Chapter 20 - Kill Them

The awards ceremony was delayed. Having the winner in the care of Recovery Girl postponed the celebration, not that that quieted the chatter in the stadium. Everyone was talking about the girl made of smoke and fire.

"Why do you think she held back from showing us her fire?" Kaminari asked the others. He was surrounded by the rest of Class A, save for Bakugou who was also in the medical wing for his burns, and Todoroki, who had left the stands the moment the match was over, a deep frown on his face.

"She said she could only light her fingertips. And her eyes got all creepy and red?" Mina chimed in, goosebumps still covering her arms.

"Hey! I have red eyes! And I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation," Kirishima tried to lighten the mood. "I mean, it looks like it took a lot out of her. Maybe she can only use it as a finisher?"

"But she basically teleported behind Bakugou! Are we ignoring this? That has nothing to do with smoke or fire. How many quirks does she have?" Sero added, miming your sudden disappearance and reappearance with hand gestures.

"Hey Midoriya!" The green-haired boy looked up at Kirishima's call. "Your Blackwhip kind of showed up from nowhere, right? Do you think she could have the same thing with teleportation?" Izuku had been flipping through several pages of his notebook trying to find any other examples of new quirks manifesting in such a way. You clearly didn't have his special quirk. What did you have?

"I really don't know. They said Blackwhip was dormant in me. Maybe... maybe she has something like that too? Under extreme pressure or stress it can manifest?" He was clutching at any logical explanation.

Kirishima puzzled at him warily before turning his attention toward the medical wing where you rested.

***

You didn't open your eyes but you were consciously aware of noises all around you. Monitors beeped and computers hummed. You could make out a faint mutter to your right as someone walked back and forth, reaching a drawer that slid open and then banged shut. A roller chair moved across the floor.

Your head throbbed and your arms tingled. Your throat was dry and raw. You were laying down, on... a hospital bed? Had you lost? The last thing you remembered was being pinned to the ground by Bakugou.

The noises faded. You fell back asleep.

***

The next time you roused you heard talking.

"You're lucky you didn't kill her!" a familiar voice hissed. "Sending explosions less than a meter from her face! Are you insane?!"

"You may have noticed I was being blinded and suffocated at the same time, so I'm sorry my survival instincts kicked in!" a new voice snapped back. "Besides, have you been training with her? That bullshit fire attack has you written all over it!"

"I... I had no idea she could do that," the first voice was quieter this time.

"Why are you here, anyway? You're all healed."

"I'm here for her. Why don't you leave!? You think she'll want to see the one who almost killed her when she wakes up?" The ire was back in his voice.

"OH, FUCK OFF! SHE'S MY...partner and I'll take care of her," a growl.

"Really? You're sticking with the partner line? You think she's even going to look at you after this?" You heard a chair push back suddenly.

"Back. the fuck. off. She's mine." The voice seemed farther away now, as if it was hovering above you.

Recovery girl walked back into the ward and saw Bakugou holding Todoroki by the collar above your sleeping form.

"You!" she pointed to Bakugou and hissed, trying to make her shout into a whisper so as not to disturb you. "Back into bed! And you-" Bakugou released Todoroki's shirt as the old woman pointed at the heterochromatic boy- "If you're not sick or injured get out! This is a place of healing."

Todoroki glared daggers at Bakugou. The explosive boy smirked back as if he'd won. Before he left, Todoroki brushed one hand along your wild [h/c] hair. "Get better soon [y/n]." You could feel the whisper close to your ear. Your heart-rate monitor beeped a little faster.

"She said get out," Bakugou seethed. Todoroki took one last look at your helpless form on the bed, a soft smile on his face, before turning out of the room.

You didn't hear anything else and weren't sure if it had been a dream.

***

An hour later you were being escorted down to the stadium by med-bots, Aizawa and Snipe. Your arms were covered in bandages along with a dressing around your head, coming as low as your eyebrows. Recovery girl had healed your ribs, but your torso had been compressed and bound after receiving the blow from Bakugou's explosion at point blank range. She couldn't fix any more until your stamina increased.

Bakugou had been released earlier, and you saw him standing atop the second-place podium. Your brow furrowed. "Why is he not on the winner's podium?" you rasped, your voice still dry. A med-bot brought a straw to your lips as you were unable to hold a water bottle with all your bandages.

Aizawa looked down to you confused. "You won [l/n]. You threw him out of the ring with your fire whips. We have to talk about those by the way." You looked up at him, eyes wide with incomprehension and panic. "Don't you remember?"

"I WON?!" you nearly shouted. "And I have...fire whips?" Aizawa looked down at you with concern.

"We'll discuss it later. Right now you have something to do." He nudged you to the podium. You hadn't realized you'd already made it to the center of the arena. Your head was swimming with all the new information.

