Controlee

85. And The Web Releases

Chronological readers: After SSD: Eri chapter 4. Cases.

Rule 81: Life goes on.

"Kid, your quirk is incredible," AG said.

It still came as a surprise to Otsuka. She was used to people saying her quirk was powerful, used to people saying her quirk was dangerous. Amazing? Incredible? It was a nice change to hear people describe her quirk so kindly, even if a voice in her head that sounded very much like Mags reminded her of the threat her quirk was. "It's pretty monstrous, I know." She tried for a smile.

With the responding frown on AG's face, it must've come out as more of a grimace. "Did someone call you that?" Fuck, AG was perceptive. "A monster?"

Otsuka flinched. "No, no!" Not recently. "Well, ok yes, but that was a while ago and that's not the point. I just- I mean, I spent most of my life being reminded of the dangers of letting my quirk out. I kind of expect others to feel the same about it, like my quirk is a monster to keep locked up, or something, maybe." Otsuka knew she wasn't a monster for the quirk she was born with, she'd actively made choices not to harm people with it wherever possible. A monster with her power— a man like All For One with her power— the destruction that could be wrought, the pain that could be suffered. It made Otsuka sick just to think about it. "I guess I just brought it up to see what you thought but don't even worry, pretend I didn't say anything."

"Kid, it's ok. For the record, I can't imagine you ever as a monster. I mean, you'd have every right to be given everything you told me about being a controlee, and you certainly have the physical capability to be a tough monster to deal with, but that description just physically can't apply to you. You're not that way." It was the same thing Aizawa had told her not all that long ago. Monstrous quirk or not, Otsuka wasn't a monster.

Since nobody else had ever said what Aizawa had— except maybe TT though not in so many words— there was something almost relieving about hearing it from a second source. And Aizawa was her teacher as well, her teacher and her guardian, he knew her, was close to her. AG was her teacher too, but she'd only known Otsuka for a short time. There was less bias. "What do you mean?" So Otsuka pressed for more details. She knew why Aizawa believed in her, she wanted to know why AG did too.

AG sighed, jaw shifting faintly as she considered, almost like she was literally chewing over her thoughts. "I've met a fair few monsters," she said. It made Otsuka's stomach tight to hear, but then, AG was an underground hero, the people she met in her line of work felt they could get away with anything because of the shadows hiding them. "They're people who can hurt and not care, they move on like it's nothing or get a kick out of it. You're the kind of person who'd feel regret over accidentally hurting a spider while setting it free."

Otsuka blinked, about to argue, only to realise she'd once put a cup over a spider and been too afraid to try to move it. Then, days later when she found the courage to let it out, she'd felt guilty for a week for essentially entrapping it with no food or water. AG had her all figured out. "So even if I did something really terrible, like, kill nomu or something, I wouldn't be a monster if I regretted it?" Otsuka tried to toss the example out as if it were some random idea that had occurred to her and not something that forever weighed on her mind.

AG's frown deepened, eyebrows drawing closer together. "If there's anything left alive in a nomu, it would probably thank you for ending the pain. Putting that aside though, it wouldn't make you a monster. Especially when I bet it would leave you with plenty of haunting nightmares."

Otsuka tried very hard not to react, even as flashes of those very nightmares flitted across her vision. "Oh."

"Anything you may have done that hurt someone, I'm willing to bet it was an accident or at least defence of yourself or others. If that makes you a monster, then I don't want to think about what that makes me."