•Manipulation• [BNHA × Male!OC]

Chapter 101: who will Gru be tonight? (that's the question)

After being all of my exposed skin was covered by heat packs, some even being placed on the outside of my blanket cocoon, the pair deemed me sufficiently treated.

Katsuki climbed onto my bed, sliding between me and the wall.

Shoto simply laid down from where he had been seated earlier.

"Now," Blasty spoke, I strained my eyes to look over at him as all the packs had limited the range of motion in my neck.

"Talk."

I blink, hurriedly looking away from the boy.

"A-about what?" I laugh nervously.

I really couldn't lie to him. To them.

"You've been off ever since coming back from your internship," he spoke pointedly, a rustling noise beside me indicating Shoto was nodding in agreeance.

'Oh, he meant that.'

"It was a hard internship," I answered vaguely, expecting the annoyed click of tongue from Boomboom boy.

"I-" I quickly pondered what details to include, settling on the easier to explain ones. "I was part of the Shie Hassaikai raid."

"Or rather, I watched it," I added quickly. 

It wouldn't be fair to group me with the rest when they'd done so much and I...

"That's all I was allowed to do, government's orders," I mumbled scornfully.

I try not to pay it too much attention when I realise Icyhot had begun gently stroking my hair.

He'd been doing that a lot recently, maybe it was therapeutic for him.

I sigh, already kicking myself as I admit, "I feel so guilty about not having done anything while Midoriya and everyone risked their lives... I can't bring myself to eat a proper meal."

Well more like I can barely keep it down, but they didn't need to know that.

Nor did they need to know about me going undercover. 

I know it'll make them worry, make them feel like they have to do something. They'd do something stupid or reckless or both.

They might cross the wrong person on either side and end up...

"That's stupid," Blondie scolded and I scowled. I wasn't really in the mood to be chided right now.

"You shouldn't be beating yourself up, you should be angry at those damn government fucks who have their hands around your throat," he growls and I'm almost shocked at the lack of insults thrown at me.

"If I ever see one of them..." I hear a soft but vicious voice coming from behind me.

'Shoto too...?'

"You've infected Candycane with your violent tendencies," I laugh gingerly but Katsuki is still scowling at me.

"Everything turned out okay," he mumbles finally after glaring through at me, at something past me.

"So don't feel guilty, it's not your fault," this time his blood red eyes are looking straight at me and I try not to notice my heart jittering.

Shoto nods and shuffles up closer behind me.

"It must have been hard to watch and not be able to do anything," he whispers into the hair at the nape of my neck and I shiver.

I laugh weakly, "yeah."

Katsuki scooched in too, this time wrapping and arm around my shoulders and placing a hand on the back of my head, pushing me to lean against his chest.

I don't even say anything yet but the blonde mutters at me to 'shut up' and so I do.

-

-

That is until the glare of my lights is too harsh to ignore.

"My lights are still on," I mumble before feeling Shoto shift slightly from behind me.

But instead of getting off the bed, I hear a sharp crackling noise before he lays back down.

I blink.

"Icyhot did you just... use your ice to turn my lights off?" I ask incredulously and he nods against the back of my neck.

"I'll melt it in the morning," he whispers and Blondie pulls me closer so now I can barely speak, so I left it at that.

As the night crawled on, I found myself drifting off before waking to an uncomfortable heat and a sweat forming along my back.

From the sounds of the gentle breaths beside me, both boys were now dead alseep.

I breathe out silently and use my quirk to unravel the blankets from around me and drape it over us.

The warming packs were still emitting a gentle heat as I slid them off my body with the help of my damp skin, blasting them into a corner of the room, perhaps still covered in ice from Icyhot's earlier showcase of ultimate laziness.

I ease back into the boys' unrelenting grips.

I was glad to be rid of those uncomfortable heating devices.

Besides, the boys beside me were warm enough.

____________________________

The next day was a Saturday, and I'd be foolish to think I could get an ounce more rest.

Since hero internships were effectively suspended, now all my work with Hawks as well as meeting the League of Villain had to be done on my own expense.

After leaving the boys with a story of visiting Hawks, not entirely untrue, I set off, had my briefing with Hawks and then headed off.

I met up with a cheerier than normal Twice who led me through a few alleys and passages before we reached what seemed like a dilapidated warehouse on the outside.

He gave a deep bow as I walked past him into the building.

Pushing open a heavy metal door, I find a green light from around the far back corner of the room is basically the only light source illuminating this large warehouse.

In the middle of the room was Dabi, Toga and Shigaraki.

"Hey," I smiled, sauntering up to them, "how's it going?"

Dabi scoffs as Shigaraki turns to face me.

"Nora, just in time as always," a creepy grin on the blue-haired man's face.

He took my hand and I suppressed a jump, realizing he had lifted his pinky so as to not turn my arm to ash.

He led me over towards the eerie green light, rounding a corner to find a small, square-shaped room with a large glass tube in the middle of it. A large dark figure floated inside.

"Is that-" I looked over at Shigaraki but another voice answers me.

"A brand new Nomu," a small man in a labcoat shuffles out from behind the giant chamber.

'That man...'

I didn't recognise him but my body did, and I did my best to ignore how my heart was trying to beat through my chest as my eyes blurred from adrenaline.

'what did he... do to me?'

"Nora, my light," he grinned, walking over to me with a syringe in hand.

-

"My shining magnum opus..."