Chapter Ninety Five

The tantalizing aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the air; Katsuki stood in the kitchen fully engrossed in his weekly rotation of the task of cooking breakfast—it was Class C1-A's favorite day.

The scent of sizzling bacon drove Kirishima mad, sitting beside Mina in the comfortable barstools, he watched the blond expertly flipped pancakes in a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet. His eyes danced with anticipation as he eagerly awaited the delicious meal taking shape before him.

"Morning." Midoriya yawned, dragging his slippers across the tile as he took a tired seat at the island beside Kirishima.

"Morning Deku!" Mina brightly greets. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good." Midoriya stiffly nods, side eyeing Katsuki's back. "How about you?"

"I slept alright-" Mina shrugged, eyes instantly darting to you as you entered the kitchen, lazily sporting Katsuki's black shirt, the material clung to your thigh as you moved into sight. "-but not as good as you!" Mina squealed, her hands shaking as you shot her a confused look sliding into the stool beside her. "I can't believe it!" Mina wrapped her arms around your torso, tightly squeezing you. "You guys are back together!" She laughed, "I can't believe you didn't come tell me—oh who cares!" Mina's face is filled with joy as she begins digging for more information.

Katsuki's lips curled into a confident smirk; his attention still locked on the sizzling pan before him. With a playful roll of your eyes, you gracefully slipped off the stool, making your way to the coffee pot, leaving the ongoing interrogation with Mina behind. Katsuki, despite his unwavering focus on the cooking, couldn't help but cast a sidelong glance over his shoulder, his gaze fixated on your every move. As you gracefully returned to your seat, he noticed something that had eluded him until now: the way you moved—your silent steps, your slippered feet gliding soundlessly across the floor, and the complete absence of any footfalls as the fabric of your slippers whispered against each other. It was a silent grace that had gone unnoticed until that very moment.

"Guys-!" Jiro's voice abruptly halted Mina's enthusiastic chatter, and in an instant, all eyes in the room turned toward the students gathered in the living room, their attention firmly fixed on the TV screen. "-come take a look." As Jiro's call piqued your curiosity, you joined the trio of heroes, taking a sip from your mug, and Katsuki gently guided you forward, his hand resting reassuringly on your lower back.

Beside the news anchor, a video unfolded on the screen.

The screen is filled with the image of a dim, dusty gray brick room. In the center of the frame, you kneel with your hands bound above your head, your gaze cast downward. A hazy figure suddenly appears on the screen, swiftly untying the cloth that had been bound around your head.

"You better kill me-" Your chest heaved as you slowly lifted your head, unveiling a split lip and a battered, bruised face. "-and you better do it now."

"Oh, really?" The voice taunted with a sinister laugh, "And why is that?"

"Because when I get out of these chains-" You hissed, "-I'm going to tear you apart piece by fucking piece!"

"The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree, now does it?"

"Yeah." You cracked a bloody smirk, "I'll show you what my daddy taught me."

The video was abruptly cut off, leaving the news anchor's detached expression on the screen.

"Damn." A voice made Mina jump. She spun around to find Shiro standing behind her, a half-eaten pancake in his hand. "Looks like we need to do that press conference after all."

"What?" Mina's frown deepened, her head swirling as she anxiously darted her gaze between Shiro and the blank screen. "What...what was all that!?" Mina's trembling finger pointed accusingly at the lifeless monitor.

"I thought it was pretty obvious." Shiro sarcastically quipped, locking eyes with you. In response, you rolled your eyes and spun on your heel, clutching your now-empty coffee mug.

"(y.n)-!" Mina hurriedly followed, desperation in her voice. "-you...you told that man to kill you!"

"I did." You acknowledged, calmly picking up the coffee pot.

"What if he actually took you up on your...your bluff!?" Mina's exasperated gesture filled the air.

You met her with a steady, unwavering gaze. "It wasn't a bluff, Mina."

"I-It..." Mina turned to Katsuki, searching for answers. "...it wasn't?"

"That...that video was...?" Kirishima furrowed his brows in confusion, and your other classmates chimed in, their voices overlapping and escalating, a cacophony that sent your blood pressure rising.

"Hey!" Shiro's voice boomed above the chaotic voices, successfully commanding their attention. "Shut the hell up!"

"But-!" Mineta gestured frantically at the TV.

"What that video didn't show-!" Shiro began, his tone severe, "-is Gray and I lying behind (y.n). It didn't show the months of torment we endured. You didn't see the countless experiments they put us through just because they wanted to play." Shiro's stern glare bore into his classmates. "None of you were there, so just...shut up."

"Naomasa doing damage control?" You questioned, placing the pot back in its place as you nodded to the phone in Shiro's hand. You turned to confront the group behind you, finding them all fixated on you with a patronizing gaze—a look that stirred a burning anger within you.

