Fly High, Burn Bright

Chapter 57

The next morning when I woke up, I was more than thankful that some of yesterday's pain and soreness left, and now all I felt was exhaustion. At least when I stood up, I was able to stay more or less stable on my feet, but I still felt myself sway slightly with every step. Yeah, definitely a concussion, I decided, sighing in disappointment. At least two more days until it would get better, but considering the fact that my body was still weak, recovery might take a little bit longer. I'd need to go easy on myself for a few days - pushing myself too hard would only make it worse, and I didn't particularly feel like being in pain for a long time.

Thankfully, someone left a map on the desk, and I spotted my phone lying on the table beside it. The phone seemed to be undamaged and just the same as it was before, but I quickly slipped off the case and took the phone apart. Sure enough, the sim card was taken out and was replaced by a small tracking device, but I couldn't complain. It was already good enough that I got my phone back, and it wasn't like I had someone to call anyway. I changed into the other set of clothing that I'd been provided before slipping my phone into the pocket and putting on the belt. I knew that I probably didn't need to have my knives on me all the time, but the small wait of them, combined with their familiar feeling on my hips, helped me stay calm. 

I grabbed the map and left the room behind, stepping through the door and into the hall. The map, although confusing, ended up somewhat helpful - at least I managed to wander to the mess hall without getting too lost. The massive room was full of villains, who threw me odd glances, still not too sure about having an ex hero among them, but Shigaraki had announced the all-clear about me last night, so it wasn't like they could protest unless they wanted to deal with Shigaraki themselves. The only one who didn't seem wary of me was Toga, who dragged the other girl Yuri behind her. They gave me a wave that seemed a little too friendly and I had no choice but to respond with a smile.

Thankfully, the kitchen wasn't too crowded, with only two others standing inside. I gave them a quick nod before rifling through a pantry in search of coffee. One of the villains - was her name Sara? I didn't remember - handed me a small tin of grounded coffee beans. I smiled in gratitude and brewed myself a cup, the smell immediately helping me wake up and pushing some of the exhaustion away. Someone was already making waffles, so I grabbed myself one from the pack and made it for myself, too. It felt a little unusual to actually eat a proper breakfast for the first time in a while, but it was a good kind of unusual. 

With a cup of coffee in hand and a stomach full of waffles, I walked back to the mess hall - it felt strange. It'd been a while since I had free time to spend on myself. I always had something to take care of, be it work or helping Keigo. Now, I had nothing to do. I didn't have a job to focus on, and I didn't have anything to work on. I stood awkwardly in the room, not quite sure what to do with myself. All around me, the villains - no, the people - were talking, enjoying themselves. Some of them formed small groups with one another, while some talked in pairs. They're just like anyone else, I realized. They're just like any other person out there, except something pushed them to turn their back on the world.

I felt some of my previous hatred start to melt away. These people were just like me. They'd been fine, whole and happy, but something broke them and forced them to snap. They didn't deserve to be treated as villains, or to be punished for hurting others - after all, they were just getting back at those who hurt them, and wasn't that the same thing I did when I was a hero? Yes, I realized. We're no different. We've never been different. Someone hurt us, and we hurt them in return. It's how I've always been, isn't it? And it's how they are now.

"Why are you just standing around?" Dabi's voice said from behind me, and I almost jumped with surprise. When had he gotten there? Then again, my mind drifted off and it must've been pretty easy to sneak up on me.

"I... don't know what to do," I confessed, rubbing my neck with my free hand. "I can't really do anything right now, and it feels weird to just... stay still, I guess."

Dabi cocked his head to one side as if he was deep in thought. "You could always ask to train with Toga," he offered after a bit, and I almost choked on my coffee. From what I remembered of the reports from the agency, Toga was pretty merciless when it came to fighting. "Her quirk isn't physical so she relies on knives, too. Maybe you two could teach each other some techniques or something."

He had a fair enough point. It would be good to train against someone with similar strengths to my own. Still, I couldn't do that just yet. "Weren't you the one telling me I needed to rest for now?" I asked, raising a teasing eyebrow before sighing and taking another sip of the coffee. "I'd love to, believe me, but I think I have a concussion."

"Oh. Then yeah, no way am I letting you train with Toga," Dabi chuckled lightly, stealing my coffee and drinking some of it.

"Hey! Make your own," I grumbled, smacking him on the back of his head, which left a matted spot on his black hair, before grabbing the cup from his hand and chugging the remains. "Is there anything else I can do that won't result in me dying because of overworking my body?"

"I mean, I could finish showing you around the base," Dabi answered with a shrug, and I nodded along.

"Not like I have anything better to do," I replied to him, and, after returning the cup back to the kitchen and loading it in the dishwasher with everyone else's kitchenware, I followed Dabi through the halls. He pointed out every single room we passed, including several gyms, two research labs, personal rooms of the League's members that had nowhere else to go much like myself, a few interrogation rooms, and an entire hallway dedicated to cells. Although some of the places he'd listed off, such as the torture chamber, were concerning, most of the headquarters had nothing out of the ordinary. It kind of reminded me of the agency and the old apartment, but I pushed the thought away - if I thought about Keigo, I'd only get angry again, and that would worsen the concussion.

After every door was explained to me and a basic layout of the building formed in my mind, Dabi led me back to one of the large living rooms, where we both collapsed on the couch. Surprisingly enough, no one else was there - then again, the base was unreasonably large, and the villains had more than enough room to be on their own. The room was simple enough, with plain light gray walls and two small couches, along with a small tv standing on one side of the room. With nothing else to do, I reached for the remote and scrolled through the different channels before eventually landing on the news.

I instantly froze up - what if the news were still focused on me? Sure, there were other criminals and important events, but it wasn't every day that a hero tortured someone, and if Keigo had been right, killed someone on live television. What if the media was still concentrated on me, and the news were all reruns of the same video of me torturing that villain? I started to shudder at the thought - surely it couldn't still be the main talk. Surely something else had happened by now, and the news were focused on a new disaster. Surely I wouldn't look at the television just to see myself slaughter someone. Surely the public already forgot about me, and left the hatred for me behind. Surely it would be fine now. After all, it had been a week and a half now, hadn't it?

My grip on the remote tightened as the usual intro of the news passed by like background noise, and I stared at the news anchor, hoping, praying, that they'd talk about anything other than me. For a second, I thought my pleas had been answered - there was nothing but the usual talk about economy and petty criminals that heroes have caught in the past few days. Then, the reporter leaned closer to the camera, and the air suddenly got more tense. A photo of myself was displayed on the large screen behind them, and I felt myself grow weak.