Chapter 12: My Own Worst Enemy
The students received the next two days of school off to recuperate, so Maddie again found some free time. She helped Ersaserhead and Vlad King go through the internship offers for their students, and was happily surprised to see that most of the students had gotten offers. They had done well in the festival and had caught the attention of many eyes. When she got to Midoriya's name, however, she saw that no one had wanted him as an intern. She felt bad for him, but she could understand the agencies' reasoning. Who would want to have a student around who was such a liability? Recovery Girl was right, he really needed to work on the use of his quirk
When the paperwork was all done and sorted, Maddie wandered around the school a little, slightly hoping to run into Toshinori since she hadn't seen him yet after the festival. She didn't feel comfortable calling him, not after their awkward conversations yesterday. They were supposed to be friends, but for some reason, now that the fact was established, she felt even more strange being around him, and yet she still wanted to see him. She already missed his stupid smile.
She opened a room she hadn't been in before, still lost in thought, and realized she had stumbled into some sort of small auditorium that looked like it was set up for musical performances. There was a small stage and the room was lined with acoustic panels. She explored even more, coming upon a closet that held a few musical instruments and equipment. She didn't know UA had a music department? Well, it was a high school after all. Nobody was there…and she was a little bored…maybe she should get a little practicing in?
Maddie picked up a black electric guitar and amp to go with it. She moved them to the center of the stage and began picking at the strings, making sure the guitar was tuned and the amp was working properly. Once satisfied, she gave the guitar a nice strum and pressed down on the strings of the neck, making it wail. The room reflected the sound all around her and she smiled at the quality acoustics. "Nice," she said and then began picking out the chorus to a song she knew by heart and enjoyed playing.
Please tell me whyyyyyyy
My car is in the front yard
And I'm
Sleeping with my clothes oooooon
I came in through the window
Last night
And you're gone
Gooone
After the first tentative notes were played, she really started to get into it, putting all her passion and confused emotions into the electric guitar and just closing her eyes and listening. She sang the lines, getting louder and more confident with each strum. It felt so good to just let loose and play. Who cares if she wasn't acting like the professional grown woman that she should be, everyone needs to let off a little steam every once in a while. She finished her song with a furious swipe at the strings and just listened to the note fade out…that's when she heard the slow clapping.
Shit, someone had heard her playing!
Her eyes snapped open to see Present Mic standing by the door and clapping for her with a big smile on his face. "Right on, Sapphire! You should have told me you were going to be rocking out in here," he said.
She gasped, her face turning bright red as she stumbled to put the guitar down while it squealed in protest as she dropped it on the floor. "Ho-how long have you been standing there? I mean this-this is nothing I was just, uh, just testing it out." She was so mortified and embarrassed that someone had been watching her play…and he heard her sing! How could this get any worse.
"Why are you getting all upset?" Mic said as he approached the stage and picked the guitar back up. "You were really good! Nothing to be ashamed of here. A lot of musicians can play better than you, sure, but you really put your heart and soul into that. It was beautiful," he finished, faking moved tears and putting a hand over his heart. "So touching."
"Alright, you can stop making fun of me now and I will just slink back into the hole I came from," she said, making a move to turn off the amp.
"What? Are you crazy? You're never going back in your hole again if I have anything to say about it! I've been looking for someone with passion to jam with. So, what do you say? Want to play with me some time? Oooh, I know! Let's practice right now! Got any more of these?" the voice hero asked, completely ecstatic as he went to go check the music closet she had left open.
"Oh, I don't know Hizashi, I don't usually play with other people," Maddie said nervously.
"Come on, you're missing out! Playing with a band is the best," he replied coming over with another guitar. "I even know the song you were playing just a little, but I'm good with music so I'll pick up the rest easily enough. You have to sing it though, I'm a little shaky on the English lyrics."
He handed her the guitar she had been using and then strummed on his own. She looked at him, still unsure if she should play with him. Playing her guitar had always been more of a personal thing for her. She didn't like performing and especially didn't like people seeing her perform…but it could be fun, and Hizashi wasn't one to judge if she messed up. Besides, they were all adults here, no need to act like a nervous little school girl.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Well, alright, I guess I could give it a try," she complied.
"Three, two, one," Present Mic yelled and started strumming the first notes of the intro. Maddie caught up with him after a nervous start and soon they were easily jamming together, playing off each other's notes. Maddie only played the song at first, getting the hang of playing with someone rather than just herself, but once they had an easy rhythm built up, she gave the lyrics to the song a try. Her voice was quiet and weak at first, but with the nodding encouragement from Mic, she was soon becoming more confident in the song and was able to sing along with the music.
They finished with a bang and Mic gave her a big smile and a high five. "That was so cool, Maddie! You've got to say yes to playing with me again sometime! You've got a pretty good voice and some mad skills on the guitar!"
"Thanks, Hizashi, you're not too bad yourself," Maddie chuckled happily. She was proud of herself for actually letting go and having a good time with a friend instead of letting her fears hold her back.
"I know, you should perform a song at Midnight's party! She'd love it," Mic said.
"Midnight's party?"
"You haven't heard about it yet? Yeah, she usually has a big fun party at a nightclub after the sports festival. I'm sure she'll invite you too it once she gets a chance, and she'll be super excited to hear you have some musical talent," Mic explained.
"Look, this was really fun, just playing guitar with you, but I don't think I'd do well at a party with a bunch of other people. I'm not the most outgoing person when it comes to crowds. Just one other reason I didn't become a pro," Maddie explained with a nervous shrug.
