Amelia stood in the lounge area, her hands carefully adjusting the couch back into place. The soft hum of the television played in the background, though she wasn't paying much attention to it. Her mind was far too preoccupied with what had happened the night before—Izuku's outburst.
She had never seen him so furious before, not like that. His anger had been fueled by something deeper—her safety maybe. When he saw her in danger, he completely lost it. The memory sent a shiver down her spine, but it wasn't entirely out of fear. No, there was something else there. Something warmer. He cared about her, and the thought made her cheeks blossom with a red hue as she moved a side table back into place. The way he reacted, the way his emotions took over—it scared her, but it also made her feel… happy.
As she tidied up the room, her thoughts returned to the moment she had entered Izuku's mind. She hadn't even realized she could do that, but it had just happened, almost instinctively. She remembered reading somewhere—before all of this, in her previous life—about how Superman had telepathic abilities and could enter other people's minds. At the time, she'd thought it was just a cool concept, something from a comic book. But now, it felt real, like a skill she could develop. Maybe it could have helped when she encountered that villain. Maybe, if she had understood her power back then, things could have been different.
With a sigh, Amelia placed the last broken glass in a clear garbage bag and set it next to the bin. She didn't feel like going outside right now. Her body was still tense, and her mind was working overtime.
Plopping down on the couch, she grabbed her phone and started scrolling through social media. Her fingers swiped lazily across the screen as she opened Herogram and began skimming through memes, updates, and random posts. She needed the distraction, something to pull her away from the mess in her head.
As she scrolled, she stumbled across her classmates' profiles. Momo's was the first to pop up—her usual serious demeanour present in most of her pictures, but every now and then, someone had photobombed her in the background, making the corners of Amelia's lips twitch into a smile. Toru's profile was filled with stylish outfits—well, as much as you could see with her being invisible. Still, the outfits were impressive, showing off her creative flair. Then there was Katsuki's profile, flooded with photos of intense training sessions, each picture more hardcore than the last. He was always showing off the results of his hard work, every muscle defined and tense with power. Mina's profile was more fun—videos of her recording her classmates during their downtime, capturing moments of fun and laughter, the kind of moments that made Amelia miss her friends even more.
She sighed, her finger hovering over the search bar. Curiosity tugged at her, and she typed in AllMights#1Fan.
His profile popped up, and Amelia couldn't help but smile. Izuku was so cute in all his photos. Some of them were of him training, his face focused and intense, others were more casual—him at home, his mom by his side, both of them beaming at the camera. There was even one that looked like a hair routine video—Amelia had to laugh at that, guessing Mina had somehow convinced him to post it. But then she saw a picture—their picture—the one from when she befriended Izuku.
It had been such a silly day. She had just cut her hair into a longish bob, and the two of them had gone to the park together. She had begged Izuku to push her on the swing, and when she finally got enough height, she'd jumped off, landing flat on her face. Izuku had been horrified, practically on the verge of tears, thinking she was hurt. She had quickly jumped up, laughing, and assured him she was perfectly fine. To cheer him up afterwards, they got ice cream. The picture showed the two of them sitting side by side, both with ice cream smeared on their noses. Amelia had pushed her face close to Izuku's, her smile wide and happy, while Izuku had looked adorably flustered, his cheeks bright red and a wobbly smile.
The memory made her smile again. She stared at the photo for a few more moments, lost in thought.
Just then, the door to the lounge creaked open, and Amelia looked up to see Izuku walking in, fresh from class. His uniform was slightly rumpled, and he looked a little tired, but his eyes brightened when he saw her.
"Amelia," he greeted, walking over to her, a gentle smile on his face. "How are you feeling?"
Amelia shifted slightly on the couch, still feeling the warmth of their conversation from last night lingering between them. "I'm okay, I guess. Just… thinking about a lot."
Izuku nodded, sitting down beside her, his arm resting on the back of the couch. "About last night?"
"Yeah," she admitted, looking down at her hands. "And… about that villain. The one who controlled me."
Izuku's expression hardened, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I hate what he did to you. If I could—"
Amelia quickly cut him off, reaching out and placing a hand on his arm. "I know, Izuku. But this isn't something you can just punch your way through. I have to figure out how to stop him. I've been thinking about it… I think my power is connected to the mind. When I entered your mind last night, it felt… natural. Like I was meant to do it."
Izuku's eyes widened slightly. "You think you could use that against him?"
Amelia nodded slowly. "Maybe. I need to learn more about it, though. I need help… from someone who understands powers like this. Someone with a quirk that works with the mind."
Izuku thought for a moment before speaking. "There's a pro hero I know of—Mindwave. His quirk is all about telepathy and mental defence. He might be able to help you figure out how to control your abilities, maybe even teach you how to defend yourself from someone trying to get into your mind."
Amelia perked up at the idea. "Do you think we could arrange something? Maybe talk to him?"
"We can try," Izuku said with determination. I can ask All Might to contact some other pros and see if he can set something up."
"Or you could use some of your connections, Miss Sunlit," Izuku teased with a playful grin.
Amelia's eyebrows shot up, caught off guard by the comment. She rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile. "My connections? Please, you know I don't have the kind of clout yet, I just started."
Izuku chuckled. "Well, you did manage to charm half of our class and practically everyone else you saved. You've got more influence than you think."
Amelia shook her head wondering if he was one of those she charmed, laughing. "I guess we'll use both connections then. I'll see what I can dig up too."
"Deal." Izuku gave her a firm nod.
The teasing tone in the air lightened the moment, but both of them knew the gravity of the situation. Their playful banter was a way to mask the fear and uncertainty, but deep down, they both understood the stakes.