art school is kicking my ass so hard guys. pls don't be like me, study law or something 🙏🙏

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The knock at my door startled me awake. Groggily, I lifted my face from where it'd been smushed against my desk. "Akiharu...?" Todoroki's muffled voice sounded. "I haven't seen you yet this morning, and we'll be leaving soon..."

I shot to my feet. Shit, I overdid it. "I-I'll be out in a few!" I stumbled into my hero costume and threw open the door in a matter of seconds. Todoroki peered at me skeptically.

"There's... something on your face."

"Huh? Oh..." I ducked inside my room to look in the mirror. A sentence fragment, "I have a brother whom" was transferred to my cheek. I wiped off the ink and worked on fixing my disheveled appearance as we made our way to the foyer. "I fell asleep at my desk."

"What were you doing? Homework?"

"Yeah. My grades aren't too great, so I'm studying."

"Hm. You don't seem like the type to struggle with school..."

"I've never been to school before, remember?"

"Oh, right." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "My grades are okay, so if you ever need any help..."

I grinned. "Thanks for the offer, but I'll be all right."

When we made it to the foyer, Endeavor was glaring, arms crossed, tapping his fingers impatiently. "You're late," he said.

Todoroki tilted his head. "You said to be ready for 7 o'clock."

"Early is on time. On time is late. Let's go."

I double flipped him off behind his back. Todoroki smothered a snort with a cough.

The second day of the internship was somehow even more gruelling than the first. Todoroki was trained to use his flames by sidekicks, and I managed to scrape by using my Quirk only when absolutely necessary. Whenever Endeavor wasn't patrolling, he would hover at the side of the gym. The hairs on my neck stood on end under his scrutinizing gaze, yet while he spared Todoroki a few helpful comments here and there, he never uttered a word in my direction.

I would have take verbal abuse if it meant he would acknowledge my existence... I rinsed the thought off with a cold shower. If he wasn't going to spare any time on me, then I certainly wasn't going to spare any time worrying about him.

This time, I made sure to set my alarms before studying.

The third day of my internship repeated much like the first. I noticed Mina and some of the others had sent me some messages asking how the internship was going, to which my replies were hasty and dry. I didn't have much time or energy to spend on my friends. I rolled my eyes to discover Bakugo had blocked me when I'd tried to send him a text checking up on Best Jeanist's tutelage.

It seemed the. third day of our internship was going to end as uneventful as the others. Todoroki and I were finishing up our training for the day in the gym. I flexed my aching fingers while unrolling the hand wrappings. Recent boxing training would ensure the next time I had to punch someone in the face I wouldn't fracture my own hand.

Just then, Endeavor burst into the gym. For the first time, his arrogant expression was twinged with urgency. "Get ready, we're going!" his voice boomed. I grabbed my gloves from the floor and sprinted after the rampaging hero while pulling on my boots.

Todoroki and I rushed out of the agency and out onto the street. An alarm was blaring somewhere in the South. Distant A halo of orange flame and smoke blanketed the inky black sky. I could hear a chorus of terror echoing above the distant skyscrapers. My stomach twisted with nausea while I looked to Endeavour for instruction.

"There's trouble! Follow me! I'll show you what it means to be a hero!" We had made a few steps off the agency's doorstep when my phone chimed with an emergency ringtone. I pulled it out of my pocket at the same time Todoroki did his. It was a message from Midoriya that only contained his location.

"Shoto! Don't look at your phone, look at me!"

4-2-10 Ekou street. It's nearby!

I pivoted on my heel and started running in the opposite direction. I'd be damned if I prioritized Endeavor over Midoriya. What the hell was that kid doing in Hosu!

Todoroki joined me at my side and a disgruntled Endeavour yelled after us. "Where are you going, Shoto!"

"An alleyway at 4-2-10 Ekou street. If you finish what you're doing and find any free pros, send them there! I'm leaving you to take care of the trouble. If it's you, you'll be able to resolve it quickly." His jaw clenched and his eyes sparked. "My friend might be in trouble."

I jabbed Todoroki in the side while we ran. "So you can be Midoriya's friend, but not mine?"

Todoroki's brow furrowed. "I meant no offence, only—"

"Loosen up, Todoroki. I'm just poking fun."

"Oh."

We were rapidly gaining on the alley. "I'll go around from the back," I said firmly.

"Okay."

I dashed off into a separate alley, phone in hand. What kind of trouble could Midoriya have run into? His internship isn't in Hosu anyway, is it? Hosu... Wasn't Iida interning here? Hang on, his elder brother was hurt by the Hero Killer, wasn't he?

I pursed my lips.

...

There's no damn way.

Our class is unlucky, but not that unlucky.

I ran along a bridge overlooking crowds of screaming people rushing away from the town centre. I could hear fresh explosions replacing old ones as the horizon glowed a deeper orange. A stampede like that could kill more people than the explosions themselves.

