Supernova

Chapter Seventy Five - Problematic Princess is Being, Yes, Problematic

A/N: she just doesn't learn, does she?

Kiri and Midoriya had insisted on throwing Demon and Elias a goodbye party in the dorm room common space a few nights before the festival. They'd brought it up to me prior, and when I'd answered that we should really be throwing them a good riddance party, they'd laughed like I'd been joking and took it as permission to plan it.

I hadn't been joking.

But, whatever. I could take a goodbye party as long as it meant it involved a goodbye and those two fucking doorknobs would be on a plane back to Switzerland and back out of my life in less than a week. They'd recruited some of the other classmates to help, and it calmed me to realize that this was very little about Elias and Demon and very much about the teenager urge to throw and attend parties, which I could hardly judge them for, and therefore didn't. If we're being honest, it was actually kind of nice to throw parties and attend dance practice and prepare for the festival and just do normal teenager things like they do in old movies after the whole Shie Hassakai fiasco and in between recalibration sessions and before real life would come grab me by the throat.

I decided it could be nice while it lasted.

It was supposed to be a surprise, which amused me deeply, because I couldn't wait to see the look of fake shock on Elias' face as we waltzed up to the dorm room common space, the party in full swing, after one of our secret recalibration sessions. If someone, and by someone, I mean most definitely Midoriya, hadn't let it slip about the party, he would certainly notice that something was amiss on the walk up. Even I could hear the faint buzz of music and talking and see the bodies shuffling through the window. It looked like there were a lot of people there, as in, more than were even in our class. I guess Iida had calmed down on his being a stickler for the only class A students allowed rule for the night. Point was, there were signs, and more than that, sneaking up on Elias Claeson was something that was simply not done.

Believe me, I'd tried.

His smile started widening on the walk up and continued to do so, millimetre by millimetre up the path and up the stairs. Before he lay his hand on the door, he turned to me. "What's going on here?"

"It wasn't my idea," I said back. "Don't go making a big deal about it."

He opened the door and the music exploded. The main lights were off and the laser lights and music video montage were back and there were a lot of people. I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me uneasy whatsoever. I had been right, as usual, about this being more about a party than it was about actually sending them off, because not too many people seemed keen on bidding them farewell or talking to them at all, so while Demon slithered off to find Kiri almost immediately, Elias hovered around Katsuki and I, which I pretended to be annoyed by. But I had warmth to cling to, and he was letting me, so I was able to focus on breathing.

Until I saw that purple haired kid from the cafeteria. I hadn't noticed him until it was too late. He was only a few feet away, looking at me, raising his hand in a wave.

Shinso. Brainwash.

I started shrieking.

I shook the warmth off, started walking backwards, hitting into something that I heard but couldn't identify. Clothing, sure, a person yes, but my mind was focused solely on fear. My screams made the music seem nearly insignificant, for the split second it hit the air, until a hand wrapped around me from behind and clapped its way over my mouth. People were looking at me. The music fell away.

"Hey, Stronghold," the purple kid said.

"Do not speak," I heard, close to my ear. I knew the voice and fell into it.