Violet Eyes

Chapter 28

I didn't sleep that night, outlasting even Hitoshi. He had eventually given up on trying to get me to talk, but never left the room. I was just grateful he wasn't pushing anymore. 

Once I was sure he was fast asleep, around two in the morning, I quietly left the safety of my blankets. I threw on the first sweatshirt I found, not caring if it was his or mine, and exited my room. 

I needed to get out. I had no idea where I was going, but anywhere was better than home. My feet moved without a thought, taking me down the road in a random direction. There was no destination in mind. 

I was only paying half attention to my surroundings, just enough to not run face-first into an obstacle. That was how I didn't notice the mountain of a man until he was only a foot in front of me. 

"What're you doing walking around the city in the dead of night, pipsqueak?" 

My eyes drifted up, up, up until I finally met his gaze. He was easily taller than Eijirou, who was over six feet tall, and built like a fucking ox. He sported messy, unkept blond hair. If I cared about anything at that moment, I would have been absolutely terrified of his twisted smile. "Walking," I said bluntly. 

He let out a brutish laugh at my response. After he calmed down and I debated just stepping past him, he spoke again. "You know, this city's not safe so late. Especially for someone so... small," he mused, looking proud of himself for pointing out our obvious height difference. 

I rolled my eyes, officially at the end of my rope for the day. "I don't really care, big guy." 

"You got fire, I'll give you that," he said, amused with my deadpan answers. "Look like the partying type too. I'm heading to one now, care to join?" He raised one bushy brow in question, but we both knew I didn't have much of a choice. The streets around us were deserted, if I refused and he pulled something, I was fucked. There was no way I could fight back. 

"You don't even know my name and you're inviting me to some party?" I wasn't sure what my plan was or if I even had one to begin with. My brain was on autopilot, words automatically leaving my mouth without my permission. 

"Well?" he pressed, still finding humor in our interaction. I supposed that was a good thing, better than him getting angry or annoyed with me. "What's your name, pretty thing?" 

Even in my numb, unfeeling state, the pet name still made my stomach drop. "Midoriya," I replied curtly. 

"Care for a party, Midoriya?" 

I shook my head, my neck starting to hurt from looking up at him. How was this guy so fucking tall?"I still don't know your name." 

He chuckled again, the sound deep and full. It seemed he really was enjoying our little chat. "Imasuji." 

"Sure, Imasuji. I've got nothing better to do," I answered with a shrug. 

He was surprised by my answer, taking a few moments to process before a full-blown smile overtook his face. "Let's get going then." 

"Lead the way." 

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The first thought I had when waking up was Izuku. He'd been completely cut off the previous night, hiding away in his comforter and adamant about not talking to me. I had wanted to push and prod until he finally snapped, just so he would say something, but... he'd never been like that before. He had never completely shut down to the point where he didn't even try to run. 

Izuku was a runner, always had been. The first sign of trouble and he took off. I had never seen him so broken he hadn't tried to escape. It scared the shit out of me enough to back off. At least for the night.