61

Last chapter we had:

-A chapter all about Koda

-Went to Moonlit

-Flew in a VTOL

-Koda got an offer

Enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Koda stepped shakily off the bike as Midoriya slowed to a stop in the parking lot. He was quivering and pale, his skin clammy with the stress of dealing with riding on the back of the motorcycle. Shaking hands clawed the borrowed helmet off of his head as he fought to keep down the stress-induced bile that was rising up his throat. Two motorcycle rides and two trips across the ocean had been enough for him for quite a while.

Koda turned, ready to hand the helmet back to Midoriya and tell him as much when he caught the look on his face, stoic and flat. Koda followed his gaze to the edge of the lot where, cast in the shadows, he could just make out the figures of two people heading towards them. One taller individual and one shorter. An adult and a child maybe? Albeit, Koda thought, there was just as much potential for a short quirk user as a child.

Light cast dimly from the lamp above, and it wasn't but a moment before the president of their school came into view, along with the professor of the third-year hero students. Koda relaxed his hands. They had come up instinctively when he'd first seen the two figures in the dark, but of all people, Nedzu certainly wasn't a threat to him.

A firm hand grasped his shoulder, and he turned his head to Midoriya. A soft smile, one which set off alarms in his head, graced Midoriya's face. There wasn't anything wrong with the smile, but something, something, was warning him that it wasn't right, either. The hairs on Koda's arms stood up, even as Midoriya spoke in a voice devoid of threat.

"I think it would be best if you headed back without me, Koda. Don't worry. I'll take care of your course transfer. Just get me the paperwork that's needed." Koda gave a small nod before handing the helmet back to Midoriya and turning, hurrying quickly in the direction of the dorm.

The smile dropped from Midoriya's face, and he rubbed his jaw. "Well, I can't say it's pleasant news, then, if you two were waiting for us here in the parking lot." Midoriya had received the message while he'd still been in the air. Not uncommon, really, but the urgency which had accompanied the message was odd.

Nedzu shook his head as he walked forward. Each step was accompanied by the soft click of claws against hard asphalt. He had evidently forgone the strange digitigrade booties today, leaving his feet in contact with the hard surface of the parking lot.

"I am afraid not, Midoriya. Though, when is it ever good news? I believe I requested your presence several hours ago."

"You did. I had prior engagements. Koda will be leaving the hero course shortly." Nedzu tilted his head, a wolfish smile stretching across his muzzle.

"Oh? What course is he thinking of transferring to?"

Midoriya waved his hand in a sort of 'neither here nor there' gesture. "Likely something in a biology field."

"Hmm." Nedzu hummed noncommittally. "I'll have to speak with him. I could use a translator for the tunnels below."

Midoriya clicked his tongue and huffed. "There is no reason for any student to have contact with the things down there."

Nedzu tutted at Midoriya, shaking a clawed digit. "They are not things, they are people. Anyway, we always have one or two students every year who wander into the tunnels and never return. I do wish they would stop dying or joining the cults, though."

Midoriya shook his head, attempting to dispel the images in his head of the bullshit living under their feet. "What precisely was the news you wanted to give me, Nedzu?"

"Ah! Yes," with only some minor prompting on Midoriya's part, Nedzu finally produced a list from the pocket of his tailored suit jacket. He handed the list over with a smile. "I believe that you'll find this as amusing as I have."

Midoriya looked at the list for a long moment before flicking his eyes up to the chimera. Silently, he raised an eyebrow. "Am I supposed to pull out a blacklight or something? All I'm seeing is a mix of Class A and B's names here."

"Oooh yes, a blacklight sounds like a wonderful idea, Midoriya. Let us try that. Perhaps you'll be able to find another funny joke." Midoriya threw his hands in the air, one fist still clutched around the paper as he pantomimed his search for a blacklight.

"Oh, well. Sorry, Nedzu, fresh out of blacklights here. What the hell am I looking at?" Nedzu grinned sharply.

"Oh, I do love watching you humans react. It's a list dropped off by the commission, fresh off their printers. Evidently, after the USJ and the mixed public responses to it, the HPSC believes that they have a say in which students we keep and which we let go."

Midoriya offered only a small, derisive snort in response.. "The police have already investigated and the tribunal cleared them of all wrong, so I'm assuming that you told them to blow it out their asses."