Standing atop the first-place podium you looked to your right and saw Bakugou pouting at you. His arms and shoulders were also dotted with bandages, but far fewer than you. You gave him a weak smile, and while he couldn't show it outright, a glint in his eye almost looked proud of you.

Or maybe it's suppressed rage. Or maybe he's just constipated. What the fuck do I know anymore? I'm concussed.

To your left, Shouto and Izuku shared the podium for their joint third place. Izuku gave you a warm smile whereas Shouto's expression was unreadable.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THANK YOU FOR WAITING FOR OUR SECOND YEAR MEDAL CEREMONY!" The crowd thundered and for the first time you looked up. You had been so focused on your injuries and this new realization that you'd won, you hadn't even realized what it would mean. "AND PRESENTING THE MEDALS THIS YEAR IS THE NUMBER ONE HERO – ENDEAVOR!"

Your eyes widened as Endeavor strode to the center of the stage holding four medals in his hands. He was tall and broad, his facial hair coated with an ever-present layer of flame. You exhaled, not realizing you'd been holding your breath. You could feel the smoke coming off his fire and instinctively leaned closer to claim it.

ENDEAVOR—QUIRK: HELLFLAME - AN EXTREMELY POWERFUL QUIRK THAT GIVES ENDEAVOR PYROKINETIC ABILITIES. HE IS ABLE TO GENERATE LARGE FIRE BLASTS TO INCINERATE HIS OPPONENTS AS WELL AS COVER HIS BODY IN FLAMES. CHANGING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE FLAMES IS POSSIBLE AS WELL, WHICH MEANS THAT THEIR DAMAGE OUTPUT IS CAPABLE OF INCREASING OR DECREASING DEPENDING ON ENDEAVOR'S WISHES.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. It is my honor today to present the medals to the second-year class of UA. I've had the privilege to work with three of the four young heroes who stand here today, and I hope soon the fourth." He scanned the podium, his eyes resting last on you. You gulped.

"THIRD PLACE, MIDORIYA IZUKU!" Present Mic's voice boomed around the stadium. Endeavor positioned a bronze medal around Izuku's neck. Izuku held it in his hands, beaming at the piece of metal. He smiled to the camera, giving a peace sign and mouthing the words "Hi Mom!"

"THIRD PLACE, TODOROKI SHOUTO!"

You watched with apprehension. Endeavor was Todoroki's father. From what you'd heard from Todoroki and your other classmates, they had a very rocky relationship, to put it gently. Todoroki Enji was a force of a man, having arranged a quirk marriage in order to breed children who could one day surpass All Might. Shouto was his star, having acquired his own fire quirk and his mother's ice.

Todoroki hated him for the pain he'd put the family through in his childhood, demanding too much of his children and abusing his mother to the point of near insanity. Pushing her so far, she had poured boiling water on Todoroki's flame side when he was just a boy. That's how he had gotten his scar. Endeavor had then put her away in a hospital, robbing young Shouto of his chance at motherly affection.

And while you'd heard his family was slowly healing, Endeavor was still far from forgiven in the eyes of his children. And Shouto was far from complete in the eyes of this father.

The two Todorokis stared at each other for a long moment. The tension was palpable before Shouto finally bowed and Endeavor placed the medal over his head.

"SECOND PLACE, BAKUGOU KATSUKI!"

"You beat him again." Endeavor glanced at his son.

"Not for the last time." Bakugou raised his chin, conviction in his crimson eyes. Endeavor nodded before looping the medal around Bakugou's neck. Bakugou frowned down at the hunk of silver.

"AND OUR WINNER THIS YEAR, MISS [L/N] [F/N]!" The crowd exploded with applause. You could see hundreds if not thousands of heroes, civilians, classmates, teachers all standing and smiling down at you. You couldn't help but smile back at them.

"Congratulations miss [l/n]. You have a strong quirk there. I'd like to see that fire in my office someday." Endeavor stared up at you only slightly. Even on the tallest platform he nearly matched your height.

You weren't sure how to respond so only replied, "Thank you sir." Your upper body was too laden with bandages and dressings to bow so you curtsied slightly, bending at the knee, lowering yourself enough for Endeavor to place the golden medal around your neck. You felt the weight of the trophy on your bandages and the sting of the wounds beneath. A fresh wave of cheers swept through the crowd.

"AND THERE YOU HAVE IT! THE SECOND-YEAR SPORTS FESTIVAL EVENT IS OVER! HERE ARE YOUR WINNERS! CONGRATULATIONS ALL!"

***

That night you felt like an infant as Kirishima spoon-fed you chocolate cake, your hands and arms still too bandaged to raise higher than your shoulders. At least the bandage on your forehead had been removed.

Your classmates had thrown together an impromptu celebration for the four medalists. Satou whipped up a cake, piled high with vanilla icing and sliced berries. Shouji, Koda and Tokoyami went out to grab gyoza, yakitori and a plethora of onigiri from a shop nearby, venturing out into the rain that now poured off the roof and dripped past the windows creating deep puddles in the grass surrounding the dorm.

