A/N: More plot bunnies!
Taylor stood in her living room. Staring down the white haired boy sprawled across her family couch. And his open briefcase literally filled to the brim with various denominations of American dollars. Her questioning gaze drifted back towards the young man. Taylor raised an eyebrow. He shrugged. She sighed in frustration while massaging her eyes with both hands. Taylor glanced once more at the couch, before shoving the boy off slightly and taking a seat. She sunk deep into the comfortable cushions. The boy huffed slightly before reclaiming his position and settling his head on her lap. Taylor raised an eyebrow again. This time, the boy ignored her while pulling out a phone and fiddling with it. Giving up, she absentmindedly stroked the young man's white locks. This…was the single most infuriating dumbass she had ever met in her life! It hasn't even been a full day since the PRT left him with her family! She winded her hand back before delivering a particularly vicious swat to the back of his head.
"Son of a bitch!" The albino youth shouted as he shot up to a sitting position while clutching his skull. He twisted around and sent a fierce glare at the girl. Taylor didn't flinch, she just stared back, almost bored.
"What the hell was that for?!" He snarled. Taylor thought it was cute. Like a baby Rottweiler. A few hours with the other teen had quickly desensitized the young lady. Even if she lost her ahem to him, it didn't really mean much. Especially after he pretty much broke into her house, dropped some cash from his briefcase on the counter and just brazenly set himself up in the guest room. Apparently, a hasty denial meant "Go on right ahead!" to the PRT and Protectorate. So now she was stuck with a new housemate. She shook herself out of her thoughts before replying.
"Felt like it." She said dismissively. Taylor watched the boy as he huffed to himself in anger once more, before he plopped his head back onto her lap. She went back to playing with Accelerator's soft locks. Even though this was certainly a weird situation, it was...nice. She supposed. Didn't stop her from thinking about the fact that she was apparently catnip to jerks though.
One day later.
Accelerator was rapidly oscillating between two states of emotions. Severe boredom and severe anger. Specifically, he started out extremely agitated after completing his damn required service hours. Then, he wandered around the city in absentminded boredom. However, eventually he became annoyed with doing nothing. So he got angry. Then bored once again. Such a vicious cycle. At least it was less tedious than his Idol work.
He idly walked a few more blocks around the city before exhaling slowly through his teeth. Gah! How the hell did normal people spend their time? It's not like he needed a job, and it's not like he needed to go to school with his abilities. He stopped abruptly, interrupting the foot traffic. A few pedestrians muttered in annoyance and side stepped the white haired boy. Didn't that girl, Tay or whatever, go to a school nearby?
He stopped a nearby pedestrian and asked for directions to the nearest high school. Weird looks aside, the man gave fairly comprehensive directions. He grunted in thanks before jumping on to the roof of a nearby building. Slap the great Master Accelerator, huh? His vengeance will be swift and embarrassing!
Taylor furiously shoved her books into her bag. One by one, they quickly disappeared with a angry whip of her arm. Today, was not a good day in the least! Three failed homework turn-ins thanks to the damned Trio and their lackeys. She went to grab another textbook, but hissed in pain when she palmed it at an angle. And a sprained wrist, from being tripped in gym class. She clenched her teeth as she put her bag down so she could massage the pained joint. She let out a sigh of relief as the sharp sensation reduced to a dull soreness.
Hoping that she could deal with the rest of the day peacefully, Taylor grabbed her lunch from her locker, and made her way to her sixth period break. She looked around the hallway as she walked down towards the cafeteria. Seeing a small group of her tormentors, Taylor ducked into one of the unoccupied classrooms before they noticed her. As she watched them leave from the door window, she considered just sitting down and eating her lunch in peace. Eating alone in silence had to be better than eating alone in open ridicule, she grimaced.
Slipping out of the classroom, Taylor ran directly into a leg. Once more, she tripped, though this time she suffered far less injury. The same could not be said for her brown-bag lunch. As soon as it landed away from her, a pearl colored track shoe slammed into it.
