Supernova

Chapter Seventy Three - Do You Believe In Soulmates?

After the Shie Hassaikai mission, the work study internships had been suspended indefinitely. For most of the students, anyways. As it just so happened, I was, as usual, the exception to the rule.

Recalibration continued, for both Elias and I. Because he had gained enough quirk control to be touched and lured back into a relative safety zone, the importance of it had tapered off and became more preventative, and we were spending more time with Aizawa in the basement room, working on mine.

Between this and academic classes resuming, I felt damn near convinced that I had died and gone to hell.

I fucking hated recalibration. It hurt so fucking bad. I was convinced that any time now, I was just going to deaf from my own screams, or go insane, or just truly die from how painful it was. But none of that happened. Black blood always flowed, relief flooding in with it, and I would spend multiple long minutes trying to catch my breath. It felt like I was being killed and brought back to life over and over and over again.

Despite all that, it was helping. After the breaking and the passing out, there would come time to play and practice. Katsuki and I would sit on the floor a few feet from each other, and I'd move the sensation that sparked in my chest around my body, into different limbs, following instructions, using his eyes as an anchor. Elias and Aizawa would stare into the small screen and discuss things like percentages using complicated medical jargon, and after I was exhausted and tasting metal and on the verge of collapse, they would both tell me good work, I'd done well.

Demon always spent this part in one of the chairs pushed into the corner, arms crossed and quiet, pretending that he wasn't watching. I don't know if he really cared about any of this, but just based on his demeanor and what I knew about him, I didn't think so.

And then there came a day when Aizawa had another special surprise guest waiting for me, but I recognized who it was this time.

"Recovery Girl," Elias beamed by means of greeting her, holding his hand out for her to shake, which she did. "Claeson Elias. I'm so pleased to formally meet you. I've heard such wonderous things about you."

"How kind," she said to him, and nothing else.

Ha.

"I've asked her here because I think it's about time to do some extended tests," Aizawa explained to us in his special vague type of way. He was looking at and speaking to me, which made me feel both respected and included, and it put me at some appreciative ease. "You were immune to Recovery Girl's quirk the last time she tried to heal you. I'd like to try it again."

I saw Demon's eyebrow twitch. He was, to his credit, impressively well behaved around Aizawa, and remained relatively quiet and obedient. Now, he was watching Recovery Girl, and his eyes were flaring. My chest started to tingle as I put two and two together. This was another healer. I wonder if Demon had ever met one before.

"I'm also interested in seeing how you work," she told him.

He looked away from her and didn't answer.

"You'll have to excuse him," Elias said, ever politely. "He's not necessarily proud of his quirk."

Recovery Girl seemed to understand. "It happens sometimes with the male healers."

But I felt as if there was more to it. His uneasiness seeped into me in a way that didn't seem to be hitting anyone else. I suddenly wondered how old the Mothers had been at the institution Demon had grown up in, and for the time being, made a point to fill a spot between him and Recovery Girl.

It came time to get into the bed and the blindfold, and once again I was clinging onto dear life as unbearable pain shot through my face and neck and the sound of my muffled screaming filled my ears. I could hear their shuffling, actions, instructions too, and I knew Recovery Girl was kissing my cheek. Her healing was different; it didn't taste like anything. I knew it was there, though, because I could allow it by pushing the sensation further into the broken pieces, but it was easier said than done. Pushing into the pain was something so incredibly backwards, and I didn't find myself being able to do it for very long before I started shaking and praying and felt the metal taste back in my mouth. Aizawa asked Demon to take over and he did. The thick relief splashed through my face, and by the time everything had repaired itself, I was once again gasping for breath.