie!"

"Thanks!" Ashido went back to making her own omelette--but not before showing him a white container that was shaped suspiciously like an omelette. "I used this funky contraption. It's a microwavable omelette maker. I didn't even know these existed until I saw it at the grocery store!"

Aoyama blinked at her. "A...microwavable omelette maker…" He was under the impression that Ashido had cooked it herself--like, on a pan, with a spatula, like a normal omelette…

"What, it's not good enough for you?" She put her hands on her hips. "I'll eat yours if you don't want it!"

"N-non, it's fine, I just…" He didn't want to say it: when Ashido had implied that she could cook, he didn't expect her to be using a microwavable omelette maker as part of her process.

"Just because my method is a little weird doesn't mean it's not real cooking!" She resumed cracking some eggs. "All that really matters is that it tastes good, right? And it has a lot of cheese so of course it's gonna taste good!"

I'll be the judge of that. Recovering from the shocking reveal of the morning, he took a bite of the omelette--and was pleasantly surprised at how good it tasted. Yes, the cheese did help, but the omelette itself was incredibly delectable. After a few more bites, he said with a hum of satisfaction, "C'est délicieux!"

“See? I told you!” Aoyama could see her delighted grin, even when she was facing the other way. “Don’t judge a book by its cover, Yuga. You might be surprised at what you find.”

He could barely pause his eating to acknowledge her with a short, “Oui.” It didn’t take long for him to finish the whole thing.

When they both finished their breakfasts, there wasn’t much time until they had to leave. They eventually took the train back to UA.

“I hope you had fun, Yuga,” Ashido said as they entered the school hallways again. “I know I did!”

You only set it up for my sake. But ultimately, they both ended up having fun together. Maybe their hangout was beneficial both ways.

That was the end of Aoyama’s vacation from the dread and anxiety he otherwise experienced on a daily basis. As he took one look at his classmates mingling in the classroom, he remembered his betrayal and how they would all be suffering because of him, and he became uneasy, stopping at the doorway. But Ashido only bumped him into the room. “Come on, don’t just stand there!” And in a quieter voice: “Don’t let the bad feelings bug ya just yet!”

She can tell? Unsettled by her accuracy, Aoyama nodded once before returning to his seat. Despite still feeling a little uncomfortable, he was comforted by her words. He hadn’t gone to hang out with Ashido all night for nothing. He could at least try to keep his head up.

She was possibly failing the final, after all.

Before Aoyama knew it, lunch had arrived. However, it didn’t end up the same way as normal. His other classmates slowly left like any other day, with only Ashido and Aoyama remaining. But Ashido didn’t sit down. She walked in front of his desk, her hands strangely empty of any lunch containers or bags. Aoyama gave her a questioning look before she explained herself.

“So, I was thinking…maybe we could eat in the cafeteria today?”

Aoyama’s first instinct was to argue back. He ate in the classroom for a reason; he couldn’t just hang out with his other classmates! What a terrible idea! But right before he spoke, he noticed the wistful gaze in Ashido’s eye, and her intentions became clear. She still wanted to eat with Aoyama, but she probably missed being with her friends. Ashido was a social being at heart; she valued all of her friendships, but eating alone with Aoyama was inhibiting those relationships. But leaving him alone to eat by himself again…she couldn’t do that.

So if Aoyama refused, he’d be hurting Ashido. And after everything she’s done for him…

“D’accord,” he said after his thoughtful pause, catching her by surprise. “We can do that.”

“How exciting!!” She eagerly hopped in place as he left his seat. “You’re gonna love the cafeteria! It’s a little noisy, but you get used to it!”

“As long as I don’t have to touch Lunch Rush’s food,” he retorted as they walked out of the room together.

“His food’s not that bad! You just got tummy problems!” Ashido seemed lighter today, as if her steps were carrying her higher. Aoyama could tell that going back to her usual social setting was making her happy, even if she’d never admit it.

At least she’s happy.

Ashido was right–the cafeteria was rather noisy. There were a lot of people in the room, all chatting and dining together as they took a moment’s break from the regular school stressors. Aoyama could see a few of his classmates scattered around the room. Not too far away was Ashido’s favorite friend group–the Bakusquad. Aoyama saw how quickly her eyes were drawn to that particular group.

“Do you want to hang out with them, mon amie?” he asked, motioning towards the group.

To his surprise, Ashido turned away with a disgusted face. “Ew, no. I’m still mad at them after they stole my phone charger and ‘lost it’.”

“I SAID I WAS SORRY!” Sero suddenly called from his spot.

“Come on, Aoyama, let’s go somewhere where Sero isn’t.” She pushed Aoyama along, but not before glaring one more time at poor Sero–who looked like he was at a loss of words. Aoyama was having a hard time telling if Ashido was being serious or not.

“Then where shall we sit?” Aoyama scanned the room again. There were a few groups where his classmates were present. Jiro, Yaoyorozu, and Asui were dining together closeby, for example.

“How about we sit with Deku’s group?” Ashido was already heading in that group’s direction despite Aoyama’s lack of an immediate response. “He’s such a fun dude, I bet he’ll love seeing you!”

Ashido was either aware of Aoyama’s admiration for the plain-looking boy, or she just happened to make the right choice, because Aoyama was thrilled at the prospect of hanging out with Midoriya. He had always been intrigued by that mysterious boy–ever since the entrance exam where he completely destroyed his arm just from one punch. It reminded Aoyama a little of his own quirk, which also destroyed his body when used incorrectly--or at all. A part of him wondered if Midoriya was somehow born quirkless too.

Midoriya, along with Iida, Uraraka, and Todoroki, looked pleasantly surprised at Ashido’s presence–and even moreso at Aoyama’s.

“Hello, fellow Class 1-A members!” Iida greeted, already scooting back so there was more room in the booth. “Care to join us while we dine together?”

“Oui, it would be much appreciated,” Aoyama responded, taking the initiative as he sat next to the class rep. Luckily for him, Midoriya was right across from him.

“Hey, Aoyama!” the green-haired boy happily said, pausing his eating as he held his chopsticks full of noodles in the air.

“Bonjour!”

Despite being so hesitant to eat with people earlier, Aoyama ended up having a really fun time in Midoriya’s group. Aoyama worked best when he could be the most eccentric, loudest person in the group (which was hard to do in the Bakusquad when the others thrived from being as chaotic as possible around each other). Aoyama felt much more comfortable being himself around the more mild personalities in Midoriya's group (which was obviously not applicable to Ashido–although she ended up absorbing the vibe of the group and became pretty chill herself). By the end of lunch, he actually enjoyed himself.

“It was quite nice having some new friends join us,” Iida said as they began their walk back to the classroom. “You can always come back again!”

“Yeah!” Midoriya agreed, turning his gaze directly towards Aoyama. “I’ve never seen you eat in the cafeteria before. It’s cool that you wanted to join us.”

Well, “wanted to join you” is a bit of a stretch when I was forced into it, but… Aoyama smiled, letting a few sparkles shine around him. “Of course, monsieur! I’d be happy to return!”

Ashido’s proud face in the background made him feel even more delighted.

I hope you’re happy, Ashido.

Of course, all good things must come to an end. When they got into the classroom, it was back to the craze of reviewing everything for the finals. Thankfully, Aoyama's positive interactions helped him power through the day, even when the only conversation point was one of his biggest triggers.

As long as someone fails.

When class ended, he instinctively walked out with Ashido. And naturally, she began probing him about his evening plans.

"If you don't feel comfortable going home, you can stay at my place again," she offered as they reached the part of their walk where they typically parted ways. "We can play Animal Crossing again. Although I'd probably have to study tonight or my mom will get mad."

Aoyama politely shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, mon amie, but I will be fine." He needed a bit of space after being around her for multiple days (he'd never spent that much time with anyone before--except his parents).

To his astonishment, she didn't disagree. "Okay, that's fine. But if you change your mind, you know what to do." She could see his surprised look, and she smirked as if she were expecting that reaction. "What, didn't think I'd say that? I can tell you had a good day today. You were smiling a lot more than you normally do--like, actually smiling, not fake-Yuga smiling. So I trust you when you say you'll be okay." Her face suddenly darkened, and she poked him threateningly. "You better not make me regret saying that."

"I won't let you down, mademoiselle," Aoyama promised. He was only able to say those words because he meant them. Ashido had been right when she said he looked happier--he felt so much better today, thanks to their sleepover and their lunch with Midoriya. It was almost like the training camp constantly looming over his head couldn't hurt him anymore. There was still a chance that it would be canceled, after all.

Aoyama could only hope for the best--and in the meantime, he could enjoy every moment he spent with his friends.

One train ride later, Aoyama entered his house for the first time in two days. His mother wasn't around when he first walked in. That wasn't abnormal--she was probably wrapping up her work day upstairs. But Aoyama had a feeling that she would want to know that he was back after being gone for so long. So he went to the stairs, stood on the first step, and called, "Maman, I'm home."

It didn't take long for her to race into view.

"Yuga!!" The worry in her eyes stood out right away, and Aoyama tried not to feel too guilty as she rushed down the stairs to greet him with a big hug. "We missed you so much, mon chou."

"Toi aussi," he responded, relishing the warmth from his mother's embrace as it gave him a moment of comfort. There was something special about his mother's hugs that no other person could replicate.

After a moment, she backed away--although she kept her hands on Aoyama's shoulders. "How did it go? You said you were with a friend, yes?"

Her comment might seem harmless enough, but Aoyama knew where she was going with her train of thought. He couldn't reveal how attached he was to his new friend. But he couldn't lie to his mother any more than he already had.

Aoyama uncomfortably shifted his gaze. "It was fine. We played games and ate sushi together."

His mother's cheerful glow disappeared. Her smile beginning to falter, she let go of him. "That sounds nice."

"Yeah." He kept his gaze turned away, not wanting to see his mother say the words he could easily predict that would come out of her mouth next. But she said them anyway.

"But you know you're not supposed to get too close to anyone...right?"

They both locked eyes together, sharing a moment of painful longing. They were both aware of how wrong those words were, but under All For One's reign, there was no other way to protect themselves from getting hurt other than isolating. It was the lonely truth.

But no. His mother was wrong. It was completely fine for him to befriend Ashido, and that was because:

"It's okay, maman; she's going to fail the final. She won't be going to the training camp." He intended to stop talking there, but he wanted to share his hopes in desperation of making them a reality. "And if enough people fail, they might cancel the trip altogether. I was considering passing so I could make sure nobody dies during the attack, but maybe if both me and Ashido fail, they'll cancel it."

His mother did not respond at first, other than a blank, almost crestfallen stare. It made his heart sink. Did she not think that was possible?

"Mon chou…" Her eyes were big with pity. "I know you don't want to do this. But I don't think they'll cancel the trip or tell people not to come if they fail. Did you read the guide? You'll be training for your provisional licenses the entire time. There's very little relaxation time. It'll be just like your normal classes. They're not going to kick someone out of the same classes that would help them retake the final."

Aoyama could only stare back, too heartbroken to respond.

He hated how much sense she was making. He wanted to believe the story he made up in his mind--that there was still a chance that people could be saved.

She has to be wrong...!

His mother could clearly sense how upset he was because she wrapped him up in another hug. "I'm sorry, Yuga…" Her embrace was tight, but unlike before, Aoyama wasn't feeling that comforted.

He refused to believe it. Maybe if he tried to fail himself, that could change something. Right? Right?!

He was out of options. He was desperate. There had to be something to stop this trip from happening. But no matter how hard he thought, his mind would draw a blank every time. There really was no way to avoid the training camp that wouldn't outright reveal his secret identity.

But he had to try.

-

Friday morning: the final results.

They were all going to the training camp.

Aizawa had explained the grading process. Everyone ended up passing the written exams, so that didn't need an explanation. But a few people managed to fail the practical exam because they didn't score enough points. Aoyama wasn't sure how he had managed to pass with his partner Uraraka when he'd spent the majority of the time stalling until he tried to make her fail at the end. But somehow, his attempts at bombing the final weren't enough.

But Ashido had failed, along with a handful of others. While that made Aoyama happier than anything, the failing students were all devastated that they couldn't come on the trip--but then Aizawa revealed that his original explanation was all a rational deception.

Everyone was going.

The sound of his classmates cheering haunted Aoyama, and he barely maintained his artificial smile.

No. No. No.

This can't be happening.

It was just like how his mother predicted it would turn out.

"Ya hear that, Yuga?" Ashido suddenly patted his back from her seat. Aoyama couldn't bear to look back at her. "We're still going to the training camp, woo!"

"Oui," Aoyama forced himself to say, keeping his gaze steadily forward so she couldn't see his face.

It seemed like Ashido didn't connect his desire for her to fail the final with her going to the training camp. That, or she just forgot about their conversation. Maybe that was for the best.

If she knew I didn't want her to go to the camp, what would she think of that after the attack happens? At that point, she might even figure out Aoyama's secret herself. So in a way, him suffering in silence was the best for his family.

It still hurt.

Today's "class" was only meant for the students to learn their exam results. Now that the teachers were done talking, school was technically over--even though it wasn't even an hour past 8. Aoyama's classmates were already sharing their fun ideas and wishes for the training camp.

"I'm excited for that sauna!"

"Do you think they have wifi over there?"

"I bet Jiro could sing us some campfire songs!"

"Ooh, who wants to go to the mall to get stuff for the trip?!"

Aoyama left before he heard anything more.

The only thing he was aware of on the way home was the despair sinking deeper and deeper into him. Each minute that passed brought him closer to the attack. There was no way to prevent it now. Aoyama had given up on trying to change the future. This attack was happening whether he liked it or not.

His mother could tell he was upset. Her hugs weren't enough to wipe away his frown. But being his mother, she still tried to make him feel better.

"Do you know what's going to happen during the attack?"

That piqued Aoyama's interest. He looked up at her. "Non, they never told me."

Her face was grim--but not as sad as he expected her to be. "Would you like to know?"

Aoyama paused. His mother knew more details about the attack? Should he even dare to ask?

Ultimately, his worry for his classmates urged him to ask. "What is it?"

"It's about one of your classmates," she told him. "Katsuki Bakugou."

"Bakugou?!" Why would the villains want to mess with someone as terrifying and violent as him?

Then Aoyama put his thoughts together, and he understood.

"Yes, him," she said with a solemn nod. "They're planning to kidnap him and eventually recruit him as a member of the League of Villains."

So they're not going to kill anyone, then. Bakugou was a powerful boy; if the villains tried to mess with him, then the "lord explosion murder" boy could surely hold his ground, just like All Might had done during the USJ attack. So Aoyama had no reason to worry.

But he was still worried.

"Is that all?" The anxiety in his voice made his mother frown--as if she were hoping that her knowledge would help console him. "What about the rest of the students? Are the villains sneaking in the middle of the night and taking Bakugou captive? Or are they attacking my other classmates too?"

Her frown deepened, and he knew what that meant.

She didn't know.

"We shouldn't worry about that, mon chou." She put a hand on his head as if that was supposed to help him feel better. But his distressed expression was still there. "Why don't you take some time to relax before you leave tomorrow? I want you to be prepared for--"

"I know," he suddenly snapped, avoiding his mother's eyes as he briskly walked away. He could tell he was breaking her heart, but right now, he felt like his own was completely shattered.

Désolé, maman.

I just can't deal with this right now.

But he did know a way to deal with the pain.

One that involved a certain object.

-

Well there goes all the healing from the past few days.

Aoyama had relapsed once again. With the training camp starting tomorrow, that shouldn't be a surprise. The attack that he helped orchestrate was stuck in his mind like someone stapled it into his brain and sealed it off with an extra layer of duct tape and superglue.

That damn attack wouldn't leave his mind.

The first cutting session of the day was just a desperate act to make the thoughts go away. But the second and third sessions were a little more complicated.

It's my fault.

Aoyama blaming himself was nothing new. But he had never noticed how much self-loathing was fueling his actions. That should make sense since the very nature of self-harming was punishing yourself, but it still surprised him--and ended up pushing him farther into his hole of despair.

It didn't make sense for him to hate himself. He was the twinkling hero that everyone adored. His presence made people believe that they could sparkle too. He was the world's reminder that even when things go wrong, you can always find a way to shine!

But he did hate himself. His closet of secrets made him feel that way. He was doing such terrible things to his classmates; how could anyone actually like him when he was just as evil as the villains?

And that's why his arms were a blood-stained mess.

Part of the reason why he went a little crazy with the blade today was because he wasn't sure how the training camp would end up. Most likely, he'd be around his classmates 24/7 because there was pretty much no chance that all 20 (40? Was Class B going?) students would get their own rooms.

So tonight might be the last night he had the freedom to hurt himself.

How was he supposed to cope without using his blade? Aoyama had no idea. The attack could happen any day. There was no way to anticipate it in advance without a villain telling him--and they were clearly withholding any information that wasn't necessary for him to know. So Aoyama would have to be anxious the whole trip, never knowing when the big event would occur.

He wasn't ready for whatever this trip would bring about.

-

Saturday came much faster than Aoyama wanted it to.

He barely slept the night before. His anxiety was out of control, and he didn't know how to bring it back down now that the trip was confirmed to be happening.

It was hard for him to see Ashido that morning.

"G'morning, Yuga!" From the crowd of Class 1-A students came the ever-so-optimistic Ashido. She ran up to Aoyama, only stopping at the very last second to stand right in front of him. He could see the excitement written all over her face, and it nearly made him lose control of his forced expression. "Aren't you excited that the bus finally got here? I'm so excited for this class trip together!"

There was too much conflict in Aoyama's head for him to give a proper response.

Ashido must have been too energized to notice his reaction because she didn't acknowledge it. But she did calm down enough that she could speak in a slightly quieter voice. "I don't know how you'll handle this trip because of your, uh, hurting thing. But I think having some time away from the stressful school life will help. Don't you agree?

"...Yuga?"

Aoyama had been struggling to hide his overwhelming anxiety, but Ashido's concerned face made him slap his mask right back on. "Oui, mademoiselle!" he said with much more intensity than intended. "Of course!"

Aoyama didn't even know what Ashido had said. But he couldn't let her see how scared he was. It didn't matter if they were friends now. He had to mask everything for his family's protection.

His words didn't change Ashido's expression. But she didn't question any further. "Okay...well, let's sit together on the bus, alright? I'll save you a seat."

Aoyama ended up sitting with Mineta instead.

-

Aoyama and his classmates got a real taste of the training camp as soon as they stepped out of the bus.

Aoyama's mother was right about the training camp being less of a vacation and more of a secondary school. They literally took 5 hours to walk all the way to the camp as a "test of their endurance." It even managed to tire Aoyama out--whose brain was still in overdrive from his anxiety.

It was only when they finally had downtime that Aoyama could really comprehend what was in store for them.

"Anyone want to check out the saunas with me?" Uraraka said after they were all unpacked and settled in the cabins. Of course, everyone in the room rushed to answer.

"Yes, let's!!"

"I haven't been in a sauna forever, let's do it!"

"Anyone wanna sneak over to the girl's side with me--"

Aoyama uncomfortably backed away from the group, trying to draw the attention away from him so the others wouldn't notice his less-than-enthusiastic response. Obviously he didn't want to go. His scarred arms would stand out like a sheep in a wolf pack. But right now, he wasn't even concerned about that.

He was freaking out too much.

Sure, it was all internal, but it was so bad that he was struggling just being around his classmates. For all he knew, the attack could be just a few minutes away. The mixture of fear and guilt was driving him crazy. So when they all dashed out to the saunas, he quietly sneaked away, letting them all get lost in their excitement until they didn't even notice his absence.

But as he turned back, he was startled to see Ashido standing next to him.

"Hey!" she greeted cheerfully--too cheerfully, he noted with unease. He searched Ashido's gaze for her true intentions, and it didn't take him long to see that she knew something was wrong.

But how much did she know?!

"Can't you go to the sauna with the others?" he asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice despite trying to disguise it.

"Mmmm...nope!" She kept her wide grin, not realizing how much it was hurting him. "I'll stay here. Unless you want to go, in which case I will also go."

Now Aoyama understood. Ashido thought he was about to run off and hurt himself. She noticed how anxious he was--unlike their classmates, who probably didn't even think he could feel anything besides proud and sparkly--and wanted to help in some way.

In classic Ashido fashion, that involved being as intrusive as possible.

Aoyama knew that there was no stopping Ashido, so he didn't try to argue. His anxiety was too strong for him to do anything but comply. When Ashido continued to bug him by making him play some game she had brought, he went along with the motions, but he wasn't mentally there.

It could happen at any minute.

Eventually, his classmates returned, all fresh and clean from their therapeutic experience together. The room got rather noisy as everyone forgot how late it was and instead decided to make everything as chaotic as possible.

Aoyama wanted to disappear.

By "disappear", he didn't mean figuratively--he actually wanted to leave the cabin so the others wouldn't see him. Watching everyone having so much fun together was making his stomach writhe with guilt. He needed to be alone.

But whenever he tried to slip away…

"Yuga! Come over here!"

"Yuga, why don't you join us?"

"Yuuuugaaa!"

Ashido really liked getting involved with his life, huh?

Ashido was forcing him into a tough position. He didn't want to be at this training camp, nor did he want it to happen in the first place. He was having an extremely difficult time just being with his classmates. But Ashido didn't understand any of that. She just saw how uncomfortable he was and assumed he wanted to hurt himself. So she attached herself to his hip, never letting him go that far without calling his name and forcing him to stay.

Every time she interfered, he would reflexively grimace before covering it up with his trademark smirk. Now that everyone was back from the saunas, he couldn't even discuss how much her actions were hurting him. But even if he did...how was he supposed to explain why he was suffering so much?

Aoyama wasn't sure. But he was sure that he needed some space--and right now, he wasn't getting that.

Her persistent presence continued the next day.

"Todoroki, you'll be in charge of the flames; Shoji, you can wash the vegetables over there; and Aoyama...you'll be on chopping duty with Bakugou!"

Iida was doling out tasks to everyone who wanted to help prepare dinner. Aoyama wasn't necessarily offering to help, but Iida was always aware of where each of his classmates were--nobody was getting away without helping.

But the idea of working with Bakugou…

Aoyama decided to grab all of his chopping supplies and move them to the other end of the campsite before he thought about it too much.

Now that he had a task at hand, Aoyama could at least try to distract himself from the inevitable outcome of this camp. But as his hand reached for the knife, it was suddenly ripped out of his sight.

"I got this covered for you; how about you go help Koda prepare the rice?" Ashido casually waved the knife in the air, her excessively obnoxious grin displaying her true thoughts.

She didn't even trust him with a cooking knife.

Aoyama couldn't even tell what he was feeling. Was he annoyed? Was he upset? He was too distracted to worry about something as trivial as identifying his emotions, so he didn't try to argue. "D'accord," he said in passing, refusing to look in Ashido's eyes as he headed towards Koda's station. Thankfully, Ashido didn't bother him again.

Not during dinner, at least.

When they were all finally freed from training that day, everyone was winding down in the cabins like they had yesterday. Aoyama was sitting on his bed, ruminating to no end.

It could be tonight.

It could happen at any minute.

...I'm not prepared for this.

But the cycle of anxiety was too strong, and he was getting caught up in the current like a riptide in the ocean.

What was he supposed to do? He wasn't able to do anything except sit and wait for that terrible event--and it was driving him crazy. The noise from the room was only making things worse. Maybe he could sneak off for a moment--take a quick walk around the outside of the cabin or something. From the looks of it, Ashido was busy doing some weird dancing thing with her friends. Now was his best chance of escaping.

He couldn't even walk two steps without Ashido noticing.

"Hey, Yuga, you're good at dancing, aren't you?" Aoyama stopped in place, flinching with irritation. Ashido gave him no moment to react before racing over and dragging him to the group. "Come on, we need another person in the background! We'll teach you the moves!"

The frustration Aoyama was feeling was making it hard to keep a straight face. He wanted to scream at her to stop. But their classmates were watching. He couldn't say anything.

Now that he was unwillingly brought into the group, everyone had their eyes on him. He feigned a twinkling smile, but he couldn't let himself speak without his tone surely sounding off. Thankfully, Kaminari spoke up first.

"Geez, Mina, you've been bugging him a lot lately!" Aoyama's eyes widened--did Kaminari notice anything off about him? Was his secret in jeopardy? But Kaminari wasn't focused on him. His attention was fully on Ashido. "You're gonna get on his nerves, you know!"

"Oh, not at all!" Suddenly jumping towards him, Ashido slung her arm around Aoyama's neck and affectionately grinned at him. "We're besties now!"

ASHIDO. STOP.

Aoyama forced himself to grin back.

Kaminari and the others didn't seem to be suspicious at all--although Kaminari looked a little puzzled. "Didn't you start talking to him like a week ago?"

Ashido glared back at Kaminari without moving. The arm still wrapped around Aoyama's neck was only making each moment more and more painful. "Yeah, and? We're just that tight. You'd never understand, Denki."