"Yep." Shiro replied, popping the 'p,' his voice tinged with a dark edge. "I can only imagine how thrilled he must be to be handling our case. The dude appears to have aged ten years since our last encounter."

"I bet." You agreed with a tight nod, your fingers curling around a discarded magazine on the kitchen island as you settled into your seat, the tension in the room thickening as you ignored their gazes.

"What did you mean?" Midoriya's voice cut through the tension, his eyes narrowing as he focused on you—who didn't bother looking away from the magazine, already checked out of the conversation—you took another drink of coffee. "What did you mean when you said your father?"

"Huh?" Shiro turned abruptly, his laughter filled with a sinister edge. "Oh, yeah. Shadow Jack is (y.n)'s real father."

"What!?" The words exploded from Midoriya and the others, echoing the shock and disbelief that now enveloped the room. "How did you find out!?"

"I-I thought your father was the one who sold you to Shadow Jack?" Midoriya's voice trembled, unable to comprehend the revelation. "What, how—how did this happen!?"

"But-" Mina's expression soured, concern etched on her features, "-are you okay, like... when was this found out?"

"Yeah-!" Kirishima interjected, desperation in his tone, "-did you fact-check this?"

You chuckled, a bitter undertone lacing your laughter, and popped the piece of meat into your mouth. "We did."

"We?" Mina questioned.

"Yo." Shiro waved, his presence at the island subdued.

"Why are we just finding this out now?"

"Oh, I'm sorry-!" Shiro sat up, sarcasm evident, "-I wasn't aware we had to answer to you."

"You don't, it's just—it would have been nice to know, is all!"

"Why?" Shiro countered, his indifference cutting through. "What does her heritage have to do with you?"

"It just-"

"Do you think now knowing that puts you magically more at risk?" Shiro pushed.

"N-No, it's just-"

"Alright." You stepped in, weariness in your voice. "Enough."

"But-!"

"I said enough." You sternly cut in. "We're done talking about this." Turning your back, you walked away.

"Where are you going?" Mina called.

"To change."

"Why?"

You looked over your shoulder and smirked. "Because I'm gonna kick Shiro's ass."

"Ha-!" Shiro hopped up. "-not gonna happen-" You ignored him, turning the corner and disappearing. "-hey, don't ignore me, get back here and listen to my trash talk!"

"You two going somewhere?" Katsuki asked, cleaning the rest of the dishes.

"Don't worry, lover boy-" Shiro smirked, "-you're all invited too."

"Invited to what?"

"Our training session!" Shiro cheekily grinned, "My shoulder is pretty much healed, so we got permission to use the Gamma gym to test just how much we both have healed up!"

"So, you and (y.n) are going up against each other!?"

"Yep!"

"Oh, that's something I cannot miss!"

"Guys, check it out!" Kaminari laughed walking into the kitchen, holding his phone out. "A pro-hero freaked out when a villain sprayed him during a chase, it's freaking hilarious!"

"What's so funny about-" Shiro leaned forward, not understanding why it was so entertaining until he saw the villain in question. He wore a blue jumpsuit with the head of a Windex bottle, the villain was pumping the trigger to spray the hero. "-that's a Windex bottle." Shiro pointed to the screen.

"No, that's the villain's quirk!" Kaminari laughed.

"That's not a quirk, that's a disability." Shiro threw his head back, laughing with Kaminari. "His-His poor mother!"

You walked into the kitchen then, furrowing your brows at the men doubled over laughing as you placed your jacket on the island. Katsuki turned, smirking as his eyes drank in your appearance.

"You look good." Katsuki hummed.

"I always look good." You smirked, sporting your cargo pants and dark green tank top.

"Still wearing the uniform?" Katsuki gestured to your outfit.

"No." You sarcastically gasped, causing the blond to roll his eyes and chuckle, wrapping his arms around your waist.

"You changed fast." Katsuki pointed out.

"Tons of practice." You shrugged.

"Here." Katsuki pushed the plate towards you. "If we're going training, then you need to eat more."

"You're coming?"

"Yeah." Katsuki smirked, "You know I can give you a pretty good workout-"

"Ah-!" Shiro protested, "-I'm eating here!" He gestured to his plate, causing Katsuki and you to laugh. The clatter of metal falling on the floor caused you to snap your head sideways; Mineta froze under your glowing eyes as he scrambled to get away from your fallen gun. Your eyes glowed a ghostly blue, a line of ice shot out, encasing Mineta as you marched your way over to inspect your gun.

"Why is this out?" You turned to Shiro.

"I thought I'd clean it for you."

"Why are you touching my shit?"

"I think you're looking for the words 'thank you'!" Shiro replied. You two exchanged playful glares as you inspected the gun for damage.