"Oops. Sorry about that! Although, it's not like you needed it anyways." A snarky voice said, followed by a couple of giggles. Taylor didn't even bother looking up. She was better off just letting them laugh and walk away instead of trying to challenge anyways. The giggling tapered off, and eventually the multiple pairs of legs surrounding her walked away. She sighed. She picked up the remains of her lunch, peanut butter and jelly soaking through the bag, and potato crumbles leaking out one of the many openings. Without even a second more of consideration, she tossed it into the nearby trash can. She looked for somewhere to sit out the rest of period, and maybe catch up on some studying.
She sneaked past one of the roving teachers, and sat down in one of the multitude of stairwells that occupied the school. Quietly as possible, she pulled out one of her notebooks and got started on some of her make up work.
Accelerator frowned. He had only been lurking around for barely an hour and what he'd seen so far in this "school" disgusted him. Blatant racism, a disinterested faculty, and a shitty curriculum were quite literally the first things that came to mind when he thought of Winslow High School. He deftly tripped one of the skinheads that were trying to mess with him. Another fell to a sucker punch when the bastard made a grab for the plastic bag he was holding. He scowled. No one was going to touch Accelerator's inarizushi and live. Another well placed snap kick dissuaded the last thug.
"Tch. Weak as hell…" He said absentmindedly. Exploring the school some more, the white haired teen tried to find the daughter of his unofficial landlord. He couldn't exactly place why he cared so much about someone that he had barely a day of interaction with. The fact that they had been intimate was actually the furthest reason in his mind, honestly. Spying the curly locks of black hair ducking into a classroom, the young man decided to wait. While sneaking into a school of such high population had been easy, it wouldn't exactly be easy to sneak into a class of thirty recognizable faces. However, when a few girls peeled off from the normal foot traffic, Accelerator became intrigued.
He watched as they set themselves up on the sides of the door. A few seconds later, Tay came out and immediately stumbled onto the ground. Then, one of the girls had the audacity to destroy the contents of the bag the black haired girl was carrying. A few seconds later, they all walked by him, stifling giggles and laughter. He turned back towards the other girl, and watched as she defeatedly tossed the remains of her lunch into a nearby trashcan. Accelerator scowled. The Accelerator of the past would have probably laughed. Hell, he probably would have joined in on the deriding. Put down the weak so that they could never challenge him. He watched as she briskly walked away from the classroom, as though nothing had happened. He followed. Curse Yoshikawa, curse Aiho, curse Last Order, and curse his now bleeding heart.
He quieted the sound he made by reflecting the vectors of the noise energy back in. He was silent as he opened the stairwell door and walked down the steps to greet the other girl. He sat down next to her and sighed while placing his bag to the side. Tay, so focused on whatever studies she was working on, let out a squeak of startlement, before calming down once she realized who it was. He watched as her face flitted through a potpourri of emotions, most of which resembled confusion. She settled on glaring at him apprehensively. Fumbling with the plastic bag, Accelerator pulled out a black case with a clear plastic lid. He quickly popped open the plastic, and haphazardly offered the box to the girl.
Taylor looked at her new housemate strangely. From what she knew, the guy was a full time hero, even though he was only seventeen or so. And, he was a genius, given the fact that when she googled him, there were a few doctorate level research articles on theoretical physics already published in his name. So, sitting in a dumpy stairwell of a cruddy school was completely below her image of him. He shook the box in front of her slightly. Right, he was offering her food. She looked at the case. Inside were about five or six small wraps. From what she could see, it looked like some sort of fried food stuffed with rice, fish, and ginger from the smell. She plucked one out of the box. It retreated back to the other side before the boy took one as well.
Taylor watched as the boy took a large bite of his, before biting into hers as well. It was greasy, and a bit much too savory for her. She always was a light eater. But, it was good. She relaxed into the step behind her and took another bite. A few moments later, she had finished her wrap. The boy offered another, and she snatched one quickly, eliciting a slight snort in reaction. She pouted at him.
In the middle of her current wrap, she heard the crack of an aluminum can, and the telltale fizz of carbonation. Looking over, she saw that Accelerator had a can of beer. Seeing her questioning look, the teen shrugged.
