Freeze Frame

Chapter 116

Third person pov

Hindsight 20/20, maybe calling out his daughter's friends who were also semi-traumatized wasn't the best idea. Whether they'd broken the rules or not.

It's not that Aizawa wasn't grateful. No, he was beyond that. He actually owed these kids his life. They'd been there for Lillian, and without them and their intervention, there was a good chance she would've died out there. That would've broken Aizawa. Losing a student was hard. Izuku's absence was going to weigh heavy on all of the staff as the days went by, and on the student body. But to lose a child-- your own kid. The idea made him sick to his stomach. So he wasn't going to tell them what they'd done was wrong, per say. Just that it was dangerous and overall ill advised. 

Now probably wasn't the best time for that, based on the glare his daughter was giving him right now. He wouldn't be all that surprised if he saw her eyes start to glow. The rest of the class looked a little baffled. Whether it was at him scolding their classmates or at Lillian's obvious rage, he wasn't sure. Bakugo at least seemed to be enjoying himself, turning his head to hide his smirk as the freckled girl glowered.

Lillian knew her dad didn't really mean any harm, but that didn't mean she couldn't be upset. She was annoyed at herself for reacting in such a harsh tone. She'd felt more emotional these days and far more unsteady. Though she'd done her best to control it, Lillian could tell she was more irritable. She wasn't the only one in that boat. Shoto was different too, and even Neito seemed a bit harsher. Hitoshi was the only one who hadn't changed much personality wise, barring the hand. Lillian had a theory he was just too chill to have a major shift in behavior. 

"....They broke the rules and put themselves in danger." Aizawa looked at each of the students in question, avoiding his daughter's heated gaze. "Things went well, all things considered, but they could've gone worse. If any of you had gotten seriously hurt, that would've been on me."

Almost everyone glanced at Hitoshi, whose arm was in a sling. His stub was wrapped over with clean white bandages, though it was clear as day his hand was completely missing. News of what had happened spread fast to those who weren't there to see him carted off at the scene. Lillian frowned, brows drawing together and chest tightening. She could see where her dad was coming from. Of course she could! But how... how could he say those things when he wasn't there? He had no idea what they'd gone through, and what they'd seen!

Lillian hadn't been able to sleep. Not because she didn't want to or because her mind was racing. She was dead tired, but closing her eyes made things dark. It felt too much like having that stupid blindfold on, and she'd start to panic! When she did drift off, she'd have nightmares. It was pathetic. She felt pathetic. She knew she had to talk to someone about it. Her dad had asked, but her lips had been sealed about all that went on in the custody of the villains. With her silence, Bakugo had kept his as well. It probably wasn't healthy. Lillian just... didn't know what else to do. 

"With all due respect," Shoto spoke up, drawing the attention to himself. He looked beyond exhausted, with bags under his eyes and a pale sheen to his skin, "I don't think you understand completely, sir. I watched Hitoshi get his hand chopped off, and then Lillian got taken. While I was there. And then we went to go get her only to witness my boyfriend try to shoot her. Then, we were forced to fight a supervillain who would've killed her. I'm not sure we really had a choice."

There was dead silence. Hitoshi coughed into his only remaining fist.

"What he means to say is that we don't regret shit, so you can keep your little speech to yourself." Neito scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest and putting all his weight on one leg. He looked pissed. Mihoko and Hahime shared a look, but they stayed silent. "Pretty sure we've been in her life longer than you actually have, so take a step back and let us do our thing. We've broken the law before. If we get arrested, we get arrested. We're big boys. We can make our own decisions."