Fly High, Burn Bright

Chapter 60

"Let's take a break," I huffed out, holding my knees with my hands, and across from me, Toga gave me a small nod before falling onto the ground in exhaustion. The mission was supposed to happen tomorrow, and Shigaraki had warned us to be well-rested, but I had too much adrenaline to just go to sleep. This would be my first mission as part of the League. Sure, I'd had chances to prove my loyalty and I really hoped that everyone trusted me by now, but this would be the opportunity to show I was committed to the League once and for all - besides, it wasn't like I had any other choice now. It was like my first day as a hero all over again. My nerves were a mess and I had too much energy to sit still, so I had to get it out somehow. And that just happened to be by training with Toga for hours on end.

She was fast, faster than me fast. Several times, I'd almost lost a finger or a chunk of flesh, but I seemed to be able to keep up pretty well. Toga and I were similar, and not in just the fact that we both relied on our physical skills more than our quirks. Over the past few days of training, I recognized the same bloodlust in her that sometimes came out in me, and I didn't know if that scared me or not. She, too, had a person she clung to for dear life - her and Yuri were never apart, and a part of me wanted to warn her to be careful with it. Then again, maybe getting betrayed by the person you held dearest didn't happen to everyone, and it was just my shitty luck that tore me apart from Keigo. 

Don't think about him, I scolded myself, still trying to even out my breathing. Leave him behind. He doesn't care, so neither should I. I don't need him. I'm fine on my own. I managed to straighten myself as I tossed my knife in the air, watching it flip before catching it by the handle. Watching the knife spin gave me a sort of satisfying relaxation, and by the time it was in my hand once again, I'd managed to slow my breathing. Toga, on the other hand, was still drained. That was the biggest difference between us. She'd never really had to stay in long fights, and she always ended them almost as soon as they started. She knew how to move fast, and she used the speed to finish off anyone before they could even begin. 

That was also her downfall. She'd use too much energy at the start of the fight, and although it was efficient against most, the rare exception that would be able to keep up with her would eventually be able to beat her. I tried teaching her how to balance out how much energy she used for her attacks so that she'd be able to last longer, but so far, the progress was slow. I glanced around the gym, wiping the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand. The only ones left were Dabi and Yuri, who both insisted on staying until Toga and I were done, and the two seemed to be busy talking to one another. Then again, it was pretty late by now, and we had a mission tomorrow.

"I think that's enough for today," I said through raspy breaths. "We should probably go now."

Toga nodded, her buns significantly looser than usual as they bounced slightly with her every step. She threw herself onto Yuri, who immediately pushed the other away, complaining about how now she was sweaty, too. The two girls walked off, with Yuri grumbling and Toga grinning up at the taller of the pair, which left just me and Dabi in the gym. 

"What, you aren't gonna jump on me like that?" Dabi smirked down at me, his voice as cocky as ever as he teased the life out of me for no reason. "Or do I not deserve that kind of nice attention?"

"I assure you, Dabi, there's nothing 'nice' about getting hugged by a sweaty person," I replied, rolling my eyes as I pulled my hair out of the sorry excuse of a ponytail that it was - maybe cutting it hadn't been the best idea, but at least I wouldn't be as recognizable now. "Unless you want your clothes to stink and to take an extra shower, that is."

I started walking back to my room to grab a change of clothes so that I'd have something to put on after showering, and Dabi followed after me like a puppy waiting for a treat. His presence was neither comforting nor unwelcome - he was just... there, for the most part. Sometimes I'd want to punch his nose in, but other times, I wanted nothing more than to press my lips on his and see just how far we'd get. The in between zone of usual neutrality was nowhere to be seen, and I almost wanted to shout at myself to decide already whether I wanted to kick Dabi or not. One quick stop to my room later, I was standing outside one of the many washrooms, still perfectly aware that Dabi was right behind me, arms loosely crossed over his chest and that crooked smile stretching over his face.

"Uh, Dabi, I'm going to shower now. You don't have to wait around for me, y'know?"

"Is that an invitation for me to join you?" He leaned down, his face centimeters from mine, and I was half tempted to meet his lips.

"Nope," I managed, quickly stepping into the bathroom and shutting the door behind me. I was already tired enough from the sparring - I didn't need Dabi to make me even more exhausted.

The shower was like a blessing in disguise, and I sighed in relief as the water cascaded over me, washing away the sweat. A small trickle of blood flowed from my shoulder, and I stared at it for a second. I guess I wasn't fast enough to dodge that one, I thought, looking down at the shallow cut. At least it wasn't too bad - I'd just need to clean it up a little and tie it down for the night, and it should be fine tomorrow morning. Once the sweat was out and I felt cleaner than I had in days, I stepped out and dried myself off, choosing to let my hair airdry. I changed into the loose clothing and patted some of the water out of my hair with a towel before giving upon the tedious task. The hair was short now, so it'd dry pretty soon anyway.

I searched the cabinets for some rubbing alcohol but only found hydrogen peroxide, but it'd have to do. The sting was more painful than the cut itself, but I grit my teeth and forced myself through it. Thankfully, the League was smart enough to stock the washrooms with medical supplies, so finding a roll of gauze was no problem, and before long, the cut was cleaned and dressed. When I left the washroom, I was both relieved and disappointed to find Dabi was no longer there waiting for me, which made me want to shout in confusion - I'd told him to go, so why was I upset that he listened to me? I groaned quietly and trudged back to my room, flopping onto the bed and waving to the mirror just in case someone was still watching.

The tired feeling from training all day finally settled in, and I started to almost regret it before calming myself down with the thought that I'd pushed myself through worse and had fought off villains while running on an hour of sleep and ungodly amounts of caffeine. The only comfort was the fact that I wouldn't have to worry about losing sleep over cursed nightmares. I'd had one on my third night with the League, but after that, it was like they simply faded away. Maybe the knowledge that the murderer of my sister was dead helped ease the trauma away, or maybe the sudden change of mindset was enough to push away the fear of the villain. Either way, I was more than relieved when I went for an entire week without waking up in a cold sweat. 

Not even a moment passed since my head hit the pillow before I fell asleep, the sores and aches from fighting Toga for the better half of the day slowly fading away. My rest, however, was short-lived. I sprung out of bed early, as if an internal alarm had forced me awake, but at least this time wasn't because of midnight horrors. My shoulder still stung a little, but I ignored it as I pulled on one of the plain black uniforms that the League provided for me and put on the belt. I was one of the first to be in the mess hall, and I brewed enough coffee for five other people, which proved to be a good decision since the extra coffee was immediately distributed among those who were awake, too. Not even fifteen minutes passed before the entirety of the League that stayed at the base was in the mess hall too, and with the loud bustling conversations, I almost forgot I was in the midst of villains. The room, however, went silent as soon as Shigaraki announced his presence, and the final briefing began.