Her tone was mocking, and Kaminari caught on. "Wow, you really replaced me?" he joked right back, faking a hurt expression. "I thought we were friends, Mina Ashido!"

Ashido finally let go of Aoyama, leaving him hollow as if the physical touch sucked out every emotion from his body. She gave Kaminari a playful hug, her face apologetic. "I'd never replace you, Denki Kaminari. You're my bestie too."

"...Fine, I'll forgive you. But only because you let me eat the last spring roll yesterday."

Those two wouldn't be able to joke around so much if they knew what was coming.

"You guys! Are we making this TikTok or what?!" Kirishima popped in between them, holding up his phone. "This hashtag isn't gonna stay trending for long!"

The two class idiots snapped out of their "emotional" moment, their attention immediately directed to the allure of TikTok fame. Before they could get back into their positions, Ashido looked back at Aoyama. But he shook his head. He didn't want to participate. He couldn't.

Ashido was wise enough to drop it, giving him an accepting nod before rushing back into action.

Aoyama felt trapped. He couldn't even isolate himself back on his bed in the corner of the room. He was forced to hang out with the same people he had betrayed. The same people who might die because of him. The same person who was about to get kidnapped.

It was hard for Aoyama to keep on smiling.

The TikTok gang had gone through a few unsuccessful takes before someone brought up the saunas again.

"After today's workout, that's exactly what I need," Yaoyorozu said with an exhausted sigh as she joined the growing group of interested students. It seemed like almost everyone was going--except for Aoyama, who was once again accompanied by Ashido. It was incredibly hard not to snap at her when there were still people around. But her huge grin made him too irritated to stay quiet. "You can go with them if you want, mademoiselle."

"I'm not going unless you're going," she happily said back.

Fait chier, Ashido…

After the others finally left for the saunas, Aoyama and Ashido were alone together for the first time that night. But the wide open room was making him too anxious to have a proper meltdown, so he took his turn at dragging Ashido around and brought her outside.

When he turned back towards her, he lost control of his emotions and snapped, "Why are you doing this?!"

Ashido tilted her head innocently. "Doing what?"

"You know what I mean," he hissed. "You won't leave me alone. You're doing this on purpose."

Ashido abandoned her clueless schtick, her eyes suddenly filled with concern. "I'm just trying to help you. You seem a little off, and I just want to make sure you're safe--"

"I'M NOT A TODDLER!" he suddenly lashed out, his entire body seething from the emotions surging throughout him. "I don't need to be watched over like some little kid! You're making things worse at this point!"

He immediately knew he went too far. He'd never seen Ashido look so hurt from his words before, and it made him feel even more guilty. "I just need some space," he quietly said, averting his gaze before he felt even worse about his actions.

It took a moment for Ashido to recover. "I…" Her voice sounded so fragile and hurt, and it tore Aoyama's conscience apart. Did he really just treat Ashido like that? "Yuga...are you okay?"

"No." The word slipped out before he could think, but he was too upset to care. "Just leave me alone. I would feel better if you gave me some space."

Ashido didn't argue right away. He could see the conflict in her eyes, and it made him wish she could've gone to the saunas so she wouldn't have to see how much he was suffering.

Please, Ashido. You don't know how much this is hurting me.

She was still struggling to speak after his sudden bout of anger. But her worried expression never left her face. "But the cutting...you're just going to--"

"I didn't bring the razor," Aoyama lied. Maybe if he made her think he was safe, she would let him go. "I have no way to hurt myself."

So STOP WORRYING.

Ashido was still frowning, but the glaze in her eyes showed that she was thinking. Then her worry spiked up again. "But the kitchen knives," she fretted, "you could still hurt yourself with tho--"

"Do you really think I would do that? That's not even sanitary." He gazed into her eyes, trying to convey his point as clearly as possible. "I'm not going to hurt myself, Ashido. Stop worrying."

He was being truthful, too. Yes, he was lying about not bringing his blade, but he was far too distracted by his anxiety to properly sit down and cut himself. Also, the fact that he was constantly surrounded--even without Ashido's interference--only strengthened that point.

Aoyama's last words were affecting Ashido. She still wasn't smiling, and she was still looking depressed, but she didn't seem as conflicted anymore. "If you say so...I guess I have to trust you."

Seeing his friend look so upset while saying those words made his heart hurt.

I'm sorry, Ashido. I wish I could explain. I wish I could keep you safe.

But I can't.

I'm so sorry.

-

Now that Aoyama had the freedom to leave the cabin, he didn't hesitate to take advantage of it. The students weren't allowed to stray too far from the camp outside of training hours, so Aoyama couldn't actually wander that far out. But just being outside by himself gave him enough serenity to make it through the night.

Or, at least it should have.

Aoyama was in distress. He had put all of his hopes into this walk to clear his head so he wouldn't be freaking out anymore. But his nerves were still on overdrive. And now there was even more guilt entered into the mix.

Poor Ashido. Aoyama felt awful for hurting her like that. He didn't mean to make her feel so terrible over something that wasn't even that bad. Her intentions were clearly pure.

What an awful person he was.

Maybe he should go back to the cabin now. He'd been sitting for a while, nestled inside a human-sized crevice at the bottom of a tree trunk. Uncovering his face, he slowly got up, forcing his legs to take the path back to the cabin.

I'll just go to bed early and hope that the attack doesn't happen tonight. And if it does, I'll probably wake up anyway.

It didn't make him feel much better about everything that had happened that day, but at least his bed would be comfortable enough to make him feel slightly more at ease.

As he turned the corner, the inside of the cabin came into view. It seemed like the sauna gang had returned because the cabin was crowded again. Interestingly enough, around half of the class was gathered around Ashido, with Hagakure kneeling next to her. Aoyama wasn't sure what that was about--until he saw Ashido's face.

She wasn't as good at hiding her feelings like Aoyama was.

The sudden wave of guilt hit Aoyama like a bullet, and he pathetically hid behind the wall to watch the scene in front of him.

"You say you're fine, but you're clearly not okay!" Kirishima knelt down next to Ashido, but her downcast face barely even looked up at him. "C'mon, Mina, don't lie to us. That's not very manly."

Hagakure was attached to Ashido, her invisible arms wrapped around her friend as she attempted to comfort her. "I don't like seeing you so sad."

"You were perfectly happy before we left for the saunas…" Kaminari's eyebrows were furrowed, the boy deep in thought. Ashido hadn't reacted to anyone yet (besides looking away with that heartbroken expression that hit Aoyama in the gut)--but then Kaminari said something that made her look straight up at him.

"Did Aoyama do something to you?"

Aoyama ducked away before anyone could see him, leaning against the wall as the guilt ate him alive.

He couldn't even put into words how much he regretted his every action that night.

The silence that followed Kaminari's words was too loud for Aoyama's ears. Ashido was about to tell her friends how much Aoyama had hurt her--she was too honest to hide the truth. Then everyone would hate him for being such a monster to someone who only deserved the world.

Maybe that was for the best.

Bracing himself for her inevitable words, he silently parted with his dreams of one day becoming close with his classmates, when…

"No. He didn't do anything."

Aoyama was too shocked to react.

"Really? Because you two stayed back at the cabin for a while, and now you're all sad like this..."

"That's not it, Denki. It's just...I had a long day. That's all."

She was lying for his sake.

"I get that. It takes a true man to get through a day like today. Practice was so rough!"

"Aww, Mina...how about we do something to cheer you up?"

"How about we play truth-or-dare like you said you wanted to?"

"OOOOHH, Kaminari's right! Truth-or-dare would be so fun!"

"...I guess you're right, Toru."

"See, you're already smiling again! Let's get everyone to play!"

Aoyama dared to peek inside. Everyone was rallying around Ashido, who was now breaking out into a genuine smile.

Aoyama became acutely aware of the shadows behind him as the distance between him and his classmates only continued to grow.

-

Ashido stayed true to her word. She never bothered Aoyama about him leaving again. In fact, she didn't even hold a grudge against him.

"You've been working hard with your quirk," Ashido said to him as they all finished their morning training sessions. She felt different--definitely more subdued than her usual jolly self, but she still had a small smile on her face. "Good job."

Uncomfortable at the idea of talking to the girl whose heart he broke last night, he couldn't do more than force a response. "Toi aussi."

"I...don't have my textbook."

Aoyama's heart ached. "It means 'you too'."

"Oh."

It didn't take long for them to part ways.

It was clear that Ashido was still affected by what he had said yesterday. While her classmates had managed to cheer her up last night, she was still noticeably quiet--especially around Aoyama. She must have really taken his words to heart.

Aoyama was too exhausted to let his guilt amplify even more. All of his emotions from the past few days have taken a huge toll on him, and now he just felt numb. His only goal was to get through this training camp. He didn't care about anything else besides that. He couldn't afford to care when that only made him hurt even more in the end.

So he went on autopilot.

He still had no idea when this attack was supposed to happen. It was already their third day and he hadn't heard anything about it from the villains or his parents. It almost gave him a false sense of security--maybe this attack was just a ruse to see if the villains could actually trust him? If so, they better appreciate how much he fucked up his life just for their sake.

For their sake, and All For One's sake.

That afternoon, right before training was over for the day, Aizawa said something that immediately caught everyone's interest.

"If you guys keep it up, we have something special planned for you tomorrow."

Everyone started freaking out, begging Aizawa to say more. But that was all he said before he dismissed practice. "Don't make me regret saying that too soon."

Aoyama didn't know what to make of that, so he pushed it out of his mind. It probably wasn't anything important.

Aoyama soon learned that he was mistaken. Very mistaken.

The next day, the only thought on everyone's minds was that special surprise. But Aizawa remained adamant on keeping it a secret until he felt it was appropriate to share. That moment happened at the end of the last training session for the day.

"If you all are so excited to find out, then I guess now's the best time to tell you:

"You'll be having a scaring contest."

Aizawa went into the details. Class A and B would face off against each other to see which team was the scariest (based on how well they used their quirks--gotta put that education to good use!). It would happen late at night in the middle of the forest where the teachers couldn't monitor the students. Everyone would split up into pairs and go through a predetermined path to try and make it through without the other class scaring them too much.

It was at that moment that Aoyama knew exactly when the villains would attack.

This had to be it. If the villains knew that this contest was happening, then they already knew how perfect of an opportunity it was. Free range of the students with little interference from the teachers in complete darkness? What could be better!

Aoyama could not even begin to describe how terrible he felt at that moment. And it only continued to worsen as the sun began to set, the pitch-black forest creating the perfect stage for the strongly anticipated event of the night.

Finally, it was time for the attack.

-

"Aoyama, are you coming?"

The thick summer trees nearly blocked Yaoyorozu out of Aoyama's sight. She had told him to watch out for any scarers in the back while she scoped the area ahead, but he could barely keep up without falling behind.

Aoyama was not paying attention at all. His mind was an absolute mess. He could barely keep his gait steady as he constantly tripped over his two feet just trying to walk normally.

It was futile. There was no way he was calming down tonight.

When he finally kept his pace up with Yaoyorozu, he ended up being more of a hindrance than anything. Every time a Class 1-B member would try to scare them, he'd flinch so hard that she would be more scared by his reaction than the actual scare. Thankfully, the contest disguised the actual reason why he was so freaked out. Yaoyorozu just thought he was a bit of a scaredy-cat--which he could tell from her awkward frown. But she never questioned it, instead trying to share some encouraging words.

"If you clear your mind, it might help you be a little less…jumpy." She stopped on the top of the tiny slope in front of her, giving him a kindhearted smile as if it would help calm his jitters.

She had no idea what was about to happen.

He spoke a quiet "oui" before they set off again.

Around ten minutes had passed since the two of them had started their trek into the forest. So far, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. No screams of (actual) terror, no unprompted ambushes, no signs of tempering from the villains…

Then something rose up from the ground.

Something that was clearly not from any of the students.

"Is that…" Yaoyorozu stared at the purple gas quickly permeating the area, her eyes widening with realization.

"It's poisonous gas!"

Aoyama couldn't breathe.

No no no no NO NO--

The villains had arrived. It was finally happening.

The attack began.

Yaoyorozu noticed his inability to breathe properly, and like a true hero, she rushed to help him first. Sparks of light appeared from her chest as she generated a mask with her Creation quirk. "Quick, Aoyama, put this on!" She thrusted a gas mask into his chest. "The gas is already getting to you!"

Aoyama was too disassociated to think about how incorrect her assumption was. At Yaoyorozu's urging, he managed to put the gas mask on. Eventually, she made one for herself too--along with a bunch of extras. "Come on, we have to give these to the others before they get hurt by the gas!"

Aoyama could only move because Yaoyorozu forced him to.

They found more people ahead. Jiro and Hagakure had been knocked out from the poison. A few students from Class B were trying to help--to no avail. Yaoyorozu ran into the scene, tossing some masks to the Class B members while heading towards her own classmates. "Help me put these on them!" she yelled to nobody in particular.

She was probably talking to Aoyama, but the Class B members stepped in first. It's not like he could do anything but stare in absolute horror.

Jiro...Hagakure…

The guilt was so strong that Aoyama was completely immobilized in place.

Jiro's and Hagakure's faces were soon protected by the gas masks--although they were still passed out. Yaoyorozu was already planning their next actions. She pointed back at Aoyama. "Aoyama, you bring these two back to camp! We'll go around and deliver these masks!"

Yaoyorozu took his lack of a reaction as a yes and turned towards the Class B members, shoving a handful of masks in their hands. "Go on ahead. Split up if you must. We have to make sure everyone is safe."

"Do you think this is a villain attack?" one of the boys asked, his eyes reflecting the fear slowly settling over the group.

"...We shouldn't think about that right now." Yaoyorozu ran ahead, beckoning the others to follow--who eventually obeyed her command.

Then Aoyama was alone with the bodies of his two classmates.

It was safe to say that he had never felt this terrible in his entire life. He couldn't even think one proper thought. All he saw was the spreading gas and his two classmates passed out on the ground--and his brain completely malfunctioned.

What should I do?!

He caused this attack. He was the reason why people might actually die. Like Jiro and Hagakure in front of him.

He would've puked by now if he didn't have the gas mask on.

Still in a state of panic, he did the best thing he could think of--drag the girls' bodies behind a bush so he could recuperare and consider his options.

Or just slow down his racing, guilt-filled heart.

Aoyama remained in that position for a while. He folded his hands over his face, covering his eyes in a desperate attempt to escape the disaster in front of him. But the cries of fear only echoed louder and louder. He could identify the voices of each scream. Kendo. Uraraka. Asui. Komori. Koda.

Then a voice boomed in his ears--which he soon realized was Mandalay's Telepathy quirk.

"We now know what the villains are trying to do! They are trying to capture a student named Kacchan! If you are Kacchan, avoid battle and return to camp!!"

Aoyama almost forgot about that. He was too distracted by how much everything around him was falling apart. If the villains captured Bakugou, then that would be the end of the attack, right?

...Was it bad that he was hoping that Bakugou would get kidnapped already?

After around ten minutes of sitting in pure anguish, the scene around Aoyama started to change. The gas dispersed until the air was clear again. Aoyama slowly took off his mask, confirming that the air was indeed poison-free.

Someone must have defeated the gas villain.

That should be good, right? His classmates were taking care of the villains. Maybe they could beat up the villains and keep Bakugou out of their hands. Then this training camp wouldn't be such a disaster.

But the screams from afar only continued. The students and the villains were still fighting.

Maybe...I should do something…?

He'd been crouching in the same spot for a while now. But now that he had some time to recover...it spurred him to act.

Maybe I can help in some way.

It was now or never. Sitting around wouldn't make him feel any less guilty. He slowly turned his head, peeking over the top of the bush to make sure the coast was clear, when…

"Look who it is!"

That was no classmate of Aoyama's. The tall, dark-haired man standing a few yards away from him was none other than the patchwork dude. His ice-blue eyes gazed right into Aoyama's soul, almost as if they were mocking him. "Did you get therapy for your problem yet?"

Aoyama flinched.

The patchwork man was not alone. Next to him was another man who was wearing a black latex suit. He popped out of the darkness, staring at the patchwork man with his blank white eyes. "Dabi, you're not supposed to socialize with the enemy!! Let's have a chat with them!"

"Oh, he's no enemy." Dabi slowly strided towards Aoyama like a cat stalking its prey. His sinister gaze made it hard for Aoyama to not hide behind the bush like a pathetic coward. "He's the traitor working with the big man All For One."

Dabi's friend gawked at Aoyama, as if he didn't believe Dabi's description. "He looks like a little kid!"

"Na, he's the same age as everyone else here." But Dabi's unimpressed expression showed that he didn't consider Aoyama much more than a child.

Now that Aoyama was in contact with the people who were in charge of this attack, he needed to know what exactly was going on--and what else was planned. "Where's Bakugou?" he quickly asked, the two men staring with surprise as if they didn't even think he had the capability to speak. "Did you capture him?"

Dabi twisted his head, devilish pleasure in his eyes. "We sure did. We're taking our leave now. But not before getting some last minute ambushing done."

Last minute ambushing?!

Aoyama's worry urged him to speak before he could stop himself. "What does that mean? I thought you were only supposed to capture Bakugou?"

Dabi shrugged his shoulders. "That's what we want you to think. We're not leaving without letting your friends know that we're not here to mess around. This is serious business." He turned away slightly, his eyes still centered on Aoyama. "It's not like we're gonna kill anyone unless we need to."

Aoyama didn't know how to respond to that.

Out of the blue, the latex man materialized in front of Aoyama, and the cowering boy nearly jumped out of his skin. The man stuck out his hand, his blank eyes displaying how friendly he was despite his face being completely covered by his suit. "As a League of Villains member, let me introduce myself! I am Twice." He reached for Aoyama's unmoving hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you, fellow villain! Go die in a hole."

Aoyama wasn't sure what part surprised him more--the fact that this man just told him to die in a hole or that he just called him a villain.

His heart sank when he realized how true that last part was.

Considering his less-than-heroic actions...he really was a villain.

Now getting impatient, Dabi started off in the direction they had originally been walking towards. "C'mon Twice, let's go. It's not meet-and-greet hour. I can't have people seeing me mingle with the traitor when we're still trying to keep his identity a secret." He turned his disdainful gaze towards Aoyama once again. "And you--go back to your campsite. Bring your little girl friends over there so you at least look like a hero." He narrowed his eyes. "And stay out of our business."

"So long, new comrade! I never want to see you again."

Aoyama could only stare as the two men walked away.

After sitting around for so long, Aoyama had thought his decision was to finally step in and fix the situation. Running away from his problems hadn't been solving anything. But now that his conversation with the villains was over, Aoyama's identity was in shambles.

No hero would ever cause something like this.

Getting lost in his despair once again, Aoyama crouched further back into his spot, painfully aware of how still the bodies of his friends looked.

It truly felt like his entire world was ending.

Aoyama wanted to stop the villains' "ambushing." He really did. But at that point, his emotions had rendered him useless. He was frozen in place, knowing he could only move again once he was certain that the attack was over and he didn't have to watch his classmates suffer anymore.

Then he heard more yelling.

This time, the screams were different. They were more desperate. More terrified.

"KACCHAN!!"

...Was that Midoriya's voice?

Aoyama didn't quite understand how his next actions happened. But before he knew it, his body had jumpstarted, and he was running towards the noise as if his life depended on it.

He was able to see everything behind the shadows of the undergrowth. A few of Aoyama's classmates were standing off against a small number of the villains. At the center of the attention was a masked magician, who held two shiny marbles in between his fingers. It didn't take Aoyama long to see why his classmates seemed so concerned about those marbles.

"He's got Bakugou and Tokoyami," Shoji hissed to himself.

Todoroki might as well have used his quirk on Aoyama because his blood ran ice cold in an instant.

They have both Bakugou and Tokoyami…!!

The panic rushing through his body was making it hard for Aoyama to interpret what was going on around him. Time started to move in odd intervals, and before long, things began to change. Purple warp holes that Aoyama recognized as Kurogiri's quirk sprouted in front of each villain, and the villains began hopping through them. A blonde-haired girl jumped first, then Twice, then a lizard man. Aoyama's classmates helplessly stared with wide, terrified eyes as the magician backed into the warp hole. Aoyama could only stare along with them as his mind raced at speeds it had never reached before, a flurry of thoughts so intense he thought he was immobilized all over again. But then Midoriya's decimated body slumped to the ground, the boy so devastated he was screaming with grief, and Aoyama's breath immediately stopped.

Aoyama wasn't even aware of what his hands were doing. But somehow, despite his mind being as chaotic as it was, he had managed to grab his belt, aim it towards the magician, and fire his laser straight towards the magician's face.

Aoyama had shut his eyes tight the entire time. He couldn't bear to open them back up once his laser faded. Did he hit the magician? Did he save Tokoyami and Bakugou?

Then he heard Midoriya's mournful cry, and he knew he had failed.

Bakugou had been kidnapped.

-

Aoyama's memories of the events that followed were extremely fuzzy yet extremely vivid at the same time. Out of everything that happened, there were two things that stood out: Midoriya's destroyed body and Ashido's reaction to the attack.

Just seeing how badly Midoriya had injured both of his limbs was excruciating enough. Shoji had to carry the poor boy back--who wasn't even conscious at that point. It was the hardest walk of Aoyama's life.

Ashido's reaction was just as painful.

Aoyama hadn't been as worried about her since she was stuck at the campsite attending a supplemental class with a few of the others. It was the only good thing about this attack.

Nobody really focused on Aoyama that night since his injuries were nonexistent compared to some of the others. But Ashido did. After running up to Shoji to see Midoriya's atrocious injuries, she turned her worried gaze towards Aoyama.

"Oh my god," she expressed, running over and giving him a short hug. He was horrified to see that her face looked just as devastated as Midoriya's. And yet, she was more concerned about Aoyama than anything. "I'm so glad you're okay, Yuga."

Static noise.

They watched together as the EMTs stormed the scene, heading straight towards Midoriya and yelling words that Aoyama didn't understand. Ashido's eyes were deep with emotion. "How could this happen…?"

There was nothing he could do but stand there and endure the guilt.

The next thing he remembered was finally getting back home. Everyone had been driven back to the school so they could return home early--in case the villains planned to attack again. It was unlikely, but after getting attacked out of the blue, the teachers didn't want to risk it.

The morning sun was just peeking over the horizon as Aoyama opened the front door to his house.

His parents were wide awake, watching the breaking news on the television.

At the sight of their son, they rushed over, and Aoyama collapsed in his mother's arms and started sobbing.

There was nothing his parents could do to console him. His mother couldn't do anything but helplessly cradle her son, the presence of their manipulator at the forefront of their minds.

It was a dark morning.

-

Aoyama went straight to his room after that.

It was hard enough holding all of his feelings in when he was stuck on the bus with all of his heartbroken classmates. Now that he was in the company of his family, he was an emotional mess.

He didn't want to subject them to that.

What was Aoyama supposed to do? He had just caused the most horrendous crime that had ever happened to UA--and it wouldn't leave his mind. A ward-wide alert had popped up on his phone, warning everyone in the area to stay indoors and alert authorities about any suspicious figures. The school principal had sent an email to all of the students apologizing for his lack of insight of the coming attack with the promise that he and the staff would do better next time. The television downstairs was still blaring about how ruthlessly the villains attacked the innocent students--including a plain-looking boy who had been injured so badly that he was in a concussion. 

How the hell was Aoyama supposed to just live with that?!

He couldn't. He was at the mercy of the most unbearable, painful guilt he had ever experienced. It was suffocating his entire body, refusing to loosen its grip or even let him think about anything except his classmates' terrified expressions and blood-curdling cries. Every single one of his thoughts was consumed by the events of last night. He couldn't escape it.

Still caught in the middle of his breakdown, he locked the door and lunged for his secret spot.

Please. PLEASE.

If this didn't work, he didn't know what else he would do.

His hands wouldn't stop trembling the entire time he cut himself.

It was bad. Aoyama lost all control as soon as he walked into his room, and it was apparent in the bloody massacre in front of him. He had aimed straight for his healing cut knowing that it would hurt more than if he had started all over. The depth was more than he'd ever achieved before.

But there was no relief.

The images were still stuck in his mind.

At the realization of his last resort failing, the final flame of hope died out, and Aoyama completely crumbled.

"It's not working," he choked, the hiccups from his breakdown making it hard for him to speak in anything but nearly incoherent babbling. "It's not working, it's not working…"

It was a dark morning indeed.

-

The depression continued.

Both of Aoyama's parents took off from work that day. They weren't as affected by the attack as Aoyama was, but they still wanted to support him. Unfortunately, he was far too traumatized for any sort of support to really help, so they couldn't actually do much. But being as stubbornly caring as they were, they tried anyways.

"Mon chou, do you want me to make you lunch?"

"I think a few rounds of checkers would be fun, don't you?"

"...How about I give you a hug?"

Aoyama was too depressed to respond.

