The rain had started sometime around midnight. It hadn’t stopped since. Neither had he.

The clock on the wall blinked 2:47 a.m., casting soft white light against the far wall in the peaceful room.

You were still on the couch. Curled under a blanket that had long gone cold, one leg dangling off the side, a forgotten book resting on your stomach. You weren’t reading anymore. You were just… waiting. Like always.

The lamp on the end table buzzed faintly. Outside, rain painted blurred rivers down the window glass. It was the only sound in the room besides your own shallow breathing — until the door finally opened.

Soft click.

Faint creak of the hinges.

Boots on the tile.

He stepped inside slowly, like he didn’t want to wake anyone. Like he was afraid even the silence would scream if he moved too fast. His hair was soaked, clinging in messy green curls to his forehead, water dripping down the bridge of his nose. There were bloodstains on his forearms — some of them dry, others fresh, glistening under the hallway light.

Midoriya didn’t say a word. Not hi. Not I’m back. Not sorry.

He just walked past you like a ghost, leaving damp footprints in his wake, heading for the bathroom like every other night — like it was routine now. Come home bleeding. Avoid everyone. Scrub the guilt off his skin until he could pretend it wasn’t there.

Your voice was heard.

“You didn’t even look at me this time.”

No answer.

The water turns on. It always ran hot. Too hot. The burns were seen once — faint, under the scars.

The water turned off.

A long silence followed.

Midoriya wasn't who you knew anymore.

Your voice cracked after all this time.

“You’re not him anymore.”

The door creaked open halfway. He was standing there — still soaked, steam from the too-hot water fogging up the mirror behind him. His gloves were gone. His hands were trembling. But his eyes… they weren’t.

His eyes were hollow. Focused. Calm in the worst way.

But when he looked at you, you swore something flickered behind them. A crack. A twitch in his jaw. The faintest wince.

Then he finally spoke.

".... Don't wait up for me anymore."