Mending the Battle Wounds (TodoBakuDeku)

Chapter 42

The next day, Izuku skipped class. He didn't know if he'd get in trouble or not, but he didn't particularly care. It was hard to dodge Toga, but he'd somehow managed to not have her hovering over him all day. He had a sneaking suspicion he'd have Uraraka to thank for that later.

The one person he had asked to be around was Shinsou. It turned out that the other boy had been suspended for what had happened to him (which Izuku thought was ridiculous, but whatever), and didn't have to skip class to see him.

He had a lot of questions, ones that only Shinsou would be able to answer.

"A lot of people are gonna be really upset that I'm here right now," Shinsou pointed out as he walked into Izuku's dorm room. He wasn't stupid, he knew that Katsuki and Shoto would likely kill him, if Aizawa didn't beat them to the punch, or maybe it would be the reformed villains that would put an end to him. Really, the possibilities were endless, but they didn't matter, not when Izuku wanted to see him.

"Good thing I don't care about a lot of people," Izuku said with a bite to his tone. He wasn't in the mood for any more morality bullshit. He was a goddamn villain and it was about time people remembered that.

"Calm down, evil mastermind."

"That was sarcastic, but it still holds true," Izuku pointed out, patting the space on his bed right in front of him. He called Shinsou over for answers and it was about time he started to get some. "C'mon, I wanna talk."

"I don't," Shinsou said right back, hesitating for only a fraction of a second before he took a seat. He at least kept a few feet between them.

Izuku flashed a condescending smile his way. "Good thing you don't get a choice then. I kissed you, you kissed back."

"I really don't think we should-"

Izuku held up a hand, cutting the other teen off. "We're talking about this or I'm burning down the dorm building, your choice."

"Why the fuck are you like this?"

Izuku rolled his eyes at the question. "You love it, shut up."

"Izuku," Shinsou said, the seriousness in his voice destroying any easy atmosphere they might have created. "You have a boyfriend."

"So it is a boy!"

"It doesn't matter," Shinsou was getting angry, desperate for him to actually listen and stop toying around with this possibility. It would just hurt more when all his memories came back and he tossed Shinsou aside in favor of the two boys he was in love with. "You're in love with them and whatever this is won't matter once you remember that."

"What if I never do?" Izuku asked, his own eyes blazing with anger to match Shinsou's. He was sick and tired of people telling him who to be and what to think. Isn't that why he ran away in the first place? "You're the one I care about right now, why should I not try?"

Shinsou blinked. He hadn't expected Izuku to admit it so easily. "Why didn't you tell me this a year ago?" he asked in a quiet voice, not finding the strength to be any louder. To know he had a chance that he completely wasted because he was worried about rejection... it fucking sucked. Now it was too late, whether Izuku realized it or not.

"It is a year ago," Izuku grumbled, shifting in his seat from the uncomfortable tension. "I don't give a fuck about whoever I supposedly dated. I don't remember him and he hasn't even bothered to show his face, clearly, he doesn't care about me anyway. Why should I not be with you when you're proving right now to be a better person than he could ever be? You're here."

"You'll hate me when you get your memories back," Shinsou tried one last time to convince him this was a terrible idea. It was the only thing he had left, the blatant truth behind all his apprehension. "I've already taken advantage of you once, it'll never happen again."