At first, he wouldn't leave his room--partially because his cut wouldn't stop bleeding and partially because he didn't want to be around his parents. But he soon learned that they were feeling the same way he did, and he became more comfortable being around them. They knew he wasn't happy, but they weren't entirely happy themselves. At least he had people he could commiserate with.

He had no need to disguise his pain at home. But he was forced to put on his mask once again when his school scheduled mental evaluations for everyone.

"It's to make sure that all of you who were affected by the attack are psychologically fit to return to school," Principal Nezu had stated in the email he had sent that afternoon. "I attached a list of when each student will speak with the professional therapist via video chat. Please make all effort to attend--or we will have to temporarily suspend you until we have proof that you are mentally fit. Thank you."

Aoyama didn't even feel that bad lying to the therapist.

Once he fibbed his way through the evaluation, he resumed suffering through his depressive episode. It wasn't until the afternoon two days after the attack that he was contacted by his school.

Or, rather, someone from this school.

Tenya Iida: Aoyama,

Good day! I am planning a classwide trip to the hospital. Midoriya is still unconscious, but I, along with a few others, think that being in the company of his classmates will help him wake up. Will you be joining us?!

Cheers! :-)

...Midoriya still hasn't woken up.

There was nothing Aoyama wanted to do less than see the pain he had inflicted onto one of his favorite classmates.

Still, if Iida said that he invited the whole class, and if everyone besides Aoyama showed up...wouldn't that be awfully suspicious?

Aoyama's feelings didn't matter. If he wanted to protect his secret--along with his parents' lives--he would have to endure a visit to the hospital. So he begrudgingly accepted Iida's offer.

It turned out that Aoyama's hunches were right. Every single Class 1-A member was at the hospital--well, excluding the obvious missing person, but Aoyama didn't want to think about that.

Aoyama was the last one to arrive. All of his classmates were hanging out in the second-floor waiting room. It was an odd feeling seeing them all again.

And by "odd" he meant terrible. Nauseating. The opposite of anything positive.

The happiness that appeared on his classmates' faces as he walked in only made it hurt more.

"Looks like we're all here then," Tokoyami commented as Aoyama forced himself to sit with the group. The bird of darkness gave a short nod to the newcomer. "Welcome."

"Bonjour," he heartlessly recited.

If all of his classmates (excluding Bakugou) were there, then that meant Ashido had to be there, too. And sure enough, as soon as she noticed Aoyama's presence, she darted towards him. Unlike the end of the training camp, her face was strangely void of any misery or pain--she only looked happy to see him.

She's not mad about our argument…?

"Yuga, hi!" Interestingly enough, she grabbed his hand and tugged on it. "It's so nice to see you!" There was something artificial in her voice, and she purposely glanced at the door, almost as if…

Oh. She wants to talk to me in private.

That couldn't be good.

He made some excuse to his other classmates before walking off with Ashido. She brought him to the end of the hallway outside of the waiting room--the farthest spot from any possible eavesdroppers.

Aoyama nervously gulped, uncertain of what Ashido had planned.

Ashido didn't stall. Quickly abandoning her subdued manner, she gaped at Aoyama. "You predicted the attack, didn't you?"

...Did she just figure out his secret?

His world beginning to fall apart, Aoyama tried to conjure up some excuse that would direct the attention away from him--but then Ashido elaborated.

"You were smart enough to guess it was going to happen! Now it seems so obvious--all of us students stranded out in the middle of nowhere? Or course the villains are gonna try to find us!" Ashido gave him an impressed smile. "I can't believe you could predict it like that. That's what you meant by the whole 'bad things will happen', right? And you wanting me to fail the final so I wouldn't have to go? And how you were so antsy at the camp and you freaked out at me? It makes total sense!" Her smile lessened a bit, a hint of regret in the gesture. "Although I wish you would've told me. Maybe other people wouldn't have believed you, but I would've!"

It sounded like Ashido just thought he was good at guessing. She didn't think that Aoyama was part of the reason why the attack happened. The thought probably didn't even cross her mind. She probably thought he was too heroic to do something so evil.

Such a pure-hearted girl didn't deserve to be around a villain like him.

"By the way, I forgive you for what happened at the camp," Ashido added. "I get that you were having a hard time. So you don't have to worry about it. We'll just move on from now, alright?"

I should be the one who's apologizing.

Aoyama almost couldn't find the right words to say. Actually, he didn't--but he had to say something. "Merci, Ashido." He awkwardly stared at her. "I'm glad you get it."

Ignoring the fact that she most certainly did not get it.

"Aww, yay! I'm glad we're friends again!" She squashed herself against him in another short hug. When she let go, she was already walking away--but not towards the waiting room. "Let's go downstairs. Momo Yao, Kyoka, and Toru are down there. You haven't seen them yet, have you?"

At the sound of those names, Aoyama froze.

Those were the people he was directly involved with during the attack.

And they were all still in the hospital.

Aoyama stepped back towards the waiting room. "I can see them another time, mademoiselle," he quickly refused, hoping he could avoid Ashido's forceful tactics of pushing him around. Her disappointed frown made him pause in place.

Was it more suspicious if he didn't want to visit them?

"You don't want to say hi?" Ashido took a cautious step closer, obviously wanting to give him the space to choose without forcefully dragging him along. "They would really love to see you. Actually, only Momo is awake right now. Kyoka and Toru still haven't woken up from the attack, so we won't have to spend long in their rooms."

Was that better or worse? Not being able to talk to them, but also knowing that he was the reason why they were still knocked out?

Ultimately, Ashido's reasoning made sense. If he had any control over "fixing the situation" like he had wanted to during the attack, then this was a good start. Even if it really didn't change anything.

So he followed her.

Despite Ashido's words of comfort, it was still incredibly hard for Aoyama to see his injured classmates. Yaoyorozu looked unnaturally drowsy and weak, but she still smiled at Aoyama's presence. "You made it out okay."

Aoyama tried to suppress the emotions that threatened to come out.

Jiro and Hagakure weren't any easier, even if they couldn't talk to him. When he finally regrouped with the rest of his classmates in the waiting room, he was feeling pretty uncomfortable. He had no idea how he was supposed to visit Midoriya when he could barely look at the others. But when Kaminari ran into the room with the news that Midoriya was finally awake, Aoyama had no choice but to follow the crowd.

The guilt was so strong that when he walked into Midoriya's room, he ducked behind Kaminari so he wouldn't have to see how severe his classmate's injuries were. But people started talking, and Kaminari started moving, and all of a sudden, Midoriya's body was in full view.

His arms had been so badly injured that they were completely wrapped up in medical tape.

Midoriya…

Midoriya risked his body and life just to save his childhood friend from Aoyama's poor decisions.

It was a painful sight.

-

Can things get any worse than this?

That was the question Aoyama asked himself as his classmates started arguing.

The argument was almost too bizarre for him to understand. Kirishima and Todoroki were trying to convince Midoriya to go as a group to save Bakugou? How?! Did they not see how cruel the villains were?

And yet, that's what they wanted Midoriya to do. Thankfully, around half of the class was against that decision. Even Aoyama spoke up against it. He couldn't let his classmates get hurt again.

But he had spent enough time around his classmates to know that no amount of words could stop them. If they had a plan to stop Bakugou, then they were getting it done.

Aoyama didn't know what to do when he got home.

"How did the visit go, mon chou?" His mother was starting dinner preparations, her concerned eyes no longer on the ingredients in front of her. Aoyama could tell that she was very worried about how the visit had affected him--and she wasn't wrong to worry about that.

"They said they're going to try and save Bakugou," he said without emotion, stepping in to help with the cooking.

Aoyama's mother stopped what she was doing. "What do you mean, save Bakugou? Don't they know how dangerous that is?!"

"That's what I was thinking." He frowned at the celery in front of him. "But they would never listen. Risking their lives for others is what they do, even if it's pointless."

It's the exact opposite of what I did.

Aoyama didn't need to verbalize those words. His mother heard them loud and clear through his dejected face. "I understand…" she said quietly.

They continued to prepare their meal in silence.

-

Aoyama was never directly told of what Midoriya's decision had been. He didn't need to--he found out on the television.

His mother had urgently called Aoyama's name, so astonished that she was unable to do anything besides point at the television. Aoyama couldn't comprehend what was displayed on the screen.

Midoriya and the rest of the rescue group had flung themselves through the air with Bakugou in their grasp while All For One and All Might were dueling in the background.

TU TE FOUS DE MOI?!

Aoyama was in disbelief. It almost didn't seem real. Like the gods took Aoyama's worst nightmares and twisted them into a scenario so bizarre that it was more like a sick joke than anything else.

But no. This was actually happening.

"What is happening?!" he asked, his surprise beginning to wane away until it was replaced with pure fear. All Might looked confident as ever. But did he understand how much of a monster All For One was? The sheer amount of quirks he had? How quickly he could kill someone with the flick of his finger?

If All Might actually died at the hands of All For One, Aoyama would be to blame because All Might had only gone to All For One's location to rescue his student. All For One would get his wish to destroy the Symbol of Peace and live in a world where he was the sole savior the world needed.

Aoyama would never forgive himself if that happened.

There was so much at stake here. The future of the world was in All Might's hands...would he be able to protect it?

At first, it didn't seem likely. All Might--the unbeatable powerhouse of the world, might he add--became so weakened that he transformed into a skinny, boney man. According to All For One, that was his true form, and his muscled form was just an illusion. The cameras recording the fight clearly showed the lack of hope in All Might's eyes, and it was terrifying. Aoyama was on the brink of falling into a permanent depression if All For One got what he wanted. The world would be forever changed if All Might died. He absolutely had to win this.

Aoyama couldn't turn his eyes away. Sitting on the couch with his legs pulled close to him, he put his hand on his mouth, his eyes permanently glued to the screen as he watched the situation begin to change.

It was like the world was screaming, "COME ON, ALL MIGHT!"

Before long, Aoyama and his parents were screaming it too.

The hope surged back into All Might's eyes--and body. He was only transformed halfway through, with his muscled form and his deflated form mixed together, but he didn't hesitate as he collided with All For One for one last punch.

All Might was the last man standing.

He raised his fist into the air.

All For One had been defeated.

The room was silent at first. Aoyama and his parents were too shocked to believe it. Did All Might just...was All For One really…

Then the police cars surrounded All For One's knocked-out body.

They restrained him and took him away.

Slowly but surely, the doubt muddling Aoyama's mind faded away until it was completely clear, like the clouds in the sky parting ways to reveal the answer Aoyama he had desperately wanted for so long–

This wasn't a dream. All Might had defeated his manipulator. All For One was gone for good.

Pure ecstasy rushed through Aoyama's veins as he quickly turned towards his parents, the three of them sharing the happiest expressions they've ever had in their entire lives.

They were finally free.

-

It was like all of Aoyama's problems had disappeared in an instant. All that self-hatred and self-mutilation? Who needed that when All For One was gone!

Much like All Might, Aoyama had completely transformed--only his transformation was beautiful and necessary. He wasn't depressed anymore. He could be around people again without being in constant fear that he'd hurt him. He could enjoy his time at UA for the first time in his life.

His crops were watered, his face was cleared, and the storms were gone. Aoyama was a new man.

His parents were beyond elated too. The shackles that had been holding them back for years were finally broken, and they were free to live as the people they had always wanted to be. Their gestures of love actually felt genuine and not shadowed by the fear that had haunted them for so long. Even their everyday movements were lighter and more carefree than ever. They didn't feel like the same people anymore.

Was this really the end of All For One's reign? Aoyama's heart truly believed it. But there was something in the back of his brain that was nagging him. All For One wasn't actually dead yet. Yes, Aoyama had found out that the police were sending All For One to the most heavily-guarded prison in Japan, but…

All For One was a powerful, powerful man.

Aoyama never spent too much time thinking about that. If All For One hadn't escaped in the 24 hours that followed his arrest, then that probably meant that he wasn't strong enough to escape. He was gone for good.

Aoyama was beyond thrilled to live in this new life of freedom with his parents. But that wouldn't be the case for long. His school decided to set up a dorm system for the students to live in--most likely because it was safer having all of the students housed nearby than send them home every day where the villains could easily attack.

Aoyama's parents tried to be enthusiastic, but he could tell that they were torn. They wanted him to have a chance at a normal school life, but they also wanted to spend that time with him.

Ultimately, they pushed aside their needs and allowed him to go.

"Are you sure you can carry all of those boxes inside?" his father asked once the U-haul truck arrived at the new dorms. The tall, fancy buildings seemed to intimidate his father because he looked quite nervous. His mother looked the same way.

"I got it, papa," Aoyama assured him, eagerly hopping out of the car door and already getting to work carrying his hoard of boxes out. He already had his whole room planned out perfectly in his mind. He didn't know the dimensions of the room, but he could make it work no matter how big or small it was. The very idea of being able to decorate his own room without his parents' influence was more than enough to make him giddy with glee.

He felt so happy, and it was such a great change.

After dragging his boxes to the door, he decided that it was probably time that he took matters into his own hands. Meaning: saying goodbye to his parents.

The thought of it was painful, but Aoyama couldn't be with them forever. He had a new life to live--with his classmates and without All For One!

"I'll make sure to message you every day," Aoyama promised after he had told his parents his plan. They tried to hide their feelings with their shaky smiles, but their sadness was obvious. This wouldn't be easy for them. Had they ever lived more than a week without Aoyama? Not that he could remember.

Becoming emotional, his mother ran up to him and gave him the comforting hug she always specialized in. "Oh Yuga, we'll miss you so much…" Before long, his father joined in, and they shared this delicate moment together. His parents' love poured out from their actions, giving Aoyama the confidence that this change was good for everyone.

No more shady business. I'm starting over, and my parents will have my back no matter what.

Aoyama didn't want to stall the inevitable. They parted ways, promising that they would all stay in contact, and Aoyama finally stepped into the dorm for the very first time.

"Aww, that was so cute! Were those your parents?"

Aoyama immediately recognized that voice. Ashido sat on the top of the sofa in the near distance, dangerously balancing herself as she regarded him with her friendly face. The sight of his good friend gave Aoyama a rush of delight, and he grinned back, sparkles popping up around him.

"Bonjour, Ashido! Oui, those were mes parents!"

His other classmates said hi as well, and Aoyama enthusiastically greeted them back. It was exciting being able to talk guilt-free.

...Well, mostly guilt-free.

"You sure look happy today!" Ashido jumped off of the couch and walked over to him, and Aoyama nodded at her words. He was definitely happy, and it made him even happier that someone noticed.

When Ashido didn't stop walking and instead went right past him, he became confused--only to see her pick up one of his boxes. "Need some help?"

"S'il te plaît!"

Ashido, being the sweet girl she was, helped him bring all of his boxes up. He was on the second floor--right next to Midoriya, how lucky!

"I'm up on the fourth floor with Uraraka," Ashido said after she took up the last box, plopping unceremoniously onto the floor. "Whew, that was tiring."

"I appreciate you helping, mon amie," Aoyama said, already starting to rummage through his boxes. If he put his dresser there...and moved the bed there...and maybe spread out his collection of mirrors all throughout the room…

"Hey, Yuga, can I ask you something?" Pulled out of his thoughts, Aoyama turned to Ashido. She looked a little embarrassed. "I need help with my room. I want it to actually look good but I don't have the artistic touch you have."

Flattered that she went to him first, he sparkled back. "Ah, you've come to the right man for the job! Designing rooms is my passion!" As Ashido happily got back up, he asked, "What part do you need help with?"

Ashido scratched her chin. "Umm...all of it?" Aoyama couldn't help but laugh.

"I can help, pas de problème."

Her room was still in boxes when they arrived.

"So I tried to copy the color theme from that one room you designed in Animal Crossing," she started, pulling out striped pink-and-black curtains and some similar-colored pillows. "I think it looks okay, but I don't have a good eye for this kinda thing. What do you think?"

Now this was the style Aoyama associated with Ashido.

"I think it looks merveilleux," he kindly said, kneeling next to her to peek into her box. "And your lampshade is the same color too! No ugly green chandeliers this time!"

"Shut up, Yuga! Those chandeliers were temporary!!" She predictably started pounding his back with her fists, and Aoyama couldn't help but relish the familiar act of violence. He really missed being around Ashido. The training camp made him think that their friendship was about to end, but now it felt more real than ever.

And now that All For One was gone, he could actually reciprocate the friendship.

The smile that Aoyama flashed at his friend had never been so permanent.

It felt so good to be free.

-

Aoyama decorated two rooms that day: Ashido's and his own. By the end of the day, he was flat-out exhausted.

At least I can sleep in the comfort of my sparkly bedsheets.

Sure enough, he had no difficulty sleeping that night.

School started up again. Considering the last time the students saw the teachers was during the summer camp, the attack was the big topic of the week. It was very uncomfortable, but none of the teachers ever asked the question of "how did that private information get out?", so Aoyama was never put on the spot (directly or indirectly). Still, it was hard seeing how tired every teacher looked. The attack obviously put a lot of stress on them. It made Aoyama feel a little bad.

But it was never enough to stop him from being happy.

The first two weeks of school went smoothly. Now that he was around his classmates 24/7, he was beginning to feel more comfortable around them. Their moments of joy became his moments of joy--whether it was somebody gaining a new skill with their quirk or Kaminari getting his finger stuck in the shower drain again. It was like Aoyama was a part of the group...almost like he was an equal.

With All For One gone, that was finally possible.

But there was always a part of Aoyama that held back. That's just the sad truth of being controlled by one of the cruelest villains in the world for years on end. He could never truly shake off the feelings that came from All For One's manipulation. Aoyama would always be the UA traitor, no matter how much he wanted to change the past.

And that's why the bad feelings resurfaced.

Aoyama should've been done with the cutting by now. What reason did he have to continue when he wasn't weighed down by the same problems anymore? He thought he'd been feeling just fine ever since All For One was incarcerated. Ashido wasn't even worried about him anymore--she hadn't needed to check in with his self-harm for days. Things were improving. Everything was going to be okay.

But he could feel it. The bad feelings were growing stronger again.

Maybe it was a bad idea to restock his blade collection before he moved into the dorms.

It was the end of another long day. Aoyama had been out with his classmates attending an afterschool class, and afterwards they had all hung out in the common area until people started crashing and Iida decided for the group that it was time for everyone to rest.

Now Aoyama was alone in his room.

He didn't understand. He just had a good day. Nothing wrong had happened. But for some reason, Aoyama's heart was heavy, his mind was muddled, and his body longed for pain.

Why did he want to cut again?!

It had been over two weeks since that one terrible relapse right after the attack. All of his scars had healed, only leaving faint marks except for the big one that only remained as a bumpy line down his forearm. Overall, it was a clean slate. One that he wanted to destroy all over again.

Okay. He knew that didn't make sense. This was just a bad feeling that he only needed to ignore for a while, and surely it would go away soon. So he found something else to spend his time doing.

Animal Crossing Let's Plays on YouTube. Splendide.

...Oooh, is that an Animal Crossing conspiracy video? Yes please!

It only took him a few minutes to know that it wasn't working. No amount of Tom Nook's lovelife theories or infinite bell-making tips could stop the magnet pull of the blade.

Why is this so hard to ignore…?

At first, Aoyama had viewed this as a hurdle he needed to get over. But now he really thought he was going to relapse. He couldn't get his mind off of it. And he wasn't tired enough to fall asleep--not without getting lost in his thoughts from the lack of distractions, therefore only leading him closer to self-harming.

Aoyama didn't know what to do.

Something about the indecisiveness of that moment reminded him of one of his previous self-harming sessions--the one where he'd spent hours sitting in place, too conflicted to do anything. The one where he spent the whole time staring at his phone trying to send a message to Ashido.

Aoyama never actually sent the message. And after that day, he never tried to again.

...Should he do it now?

He shouldn't actually be considering it. Wasn't he trying to distance his bad side from Ashido? Push away the negative parts of himself so he wouldn't hurt her again like he'd done in the past? Not be such a thorn in her side anymore? Let her enjoy the good parts of her life that she more than deserved?

Those excuses would normally make Aoyama give up on the spot. But there was something different about that night. He'd been clean for such a long time now, and he wanted to keep it that way. Those nights where he turned to self-harming were some of the hardest nights of his life. He didn't want to go through that ever again.

Tired of the mind olympics his brain always liked to put him through, Aoyama stopped, grabbed his phone, and typed out a simple message.

Yuga Aoyama: It's Aoyama, you said to contact you when I need it

He thought for a moment.

Yuga Aoyama: Voilà ☆

Bonus points for the French words, right?

After sending the messages, Aoyama sat back, spacing out for a moment.

Did he really just do that?

It almost seemed wrong--he wasn't supposed to be reaching out for help. This was all his problem in the first place. Was getting Ashido involved again really a good idea?

The doubts started to spread through Aoyama's mind, and he became worried.

Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe he should've just suffered by himself. Maybe his urges weren't that strong and he was roping Ashido in when it wasn't even necessary. Maybe she was tired and she needed to sleep after such a long day but Aoyama's message was only stressing her out because she didn't actually want to help him but she had to because she felt bad and--

Aaaand she's here already.

It shouldn't have shocked him so much when she suddenly banged the door open, her beaming smile unfitting for the subject at hand. She didn't come in, instead remaining in her spot and simply saying, "Come on."

Choosing to remain in his spot until further details were revealed, Aoyama gave her a confused look. "Wha--"

"Come on!" Her cheerful appearance made him uneasy--why did she look so happy when she clearly knew why he had messaged her? He didn't know what to expect, but he complied anyway.

Ashido brought him to her room.

"Come on in!" She gently nudged him into the room, shutting the door behind her. "Make yourself at home!"

Aoyama had no clue what his friend was thinking--and quite frankly, it was scaring him. Ashido had a talent of making him feel vulnerable when he didn't want to--and he certainly didn't want to experience that again tonight.

Maybe he should've anticipated that before blindlessly reaching out to her.

"You can have a seat on my bed there," she offered with a quick flick of her hand. As Aoyama reluctantly accepted her offer (which he knew was more of a demand than a suggestion), Ashido positioned herself on her swivel chair. Her arms dangled over the back of the chair as she casually leaned over the top, her extended eye contact making him very uncomfortable.

Aoyama was beginning to think that she didn't even understand his message in the first place. Her happy expression further proved this. "Ashido," he said after a few more awkward moments of prolonged staring, "I don't understand--"

"I'm so proud of you, Yuga!!" Her excited words made him stop mid-sentence. Her eyes lit up like firecrackers, and he could feel the waves of pride radiating from her even from all the way across the room. He couldn't help but get embarrassed. "You've never reached out to me before! I'm so happy you trusted me enough to text me."

Aoyama hated how vulnerable he was feeling right then, but there was also a hint of comfort in his chest that made him tolerate it. "Merci," he responded. When Ashido didn't stop looking at him with those big eyes, he gave in to his discomfort and turned away. "D'accord, you can stop now…"

"Sorry, I can't help it." Ashido absentmindedly turned her chair back and forth with her foot, still directing her attention on him. "This is just a big deal to me. Because before now, I wasn't sure how much you were trying to get better."

That's what Aoyama had been trying to aim for--trying to forget the past and move on from the bad parts of his life. But if he had to be honest...he was feeling a bit discouraged right now.

Being in the familiar company of someone he truly trusted, he decided to expand on that.

"I appreciate you saying that, mon amie, but…" Aoyama tried not to frown but his body did it anyway. "I don't know if it'll stay that way."

Ashido tilted her head at him, her face similar to a curious owl. "Why not? Did you do something?"

"Non, that's not it," he said with a shake of his head. "It's just…" His eyes traveled to his arms, his frown much more troubled now. "I thought I was getting better. It's been like that since All--er, since moving into the dorms." He was finding it hard to hide his sadness. "But I still feel like hurting my arm. I'm worried it's only going to get bad again."

When he stopped talking, he froze. He wasn't supposed to say all that! Why was he revealing so much about himself when he was supposed to hold it all in like he'd been doing for so long?

But he knew deep down that keeping so many secrets wasn't working anymore. He really did want to get better, and this was his best option if he wanted to make it through the night without defaulting to self-harm.

It almost looked like Ashido had anticipated him saying that because her smile never left her face. Aoyama was confused--he was finally talking about his feelings, and her response was to smile?

"You know what I think?" Ashido stopped her spinning for a moment, staring plainly into his eyes. "You've got an addiction."

"...What?"

An addiction? Aoyama never saw it that way. He wasn't getting hooked on drugs and alcohol like how most addictions worked. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Why else would he be craving to hurt himself when he didn't even need it?

"Yup, it's clear as day: you're addicted."

"I suppose that makes sense," Aoyama reluctantly admitted. He didn't quite know how he was supposed to react to this information. It was good to have an explanation to his sudden feelings, but...an addiction?

He was starting to have questions.

"That's what happens when you keep on doing it over and over," Ashido continued, her eyes proudly closed as if she were happy to know something he didn't. "It makes you feel a certain way--I dunno if that's a good or bad way, but I'm not gonna ask--and you start craving it even on your good days. That's just the nature of addictions."

