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Lani POV:

I stopped at the entrance of the hospital, zipping up my jacket to conceal my crop top and pulling my hair back to try and look more presentable.

With who I'm about to see, it's just become a habit...

Looking in the reflection of my phone, I tried to rub some of my darker eyeliner off with my finger, taking out my lip ring and testing a nice smile.

Ah. Not like it ever matters.

Taking a deep breath to brace myself, I slowly trudged through the hospital doors, making my way to the familiar room I've memorized so well.

The news reporter on the television caught my attention as I passed...

BREAKING NEWS:
FOUR VILLAINS REPORTED ON SAKURA AVENUE.
ONE HERO ALREADY ON THE SCENE.

Sakura Avenue. That's where I just was with Shouto thirty minutes ago. I have no doubt he's the hero on the scene.

He's strong. I know after watching him today he can handle it. Truth be told, I actually would have liked to keep watching him. But, after the hospital called me during his fight earlier, I knew I needed to be here.

I fiddled with my thumbs silently as the elevator took me to the correct floor, feeling my heart pound as I got off and strolled to the room.

Agh. The door's already opened. That means I'm not the first one to arrive...

Conversation filled the room as I approached, almost making me feel bad for the interruption I knew my presence would cause.

Ripping the bandaid off, I knocked on the open door anyways to alert people I was here, catching the eyes of the person I was hoping to avoid.

The woman tore her eyes away from the person in the hospital bed, looking my way with crossed arms.

"Hey...mom." I nodded politely, slowly walking into the room.

Instantly, she eyed me up and down, not saying a word as I hesitantly placed a kiss on her cheek.

Awkward silence loomed over the space as I shuffled to my dad, giving him a kiss as well before retreating from their space quickly.

I kept my eyes anywhere but them as I felt my mother looking at me, waiting for her to settle on something to complain about-

"I'm surprised your work allows you to wear black nail polish like that." She said coldly, causing me to press my lips together tiredly.

"Well they do." My response was curt, feeling too exhausted to argue right now.

"Judging from your appearance, you clearly didn't work today." Dad chimed in. "What's your excuse for being late then?"

I puffed out my cheeks in annoyance, shoving my hands in my pockets and trying to brush the conversation off. "I did work. I was just out in the field today, that's all-"

"Of course. Companies tend to give interns the dirty, unimportant work." Mom eyed me. "Any word on that promotion?"

Yeah. I didn't get it because I was writing the filthiest smut you could ever think of...

"No word." I lied, trying to resist rubbing the back of my neck from nerves. "Should know soon though."

When I'm dead in the grave.

She scoffed lightly, almost refusing to look at me as she kept her eyes towards the hospital window.

Yep. As usual.

Tense silence had replaced whatever happy conversation was happening in here before I walked in, almost making me forget the reason for my visit.

But, the person who was actually in the hospital bed cleared their throat a few moments later, trying to break the ice.

"So, anyways..." My brother Raiga grinned weakly, causing me to turn around.

"Ah. There he is." I smiled, walking towards his bed before placing a quick peck to his forehead. "Wasn't supposed to see you 'till the weekend, but the doctors called. Said it was urgent."

They called when Shouto was in the middle of his fight. Sucks, too. Things were just getting interesting and, like I said, I actually would have liked to stick around and watch him.

"I promise it's not urgent." Raiga sighed tiredly, melting back into the stale, hospital pillows.

"Oh, don't lie." Mom chimed in almost bitterly, trying to blink away her tears as she looked to her favorite child. "T-They said his vitals took a big drop earlier. We almost lost him. Again..."

I closed my eyes in an attempt to hide my somberness. The air had gone dark and Raiga's always been uncomfortable with weakness.

It runs in the family. Even if we were raised on polar opposite ends, that's one thing that remains the same.

"It really wasn't as bad as the doctors made it seem, mom. Don't worry..." He murmured, hiding his IV tube filled arm under the blankets.

Dad pinched the bridge of his nose as mom began to sniffle, trying to hide his worries behind his hand. "I just don't understand. One day, you were fine—sixteen years old...healthy.....and then the next day....you...y..you...."

The next day he fell ill. It was only minor at first, before progressing to the worst. Coughing up blood. Fevers reaching as high as 104 degrees. Choking. Hallucinations. Inability to eat...

In other words, Raiga was dying. As slow as humanly possible.

My mother's lips started to quiver as if she read my thoughts, turning into my dad before starting to break down softly.

Without Raiga, she has no other children to love. I'm sure that's hard for her...

Her quiet cries filled the room as my brother and I looked at each other knowingly.

