Mortem ad Wrens

Chapter 21: For the Courage to Decide

Summary:

tw: torture mention

Important conversations and a deal

Notes:

'text' JSL
Text thoughts

Dark Shadow was the first to notice their footwear, and they looked up at Akira curiously from between their and Tokoyami's desks. "Why are you wearing house shoes?"

'My left shoe got accidentally destroyed, so I needed something quick to wear.'

Tokoyami peeked over, feathers ruffling as he noticed the bandages. 'What are those for, Reaper?' he signed, eyes piercing and worried.

Akira sighed, 'Eraser is aware. And maybe Mic?' They thought for a moment, last night a bit hazy from sleep deprivation and pain. 'I got burned by Wildfire in an avoidable situation that was my fault, and I got help when I needed it.'

Ida strode over, arm chopping. "Mori, it is in violation of the dress code to not wear proper shoes to school. You should change."

Akira just rolled their eyes. 'Engine Calf, I don't have other shoes right now.'

Ida flushed and sputtered an apology before returning to his seat. Akira held back a sigh as a location ping came through from Dabi at their apartment: Danger.

After a visit to Recovery Girl to heal their leg the rest of the way and remove their bandages, Akira met Dark Banquet back in the classroom, only to find Shoto with them. They waved and carefully slid into their chair while trying not to jostle their leg much. 'Blank, looks like I'll be staying another night.'

Shinso just nodded, shoulders tense as the others looked between them.

Shoto spoke first, neutral expression taking a confused cast. "Is something wrong?"

Koda interpreted for Akira since Shoto was still pretty new, 'My roommate has a difficult-to-control fire quirk, and there was an incident last night that was completely avoidable on my part. Can we not talk about it? I'm getting tired of explaining.'

Shoto blinked, more confusion filling his eyes, "What does that have to do with Shinso, though?"

'When things were getting bad while my roommate and I adjusted to living together, I told Mad Banquet that I would leave if things got worse. Which they didn't.'

"I heard when Recovery Girl came. Dad would only call her if things were hospital bad. Then I wake up to your leg still covered in second-degree burns and gaps in the bandaging. How the hell is that not worse?"

Akira winced, not sure how to respond for a while. 'It would put you in too much danger to explain why-'

"Danger?" Shinso leapt to his feet. "You want to talk to us about danger. We survived USJ, the League could strike again any day, and you're being burnt to a crisp by some asshole when you have a place to go! I'm not going to just stand by and watch you sacrifice yourself just because you hate limelight heroes. What could Pop possibly do that would be worse than what you're going through right now?"

'What he could do or what I think he'd do?' Akira signed after a moment, trying not to pull away.

"What?" Shinso flinched back, continuing at Akira's gesture. "Both? Either?"

Akira sighed, looking down at their food. They carefully pulled up their sound- and voice-based tormentors in their analysis hall, grateful for Dark Shadow's velvety touch and vibrations as they started shaking from the rumbling pain of old memories. 'Sound quirks are capable of far more destruction than most people realize. Beyond the intensity of the sound waves ripping apart cells, specific frequencies that people with enough training – like Mic – can produce are capable of far more damage when built up over time or pulsed. Specific nerve endings can be triggered to the nth degree, intense nausea and vomiting induced, seizures triggered, internal hemorrhaging, the list goes on. All of which I have personally experienced on multiple occasions at the hands of limelights.