Aoyama's frown deepened. "But I don't want to do it anymore. I don't want to feel like that anymore. How am I supposed to stop if I still get urges like this?"

Ashido was clearly pleased that he had asked that question. She pointed her thumb at herself. "You asked the right person, because I know exactly what you need!"

...Why am I scared to hear what she has to say.

He silently pleaded in his head that her ideas wouldn't be too insane.

Once Aoyama said he was willing to listen, she began her list. "So I have a few ideas. I think the most important one is: get some fricking therapy, dude."

Aoyama scrunched his face at her with disgust. "Absolutely not."

Ashido glared at him with the annoyance of a pissed-off cat. "You didn't even give me a chance to explain!"

As much as Aoyama wanted to brush her off, he let her speak. "Go ahead, mademoiselle."

"Okay," she immediately began, "so people like to stereotype therapy as the thing where you sit on a fancy couch and the therapist asks you a bunch of personal questions about your personal life for fifty minutes, right?" She shrugged her shoulders. "Well, it's sometimes like that, but it doesn't have to be. You don't even need to talk about your deepest darkest secrets if you don't want to. You could talk about how annoying it is when people talk on the phone too loudly if you really want to. But, basically, you can make it whatever you want. It's just a good way to have someone to talk to who...well, who's more qualified than me, I guess."

Ashido's words made sense (and it certainly gave him a different perspective), but he wasn't quite convinced. Even if he knew the therapist might not actually probe into his personal life, he didn't want to go anywhere near it.

Ashido could probably see the hesitation on his face because she continued. "And you know what? You wouldn't be the first person I know who's gone." She leaned over on her chair to get closer to him, and Aoyama did the same--even if he was confused why she needed to keep her voice down. Then she whispered, "Kirishima went when he was in middle school."

Aoyama blinked at her in disbelief. "Kirishima? Like the guy from our class?"

"Oh yeah," she said with a grin, her distant gaze making him realize that Ashido and Kirishima had a deeper relationship than he had first thought. "He had quite the transformation back in middle school. You wouldn't even think he was the same person." She gave Aoyama a look. "I'm not technically supposed to mention that, but I don't think he'd mind if he knew who I was saying it to. Still…" She put a finger to her lips. "Keep it quiet, okay?"

"Will do," he promised, still a little incredulous that such a confident, friendly guy would need therapy. Guess not everyone in Aoyama's class had everything together like he had always assumed they did.

"And I had another friend who went too," Ashido said, continuing to spin on her chair once again. "Actually, her story is kinda like yours because she was cutting too."

That caught Aoyama's attention. "Oh?"

"Yeah, she was all hooked up!" she said playfully before becoming a little more serious. "She moved to my middle school during our first year. Apparently the kids in her old school bullied her because she was quirkless."

Aoyama's skin crawled at the sound of those last words.

She was quirkless...

He hoped that the rest of Ashido's friend's story didn't match his own so closely.

Thankfully, Aoyama hid his discomfort well enough that Ashido didn't notice. "Sucks, right? Well, it stuck with her even when she moved schools. I found out she was hurting herself, and I wanted to help her of course, but…" A shadow fell over Ashido's face. "...she'd never let me. When I offered to help or tried to get her to stop, she just got all snappy with me and told me to leave her alone." She looked away for a moment, a painful smile on her face. "And you know what? I listened to her. I didn't really believe her when she said she was fine, but I didn't want to bug her."

A little uncomfortable at how relatable this story was becoming, Aoyama remained quiet.

"Then she started distancing herself from our friend group. They didn't want to hang out with her anymore because she was always so angry. I tried to make things better, but she never listened to me." The regrets of mistakes made years past showed on Ashido's face, and it made Aoyama feel guilty knowing that he'd treated her the same way. If she weren't in the middle of her monologue, he'd try to apologize.

"Then one night, she called me out of the blue. At that point we hadn't talked in a while. But she was crying really hard, and she told me that she had gone too deep and her hand was numb." Chills ran down Aoyama's spine. "It was really scary for me," Ashido admitted, her face quickly becoming fearful. "I went to her house as fast as I could, and when I got there, her whole arm was covered in blood." Her eyes weren't focused on Aoyama anymore, only staring into the distance as if she were reliving the very scene she was recounting now.

"I really thought she was going to die."

Aoyama wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the rest of the story, especially if it meant Ashido was feeling the same emotions she had felt back then. But her expression didn't suggest that there wasn't a happy ending. "The only reason why she was able to get help was because I was there. We went to the hospital together and she ended up being fine. Although she still gets tingles in her hand."

"So...she's alright, then?" Aoyama asked hesitantly. He was relieved to see Ashido nod her head.

"Yeah, she's alright. I think that injury made her realize that things needed to change because she finally went to therapy after that." The familiar cheerfulness of Ashido returned. "And guess what: it really helped! She stopped cutting and now she's trying to become a teacher for quirkless kids." Then she turned to Aoyama as if she remembered what she was talking about in the first place, her finger pointed at him. "See what I mean? Therapy helps! It helped her, and it'll help you!"

While Aoyama was thankful that Ashido had shared that story with him (and that her friend was still alive), he still wanted nothing to do with therapy. Could Ashido sense that? He wasn't sure. She uncharacteristically looked away, an odd look of wistfulness in her shrinking smile. He didn't think much of it until he realized she was avoiding eye contact on purpose. Ashido looked down and scoffed.

"And, actually...I went to therapy too."

Too taken aback to say anything, Aoyama watched as Ashido's outer appearance changed. She fiddled with the edge of the chair. "I wasn't actually planning to share this, but…"

Aoyama never actually considered the fact that Ashido might have more to her story than what she always showed. Her sad smile only proved this. After a few more periods of Ashido staring at the ground,  Aoyama broke the silence by reassuring, "Mademoiselle, you don't have to share if you don't--"

"No, I want to." She looked back up at him, her gaze serious yet determined. "I think this will help. But...just bear with me here, okay?"

"Bien sûr."

After a few moments, Ashido began. "So you know how I live in an apartment with my mom, right? Well, it wasn't always like that. We used to live in a different house--me, my mom, and my dad."

Oh.

Ashido's voice became tender. "My dad was my best friend. I'll always love my mom, but there was something special about my dad. He was always so gentle with me, keeping me safe when I was scared, making me feel like I was the most important person in his world…" The pain in Ashido's eyes was obvious–yet she was still smiling. It was a hard sight to witness.

Ashido lowered her head sadly. "He had a lot of health problems. He told me early on that he probably wouldn't live as long as most fathers do, but I never believed him. Because in my eyes, he was perfectly fine." Her gaze shifted to the side as the shadows of the room covered her face. "Or maybe I just didn't want to believe it."

Aoyama's heart ached knowing where this story was going, but he didn't interrupt.

"Maybe about...four years ago or so, his health problems got worse. But every time my mom and I thought he was better, he'd just get sick again. He was in and out of the hospital a lot. He had to quit his job, we had to move out of our old home, he had to sleep in his own bed...yeah. It was really hard on our family." Her smile was long gone. "My mom was hurt by it the most. She had to make all of the money herself since dad couldn't work anymore, but she couldn't do anything else. So I had to take care of her. I had to do all of the house chores, become my mom's emotional support, and somehow live a normal life back at school while dealing with my father's sickness." She shook her head, still gazing into the distance. "It was a lot.

"And then…" Her voice weakened. "It was a year ago when it got really bad. When it happened, my mom and I knew that he wasn't going to make it. And we were right."

Ashido only paused for a moment, but it was enough for Aoyama to realize just how much his friend had gone through.

She’s stronger than I thought.

Ashido scoffed, her painful smile returning once more. "I'm sure you can imagine how hard it was on me. My friends didn't know how to help. I was struggling in school, too. My teachers suggested that I take some time off until I felt good enough to return...and they recommended I get some therapy.

“So that’s what I did.” Ashido finally looked at Aoyama, the emotion in her gaze making it hard to look back at her. “I wish I could say it fixed everything. I mean, it still hurts now when I think about my dad. But it gave me a place to get out my feelings and stuff. It's not something I'll ever truly get over, but...it helped me get through those tough times. And that's what I needed the most.”

It only took that one conversation for Aoyama to see his friend in a completely new light. Ashido wasn’t just being nice for the sake of it–she knew what it was like to suffer. Maybe they hadn’t suffered through the same difficulties, but Ashido could understand Aoyama because of the pain she went through when she lost her father. Ashido truly was an empathetic being through and through.

Aoyama wanted to comfort her. He could see how hard this was for Ashido to talk about–she wasn’t crying, but she looked tired. But he didn’t exactly know what the right words were.

So he just said what he was thinking.

“I’m sorry that happened to you, Ashido.”

Even now, when she was clearly struggling to keep her emotions at bay, Ashido still smiled. “Thanks, Yuga. It’s still hard to talk about, but I think it’s getting easier the more I do it.” Her smile strengthened a bit more. “Actually, I’m surprised I haven’t broken out into tears yet!”

Aw. He felt bad for the girl, but at least he knew that he had helped in a way.

“And since I’m basically spilling out all of my secrets right now…” Her voice became full of energy once again–her period of sadness was over, much to Aoyama’s relief. “When I was in therapy, they diagnosed me with ADHD. That really helped me because I got accommodations to help me with school. Also–” She reached backwards, grabbed something on her desk, and cheerfully shook it in front of him. “They gave me meds–which could actually help you, too! Except yours would probably be different because you struggle more with the depression part.”

“...When have I said I was depressed?” he asked uncomfortably.

“Don’t lie to me.” Ashido turned away, inspecting her nails in a way that suggested that she was only doing it for the effect and not because she needed to. “You’re sad as fuck. Did you forget how you started bawling in the middle of lunch?”

Okay, maybe she was right. Although he didn’t like to hear it. He especially didn't like hearing her mention that terrible day again.

“Okay,” Ashido said after a bit, the girl somehow still able to talk despite doing it for the past half hour. “I’ve got one more idea for you–perhaps the most important one too.”

There’s more?! It seemed like Ashido’s mind was constantly running with the amount of ideas she could conjure up in one moment. He was beginning to feel tired–to the point where he felt confident enough that his self-harm urges were gone for the night–but Ashido really seemed like she wanted to share.

“Go ahead,” he said, inviting her with a simple motion of his hand.

“Your mind might be blown after I say this, so hold onto your seat...” She leaned forward on her chair, using her feet to keep herself balanced, and dragged out her words in the clearest voice possible. “Get out of your damn room and make some friends.”

Aoyama narrowed his eyes at her. "And that's supposed to help...how?"

Ashido threw her arms up in the air in the most exaggerated way possible. "Because isolating yourself in your room all day does nothing but make you sad! Are you really that dumb?"

No, he wasn't as stupid as Ashido was suggesting. She didn't get why he was isolating in the first place.

...Except the reason why he was isolating didn't apply anymore, did it?

Maybe she has a point.

"I'm already friends with everyone in our class," he argued, knowing fully well how much of an exaggeration that was. The way Ashido glared at him made it obvious that she knew that too.

"Yeah, no. You don't let anyone into your little circle. We need to fix that." She excitedly leaned up on her chair. "Well, I, the official Class 1-A Special Events Director, can help you out!"

Impressed, Aoyama said, "I didn't know that existed.” Although he wasn’t surprised in the slightest that Ashido had already taken advantage of that position.

"Yeah, Momo Yao was supposed to be in charge but she let me do it." Probably a wise decision considering how Ashido was always bursting at the seams with good ideas. "So you're probably not aware of the stuff I already set up, then. We have movie nights on Fridays and game nights on Tuesdays. Lately the game nights have been the guys getting all huffy over Super Smash Bros, so I wouldn't recommend that. But the movie nights have been a success so far." Ashido paused, thoughtfully putting her hand under her chin. "Although they're not exactly a good way to socialize, hm…"

"I'm not opposed to that," Aoyama said. A part of him was still anxious over hanging out with people after just betraying them, but watching a movie was a good way to ease himself into making some real friends. Testing the waters of friendship, so to speak.

"Actually…" Ashido's period of silent thinking came to an end as she pensively gazed at Aoyama. "I don't know if you'd be willing to do this, but the other girls and I were planning to have some girl nights together."

"...Are you suggesting that I join?" Did Ashido not understand that he did not fit in with that demographic?

Ashido quickly waved her hands, her worried eyes pleading at him to listen. "Okay, just hear me out! I know it might sound weird, but I think that out of all of the guys in our class, you would fit in the most. We don't have much planned besides giving each other makeovers and stuff. And I think you would like that because you're always, like, well-pampered and stuff."

Aoyama scoffed. "Well-pampered?"

"COME ON, YUGA, DON'T MAKE THIS AWKWARD!" She nearly toppled over her chair trying to slap him, but he ducked away from her assault before she could reach. He couldn't help but laugh.

"I get what you mean, mon amie. But I'm not sure if the other girls would want me to join."

"Na, they totally get it," Ashido disagreed, barely maintaining her balance as the chair went back to its normal position. She looked at him confidently. "They wouldn't have a problem at all."

I don't believe that, but whatever you say, Ashido. Why would the girls want a guy infiltrating their exclusive hangout? It was like a stranger intruding on Aoyama and his family--they weren't part of their group. At least he wouldn't want that.

Ashido frowned, obviously seeing the disbelief in Aoyama's gaze. "Fine, you don't have to do it if you don't want to. But please consider it. I think it would be really fun!"

"I'll think about it," he quietly agreed, still convinced that it would never actually happen but wanting to appease Ashido anyway.

Ashido didn't have any other ideas after that. It almost seemed impossible, but all of her talking from that evening had tired her out. He could see it in her droopy eyelids--and hear it in her voice.

"Are you tired?" he asked after a while.

"I'm not tired," she said back, clearly trying to cover up her fatigue. "I have to make sure you're okay."

Aoyama's heart felt warm knowing that Ashido was still thinking about that. Truthfully, their conversation had made him forget about his urges, so the idea that Ashido was still worried about him and even forcing herself to stay awake for him...it made him feel a little guilty, too.

"You don't have to worry about that," Aoyama promised. "Honestly. I feel a lot better now."

Ashido looked like she was too tired to argue. "Okay, Yuga, I won't stop you. I'm just glad you talked to me in the first place." Finally leaving her slouched position, she got off of her chair and led Aoyama to the door. Then she stopped and looked up at him, her eyes deep. "And I'm glad we got to talk together. I hope my advice helps you."

"I think it will, Ashido."

Ashido opened the door and gazed into the distance, her smile strained. Then she looked back at Aoyama once again. "Can I have a hug before you go?"

Knowing what Ashido's intentions must have surely been, Aoyama's first instinct was to deny it--he didn't need a hug. But the look in her eyes reminded him of the topic of their conversation that day.

She's not asking because I need it.

She needs it.

So he gave her a hug.

When they let go, Ashido's usual peppy self resurfaced--not to its full power, but enough that it felt normal. "Also, didn't I tell you to call me Mina?"

Aoyama smiled. "You did...Ashido."

Ashido huffed, stomping her foot on the ground once like an angry rabbit. "God, you are so annoying!!" she complained, her high-pitched voice making it obvious that her anger was all in good fun.

I'm not calling you Mina.

Not outloud, at least.

Aoyama left Mina for the night, giving one last final wave as he bid her farewell.

"Bonne nuit."

Chapter Text

Before Aoyama knew it, summer was already over. As the days grew shorter and the weather became colder, Aoyama's life only got better and better.

For one thing, he never self-harmed again! It was like his talk with Mina gave him the strength to fight against those urges. Sure, he did have a few times where he needed to message her for support, but that was only in the beginning. After around a week or two, he felt confident enough to manage the urges himself. And a few weeks later, the urges had almost completely disappeared.

He would always have those scars on his arms. There was nothing he could do to change that. But over time, the memories that were attached to the scars became a lot less powerful, and he could finally accept those physical reminders of the bad times he had to endure.

Although he would never let himself wear short sleeves again.

His talk with Mina also gave him the push he needed to really begin socializing with his classmates. Friday night movie marathons were always fun, and he liked seeing the variety of movies his classmates chose. He even gave a few suggestions when Mina asked if there were any good French movies out there.

But there was always the lingering fear in the back of his mind that told him to keep his distance. Even when he tried to ignore it, he could never truly shake it off. So while he was definitely more social than before, it was still surface-level.

That all changed one fateful evening.

"YUGA!!"

Mina's voice suddenly cut through the silence of the room, immediately destroying the peaceful environment Aoyama had been enjoying. Instantly alarmed, he jumped out of his chair and opened his door. On the other side were Mina, Hagakure, and Uraraka, all three of them wearing the most worried expressions he'd ever seen on them.

Now Aoyama looked just as worried. "Sacré bleu, what happened?!"

"It's an emergency!!" Mina hopped from foot to foot as if the ground was on fire, her actions making him even more nervous.

Hagakure nodded, anxiously fidgeting in place. "You have to help us, Aoyama!"

"Oui, I'll help, but what is it?!"

Uraraka glanced back towards the elevators. "It's Tsuyu."

Is Asui hurt?!

"Take me to her," Aoyama quickly said, not wanting to waste any more time. The girls didn't hesitate to take action, leading him upstairs to the third floor. As they walked the path to Hagakure's room, Aoyama couldn't help but wonder why his classmates went specifically to him for help.

Maybe the others weren't available?

It didn't matter. His classmates needed his help--Aoyama would do anything for them, especially considering how much he'd only done the opposite in the past.

Finally, they reached Hagakure's room. Hagakure slowly opened the door, the girls giving him anxious glances as Aoyama took in the scene in front of him.

Aoyama couldn't see Asui at first. The room was dark, with only the lamp on Hagakure's desk providing any light. Yaoyorozu and Jiro blocked the view of Asui sitting in her chair, the two standing girls startled to see the newcomers behind them. They didn't say a word as they sadly stepped out of the way, putting Asui in Aoyama's direct line of sight.

"...Is it bad?" Asui asked nervously as she turned away, revealing the most atrocious haircut Aoyama had ever seen.

"Dear goodness, what happened to her?!" Aoyama raced to Asui, absolutely horrified to see the poor girl's beautiful hair completely ruined. The ends were all different lengths as if somebody started cutting randomly in hopes that it would turn out okay in the end. Her sidebangs were barely there, almost completely cut off in a way that wasn't flattering at all. It was an overall mess--misshapen, jagged, and terribly, terribly uneven.

He turned back to Mina. "Ashido, did you do this?"

"Actually, it was me." Yaoyorozu's voice caught him by surprise. Aoyama had never seen her look so guilty before--it made him feel bad for being so accusatory. "I'm not used to cutting hair so thin. I tried to even it out, but I just made it worse…"

Aoyama was no longer focused on Yaoyorozu. He was too busy examining Asui's hair, gently running his fingers through the strands as he figured out his best plan of attack. Maybe he couldn't return it to its original length, but if he was careful not to cut off too much, he might be able to salvage it enough that it wasn't completely short.

"Where's the scissors?" he demanded, not taking his eyes away from Asui's head as Yaoyorozu handed him the scissors.

One look at the object in front of him and he understood exactly where everything went wrong.

"You used regular scissors for her hair?!" The other girls looked away shamefully, and Aoyama wondered what exactly was going on in their minds when they thought this was a good idea.

Yaoyorozu shuffled her feet. "We didn't have anything else."

"We thought Tsu would look cute with shorter hair since hers is already so long," Uraraka added.

Asui was visibly uncomfortable, sitting as still as she could so her hair wouldn't shift around. "And I thought it might help me swim better if it was a bit shorter."

Aoyama shook his head, almost in disbelief that all five girls were somehow this incapable of giving someone a simple haircut. "I can't work with this." He turned to Mina. "Go to the dresser in my room and look in the bottom drawer on the left. Bring the entire kit up."

"Got it!" Mina gave him a quick nod before racing out of the room. A minute later, she was back. Aoyama wasted no time grabbing the supplies he needed, already starting to picture his method of attack in his mind.

If I'm careful not to trim too much, I might be able to give Asui exactly what she wanted.

So he went to work. At first, he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to salave more than a few inches, but the more he trimmed, the more his image came to life. He'd occasionally ask someone on standby for the next tool he needed, never taking his eyes off of Asui's hair so he could always see what he was doing. Despite the other girls being out of view, he could feel their anxiety just from their presence. But Aoyama never lost his focus. And eventually, it paid off.

"Ohmigosh, Aoyama, I think you did it!" Finally feeling confident enough that he could look away from Asui's hair for a moment, he turned back to Hagakure, who was excitedly bouncing in place. "It looks so much better now!"

"I can't believe he actually saved it," Jiro agreed. She looked sympathetically at Yaoyorozu, who still seemed pretty embarrassed, and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Momo, you were just trying to help."

"I'm just glad I didn't completely destroy it," Yaoyorozu added with a relieved sigh.

Asui had finally seen her reflection in the mirror, her face lit up with admiration. "Wow, Yuga, you really made it look good!" She ran her hand through her hair, which ran about an inch past her shoulders. "I bet I could still make a ponytail out of it too. Thanks!"

Aoyama proudly stood tall, sparkling in place. "My pleasure, mon amie."

"See, guys?" Mina bounced over to Aoyama, gently bumping him with her elbow. "I told you he could do it!"

Aoyama hadn't been aware of it, but all of the girls in the room were now gazing at him, subtle impressed expressions on their faces. An odd emotion stirred in him–kind of like the one he would always feel when Mina said she was proud of him.

It was a comforting feeling.

"I'm glad I could help."

Now that the crisis was over, the girls were going back to what Aoyama assumed was their original plan. Hagakure excitedly brought out a bin of hair accessories, and Aoyama remembered that he was not actually supposed to be here. It was obvious that this get-together was something meant for just the girls to enjoy; he was just there for damage control. Now that he was done, it was time for him to leave.

He stepped to the door, catching the attention of the girls with a simple bow. "I shall leave you all to your fun evening activities, dames. Au revoir!"

Predictably, Mina tried to stop him. "Noooo, don't go! You just got here!"

He shook his head, about to explain why this wasn't his place to be in–when he saw the disappointed faces of the other girls.

Do they…want me to stay?

"Mina's right, you don't have to leave yet!" Hagakure put the box down, the tone of her voice suggesting that she was visibly sad too. "We don't mind having you hang out with us."

"Unless you're uncomfortable, which I get," Jiro added. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to. But seriously, we don't mind." Aoyama was surprised that Jiro was in agreement with the others considering how aloof she tended to be around him. But it really did seem like she liked having him around.

Aoyama was still trying to wrap his mind around their words. Would they really make an exception to their exclusive hangout just for him? So he asked the question at the forefront of his mind: "Why?"

"That's an easy one!" Hagakure chirped. "You're not Mineta!"

Fair point. Mineta was the king of making any female feel completely uncomfortable. Aoyama would never do such a thing. But…

"Then why not any of the other guys? Like Todoroki or Tokoyami?" Aoyama frowned. "They would be no different than I."

The girls were quiet for a moment, giving each other silent looks before Uraraka spoke up. "You fit in with us. You feel more like an equal than the other guys do."

What an interesting choice of words. It struck a chord in Aoyama, and it made him wonder if the girls were actually right.

Mina put a finger up. "Let's put it this way: If I gave Denki a hair curler, he wouldn't be able to do anything but burn his hair off–and probably his hand, too." She gestured at Aoyama. "But you would know–even more than us, apparently, considering how you just saved Tsu's hair. So when we say you fit in, it's because you really do. We like having you around!" Her knowing expression also said, "see, that's what I've been telling you this whole time!", even if she never said it outloud.

Aoyama stared back at them, completely taken aback. They really feel that way about me? Usually people were uncomfortable by his presence since he always tried to exaggerate his personality as much as possible (and also because he’d always been a little weird in the first place). But the way the girls were regarding him now told him that they really weren't uncomfortable at all.

And truth be told, I don't mind being here either.

Aoyama sighed in defeat. "Okay, c'est bon, I'll stay."

"Yay!!" Hagakure and Mina said, already dragging him into the room. Mina beamed at him, begging, "Now can you do my hair? Pleeease?"

"You want me to trim your hair?" Had Mina looked in the mirror recently? He couldn't trim much if she wanted any hair in the first place!

"No, Yuga, just make it look pretty!" She stuffed the box of accessories in his hands. "I know you can do it!"

Amused, Aoyama shook his head to himself and smiled. Mina was still as endearing as always.

"If that's what you want, then that is what I'll do."

Aoyama had a fun time that night.

–

From that point on, Aoyama was an honorary member of the girls' club. Unlike the dorm's weekly events, they never actually planned anything in advance–usually Mina or Hagakure (or the both of them) would race into his room, begging him for hair supplies or inviting him to a relaxing tea session, and he'd have no choice but to accept. But he never minded it–and after a while, he even began to look forward to their hangouts. The girls were always so welcoming and sweet; he felt right at home.

After a while, the other guys began to notice. Thus ensued their jealousy.

