Sticks and Stones
It was 5 weeks before the Joint-training session when we discovered something new. It has been a long day of classwork and dealing with both a perverted grape fucker and a copycat asshole, and it didn't help that my muscles were really sore. But I was thankful for the intense training; Not only was I able to push past my limits and get better at using my quirk, but I had also gained some muscle mass. Gone were the days of being a twig, skinny enough to be mistaken for being malnourished. Aizawa and Mic had taken Hitoshi's and I's wellbeing very seriously once we said we wanted to train more. I didn't mind, as long as I could train without hurting myself to much.
I was sat on the bleachers in the gym, letting the water I was sipping at run down my throat. The coldness of the water contrasted with the warmth of my body, and the condensation on the sides of the bottle made my hands wet. I watched as Hitoshi trained with Uraraka, both of them dripping with sweat. Uraraka had volunteered to train with us, seeing as she could get in some extra practice herself and Aizawa was offering her extra credit. Today was a combat training day, which meant we were more likely to go home with bruises rather than sore muscles. Uraraka never appeared to be someone who would so much as throw a punch, but she was hitting Hitoshi with everything she had.
I subconsciously rubbed my shoulder where she had dealt a particularly hard blow. Thankfully I had dodged some of her other blows, but Hitoshi wasn't as lucky. He was taller than me, almost appearing to dwarf my 5 foot 7 frame, and he was much more bulkier than I was, making him a larger target. He would attempt to dodge, but Uraraka's fist would still make contact with his body. As I was watching, Uraraka dodged a blow to her arm and ducked under another swing, before she grabbed Hitoshi's arm and flipped him over. He landed with a thud, but a small crack was heard as he went down.
Uraraka went to help him up, reaching out her hand to help him up. 'Toshi grabbed her left hand with his right, allowing her to help him pull himself up. But as she pulled on his hand, he let go, wincing and letting out a yelp of pain as he held his wrist. Aizawa walked over, gingerly taking 'Toshi's arm in his hands. I got up, jogging the short distance to see what was going on. As Aizawa moved Hitoshi's wrist, Hitoshi would hisses of pain if Aizawa moved it to far in any direction. After a few moments, Aizawa let go, standing up and starting to walk to the door.
"you must've landed on your wrist. I'll grab Recovery Girl, don't move till I get back." He ordered over his shoulder. I sat next to Hitoshi, gently holding his arm in my hand. Just by looking at it, I could tell his wrist was either fracture or broken. It sat at an awkward angle, and Uraraka turned away, obviously a little grossed out at the sight.
"Can you grab my water?" I asked her. I figured the best thing to do was put something cold on it to help combat any swelling that may have started to form. Uraraka complied, quickly running and grabbing my water and bringing it over. I took it from her and softly placed it on Hitoshi's wrist, careful not to press to hard against the bone or tilt it to far to the side. I had lost the cap at some point and the bottle was still open and I didn't need a water spill to worry about. Hitoshi sighed at the coldness now sitting on his wrist, obviously thankful for any kind of relief.
Have you ever broken a bone? Eloise asked. I thought about it for a moment before mentally shaking my head.
I haven't had any, but my mom still had her old medical school textbooks laying around. I got through the basic first aid section before I got bored. I replied. It has been a few years since I had really done any first aid on someone- myself included- but I remembered enough to know how to stop bleeding and how to temporarily set a sprain or broken bone. Sometimes I wished there was a cure all, something you could give someone and all of their injuries would be turned into nothing more than a memory. I heard a sharp intake of breath next to me, and turned to see Uraraka staring at my hands. I turned to where she was looking, and my eyes widened.
The water from my water bottle had formed a small blob above where Hitoshi's arm rested in my hand. What was strange about this blob, however, was that it was glowing. The blob had a dull blue glow to it, just bright enough to slightly illuminate mine and Hitoshi's arm under it. I gingerly set the water bottle down, focusing on the glowing blob instead. Hitoshi was staring at the blob, almost as if he was mesmerized by its glow.
"Can you move it over my wrist?" Hitoshi asked. I looked at him questioningly, but complied, moving the blob over to his wrist with my hand that wasn't occupied with his arm. I watched in amazement as the blob glowed more, going from dull blue to bright turquoise, and it began to glow brighter as I wrapped it around his wrist. The sound of soft cracking and popping mingled with the sounds of our breathing, creating a melody to soundtrack our wonder and awe at what was unfolding before us. Once the glow died down, I moved the blob away from Hitoshi's wrist and gasped. His wrist now looked normal, and when he touched it, his body didn't tense up in pain.
The gym door opened, and Recovery Girl came rushing over. She took one look at Hitoshi's wrist and turned towards Aizawa.
"His wrist is fine, I don't see what the fuss is about." She said. Aizawa looked at his son's wrist, clearly confused as to how it healed in the 5 minutes he was gone. He looked at Uraraka and I, silently asking for an explanation.
"I think Umi healed him." Uraraka explained. "This glowing blob of water formed, and when she moved it over Shinsou's wrist, it healed whatever injury he had."
