aerie (bakugo katsuki x oc)

chapter 63: into character

   When I manifest back at the campsite, the weather reflects my emotions perfectly. The freezing cold rain and howling winds of my heart cause my knees to buckle, and I fall to the cold muddy ground. I grab two fistfuls of my hair, and scream as loud as I can.

   4 years of my life, wasted. I dedicated a fifth of my life to that bastard, and this is how he repays me? Complete, and utter betrayal. This feeling... this feeling of heartbreak... it's the worst pain I've ever felt.

   I feel as though I have no control over my body. The devastated screams leaving my mouth are a terrible sound that I don't recognize as myself, or even human. My hand grasps my chest as if that could somehow stop my heart from shattering. The rain washes away my tears as fast as they come, and my wails of grief are drowned out by roars of thunder.

   What do I even do from here? How could I possibly go on existing like this? Who am I if I'm not with him? Who am I?

   After what seems like hours of screaming into the darkness in the middle of the woods, I still can't seem to calm my body down. I can't stop the sobs or the screams, and it's getting hard to breathe.

   I have to calm down somehow. How did I manage it last time?

   Right, Kai.

   I shake my head, allowing myself to get into character.

   Alright, enough. These are Aerie's problems.

   Suddenly, I regain control of my body. The screams stop, and the wracks of sobs come to an end. I stand up off the ground with a sniffle.

   What am I so upset about? My name is Kaiya Miyasaki, my quirk is glitch, and I wanna be a hero. Yes, that's right... I don't care about Tomura, he's nothing but a villain to me. I care about other things. Hero things. Like school. Training, classes, schoolwork. Fun things. Like friends. Yes, my friends. Like Kiri. And... Katsuki.

   That's right... Katsuki. That's who I like, not that Shigaraki guy.

   I feel the corners of my mouth turn up slightly.

   Shigaraki? Who's that? You mean that creepy villain? Ooh, he's scary.

   I find myself chuckling softly.

   That's right, as long as I'm Kaiya, I don't have to worry about Shigaraki, I don't have to worry about those pesky feelings of heartbreak and betrayal, because all of that happened to Aerie, not to me!

   I begin to laugh a little harder.

   I'll never have to feel it, no! I never have to worry about going home or scheming again! I can just go to UA, and be Kai forever!

   By the time I reach this conclusion, I'm overcome with laughter. The dark sky that I was once cursing with my screams, I welcome with my open arms, laughing at the stars, catching cool rain drops on my tongue.

   After standing here for a moment, enjoying this epiphany of mine, I start to realize how cold I am.

   I should probably get back to the campsite.

   I glitch around the campgrounds, searching for a place where I can get out of this rain, but I just can't seem to find one. Eventually, I get tired of glitching around aimlessly, and decide to seek shelter in the next one of my classmate's tents that I see.

   I finally spot one right at the edge of the forest, away from everyone else.

   Whoever it is, I'm sure they wouldn't mind letting me in for just a few minutes, just until the weather clears up, right?