Nedzu hummed. "Not quite in those words, but Hawks did run from the building like a child with its tail tucked between its legs."

"That- that's not the saying. You know what, never mind. So, why are you sharing this piece of information with me? This is a moot point, as nothing will come of it."

"Ah!" Nedzu raised his finger again with a knowing smirk. "Well, if you had been in my office like you were supposed to, then you would know. We have another set of visitors for this year's first-year sports festival."

"And who's that?" Midoriya rubbed his face, feeling the length of the day beginning to wear on his nerves.

"Several high-level cabinet members that you may be familiar with."

Midoriya groaned. "Why?"

"My guess? They are interested in seeing the students that survived an attack of such magnitude so early in their careers."

"Great. Great, anything else I should know?"

"I invited the Emperor."

"Fucking why?!"

Nedzu shrugged. "The royal family managed to claw back a bit of power and respect during the Urban Wars. More of an obligatory invitation that they receive every year. They've never shown up before, so take that as you will. We'll also be having a media conference at ten in the morning that you'll be required to attend."

Midoriya blinked. "Why on earth would I do that?"

"Well, you are the main culprit of the USJ killings, my personal student, and the number one choice to be removed on the list, after all."

Midoriya stared at the rat in deadpan. "Great, that's three nearly believable reasons. What's the real reason?"

"Your class professor is still injured and self-medicating, so I don't want to deal with him. Thus, the job falls on you. Besides that, you are just so good with the media." The last was said with enough glee to have Midoriya scowling outright.

"I've ejected enough of them from our own media conferences. They know not to behave like baboons, or they won't get anything at all before their time's up. Those reporters write articles in business, science, and engineering. They don't intersect with the heroics world, nor its own reporters. Do you have any idea how many of them I'd have to throw out before they began to civilize?"

"Enough that it would be irrelevant?"

Midoriya deadpanned again. "Enough that it would be irrelevant."

A paw patted Midoriya's arm as Nedzu smiled up at him. "Too bad. Unfortunately for you, I still expect you there. In fact, I would advise getting there at least a few hours early to coordinate with our media liaison, Jun-yeong."

"You have a Korean media liaison?"

"You have a crispy human torch for a security chief."

"I have a crispy Japanese human torch for a security chief, thank you. I don't have a choice in this, do I?"

"Sure you do." Midoriya raised an eyebrow at that.. "I'll just get one of the two class presidents to take your place. I'm sure the Yaoyorozu heiress should be fine in front of a camera. After all, isn't that a skill that her family should have taught her?"

Midoriya allowed the image of Yaoyorozu in front of those reporters into his head for one moment. Stuttering, stumbling, questioned on material that she hadn't the first clue about. She'd get eaten alive. A moment was all Midoriya needed before he was hissing out the air between his teeth. "Fine."

"That's what I like to hear, Midoriya!"

Midoriya turned to Snipe. The silent man had yet to say a single word from behind his trademark mask. "You don't have a single word for this conversation?"

"Partner, ah don' get paid enough to worry about any of that."

"You're a hero that has spoken with the media constantly. You have ties to the government."

"An for once, it wasn't I that shot someone. Something I will continue to be infinitely grateful for."

"Of course, you will."

…

It was a long, slow stroll back to the dorms as Midoriya thought about his next steps. Which questions would be selected by the major news outlets? Which would be circulated by the tabloids, regardless of the answers given? Where and how could they manipulate the flow of information? Change the equation, and paint the students as desperate, terrified children, rather than the bloodthirsty adults that the commission wanted them to be viewed as.

Midoriya stepped through the doors to the dorm, contemplating how he was going to get around the commission to get the class their hero licenses. He was tallying bribes and favors in his head when his eyes caught on the facedown form of Kaminari on the floor, lying completely still.

Midoriya's eyes flicked to the corner of his vision, mentally calling up a digital clock, before surveying the time. It wasn't quite late enough for everyone to be asleep, and it certainly didn't explain why Kaminari was still on the floor. Midoriya poked his side with the tip of his shoe.

"That can't be comfortable. Why are you still on the floor?"

As it turned out, Kaminari was not asleep, passed out, or anything else that might have especially concerned Midoriya. Instead, he'd simply been staring at the ceiling for hours, by Midoriya's own estimation.