"That about sums it up." I said, struggling to contain a yawn as it slipped past my lips.
When did I get so tired? I thought. I was fine before, but know I felt like I needed a small nap.
Could it be a side effect of healing Hitoshi's wrist? Eloise asked. I mentally shrugged, fighting off another yawn as I stood up, dragging Hitoshi along with me.
"Could you have another side of your quirk?" Aizawa asked. I thought about it for a moment.
"The blob that healed Hitoshi's wrist was made with water, and I was able to control it like I would control water normally." I said. Another yawn passed by my lips. "And now I'm tired as all hell. I was fine before I healed Hitoshi."
Recovery Girl nodded. "I believe that the tiredness is a side effect of your ability to heal others. That would explain why you are tired now and not before." I nodded along. "I think with enough practice, you should be able to heal quite a few injuries before you need to rest."
That sounded like a good idea, and Aizawa agreed to let me work with Recovery Girl in order to practice my healing. Aizawa decided that training would be over for the day, and declared that it would be nap time when we got home.
It was Saturday when I learned something new. Not that I wanted to learn what I learned, but I learned it nonetheless. I felt the insomnia kicking in, keeping me as far away from the depths of sleep as possible. I rolled over again, picking up my phone to check the time. 12:45 glared at me in white font as a picture of Hitoshi hanging upside down from the rafters of the gym by his capture weapon while Mic and Aizawa looked at him like he was insane showed on screen. I smiled a little at the picture, setting my phone back down and getting up.
A snack might do me some good, I thought. I tiptoed down the stairs, careful to step over the last step. It creaked rather loudly, and I didn't want to wake anyone up. This was one of the rare nights Hitoshi and Aizawa actually fell asleep early, and I intended to let them sleep as much as possible. Opening the fridge, I grabbed out a yogurt, shutting the door and grabbing a spoon. Leaning against the counter, I dug into the creamy strawberry flavoured food while Racer looked down from her perch on the fridge, watching me with her piercing green eyes.
I finished my snack, cleaning up my mess before heading back upstairs. I was about to get back in bed when my phone started to vibrate rather violently on my bedside table. I quickly grabbed it, reading the caller ID. Blondie #1.
What the hell does Bakugou want in the middle of the night? I made sure the door was closed before I accepted the call, putting my phone to my ear. I was surprised that Bakugou would call this late, especially on a weekend. What surprised me more was the muffled sobs I heard on the other end of the line.
"Bakugou?" I whispered, keeping my voice low. "Dude, what's wrong?"
I heard a sniffle, and the sobs seemed to quiet down. "I didn't know who to call." He muttered. He sounded like he had been crying for a while, and compared to his normal way of speaking, he was rather quiet. "I just need someone to talk to right now and I-" Another sob was heard, and I started to get worried.
"I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong." I replied, attempting to keep my voice calm and quiet. It was alarming to hear someone who was ready to blast Mineta and Monoma into the sun the moment they said anything mean to his friends, to hear someone who carried himself with such confidence, sound so broken. I heard another sniffle accompanied by some rustling before Bakugou spoke again.
"I've told you about my weekends, right?" He asked. He had mentioned them before, when I had brought up having to train over the weekend with the group one day. He said he stays with his parents on the weekends, per his mom's request, and that he couldn't get out of it if much.
"Yeah, I remember." I told him. He took a breath before responding.
"The reason my parents make me come home on the weekends is because my mom-" He took a shaky breath. "My mom wants me to spend as little time with my friends as possible. Specifically Sero, Kaminari, Kirishima, and Shinsou."
"Why specifically them? They're not bad people." I asked. Another shaky breath, and then:
"Because I'm gay." I gasped. If Bakugou's mom is keeping him from hanging out with all of his guy friends as much as possible, I thought, then she might be-
"Homophobic." I whispered, anger pouring out of me like a waterfall. "Your mom is homophobic."
"Yeah." Was all I got in response.
"Has she done anything to you?" I asked. Please say no, please say no.
"Yeah. Yeah she has." Bakugou sighed out. "That's why I called. She hurt me-" I knew he meant beat, but I refrained from letting my anger boil over. "- And I just need to get back to my dorm. I can't stay here any longer then I already have."
"Do you want me to come help?" I asked, desperate for a 'yes' to come from the other end of the line.
"Please." Was all I heard before the line went dead. I panicked for a moment before my phone vibrated, a text from Bakugou flashing on screen. He had sent me his location, and I immediately went to change into jeans and a shirt.
Should we wake someone up? Eloise asked. I debated it for a moment before shaking my head.
I don't think Bakugou wants that many people to know right now. We just need to get him back to his dorm. I responded. I grabbed my phone and my wallet before quietly rushing downstairs. I grabbed my boots and my jacket, rushing back upstairs and into my room. The house had a door alarm, which meant I couldn't go out the front door without the whole house being alerted. I rushed to my window after making sure my door was closed, opening it enough for me to crawl through. I put on my jacket and boots before crawling out the window and into the ledge below. I hopped off the ledge into the yard, thankful that I didn't have to drop that far and risk breaking a bone.
