̶U̶n̶ Scathed

-13-

We wake up far too early considering how late we fell asleep, but everyone is too nervous to rest any longer. We gather around the kitchen table defrosted waffles lying untouched on our plates. Toga's fiddling with her keychain, eyes bloodshot like she was crying, while Spinner picks at his scales. Even Twice is quiet save for the occasional whisper from his more aggressive side, mumbling something along the lines of 'we're all going to die!' Compress and Magne are pouring cups of coffee and tea for everyone, since Kurogiri had to go meet up with the heroes in person to solidify the agreement. 

It takes almost two hours before anyone musters up enough energy to go back to their rooms and get ready, and the sun starts to rise over the horizon before anyone comes back out of their bedrooms. 

"Well, I guess this is it." I squeeze Dabi's hand reassuringly as he speaks, leaning on his shoulder.

"Is everyone ready?" Mr Compress asks. Toga nods, displaying her freshly-sharpened set of knives. Spinner tightens the straps holding the sword to his back. Magne reaches for her giant magnet. 

Seeing that everyone is well prepared, I take the lead. 

"Remember the plan. Toga, Spinner, you go make contact with Kurogiri, then-" 

"We know, we know. Meet Kuro, then he warps us to Ujiko so we can kill the Nomu. Then we get rid of Ujiko and meet you at the city center, where the heroes should be waiting." Toga flips a knife in the air and then catches without looking before tucking it back into her sleeve and standing up. 

"Okay, then. Dabi, Twice, you stay together. We need to keep you safe, since you're currently the most vulnerable. But your objective is still important. That Recovery girl person agreed to meet at UA, so Kuro will open a portal to there once Toga and Spinner reach him." 

Dabi rolls his eyes, but goes to stand near Twice, who slings an arm around his neck and jokingly punches his arm.

"This'll be fun! We're all dead. Dead, dead, dead." 

I ignore him and move to the next group.

"Compress, Magne, you're with me. We'll head towards the square and scope it out beforehand, then try and spy on the heroes to see if they're planning anything sketchy."

"I trust that all of you will complete your objectives safely and show up back at this bar alive and well." 

Three portals open on opposite sides of the room, and I can see little snippets of the places they lead to beyond the swirling mist. 

"Good luck. I'll see you all on the other side."

--------------------

I watch Shigaraki step through the portal before I detangle myself from Twice, still guilty about not being strong enough to fight.

"Hey, Dabs, he'll be fine. Shig's a strong person, and so are all the others." 

"All right. I believe you." 

With that, I step through the portal. 

---------------

I pulled the hand off my face and pulled my hood over my hair, trying to blend in with the crowd. To try and draw as little attention as possible, we decided to get a cup of coffee in the nearby cafe instead of standing around and looking like complete idiots. As we enter the building, I spot a few familiar faces clustered around a table in the far back. 

"Compress. Don't look now, but we've got company at the left table in the corner. It looks like four heros trying to blend in. Just like us." I whisper, slipping into a chair and waiting for Magne to come back with a drink. We can't just sit around without ordering anything, and they have some pretty good coffee.