LUMINARY [bnha]

Chapter 6 - Quick Question

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 Near midnight, Tsukiko startled to the sound of metal softly scraping.

She sat up in bed, rubbing the almost-sleep from her eyes as the lock in her door turned, unlocking from the outside. Even in the middle of the night, she wasn't afraid; thanks to Omega, ever-present in her mind, Tsukiko could sense who was coming through that door. That warmth in her chest grew brighter, more steady, as the familiar shape of Izuku crept into her room.

"Thank the goddess you're awake," he sighed, closing the door behind him without letting it latch. Izuku glanced around her room, eyeing the chair near the window and raising an eyebrow. "Where'd—?"

She didn't bother telling him that she'd been nearly asleep seconds ago. "He takes an evening smoke on the balcony," Tsukiko yawned. The older night guard who stayed in her room while she slept, Haruto, always took a smoke break so he could call his wife and check in on his kids right around midnight. "We've got half an hour."

Izuku checked in all of the shadows and crannies, just to be safe, before heading to Tsukiko and perching on the edge of her bed beside her. "Are you okay? I heard the meeting with the elders didn't go well," he said, his green eyes raking over her as if searching for physical injuries. He took her hand into both of his, squeezing. "I wish I could've been there for you."

She ran her thumb over Izuku's knuckles. "The elders treated me like a child, like usual, so no surprises there. Omega pushed me to stand up for myself, but I'm not sure how much good it did."

"I'm sure you were great," he said, beaming a supportive smile at her. "During the shift change, your mom was... well, you know... But she did mention that the elders held a private meeting after you left."

"Any idea what they said?"

"No... but I'm sure it's fine. I'll keep an ear out."

Tsukiko yawned, her heart sinking. As much as she trusted and loved Izuku, she knew that he could be overly optimistic sometimes, often placating her or omitting important information out of the kindness in his bleeding heart. But, he was her eyes and ears around the tower, so she had to hope he could find some gossip about the meeting.

Tracing over the lines in Tsukiko's palm, Izuku sighed and said, "It's so weird... when you're gone, I feel this... this hollow in my chest, like my lungs can't expand all the way. I felt something similar before the bond but now it's worse... It hurts. The ache is awful. But I could feel it fill up as I got closer to you. Now I can finally breathe again."

"Me too," Tsukiko said softly. "Like you've taken a piece of me with you, but now it's back. I'm whole again."

He hummed at that, a soft smile on his face. His fingers continued their gentle tracks on her skin. "Are you nervous?" he asked. "About finding the others? About tomorrow?"

"Yes," Tsukiko said, not bothering to soften the answer. "I'm terrified, Izuku." The words unsaid lingered in her mind, on her tongue. Everything felt so far out of her control, more so than usual, and Tsukiko didn't know how to cope with the loss.

In one slow, careful movement, Izuku wrapped his arms around Tsukiko, pulling her to his chest. Tsukiko had hugged Izuku millions of times before, but she would never tire of it; she laid her head on his chest, listening to the steady stomp of his heart until she fell asleep, safe and soothed once more.

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In the morning, Tsukiko was allowed a cup of black coffee for breakfast.