After Burn

Decision

As soon as Yume reached her bed, she collapsed into it—her eyes only opening again once the sound of the morning birds reached her ears. Even as she woke up, she stayed in the same position, letting her breath be the only thing she thought about, if only for a moment.

Her attempted escape from reality was spoiled as she heard the sound of her dorm door open. She waited until she heard it starting to close, to get up. At the door stood a worried looking Mina, Uraraka, and Momo.

"Good morning Hokori... we uh just wanted to see if you were awake..and see if you were okay. All Might is here to talk to you..since it's your last day here." Momo mumbled out cautiously.

Yume blinked blankly before falling back into her bed, staring at the ceiling as she replied. "I'm fine, thanks for checking up. I'll be down in a few." She could sense the girls trying to say something more, but they gave up and shut the door slowly, leaving her alone.

Yume laid there a bit longer before sighing and getting up, trying to make herself at least a little presentable after the rough night.

As she walked into the slightly scorched common room, she felt all eyes on her. However, she kept her gaze locked in All Might as she approached him. "You wanted to talk?" She calmly asked, her voice dry from crying all night.

"Ah yes..well, mabye it would be better if we went somewhere more private for this conversation."

"No, go ahead." All might raised an eyebrow at her response, trying to almost question if she was truly okay with that. She nodded, causing him to let out a shaky sigh before continuing.

"After last nights events, Aizawa took Dabi in for questioning, which he mostly refused. Except, he did tell us about how you had cut contact before arriving here."

"Is this all you wanted-" Yume began, the sound of All Might clearing his throat interrupting her.

"Since you assisted in the villains capture, I was wondering if that meant that you've made a decision on my offer." Yume paused as she watched All Might look at her expectantly. Is that really what she decided? Was she really going to give up her entire life? She looked around the room, noticing that everyone was silent and listening in. She turned back to All Might.

"I accept. I'll stay." her words shocked the room. A smile appearing on All Mights face before anyone could process what she said. However, her expression remained staid.

"I am so glad to hear that young Hokori!" All Might beamed before turning to the rest of the room. "Students of 1A..due to recent events and an offer that Aizawa and I made to Hokori in the end of her stay here—she will be remaining at UA for the rest of the year!"

The students were silent before the room erupted with joy and surprise. The girls ran up to pull Yume into a group hug, as Kirishima and some of the guys cheered. A small smile began to break through Yume's solemn constitution. Though she was still upset, their excitement was intoxicating.

"Why didn't you say anything girl?!" Mina cried out, tears of happiness escaping her glowing eyes. Yume expected a strong reaction, but nothing could prepare her for this. She never realized how much this class of wannabe heroes grew to like her. In that moment, she allowed herself to hug the girls back. Only breaking away to pull All Might into a hug as well. She didn't know why, but she was grateful to him. He reciprocated her feelings as he patted her head, his smile reflecting off her.

——

After the class got used to the fact Yume was staying, they began to brainstorm ways to celebrate. After what felt like hours of deliberation, they decided on going to a fair which would always arrive towards the end of the summer season, signaling the transition to the fall. Nobody had the chance to go yet so it was the perfect plan—especially considering that Yume had never gone in her life.

As everyone got ready, Yume found herself being dressed up by the girls of class 1A. As Asui rummaged through the few articles of clothing which Yume had purchased before arriving at UA, she let out an exasperated sigh.

"No offense Hokori but you're totally lacking in the clothing department. Nothing you own really gives off your vibe...if we're going to do this right we need something else."

"I never asked you guys to dress me up like a little doll!" She argued, her chest puffing out in slight embarrassment. She wasn't used to this.

"Chill guys, I totes have the thing!" Hagakure, the invisible girl, cheered—rushing to her dorm before returning with a tight, black cut-out top and some baggy-ish jeans.

"Wow Tooru! I didnt know you were a fashion girl!" Uraraka beamed excitedly, passing the clothes to Yume, who looked at them with a raised eyebrow. She never really entrusted anyone else with deciding her clothes so she felt a bit nervous.

"Go ahead, try them on!!" Tooru excitedly exclaimed, pushing Yume into the closet to change. A little while later, she emerged wearing the clothes. As she looked in the mirror, she had to admit she looked pretty good. The top showed just enough skin to show off her figure, and the jeans complimented it perfectly.

"..I love it! Thank you Hakagure!" At her words, the girls squealed with excitement, pulling her into a chair to do her makeup. Though she could only it herself, they seemed to find joy in it—promoting her to keep her mouth shut. It was nice putting this much effort into her looks. In that moment, she realized Bakugo was right. Her choice was beginning to feel right, just like he said it would....