dress rehearsal
A shrill scream cut into the air. It echoed, bouncing off of every wall. Beneath the cold lights of the room, she collapsed onto the table and slowly slipped to the floor. Her skirts, the front of them now completely stained red, billowed around her.
The black-haired woman tosses the murder weapon aside and turns to the man standing across the room. His hands are over his mouth, tears falling steadily down his cheeks. “There. It’s done.” She murmured, barely sparing the body a glance.
“Y-You.. You did it. You really killed-” he sucked in a breath, unable to speak much more on the topic. Two shaky steps back. She cocked an eyebrow.
“Hmm?” The hum was condescending, perhaps even teasing. “Yes?”
“I-I.. need to go. I have to-” he stumbled towards the door, tears rolling down his cheeks. She clears her throat deliberately, and he freezes.
“And where are you headed?” Her hair swished as she took a couple steps closer. His shoulders were visibly tense, shaking from the effort it took to hold in a cry of terror.
“Just, ah, somewhere. I’m just, you know, a very busy man, and I-”
His blabbering came to an abrupt stop when she reached out, catching him by his collar.
“No. You’ll stay right here until I decide what to do with you.” her tone was eerily sweet, as it always had been, and it made him shudder once more. His eyes strayed to a spot past her shoulder, then quickly flicked back to her face.
“Gyahhh!” She snatched the knife from the table and lunged, plunging it deep into the taller woman’s back. She screeched, her fingers digging into the man’s suit before loosening, and she slowly slumped to the ground. The blonde woman, clutching the hilt of the knife, collapsed once again. The man let out a soft, choked sound and fell to his knees. The lights shut off.
“Aaaand… scene.” A voice called through the microphone. “That’s wraps, everyone. Great job.”
Sero got to his feet, wiping away his tears before helping Yaoyorozu stand. “Amazing, Yaomomo! I was genuinely scared for a second there.”
“Ahh, thank you! You know, your crying made me feel like I’d actually scared you. I wanted to apologize so badly…” she squeezed his hands gently before turning to help the blonde woman up.
As she rose to her feet, it became apparent that she was truly a male. A very pretty one at that, with soft hair and long eyelashes. He patted at his smeared lipstick and hummed. “Beautiful performance as always, Yaoyorozu.”
“To you as well, Monoma. Your screams are always so authentic.” Yaoyorozu took care to adopt a more respectful tone as she spoke to him. He always got all… weird. Even if it was only a dress rehearsal, she could tell by the look in his eyes that he was beating himself up over everything he deemed “wrong” about his performance.
“Thank you.” Monoma bowed slightly. “Sero, I do admire your crying capabilities. It always feels so real.” Sero nodded in appreciation, watching as the blonde walked backstage.
On the way, he passed Kendo, who extended a hand and grabbed his shoulder. “Yo. You did amazing.”
He nodded slightly and tried to continue walking, but she merely stopped him again. “I wasn’t done.” Kendo didn’t see him roll his eyes, due to his back being turned. “Stop beating yourself up over stuff like this. No one can act better than you. We all agree on that.”
“Thank you.” The words were spoken lowly, laced with insincerity, and the redhead bit back the scathing words she wanted to give him.
“Just.. clean up properly before you go. And make sure you give Kodai your costume before you leave.” He nodded again without a word, and she sighed before releasing his shoulder. Monoma left.
After about thirty minutes, Toga came bustling up the small flight of stairs that led up to the stage, where everyone was cleaning up. Kendo spotted her, concern immediately setting into her features. “You’re still here? Where’s Monoma?”
“Hmm? ‘s he not here?” Her bouncy footsteps slowed to a halt.
“No? He left a while ago.”
The sparkle in the girl’s eyes quickly faded, and her shoulders slumped. “Oh. He forgot me.. Again.”
Kendo felt a sense of guilt and responsibility for the other. This was becoming a regular occurrence, where Monoma would sulkily leave rehearsals and leave his sweet little sister behind. Something had to be done.
“Don’t fret.” She murmured, taking on a more motherly tone as she gently patted Toga’s head. “I’ll drive you home, okay? Grab your stuff.”
The little blonde shuffled away with her head hanging low and her feet dragging on the hardwood surface of the stage. Perhaps, in different circumstances, the sight would’ve been cute. Now, it was just sad.
