Silhouette ✓ (⛔❤☁)

F I F T Y - S I X

The school trip had been loud, exhausting, and full of unnecessary trouble. But as Katsuki stepped off the bus, the school seemed like such a difficult task to go back to. He'd liked spending all day with his childhood friends.

Excluding Midoriya, he'd managed to either avoid or ignore the teen for the rest of the trip. Todoroki, being his seatmate, was unavoidable.

Either way, he'd had a decent time.

His talk with Boss had led him to communicate better with his teacher. The man had sat down with him and gone through some of the more "adult" stuff, explaining it so that it made sense.

Apparently there were two different cases going on and they’re linked because of what his mother did. The first case would the custody case. That's where his father is going to get full custody of him.

The second one would be the criminal case. This is different, it’s in criminal court because his mother is actually being charged with child abuse. If she’s found guilty, she's gonna  go to jail. She'll be gone if that happens.

His teacher, however, told him that she would go to jail. Without a doubt. The man had promised it.

In short, when his mother is found guilty in the criminal case, it was actually really strong evidence for his father in the custody case.

The conversation had cleared up many questions about everything. He's now pretty sure that his teacher was psychic. No one else had even tried to talk to him about it, but his teacher had offered to explain before Katsuki even had to properly ask.

It had lifted a weight from him, even if it was just some information. Knowing what was going on made everything better. Plus, it gave him something to cling to.

Even better, though, was that he didn't have to go to the criminal case at all. His testimony and all that could be recorded beforehand so he would never have to see her.

Aizawa had sported a dark look when he'd asked what would happen to all the guys his mother had "invited over".

It wasn't the typical school trip, but for him, it carried a lot of meaning. It had been a place for him to put things together.

Katsuki walked slowly toward the school building, his thoughts heavy but clearer than they had been in months. The trip had given him time to sort through some of the chaos in his life, and the conversations with Boss and Aizawa had given him something he hadn't  known he needed: clarity. There was still so much up in the air, but at least now he knew where things were headed.

He glanced at the familiar faces of his classmates milling around the courtyard, chatting about their favorite moments from the trip, but his mind was somewhere else. For the first time in a long time, the weight of his mother’s influence didn’t seem as heavy. Knowing she was going to jail, that she wouldn't be able to hurt him anymore, was a huge relief, even if he wasn’t completely ready to admit it to himself yet.

Todoroki caught up to him, walking at his side without saying a word. They had shared an odd silence during the trip, but Katsuki hadn’t minded it. It was better than some of the usual noise. He could tell Todoroki knew something was up, especially after the whole incident with Midoriya.

"You ready for classes again?" Todoroki asked, his tone as flat as ever.

He almost punched the teen, hating how domestic and dry the question was. Katsuki just shrugged.

Todoroki was staring at him like he was some specimen. "You seem...different. Like something clicked"

Katsuki shot him a side-eye, his hands stuffed in his pockets. "Yeah, well. I’m working some stuff out"

It wasn’t like he wanted to talk about it, but he didn’t feel the need to push Todoroki away either. He’d managed to avoid Midoriya, who was everything except helpful. But with Todoroki, he could handle the questions that came with walking alongside him. The guy had similar problems, after all.

His father had texted him last night, saying they’d meet soon to talk and celebrate his birthday. Katsuki had been reluctant about it at first, but now the thought of it didn’t seem so bad. After everything, his dad was finally stepping up, and Katsuki was starting to see that.

Maybe this birthday wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Todoroki broke the silence again. "If you need anything, just let me know."

Katsuki frowned but nodded slightly. "Yeah, whatever. Stupid halfie"

He couldn’t help but let his thoughts drift back to what was waiting for him. His father. His birthday. And a future that, for the first time in a long time, felt a little less certain.

Perhaps it was finally time for a change. Perhaps it was finally time to move forward.

Word Count: 841

In my hating humanity zone rn so uh... I'll be writing more often?