My breath came out shaky, a trembling little gasp as I struggled to manage the whirlwind of emotions churning inside me. My heart hammered against my ribs, each beat threatening to crack through the fragile composure I fought to maintain.
An oppressive silence pressed down on the room, so dense I felt as if it could suffocate me. I could feel every pair of eyes drilling into my skin, prickly and invasive, but it was his stare that burned most fiercely. His gaze latched onto me with an urgent, almost desperate intensity, raw and unfiltered, as if only he could see straight through to my turmoil.
—
I peered past his shoulder, and there she was, a woman lingering close enough that the tension in her body betrayed her wish to wrap her arms around him. The way she hovered, just out of reach yet unmistakably present, made my skin crawl with annoyance. It wasn't just irritation, it was a spike of jealousy, hot and electric, seizing my chest.
'Who was this woman, really?'
'What was their relationship?'
I turned my gaze back to him, searching his expression for clues. The usual sharpness in his eyes was muddled now, replaced by a haze of uncertainty that unsettled me even more.
"Where were you?" he demanded, his voice low, threaded with menace.
My thoughts became silent, and my eyes focused on him.
I took a tentative step toward him. Without warning, he seized my wrist, yanking me closer. His scent, sharp and intoxicating, immediately surrounded me. Instinctively, I released a subtle wave of my own pheromones. His iron grip softened at once, tension ebbing from his shoulders. Unexpectedly, he wrapped his arms around me in a fierce embrace, catching me off guard. I had braced for anger, yet his scent betrayed deep anxiety and overwhelming relief. My eyes stung. I held him tightly, pressing my face to his chest, drinking in the turbulent mix of his emotions.
"Where have you been!" Shigiraki's raw outburst left everyone stunned.
"I was going to—" I began, but my words were silenced as I captured his lips in a sudden kiss.
His brewing anger cooled a little as he clung to me, arms locked around my body, lifting me off my feet. For a split second, the beginnings of a relieved smile flickered on his lips, but then, in an instant, his grip hardened again, his anger reigniting more fiercely than before.
His hands hovered, trembling as they grazed my neck, his fingers ghosting over the dark, angry bruises that curled like sinister fingerprints across my skin. I felt his touch flinch at every swollen mark, his sharp intake of breath betraying a silent, helpless rage. His eyes darted up, scrutinizing my face. He froze when his gaze swept over the harsh purpling of my left eye, so swollen it was nearly shut. His thumb gently traced the jagged, bleeding cut splitting my lower lip, and then he took in the scatter of raw, stinging scratches crisscrossing my cheeks and jaw.
The pain from his inspection finally caught up with me, crashing into my awareness, and I realized with a jolt that I had been holding my breath, completely frozen in panic until now.
Before I could utter a single word, Tomura yanked open my jacket in a surge of urgency, the zipper rasping harshly as it split apart. I panicked trying to hide my body, but he restrained me as he inspected my body. His hands shaking but deliberate, he pushed aside the fabric, revealing the landscape of my battered skin. His eyes roamed with painstaking thoroughness over every inch of exposed flesh, lingering with a mix of horror and tenderness.
Fading yellow and purple blotches mottled my ribs and arms, sharp purple bruises blooming freshly over older scars. He hesitated at a particularly dark bruise on my side, his fingers brushing it gently as if trying to ease the pain by touch alone, a storm of anger and heartbreak flickering in his eyes as he bore silent witness to the evidence of all I had endured.
"Who did this?"
"I'm okay, I promise," I tried to curve his anger.
"Izuku." His rage cooled suddenly.
It made my hair stand on end. He started walking with me in his arms.
"Tell me."
"I'm being blackmailed. I tried handling it, but it only got worse." I deliberately stated vaguely.
He sat me down in the bar's chair.
"Tell me everything, don't leave out a single detail."
He loomed above me, his intimidating stature making me feel small and exposed. I couldn't help but start trembling, my body responding to the palpable anger that rolled off him in waves. As I stammered through my explanation, he began pacing, his footsteps sharp and restless on the floor. Occasionally, he shot searing, fiery looks my way, his frustration visible in every line of his face. When I finished my story, he stopped mid-step and advanced toward me. Fear tightened its grip on me, my eyes dropping to the ground, my entire body frozen in terrified submission.
"You've been through a lot." He said, gently cupping my cheek.
"I'm sorry."
"What are you saying? I understand why you tried so hard." He said, kissing my temple.
"Get a room!"
Startled by the gruff voice of the scarred man, we jolted apart, the security of our private moment shattering like glass. In our closeness, the world had completely faded away until that harsh, unfamiliar sound tugged us back to reality. My heart hammered in my chest as the shock gave way to a rush of embarrassment, and I dissolved into a cascade of giggles, unable to stop the nervous laughter bubbling out of me.
Beside me, Tomura let out a sharp, indignant snort, his brows knitting together in annoyance. A faint flush colored his cheeks, but he quickly masked his displeasure, straightening his posture and adopting his usual air of seriousness.
"Mr. Compress will take you to the doctor. He'll patch you up in no time," he said softly, offering a reassuring gesture for Izuku to follow.