"Goddammit, Aoyama, I thought you were one of us!!" Aoyama casually took the cucumber off of his eye, never leaving his lying position as he glanced over at the door. Mineta and Kaminari were peeking inside, watching with jealousy as all of the girls lounged about in their face masks.

Kaminari looked just as confused as he was jealous. "And where the hell did you get those lawn chairs from?!"

"Get outta my room, you're not invited!!" Hagakure jumped out of her chair, waving the pests away (without much success at first). But before they scampered away, Aoyama gave them a haughty look.

"Quelle dommage."

"Ha ha, losers!" Mina had taken her cucumber patch off too, mocking them by pulling down her eyelid and sticking out her tongue.

Hagakure shut the door. "I don't even know what you said, but it sounded cool, so thanks, Yuga!"

Mina fell back into her chair, returning her cucumber into its proper place. "Basically: too bad, sucks to be you!"

"I bet they'll never figure it out," Jiro added without ever moving a muscle. "They got insulted without even realizing it."

Covering his eye again and returning to his relaxation mode, Aoyama smiled. "They can never sparkle with us if that's how they treat you girls."

"Woo, sparkle gang!"

Mina's words made it hard for Aoyama to stop smiling. It felt so nice to be part of such a lovely group of girls. He no longer felt weird about it–there were no barriers to their blossoming friendship!

However, despite how much Aoyama loved the girls, there was something that was missing from his life. Yes, he treasured their bonds deeply…but he couldn't forget about Midoriya.

Oh, Midoriya. Aoyama admired that boy more than anything. Always working so hard to be the best hero he could be, even when his quirk was always working against him…what an inspiration. Aoyama had always been drawn to Midoriya, even when he was nothing more than a weak but insanely determined newbie. Now that Aoyama felt comfortable enough to make friends, perhaps there was a chance that he could be Midoriya's friend too.

Aoyama still sat at Midoriya's table for lunch. But he could tell that Midoriya didn't understand him. The plain-looking boy always looked off-put from Aoyama's odd comments or exuberant personality, but he never tried harder to learn more about him. So the two of them weren't much more than lunch buddies.

Aoyama wanted to change that.

What truly pushed Aoyama to pursue Midoriya wasn't just the idea of making a new friend. Aoyama knew how mature and capable Midoriya was–he could see it just from how hard he tried to improve every day, not to mention how many crises he'd survived just from the past few months. So Aoyama began to wonder how the boy would react if he found out about his secret of being the school traitor.

Aoyama wasn't sure if that was a good idea. This wasn't your typical, light-hearted secret–people could've died because of Aoyama's actions. In fact, Midoriya himself almost died during the training camp attack. This was serious business.

But deep down, Aoyama knew that he didn't want to keep it a secret anymore. Even though All For One had been in jail for a while now, Aoyama still felt guilty about how badly he'd hurt his classmates. If Midoriya found out, then maybe it would help alleviate that guilt. And then he wouldn't have to tell Mina.

Sure, maybe Midoriya would be upset at Aoyama, but it wouldn't hurt as much as Mina finding out. Especially after knowing how much she had already suffered because of his secret.

He didn't know how Midoriya would react to the news. But he couldn’t worry about that just yet–the hard part was actually telling him. So Aoyama started the conversation in the best way he knew how–by sticking Pont-l'Évêque cheese in Midoriya's mouth, writing a cryptic cheese message on his balcony at 1am in the morning, and finishing it off the next day with a suggestive wink and a simple “surprise!”.

Midoriya was utterly terrified.

Okay, maybe Aoyama had gone a little too strong there. The allure of somebody finding out his secret made Aoyama get a little desperate, and he scared Midoriya too much for the boy to want to talk to him. So he tried a different technique, giving Midoriya an opportunity to talk without forcing him into a conversation.

"Watch this!~"

After showing off the new talents of his quirk and therefore destroying his digestive system in the process, Midoriya stayed back to help Aoyama out, staging the moment where Aoyama would finally reveal his secret.

But he failed.

After scaring off Midoriya earlier, Aoyama tried to be a little less intense–which led to his words being much more obscure. Midoriya didn't understand what Aoyama had actually meant when he said his quirk was incompatible with his body. And when Aoyama tried to play off his actions as a "surprise", Midoriya took the bait, thanking him for the successful surprise instead of asking any more questions.

Aoyama didn't have the courage to say anything more than that.

After all of that, Aoyama's secret was still a secret. Midoriya never mentioned their shared experience of having such shitty quirks again. But Aoyama wasn't that disappointed. Their interactions helped Midoriya feel a little more comfortable around Aoyama's eccentric personality, and a beautifully unique friendship began to form.

So maybe Aoyama was still holding his secret in. But unlike before, he finally had the friendships he’d always desired–not just from that year, but from the many years of being alone too.

Maybe that secret wasn’t such a big problem anymore.

–

Thus continued the passage of life, along with Aoyama’s bout of happiness.

Out of all of Aoyama’s new pals, he was undoubtedly the closest to Mina. Everyone in his class could see it. With the both of them being quite unconventional yet flashy, they complimented each other perfectly. On the other hand, their differences only helped them grow closer, the two of them able to deepen their friendship from learning more about each other.

But what really made their friendship special was something that the other classmates never saw. The experiences that started their friendship in the first place gave them more of an appreciation of each other. Mina had originally stuck by Aoyama’s side because she wanted to be the friend he never had, but by now, he could tell that she genuinely liked being around him. They would randomly crash in each others’ rooms, hanging out for hours talking about stuff that didn’t matter or playing Animal Crossing until Aoyama felt like his eyes were about to fall out. Around the other classmates, Mina would still talk to everyone else, but she would always return to Aoyama, her uninhibited personality showing just how comfortable she was around her friend. And Aoyama treated her the same way.

Of course, considering they were all teenagers in high school, rumors started to spread. Why were Aoyama and Mina hanging out together so much? Was there something going on between the two of them? Despite being the person the others were talking about, Aoyama wondered that too. He was really fond of Mina; did that mean he liked her?

However, the more he thought about it, the easier it was to decipher where his true feelings lay. As much as he liked Mina, he never felt any romantic feelings towards her. Part of that was because he hadn’t ever felt romantic feelings towards anybody–he was too stressed working under All For One to worry about something so trivial. But the other reason was because the two of them worked better as friends. What made their relationship so special was because they could be really close to each other without ever needing to be in a romantic relationship. They were happy with how things were right then; why should they try to change that?

He knew Mina felt the same way–she was just as aware of the rumors as he was, but that never made things awkward. Their bond was just too strong for some dubious rumors to get in the way. The two of them would continue to be the eccentric duo they always saw each other as, no matter what the others said.

-

Around the middle of fall, Aizawa announced that Class 1-A needed to think about what they wanted to do for the upcoming school festival. It was eventually decided that the class would be holding a concert filled with singing, dancing, and lots of awesome special effects! The idea of putting on a performance excited Aoyama, and he volunteered for every position available. Including being on the dancing team.

“...Maybe it was a good idea not to put you in our TikTok.” Aoyama and Midoriya had been trying to mimic Mina's exceptionally talented dancing, but her amused reaction told Aoyama that she didn't quite see the same talent in him.

Aoyama pouted at her. "So harsh, mademoiselle!"

Later that day, Mina sought him out. "If you actually want to be on the dance team, I could probably teach you how to do it. Your moves are…interesting, but you definitely have potential. Whaddya think?"

Aoyama raised an eyebrow. "So my dancing isn't terrible, then?"

"That's not what I said." Mina smirked at his hurt expression, gently bumping his side when he didn't stop. "Come on, you know I'm only kidding. Sort of. Anyways, wanna do it or not?"

Aoyama had already made up his mind. "Sure, allons-y!"

And that was the story of how Mina taught Aoyama how to dance.

-

The school festival was one of the happiest times of Aoyama's life. Everyone around him was filled with so much joy–especially his classmates, who had quickly become the most important people in Aoyama's life (besides his parents). His days of being a traitor were long gone–Aoyama finally belonged with his classmates!

After the school festival was over, school resumed as usual. Aoyama would miss spending every day preparing for the festival with the others, but he would always remember how much fun he had being a part of the group.

However, not everyone was satisfied with the school festival being the last big event of the year. A week after the festival ended, Mina described her disappointment to the sparkle gang.

"I think it's dumb that we still have four months left of school and no more fun stuff planned," she complained, tracing the invisible lines on the carpet as she laid on the ground. "Why should the school festival be the last fun thing we get to do?"

"Because it's meant for people outside of UA as much as it's meant for us," Yaoyorozu explained, looking quite displeased as well. "But I understand what you mean. It was a good break from school."

Hagakure stopped staring at the ceiling and rolled over, directing her attention towards Mina. "I wish there was something else planned."

"Oui." Aoyama was in total agreement--he'd love to have another big event besides the sports festival and the school festival. But once Christmas passed, the end of their first school year would be near. It was unlikely that the teachers had anything planned that wasn't related to school.

But the Class 1-A Special Events Director would never pass up an opportunity to direct a special event.

In one sudden movement, Mina slammed her hand on the ground, startling Aoyama half to death. Her eyes were wide as saucers. "What if we had a prom?!"

The others looked at her curiously.

A prom…

"We totally deserve a prom, right? Every other high school has one; why not us?" Mina's face was bright with excitement, the ideas flowing out of her mouth like a broken faucet. "We can do it in the same venue we used for the school festival! It's big enough to hold both Class A and B! And we could get catering from Yaoyorozu's family friend's business she always talks about! And we could all spend a day at the mall choosing our outfits! Oh my gosh, imagine how fun it would be if we all wore fancy dresses and tuxedos!!"

The more Mina talked, the more the others' eyes lit up. Aoyama had to admit; whatever plan Mina was making up on the spot sounded really appealing. He always envied watching people in movies go to prom, but UA would rather focus on the two big festivals than some meaningless dance. But if the students planned it all out, then maybe the school would let them have it.

The girls were all looking back and forth at each other, eagerly nodding their heads. "I would really enjoy that," Uraraka said excitedly.

"I say we should do it!" Hagakure adjusted her position until she could reach the side of her bed and grab a notebook. "Let me write down all of our ideas!"

"AND WE COULD GO TO A TRAMPOLINE PARK!" At this point, Mina's excitement had reached an all-time high, the girl now shaking with pure elation. "There's one in the city nearby! We could all go for post-prom! And we could all wear matching t-shirts and play trampoline dodgeball against each other!"

Aoyama put a hand on her shoulder, hoping to calm her down a bit. But he was getting just as excited. "Don't get too excited there, mademoiselle. Tu cours ventre à terre!"

"My stomach isn't running anywhere near the earth!!” Mina shook off his hand, her head whipping around as she looked at each person in the room. “Come on, we gotta start the preparations now!”

“Mina, I’d love a prom, too, but…” Yaoyorozu’s change in tone made Mina's smiling face freeze, her excitement left in limbo as she lost all of her energy. At the sight of Mina's reaction, Yaoyorozu uncomfortably scratched the back of her neck. “You know that the school wouldn’t just let us have a prom, right? The school festival cost a lot of time and resources. It’s unlikely that they’d just let us have another event–especially since we were barely allowed to have the school festival.” Mina’s dejected stare made Aoyama’s heart ache, and he wished that Yaoyorozu was wrong. Or that she hadn’t felt the need to ruin Mina’s happiness so soon.

Tsuyu popped up from the side. “It’s always worth asking. Maybe they won’t mind it if it means we’ll do better in school.”

“Yeah!” Hagakure quickly nodded in agreement. “If we have something to look forward to, then we’ll all try harder to get good grades! It makes so much sense; Aizawa has to say yes!”

Mina’s spirit had returned, her eyes once again sparkling like the night sky. “Then let’s do it! Tomorrow after school, we’ll go tell Aizawa how much we need this prom!”

Aoyama and the rest of the girls whole-heartedly agreed to her proposition. Just seeing how excited everyone was at the idea of having a real UA prom made Aoyama really think it was possible. With enough convincing, Aizawa would surely have to allow it. And then, all of the fun times that Aoyama thought had ended with the school festival would resume all over again.

Aizawa just had to say yes!

-

“No.”

That one single word was powerful enough to completely silence the group of students standing in front of Aizawa’s desk.

And simultaneously crush all of their hopes as well.

Aizawa’s cold-hearted gaze left the girls (and Aoyama) unable to talk. They had spent the entire day discussing their future plans for the prom as if the decision had already been made.

Turns out they had gotten far too ahead of themselves.

“Do you think we can magically get enough money for a prom like it’s nothing?” Aizawa slowly stood out of his chair, his eyes remaining on his students the whole time. “If you want to throw a party, do it in the dorms on your own time. We're not having any more wide-spread events like that."

Aoyama looked down in defeat. So that was that, then. The idea of a UA prom was only meant to be just that: an idea. All of their excitement from that day had been for nothing.

Well, back to Friday movie nights, je suppose.

But as Aoyama was about to bow away, he noticed that his friends hadn't had the same reaction as him. Their initial sadness was instead replaced with subtle but extremely potent determination.

"But we had so many ideas planned out!" Hagakure indignantly exclaimed. "It was going to be a great way for all of us to bond together!"

"Hadn't you all bonded enough during the school festival?" Aizawa said, taking a step backwards as if the pure ferocity in the girls' faces intimidated him. His uncomfortable response surprised Aoyama–were Hagakure's words convincing enough?

"But imagine how much it would boost our morale if we're all able to share such an important class experience together!" Mina was obviously struggling to keep herself composed as she limited her energetic hops to tiny movements. "It's what we all need at the end of the school year when classes get even harder!"

"And Class B would be invited as well, so it would help both classes cooperate better," Jiro added pensively. "We haven't been able to spend much time with the other class."

Aizawa was quiet for a moment, taking a good look at the passionate students in front of him. Aoyama became hopeful when he saw the hint of conflict in Aizawa's gaze.

He's actually considering it!

Then Aizawa closed his eyes and turned away. "I can't appease an idea like that when it's not possible," he stated, once again dampening everyone's spirits that had only just been rekindled. "I hear what you're saying, but unless there's any educational content, there's no reason for the school to pay for it. You already had an opportunity for non-educational events during the two festivals. Having another one would be pointless."

Aoyama frowned. What Aizawa was saying made sense–how could they argue against that when proms were only meant for dancing and fun?

But then he remembered who else was in the group.

"What if we made it educational then?" Everyone turned to Mina, who was thoughtfully tapping her chin. "Like maybe…" In just one moment, her demeanor completely changed, her eyes widening as if an epiphany just came to her. "What if we held a cultural fair?! Each group picks a country, and we all make food from that country and give a presentation about it!"

It was like the disappointment that had plagued the room just a few moments ago was never there in the first place. Aoyama and the others began to grin.

Leave it to Mina to make up such great ideas on the spot!

Asui happily concurred, "And it would be cheaper for the school, too, since we'd be providing the food."

"And maybe we could make it a contest too!" Uraraka put her hands together, her small smile feeling extra sweet now. "Whichever group makes the best food wins the title of Best Chefs!"

"It would be neat if we dressed up in traditional outfits unique to each country," Yaoyorozu added. "Like flamenco dresses for Spai–"

"NO." Mina's sudden outburst startled everyone in the room. She growled, "I set this prom up so we could dress up in fancy dresses and tuxedos. There's no way in hell I'm letting anyone take that away from me."

Mina sure was scary when she was mad. Yaoyorozu quickly recovered, saying, "Yes, she's right; just the cook-off works too!"

By now, it had to be apparent to Aizawa how much everyone in the group passionately believed in this prom. Aoyama could see it in their gazes. And of course, he himself fit right in, too, his face just as determined as the others. Aizawa clearly recognized the tenacity in his students because he scoffed, an uncharacteristic smile on his face. "You're really leaving me with no choice here, huh…"

"So you'll let us have it?!" Mina gave him the most pleading look she could, and the others followed suit. Aizawa sighed.

"Look: if you really want this prom, and you're willing to add an educational aspect to it…I can't say no." Before the students started freaking out, Aizawa raised his hand in warning. "But I am not saying yes yet, either. I'll have to talk to the principal about it. And because this will count as a class, you'll have to make sure everyone is on board with attending."

"Of course, sir!!" Hagakure and Mina replied for the group, forcing themselves to bow before jumping around in excitement.

Once Mina slowed down for a moment, Aoyama went up to her. "Splendid work, mon amie," he said, the two of them sharing a quick high five. "You made our dreams a reality!"

"We'll have to start planning these presentations then," Yaoyorozu added, the girl clearly pleased that there was now a learning aspect added to the plan. "We can split up the groups based on the tables we'll be sitting at. Should we all be randomly assigned a country, or will we choose?"

Predictably, Mina butted in with a cry of, "I CALL FRANCE!" But Aizawa only shook his head.

"It wouldn't make sense for you to choose a country you're already familiar with," he said despite the pink girl's disappointment.

"But I don't actually know that much about France," she pouted in defiance.

Aizawa was steadfast. "If Aoyama is in your group, then he knows. Go and ask him later--outside of the assignment."

Mina's face became cold as she suddenly turned to Aoyama. "You're kicked out of my group." Slightly taken aback, Aoyama gave her an exceptionally hurt expression, only half-convinced that Mina was joking.

"Mademoiselle…!"

"I'm only kidding," she said lightheartedly, her smile resurfacing once again. "I say we do Germany. I wanna eat some frankfurters."

"That should be easy since you're quite the talented chef," he replied, letting himself sparkle as he sent her his trademark wink. She smirked back.

"Just you wait and see--I'm gonna make the best frankfurters you've ever seen!"

-

The next day, Aizawa announced to the class what the final decision was.

"It's official: you can have your prom."

Everyone in the room started cheering, the pure energy emanating from every person making Aoyama even more excited.

It's really happening…!

Then Aizawa sent them all death glares, to which every student hurried to sit back in their chairs and shut up.

Thus began the prom preparations. There was a lot they had to do before the end of winter when the prom would officially be held, but now that the whole class was on board and not just the sparkle gang, it wasn't that overwhelming. After around a month of work, they all felt confident enough that the basic preparations were finished.

One of the hottest topics on everyone's minds was setting up prom dates. Perhaps what was most exciting was that Aoyama got to assist with some of the pairings. He was the person who encouraged Jiro and Yaoyorozu to go together, and he also convinced Uraraka to ask out Midoriya! It took a bit of work for her to overcome her shyness, but eventually he and the other girls were able to set up the two lovesick teenagers successfully. It was somehow extremely awkward and extremely adorable at the same time–a perfect description of the pair's dynamic.

Aoyama wasn't planning on going with anyone himself–but then he learned that prom dates got free photos with each other. And any chance Aoyama had to get free photos of himself was one he would gladly take, no hesitations about it.

It would make a nice addition to his hero vision board, at least.

So he asked the girls about it. Hagakure suggested that maybe he and Mina should go as friends since she didn't have a date yet. Mina didn't seem to mind it, so they ultimately decided to give it a try.

The students also had to worry about their prom outfits. Even though some of the girls (like Hagakure) had already picked out their dresses, they still all went out as a group to the mall and shopped together. Aoyama unfortunately couldn't go, but that ended up not being a problem since he wasn't the only guy who wanted to get a new tuxedo.

"I think the only one I brought with me is the one I wore to a wedding years ago," admitted Midoriya when Aoyama asked him about his prom outfit status. "I don't even think it fits anymore."

"That's more than okay, mon ami!" Aoyama was just happy that he could have a shopping partner–and he was even happier that it was Midoriya. "We can go demain matin!" When Midoriya only looked confused, Aoyama clarified, "Tomorrow morning," and the green-haired boy nodded in understanding.

"Do you mind if I go as well?" Todoroki popped into the conversation, a few of the other guys nearby. "I didn't bring a tuxedo at all."

"None at all?" Midoriya asked, surprised. "Not even an old one?"

Todoroki gave Midoriya a simple stare, his face neutral as always. "If I wanted to wear a fancy outfit, it would not be a tuxedo."

"The more the merrier!" Aoyama happily said, his mind already fizzing with fun ideas for their mall trip.

Maybe we could stop for lunch afterwards. Midoriya likes katsudon, right?

Todoroki wasn't the only one who joined Aoyama's group–Tokoyami and Sato offered to come as well. Even Iida tagged along–although he was only going to enjoy their company since he already had his outfit picked out. The five of them all went to the mall that Saturday morning. After a few hours of searching, everyone had their outfits picked out.

Well, everyone except for Aoyama.

"Still nothing?" Iida asked as Aoyama inspected the two tuxedos in his hands.

"Malheureusement, non. I'm torn between these two." Looking at the tuxedos again, he realized that he wasn't even satisfied with his top two choices–and he sighed in defeat. "I don't know what I'm missing."

Iida frowned, glancing over at the exit. "Well, we were thinking of heading out soon. Maybe you could order one online?"

"Je suppose…"

Aoyama only spent a few more minutes browsing the same tuxedos he'd been looking at for the past few hours before officially giving up. He didn't like ordering online when he couldn't actually hold the outfit in his hands until it arrived, but it looked like there was no other choice.

But then Midoriya ran into view.

"Aoyama!!" He had clearly been running as quickly as he could because once he stopped, he doubled over, barely able to catch his breath. But Aoyama soon forgot about that when he saw what Midoriya was holding.

J'y crois pas!

“I found this hidden behind a bunch of the blue tuxedos,” Midoriya finally said once he could breathe properly. He proudly showed Aoyama the sparkly blue tuxedo in his hands, smiling sweetly despite his fatigue. “It was the last one, too. I thought you might like it.”

“Like it?!” Aoyama eagerly grabbed the tuxedo and held it in the light, admiring how utterly sparkly it was. It was almost as shiny as the disco ball in Aoyama’s dorm room–and that disco ball was the definition of shiny. The cerulean blue hue made the sparkles stand out even more. “J’aime! It’s exactly what I wanted! Merci, Midoriya!”

Midoriya chuckled, clearly pleased at Aoyama’s response. “I’m glad you like it, Aoyama.”

Aoyama made sure to pay for Midoriya’s meal that afternoon.

Chapter Text

The next day, Aizawa announced to the class what the final decision was.

"It's official: you can have your prom."

Everyone in the room started cheering, the pure energy emanating from every person making Aoyama even more excited.

It's really happening…!

Then Aizawa sent them all death glares, to which every student hurried to sit back in their chairs and shut up.

Thus began the prom preparations. There was a lot they had to do before the end of winter when the prom would officially be held, but now that the whole class was on board and not just the sparkle gang, it wasn't that overwhelming. After around a month of work, they all felt confident enough that the basic preparations were finished.

"Now all that's left is our group projects," Yaoyorozu said as she peeked over Hagakure's shoulder, the invisible girl's notebook now chock-full of notes about the prom. "And getting our outfits, of course."

"I already have a dress picked out!~" Hagakure sang, doing a little twirl as she skipped around the common room. "It's orange and frilly and super cute!!"

Yaoyorozu's head dropped a bit. "Aw, I was hoping we could go shopping together to pick our outfits."

Aoyama had the same train of thought. "I will gladly go with you, mademoiselle!" The tuxedos he brought weren't bad by any means, but it would be a lot more fun to debut a brand new outfit–one fit for such a dazzling man like him.

"That would be kinda hard to do when you'd both have to look in different sections of the store," Jiro interjected from her seat. "It might be more enjoyable for you if you went with the guys, Aoyama."

Aoyama casually shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't mind spending a little time browsing the dresses for fun. But I suppose you have a point."

Hagakure paused in the middle of her prancing, her invisible hands grabbing the edge of Jiro's chair. "Plus, isn't the fun part of picking out your outfit keeping it a surprise until prom starts? That way, you can surprise your date with how pretty you look!"

Everyone stared at Hagakure for a moment.

Right. Usually proms involved finding a date to attend the event with. Had they all really forgotten that? Aoyama certainly did.

I wonder how that'll play out.

It seemed like the mention of dates gave Mina an epiphany–and not just any old epiphany. In one moment, she was her usual cheerful self; the next, she was completely frozen, the sheer amount of shock in her expression silencing everyone in the room. Then she slowly rose out of her seat, each action dragged out in the most dramatic way possible, and she quietly uttered, "Girls, we're going to my room right now."

It took a moment for everyone to recover from the sudden change.

"Aww, why not me, Mina?" Kaminari whined from his spot, giving her a heartbroken look. "Does it really have to be just the girls?"

"Yes. Sparkle gang only." Mina's movements were sharp and quick as she headed towards the stairs, urging the others along as they slowly began to follow. "Come on now, this is extremely urgent!"

There went Mina again with her spontaneous eccentricity. Aoyama had no choice but to follow along with the others.

Now that they were all in the confines of Mina's room, she could finally reveal what her epiphany was: "We have to set up pairings for prom!!"

Jiro awkwardly frowned back. "Don't people usually choose their dates themselves?"

"No, Jiro, you don't understand!" Mina looked like she was bursting at the seams with pure excitement. "I've been waiting my whole life to bring my ships to life! And now it's happening!!"

It shouldn't have been surprising that Mina wanted to be the prom's official matchmaker. Aoyama had to admit–he was a bit curious to see what pairings Mina had in mind.