You tried to enjoy the night, taking in everyone's compliments. Each classmate had a different version of your battle. The red eyes. The fire. The appearing behind Bakugou. The creepy stare. You nodded and smiled but your thoughts stormed around your head.

Was it like last time?

After twenty minutes of listening to Kaminari replay the fight in excruciating detail you excused yourself, needing a moment alone. You pushed open the door to the porch with your foot and stepped out into the night air. The sound of rain pulsed all around and you closed your eyes to listen, protected by the porch. You let out a deep sigh.

"Piss off. This is where I'm hiding," Bakugou's flat voice rang out, making you jump.

"I was wondering where you'd gone." You sat down next to him on a bench, ignoring his demand. His tailbone barely touched the wood as he kicked his shoes over the porch railing. His sneakers were flecked with droplets which he patently ignored. He was slouched low, a few dressings still covering his shoulders.

"Are you going to tell me what the fuck happened today?"

"No," you let the word drop like a stone. He dropped his feet and turned to face you.

"WHY THE FUCK NOT? YOU DON'T HAVE TO HIDE YOUR SECRET ABILITIES ANYMORE. YOU WON GOD DAMMIT!"

"I'm sorry I hurt you," you answered back instead.

The familiar 'tsk' reached your ears. "I sent an explosion into your chest and you're worried about a few burns?" You didn't respond, just stared out onto the misty horizon. You both sat in silence for a long while.

"I'm tired," you finally said, rising from the bench. You tapped the window beside the front door with your elbow. Iida noticed and came to open the door. With one last look over at Bakugou you marched inside.

"Would you like anything else to eat? I think we have more onigiri left." Iida directed you toward the kitchen but you moved to the stairs instead.

"I think I'm just going to call it a night. Can you ask Yaomomo to help me get ready for bed?"

"Of course! I'll send her up." You flashed a sweet smile to Iida before heading to your room.

***

There was a knock a few minutes later. "[y/n]?" Yaoyorozu's voice sounded through the door.

"It's open." The doorknob clicked. "Thanks for coming up. I would do it myself, but..." You lifted your arms barely six inches.

"Oh! Of course!" You pointed to where your night shirts were folded. Yaoyorozu gently peeled the dirty shirt from your back and over your head. While they had changed you in the hospital wing, the replacement garments were now coated with bits of dried blood that had leaked through the bandages and smears of ointment for the burns. "I can redress these if you'd like," she offered. You nodded, hoping you'd get a bit of mobility back as well.

Yaoyorozu took her time removing the old dressings and making new ones. She found the bottle of ointment Recovery Girl had sent home with you and removed its cap. She delicately dabbed the cream on the now exposed wounds. It was the first time you'd seen the raw, blemished skin and the sight of it made your stomach turn.

"I can't believe Bakugou did this to you," she whispered after a long time.

"It was in the heat of battle. I don't hold it against him." You grimaced as she tapped on a burn. "Besides, I burned myself. It's not like I can blame someone for that."

"Right. It's not like Todoroki-kun burned you." Her tone was more pressing than you'd expected.

"Why would he burn me?"

"Do you want me to do the ones on your chest too?" She ignored the question. You looked down at the bandages wrapped around your torso.

"No. I think they're okay right now." She placed the cap back on the ointment. "Do you think you could leave a few extra bandages though? In case anything opens up tonight?" Yaoyorozu gave you a small smile and produced a stack of dressings. She placed them on the nightstand next to the bed.

Noticing your still disheveled state she quickly pulled a brush from her exposed palm. Easily undoing the loose remnants of your braid, she brushed through the tangled web of hair and tucked the neat strands behind your ears. She stood from the bed and came to face your front.

"Anything else?" You shook your head. "I have to say [y/n], you were amazing today. Not just the final match, but all of it. You're so strong. I can see why he teamed up with you."

Again with Shouto?

You smiled toward the ground, slightly embarrassed. "Thanks Yaomomo."

"Just let me know if you need anything during the night," she called from over her shoulder before closing the door. Her footsteps down the hallway blended with the even patter of the rain.

***

The faint moonlight that streamed in through your window was murky, the rain and clouds casting misty shadows on everything the dim light touched. You sat on your bed staring into nothingness for a long time. You had turned your desk lamp off in the hopes of sleep. You were so exhausted, but your mind would never let you doze off.

A knock on the door.

"I'm fine Yaomomo," you barely whispered, not looking toward the source of the noise. The door creaked open, a thin shaft of light pouring in from the bright hallway.

"Why are you sitting in the dark?" Bakugou pushed the door further, stepping into the dark room. He let it close quietly behind him, his shadow extinguished from the wall.

You didn't look at him. You just kept staring into the void in front of your eyes. At last you spoke.

"I really did kill them."