The first thing I noticed about Monoma was his reddened wrists.

Then came the hearing aid.

His left ear was covered by a cotton pad and a bandage ; even from here I could smell blood and bodily fluids pouring from it. An hearing aid was on his right ear.

His eyes went over us all, starting from me and going to Katsuki ; his gaze settled on Aizawa whereas Katsuki, impervious to the whole world, was still watching intently our teacher.

“She was with you”, Katsuki said slowly, gravely. “She was with you when she...”

His voice broke, yet his face remained calm.

It was as if his own body was betraying his mind.

“Who came in ?”, Aizawa wondered aloud. “Did Todoroki left ?”

“Sensei”

Monoma put himself on the right of Aizawa’s bed, whereas Katsuki was on his left’s.

I was further back against the wall, as far from them both as they were to each other.

“Monoma ?”

Aizawa’s face lit up as if he couldn’t believe his own words.

He leaned forward, lips quivering, and I didn’t know if he was going to cry or if he was merely smiling from relief.

“Nothing happened to you ? You’re alive ?”

Monoma frowned ; he leaned forward too, looking intently at Aizawa’s lips.

“...are you wondering if I am well ? If so, yes, I am. I mean, I mostly am, but I can’t hear anymore from my left ear”

He laughed, yet there was no joy in his voice, and his worried gaze was roaming over Aizawa’s eyeless face.

I noticed his weird way of speaking, his words starting loud and then growing back to a whisper.

“It’s a bit… troubling”

Funny, if we combined both of them they’d make a full man.

Aizawa nodded three times then cleared his throat, looking rather flabbergasted by the news.

“I see”

I cracked a bitter smile.

My eyes went back to Katsuki and my smile vanished.

His gaze still hadn’t left Aizawa, as if he hadn’t heard the discussion going on around us.

“How did it happ-”

“She was with you”, Katsuki insisted. “The headmaster told me she was with you that night. What happened to her ? Did you leave her behind ?”

The more he talked and the more worried I got.

“What ? Of course not”

Aizawa’s head spun to the right : he looked confused.

“I have no idea what happened to her. No one told me a thing about what happened. I didn’t even knew Monoma was alive until he came right through this door”

“I’m sorry, sensei”, said Monoma. “About leaving you. If I had known sooner...”

Aizawa’s head spun to the left, maybe a bit too fast ; he winced as if he were light headed.

“There’s nothing you could’ve done, Neito”

He articulated each word carefully to allow Monoma to read on his lips, which he did.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Neito, eyebrows furrowed, focused on his lips before mimicking the words without a sound : his gaze lit up when he understood what he said.

“Of course I could have. If I’d known-”

Katsuki cut in, chin shaking, eyes shining.

“No one knows a thing about her. I asked so many different Heroes and police officers, and, and even the headmaster…”

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath in, fists closed.

He looked both exhausted and yet willing to do more to find her ; I wanted to ask again how did he fucking get in Tokyo, yet I felt guilty for diminishing how hurt he was about Uraraka’s disappearance.

Now Katsuki’s voice was barely above a whisper :

“I need to find her. Where is she ?”

And the hurt I heard in his voice struck me as hard as if I were the one hurt.

I grounded my teeth and took a step forward, resolve steeling;

I fucking hope for this bitch she hasn’t fled because I’ll drag her back by her hair.

“Sensei”, I said, my hand now on Katsuki’s shoulder

He was startled : his eyes were wet and I sensibly looked straight at Aizawa, acting as if I’d seen nothing.

“Could you please tell us where you last saw her ? Then we’ll leave you to speak with Monoma”

Aizawa’s head, who had been going from left to right, snapped in my direction.

He looked utterly drained, disheveled, as if the whole discussion was taking a toll on his body.

“Of course, yes. Of course”

To me Aizawa felt old and confused, a tad bit senile.

I indeed felt great pity for him.

He licked his dry lips.

Monoma frowned, looking at us three in turn.

“The last time I saw Uraraka she was with Monoma. I left them because things were getting too dangerous and I didn’t want them to be hurt. I’m sorry but I don’t know anything more”

“Monoma ?”

