Brave Heart ((TENYA IIDA X OC))

Chapter 20

Everything was still.

I sat alone in one of the empty hallways within the stadium with my knees pulled up to my chest and my numb head held in my hands. Dream Walker was obsolete ever since I ran off stage, and my heart still hadn't settled.

Thick tears pooled under my chin and dropped into my lap as I sat there, cloaked in the soft sunlight radiating in through the window in front of me. Flashes of Bakugou's expression and how torn he looked played across my wide eyes like a movie, and there wasn't anything I could do about.

There wasn't anything I could do about anything anymore. I couldn't stop Dream Walker. I couldn't save my mom. I couldn't save myself. I hurt Bakugou because of how reckless I am — because my stupid hair was the thing to shove me over the edge. I couldn't hold onto Iida, I couldn't not push Karafuru away. I couldn't do anything right.

I damned my entire existence as I sat there, debating whether or not it'd matter if I took a swan dive off the roof of the building. Even if I did, I don't think it'd stop Dream Walker. It was more than likely that he was able to switch vessels, and I didn't want this burden to be held on anyone else's shoulders.

So all I did was sit there, wishing I was dead or had another life with no quirk at all. Surely having nothing would be better than hurting everyone every ten seconds. It had to be better than having this... demon in your ear telling you to kill people, taking over your body...

"Osoroshi."

I looked up suddenly, seeing Bakugou standing at the other end of the hallway. He was still battered and beaten and loosely held onto his right arm — that I assumed was dislocated — as he walked over to me.

I felt an indescribable feeling of dread wash over me as he stopped a mere two feet away, discreetly leaning against the wall as he stared blankly down at me.

"What're you doing out here?" He asked after a brief moment of silence. "You're hurt."

"I'm hurt?"

Bakugou nodded. "I burnt the shit out of you, numbskull."

"It doesn't matter." I mumbled, scooting a few inches to the left to heighten the distance between us. I heard Bakugou sigh.

"Yeah, it does," he replied irritably, swiftly approaching me before sending his working hand down to me. "C'mon, let's go see Recovery Girl."

"You go." I dismissed, though he only huffed out his nose.

"Osoroshi." He said demandingly, thrusting his hand suggestively as he looked down at me.

Uneasily pursing my lips, I shakily took his hand and let him hoist me up, though he didn't let go of my hand as we proceeded in walking down the hall.

"Why'd you forfeit?" Bakugou asked calmly as we turned the corner.

"You mean you didn't notice?" I asked, openly baffled.

He glanced at me blankly. "I felt something strange, but I didn't know for sure."

"Ah," I looked down to my shoes again. "I'm —"

"Don't apologize," he cut me off. "You don't have to explain anything to me, but I know what happened out there wasn't your fault, so I won't hold it against you."

I squeezed his hand gently as we approached Recovery Girl's office before letting it go to slide open the door.

The small old woman was seated at her desk with a clipboard in her hand, and when she looked up at us and our conditions, she let out a weary sigh and gestured for us to come inside.