"Surprisingly comfortable when you stop thinking about it."

"You know you're going to feel this in the morning, right?"

"Probably. Maybe not. I'm good with that."

Midoriya pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. In a quick motion, he had Kaminari hoisted up and over his shoulders in a fireman's carry. "Unfortunately, I'm looking for a list of people, and you're on it. So, you're coming with me." Midoriya saw a thumbs-up in his peripheral and simply shook his head.

Pulling out the list that Nedzu had given him, Midoriya swept up the floors, one by one, knocking on doors and requesting that the people from the paper meet him downstairs. When he'd finally made his way back downstairs, he counted heads. Tsunotori, Uraraka, Toga, Tokoyami, holding what looked suspiciously like a lamp, and Tokage. With Kaminari on his shoulders, he counted six. Hagakure was still in the hospital, so he'd stop by before the press briefing in the morning to inform her.

"Alright, guys, over to the 1-B dorms. I need a few of them, too."

"Uh, why are you carrying Kaminari?" Midoriya flicked his eyes over to Uraraka, who was pointing at the man in question with bandaged and wrapped hands. "Isn't he heavy?"

"Hardly feel him. As for why, I found him in a fugue state on the floor, and since I have an unreasonable amount of work to do tonight, this was faster. I'll slap him back to the realm of the living when we get where we're going."

"You're kidding, right?" Kaminari's nervous chuckle sounded from behind Midoriya.

"We'll find out, won't we?" His classmates didn't care for Midoriya's smile.

…

The sister class dormitory was marginally more alive than their own. The difference was unfortunately so marginal, however, that it amounted to just a small group watching the news, a decision that Midoriya supposed was just as likely to make the situation worse as it was to help them.

Rather than disturb them, as no one that he was looking for was among them, Midoriya instead checked the dorm floorplan. Finding his target, Midoriya told the rest of the class to give him a moment and made for the stairs. Midoriya had to double back when it occurred to him that he was still carrying Kaminari.

A brief knock on the door and a couple moments were all it took for the quick snick of locks disengaging to come from the other side. Kendo opened the door and blinked for a second when her vision came in line with Midoriya's chest. Glancing up, and recognizing who it was at her door, she gave a tired smile.

"What can I do for you, Midoriya?"

"I've got a few of 1-A with me. Could you get Komori, Kuroiro, Kamakiri, Shiozaki, Bondo, and Monoma for me?"

Kendo blinked again before scratching her head. "Sure, I can try. I doubt Monoma's going to come willingly, though. He's not, uh, he's not doing great. What's this about?"

"Nedzu gave me some news to pass along, as per usual."

Kendo quirked an eyebrow. "He can't come down here to pass it along himself?"

Midoriya's expression fell flat. "Trust me. You really, really, don't want that. Is Monoma in his room?"

"Should be. You want to deal with him, be my guest. I've tried everything at this point to get him out of that room. He won't come out unless it's absolutely imperative."

This time, when Midoriya knocked, he received no response. Not that he figured it would be easy, if it were as bad as Kendo had said. Midoriya weighed his options for a moment before settling on the straightforward approach. He raised his voice. "Monoma, you can either open this door so I can talk to you, or I can break the door in. We're still gonna talk. You just won't have a door for the night."

Midoriya glanced at the door handle before patting the small holder of lockpicking tools in his back pocket. He could pick the mechanical lock and bypass the electronic, of course. Let himself in quietly without actually taking the door off its hinges. Though, I did already say that I would break the door in, so-

Luckily for both of them, the thought skidded to a stop as the locks clicked open and Monoma's face peaked out. "Go away, Midoriya. I don't have anything to say to you. I'm sorry."

Midoriya took a moment to really look at the man, and oh, if he didn't look like shit. Baggy eyes, sallow skin, a dead, thousand-yard stare that Midoriya had seen far, far too many times in the trenches. Eyes that Midoriya had seen looking back in his mirror too many times to count.

That's why, when Monoma attempted to close the door, Midoriya wedged his shoe neatly into the crack. Why, when Monoma grabbed ahold of the door, grumbling heatedly, Midoriya's eyes narrowed onto Monoma's hand, his words falling on deaf ears.

