𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 (𝗏𝗂𝗅𝗅𝖺𝗂𝗇! 𝗍𝗈𝖽𝗈𝖽𝖾𝗄𝗎)

chapter twenty-one

deku

"Let's get you out of here."

"What?"

"Come on." I grabbed Shoto's forearm to pull him up, but he didn't move, instead looking up at me in confusion.

"Why?"

"I'll explain later."

He didn't answer, but he still walked out of the room with me. I took a careful glance at the hallway and saw Toga's door still closed, the sounds of her and Dabi teasing each other drifting through the walls, albeit somewhat distorted. It was already ten at night, so Kurogiri was out on his shift for patrol while Shigaraki was asleep. Twice was probably in his room, as were the few other villains who lived in the dingy hideout.

The coast was clear, so I led Shoto through the stone hallway all the way to the staircase. We quietly crept up it, careful to not wake anyone.

As we walked, Shoto's eyes darted around, observing the plain insides of the hideout. The walls and floor were made of grey stone and the only illumination came from the dim light above the small kitchenette in the corner since there were no windows (and it was night). On the wall across from us, there was the staircase that led up up the entrance. Dabi's coat was still laying on the table, and I reached into one of his pockets to fish out the piece of loose fabric he always kept on him. It worked as a blindfold, gag, whatever was necessary—I was going to use it as a blindfold.

Todoroki grumbled as I tied it over his eyes, swatting my arms away. "I might be letting you escape, but that doesn't mean I'm going to show you where our hideout is," I explained.

At that moment, footsteps sounded from the stairs and I jumped in front of Shoto protectively. Toga bounded into the room, humming contently to herself. "Oh, hi, Deku-kun! Hi, Shoto-kun!" Upon saying that, her giddy smile faltered and she turned to me. "Shouldn't your boyfriend be in his room?"

"He, uh, wanted to go out in the rain," I lied. It sounded more like a question that a statement. "He said that he's scared you might stab him to death at any moment and wanted to feel the rain one last time."

"Oh! That makes sense. Have fun, Deku-kun!" Toga's grin was back on her face and she grabbed Dabi's coat before rushing downstairs again.

I sighed in relief and turned back to Todoroki, who had his arms crossed in annoyance as he let me lead him up the stairs to the front door. I pushed it open and flinched when a sudden blast of cold air hit me, bringing rain into the building. Shoto and I stepped out into the alley and I pulled the door shut as quietly as possible.

The rain pelted down on us as we walked. I brought us to a different alley only about ten minutes away from the hideout, which was lit up with a street light high above us and nothing else. In the hazy light, I could see Todoroki's irritated face as I untied the blindfold from around his head. He let his eyes adjust to the surroundings and I backed a few steps away, leaning against one of the alley walls while he stood in the middle.

"Thank you," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "But why did you help me get out? Won't your villain friends be mad?" His words were meant to sound harsh, but they were forced like he was holding back a sob.

I looked at the cloudy sky, letting the cold rain hit my face as warm tears welled in my eyes. "I can just say you escaped or something, I don't know." I took a deep breath to keep my voice steady. "I let you out because I-I feel bad, I guess. You deserve better than me. I'm the reason you were there, anyway."

"Izuku—"

"Just consider it a last apology."

The only sound was that of the falling rain as it pattered along the roofs since Shoto was silently pondering my words. Eventually, he spoke slowly, his tone soft. "Are you going to stay a villain?"

"Yeah," I answered, "I'm going to stay with the League. You'll go back and graduate from U.A., right?"

He nodded. "Does that mean we'll meet again in the future as enemies?"

"I hope it does."

Shoto took a few wary steps toward me. "Izuku. . . ."

He didn't have to say anything more—I closed the gap between us and pulled his lips onto mine. The rain poured down on us, tapping our faces softly and mixing with our salty tears. Shoto's hands moved to my wet cheeks, his fingers touching my skin so lightly it was like he was scared the contact might hurt him. I didn't move. I couldn't; I was terrified of doing anything that might make him pull away sooner, so I stayed still.

This kiss was nothing like the others we had shared—no, this one was sad, a real goodbye, and I hated it. There was no hunger, no energy, no smiles, just tears and sorrow. Nevertheless, I savoured every bittersweet second of it. I knew that I wouldn't get something like this for a long time, and I wasn't going to waste it.

Shoto broke the kiss all too soon and backed away from me, his eyes shining with tears. ". . . I guess this is goodbye, Izuku."

"Until next time."

Shoto took one long, last look at me, no longer fighting off his tears. He wiped them away weakly, then turned around, walking away without another glance back. He walked until I could no longer see him, and I just waited, standing aimlessly. I wanted to run after him, but I stopped myself. I would just have to wait for the day in the future where our paths cross again, and I grabbed onto that hope, clinging to it with every last drop of energy I had.

Until next time.