Controlee

75. Decent

WARNING: dehumanisation.

There are in-text warnings to help you skip the relevant part with a short summary.

I haven't done a full chapter summary like I usually do because I think this chapter is really important, but if someone needs a full summary, I will do my best for you, you just ask me. No judgement.

Take care of yourselves!

Rule 32: Nobody cares.

Otsuka wandered slowly to the teachers' dorms, hoping to see TT. Everything felt a little fuzzy, like walking too fast risked her walking into a tree or something. Most of her brain was busy diving back through the last hour or so of her life to make it make sense.

Todoroki Shouto had cornered her. He'd never seemed the most emotionally intelligent of people but Otsuka wasn't sure she had a leg to stand on passing that kind of judgement. Anyway, he'd seemingly noticed how anxious she was of pretty much the entire class, including him, and decided to take action.

Or, take conversation, she supposed.

He'd been very blunt and very clear and as much as it had felt a little like one of Mags' hefty backslaps, she'd appreciated the directness. He'd left no room for her to doubt, no room for her to be uncertain or second guess or misunderstand him.

He'd thanked her for bringing his brother home. Her attempt at apologising for not telling him about his brother sooner had been cut off pretty damn fast. Todoroki had admitted he'd probably have done the same in her position so being upset with her would be too hypocritical for his liking.

The moment he'd finished saying all that, he just walked off. Just like that, leaving her with that whirlwind feeling (which has since declined into general fuzziness as she continues to compute).

Before he could leave her entirely though, he'd paused, turned back and thanked her again. Not about TT, that part of the conversation was apparently done. He'd thanked her for sitting with him at lunch, all those days before the sports festival— he'd never said anything at the time but he'd secretly appreciated the company, even if neither of them had spoken all that much.

Terrifying as the whole conversation had been, Otsuka would admit she felt a lot better for knowing exactly where she stood with him. Particularly as that standing was a lot better than she imagined.

One less thing to be stressed about.

***

"Hey, Shouta." Yamada got a grunt from his husband in response, something that was becoming increasingly familiar. Still, Yamada took the high ground and withheld a frustrated sigh. "I just got off the phone with one of the doctors on Otsuka's list. He works nearby and he's willing to have a conversation with us in person about her since we're now officially her guardians. Are you coming?"

Aizawa, previously busy staring at the wall instead of doing the marking he'd set out on the table, glanced up at his husband. "What?"

"I'm not stopping on our plans to help her just because you're angry. I know you're still upset with her, but she deserves to know if she's been lied to all her life."

This wasn't the first doctor they'd talked to. They'd already talked with a woman who'd treated her for a broken arm, a man who'd been called into the school when her temperature got so high that her body couldn't adapt to it, the one who'd treated a severe burn on her shoulder.

They'd been working as methodically as they could down that list ever since they got it, ever since that conversation between Aizawa and TT at the mall. Ever since hearing the words 'It's just a side effect of my quirk' became something to worry about.