Midoriya pushed into the room,shoving Monoma back as he closed the door behind himself. "When was the last time you changed the bandages on your hand?" Monoma muttered something at him, too low and irritable for him to fully make out the words. He understood the sentiment, though. "Yes, I'm aware that I'm in your space, making demands of you. Now answer the question."

"This morning." Midoriya sighed before pulling Monoma over to his desk chair and sitting him down in it. A quick glance at the desk was all Midoriya needed to locate the sparse medical supplies that he had been using, including the unopened jar of petroleum jelly that he had been sent home with.

Midoriya sat down on the corner of the desk, dragging Monoma's hand up so he could examine the bandaging. It bothered him just how little care both classes showed for themselves. Throw a dying person in front of them and they act without hesitation, but dare to suggest they do the same for themselves and it's a damned carnival. Wordlessly, Midoriya located a pair of nitrile gloves in the first aid kit and slipped them on.

"Don't wrap the bandages this tightly next time," Midoriya began as he quickly unwound the layers, working despite the protests of the skin underneath. "You don't want pressure on burn wounds." He hissed through his teeth once the bandages came off fully. Burn scars were never pretty, and the extensive damage that Monoma had done to his palm with Ashido's acid was a nightmare for even Recovery Girl and her team to repair.

"Pretty, isn't it?" The self-derision in Monoma's tone was thick, and even as Midoriya glanced up, Monoma looked away.

"I'd say it looks pretty damn heroic to me." Monoma's head snapped back towards Midoriya, his expression bewildered. Midoriya clicked his tongue as he pulled fibers from the wound. "Do you want this to get infected, Monoma? Where is the petrolatum gauze you were given? You need to use gauze that won't stick to the wound. The petroleum jelly was also supposed to go on the burn. I know this was all explained to you."

"You called the burn heroic. I killed someone, Midoriya." Incredulous anger was all Monoma could muster.

Midoriya froze, his finger smeared with jelly and frozen halfway to Monoma's skin. Gathering himself, he shrugged the feeling off and continued. "I've killed many people, Monoma. Many people, many methods, most evil, some good, a lot of them innocent of everything except following orders. Any injury you get, any scar you get, while protecting the life of another is one to be proud of."

"Even if it means that you took a life to do it?" Midoriya closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath, clenching his fist and inadvertently smearing the jelly across the palm of his gloved hand.

"Taking a life is not an easy thing. Every time you do it, a little piece of you chips away. It hurts, it haunts, it rips away at you, and it should. For heroes, the day that it's easy to take a life is the day you need to retire. Some heroes never have to, and in an ideal world, that's how it would be all the time. Not everyone is that lucky. Sometimes, that is the choice a hero has to make."

"How? How can you function so well like this? I only killed one person, and I can't stop replaying it in my head. Again, and again, and again, I see their face. See what I did. I can't sleep. I can't eat. I can't- but you-" Monoma's voice cracked painfully, the air in his lungs choking and wheezing its way out past Monoma's guilt-ridden panic Midoriya didn't need to look up from the burns to know what he'd see. He knew what Monoma was seeing in his head all too well. He hadn't had time to go over the footage from the USJ, but he had seen photos of the plaza where he had fought. He had seen the bodies.

"Monoma, you have the right to think about the life you saved." Monoma froze at the expression on Midoriya's face. Midoriya had dropped his mask. His features were strained, while his eyes, those dead, dead eyes-

"What happened is awful, but the villains were there to kill you. What would have happened to Ashido if you had failed? It didn't matter what quirks you had or didn't. It doesn't matter that you got injured. It doesn't matter that the villain ended up dead. Did you have any other way to defend yourself in that moment? Any other way that you can say for certain would have saved your life and left the villain alive? Had you not done what you did, you would be dead. She would be dead. You did what you had to do in order to protect a life. That is not something anyone should fault you for, most of all yourself."

A moment, and then, "Does the screaming ever stop?"

Midoriya felt his guts being dragged out through his throat as he swallowed as the images of men on fire sparked to life in front of his eyes. Images of soldiers, gleeful as they hosed their enemy in burning fluids. Their screams echoed in his ears as much as they did in his dreams, as much as they echoed in his head when he closed his eyes and tried not to hear it.

"No," Midoriya's voice broke, and he swallowed again before continuing. "No, but it does get easier to bear."

Notes:

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