Freeze Frame

Chapter 114

Third person pov

Where do villains come from? Sitting here in Mihoko's living room wedged between her dad and Shoto, Lillian found that she didn't really know. It wasn't something she'd ever thought about before now. Not in depth, anyway. She sort of wished she had now. Despite feeling utterly exhausted, she couldn't get herself asleep. She felt nervous and on edge even though she knew well and good that she was safe. It had been a fight to get her out of the hospital, and an even bigger one to try prying Bakugo away from her. Mitsuki stopped trying after Katsuki started to cry. It had been a breaking point for her, and now he was in the kitchen cooking with Mihoko to try and take his mind off things. 

Taking eyes off Lillian had been harder for Katsuki than he'd thought it would be. Even now, he kept popping his head around the corner to look at the back of her head, just to reassure himself that she was still there. It was dumb of him. He felt weak and out of control, but there was nothing he could do to calm himself down. Looking at her and seeing that she was physically there, okay and safe, was the only thing that satisfied the fear that would creep up in him. He hadn't felt like this yesterday. He could recall easily not feeling this way. So why was it so severe now? Why was he... why was he so fucked up?

Lillian's dad had gone through half a bottle of eyedrops, and was now sitting beside her with his head tilted back and a wet washcloth set over his eyes. Lillian didn't really understand who that main villain was or where he'd even come from, but she was far from an idiot. She could deduce that he had to be All Might's rival-- the head villain, or something like that. He'd displayed more than one quirk. How had her dad canceled that many at once? It was a miracle he could still see. Just thinking about what could've happened to him had his quirk become too overwhelmed in that moment made her stomach turn.

The news played softly in the background, reporting quietly on All Might's new form. Shoto's left hand gripped hers tightly as he stared at the screen. He was more alert than anyone had expected him to be. Hawks had talked to him. Nobody was sure what he'd said to the teen to make him calm down, and they weren't about to ask. It had worked, and Lillian was grateful. She wasn't sure she could stand to watch him break down again. The devastation that had rolled off him in waves back on the battlefield had shattered her heart even further. Even now the air felt heavy.

"Dad?" Lillian asked quietly. Her dad shifted, surprised. Lillian hoped he didn't mind. It was around ten in the morning now-- it was surreal to recognize how much time had passed-- and Lillian had come to several realizations in the past few hours. One of them was that she didn't have time to dawdle. She could die any day. Her dad could too. It had taken less than a second for Awase to crumble out there. There was no time to waste on fretting over whether or not she should call him 'dad'. He was her father, and she loved him with everything in her. She didn't want to risk beating around the bush anymore. If she suddenly dropped dead tomorrow, she wanted to do it with as few regrets as possible. "What happens now?"

Aizawa took in a slow and deep breath. Lillian's question was a loaded one, and he wasn't sure he had a good answer. He himself had no idea what was going to happen next. For a moment, he didn't say anything. He could feel Lillian's eyes on him. Todoroki was probably waiting too. He wanted to say something that would comfort them, but he knew they didn't need falsities right now.

"....The world just lost its Symbol of Peace. Its trust in UA, a school they rely on to create the next generation of heroes, is compromised." He'd never been one to soften the blow. He pulled the washcloth from his face, looking to his daughter. She was gazing at him intently, and Shoto was doing the same. They looked so young. Sitting there so expectantly was just another reminder that they were children. It made Shota's heart stutter and his stomach turn. "The new heroes rankings will drop within the next few days. Hawks is up next in line, so he'll have to step up to bat. We lost Endeavor-- rightfully so, but it still reflected on Hero society-- and now we've lost All Might. All in the span of a few months. Villains are going to see that as an opening. So I think... things will get harder, now. And it's going to depend on how us Heroes react."