Kendo languidly stretched her arms over her head as Sero was passing, and he stopped. “Did he leave her behind again?”
“Yeah. I swear, I can’t figure that guy out. One moment he’s full of energy, and the next he’s practically depressed.”
“Maybe he’s got some kinda mental disorder.” He suggested helpfully. “BPD?”
“No way of knowing.” The redhead muttered, glancing over at the spot where Toga was putting her things into her bag while looking rather crestfallen. She sighed. “Poor girl.”
“Are you driving her home?” He guessed casually, giving her a look that she didn’t get to see.
“I have to. I’m the oldest here, so it’s my responsibility.” Kendo turned back to face Sero. “Do you need a ride home?”
When he nodded, she told him to go grab his things since she was leaving in a few minutes. Toga slowly walked over and buried herself in Kendo’s side. The redhead gave her a slight squeeze as she began to guide her out of the auditorium and to her car.
.-.-.
Toga opened the door to her family’s exquisite household. The whole place was dark and quiet - her parents were most likely out on a date. Her brother’s car had been sitting in the driveway when Kendo had dropped her off, so he was bound to be home.
“Neito?” She called softly from the entryway as she removed her shoes. “I’m home.”
No response. That was fine.
The blonde made a detour to the kitchen to get a bowl of strawberries and other fruits before slowly making her way up the stairwell.
“Neitoooooo.” Toga called again, a little louder this time as she approached the door to his bedroom. “Neito? Have you eaten anything since you got home?”
“No. Go away.” He hissed back from inside his bedroom.
“Oh, um..” she fidgeted, unsure how to deal with her older brother’s tantrum this time. They normally happened while they were at school, or during drama club, so someone else was always there. Normally, it was Kendo.
Should she call Kendo? No, she didn’t even have her phone number.
Toga tried her luck again. “I have fruit, if you want some! There’s strawberries and blueberries ‘n raspberries. I think there might be carrots in here too, but those aren’t fruit. Uh.. so I have fruits and veg-”
She cut off suddenly when the door swung open and Monoma came out, smacking her. “Didn’t you hear me? I said go away.” Then the door was slammed in her face.
She stayed there, her shaky hands keeping a grip on the bowl. Slowly, she crouched and set the bowl down in front of his door. “I’m leaving the bowl in front of your door, in case you change your mind.” Her voice was quiet, and she walked away without another word.
Her cheek was starting to turn red, not that it mattered. Monoma hadn’t hit her that hard, really.
Toga retreated to her bedroom, her bottom lip quivering as she fought back her tears. It took a good while for her to get up from her bed and pick up her phone, dialing the first number she thought of.
It connected on the first ring. “What’s up?”
Unable to fight it any longer, tears began to roll down Toga’s cheeks as she sobbed into the receiver.
.-.-.
The person she had called was Bakugou. He was about three years older, and Toga had always thought he was the coolest person ever. Because he was. He had a motorcycle and, honestly, how cool was that?
Bakugou was tall and blonde. He played basketball. He drove a motorcycle, he had cool friends, and he had a very nice boyfriend. Toga admired him wholeheartedly.
She was sitting on the front porch of her house, toying with the keychains on her backpack when Bakugou’s car pulled up. She raised her head, her cheeks wet and therefore cold.
The older one came up the driveway a few moments later. “Hey, Himiko. Gimme your bag.”
“Hi, Katsuki.” She said with a pathetic little sniffle as he grabbed her backpack before helping her up and guiding her to the car.
When she crawled into the backseat, another voice greeted her from the passenger’s seat. “Hi, Toga.” Midoriya gave her his signature smile, eyes sparkling in the low lights of the car.
“Izuku!” She squealed, pulling him into a hug. The angle was awkward, but it worked. The blonde nuzzled him enthusiastically and he chuckled, squeezing her gently.
Midoriya was Bakugou’s boyfriend. He was sweet and pretty, and Toga had known him almost all her life. He and her cousin were childhood friends, and had started dating a year before she started attending high school.
“Oi. Sit down.” Bakugou snapped from the driver’s seat. Midoriya gave Toga one last squeeze before obediently plopping back down. She did the same, but with a little more insincerity to it.