Without my parents' eyes on him, he suddenly appeared more tired. More pale and needing relief from the pain.

The act of powering through his pain became too much to bear a few moments later, sitting up in his bed with a concealed grimace. "Mom, dad....can you guys...like—go pick me up something from the cafeteria?"

As if craving for the opportunity to be needed, mom instantly sniffled up her tears and nodded.

"I'll get you a bowl of that porridge you like."

Raiga smiled and nodded mechanically as my mom grabbed my dad's wrist and quickly retreated out of the room.

She didn't look at me as she went. Neither did my dad. They never do.

That's alright. I've gotten used to it by now. Raiga was always the child with promise. Every family has one black sheep, I guess.

The heavy feeling in my heart felt more numb as the door to his room slowly clicked closed, causing my brother's face to instantly scrunch in the true pain he was feeling.

With a labored breath, he fell back into the bed, gripping his abdomen and gritting down on his teeth.

"Fuck." He writhed, trying to keep his voice quiet.

Having quite a bit of experience with this now, I quickly reached into my bag for his medicine before he stopped me.

"No, save it. I've....I've still got some left. It's just a passing ache."

I nodded and looked to the ground sadly as he whimpered and gasped in pain, powerless to do a thing until the torture would pass.

It never gets easier to see.

But, eventually, it did pass, leaving Raiga sweaty and exhausted as he fisted the sheets and closed his eyes woozily.

The tick of the wall clock filled our space. Now that Raiga and I were alone, I knew he'd be honest. I needed to take advantage of that.

"So, how bad was it this morning, really? Were the doctors truly exaggerating your condition?" My voice came out quietly.

"No, they weren't." He admitted instantly, lulling his head towards the window with an isolated sadness. "I thought the pain would kill me for sure this time-"

"Jesus—it's been two years!" I reprimanded, pushing myself off the wall out of frustration. "The doctors....mom and dad....no one can help you if they don't know what's going on!"

His eyes flashed with irritation, but underneath that I could see his anxiety. Especially from my next question. The question I ask him every time I come here...

"How long are you planning to keep what really happened to you a secret, Raiga?"

The mention of what he knew—what we knew alone was enough to instantly bring tears to his eyes. He chewed his bottom lip with nerves, head swimming with hopelessness. "A..As soon as I start getting better, I'll tell the truth-"

"But, you're not getting better. You're getting worse-"

"At least I'm getting worse slowly." He reasoned pathetically, running a shaky hand through his hair. "I'd have died a long time ago had it not been for...well....you know."

"I do..."

I do know. I know everything.

In fact, I'm the only person—almost the only person....who knows what happened to my brother.

Otherwise, his story is a mystery. One that tabloids especially love to favor for a sob story.

Raiga Hidaka, the healthy sixteen year old snowboarder, set to represent Japan in the upcoming Winter Olympics....suddenly collapses one day from a mystery disease. With dreams shattered, the only thing he's famous for now is being the tragic eighteen year old who won't make it past the next summer.

But, even above all of that, the only thing that consumes him constantly....is guilt.

Silent tears fell from his eyes first, causing me to look up as he tried to quickly wipe them away.

He's nothing like the brother I once knew. His smile used to light up a room. The world was at his fingertips. Even if he tended to be a little rebellious, he was always so....happy. The only person I ever really considered my family.

His soul died when his body started to—and being unable to save him has also made my soul die as well.

"Hey-" I tried to console him weakly before he buried his face in his hands shamefully.

"Lani....I'm....god....I'm so sorry."

The humiliation. The statement. Everything about it has become part of his daily routine.

As usual, I waved him off with as much reassurance as I could, trying not to crumble for his sake. "Just focus on getting better, alright? Don't worry about anything else."

"I worry about everything." He cried in sorrow, narrow shoulders wracking softly. "About mom and dad. Mostly about you. I can't ever take it back, and that's the worst part of all."

My throat tightened, but I tried to hold things together for him, walking over to his bed before gesturing him to scoot over a little.

He barely had the capacity to slide himself, causing me to sit at the very narrow side of the bed he left and kick my feet up onto the mattress.

I put an arm around his shoulders, giving him soft pats as he released all the tears he tried to hold in for everyone else.

"Listen." I coaxed lightly, trying to comfort him in any way I could. "One day...you're gonna get out of this bed on your own and walk out healthy. You're gonna snowboard again—if you want to. You're gonna live happily. I will do everything in my power to make sure you do."

He kept his face buried in his hands, rapidly shaking his head back and forth. "I don't want you to, Lani. I'm so tired of burdening you."