"I mean, even if she says who she wants to go together, they don't have to agree," Uraraka rebutted. "Or we could only keep it in the group."

Aoyama wanted to hear Mina say more. He quickly caught her attention by making eye contact with her. "Who do you have in mind?"

Mina's smile had never been so wide before. "Oh, I've been waiting for this moment forever!" Then she cleared her throat. "Okay, I think we can all agree that Kirishima will be dragging Bakugou along with him–who will pretend like he hates it but actually really loves it."

Everyone was nodding.

"Yup."

"Oh yeah, definitely."

"Bakugou's head over heels for that boy!"

Well, they're not wrong. Aoyama had no disagreements there.

Hagakure spoke up next, excitedly bouncing in place from her kneeling position. "Ooh ooh ooh, me next!" She leaned up confidently and put her invisible hand on her chest. "I'm totally gonna ask Todoroki! He's so cute; I gotta give it a shot! Do you think he'll do it? Be honest!"

"Personally, I see you more with Ojiro than anyone else,” Jiro admitted–much to Hagakure’s disappointment. She was even more discouraged when she saw everyone else nodding in agreement.

“You two do talk a lot,” Uraraka said, her voice becoming encouraging. “But that’s not a bad thing! He’s a really nice guy!”

Hagakure huffed in place, her movements suggesting that she was getting embarrassed. “I don’t want to waste my prom date on him! I don’t even like him in that way!”

Aoyama smiled, fully expecting this reaction from Hagakure. “It’s called denial, dear.”

Then the room exploded with noise as Mina hollered, "OHHHH!!" and the others laughed at Hagakure's bashful fiddling. Hagakure tried to save face, but with Mina's teasing, it was hard for her to keep her poise. "Okay, okay, I'll do it–but only because Todoroki will probably want to go with Deku!"

Todoroki with Midoriya…? Aoyama tutted and shook his head to himself. While the two boys were close, there were better options out there.

"Okay, so Hagakure's all set then…" Mina looked around the room, her eyes glowing as she searched for her next target. Her gaze finally rested on Jiro. "Kyoka–you obviously have to go with Denki!"

"What?" The black-haired girl jumped back a bit, her words mimicking Aoyama's thoughts exactly.

Jiro and Kaminari…are you serious, Mina?!

Mina stuck her delighted face into Jiro's, making the other girl blush. "Oh yeah, definitely! Denki loves hanging out with you! He's obviously the best choice for you!"

Aoyama couldn't bear watching Mina speak so naively. So he stopped Mina before she said anything more, waving his hand as if he were a music conductor bringing the song to a close. "Non non, Ashido, you have it all wrong."

Mina wasn't the only one surprised. "Huh?!" the girls all said at once, giving him baffled looks.

"But they fit so well together," Mina argued, her once intense excitement now subdued by her confusion. "Two cool, laid-back music lovers. How could you not see that happening?"

"Ah, but that's where you make your mistake, mademoiselle," Aoyama calmly explained, entering a comfortable pose as he talked. "On the surface, they might seem like the obvious choice. But when you focus too much on trying to make the perfect pair, you miss what's already in front of you."

Jiro was looking pretty uncomfortable from being the topic of the conversation. "What are you talking about, Aoyama?"

"I'm telling you what you know deep down." He took a moment to dramatically smirk before pointing to the two girls sitting next to each other. "Jiro and Yaoyorozu–you two need to go together."

The fact that the two girls turned to each other with faint blushes spreading on their faces proved Aoyama's point right away.

In the middle of her embarrassment, Jiro glared at Aoyama helplessly–as if she didn't want to acknowledge the truth herself. "Aoyama, y-you can't just say stuff like that!" Her nervous frown showed what she was actually trying to say–she didn't think Yaoyorozu would agree.

Don't worry, Jiro, he thought without ever losing his smile. I know what I'm doing here. I'm just doing you a favor.

Jiro only had to remain in her discomfort for a few more moments. Yaoyorozu finally looked at Jiro again, her face embarrassed yet hopeful. "I mean, I wouldn't mind going with you, Jiro."

That only made Jiro's blush even more obvious. Taken aback, she was forced to look away, a tiny smile growing on her face. "Oh, um, I wouldn't mind that either."

Proud of his matchmaking skills, Aoyama let himself sparkle. "Voilà."

In the middle of the other girls' cries of "awww", Mina gave him an impressed look. "Geez, Yuga–and I thought I was good at pairing people up!"

"Oh, trust me," he reassured with his confident, slightly upstuck smile, "I know exactly who has feelings for who."

That only seemed to make the other girls uneasy–which was a very reasonable response considering Aoyama knew the most about them since they were the people he was most often around.

He could see the sweat gathering on Uraraka's face. "What…do you know about us, then…" Her words were extremely forced, and Aoyama knew exactly why.

This'll be fun.

Hagakure desperately motioned towards him. "Come on, Aoyama, tell them they're wrong about me and Ojiro!"

He deepened his smirk. "Like I said: denial." Wanting to answer Uraraka's question, he kept on going before the narked Hagakure could start her tirade against him. Finding his obvious first target, he eyed Uraraka mischievously, who was progressively gaining even more sweat on her head as she became the center of attention. "You know who you want to go with, mademoiselle."

Uraraka started looking in random directions, the girl desperately trying to avoid the reality of her oh-so-obvious crush. "What, me?! No, not at all! I have absolutely no feelings towards anyone!"

But the other girls had no empathy towards Uraraka's discomfort, staring down the poor girl like a pack of starving wolves. Mina narrowed the gap between her and Uraraka as her excitement began to multiply. "I knew it, I knew you were crushing on somebody! Who is it, tell us! I'm stuck between two people!" Aoyama wondered who she was referring to, but he stayed quiet–there was no way he was taking the attention off of Uraraka.

Now Uraraka had regressed to a self-conscious, blushing mess, unable to do anything but hold her hands defensively in front of her face and look away. Aoyama didn't feel bad at all–she needed to tell the truth sooner or later. And also because she looked insanely adorable right then.

"Maybe we shouldn't force it out of her," Asui said, breaking the awkward silence that had been slowly taking up the room. "She can tell us when she's ready." Aoyama could see the pout forming on Mina's face–but then Uraraka sighed, bringing down her defenses for a moment.

"I-I mean, if you really want me to…" Now everyone was leaning towards Uraraka, eagerly awaiting her next words. But the girl became bashful again, putting her face in her hands. "Oh, I can't say it!!"

Mina had inched so close to Uraraka that the flustered girl was forced to back up a bit. "Who is it? Is it Iida? Deku? It's Deku, isn't it?"

Uraraka was now so embarrassed that even her ears were bright pink. But she still couldn't admit anything. Aoyama wondered if he should step in to help her.

Non, I should interfere here.

Turns out he didn't need to. While Uraraka was still burying her head deeper into her hands, she managed to answer Mina's final question with a tiny nod of her head. Mina's eyes immediately lit up, and she leaped for Uraraka, embracing her in an overjoyed hug. "Ochako!! That's so cute!!"

The other girls looked just as excited. "You don't have to be embarrassed by it," Jiro consoled, her voice gentle. "Deku's a nice guy. I think it's sweet that you like him."

"And I bet he really likes you too!" Hagakure added much more enthusiastically than Jiro. "He's always around you! Don't you think so, Yuga?"

Aoyama nodded once. "There's a reason why I'm pushing so hard for it."

Those words were enough to bring Uraraka out of hiding. She peeked over her hands, giving Aoyama a wide-eyed stare. "What…does that mean?"

Aoyama couldn't help but smile. Of course Uraraka would be in disbelief about Midoriya actually liking her back--that's how most crushes first started out. "The only way you can go with Midoriya is if you take the risk and ask him first. Midoriya is much too nervous to make the first move. It's up to you."

Uraraka had finally recovered enough that she could bring her hands away from her face–although she was still incredibly nervous. "I don't know, Aoyama…what if he says no?"

Mina butted in before he could say anything. "Of course he's not gonna say no! Deku loves hanging out with you!"

Uraraka frowned. "But he also likes being around Todoroki and the others–"

"With that attitude, you won't be getting anywhere." Aoyama looked her in the eyes, hoping that his words were enough to give her the confidence she needed. "We can set you up if you need help. But you can't give up before you even try."

Don't you understand how obsessed Midoriya is with you? Do I have to spell it out for you?!

Thankfully, his words did seem to help. Uraraka stared at the ground as if she were deeply thinking through her options. Her blush still apparent as ever, she finally said, "Okay, Aoyama…if you think it's possible, then I can try asking him."

Now Mina and Hagakure were squealing with glee. "This is gonna be so adorable!" Mina gushed. "Just imagine Deku and Ochako slow-dancing together, staring deep into each other's eyes as they confess their undying love for each other…!"

Aoyama thought Uraraka's face was red before–but now it was as red as a tomato. She put her hands on her face again. "I'm not gonna do that!!" But there was a hint of a giddy smile hidden underneath her embarrassment. The sight of it made Aoyama let out a breath of satisfaction.

Another ship has sailed.

There were only two girls left. Asui was unique in that while she did like a lot of the guys, it was never enough to be romantically attracted to any of them. She ultimately decided that she did not want a date, instead desiring a night dedicated to having fun without being dragged down by any one person.

"So that leaves you, Mina," Asui croaked once the conversation was done, making Mina turn her head in slight surprise–as if she forgot she was next in line. "Any thoughts on who you're going with–if anyone at all?"

Mina hummed, looking up at the ceiling as she thought for a moment. Then she looked back at the others, a content smile on her face. "Nope, not really! I don't really like anyone in that way. I prefer hooking you guys up than worrying about my own lovelife."

"You work better by yourself, mon amie," Aoyama agreed.

"You know, I could totally see you two going together as friends!" Hagakure gestured at him and Mina. Aoyama shared a thoughtful glance with his friend. He wasn't necessarily planning to go with a prom date…but if he were with Mina, then at least he could go with someone he felt comfortable with (and the other way around, too). Plus, it would mean they'd get prom photos together. And any chance Aoyama had to get free photos of himself was something he'd gladly take, no hesitations.

I could put it next to my hero portrait. Another addition to my vision board.

"What do you think, Ashido?" he asked, the girl quietly observing him. "We'd get the benefits of being an official couple without feeling the pressure of making each other happy. C'est parfait!"

"Well, when you put it that way…" A bright grin spread on Mina's face, and she put an elbow on his shoulder, regarding him cheerfully. "Let's do it, prom date!"

"Oui!"

Chapter Text

Somehow, it was already February 14th–the day of the prom.

How did time fly by so quickly? It felt like Aizawa had just given them permission to hold the prom yesterday. But no–that was months ago.

And now, prom was about to begin.

That Saturday morning and afternoon, the sparkle gang dedicated their time pampering themselves and making sure they looked the best they could.

“You gotta use the extra sparkly eyeshadow!” Mina was seated in the chair adjacent to Jiro, waiting expectantly as Yaoyorozu searched through the makeup kit in the middle of the room. Aoyama paused his own contouring to watch as Yaoyorozu showed a tiny case to Mina, whose makeup was now nearly completed. “Perfect. Lay it on me, Momo Yao.”

Looking gorgeous as always, Mina.

The girls had wanted to keep everyone’s outfits a secret from their prom partners, but with Jiro, Yaoyorozu, Mina, and Aoyama in the same group, it was impossible to do that. So Aoyama had already seen Mina’s dress. He was surprised to see that she had chosen the same shade of blue as he did–what a coincidence. He was also surprised that she was able to choose such a gorgeous dress when she didn’t exactly have the best fashion sense. Or maybe that only applied to interior design?

After many hours of prepping their outfits, everyone felt like they were ready for the prom festivities–but not before getting their group projects ready.

“See, I told you, Yuga!” said Mina as they lifted up a few of their completed dishes together. “These frankfurters are gonna be so good!”

“They'll go great with the black forest cake and Zimtsterne you helped us make!" he praised, joining the rest of the Germany group as they carried their cultural fair contributions to the main building.

Once every group had their projects set up, prom could officially begin. The anticipated dinner of the night was more like a walking buffet than anything else–everyone had the opportunity to sample the cuisine from each group. Of course, with eight separate courses, it was impossible for just one person to eat from every group. But it was obvious which group was the most popular.

“This fajita is amazing!” Kirishima cried after he basically consumed his entire Mexican meal in one bite, Tetsutestu unabashedly doing the same. “Who made it?”

Shoji pointed a few of his hands towards the culprit. “Sato, of course.”

Unsurprisingly, Sato’s group won the contest by a landslide. Honenuki was a close second, the Class 1-B member surprisingly talented at cooking. But it wasn’t enough to top Sato’s nearly professional culinary skills.

Then the festivities began. Lots of pictures, dancing, music, laughter, and enjoyment all around. It almost felt surreal to Aoyama how happy everyone was–including him. It was like he had never betrayed his school in the first place. He was smiling just as wide as the others, laughing just as loud as the others, feeling just as delighted as the others…

Finally, Aoyama had found his place.

Since there wasn’t much planned besides the cultural fair, the two classes were allowed to mess with the prom agenda. For example, they had all been listening to the playlist Kaminari and Mina prepared specifically for prom–but then Class B noticed that the whole school festival band was present, and they proposed an idea:

“Play a song for us!”

Jiro and Bakugou opposed it at first, but after Class B started a chant (to which Class A joined in as well), they were forced to give in. But they could only play the song from the school festival since they didn’t know any other songs. Then someone decided that it would be a good idea to do karaoke.

Spoiler alert: it was not a good idea.

There weren’t many people in the room that could sing–not like Jiro, at least. So when everyone started half-singing-half-shouting the lyrics to various High School Musical songs, it hurt Aoyama’s ears more than anything.

Maybe I’ll take a seat for a bit. I don’t think I can take hearing such an awful combination of sounds like that again.

Aoyama’s sparkling grape juice was a refreshing break from the noise and chaos of that night.

After slowly feeling more and more relaxed, Aoyama chose to remain in his spot, simply observing the excitement of the room. After a bit, Mina joined him.

“Fuck, I’m so tired!” she groaned, plopping into the chair next to him. “How am I gonna get through post-prom if I can’t even stay awake now!”

Aoyama casually took another sip of his juice. “You look like you’re having fun out there.”

“I am!” Mina chirped, her smile resurfacing. Then it shrank ever-so-slightly, a hint of concern in her gaze. “Are you having fun, too?”

What a sweetheart. Aoyama couldn’t help but smile–an authentic smile that his past self never would've believed was possible. “Of course I am, Ashido.”

I finally feel like I belong in my class. That’s all I need.

That made Mina’s expression soften, and she smiled back in a way that seemed more genuine than normal. “Good.”

They remained in each others’ company for a while. By now, the karaoke had devolved into a screaming fest between a few of the guys. It seemed like most people were ready to head out to their post-prom location. Now that Mina had taken a moment to recharge, she was overflowing with energy once again.

“Time for the trampoline park!” She jumped out of her chair, offering her hand to help him out of his seat. “Aren’t you excited?”

A few sparkles popped up around Aoyama as he stood up. “Oui!”

He wasn’t sure why, but his response made Mina pause. She gave him a look he couldn’t quite decipher, almost like she was noticing something about him. Then she let out a tiny laugh. “I’m so glad I met you, Yuga.”

Well that seemed a bit sudden. But at the very least, he could agree with her. “Same to you, mademoiselle.”

“No, really.” Mina kept her gaze for a few moments more before giving him a hug. “You’re awesome. I love you.”

…Wait, what did she just say?!

Startled, Aoyama jumped out of the hug. “Pardon?!”

I thought she didn’t like me in that way!

He wasn’t quite sure if Mina was amused or irritated. Knowing her, it was probably both. “What, you’ve never heard of friends saying they love each other before?”

“I–” Aoyama took a moment to compose himself. “Non? You’re supposed to say those words to someone who… isn’t your friend.”

“Oh, shut up, Yuga.” She bopped him on the head, not phased at all by his suggestions. “I guess you wouldn’t know this if you’ve never had friends before. But you don’t have to limit those words to your significant other. You tell your parents you love them, right?”

“Well, oui, but that’s different–”

“No, it’s really not,” Mina argued calmly. “You’re basically saying you care about them and they mean a lot to you. Why should we only use those words around specific people?”

Aoyama had to admit–she did have a point, even if it did make him feel a bit uncomfortable.

“And you know how people ask if you know someone and you say ‘oh, him? I love that guy!’ Why would you only say that behind their back and not to their face? The world needs more love, not less of it! And–"

"D'accord, Ashido, I get it," he said, trying to appease Mina before she started getting too passionate. 

Thankfully, Mina was keen on his feelings. Shrugging her shoulders, she gave him an indifferent look. "If you don't want me to say it anymore, I don't have to." There was nothing in her voice that suggested that she was upset–she really didn't mind Aoyama's lack of desire to be affectionate.

"Non, it's fine." He still felt a bit awkward, but if that's how Mina wanted to express her feelings, then he didn't want to stop her–as long as she acknowledged that he would never be able to comfortably say those words back.

They soon dropped the topic–and before Aoyama knew it, the prom-goers had arrived at the trampoline park! To his bewilderment, after everyone stepped off of the bus, they immediately raced towards the bathrooms. He didn't understand why--not until they came back adorning their brand-new "UA Class 1-A" and "UA Class 1-B" t-shirts.

Ah right, we did get those right before prom started.

"It's agreed that we're all starting the night with one giant game of dodgeball, right?" Kirishima started heading towards the trampolines, his hand pointed at what appeared to be the trampoline version of a dodgeball court.

Kendo stood next to him, putting a hand on her hip as a tiny flame of ambition ignited in her eyes. "A little friendly competition? Sure, why not!"

"I'll have you know that our class has always been more talented than yours!" There was only one person who was smug enough to speak those words. Monoma suddenly jumped in between his two classmates, goading his sworn enemies in his usual boastful fashion. "You truly think Class A is better than Class B at dodgeball? Do you really think you can beat Tokage? I'd like to see you–"

One karate chop to the head and Monoma was out. The others gave Kendo their thumbs-up of approval as she dragged him away.

Now Aoyama was getting excited. Dodgeball was one of the sports he was actually good at–precisely aiming a belly button laser over and over made him an extremely flexible opponent. With him on the team, he'd never get hit!

But there was a problem. He didn't realize it at first…not until he went into the bathroom himself to get changed.

I'm getting déjà vu here.

His t-shirt was short-sleeved.

Guess Aoyama wasn't changing out of his tuxedo.

He didn't exactly like being reminded of his scars when he was in the middle of having such a fun night. It put a bit of a damper in his mood–but not enough for him to sit on the sidelines and miss out on a round of dodgeball.

"Really, Yuga?" As everyone was finding a spot on the court, Mina glared at Aoyama as he chose a spot right next to her. Her face was unamused, but she clearly understood why Aoyama had remained in his outfit because she was quiet after that.

Aoyama grinned at her, his head held high. "I want to sparkle and shine on the court–both figuratively and literally!" Not to mention, he wasn't the only one who was still in their prom outfit–Hagakure refused to change out of hers, saying how she wanted to take advantage of every moment she still had to show off her dress.

Still looking a bit ticked off, Mina lowered her voice. "Really, nobody's gonna care if you take it off. Everyone's nice here."

Aoyama narrowed his eyes at her. "You know why I can't do that."

"No, I do–and I think it's dumb." Mina turned away before he could respond, directing her attention to the upcoming dodgeball match–but not before adding in the same annoyed tone, "Do whatever you want."

If she actually understood how risky it would be if people saw my scars, she wouldn't be bugging me so much right now. But Aoyama didn't want to think about that anymore. The dodgeball match was about to begin!

Turned out that Aoyama's dodging skills were no match for Class B's raw power and strategy. Once they formed a foolproof plan that involved storming their opponents with an onslaught of dodgeballs at once, Aoyama stood no chance. He was out of the game only a minute in.

"It's okay, Aoyama, you did your best!" As Aoyama hopped off of the court, Midoriya went over to give him a supportive high-five. "Class B shows no mercy, huh?"

"They certainly won't when your team is up," Aoyama replied, his heart warmed from Midoriya's encouraging words. Midoriya only grinned back, a summary of his sheer determination displayed just in his expression.

He puts his heart into everything he does. I hope I can be like him one day.

The two classes competed in a lot of dodgeball matches that night. Aoyama chose to sit out after his first loss because his suit didn't exactly have the best airflow. Just one game made him feel like he was trapped in a sauna.

Eventually, the dodgeball players started getting tired of constand rounds of the same sport. People began to split up into groups, with some still continuing their dodgeball matches, some heading towards the other trampoline park attractions, and some regrouping at the tables where Aoyama and a few of the others were talking.

"Now I'm definitely tired," Mina groaned, dramatically laying on the bench in a straight line. The others laughed at her behavior, but she ignored them. "And I have a headache too."

"Maybe you should hydrate then?" Sero asked, looking a little less tired than Mina but still pretty flushed. "You know you're supposed to drink water every once in a while, right?"

"Water is overrated," she retorted without ever looking up.

Aoyama felt bad for his friend. Knowing how hard Mina had worked for this prom, she probably didn't want it to end just yet–but she couldn't properly enjoy it if she were in pain.

I didn't bring any painkillers with me, but…

"Would you like me to get you some painkillers from the convenience store?" Aoyama's proposal brought a smidge of life back into Mina's limbs, and she forced her tired face to look up at him. "We passed one on the way here. I don't mind picking them up vite." It's not like he was planning to do anything else besides sit around with the others and chat. At least he could make himself useful.

Mina was still able to smile despite her fatigue. "You'd really do that? Thanks, Yuga. I'll pay you back."

"No need, mon amie," he gently refused, already hopping out of his seat. "I'll be back." But before he could take another step, he was bombarded with the others' requests.

"If you're going to the store…mind picking me up a Mountain Dew?"

"I'll take some of those painkillers, too, if you don't mind."

"Kinoko no yama please! Get two of the extra big boxes!"

"...You know what, can you pick me up a green Monster? I'm not planning on getting any sleep tonight anyways."

What was supposed to be a quick trip was turning into a whole grocery list of requests. But Aoyama didn't mind. It felt good to be helpful.

"Will do, mes camarades."

The convenience store was only a block away from the trampoline park. It was like the building owners knew exactly what they were doing when they chose their store placements–jump around on the trampolines for a few hours, get tired, and splurge on water and flavored juice afterwards.

It was obviously a successful setup.

Once Aoyama arrived, he got to work whittling down his extensive list. After gathering most of the edible goods, he headed towards the other half of the store to search for the painkillers. He casually browsed the other items as he made his way through the aisles.

Have lighters always been this cheap? 100 yen seems like a steal.

Well, they are disposable, so I guess they're only useful until they stop working.

Aoyama had gotten a bit distracted looking at the other products. He failed to realize that he wasn't the only one in the aisle.

He also failed to realize who that other person was.

Aoyama finally put down the lighter, silently scolding himself for losing focus of his mission, when he noticed somebody staring at him from the other end of the room.

It was Dabi.

-

Aoyama had never felt his heart drop so hard before.

"D-Dabi?!"

It was like Dabi's appearance completely knocked Aoyama off of his feet. Maybe that didn't actually happen, but it sure felt that way–Aoyama nearly lost his balance from how quickly the sudden fear hit him. And it wasn't just fear of Dabi…it was fear of his intentions.

Dabi looked just as surprised to see Aoyama. His smug smile was missing, instead replaced with a hard frown. "I knew I'd run into a UA kid here. Of course it had to be you."

Hoping his fear wasn't too exposed, Aoyama defensively stepped back. "Wh-why are you here?" He was extremely concerned–UA was in the next town over, not even ten minutes away. Whatever Dabi was doing so close to UA couldn't be good.

Now Dabi has returned to his usual conceited self. He held up a tiny package, smirking mischievously. "Getting some udon, nothing much."

Aoyama grimaced. That answer was obviously fake. Dabi wouldn't come there without a plan.

Gathering his composure, Aoyama forced himself to talk. "No, really–why are you here?" Dabi's grin started to fade away as Aoyama continued. "We're right next to UA. But there's no need for you to attack us anymore."

Something about what Aoyama said made Dabi's eyes light up deviously. His smile grew until it was borderline crazed. "No, that's what you think. You think that because AFO's chilling in jail for a bit, you're off the hook."

Any of the heat Aoyama's body had been retaining was gone in an instant, instead replaced with a wave of chills so intense that he was actually shivering.

What was Dabi trying to say?

"Yeah," Aoyama uncomfortably retorted after a moment. "He's in Tartarus. He's not coming out."

Aoyama had never seen such corrupted glee in Dabi's face before. It almost seemed like he was laughing, his mocking eyes speaking so clearly what his true thoughts were:

That's what you think.

Those very words terrified Aoyama.

But that wasn't what Dabi said. Instead, the intensity of his expression lowered, and he turned away, barely looking back at Aoyama with the faintest of grins. "Yeah. Sure." He was gone before Aoyama could do anything more.

