(A/N: Some formatting for this chapter. Italics is everything sang. Bold is when they sing together.)
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(Kata POV – Karaoke Box)
I stop at the monitor, scrolling aimlessly through the endless list of songs. Next to me, Eri clutches the microphone with both hands, bouncing on her heels as she hums a little tune excitedly.
Her eyes sparkle with anticipation, her whole body buzzing with excitement.
'I don't really feel like any of these matter.' I sigh, letting my finger drift across the screen. Most of the few songs I knew… are gone.
'Of course they wouldn't be here. It's been almost two hundred years…' I think.
'Should I just pick a random one?' I wonder. 'It's not like it really matters to me…'
But then I glance down and see Eri is staring up at me expectantly.
And suddenly, it does matter.
I might not care, but she does.
I sift through my memories, searching for a meaningful song. Then I remember one.
One that fits us far too well.
'It's perfect.' I decide.
"I've got something in mind." I say, glancing down at Eri.
She tilts her head. "But you haven't chosen a song?"
"That's because it's not on the list." I reply softly. "We're going to sing from the heart."
She blinks. "How do I do that?"
I gently pat her head. "Just trust me. The words will come to you naturally. The rhythm will be there. You just follow it."
Her small face scrunches up in concentration. Then she nods with way too much seriousness. "Okay. I trust you."
It almost makes me laugh. 'Of course you do…'
I reach out with my quirk, manipulating the speaker system and screen manually. I sculpt the instrumental from memory, weaving each note like thread—and softly stitch the lyrics into her mind as a whisper only she can hear.
The melody begins. A slow, solemn piano… light, yet heavy with meaning.
I take a breath.
A long, aching breath.
And then I sing.
(A/N: The song is Lost Boys by Ruth B. I've changed the words boy and boys to soul and souls (to make it better fit). This is the link [I'd recommend playing it in the background or listening in advance]. https://youtu.be/5tTwFC7Nlks?si=BI5TINZTIfw_Rkzb)
"There was a time, when I was alone…" I begin, my voice coming out surprisingly smoothly and silkily, despite the wounds I'm opening. "Nowhere to go and no place to call home…"
Memories from 2 childhoods flash though my mind. Images of people who never loved me or wanted me. Of a world that didn't care for me.
"My only friend was the man in the Moon… and even sometimes he would go away too…" My voice echoes with an undertone of genuine sadness, as my eyes rise slightly and watch my classmates.
'The MHA manga… their stories… they were the closest thing I had to friends…'
"Then one night, as I closed my eyes…" A new voice joins mine. It's softer and much sweeter than mine. I tilt my head downwards, looking at Eri. "I saw a shadow flying high…" She sings.
The entire time, looking directly at me, and I reminisce about the night we met.
"He came to me with the sweetest smile…" She smiles up at me. The kind I wish I could've given her back then. "Told me he wanted to talk for a while…"
'I had just stood by the door, waiting for her to open up first.'
"He said…" Eri continues.
"Peter Pan, that's what they call me." I sing again, my eyes fixed on hers. "I promise that you'll never be lonely…"
'I promised that she'd always be safe. Even then… I haven't been lonely since.'
"And ever since that day…" We vocalise together as the tempo shifts. Soft drums beat beneath the piano as the pace picks up.
"I am a lost soul from Neverland…" Our voices rise together, unintentionally in sync.
"Usually hanging out with, Peter Pan…" Eri sing happily, reaching out to grab my hand. I hold hers gently and she squeezes my hand and swings it slightly like she's dancing in a field rather than standing on a karaoke stage.
"And when we're bored, we play in the woods… always on the run from Captain Hook…" Her hand tightens slightly around mine, as her voice cracks slightly.
I squeeze it back reassuringly. 'Kai isn't here anymore. You're safe now.' I convey, and she relaxes once more.
"Run, run, Lost Soul…" I say as I lift her and pull her into a comforting hug.
"They say to me…" Eri echoes.
"Away from all of… reality…" I cradle her gently, swaying side to side in rhythm with the song. I sing the next line—not just to her, but for her.
"Neverland is home to lost souls like me… and lost souls like me are free…" We sing together as we hug each other tightly. "Neverland is home to lost souls like me… and lost souls like me are free…"
Even as we follow the lyrics, we reaffirm to each other that were free and safe in our very own Neverland. Away from all that could harm us.
'You're safe, Eri.' I think, squeezing her tightly.