“You’re spending the night, right?” Midoriya asked her during the drive. When she nodded, he hummed softly. “Did something happen at home?”
“Neito’s having a bit of a fit right now, so I figured it’d be better if I stayed the night somewhere else.” She explained, the softness of her tone making it clear how she felt on the subject.
“Ah, I see.. Hey Kacchan, does Monoma…” his tone grew hushed as he addressed Bakugou. Toga couldn’t hear them anymore.
Whatever he was saying made Bakugou furrow his brows thoughtfully. “I mean, maybe? This happens pretty often, right, Himiko?” She nodded.
He suddenly squinted at the rearview mirror. “Why’s your cheek red?”
“O-Oh, that?” She slapped a hand over her cheek immediately. It stung. “Neito got a little upset because I was pestering him, so-”
“He slapped you!?” Midoriya exclaimed as he whirled around, his eyes alight with fury. The outburst was so sudden that Bakugou nearly drove into a fire hydrant.
“Damn it! Calm the fuck down, ‘Zuku!” Bakugou shouted as he quickly regained control of the car.
“Sorry, just-” he took a breath. “He slapped you, really?”
“It’s just ‘cause I was bothering him. It was my fault.” Toga rubbed at her cheek, trying to soothe the sting. “It doesn’t even hurt that badly, so I’m okay.”
“That doesn’t fuckin’ excuse it.” Bakugou interjected before Midoriya could lose his patience. The guy had a strong sense of justice, after all.
“He still hit you.” The older blonde continued as they pulled into the driveway of the Bakugou household. He turned and faced her, Midoriya doing the same. “And there’s no excuse for that. You’re his little sister, and he shouldn’t be swinging on you like that. Understand?”
“...yeah. Okay.” She muttered reluctantly. Midoriya made a face and opened his mouth to say something, but a light smack from Bakugou shut him up.
.-.-.
It was 9pm when the three settled into bed. They had a movie on Midoriya’s laptop and a bowl of popcorn set in Toga’s lap.
Bakugou fell asleep first, naturally. It was an hour past his bedtime. That left Toga and Midoriya to watch the movie. When they finished it around 11pm, Toga discovered that it was a trilogy, so of course they had to watch the second one. That one was done at 2am, and they finished the third one at 5am. The two proceeded to spend the next two hours watching extra clips and behind the scenes content.
Then Bakugou’s alarm went off.
The two of them went deathly still, watching in terror as Bakugou sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked at Midoriya, and then at Toga, and he slowly began to scowl. “Why the hell’re you both still up?”
“Kacchan.. Don’t get mad…” Midoriya said cautiously.
“It was a trilogy…” Toga murmured, clutching her pillow tightly.
“I’m going to kill you both.” Bakugou hissed.
.-.-.
“Are you coming to opening night, Tsu?” Ochaco called out, her fingers catching onto Tsuyu’s sleeve as she walked past. The brunette was standing by the ticket booth, when Tokoyami and Aoyama were selling tickets.
“You should, darling!” Aoyama cooed, leaning over the counter and giving the two girls his best smile. “It will be simply magnificent!”
Tokoyami blinked a few times when everyone looked at him, then nodded. “The actors have worked hard for this. You should come support.”
“Okay, then I’ll come. How much are tickets?” Tsuyu asked, starting to pull out her wallet. As she paid, purchasing six tickets, Bakugou came up behind her.
He leaned on the counter. “Yo. Five tickets for me, birdbrain.” He was addressing Tokoyami, who dipped his head and started printing them out. Aoyama made a face.
“Who all are you buying tickets for, Bakugou?” Ochaco asked with a smile, tapping three fingers on the counter while she waited.
“My parents, Izuku, and my cousin from Shiketsu.”
“You have a cousin in Shiketsu?” She raised a brow.
“Yeah. She’s my cousin’s half-sister.. So she’s my half-cousin? It’s complicated.” Bakugou tapped his chin thoughtfully as he received his tickets and left. Ochaco and Tsuyu received theirs and started walking down the hall.
“So, Kirishima told me something recently.” Tsuyu murmured as they walked. “He heard from Sero that Monoma was acting kinda weird the other day. Left dress rehearsal without Toga.”