Would Todoroki and Midoroya be okay on their own? I had enough time to spare my friends a worried thought before I saw a young girl get separated from her grandmother who couldn't keep up with the rushing crowd. I leapt over the bridge and into the swarm below. My Quirk ricocheted through the concrete streets and buildings as my feet hit the ground. I sliced through the crowd and grabbed the young girl into my arms. I pushed the grandmother out of the ground on a platform.. "Stay up here for a moment," I urged, handing the child to her caretaker. "You'll be safe."

Now I had to address the panic — I had to pull an Iida. I looked for somewhere everyone would be able to see. My eyes settled on a billboard casting glitching colours across the streets below. A car was embedded deep in the shattered glass.

I ran up the sides of the buildings, my boots digging deep through bricks and concrete. Platforms raised single citizens up and out of the ground, which inspired enough confusion and terror for me to grab their attention, for just one moment. I stood on the railing in front of the billboard.

"—We are here!"  My voice cut through the terrified waves of clamour like a fresh breath in a drowning sea. "The heroes are here! We are dealing with the villains right now, but we need your help—!"

A deafening screech echoed from above. Panic began to ripple through the crowd. Swooping from above was a cream-coloured creature with gnashing fangs and an exposed brain. I leapt off of the metal catwalk and brandished my diabase knives. I landed atop the thrashing Nomu and just as swiftly drove my blade into its skull. The pavement below ripped and pushed clamouring people out of our path. The Nomu crashed to the ground. I pushed myself out of the tangled limbs.

"We heroes are taking care of the immediate danger!" I spoke before the crowd could grow louder. "But, in order for us to focus on that, we are relying on you to conduct yourself in an orderly manner! Keep following evacuation procedure, and keep calm. Put your trust in the heroes!"

I felt dozens of wide-eyes upon me. Then, like a scolded dog, the crowd began hustling slowly forward. There was still an air of fear settled around them, as they moved quickly but carefully through the street. With Endeavor on scene, however, I doubted the danger would be present much longer.

I made my way back through the alleyways toward where Midoroya's last location was. I hoped Todoroki had been enough to subdue the situation — or at least, stall until help arrived. If there was any luck, it wouldn't be the Hero Killer they were up against after all...

Sudden chills ran up my spine. The hairs on my arms stood on end. My feet came to a halt. Something was watching me— Something bad. I scanned the skyline to try to narrow down where it was coming from. Not a thing seemed out of place in the alley. Still, a sixth sense blared an alarm for danger.

A portal of misty black opened beneath my feet. Before I could think to dodge, I plunged into freezing water. My muscles locked with shock from the cold. It was pitch black. I could not tell up from down or left from right. My costume filled with water and dragged me farther from air. I kicked furiously in the direction I came from.

Though I strained, I could sense nothing with my Quirk — only the rushing of water in my ears. I tried to quiet a surge of panic. I could hold my breath for a few minutes, thanks to my training. Just keep moving for the surface. I burst through the water and heaved for breath. My legs and arms burned with exhaustion already. With clambering fingers I felt beneath the collar of my costume and pulled out the feather. Grunting, I tore it between my fingers. Kurogiri's warp Quirk meant the League of Villains. That monster must have been an actual Nomu after all.

I had to work quickly. Every time I pulled my arms beneath the surface I risked sinking again. I kicked off my boots and undid my pants so they wouldn't weigh me down. I moved slowly around in the dark, groping for some sort of purchase to help keep myself afloat. My leg began to cramp from the effort of treading and my head dipped beneath water. I kicked furiously to get myself back to the air, choking for breath.

Was this how I died? Drowning?

"Let me out!" I screamed. My eyes were adjusting to the dark but still I could see nothing. I could hear my shout reverberating off of the walls-

Metal walls.

I remembered the skyline of the city – the one thing that stuck out from the rest. I had to be in the old water tower. I fumbled for my belt and dipped underwater. I shot back to the surface and heaved in a few more breaths and tried again. I grasped the diabase rocks from my pocket and kicked back to the surface. My legs ached and began to fall numb with cold and fatigue. I knew I barely had another minute in me. Drowning was a far easier than most media made it out to be. This had to work.

I split the diabase rocks into dozens of tiny pieces and sent them flying throughout the space. I listened for the clangs as they resounded off of the walls. Gasping and on the verge of tears, I swam toward the nearest wall while the diabase collected back into my palm. I rammed into cold metal and ran my palm against the wall, grasping for some kind of edge to grab onto. I tried to make the rock fasten against the surface in a handhold but it simply slid off the cool metal.

I sunk beneath water again as I lost more feeling in my legs. The water was cold as ice. I scrambled with my hand above my head until I managed to find the smallest seam. I rammed my cold, sore fingers into the gap and pulled myself above the surface. My arms trembled with the effort of keeping myself up, but at least it gave my legs a few moments to rest.

I had to think. Think! My mind was addled with cold, fatigue and panic. My arm would give out quickly and I'd be forced to swim again. Focus! I was in the water tower. No matter how hard I tried, I was too far up to sense the concrete or the earth below me. My Quirk was different now. The energy within me had dispersed and could no longer be stretched that far. What could I do?

Keigo was coming, I calmed myself. He would come. I just had to survive until he got here. I just had to stall.