The droning of the store's ambient music felt rather taunting right then.

No. It couldn't be true. Dabi didn't know what he was talking about. He was just trying to rile Aoyama up.

There was no way All For One could ever escape Tartarus.

And yet, as Aoyama tried to calm his raging anxiety, he knew deep down that his attempts of convincing himself that everything was alright were most likely in vain. There was more to Dabi's words than what he was saying. He wouldn't be so close to UA if he was just perusing the instant udon section.

More likely than not, the villains had a plan to break All For One out of jail.

It was like all of Aoyama's worst fears were coming true all over again.

-

Aoyama's demeanor changed after that encounter.

He hadn't even talked to Dabi for more than a minute or two, and yet that single exchange completely threw his already-fragile brain into a disordered mess. If Dabi's implications ended up coming true, then that would mean All For One wouldn't be in jail anymore. And if All For One was out of jail, then he could go right back to using Aoyama as his personal chess piece.

Aoyama would have to betray his classmates again.

Aoyama struggled to keep his poise when he got back to the trampoline park. Everyone looked happy to see him, eagerly thanking him for grabbing their Doritos or Ramune and regarding him with their joyful smiles. Mina was especially thankful, still fighting back her fatigue as she grabbed the bottle of pills from him.

"Thanks, Yuga. I really appreciate it."

Aoyama awkwardly smiled as he forced a simple response out of his mouth. Mina kept her eyes on him a few seconds more before bringing her attention back to opening the bottle in her hand.

Now that Aoyama's night was ruined, he didn't have the energy to do much besides sit around with the others and make mindless conversation. But he wasn't quite listening to the words being spoken. His mind was completely occupied by Dabi's words instead.

"Yeah. Sure."

Aoyama didn't know what he was supposed to do. If the villains were actually considering breaking All For One out of jail, then Aoyama needed to distance himself from his classmates again, right? That's what his parents would've wanted.

In the past, the idea of isolating himself only made Aoyama feel an ache in his chest–a subtle longing for things to be different. He didn't want to spend his whole life in forced seclusion, but he had no control over his situation otherwise. So he had learned to bury his troublesome emotions and move on.

But now it was happening all over again. Aoyama would have to relive his days of loneliness, despair, and heartache like there had never been a break in the first place.

It was like Aoyama's heart was actively being torn out of his chest in the most excruciating way possible.

He should've known how risky it was to let himself get close to people. He should've tried harder to stay in his bubble and push away those forming attachments he felt towards his classmates. But now that he cared so much about his classmates…how was he supposed to go back to the days of carelessly risking their lives just to meet All For One's demands?

Simple: he couldn't.

He just couldn't.

After another thirty minutes, around half of the prom group decided to call it a night and head home. Now that the painkillers had kicked in, Mina wanted to elongate her enjoyment. Aoyama was secretly thankful for that.

I don't want her to find about how I'm feeling right now.

Aoyama didn't feel any better when he had finally reached the enclosed walls of his dorm room.

It had been a while since Aoyama felt this bad. The fear of what was possibly to come had taken grip of him, and he couldn't escape it. As much as he wanted to believe in the possibility of Dabi bluffing, he knew how unrealistic that was.

Dabi knew exactly what he was saying.

Aoyama was having a hard time calming down. He was desperate to make things different–to stop the terrible future that was suddenly looming over the world. But he couldn't. He was absolutely helpless. If the villains had a plan, then they were taking action no matter what. But Aoyama couldn't say a word about it if he wanted to keep his parents safe.

Aoyama could feel it. He needed relief right now. He needed to stop the thoughts and feelings of anguish racing throughout him. He needed something–anything–to give him the sense that he had some sort of control over his life.

His hands located his blade before he could quite comprehend what he was doing. But before he did anything, he stopped.

I'm not supposed to relapse!!

Aoyama hadn't been clean for the last few months for nothing. He had tried so hard to keep his urges from controlling him by working with Mina to fight against his addiction. And he was successful. Aoyama hadn't hurt himself in months.

He couldn't just give up now.

But All For One…

That man just held too much power over Aoyama.

Aoyama's body was physically trembling just from trying to combat his urges. But his mind was far too worn out from the stress he had gone through that night, and he didn't have the willpower to fight for any longer.

And before he knew it, his arms were covered in bloody scratches.

Aoyama had relapsed once again.

Each cut had sent him further and further into despair. And now that he was out of room for any more scratches, he felt completely defeated.

I wasn't supposed to do that.

Aoyama knew what he needed to do. Or, at least, what he needed to tell himself. In one of his past conversations with Mina, they had both discussed this very scenario. Mina understood how powerful addictions could be and how sometimes it was easy to make mistakes.

"If that ever happens, you can't let it get you down. Because that's what the addiction wants. So don't treat it like it's the end of the world. You've gotten so many days without it before; you can do even better next time!"

But at that moment, those words meant nothing to Aoyama. Because not only did he have to worry about All For One returning again, but he had just done the very thing he had vowed to never do again.

It was hard to believe that Aoyama had been so happy just a few hours ago.

-

It was the day after prom. Aoyama was obviously not the only person who hadn't slept at all that night–everyone looked like a half-alive zombie that morning.

"Did you really just water the plants with milk?" said Sero as he tried to hide his snickers of amusement. Kaminari looked too exhausted to properly get angry at him.

"I thought it was my cereal bowl…"

Aoyama felt too disconnected to join in with their laughter as usual.

He continued to feel like a zombie the rest of the day. The others eventually regained their energy, but Aoyama was far too drained to go back to his old carefree self. So he lethargically did the bare minimum just to survive the day.

It could happen at any moment…

It sure felt like déjà vu.

Aoyama had a feeling that Mina knew what was happening with him. She never said anything, but her extended eye contact showed that she was definitely thinking something. It hurt Aoyama knowing that she was only aware of his change of emotions because they were such good friends.

Aoyama could only mentally betate himself for ever letting himself get so close to her.

As much as Aoyama wanted to avoid his problems, Mina would never let that happen. So he wasn't surprised to hear her open his door after spending the past hour isolating himself in his room. Her serious gaze bored into him, immediately making him uncomfortable.

"Alright, Yuga, what's going on?"

Ah, great, she really was onto me. His unrealistic hopes of her somehow missing the subtle cues of his changing emotions were, of course, unrealistic. But he really didn't want to acknowledge his feelings. Not when it involved him relapsing.

So he averted his eyes. "Je ne sais pas, Ashido. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Now you're lying to me?!" He risked looking back at Mina, who was now fuming with anger. "Don't give me that crap! I know something's wrong!"

Aoyama kept his gaze away, growing frustrated that he couldn't think of a way to convince Mina that he was just fine (even if it wasn't true). He hated seeing her get so worried just for his sake. He didn't want her to get involved with his unsolvable problems and end up heartbroken again.

Failing to think of a way to get Mina off of his back, Aoyama gave her an admittedly pathetic response: "It's nothing."

"Seriously, Yuga, stop it." She took a few steps into the room, her intense glare forcing him to step back in the opposite direction. The way she was blocking the entrance made him feel trapped, and he was quickly becoming anxious. "You've been acting weird since yesterday. You were perfectly fine until the end of post-prom. It was right after you went to the store for us. Was it something about that? Did something–"

"Ashido, je t'ai déjà dis que JE VAIS BIEN!"

Aoyama was feeling too trapped to think through his actions, and it made him lash out before he could stop himself. While Mina didn't appear to be hurt, her hesitant frown made him realize that she wasn't just mad anymore.

"...You're snapping at me again."

Great. He was making her worry, just like old times.

Her angry expression was now mixed with concern. It made him sigh in frustration.

I'm not getting out of this without telling the truth.

"Fine," he finally said, forcing the words out of him. "I'm not feeling that great. There, are you happy now?"

Mina grimaced, obviously not satisfied with Aoyama's answer. Upset that his answer hadn't helped, Aoyama added, "It's nothing that concerns you. I don't want you to worry about it."

Mina was silent for a moment, the conflict in her head apparent through her troubled expression. Seeing how much she was struggling to come up with even a simple response made Aoyama feel the familiar pang of guilt he'd always felt in these situations. But then Mina cautiously locked eyes with him. "I mean, I'm glad you admitted that, but then why would you try to hide it from me? You always told me when you were feeling bad after we moved into the dorms."

“Because it’s not bad enough for me to need your help,” Aoyama quickly said, becoming hopeful that her uncertainty meant she was getting less worried about him. “If I needed you, I would’ve reached out to you. But like I said: I’m fine.”

Was he lying? He quickly ran those words through his mind–if he vowed to himself that he would ask Mina for help if All For One really escaped, then what he was doing now would not count as lying.

So it’s okay for me to say that.

That seemed to ease Mina’s anxieties a bit–while she obviously wasn’t convinced, she didn’t seem as upset anymore. Her body relaxed a bit, although it was still on guard. “I’m not sure if I trust you…”

Come on, Mina, just let it go!

“...But if you really mean that, then I guess I can’t argue.” Pleased at her answer, Aoyama gave her a comforting smile, only low-key exaggerating for her sake. Mina kept her frown at first, but his expression eventually made a slight smile appear on her face, too. But it didn’t stay for long. “But what I said in the past still applies. If you ever need help with feeling better or stopping your urges, just tell me and I’ll do anything to help. Okay?”

Oh no. She mentioned the topic Aoyama was trying to avoid–his self-harm urges.

Please don’t focus on the “stopping your urges” part…

But then Mina paused. That short period of silence was enough for Aoyama to tell that his friend had just recalled the one obvious question that still remained unasked. So she gave him an intentional look and asked, “...You didn’t hurt yourself, right?”

Aoyama should’ve predicted that he would be asked that awful question sooner or later. It didn’t make it any easier to answer, though. Should he try to lie? No, he barely got away with lying earlier. If he lied again, Mina definitely wouldn’t appreciate that. But he didn’t have the guts to admit it, either. So instead, the only words that came out of his mouth were a jumbled, “I–it’s not–it’s only–”

He didn’t need to say anything more for Mina to understand.

Now she definitely wasn't smiling. Aoyama was afraid she was about to get upset all over again–but in one sudden motion, she turned away, put her hands on her face and dragged them down. "Okay, it's fine, Yuga, it's fine," she repeated in a strained voice.

"Oui, it's definitely fine," he agreed, hoping that he was somehow off the hook from Mina's raging. "It doesn't need medical attention if that's what you're worried about."

"Yes, you're right, it's fine," Mina immediately said, almost cutting Aoyama off as she paced a few steps around the room. When she looked back at him, he was discouraged to see how stressed she looked. And yet she still chose to focus on his feelings instead. "Because you know what? I don't want you to get stuck on this. I don't want you to get back into that habit because you felt bad about relapsing. Okay? So no more thinking about it."

"You…want me to stop thinking about it?" That wasn't the answer Aoyama was expecting her to come up with. Usually Mina tried to make him acknowledge his feelings rather than push them away.

"I want you to stop focusing on it," she said back, still quite distressed. "That's what I meant."

Aoyama could only frown and say, "Oh." It was clear that he was making Mina freak out a bit considering she was now back to her anxious pacing. Oddly enough, it now felt like he had to comfort her more than the other way around.

After a few more moments of nervous pacing, Mina stopped and sighed as if she was exhaling the anxiety stuck in her lungs. "Let's just move on from this, okay?"

"...D'accord." Aoyama still felt like he had affected Mina more than usual, but if she wanted to move on from it, then at least that meant this hard conversation was now over. Although he didn't feel that great about her reaction.

Mina took another big breath, becoming calm enough that she could smile again. She went over to Aoyama, holding her fist up and sharing a fist-bump with him. "We'll get through this, 'kay?"

Aoyama tried to smile back, but it felt too fake for him to keep it. "Oui."

After that unusually awkward conversation, Mina stayed in his room for a bit. He could tell that she was hesitant to leave, probably in fear of what would happen when she was gone. Aoyama didn't know how to combat her worries when he wasn't quite sure what he would do either.

As much as Mina wants to help, she can't stop All For One from coming back.

Ultimately, with the threat of All For One's return constantly shadowing over Aoyama, there was no way for Mina to help him. She could never find out what he had learned from Dabi. He alone would have to bear the knowledge of his "uncle's" eventual escape, even if it involved him tearing his arms apart in the process.

It was the only way he had any control over his situation.

-

That night played out in the exact way Aoyama predicted it would: kick out Mina after she spent an entire hour refusing to leave his room, attempt to sleep in peace, and end up relapsing anyways.

He didn't even feel bad about it. He didn't feel much of anything, really. The pain didn't even register in his brain while he was cutting, and he had to apply some extra pressure in his movements to feel any sort of feeling at all. The scars were a little more obvious, yes, but when did that ever matter to him?

Since the following day was Monday, Mina didn't have a chance to check in with him until after school. As he took the familiar path back to the dorms, she hurried up to accompany him.

"What's up, Yuga?" Mina greeted, flashing a pleasant smile that she always loved to show off. Aoyama was beyond relieved to see how buoyant she was around him after their tense conversation from the other day–but his relief was short-lived because her carefree attitude soon faded away. "So what happened after I left yesterday? Did you do it?"

The last thing Aoyama wanted to experience was another encore of last night. As much as he hated lying, he had no other choice if he wanted to avoid upsetting her. Being forced to look away from her innocent eyes, he simply stated, "Non, I didn't."

"Hooray!" She affectionately bumped into him, her pure-hearted excitement immediately making him regret lying. "See, I knew it was just one bad day!"

Aoyama tried to mask his guilt, but he couldn't stop the frown forming on his face. But before he could disguise it any better, Mina noticed, her eyes pausing on him for a moment. Then her smile slowly faded away, the smallest of changes yet the most heartbreaking sight Aoyama had ever seen.

"You lied…?" Mina's face scrunched up, and Aoyama realized he had pushed the girl to the brink of tears. "...I'm telling Aizawa."

"N-non!" Panicking, Aoyama grabbed her shoulder before she could dart away. "I told you, you can't do that!"

"Well what else am I supposed to do!" Mina shoved his hand away, the astonishingly powerful emotion in her voice making Aoyama shrink away shamefully. "You won't listen to me! Did you just give up on trying anymore?!"

Aoyama motioned with his hands to get her to quiet down, the others still too far away to hear them but not wanting to risk it. "Ashido, you don't–"

"And don't give me that bullshit excuse of 'I'm not allowed to say anything!'" Now she was absolutely furious, her body posed as if she were about to fight him. "You're only using it as an excuse to hurt yourself more!"

"But it's true, Ashido," he said in a desperate attempt to appease her. "I'm really not allowed to say anything."

That only made her more miserable, the forming tears in her eyes threatening to fall down her face. "I don't give a fuck anymore, Yuga. You're only hurting yourself because of that dumb belief. I'm tired of it."

Aoyama shamefully averted his eyes, unable to look at Mina anymore knowing how sad she was because of him. He knew that no matter how much he tried, his excuses would do nothing to console her. He felt too guilty to do anything but apologize. "I'm sorry, Ashido." Taking a quick glimpse at her, he added, "I don't want you to cry. I'm sorry."

"I'm crying because I care!" Now Mina was yelling at full force, the tears finally falling out of her eyes as her voice broke in sheer anguish. "I'm crying because I can't watch you go through this again! And unless I know for sure that you're actually trying to get better, I'm not gonna stop crying!"

Aoyama didn't know how to respond to that when he knew that getting better was impossible. As long as All For One had control over him, he could never get better. So he remained silent, grimacing at the ground.

Mina had reached her limit. Now that they had finally arrived at the dorms, she took the initiative and stepped up to the door first. "I can't be around you right now," she hissed, not even glancing back at him. "Go talk to Aizawa if you need someone." Without another word, she stormed into the building. Aoyama was too emotionally distraught to do anything but watch her disappear.

What a villain he was.

-

From that point on, the room was always tense whenever Aoyama and Mina were both in it. Even after Mina took some time to herself to calm down her emotions, she still held a grudge against him.

Rightfully so.

Aoyama didn't know how to mend their friendship. If he couldn't give Mina the answer she wanted, then they couldn't actually discuss their argument without Aoyama inevitably making her upset again. It was extremely frustrating knowing how much could be solved if he just explained everything…but with All For One in the picture, that was basically a death wish.

I'm sorry, Mina.

The first 24 hours after their fight, Mina said very little to him. She didn't even bug him about spending the night alone in his room like she had done the previous night. But even if she did, Aoyama still would've self-harmed considering how insanely overwhelming his guilt was–but he still felt empty without the familiar nagging of Mina.

The next day, things slowly but surely started to go back to normal. Mina was still unnaturally quiet around him, but she wasn't intentionally avoiding him anymore. And after a while, they could speak more than just a few words together–and even more later, they could have normal conversations again.

But they never addressed the elephant in the room. Mina never brought up his self-harm or their argument again. It was easy for Aoyama to tell why. Mina probably didn't want to admit it, but the only way she could cope with him falling into the pit of despair once again was by removing herself and all of her attachments to him from her life. If she didn't, she would be forced to ride alongside Aoyama on the roller coaster of emotions he went through every day. And being as empathetic as she was, that would be just too much for her to handle.

Aoyama couldn't blame her. In fact, that was what he had wanted from the beginning. His life was too much of a mess for anyone else to go through. Now he could keep his distance just like before.

The other classmates were surprisingly oblivious to the tension between the two teenagers. Mina had gotten better at masking her feelings–probably because with the amount of secrets Aoyama had forced her to keep, she had to learn how to hide them as well. So nobody was ever the wiser to their issues.

Time had slowly healed the wounds the two teenagers amassed from their fight. By the end of the week, life was pretty much back to normal. Aoyama was back to the daily cutting routine, but the longer he went without All For One escaping, the more confident he became that he could break the habit once enough time had passed without the villain's release. Perhaps Aoyama had misinterpreted Dabi and the villains actually had no plans to rescue All For One? Or maybe they wanted to have a plan but couldn't think of one? With Tartarus being as heavily guarded as it was, that option was sounding more and more realistic in Aoyama's mind. It gave him the hope that his anxiety was possibly misplaced and there was no impending doom in the first place.

So when his other classmates wanted to go out and have a post-post-prom together, Aoyama felt comfortable enough to join in.

It was refreshing being able to enjoy himself again.

Mina was the one who brought up the idea of a post-post-prom (unsurprisingly). But she didn't oppose Aoyama tagging along. In fact, it was almost like she wanted him to come.

Could she predict how much it would end up helping their relationship? Aoyama certainly didn't. But after a night of dining at a fancy Italian restaurant, fooling around at a nearby park in the middle of the night, and getting kicked out of a department store for accidentally setting off the fire alarms, everyone in the group was having the time of their lives. And for the first time that week, Mina was able to smile at him.

It was such a lovely sight.

The group didn't get back to the dorms until it was almost morning. Aoyama was too tired to self-harm and ended up crashing in his bed as soon as he walked into his room. In fact, he almost forgot about his self-harm habits in the first place. He was quite delighted to see his arm without any fresh scars the next morning.

At least he was starting the day off right.

Aoyama didn't do much that day. He woke up way too early and was distracted all day trying to fight off his fatigue. It was barely past 4pm when he decided to throw in the towel and take a much-needed nap.

"Alright, Yuga, we'll see you later then," Asui said after he announced his plans to the group.

"Don't sleep in too long!" Hagakure eagerly added. "We're planning to have a game night tonight after our study session!"

"Ooh là là, how fun!" Making a mental note to bring down Twister after his nap, he jumped out of his seat, regarding his friends one last time. "Au revoir."

"Have a nice rest, Yuga." Mina was smiling at him from her seat–a tiny, gentle smile, no hints of her week-long grudge hidden in the expression. It seemed like she had finally forgiven him.

Aoyama's smile was just as genuine. "You too, Ashido."

"I'm not going to bed, silly!!" Now the others were laughing at Mina's comment, their carefree smiles making Aoyama feel warm on the inside.

Maybe I was worrying for nothing.

The warm feeling of comfort lingered inside of Aoyama as he made his way back to his room, making it easy for him to drift back to sleep.

Chapter Text

"Yuga…

"Yuga…

"I hope you're ready."

Aoyama suddenly jolted upwards, his tri-colored sleeping cap violently flung to the side as he exited his short-lived slumber. He frantically searched for the source of the noise, his heart pounding as he did–only to realize that the source didn’t exist in the waking world. It had just been a dream.

Dieu merci.

Despite his relief, he couldn't ignore the rising sensation of unease in his stomach. The voice that'd been uttering his name wasn't outright threatening, but the low, slick tone had managed to make his skin crawl in the most sickening way possible. He almost thought he could recognize the voice, but he couldn't quite place a finger on whose it was…

But he didn't need to know. It was only a remnant from his dream. Nothing more.

As the blond-haired boy regrounded himself, he heard a familiar sparkle sound effect emit from his phone. Somebody must have texted him.

He peeked at the screen and was pleasantly surprised to see the bubbly, pink-skinned girl on the icon next to the message.

Mina?

Aoyama wasn't expecting that. Mina hadn't texted him ever since their little spat that led to them avoiding each other. But she'd been showing more signs that she was finally forgiving him–to the point that he really did think her previous grudges had faded away. So it made sense that she would eventually text him again too.

Ultimately, he was delighted just from seeing her icon again. His excitement was distracting enough that he forgot to read the actual message for a moment.

A blissful, naive moment.

But soon enough, his eyes drifted to the actual message, and his happiness was caught in limbo.

Mina✨️: sorry idk if you're still mad at me but did you hear the news?

Mina✨️: i just wanted to make sure your okay. i'll come up if you need me to

Aoyama blinked at the screen, absolutely clueless as to what his friend was alluding to.

In his still-drowsy, half-lucid state, it didn't occur to him what the "news" could possibly be.

He didn't yet reach the conclusion that it was likely related to the event that caused him to relapse.

Scrunching his eyebrows, Aoyama opened up the message in full as if his conversation history with Mina would give any more context to her words. But as he stared blankly at the screen, his mind began to wake. And wonder. And connect. And realize.

…Surely she wasn't talking about his worst fear coming to life, right?

As the gears in Aoyama's mind finally turned with comprehension, his body became cold with fear. He pulled up the internet before his panic became any stronger.

There, on the very top of the home page, were the words that would haunt Aoyama for the rest of his days.

"Tartarus Destroyed! Nine Missing Prisoners--Including the Infamous All For One!"

Aoyama's mind became blank.

He scrolled down.

"Tartarus in shambles! All For One has escaped!"

"Mass Attack in Japan's Biggest Prison! Is All For One to Blame?"

"All For One's Return and What It Means for Japan - Full Report, Pictures, Live Footage"

Completely and utterly blank.

He should've expected this to happen. He should've known from the night he ran into Dabi that All For One was coming back no matter what.

Even so, the news completely wrecked him as if it were the very first time he had ever considered the idea.

Aoyama’s breath only sped up faster and faster the more he rummaged through those pages. His eyes could see the sentences in front of him, but the words were only entering his brain through fragmented pieces.

The incinerated prison. The death toll. The number of freed prisoners. The list of likely prospects.

And there, right at the front of every article, was the name that followed Aoyama like a haunting ghost that refused to be driven away. The name that had been permanently drilled into his brain. The name that had brought him to tears so many times. The name that left him shaking with terror, desperate for his life to turn out in any other way–

The name All For One.

Aoyama got caught up mindlessly searching through those articles for what felt like an eternity, his eyes glazed and his hands starting to shake after a while. But when he remembered to look at the time, he saw that only a few minutes had passed.

The anguish felt endless.

Only a few seconds later, his phone rang. The name "Maman💖" popped up on his screen.

There was only one reason why his parents would call him out of the blue.

They had heard about the news too.

Aoyama's entire world was collapsing on the spot.

In the quiet of his room, Aoyama felt the emotions weighing on top of him, trapping him under their sheer weight until he wasn’t sure if he could breathe anymore. His eyes weren't focused on anything in the room as a montage of flashbacks torturously replayed in his head.

He wasn't just reliving his bad times at UA–he was thinking about the school festival, and the prom, and every other happy moment in his life. All of those times he treasured so much were gone for good. He could never go back to the days of partying with his classmates if All For One was overshadowing his every move. He could never feel free to be himself or even let himself be a part of the group again.

It really felt like Aoyama would never escape his own prison.

Aoyama didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know how to feel better. All he knew was that he needed some stability. Some relief. Some control.

Aoyama's hand instinctively traveled to his razor. But before he picked it up, he stopped, his hand hovering above the object.

It won't help enough.

Instead, he changed his course and uncovered his other secret spot.

Awaiting him was a utility knife.

Aoyama had bought that very knife right before All For One was captured in Kamino. He had already collected a good amount of tools at that point, but as soon as he’d seen how sharp that particular knife was, he knew he had to get it.

Just for emergencies, he had thought at the time.

This, without a doubt, was an emergency.