“Really?” Ochaco raised both eyebrows. Even mentioning Toga in a situation like that made her worry. “She made it home safe, right?”
“Yeah, someone drove her back to her place. There’s probably some missing details, so you’d have to ask Toga herself for the full story. Kero.”
“Hmm.. have you seen Monoma today?” She asked after a moment’s hesitation. “Normally he’d be parading around and endorsing the play.”
“No. He’s absent today.”
The two stepped into the courtyard and walked to the quieter part of it. Kirishima and Denki were snuggled up together on the grass. Tsuyu flopped down and wedged herself between them, and Ochaco sat down closer to Denki. She didn’t try to sleep, though.
Crossing her legs, she gazed into the sky. “Monoma…” she murmured thoughtfully.
.-.-.
Monoma stood by the curtains, peering through them. He watched the seats in the auditorium slowly begin to fill up. He watched Tokoyami and Aoyama guide people to their designated seats. He saw Bakugou seated close to the front with Midoriya. His aunt and uncle. His sister Camie, waving at him with a stupid grin. His parents couldn’t make it tonight.
“There’s a lot of people…” he murmured.
This caught the attention of Yaoyorozu and Kendo as they were walking past, and they exchanged glances. “Did he just say…?” Yaoyorozu started with furrowed brows.
“Yeah. He seems really nervous tonight.” Kendo murmured, giving the blonde another look before calling out loudly. “Five minutes!”
Hair and makeup. Costume checks. Going over the lines one more time.
Five minutes had come and gone, and Monoma hadn’t snapped out of it yet.
Yaoyorozu and Jirou went out, and the curtains opened.
“Diletta! Diletta! Listen to me!” Samson slammed her hands down on the desk that Diletta sat at. She raised a brow, looking disinterested, as Samson continued. “I’ve been waiting for months! And you still refuse to give me my money!”
She withdrew, her navy blue tailcoat swishing this way and that as she paced. “I’ll hire a hitman. I’ll do it! I’ll make ‘em come and kill you!” She jabbed a finger in Diletta’s direction.
“Oh, no. Not a hitman.” Diletta rubbed her hands together as she stood up, tossing a cigarette butt forwards. It knocked onto Samson’s forehead, and she angrily stomped on it when it fell. Diletta continued casually. “Listen here. I don’t care about you, or the money you’ve been begging me for.”
Samson opened her mouth to shout again, but Diletta drew a gun. The lights turned off, a single red one illuminating Samson as she fell to the floor. The lights clicked back on, and she called out. “Santoro!”
Behind the set, Sero adjusted his tie and rushed up to the door, opening it and revealing himself to the crowd. “Y-Yes, Madame Diletta?”
“Drag this body out of here.” She ordered, snapping her fingers.
Quickly, Santoro scurried over and grabbed Samson’s ankles, dragging her along. Blood trailed in her path. Diletta cleared her throat deliberately, and he froze.
One heel on Samson’s back, she leaned down and plucked something from her hair. A listening device. Santoro gasped softly, and Diletta tossed it to the ground and crushed it with her shoe. “We’ve been fuckin’ bugged.” She hissed. “Samson, you dog.”
“Uh.. what do we-” Santoro started, then stopped when she snapped her fingers again.
She leaned in, and a blush set in on Santoro’s cheeks, as she whispered to him. “We’re going to pay the Samson household a visit.”
The lights dimmed. Sero and Yaoyorozu began pushing the set pieces away while Tokoyami shoved the new ones toward them, setting up a lavish living room. The lights flicked back on just as the two stepped back onto the stage.
“Nice place.” Santoro commented, though his voice quivered. He adjusted his tie and fidgeted with his sleeves. Diletta, however, looked purely unbothered. She walked around as though she owned the place.
Kendo gently nudged Monoma towards the stairwell. “You’re up.”
Dazed, he shuffled over and nearly forgot to lift his skirts going up the stairs. Going down was a different matter, however, as it was part of his role to fall down the stairs.
Jacqueline slipped and cried out, collapsing on the mattress that had been set into the ground. “Oh, Samson! Samson, darling, help me up. Oh-” She looked up, her blonde hair curling elegantly around her ears, and gasped. “Ahh. Who’re you two? Friends of my darling Samson?”