"Diplomatic immunity." He said nonchalantly. Seeing his utter disregard for the law, Taylor felt a bit whimsical. Swiping the can from him, she took a bite and a sip. It was the first time she actually tasted alcohol. From what she could remember, the liquor she shared with Accelerator earlier was completely bland besides the burn of poison. She swished the combination of food and liquid in her mouth. It was a mix of bitter-sweet, sour, and saltiness. She swallowed. Accelerator swiped the can back from her with a disgruntled look before continuing eating. They sat there, chewing and sipping. Accelerator broke the silence first.
"Why…" He started, confusion plastered across his face. Taylor watched his red eyes, shining with something she couldn't identify. He closed his mouth, and took another bite, chewing both his words and food, letting them dance across his tongue in search of the right combination.
"Why do you not fight back?" He finished. Taylor sat there, contemplating the question. She didn't know why, but she wanted to be honest. Maybe it was the half a beer she had, but she wanted to let someone, anyone know.
"Because, the harder you push, the harder they push back." She said quietly. And it was true. Her peers abandoned her. Her teachers ignored her. And the administration failed her. She was the footnote in someone else's story. It felt like the world was dead set on making her small. Accelerator nodded, and swirled the the last sips in the can before downing it all in one.
"Tsuno o tamete ushi o korosu." He ventured forth. Taylor stared at him in confusion, before Accelerator chuckled at her look.
"It means, 'To kill a bull by straightening its horns.'" He explained. Taylor looked at him like he had gone insane this time. He frowned, and grabbed a second can from the bag before cracking it.
"It's an old proverb. Bulls use their bowed horns to stop other bulls from running them through. But, straight horns make it easier to kill humans. So, do you guarantee a bull's death by straightening its horns? Or do you choose the safer path of killing the bull by allowing it to retain its curved horns?" He took a fresh sip from the new can. Taylor digested the saying for a bit.
"Are… are you saying I should fight?" She asked hesitantly. She watched a frown mar Accelerator's boyish face before replying.
"No. If you fight back, they will put you through a greater hell in an attempt to cull you. If you cower, however, they will continue to put you through hell." He said, rolling his head back and staring at the ceiling. Taylor nodded. Fighting may be the right decision, but was the pain worth it? That was what Accelerator was saying. It was a few more moments before Accelerator said something that caused her train of thought to stumble.
"If...if something like this happens again, call me. I despise weaklings that pick on those even weaker than them." He whispered as he handed her his phone to trade numbers. Taylor, unsure how to respond, simply accepted. She entered his number under the name Axel, and put herself as Taylor.
"I won't call." She said calmly. He reeled on her in surprise, red eyes wide, and mouth open to protest. Taylor held her hand up to calm him down.
"I won't call. I don't need someone to fight my battles for me." Taylor explained. And, she felt it was the right thing to do. Letting Accelerator fight her battles, someone who was strong in ways she knew she couldn't understand, undermined her own sense of self. It took a while for Accelerator to digest what Taylor had said, but his reaction was spontaneous. He started laughing. Taylor stared at him oddly. It was...different. It wasn't cold and biting like she had expected it to be, but genuinely cheerful. She giggled as well. It was contagious honestly. After calming herself, she spoke again.
"But," she continued, "I appreciate the offer. And, maybe I'll call the next time I 'lose' my lunch." Then the bell rung, and in a spur of the moment, Taylor kissed him on the cheek in thanks before grabbing everything and running to her next class.
Accelerator sat there. Nursing his drink. It would only be a few minutes before the stairwell was flooded with students, but he truly didn't care. He palmed his cheek. That girl. So aggressive. He took another sip. Kamijou Touma. The boy who could defeat the strongest. The boy that made even Accelerator grit his teeth out of respect. This feeling. Where Accelerator's heart stirred. He wanted to forget the world and drown in this feeling. It was why he lived with those three knuckleheads. And it was what Kamijou fought for. He stood up, gathered the trash, and walked out the door, masquerading as a student once more. There were worse things to fight for, he supposed.
A/N: I like Accelerator too much. He's so fun to write. Mainly because he didn't start as the hero, but the villain, a genuine villain, that converted slowly.
I don't know how long it might take before the hero stuff starts, but this is fun as is. Probably next chapter, which would be soon too.
Thanks for reading, please review :D