Pulling out the knife for the first time since buying it, Aoyama didn't hesitate to start cutting in the way he was familiar with. Despite how many powerful emotions he was feeling right then, his mind somehow numbed out any pain he felt from the cuts. He soon became frustrated by how little relief he was getting–even when the blood was streaming down his arm at an increasingly alarming rate.

Whenever the relief wouldn't come in his past cutting sessions, Aoyama would default to focusing on a single cut, going as deep as he needed to until he felt the dopamine he was craving. He was drawn to the spot right below his wrist, the wound already beginning to gape just from the first slice. He continued to open it up, each cut making it easier to tolerate the emotional turmoil he was suffering through.

It's helping!

The pain of the cuts was becoming stronger than the screaming in his head. Lost in his trance, Aoyama failed to register what exactly his hands were doing. He was too focused on trying to escape his mental pain.

It was when he saw the droplets of blood staining his carpet that he finally saw with full clarity how deep he had gone.

…Did I do that?

The spot Aoyama was cutting had grown much more than he'd anticipated. The streams of blood were flooding down his forearm, their widths more akin to rivers than creeks. His mind beginning to comprehend the injury in front of him, Aoyama feebly poked inside of the wound. The way the blood was pulsing out meant it wasn't just leaking from the actual cut. He had unintentionally cut something inside of his body too. And when he applied pressure to stop the cascading of blood, it didn't stop in the slightest.

The blood just kept on gushing out.

Aoyama didn’t really react at first. It was like his mind was blocking out any sort of feeling or thought he could possibly have. So he sat there for a while, watching with warped interest as the blood continued to flow.

Then he remembered whose blood he was watching. The blood from his own body.

Aoyama was suddenly snapped back into reality.

I went too deep!!

Aoyama began to hyperventilate when he saw how useless his attempts at stopping the blood were. And soon enough, he could feel the edges of his vision getting all fuzzy, and he came to the realization that if he didn’t stop bleeding, he might actually die.

Is that such a bad thing?

That thought only lasted for a second before it was drowned out by the panic rushing through his body. He didn’t have time to think when his basic instincts were too busy trying to save his life. His hand reached for the closest object that could possibly slow down his blood loss–which ended up being the sparkly hero cape he adored so much–and he threw it on top of his arm, pressing down as hard as he could.

He was keenly aware of how much effort he had to put in just to keep his rapidly weakening body from swaying.

He really was about to die! The blood wouldn’t stop coming out, and he had no way of fixing it!

Aoyama had lost all control over his life. From the moment he chose to work with All For One, he forfeited any sort of control he had over his future. Now the only thing he could do was helplessly watch as his own blood tainted his cape a deep red.

In the middle of his fading eyesight and his speeding breath, Aoyama realized just how terrified he really was.

I don't want to die!

Sometimes life has a funny way of working out. Aoyama truly thought he was about to bleed out to death in his room alone. He didn’t think there was any other way for that night to turn out.

But he was mistaken.

As Aoyama silently accepted his fate and waited for the darkness to overtake him, he was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a fist knocking on his door. The color began to drain out of his face when he recognized the voice on the other side.

“Yuga, you still sleeping in there?”

Mina.

His head whipping around towards the entrance of the room, Aoyama was horrified to see that he hadn’t properly locked his door. It began to open, each second dragging out like time was purposely forgetting how to pass properly. “Sorry, I got a bit distracted. Anyways, I sent you a text earlier about the news…”

Mina’s voice trailed away when she saw Aoyama on the ground.

Aoyama was too terrified to do anything but smile back at her.

That one moment was enough to completely traumatize the poor girl.

"Oh…my god..." For a second Mina was frozen in place, still taking in the scene in front of her. Her face slowly became more and more aghast until she finally screamed, “YUGA!!”

Aoyama wasn't really sure what was happening. His vision was going in and out and his body was feeling number by the second. But he could still feel Mina clutch his arms, the slight pressure being the only thing keeping him grounded in the moment. He was thankful for her help because otherwise he wouldn't be able to keep himself from toppling over.

"What the hell, Yuga, what the hell?!" Aoyama could hear the overwhelming fear in Mina's voice as she desperately covered his bleeding arm with the same cape he had used. But it wasn't going to work. Aoyama had already tried that. He was too far gone.

He was about to die.

Being reminded of how much blood he had already lost, Aoyama took another look at his arm. His fear had only been spiking by the second, but just seeing his blood-stained arm made that fear shoot up to levels it hadn’t even reached during the two UA attacks. And then, in a strange twist he couldn't quite explain, he was in a fit of hysterical laughing.

Now Mina looked even more horrified.

Tears started streaming down his eyes from how hard he was laughing. He had no idea what was happening or why he was having that reaction. All he could think about was how terribly afraid he was.

The sudden emotional change was enough to finally pull him into unconsciousness. The very last sound he heard as he gave in to the darkness was Mina's shrill shriek of despair.

"HELP!!"

-

All For One was free.

That was the only topic on Midoriya's mind as he stared blankly at the wall.

The news had taken everyone by surprise. Midoriya had been downstairs with his classmates as they all held a study session together, not getting much work done until Kaminari decided for the group that it was time for miniature ping pong.

That was the last time they were all smiling.

Now everything was different. Tartarus had been completely obliterated by a group known as the Paranormal Liberation Front, which seemed to be an extension of the League of Villains based on the list of culprits seen on every article posted in the past hour. A large majority of the inmates had escaped–including the infamous All For One, who was the whole reason why the world didn't have the Symbol of Peace anymore. That man was extremely dangerous.

Which is exactly why UA took immediate action.

The UA faculty put the school into a full lockdown–meaning that the students weren't even allowed to leave their dorm buildings without the presence of a teacher. The UA gates were permanently locked with extra protection from the police until the school felt like it was safe enough to lift those restrictions. But Principal Nezu had stated in his email that he did not know how long that would take.

Things would never be the same. Not for a while, at least.

Now Midoriya was in his room. As much as he wanted to be around his classmates, he needed some time to think. After all, All Might had said that Midoriya was the most likely candidate to be All For One's next opponent.

After seeing that villain in person, Midoriya wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to fight a man as intimidating as him.

Was staring at the wall hoping that an idea would come to him really a productive use of his time? Midoriya wasn't coming up with any ideas so far, so perhaps not. But it gave him an opportunity to get some muttering in, so at least it helped him process the events from that night.

"If All For One is back, then that means we're no longer safe. The villain attacks on UA all happened when All For One was free. Can we expect another one of those? And if so, would All For One show up this time? Because then I could use One For All to defeat him for good. But how am I supposed to do that when I still don't have complete control over my quirk?"

Seemed like he was coming up with more questions than ideas.

Sighing, Midoriya let his head fall against the wall with a quiet thud. This was a lot to think about at once. Maybe he should take a break. He'd been sitting in the same spot for a while now.

But then something unexpected happened. Before Midoriya could decide his next plan of action, a loud cry cut through the silence of the room, making him flinch backwards and nearly bump into his bookshelf.

"HELP!!"

Ashido?!

It sounded like Mina was in the next room over. It also sounded like she was in the middle of a panic attack based on how emotionally packed her scream was.

Instantly worried, Midoriya charged out of his room, noticed Aoyama's open door, and ran inside.

"What's wrong–"

Midoriya was not prepared for the sight in front of him.

There was blood splattered everywhere–on the carpet, on Aoyama's cape, on Mina's shirt, and all over Aoyama's body. It took Midoriya a moment to locate the source of the blood–and when he found it, he almost fainted.

Aoyama's arm had a giant gash in it.

Blood was flowing out nonstop.

Oh crap!!

The worst part was Mina. Her arms were trembling as she carefully held Aoyama's unconscious body, looking up at Midoriya with an expression so completely devastated that it instantly broke his heart. It almost seemed like she was presenting Aoyama to Midoriya as she barely lifted his body in his direction, a cascade of tears streaming down her face as she did.

"Please help him…"

Crap–

Giving in to his panic, Midoriya raced over, his mind too jumbled to think of a proper way to handle the situation. All of the blood was making him dizzy, but he tried to put his focus into saving his friend's life. "Ashido, what happene–"

Midoriya stopped mid-sentence when he got a closer look at Aoyama's arm.

His whole arm.

Oh.

Well things just got a lot more complicated.

Midoriya shook his head before he got too carried away. He could worry about the cause of Aoyama's injuries later. Right now, he had to make sure he survived first.

"I don't know…" Mina could barely answer his question in between her sobs, her eyes fixated on Aoyama as if she couldn't look away. "I don't know what happened…"

"That's fine," Midoriya tried to console, quickly becoming aware of how much time they were wasting. "Did you call 119 yet?"

Mina was only able to shake her head.

I should do that first.

Midoriya didn't hesitate to take action. Once the emergency responders picked up, they instructed him on what to do. Midoriya elevated Aoyama's arm, wrapping it up with an old towel he grabbed from his room. As Midoriya shared the details of the incident to the emergency responders, he put Mina in charge of applying pressure on Aoyama's arm. But he soon began to regret that choice when he saw how traumatized she looked just from the sight of her friend.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," she cried, clutching onto his side with her free hand. "Please don't die, Yuga, please…"

…I can't put her through this.

"Ashido," he called, pulling her out of her misery for a moment as her sorrowful face looked back at him. "Can you go get Aizawa for me? I'll take over for you."

She glanced back at Aoyama. "But–"

"Please do it," Midoriya said, kneeling down next to her and gently moving her hand off of Aoyama's arm. He gave Mina the best smile he could muster, hoping that it was comforting enough for her to fully put her trust in him. "I’ve got this."

Please, Ashido. I don't think you're aware of how much this is hurting you.

She stared at Aoyama a few moments more, grimacing as if the very sight of her friend brought her physical pain. Midoriya was afraid she was about to get caught up in her trance again, but then she looked back at him. "Okay."

Midoriya gave her a pleased look, relieved that he wouldn't have to watch her suffer like that anymore. "Thank you."

Before Mina left, she hesitated, gazing back with tearful eyes. Midoriya shooed her away before she got caught up in her emotions again.

Then he was left alone with Aoyama.

Did I miss the signs?

The scars on Aoyama's arm were very apparent now. What was most unsettling was that some of them had long been healed. Meaning that this was not a one-time occurrence.

I didn't even know…

Now Midoriya felt bad. The idea that there was possibly something going on in Aoyama's life never crossed his mind. He racked his brain for every conversation he had with Aoyama, trying to figure out what exactly he had missed.

There was that whole cheese message in the middle of the night…

The icky feeling of blood touching his fingertips made Midoriya cringe, throwing him back into the present moment.

He couldn't get distracted right now.

After what felt like an eternity, Aizawa ran into the room, with Mina nowhere to be seen.

"What the hell happened?!" Aizawa exclaimed, running straight to Aoyama's body. The teacher looked like a mess, his hair half-combed and the gray circles under his eyes significantly darker than usual. But he was still overflowing with concern, his eyes unnaturally wide as he joined Midoriya on the ground.

"I…don't know," Midoriya said, technically telling the truth even if he was beginning to piece together what had actually happened to Aoyama.

He didn't really want to think about that.

Midoriya wondered if Aizawa knew anything about Aoyama and his scarred arms. Maybe he knew more than Midoriya did?

One look at Aizawa's reaction and he knew that he did not.

"Did you call emergency services?" Aizawa asked, his voice a bit more tense than before.

"Yes." Midoriya picked up his phone and showed it to Aizawa. "They're on the other end." When Aizawa motioned for the device, Midoriya handed it over.

After a bit of talking, Aizawa handed the phone back. "I'm taking him outside," he curtly said, already lifting Aoyama up bridal-style. "Come with me. They need someone who saw what happened."

But I didn't see what happened.

Midoriya chose not to voice his thoughts and instead focused on catching up to Aizawa as they headed down to the first floor.

It seemed like the news of Aoyama's injury had spread because all of the students on the first floor were anxiously bunched into tiny groups, sharing hushed words among themselves and occasionally turning towards the stairs with nervous expressions.

Hagakure saw the newcomers first. Her invisible body turned towards Midoriya and Aizawa, and she immediately cried, "Oh my god–he's back!" Every conversation in the room came to a halt as all eyes landed on Midoriya and Aizawa. But Aizawa wasn't phased–he beelined towards the exit, not paying his students any mind. Everyone was too stunned to say anything, and before Midoriya knew it, he was gone.

I guess he wants me to follow, Midoriya thought uncomfortably as he copied Aizawa's pace. "Sorry, guys, I can't talk. Aizawa needs me." He could hear the others' protests as they begged for an explanation, but he forced himself to tune it out. As much as he wanted to fill them in with what he knew, Aizawa needed his help.

But then he heard Mina's quiet sniffling, and his legs stopped moving on their own. Midoriya hesitantly looked back. Mina was still an emotional wreck, weakly clinging onto Jiro's side as she gazed up at Midoriya. Her eyes were filled with as much fear as they were sorrow. She silently waited to see what Midoriya had to say.

I don't really have an answer for you, Ashido.

His brief pause gave an opportunity for Iida to ask the question everyone was thinking: "Can you at least tell us if he's okay?"

Midoriya took an uncomfortable glance back at the exit Aizawa had just passed through. Looked like the emergency services had already arrived.

"I don't know for sure," he finally admitted. Midoriya braced himself for Mina's emotional reaction, but she only buried her head into Jiro's shoulder, blocking her face from his view.

"I don't understand what happened!" Kirishima had his hands on his head, his concerned frown reflecting the mood of the room. "Mina came running down crying like she just witnessed a murder. Did he get stabbed or something?"

"Didn't you see Aizawa carrying him?" Tsuyu said nervously. "There was blood all over. It didn't look good at all."

Iida turned to Midoriya, making everyone else in the room follow his line of sight. "Did you see what happened, Midoriya?"

"I…" All Midoriya could picture was the scars on Aoyama's arms, and his mind froze before it could come up with a good lie. Midoriya was all for telling the truth, but considering how well Aoyama had covered up his tracks just to hide his feelings…well, it didn't seem right for Midoriya to share that with the world yet. Not when he didn't even understand it that well himself.

But what else was he supposed to say?

Struggling to come up with a decent lie, Midoriya's eyes started darting around the room as he tried to avoid his classmates' gazes. But he ended up not needing to come up with a lie at all because Tokoyami suddenly stepped up.

"I know what happened."

Tokoyami saw what happened?!

As the attention was finally lifted off of Midoriya, Tokoyami explained further. "It was a tragic accident. Aoyama has a statue of a knight in his room, yes? Well, the sword in the statue's hands got dislodged, and it cut open Aoyama's arm by accident."

Midoriya blinked back at Tokoyami, too taken aback to say anything.

…He's completely wrong.

"I didn't know he had a sword," Kaminari said, a hint of awe in his voice. "If he weren't dying right now, I'd say that's pretty cool."

"Watch your words, dumbass!" Jiro scolded, pulling Mina a bit closer to her as the girl started sobbing again.

Kaminari guiltily scratched the back of his neck.  "...Sorry."

"Midoriya." A bit startled by the sudden noise, Midoriya turned around to see an impatient Aizawa glaring at him. "I told you to come with me. We're about to go."

"Oh," Midoriya breathed, taking a moment to wish the others farewell. "I'll be back…eventually."

It was hard seeing his classmates' faces staring back at him. Midoriya wasn't expecting anyone to be particularly happy, but he didn't like seeing how sad they looked, either. He could see just how heavy their hearts were–not just from Aoyama's injury, but from All For One's return, too. It just wasn't a good night for anyone.

Let's hope there's a good ending to this story, at least.

But as Midoriya stepped next to Aizawa, the both of them headed towards the exit, they were interrupted.

"I'm coming, too."

Midoriya's heart ached knowing whose voice that was without even needing to look back. Somehow, even in her misery, Mina still wanted to go.

"Maybe you should stay back with us," Uraraka kindly offered, putting her hand on Mina's shoulder before she could make any rash decisions. "Deku can update us if anything happens."

"Uraraka's right," Kirishima hastily agreed, stepping on the other side of the unphased Mina. "We'll support you here. It'll only make you feel worse if you go."

Sero nodded his head. "Yeah, if you went, you'd only be hurting yourse–"

A sudden shot of purple flew towards Sero's face, and he barely ducked in time to dodge the acid bullet.

"Don't speak another word," Mina hissed painfully.

Sero defensively put his hands up, keeping his mouth shut tight in obedience. When Mina sadly looked away, he turned towards the others with an incredibly baffled stare and whispered, "What'd I do?!" But they could only shrug their shoulders with similar puzzled expressions.

Midoriya wished he didn't have the context to understand Mina's actions right then.

"She can come if she wants," Aizawa interjected before Mina could attack anyone else. Waving her over, Aizawa led her and Midoriya to the door. "Please don't do anything dumb while we're gone." His point was simple, but Midoriya could tell what else his teacher was trying to say:

"I don't want any more disasters tonight."

Midoriya reflexively grimaced at the ground as he walked out of the door.

When the three of them arrived at the hospital, they were instructed to stay in the waiting area until the hospital staff could give them an update.

"Right now we're working on getting his blood loss under control," the nurse had told them. "We will let you know if anything happens."

Midoriya did not like seeing how tight-lipped the nurse was about Aoyama's likelihood of surviving.

After the nurse left, the three of them remained in their silence. Midoriya knew he wasn't the only one getting stuck in his head–the normally stoic Aizawa looked quite troubled, too. It seemed like everyone had been totally blindsided by this event.

But what intrigued Midoriya the most was Mina's reaction. It wasn't hard to tell that Aoyama's injury had affected her in a different way–almost like she was only truly surprised by the spontaneity of the injury rather than the obvious issues surrounding it.

Almost like Mina had already known what was going on with Aoyama.

Even so, she was clearly upset about the entire situation. Midoriya could see how hard she was struggling just from sitting in the room. So he tried his best to console her by awkwardly placing a hand on her shoulder in the same way Uraraka had done. But that only made her break out into tears again, and she reached for Midoriya's shoulder to cry into it.

…I can't tell if I made it better or worse.

At the very least, he could offer her a safe place to get her feelings out, so he tried not to feel too bad about it. Even if he had no idea what the heck he was doing.

Time felt like it was moving at a snail's pace. The longer the group was left without an update, the more worried Midoriya became. He didn't like sitting around without being able to do anything. But he had to put his trust in the doctors.

Eventually, the group got an update. And–thank goodness–it was a good one.

"We stitched up his injury without any complications," the doctor announced, making Midoriya's hopes instantly rise. "He should make it out just fine."

He's going to be okay!! Midoriya was so delighted that his eyes started tearing up. He turned to Mina in hopes of sharing his elation with her–but she didn't have quite the same response. What should've made her jump for joy only made her frown.

I guess saving his life is only one of our problems, Midoriya realized with a pang of discomfort.

"We'll let you all visit once we have everything stabilized," the doctor added. "It shouldn't take more than a half hour at most."

"Thank you," Aizawa simply said before the doctor departed.

Midoriya wanted to stay in his delight, but it was hard to do so when Mina still looked so miserable. Even worse, she was crying again. Midoriya didn't understand–sure, not every one of their problems was fixed, but why would she feel even worse when they had just received good news?

Midoriya was not left in the dark for long.

"I can't…" Midoriya and Aizawa immediately turned to Mina, who was continuously rubbing her leaking eyes as she spoke. "I can't hold this in any longer. I don't care if he gets mad at me for saying this. I just…I can't."

Waiting with bated breath, Midoriya gave his friend a nod of encouragement in hopes that she would continue. It seemed like the news of Aoyama surviving made her feel comfortable enough to speak up. Maybe she had more insight on what was going on with Aoyama.

Aizawa was just as interested, nodding in the same way Midoriya had done. "Tell me."

Mina was staring straight ahead as if she wasn't even talking to them. "I really don't give a shit if he gets mad. I really don't." One sniffle and a nose-rub later, she began her story. "In case it's not obvious, he's been hurting himself. It's been like that for a while–since last summer at least. I wasn't even supposed to find out. It was a complete accident that I saw his arms…and honestly, that's the main reason why I became his friend. Because I felt bad for him and I wanted to be there for him."

That's why they're so close… It felt eerie knowing what the true origin of their friendship was.

Mina continued without pausing. "So I tried to help even when he pretended like everything was fine. And for the longest time, he stopped. I really thought he was done with the cutting." Now she was getting emotional again, her voice wavering the more she went on. "Then prom happened, and he changed. He went back to the cutting all over again. I didn't want to tell him this, but I was scared that he was going back to how he was when we first met. And…that's what happened…"

Mina's chokes of sadness forced her to stop talking, and Midoriya once again put a supportive hand on her shoulder. But he was a bit distracted by the sudden attack of chills running up his spine.

So this really wasn't a one-time occurrence.

"What he did tonight…" Mina continued, her tears making her words sound almost incomprehensible, "...I don't know what he was trying to do. He's never acted like he wanted to die before, but now…I don't know…" Unable to talk for any longer, Mina put her face into her hands and sobbed.

Now Midoriya was feeling very unsettled. If not even Mina–one of Aoyama's closest friends–knew what was really going on with him, then more likely than not, nobody else knew. But if it spurred Aoyama to act like this…then it had to be something important.

Midoriya tried to talk as gently as he could. "What do you think the problem is?"

Mina couldn't answer right away, needing a moment to compose herself before speaking again. "I really don't know…he says weird things and I can't understand what he's actually trying to say."

The image of the cheese message on Midoriya's balcony popped up in his brain, and he hummed in agreement. Now that he thought about it, he really didn't understand Aoyama at all–even after becoming his friend.

"All I know is that it's something that really bothers him. Something that he thinks is a big deal." Mina let in a shaky breath and exhaled it back out. "I don't know if that's him catastrophizing or if it's really that important. I can't tell with him."

Midoriya looked down and frowned. It was incredibly frustrating how little they all knew about Aoyama. But if it was driving him to hurt himself, then it was obviously a big deal. The two boys weren't friends for nothing–if Aoyama needed something, then Midoriya would do anything to help.

I'm making that promise right now.

More than anything, Midoriya wanted to rectify the mistakes he made when he assumed that Aoyama was just fine. He could never forgive himself for being so oblivious–not until he made the situation better again.

Aizawa suddenly spoke up. "Thank you for sharing, Ashido."

Midoriya had almost forgotten that Aizawa was still there. The teacher had been quietly listening the entire time, not saying or emoting much until now. He gazed steadily at Mina as she barely looked back up at him, the girl still wiping away her tears. "But next time, if you feel like things are getting out of hand, please let me or another teacher know. You don't have to feel like you're the only person who can help."

"I know," Mina sniffled, a hint of bitterness in her words. "I shouldn't have listened to him." She simmered for a few moments before adding in a lowered tone, "When I talk to him again I'm gonna go batshit insane on him. Make him feel as terrible as I do now. I hate him so much…"

Aizawa uncomfortably averted his gaze, and so did Midoriya.

I'm not gonna mess with that.

There was still some time left until the estimated half hour was up. Midoriya wanted to analyze every piece of information he had just learned, but he also wanted to see Aoyama too. There were so many things he wanted to say to him, like…

…well, Midoriya didn't exactly know what he would be saying, but he did know that he wanted to say something. Something that would make him feel a little less guilty for being such a bad friend. And, of course, to cheer Aoyama up as much as he could.

After a few more minutes of silent pondering, the moment finally arose: the group was allowed into Aoyama's room.

"Just to let you know, Aoyama is still out right now," the nurse explained as he led them through the halls. "He should be waking up soon, though."

Midoriya was a little disappointed–he was hoping to talk to his friend as soon as possible. But he wasn't entirely focused on his disappointed feelings. He was more concerned about Mina. The way her bottom lip was quivering made it seem like she was about to get emotional all over again. Midoriya felt bad knowing how much of an emotional roller coaster she'd been going through the entire night–even more than anyone else. But Midoriya didn't know how else to comfort her. Was the hand-on-shoulder thing still working?

…I'll just let her be for a bit.

When they arrived in Aoyama's room, Midoriya was not surprised to see Mina immediately run up to Aoyama's side and start bawling.

Although it still broke his heart.

Like the nurse had said, Aoyama was still unconscious. Oddly enough, he looked rather comfortable resting on the bed. But the stitches in his arm stood out to Midoriya like a black dot in a sea of white.

I have to help in some way.

But Midoriya still didn't know what the right words were. And now that he could actually see Aoyama…he felt even more uncertain.

Maybe the words would naturally come to him when Aoyama woke up?

Midoriya ended up having plenty of time to brainstorm his message. Aoyama remained in his unconscious state for a while that night, Mina hanging onto his side and keeping her hands on his arm the whole time. Midoriya had invited her to sit with him and Aizawa in the nearby chairs after she hadn't moved for a while, but Mina was adamant, refusing his offer by completely ignoring him.

Midoriya could only sigh and look away.

But eventually, enough time had passed for the drugs the doctors had pumped into Aoyama to wear off. Midoriya was the first person to notice the subtle movement in Aoyama's limbs. He began to stir, his eyes fluttering ever so slightly before they weakly opened.

Aoyama had woken up.