Kendo hummed to herself, clutching her clipboard in one hand. “Monoma’s being weird.” She murmured.
Manga looked up, raising both eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, look at him.” She gestured one-handedly to the stage. Monoma’s acting was exceptional as always, but his eyes were dead and his exclamations weren’t as genuine. It was a rather depressing sight. But the crowd wouldn’t notice. They didn’t have an eye for things like this.
They nodded, watching with visible concern as he continued to fumble around on stage. He was most certainly in character, spilling tea onto the table and tripping over his own feet.
The crowd laughed at all the right times, but with each chuckle, the blonde seemed to grow more distressed. And during the final scene, the double murder, he looked insane. Amazingly in character. But rather than being not well done, it was too authentic.
He stayed to bow to the crowd, but when the actors started to go and greet their families, he took off.
Camie was just getting up from her seat, and she raised a brow when she saw him vanishing out of the back door. “Where’s he going?” She asked Bakugou, who glanced over as well.
Toga saw him leaving too. Her joyous expression dropped into upset, and her shoulders slumped. She walked over to the rest of her family.
“Himiko!” Mitsuki cheered happily when the girl approached, wrapping her niece up in a warm embrace. “Hey, girl! Where’s Neito?”
“Uh-” she cleared her throat, pulling back from her aunt’s bosom. “He left.”
“Huh!?” Camie shrieked, her shout echoing throughout the auditorium and drawing the attention of some other families. She paid them no mind. “I bought roses! Look!” She proceeded to brandish the bouquet of white and baby blue roses. “Look at ‘em! They’re drop dead gorgeous!”
“Cam. We see them.” Bakugou extended a hand and placed it on her forearm, getting her to lower it.
“Wait, he left without you again?” Kendo had been passing by, and she stopped. Jirou and Yaoyorozu were with her.
“Yeah.” Toga replied.
“Get your stuff, I’m taking you home.” Kendo snapped. The other girls grimaced. Even Bakugou looked a little nervous. “I’ve had enough of his bullshit.”
.-.-.
Toga carefully unlocked the door to the house and pushed the door open. It was dark and quiet, like it normally was in the evenings. It shouldn’t be that way today, however, because it was the evening after a show. Monoma would normally be running around with all the lights on, basking in the perfection of his performance.
“Neito?” She called out, removing her shoes before holding the door open. Kendo, Jirou, and Yaoyorozu stepped inside, murmuring their pardons as they took off their own shoes. Although no one heard it, there was a thud upstairs.
Yaoyorozu offered to prepare dinner, and Toga told her to help herself to whatever was in the kitchen.
“Where’s Monoma’s room?” Kendo asked after a moment or two, the words directed towards Toga. The blonde startled a bit before beckoning the redhead up the stairs.
It was eerily still, and the hallway felt nearly endless as they walked down, stopping in front of Monoma’s door. Toga knocked twice and called out. “Neito?”
No answer. Kendo leaned over and knocked three times. “Yo, Monoma. It’s Kendo. I need to talk to you.”
Still, nothing.
“He could be asleep.” Toga offered, to which Kendo rolled her eyes. Jirou called out from somewhere on the lower level of the house, and the little blonde ran downstairs to check.
Kendo stared at Monoma’s door for a while. Then she began to speak.
“Hey, Monoma. Listen. I know I can be hard on you, but you’re harder on yourself than I am. You always do amazing things, things that I could never do, and it’s impressive. But you won’t reach your full potential if you keep beating yourself up over little things.” The redhead furrowed her brows, starting to grow upset. “And I get that you’re upset, but the way you’ve been treating Toga lately is unacceptable. You’ve gone home without her two days in a row, and it’s really hurting her.”
Kendo reached out, placing a hand on the doorknob. She turned it slightly, surprised to find that it was open. “Uh.. I’m coming in. Pardon me.”
She lightly pushed the door open and stepped inside. Light was coming from the bathroom, and the door was opened wide. Concern filled her expression as she walked a little closer, tilting her head. “Monoma..?”
Hand on the doorframe, she stepped inside. The shower water was running, but the shower curtains were open and askew. Her worry only increased as she took one step into the bathroom, then two.
“Mono-” her voice died in her throat as she looked into the bathtub.
And then she screamed.