Content warning:

Bad feels all around. Like real bad feels.
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Shinso's hands were comforting. They were long, thin, rough, and soft at the same time. He was gripping Izuku's hand as firmly and gently as physically possible, if that was a thing, and it was helping Izuku from totally drifting from the situation.

These were the thoughts that were running through his head in the attempt to ward off his fear while Shinso helped lead him to the kitchen, where his mom was cleaning up dinner.

She seemed to understand as soon as she noticed them. She set down her towel and pulled up a chair at the table.

Izuku and Shinso sat down across from her, never letting go. Izuku's stomach felt like a pit of snakes. He had been dreading this talk for the past week, and his anxiety wasn't doing him any favors. Everything felt cloudy and grey, like he was loosing himself.

Shinso squeezed his hand and brought him back to Earth. In all honesty, Izuku didn't know where he would be if Shinso hadn't opened the door for him that day.

Getting back to the task at hand, Izuku struggled to try and start the conversation. He turned to Shinso with pleading eyes, and the other boy nodded.

"Izuku has something he needs to tell you, but he needs to get it all out at once." Shinso said to his mom.

Izuku clenched Shinso's hand hander to try and ground himself. He took a deep breath.

"U-um, I d-don't th-think I c-can, j-just, ok-kay." He took another breath to control his stutter. He felt sick. "L-life has b-been hell, school-l even m-more."

He didn't look up from the table. He didn't think he could bear to see his mother face. "It st-tarted with my diagn-nosis, and got w-worse from th-there. This y-year was the w-worst it has ev-ver b-been."

He steeled himself for what he was about to admit to his mom and, admittedly, to himself. "I've been...at-tacked...by nearly ev-veryone in m-my class...to some d-degree,...b-but a couple d-days ago....um-" He choked. Shinso double tapped his hand, asking if should take over. Izuku clenched the purple boy's hand in response. He was drifting in the clouds, everything felt muffled.

That didn't stopping him from hearing Shinso say, "He was hate crimed. I don't know the details, but his back will scar."

He heard his mother gasp and the sound of shuffling. He felt warm hands on his knees. He finally opened his eyes to see his mom, eyes watering and looking at him with concern. "Can I hug you?" She asked.

Izuku nodded, just now realizing the wetness of his face. His mom pulled him into her lap and gave him a hug. She started rocking back and forth, wispering in his ear and running fingers through his hair.

"It's okay. You're okay. I love you. You don't have to back there. I won't force you to go back there. You're safe." At these words, Izuku fully broke. Great heaving sobs racked through his body as hot tears streamed down his face.

Once the tears had subsided and sobs turned to hiccups. He leaned back a little to give himself room. "Th-there's more."

"You don't have to tell me right now. It can wait until morning if needed."

Izuku shook his head. "I've b-been put-ting this off f-for far t-too long." He made to get off his mother's lap, and she let him. Not sure what to do with himself, he started picking at his nails. "L-last week, um, B-bakugo at-tacked m-me." He forced himself to breathe. "W-when he d-did, I, um,... I have a q-quirk."

Silence hung heavy in the air as his mom processed what he said. "What?" She said softly. Izuku stayed silent, and double tapped the ground to signal Shinso.

Shinso spoke for him. "He used his quirk to negate Bakugo's, and didn't realize what he did until later."

Silently, his mom scooped him back into his lap. "You can tell me what it is later. Right now, its time to rest."

Izuku nodded and gripped her shirt tightly. Soon the exhaustion set in, and he fell asleep.

----

Shinso was proud of Izuku. It wasn't easy admitting something like that. Once the smaller boy was asleep, he coughed to get Inko's attention.

"We have been looking at online schools. He decided on the UA preparatory course, and he wants to use the money from his shop to take the test."

Inko tilted her head. "Why is he selling all of his merch? Do you know?"

"Yes, but its not for me to tell." He looked at Izuku. "He hasn't really come to terms with what happened yet."

Inko nodded, paused, and tried to get up without success. She turned to Shinso. "Could you help me move him? He has a raptor grip."

Nodding, Shinso stood up and walked behind Izuku. He gently leaned over, took the backs of Izuku's hands with his, and leaned back with Izuku in tow.

Sitting with the other boy in his lap, Shinso couldn't help but stare at him. Izuku looked totally at peace as he slept. His fluffy green curls framed his face, giving him a very soft and gentle appearance. Added with the freckles sprinkled across his check bones, Shinso concluded that Izuku looked...cute.

Inko had an amused look on her face when he looked up again. Seeing his face, she laughed. "I know that look when I see it." She laughed again at his obvious confusion. "You'll figure it out eventually."

The night went on peacefully, fully expectant of tomorrows turmoil.

----

When Izuku woke up, he immeadiatly ran to the bathroom to throw up. He might not have had a nightmare like usual, but the lingering anxiety of last night was still present in his stomach.

Leaning over the toilet, spilling his guts out into the bowl, he heard his mom knock on the door.

"Are you okay, sweety?"

Izuku was about to make an excuse before hesitating. He figured he didn't want to lie anymore. "I don't feel well."

"Alright, well, I'll pick up some soup on my way home. I've got to pull you out of that hell house, so you and Shinso are going to stay here."

"Okay"

By the time Izuku was done, his mom had left and Shinso was eating breakfast at the table.

"Breakfast is in the fridge."

Izuku nodded and put his breakfast in the microwave.

"Did you get any offers?" Shinso asked between bites.

"I don't know" Izuku said. He walked to his room and picked his phone off the charger, before bringing it back to the kitchen. He scrolled for a bit before he stopped, eyes widening.

Feeling curious, Shinso asked, "is it good?"

Looking up at him with crystal clear eyes, Izuku said, "65,430,000 yen."

Nearly choking, Shinso got up to look at the small screen. The offers were for an old hoodie and poster combo, and the amounts were rising. "What's happening?"

"I think it's a bidding war. They might be some exclusive limited merch. I know for a fact that the hoodie was very detailed to be mass produced, but..."

Turning to look at each other, Shinso said, "Oh my God."
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AN:

Thanks for reading chapter 16!

I had the whole thing written and Wattpad decided to delete it, so only one chapter this week.

Next weekend, its going to be Inko vs. The school. Stay tuned!