He was still frowning.

“You want to know about Uraraka ?”, he asked slowly

He had trouble modulating his voice.

“Yes, please”

“She died”

My eyes widened.

Aizawa gasped.

Katsuki tensed then wavered.

My hand on his shoulder became an iron gripe : I grounded him firmly, preventing him to fall for his knees were buckling.

I didn’t look at his face : I was scared of what I’d find here.

He put his own hand on my shoulder, as if he were trying to hold himself straight yet couldn’t on his own.

“What do you mean ‘she died’ ?”

Katsuki wasn’t able to ask the questions : thus I had to.

Monoma’s eyes were cold : there was no regret there, not the slightest proof of guilt nor mourning.

“She was eaten by Nomus in front of me’

My eyes narrowed.

“And you were not ?”

He took a few seconds to answer, and I couldn’t say if it was because it took him time to process what he read on my lips or if he truly were thinking about what to say next.

“I was saved in time”

Even freaking Mirko died that night.

“Who-”

The hand on my shoulder shook.

“I- I need to sit”

Katsuki was colorless.

Blood had left his lips ; he’d clenched his white fingers over my clothes so hard I felt his nails sink in my skin.

He was shaking from head to toes, pulse so slow he felt like death between my hands.

Slowly, I lowered him to the ground, his back against the bed’s leg.

“I just need- I-”

His breathing grew ragged, growing panic widening his eyes.

He looked like he was going to faint.

“Breathe slowly, okay ? Sync your breathing to mine”

He did not.

“I- she-”

Now he was fully shaking, heaving as if he would throw up, swaying from side to side as if he were dizzy.

“Bakugo ? Todoroki ? What is going on ?”

I heard Aizawa shuffle in his bed, yet he did not got up.

“Is that a joke ?”

There was anger brewing in Monoma’s eyes, hatred in the way he spit out words.

“Don’t tell me you’re getting upset over this- this-”

And now Monoma was fully red, shaking too but for another kind of reason, his voice getting higher and higher.

I tried to calm down Katsuki but he was spiraling down further and I felt utterly useless ; thus I did the only thing I was good at.

“How did she truly die ?”

And now Katsuki was holding his own head between both hands, dry heaving above the floor, spittle sticking to his lips and chin.

Monoma’s fiery eyes were locked to mine.

“I told you, she-”

I stood up.

Monoma took a step back, wary, panic flashing in his eyes.

“What do you think you’re-”

“How did she die ?”

I knew if I heard Katsuki – the proud, loud mouthed, arrogant Katsuki – cry, I’d lost it and hurt Monoma as much as needed to get my answers.

“I told you, she-”

And wasn’t I only acting this way because of the guilt I felt at diminishing Katsuki’s feelings ?

For I was in some part glad she was dead : another loose end that had been taken care of without me needing to do anything.

“Todoroki ? Monoma ? What is going on ? What is happening to Bakugo ?”

I walked slowly to Monoma, left hand itching and shaking.

He kept getting further back, panic rising in his eyes.

“How many Nomus ? Where was it ? Why are you not hurt ?”

“I don’t know, my ear was already-”

“Who saved you ?”

“I-”

His back hit the wall.

I did not need any weapon, did not need to touch him nor turn on my sharingan.

“Fucking speak before I make you”

He was shaking like a leaf, was a sputtering mess, and I wanted to hurt him more because of it.

“I-”

He sent Aizawa a distressed look.

“Did you do something to Uraraka, Monoma ?”, asked Aizawa, confused

And then suddenly, something snapped in Monoma.

His face, already red from shame, got two shade darker.

“How can you say that after I-”

He sputtered, his voice going higher and higher from a near hysterical state.

Veins bulged so hard on his neck they looked like throbbing hearts.

He leaned forward so close our nose were nearly touching and I had to resist the urge to headbutt him to oblivion.

He spit out harshly :

“Uraraka was a fucking traitor and I’m glad she died”

*

A/N : If you like the story and want to support it, then go check its P@treon, Nar_cisseENG

And see you in the next update everyone !