Suddenly, the door violently crashed open, hinges snapping like gunshots, the wooden barrier collapsing to the floor as an overwhelming wave of police officers flooded the living area.

"She has a gun!"

"Freeze!" The police barked; their weapons trained on your chest.

"Hands in the air!" The other half of the force directed at Shiro, who protested while hurriedly stuffing a handful of bacon into his mouth.

Complying, you raised one hand high, carefully placing the unloaded weapon on the coffee table, tension thick in the air.

"Take Seven and Five into custody!" The voice behind you twisted your stomach; you slowly turned your head, Officer Maeda stepping arrogantly onto the fallen door, a smug expression etched across his face as he entered the room.

"What-?" Kirishima scanned the chaotic scene as Shiro was forcefully pulled to his feet; the stool crashed to the side as Shiro was dragged across the room.

"Stop!" Katsuki surged forward, but two officers intercepted him, leaving him helplessly watching as you were slammed against the wall, hands forced behind your back.

"What is going on!?" Mina's voice cracked with panic.

"Bullets." Officer Maeda smirked, exhaling a long breath, the gravity of the situation hanging heavily in the room.

"Oh, this guy." Shiro scoffed, rolling his eyes as he was bent over the couch while being handcuffed.

"It took a long time-" Officer Maeda grinned, "-but I finally got you." He sneered in your direction.

Shiro grunted against the restraint, the tension escalating.

Officer Maeda remained silent, only lifting his phone and pressing play on a video waiting on the screen.

You closed your eyes, the sound of Kaminari's laughter and Mineta's voice resonating in the room, the atmosphere thickening with each passing second.

"Yeah-!" Mineta exclaimed, "-they just swooped in and saved us last night, it was so cool, they even knew the actual villain!"

"Are you kidding?!" Shiro seethed as he was pulled up. "Are you fucking kidding me!?" He struggled against the unyielding grip of the police officers. "We saved your asses, and this is how you repay us!?"

"You have the right to remain silent-" Officer Maeda smirked, his eyes never leaving yours as Shiro forcefully kicked the half-frozen Mineta across the floor. "-if you say anything, what you say can be used against you in a court of law-"

"You can't do this!" Mina's desperate cry filled the room as you and Shiro were forcibly marched out of the dorms.

"I'm calling All Might!" Midoriya shook as he pulled out his phone.

"Call Aizawa too!" Mina's voice quivered, tears welling up in her eyes as you turned, straining to see him. Katsuki and you locked eyes, the betrayal etched on his face, your heart clenching as you turned away.

"We're calling the teachers!" Mina called, standing on the porch, utterly powerless as you and Shiro were swallowed by the chaos of arrest. Katsuki stepped beside Mina, surveying the swarm of reporters and TV stations converging around the gates of U.A.

"What do we do?" Mina's voice trembled, her eyes seeking guidance from Katsuki, who stared numbly in the direction you were forcibly dragged. "Bakugo!" Mina shoved his arm, desperation etched across her face. Katsuki blinked, slowly turning to her before glancing back at Kaminari, who was struggling to free Mineta.

"What did you morons do?" Katsuki sneered, his fists tightening, and the rest of the class turned to the tense confrontation.

"U-Um..." Kaminari stammered, nervously clearing his throat. "...we-we didn't do anything!"

"Clearly you did!" Mina shouted, her voice cracking with a mix of anger and anguish. "They just got hauled off to jail-!" Mina stressed, "-what did you say on that recording!?"

"We didn't... I didn't think..." Kaminari sighed, eyes falling to the ground as guilt weighed heavily on his chest. "...I didn't think anyone was listening."

"To what!?"

"(y.n) and Shiro...Gray too... they came and saved us from a villain and... and they told us not to say anything, but it was so cool I didn't think telling my friend from Class B was a big deal!"

"You remember what Aizawa said?" Katsuki's face contorted with a mix of anger and worry.

"About what?" Kaminari frowned.

"It won't be like last time..." Katsuki recalled, his tone grim, "...if she's arrested, there will be no getting her out."

"Wait-!" Mina stepped around to face the blond. "-you-you don't think... Aizawa and All Might will get her out! It'll just take a few days like last time!"

Katsuki sourly turned to the pinkette. "She was just officially arrested and labeled a villain."

"Bakugo, what..." Mina furrowed her brows, searching his hardened face. "...what's going on with you?"

Katsuki didn't reply; he turned on his heel and walked out of the living room, leaving a lingering sense of tension and sorrow in his wake. Mina's gaze swept across the faces of her anxious classmates, each expression mirroring the collective worry that hung heavy in the room.

"Why are you looking at me-!?" Mina fought back the threatening tears, her hands trembling as she urgently pulled her phone out. "-keep calling them!"