(Eri POV – Karaoke Box)
"He's sprinkled me in pixie dust and told me to believe… believe in him and believe in me…"
I sing softly, my voice trembling slightly.
My grip tightens gently around the microphone, but I'm not afraid. Because Kata's holding me, and the music flows like magic, whispering into my mind just like he said it would. The lyrics, the melody… everything comes naturally.
As I sing, my heart swells with warmth. I remember the night he found me—when he knelt beside me, held out his hand, and said he wanted to be my hero.
And he was…
'He still is.'
"Together, we will fly away in a cloud of green…" Our voices blend together, smooth and steady, and I can almost feel it again—that night sky above me, the wind in my hair as we flew.
'We really flew… above everything. I was free.'
I glance up at him as we sing, and he's already looking at me. His soft smile warms my like sunlight.
"To your beautiful destiny…" He sings gently, and I catch my breath.
'My destiny?'
I never thought I had one.
I used to think my future would be dark—always hurting, always alone. But now, I'm here his arms, singing about the past and not hurting…
I know the truth.
'He's my destiny.'
The next line flows from my lips like I've always known it.
"As we soared above the town that never loved me…" We sing together, our voices meeting perfectly.
My throat tightens as I remember that place. That dark room, the cold chair, the experiments… the endless pain.
But now… now I'm smiling.
"I realised, I finally had a family…" My voice cracks on the last word. I can't help it.
Tears build in my eyes, but they don't fall just yet. Instead, I wrap my arms around Kata's neck, burying my face in his chest.
He doesn't stop singing. He just shifts his posture, one arm wrapping around me, his free hand gently stroking my back in time with the music.
'Family…' A quiet sob slips out. 'I have a family. Kata chose me… and I chose him.'
I squeeze him tighter, like if I hold him close enough, nothing can ever take him away.
"Soon enough, we reached Neverland…" We sing together again, my voice wavering, but I don't stop singing.
"Peacefully, my feet hit the sand…" The music slows again, soft and steady as I finish the line.
"And ever since that day…"
I close my eyes.
'Ever since that day… I've had a home. I've been loved… I've had him.'
I don't stop the tears anymore. They fall, as if my body has finally realised I'm allowed to be this happy.
"I am a lost soul from Neverland…"
We sing again, Kata's voice grounding mine.
I blink away the tears and smile through the sobs, because this pain isn't hurting me. It's healing me.
'We were both lost souls, weren't we? But somehow… we found each other.'
"Usually hanging out with Peter Pan…" I sing alone.
My gaze drifts upward—and he's already looking at me like I'm his whole world. I smile and meet his eyes.
"And when we're bored, we play in the woods…" We sing together again.
He sways us gently side to side, and I let my head rest against his shoulder.
Even when the music turns soft again, and the room falls quiet save for our voices, I don't feel exposed. Even when the memories of Overhaul start to rise, I don't flinch.
'Because Kata's arms are around me, and I feel… safe.'
"Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Wendy Darling…" My voice shakes again. My heart is overflowing.
"Even Captain Hook… you are my perfect storybook…" Tears slide down my cheeks in quiet rivers… but I'm still smiling."
Because I needed all of it. The pain. The rescue. The love.
'Without it… I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't have met Kata. I wouldn't have a family.'
"Neverland, I love you so…" We sing, looking into each other's eyes—my whole soul pouring into the words.
"You are now my home sweet home…" We continue, our voices full of warmth.
And even if no one else in the world understands what this means to us, we do.
He does.
"Forever a lost soul at last…"
We hold the last note together, and as soon as it ends, I cry into him, unable to continue singing.
Kata's hand rubs gentle circles along my back as I whisper in my heart.
'If I'm a lost soul… then I never want to be found.'
(Mina POV – Karaoke Box)
I'm crying.
Momo's crying even more, her shoulders trembling as she tries to hide behind a tissue.
And the others—Toru, Jiro, Uraraka, even Tsuyu—have tears in their eyes, clinging stubbornly to the edge of their lashes, not yet ready to fall.
It's a song I've never heard before. Not one from the karaoke list. But that didn't matter.
Because the way they sang it… the way they held each other… it was more than just music.
It was their truth.
It was their story.
And it hit deeper than anything I was ready for.
'It seemed personal.' The thought echoes in my head as I wipe a tear from my cheek.
Their voices sounded vulnerable… like an old wound being exposed. I didn't understand everything. There were parts that carried meanings only they could truly understand…but I understood enough.
Kata's quietness. The distance he keeps from everyone. The scars he removed. His apathy...