"Kurogiri!" I yelled. My voice was hoarse. "Are you too pussy to face me yourself? Are you afraid I'll beat you if you face me head on! You're a weakling! You're a tool!"

The air was starting to thin. There couldn't have been more than three feet of space above my head. I could try to kick hard enough to reach the top, try to find some kind of opening... My legs trembled with fatigue. If I used all my energy up in one burst, I would sink to the bottom in seconds.

"Shigaraki!" I yelled, ramming the diabase in my hand against the steel walls. "Someone who can't take a fight head-on will never be able to take down All Might!"

I panted the thinning air into my aching lungs. So my options were either to suffocate or drown? Calm down! If Keigo was in West Shinjuku, he would only take a few minutes to get here. All he had to do was find me... in a water tower? He wouldn't be able to pinpoint the sensation of the feather tearing that easily. Shit! If Shigaraki wasn't here... What else could I do—

There was a sudden grating up above. A small pocket opened in the roof, giving way to a glimpse of a starry sky. A rush of oxygen flooded the small space. I could dimly see the water tower walls now. A shadowed face was silhouetted against the starry sky. An eerie voice I heard oft in my dreams spoke.

"A word of advice, Adamus— Just give in." The door began to slide shut.

"Wait!" I shouted. I had to get him to keep the grate open longer. "What do you want? Why are you in Hosu?"

His blood red eyes gleamed in the faint flicker of moonlight. "The League of Villains will bring Hero Society down," he spoke ominously. "If you insist on playing hero, you will fall with it."

My chest was quivering from the icy vice of the water. I clenched my jaw to keep it from chattering. "Why- Why do you hate hero society so much?"

Shigaraki sneered. "Hero society is hypocritical and ugly. Quirks are a part of life. They should not be regulated. The powerful should not be repressed."

My eyes scanned fervently over the walls in the dim light, scanning for some kind of handhold to pull myself out of the water. My fingers, crammed in the seam of the wall, ached from the effort of holding myself up. Keep him talking! "Those regulations are necessary to keep power in balance," I argued half-heartedly, like an overplayed voice recording.

"Balance?" Shigaraki spat. "In this society? Where a hero is praised for violent acts which are repulsive when committed by others? It's hypocritical! Those damn heroes do nothing but distract the public from all of the ugly bits — From the dirty children crawling in the slums, from the evil lurking right under their noses — People like All Might and that Izuku Midoriya... they should die with Hero Society itself."

I thought back to the alert I'd gotten on my phone and my heart skipped a beat. "Don't hurt him!" I shouted. "He's just a kid!"

"He's the embodiment of all that is wrong with hero society!That blind nativity is poison!"

I slammed my fist into the metal wall. "If you lay a single finger on that boy I will hunt you down, Shigaraki!"

Shigaraki's blood red eyes seemed to glow on the dim lighting. "That's not very heroic, is it, Adamus?" The metal grate began to slide shut.

"You're a pathetic man child!" I yelled. "Izuku Midoriya is a thousand times cooler than you'll ever be! I can see how chapped your lips are even from here!"

"Do it, Kurogiri."

In the moments before the hatch closed, I saw a swirling black mass open at the ceiling of the water tower. The moonlight glinted off of razor-sharp fins and a bulging exposed brain.

The hatch clanged shut and the massive beast shrieked and plummeted into the water. The massive waves rammbed me into the side of the metal walls. I briefly lost my grip on the seam and plummeted under the water. I scrambled for grasp on the smooth metal and pulled myself up. My clammy and raw fingers barely managed to drag my head back above the surface. I scoured the inky black water swirling around me. Fuck. I'm trapped in here with a—

My ankle suddenly fell numb, and then I felt a stabbing pain. The Nomu ripped me off of the wall with its fangs sunk deep into my foot and tore me underwater. I kicked it in the head and slipped. I reared back and kicked it again, managing to dig my heels into its eye. With a screech it released me. I scurried up the wall, clambering for purchase.

I managed to ram my fingers into the gap, scanning eyes through the pitch black water. My leg throbbed with pain. The waves lapped against the wall as the Nomu swirled below. I screamed for help, ramming my shoulder on the walls of the water tower, praying that Keigo would hear me. I grabbed the diabase in my palm and formed a spike. I jabbed it into the wall with all of my strength, again, and again, but the metal wouldn't dent.

I felt the teeth sink into my calf and sucked in a deep breath before the Nomu tore me from the wall. I kicked and struggled. It dragged me deeper beneath the surface. I gripped the diabase rock in my palm and formed it to a knife, stabbing blindly through the water. It connected, sinking deep into flesh. The Nomu screamed again. I pushed away to create some distance, but the swinging tail of the Nomu rammed into my chest, slamming me against the metal wall. The air in my lungs was expelled. I would suffocate in a matter of seconds. I grabbed at the rubbery tail and stabbed again, and again, and again, blindly.

Tangled with the Nomu, I felt it finally go limp. I pushed it off of me and fought toward air, but my limbs were too fatigued from the cold and the water. I felt myself sink deeper into the empty blackness, and mustered a final prayer to stay alive.

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~3220 words

yk what they say... trauma builds character!!