Chapter 10: Midnight Musings
Midnight
Nemuri walked the streets, her Boys never far behind, but far enough to let her think. She thought about her children's first days at school as she walked. So far, the night had been quiet. She had been most worried about Joey and was happy to know he had made friends with Eri, along with other friends like Higashikata Jougo and Yamato Rukia. Marie's fight with Midoriya hadn't gone like she thought it would, yet Marie held no grudge, and even seemed to like Midoriya-kun more afterwards; and encouraged Joey not to hold her injury against him. "Accidents happen when you spar," she had told her little brother, "And besides, I think this counts as a draw anyway." The rest of the day was uneventful, Marie was staying at the U.A. Dorms while Joey was asleep in his bed at Nemuri's apartment with a babysitter watching him. The girl was starstruck when she realized she was babysitting for the Eighteen Plus Hero, and actually worked this first night for free, after Nemuri gave her an autograph.
She hated that she hadn't had time to be the 'Fun Mom.' Unfortunately, between her two jobs and hiring tutors for Joey to teach him Japanese and Marie to help her adapt to her blindness, she just didn't have the time to really have any bonding moments, to go out and show Marie and Joey what it was really like in Japan, to take them to places, festivals, maybe a park or museum. But so far, the most bonding time the new family had had was playing board games and watching TV.
Marie had accepted her, the good and bad, to Midnight's relief. They would talk after Marie sang Joey to sleep with an Indian lullaby. Marie didn't fully understand it, but she had heard Joey's late Mother, Mysa, sing it enough time to imitate it. Midnight didn't hold anything back, if Marie asked, she answered honestly. She told her about her life and lovers, what Joseph had been like when they were together. Those times were the worst, as Marie would happily cry at the memories of her dead Father.
Midnight was driven from her thoughts at the sound of people screaming. "BOYS! TO ME!" Midnight ordered, and her Midnight Boys immediately followed her as she ran to the sound of people screaming. They saw a villain that looked like a pink furred gorilla wearing jeans and armed with a large mallet. The villain yelled as he swung his mallet at a car, sending it flying. "Sanjuro!" Midnight yelled. Sanjuro immediately lifted his hands and used his Quirk, Ferrokinesis, to slowly bring the flying car down. Midnight cracked her whip, grabbing the gorilla villain's attention and signaling for her three other Boys to surround the villain.
"Hey big boy! Is that a hammer or are you just happy to see me?" she taunted him as she prepared to tear one of her sleeves off. The gorilla villain laughed, and then the mallet seemed to melt, and then mold itself into a mask. "SHIT!" Midnight yelled as she quickly tore her sleeve, releasing her sleeping fragrance. She was too late though, the gorilla villain put the mask over his mouth and nose, and then charged at her as fast as he could. Midnight just managed to side step the villain and swung her whip in time for her whip to crack right next to his ear. The villain screamed in pain and gave her time to use her whip one more time to smack the mask off the villain's face. Midnight tore her sleeve a little more, and this time her fragrance worked its magic, and the gorilla villain fell asleep.
"MISTRESS!" her Boys all yelled as they went to her. "Detain him," Midnight ordered, all business as she picked up the mask that had been a mallet. Police appeared and Midnight handed over the mask while her Boys helped carry the gorilla villain to the waiting police van. "This needs to be analyzed immediately," Midnight told the officers, "I don't know if that villain had another Quirk, but when we first arrived on the scene, this mask was a mallet. I haven't seen such technology before, we might encounter more things like this." "Right away!" officers saluted as Crime Technicians took the mask.
Midnight sighed, and then felt something in her corset vibrate. She pulled out her phone and saw that her patrol time was up. Midnight turned to leave as members of the Press snapped pictures and yelled for answers. Midnight turned and held her whip, and then seductively licked her lips. The reporters ate it up, and Midnight was soon surrounded by her Boys as they headed back to her Agency. Once they arrived, Midnight took off her domino mask and went to her locker room to change into her civilian attire, which was flatteringly tight jeans and a warm but snug sweater, with sneakers and regular socks for her feet.
She passed her Boys on the way out and said, "Good job today, Boys. I hope you're ready for next week." "I will miss working for you, Mistress," Ichiro told her. "We all will," Niichiro and Shiro both said, and Sanjuro quietly nodded. Midnight put her hands on all of their shoulders and said, "You were the greatest sidekicks a Hero could ask for. You will all be amazing Heroes."
Nemuri left them then; and headed for a bar that was close by her apartment, Miyata's Mixer. She went in and saw that Aizawa was at the bar, nursing his favorite cocktail, Jack and Ginger. She sat beside him and ordered a Triple Screaming Orgasm. "Long night?" Aizawa asked her. "Something like that," Nemuri said, and told him about the gorilla villain encounter. "I'd heard rumors that some villains were experimenting with new tech, but nothing solid," Aizawa said, "You might have just gotten the first solid lead in the investigation."
Nemuri had a sip of her cocktail, "I'll try to keep on top of it then. However, that's not what I wanted to talk about." Aizawa grunted in a way to show he was still listening. "It's about Joey. Marie and I, we've managed to make a good relationship. I was honestly surprised, but she accepted me as her Mother faster than I thought she would. But Joey…he hasn't said anything to me, but I feel like there's a…distance. Is it because Marie is my biological daughter, and Joey isn't? Have I messed up somehow? I want to try to be the best Mother for both of them that I can be…but something is between me and Joey." Nemuri had another sip as Aizawa thought about it.
"Why ask me?" Aizawa finally asked. "I've seen how Eri-chan is with you," Nemuri explained, "That girl loves you, the only ones who are equal in her heart are Midoriya-kun and Togata-kun for how they saved her. You took a girl who experienced the kind of things that would make anyone doubt that there was any goodness in the human race, who also has quite possibly the most powerful Quirk in the world, and saved her soul, and managed to raise her enough that she could go to a normal school and interact with children her age. Like it or not, you're a miracle maker."
"She didn't have much choice, I was the only one who could watch her, and stop her if necessary. We basically had to cram years of schooling. Thankfully, after being exiled from the world for so long, she was eager to know all about it once she had the chance. She's a sponge for learning. However, it took months to get her there. To get her to trust me. You're on the same boat I was, Kayama, stuck with a child you have barely any connection with. But, unlike Eri-chan, Joey-chan isn't as horribly traumatized, and you've had him for months now. The best advice I can give you is to just talk with him," Aizawa told her. "That's…simple," Nemuri said. "You'll have to listen to him, and if he asks for a change, at least consider it. This is just a guess, but you might be embarrassing him without realizing it," Aizawa then said.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Nemuri challenged. "Just something to consider," Aizawa told her, and then finished his Jack and Ginger. "This one's on me. We'll say you owe me one later," Nemuri said as she paid for his drink and her own. "It's your money," Aizawa said as she finished her drink and they left. Aizawa hailed a taxi and it went to Nemuri's apartment first since it was closer. "Kayama," Aizawa said as she started to get up. "Yes?" she asked. "Last word of advice; be ready to hear things you don't want to hear. I'll pay for the cab. We're even," Aizawa said as he shut the door. Nemuri went up to her apartment and thanked the babysitter, Kaoru was her name, and after seeing that Joey was still asleep, went to get some sleep herself in her room. She'd talk to Joey tomorrow.