I pulled out my phone, mapping out the quickest way to Bakugou's house. There was a bus stop nearby, and thankfully there was a bus that would leave in a few minutes that had a stop near Bakugou's home. I ran to the stop, making it there with minutes to spare. I noticed that there was a convenience store right next to the stop, and an idea ran through my head.
If Bakugou's hurt, I might want to heal his injuries before we get back to the dorms. I quickly ran inside the store, happy that it was open this late at night. I quickly made my way to the drink coolers, grabbing out a cold brew and a water before making my way to the counter. I paid in cash, seeing as I didn't have a credit card, and rushed back out to the bus stop just in time to see the bus arrive. I paid for my ticket and took a seat, rolling the cold brew can between my hands while pocketing the water bottle. I'd decided to drink the coffee after I healed Bakugou, that way I could stay up longer and make sure he got to his dorm safely. Shooting him a quick text, I told him I was on my way and to have his stuff ready for when I got there.
The ride didn't take to long, and I was only a couple of blocks away from Bakugou's house. I ran most of the way there, only slowing down once I got to his street. I searched for his house, making sure I had the right address before pulling back out my phone.
'Right most window on the right side of the house. 2nd floor' The message read. I made my way to that side of the house, noticing that Bakugou's window was the only one with a light on. I sent him a text saying that I was here, and watched as the window opened almost immediately. Bakugou tossed me his bag before turning off his light and sliding out the window. He landed on his feet with a thud, and we stood there quietly for a moment, hoping not to hear someone pounding through the house in search of the noise. We heard nothing.
Opening the water bottle, I created a stream of water leading up to the open window. As carefully and quietly as I could, I pulled the window shut, returning the water to the bottle and grabbing Bakugou's arm. We walked down the street back to the bus stop, careful to stay in the shadows as much as possible. I didn't need someone driving by to see us and take us to the police. We made it to the bus stop with enough time for me to heal Bakugou's injuries before the next bus came, this time heading for Heights Alliance, the building that houses all the dorms.
I took in Bakugou's appearance, watching as he wrapped his coat around his body tighter. There was some bruising in obvious places, like his face and neck, but everything else was hidden by his clothes.
"If I'm gonna heal you, you might want to take that off. I'll make it as quick as possible." He complied, taking off his coat as I uncapped the water bottle. I formed a blob, moving it towards his face. He looked at me confused.
"You can heal people too?" He asked, mesmerized as the water began to glow a dull blue like it did before.
"Yes, it's kinda new. Can you hold your breath for a second?" I explained. He complied again, and I let the water wrap around his face. The bruising healed quickly, and I moved to the other parts of his body that he said were in pain. I was able to tell the extent of the injuries as I moved the blob over his body. His most severe injury was a broken rib, but everything else was just bruised. I finished healing him, allowing him to put back on his coat while I rebottled the water and put the cap back on. The bus came not to long after that, and we made the trip to the dorms, only stopping once to change to another bus at another stop.
"You seem to be taking this considerably well." Bakugou commented as we sat on the second bus. I felt energized after having the cold brew, my foot quietly tapping a mindless rhythm on the floor of the bus.
"That fact that you're gay or that your mom is a homophobic piece of shit?" I replied.
"The fact that I'm gay." He responded, turning more towards me from his spot next to the window.
"I can't hate people who are like me. My adoptive parents are gay, and I have a feeling my brother is too." I said. Bakugou looked stunned.
"People like you?" He asked. I laughed and held my hand out.
"Your friendly neighborhood lesbian, at your service." I said, smiling at Bakugou's surprised face.
"Didn't know you were a lesbian." He said, shaking my hand before leaning against the window. "And what do you mean adoptive parents? I thought you and Hitoshi were biologically related."
My face paled. I hadn't noticed the slip up, and I couldn't think of a good, believable lie. The caffeine most have been wearing off, because my brain was starting to slow. I sighed, deciding to tell Bakugou everything. I told him about Aizawa and Mic, the whole thing at the mall, everything. He just nodded along as I told him, and didn't speak till I was done. I stared at him expectantly, hoping for an answer.
"Why is that the most believable thing I've heard all day?" He chuckled. "That explains why Uraraka knew about you before Shinsou told anyone." I just stared at him dumbfounded. We sat in relative silence until we got to the dorms, where I decided to walk Bakugou to the door.
"Thanks for coming to get me." He said, running a hand through those spiky blonde locks of his. I patted his shoulder, wishing him a good night as I turned and made my way back to the bus stop. I was back home within half an hour, sneaking to the backyard and opening my window the same way I closed Bakugou's window. I climbed back up to the ledge before crawling back into my room. I put back on my pajamas and settled back into bed, leaving my jacket and boots by my desk. I checked my phone one last time before I went to bed. I had left around 12:50, and now it was almost 2. I set my phone down and rolled over, falling into a deep sleep.