With a dissatisfied click of my tongue, I lightly ruffled his hair. "Hey, come on. You're not a burden and this is what big sisters are for. You didn't need me for sixteen years. I've had a lot of time to fuck around on my own. I don't mind stepping up for you."

He sighed heavily, either too physically weak to continue crying, or too emotionally drained. Probably both.

Instead, he sat there in silence as I gave him soft pats, keeping his teary face resting in his hands with defeat.

"Think about it..." I smiled, trying to cheer him up with talks of the future. "When you get out of here, you'll probably be some celebrity athlete again, having forgotten all about his deadbeat big sister by now-"

"You're not a deadbeat."

A soft snort sounded from me at his words, looking out the hospital window knowingly. "Mom and dad seem to think so."

"Mom and dad can't ever be pleased." Raiga muttered bitterly, removing his hands from his face now. "The only reason they're so gutted about my illness now is because it took away their chance to have an Olympian kid."

I pursed my lips empathetically, internally unable to fully dispute that.

As much as Raiga was the favorite child, it came with cons. He was pushed beyond his limit when his talent for snowboarding was discovered. I remember hearing many fights from my room growing up during the times Raiga would crack under their pressure.

But, I'm not here to bring up old wounds. Even if we were raised in the same home, we both have different triggers from it. Incredibly different triggers. Incredibly different upbringings from the same set of parents.

"That's not true, Raiga." I lied with as much credibility as I could muster. "Mom and dad are really worried about you."

He shook off my words though. The same way I know he's lying when he says mom and dad don't think I'm a deadbeat, is the same way he knows I'm lying now.

It's not important. Thinking about it just creates unnecessary pain. For both of us.

"They'll be back soon." He uttered raspily, gesturing for the tissues on the side table.

I handed them to him, watching Raiga pull a few before wiping away the remaining tears on his face. "The first thing I'd like to do if I get better-"

"When." I corrected him with an attempt of positivity.

"-Is move away from them. You're lucky to have your own place."

I shrugged in half agreement. There's no way in hell I'd be able to stomach living with my parents for another eighteen years. I needed to get out.

But...

"It's not all sunshine and roses. I despise my job at the moment and that's how I pay my bills." I sighed, looking down at the hospital sheets.

"You don't like writing for the hero commission?" He asked.

"No." I scoffed in self frustration before my mind wandered to a certain candy cane hero. "And I really don't like the current project I've been assigned. The guy's really rude and....and...well, he just pisses me off."

Raiga chuckled with a bit of surprise now, starting to lighten up his spirts as he balled his tissues and tossed them in the bedside trash.

"Really? It's been awhile since anything got a reaction out of you." He mused with interest, letting his smile fall a little. "You're always so passive now. It's like you don't care about yourself anymore, or most things. You didn't used to be that way."

I pressed my lips together and reminisced on the memories of childhood, feeling a stab repeatedly assault my chest at the thoughts.

"You're such a loser, Lani."

"You're scared of everything. That's pathetic."

"No one wants to be friends with you."

"Just kill yours-"

"I'm better this way." I stated distantly, ensuring the words cut through my thoughts. "Trust me, Raiga."

My eyes felt empty, unsure of what they were even staring at anymore. Raiga sighed, brows grimacing a bit as he reminisced on the past as well.

"It's not better if you're not being yourself, Lani-"

"I am being myself." I defended with a little hostility, trying to eject the memories from my brain. "This is how I am now."

Cool. Collected. Fearless. Refusing to let anything tear me down anymore.

Not so excited...and nervous....and....

'Pathetic.'

"If you say so." My brother dismissed emptily, deeming me to be a liar.

But, it's not the first time we've had this conversation and ten out of ten times, it always ends in a fight. So, I'm glad he didn't provoke it any further.

The television in the corner of the room caught my attention, updating the headline from earlier.

Shouto's fight on Sakura Avenue.

Swiping the remote from the side table, I clicked the volume up to hear the reporter.

"Update on the fight along Sakura Avenue. Subjects have been detained single-handedly by the young hero, Shouto. If that's not impressive, folks, I don't know what is!"

I expected nothing less. He's a great fighter, I saw for myself today. But, as I told him, it means nothing for his popularity if-

"Though, he left before I could ask for an interview-"

Yep. Took the words right out of my mouth.

I groaned lightly in annoyance for Shouto's usual antics, feeling a headache forming at his stubbornness.

What am I gonna do with you, Shouto Todoroki...

Whatever patience I seem to have goes out the window when it comes to this guy.

Starting tomorrow, I'll finally be whipping him into shape.

He'll be the most charming, sexy bastard the world has ever seen. Count on it.

Next Chapter Title: Your Dream Girl Won't Fall From The Sky