Momo gripped the cement edge of the stairway, her lungs still burning from the mad dash back to the base. If they were going to spend this much time running, she had better start getting into shape. Behind her, she could hear Kano and Kido arguing, Kano with an overly casual laugh as he suggested they just keep exposing her to crowds until she learned how to control her ability.
She know he didn't mean any harm. He couldn't possibly understand the mortified twist in her heart as everyone's eyes turned to her. If she was a natural at conversation like he was, she supposed she'd have far less trouble with it. But as it was, the gaze of strangers turned her into a fumbling mess with a wooden tongue, and she only ended up disappointing them further.
Kido snapped back that they couldn't do that, it would draw too much attention to them as a group. Momo wilted just a tiny bit more, bowing her head and focusing her eyes on the reddening scrapes and grazes on her knees. If she hadn't fallen down, if she hadn't made so much noise, they could have gone unnoticed for the rest of the trip. She wondered how many people had snapped pictures of her just now. She wondered where they'd post them online, what the commenters would say about a clumsy and useless star like her.
The sun beat down on the top of her head, the ginger strands heating up in the light and starting to burn, and Momo laced her fingers over the spot, folding her hands behind her head with a sigh. It was impossible.
A ring of chill touched her knuckles.
She shrieked, whirling around and rubbing her hands only to find member number two seated on the step behind her, a wide grin on his face and a water bottle held out in one hand. It was the water bottle that had touched her fingers, the frosted condensation a shock in the warm day.
"Sorry about that!" Seto said, with a little chuckle for his mistake, and Momo took the offered drink with hesitant hands. The icy feeling was a relief, and rather than drink it at first she rolled the plastic container between her palms, trying to leech more of the pleasant temperature for herself.
She hadn't spent nearly as much time with Seto as she had with the others members of the group. As far as she could tell, that was because he was rarely home, compared to his foster siblings who seemed not to have much of a life outside of the gang.
Still, she didn't feel anxious or embarrassed around him. It's not like he was a stranger. She pinned the water bottle between her knees and cracked open the cap.
"I hear you guys had a fun escape from another crowd today," Seto commented, leaning back with his elbows on the stair behind him. His voice was light, with no hint of mockery or disappointment in it. It was the same casual air with which someone might comment on the weather.
Nonetheless, Momo's mood immediately plummeted. She stalled slightly, sipping from the water bottle to give herself time.
"I couldn't control it," she said finally, giving a little laugh that came out far more self-deprecating than she had intended. The clear plastic crunched in her hand. "They keep saying I'll be able to, but I can't control it." She willed herself to stop talking, to stop saying personal things to this boy that she knew only through association, mostly.
"What happens when you try?" Mild curiosity was the only sense she was getting from him, and she was relieved that she hadn't ended up discussing this with, say, Kano.
She ran her free hand through her short hair, grabbing her bangs and tugging on them as if to jog her brain. What was it like, when people started looking at her? "When someone notices me…they yell out my name, and then I can't concentrate. And then more people see me, and then it's a crowd, and even if I don't look their voices are too much, they're all trying to get my attention—" Her own voice rose in volume as she tried to describe it, wrapping an arm around her knees to protect herself.
A warm hand settled on her shoulder, and she trailed off, glancing up at him. The sun burned her eyes and she was suddenly hyper-aware of the tears that must be swimming in them. Seto was smiling at her, and as she glanced up he asked her, "Would you mind coming with me?"
She barely even had the chance to stammer out a non-committal answer when he bounded to his feet, opening the door to the apartment and calling in, "We're going out! Don't miss us!"
Then she was scrambling to re-cap the water bottle as he hooked a hand in her elbow and pulled her to her feet, towing her down the street. "A-ah, slow down—" she stammered, and he obligingly matched his pace to hers, letting go of her elbow.
"Kano only learned his ability by using it all the time," Seto said, without any real preamble, and she glanced over at his nostalgic smile. "That won't work for you, 'caus you'll always be too flustered to concentrate on learning."
"Kano's a little cold inside, huh," Momo said, her voice dry, and Seto laughed and didn't deny it.
They took a turn down a side alley, and Momo was grateful they were avoiding the crowds. All the same, she pulled up the fabric of the pink hood, just in case they came across someone. It wasn't until they exited the alleyway that he spoke again, picking up his story like he'd never stopped.
"Ah, and then Kido's a little hard on you I think because she'd hard on herself… She only really controlled her ability with help in the beginning, you know, but she doesn't like to think about it…"
Momo wondered if he should really be spilling their secrets in such a careless voice, but at the same time, she was fascinated. She hadn't thought of Kido in such a way before, and now it was hard to reconcile the thought of Kido needing help with something like that. She seemed so confident and nonchalant about using her eye ability, though Momo thought she could see the viewpoint of Kido being too hard on herself.
She wondered if he was going to tell her about himself or Mary and how they'd gotten control over their respective abilities when he stopped, pausing just outside a run-down shop. He tilted his head to the side like he was listening, then turned to smile at her.
"There's only one person inside, and it's the cashier. Follow me inside and do your best not to be noticed, okay?"
"What?" Momo squawked, looking from him to the store windows. She hadn't expected to be tested so soon on her discipline. But he was already disappearing through the door, which rang like a bell when he opened it. Momo squeezed her hand into a fist and counted to three before following him with tight, quick steps.
The bell rang too when she pushed open the door, but the cashier didn't glance her way. Seto was talking animatedly to him and taking up all his attention.
"Did you end up getting all those tapes erased? Sorry about that, I never thought he'd do such a thing—" Seto was saying with a laugh, waving his hand in an apologetic gesture. Momo looked around and realized it was vhs rental store. So, that sort of thing still existed? No wonder it was so empty.
Momo browsed the bargain bin with hands that trembled with nervousness, the titles passing in a blur before her unseeing eyes. She tried to think of herself as small, as unremarkable. Definitely not as a face you'd see on a magazine cover. She kept glancing up at the cashier, but not once did he look her way, too distracted by the cheerful eddy of words from Seto.
"No, I don't actually know where he got the camera either…Ahh, I'm glad it didn't cause you guys too much trouble…" she overheard, flipping around some atrocious children's cgi movie to read the back.
Suddenly the conversation cut off, and she realized they'd said goodbye and she hadn't even noticed. She kept her head bowed as Seto passed her, shakily putting the tape back in the bin. When the bell had run behind her, she pivoted and fled, and if the cashier stared at the back of her pink hoodie in confusion as she went, at least he didn't recognize her.
She tumbled out into the street and Seto caught her shoulders before she could go haring off down the street. "Hey, now that wasn't so bad, right?" He beamed at her, and she had to admit that it hadn't been. "Sometimes you want it hard enough but you only know enough to concentrate on one person at a time, you know?" Momo didn't quite understand, but he seemed pretty proud of himself.
"Now time to try two people!" he declared, and she jolted again.
"Wait! No, can we just go home?" It was hot outside, and she got the feeling if she didn't stop him quickly, he'd take them to every half-abandoned store in the city. His enthusiasm was infectious though, and she felt a little drop of confidence at the realization that she'd just done it, she'd controlled her power even with a shop bell to announce her presence. She could do this.
"How's tomorrow for you?" she asked, flashing him a grin, and he looked startled.
"You shouldn't need me from now on," he protested, but it was her turn to grab his arm, determination on her side.
"Nope, you're my good luck charm now! Clear your calendar." She wouldn't be dissuaded.