I used to think it was trauma. A bad family, probably even abuse. And when he mentioned his parents died in a fire and he wasn't sad about it, I thought… maybe he was just numb.
I tried to be there. I offered to listen, to talk, to be someone he could lean on.
But now I realise—
'I wasn't the person he needed.'
He needed a family.
And he found it in Eri.
As the song fades out, the room is blanketed in a silence so thick it feels impossible to oppose. The only sound is Eri's soft sniffling into Kata's shoulder, and his hand patting her back comfortingly.
Everyone watches, frozen in place, finally seeing a side of Kata we would've probably never witnessed otherwise.
No one moves. No one speaks. Not out of fear or awkwardness, but out of respect.
Even the boys who rarely cry—Kirishima, Kaminari, and even Kota—have tears slipping down their cheeks.
And yet, the one person who should be crying… isn't.
Kata's calm. He's as tranquil and peaceful as a lake as he holds Eri like she's his most precious treasure.
But I heard the hurt and pain in his voice as he sang.
'He's hurting too… but he's being strong for Eri.'
Because that's what she needs.
And it hits me hard—he's always been strong for her.
He's been her Peter Pan. Saved and protected her.
'But who's his? Who can Kata get to lean on when he hurts?'
I look around and realize I'm not the only one thinking it. The whole class is watching them the same way. Torn between the instinct to comfort, and the fear of intruding on something deeply personal.
It's their moment… their bond. Their family.
We don't want to interrupt.
But then—Eri looks up.
She peeks over Kata's shoulder, her cheeks streaked with tears and flushed red. But she's smiling.
And she meets my eyes.
Neither with sadness nor shame, but… invitation?
She smiles softly at me… then at Momo… then Kaminari, Kirishima, Toru, even Aoyama and Sero. She nods just a little—encouraging… welcomingly. She's letting us into their world.
I turn and meet Momo's gaze, and she already knows. She nods, her hand reaching out first.
We step forward, slowly and cautiously, afraid we might've misread her.
Kata doesn't flinch.
He watches us approach, his face unchanging, and lets out a long, resigned sigh.
In Kata language… that means "fine."
Momo seems to get it too, because her shoulders relax as she moves closer.
And then—like a floodgate breaking—everyone follows.
It starts with Toru, who runs up and gently wraps her arms around both of them, and hugging them tightly with her eyes closed. Then Kirishima claps a hand on Kata's shoulder, his usual grin softened by misty eyes, as he tries his best not to cry and ruin his "manly" image. Kaminari's right behind, sniffling but smiling, and even Jiro awkwardly joins in from the side.
Then Uraraka, Sero, Tsuyu… even Aoyama in his dramatic flair, arms open wide.
No one says anything. It's not necessary.
We form a ring around them, folding into one huge, trembling, heartfelt embrace. Some cry. Some just close their eyes. Some squeeze tightly. Some just rest their hands on Kata or Eri's back.
And somehow… Kata stays standing.
Even with all of us leaning in, clinging, crying—he remains our center. Our pillar. Just as he has since becoming the class president.
But this time, he's not standing alone.
We let him know that he doesn't have to carry everything by himself anymore. That no matter how strong he is, we'll be strong with him.
And I think… I know… he understands it.
Even if he doesn't reply with words.
Even if he just sighs again and stares at the ceiling like we're all ridiculous.
He lets us in.
He lets us stay.
And I think he's finally fully accepted us.
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A/N: Hello Everyone. If you've enjoyed the chapter and book so far, please consider leaving me some comments, reviews, or powerstones. It really helps the book out.
Phew. I think this chapter was amazing (maybe I'm getting too cocky🤣), but yeah. I think the song was an almost perfect fit. I had to skip repeating the chorus again, since it'd be redundant and would take too long.
It's honestly kinda weird. The karaoke scene was meant to get Jiro, but that's been scrapped, yet it's too late to abandon it, so here we went. On the positive side, this gives Kata the chance to form closer bonds with everyone else in class (and yes, I'm still aware of Aoyama). So next chap will be how Kata feels about it. Then we'll jump back into canon, following the battle trials and a few other things overall. Finally! Some action!😂
Let me know how I did with the songs. I personally would've preferred if the thoughts between each line sang were timed well enough for the average reader to listen to the song and read those in between the gaps between lyrics. But I think that's too much for my skills or sanity.
You can also read 10 chapters ahead and support me at [email protected]/AMV_WEAKLY
Anyway, that's all from me. I hope you all had a wonderful day😁