"Just think about it, alright? I can help you put something together, it'd be really cool," Present Mic tried convincing her as he started to put the instruments back up.
"Yeah, well, maybe I'll think about it," Maddie said after putting the last of the equipment back in the supply closet. "Thanks for playing with me though, it was fun and helped me just get out a lot of frustration I had building up inside of me."
"The big guy giving you problems again?"
"And why would you assume it was All Might?"
"Because it always seems to be All Might."
"Ha, yeah, maybe you're right," Maddie chuckled as the two of them walked out of the music room together and into the hall.
"Look, I'm not Midnight or anything, so I don't know how much good advice I can really give you, but I can tell you that you really don't have anything to worry about," Mic said.
"What are you talking about?"
"He is very obviously into you. He's going to make a move on you sooner or later."
"Woah, Hizashi, I think you might have the wrong idea. He and I already discussed this at the sports festival and agreed we should just be friends and keep it professional. At least…I think that's what it meant, it was all a little confusing. Especially after the night before and all the tension I've felt—you know what, never mind, just don't worry about it, it's fine," Maddie tried explaining but faltered towards the end.
"You guys discussed it at the sports festival? What do you mean by the night before? You know, you sound pretty conflicted about something if you ask me. I don't think it's "fine" at all," Present Mic said with some disbelief.
"Look I'm telling you it is. Stop being so nosey. Let's just leave it alone right now, I don't feel like talking about it. I'm probably making way more out of this than it really is, or even was," she sighed thinking back on any signals she may have misread. He enjoyed spending time with her…they were good friends and got along well…but hadn't he tried to kiss her? She couldn't have misread that.
"All right, jamming buddy, if you say so then I won't bother you about it, but I'm here if you ever need to talk," Present Mic said, giving in a little.
"Thanks, Hizashi, you're a good friend."
Toshinori opened the door from the lounge and entered the school hall. He had just had a meeting with his police friend, Tsukauchi, who had told him some troubling news and he was worried an old enemy could be back on the rise. But the students would be safe. They would all be choosing internships from the top heroes pretty soon, and Midoriya had even received an offer from Toshinori's own mentor, Gran Torino. He must admit, he was a little sore that Gran Torino had offered to mentor the boy. It was like he didn't trust Toshinori's teaching abilities. He knew he wasn't the best teacher, but he didn't think he was doing too badly, was he? The last thing he wanted to do, though, was insult Gran Torino. That man made him shiver in fear and there was just something about his old mentor that really unsettled him. He didn't want to disappoint the man, so he decided he would tell Midoriya about the offer.
As he made his way down the hall, Toshinori heard laughing and talking coming his way. It almost sounded like…he peaked his head around a corner and saw Maddie and Present Mic walking down the hallway together and joking around. Maddie had a big smile on her face and her eyes were sparkling like they did when she was happy. He missed looking into those eyes. Toshinori groaned and flattened himself back against the wall. Shit, why had he been so stupid?! What was he thinking by telling her they should just remain friends? He guessed he just hadn't had feelings like this for someone in a long time, and it had frightened him and caused him to push her away. Now that they had a distance between them, he only wanted to be near her even more. The care and concern he had watched her show as she helped out at the sports festival with the students and Midoriya had only made him even more attracted to her kind and generous nature. Now here she was, flirting with Present Mic, and from what he had heard, Endeavor had shown an interest in her as well. So had Tsukauchi when he had flirted with her that time in the nurses' office. Toshinori gritted his teeth, he was still at square one, letting her slip away. He needed to get back into the ring somehow. He had made a mistake and he couldn't just stand by and watch someone else swoop in and take her heart, especially when he hadn't even had the chance to tell her how he was feeling. He himself didn't even fully know, but if he didn't at least do something he might lose her forever. He was the number one hero, the symbol of peace after all, right? Surely, he could handle asking a girl out on a date. It's not like he hadn't done it before. Sometimes you just have to jump without thinking, like a true hero.
So that's just what he did. As Maddie and Present Mic approached his corner, he popped out in front of them without thinking, scaring the living crap out of them.
Mic yelled so loud he almost broke a window with his super powered voice and Maddie jumped nearly out of her skin, throwing up a water barrier and getting everyone wet in the process.
"Oh, shit, sorry guys!" Toshinori said abashedly with his hands out in front of him.
"Sheesh, a little warning would be nice next time, skeletor," Present Mic complained.
"Seriously, Toshi," Maddie panted in fright.
Toshinori felt his stomach clench at the shortened name she had started using for him recently. He loved hearing her say it, it made him feel closer to her somehow. Unfortunately, Present Mic had started to notice it too.
"Aww, you call him "Toshi" now? That's cute," the voice hero cooed.
"Shut up, Mic, it's easier to say," she punched him lightly in the shoulder.
"So, what are you doing here, All Might?" Mic said as he rubbed his shoulder, "You know, besides scaring us."
"Oh, just meeting with Tsukauchi about police findings."
"Anything new?" Maddie asked as she began to dry off everyone's wet clothes with her quirk.
"They figured out the identity of the Nomu and they're working on finding out why he had more than one quirk, but I can't really say anything more than that," he replied with a worried look.
"I understand, but is everything ok?" Maddie asked, noticing his darkened face.
"Yes, it's fine for now," Toshinori said, trying to lighten his mood.
"Well good. You know, Tsukauchi never called me to follow up after our chat when I first met him. I guess he didn't need any more information after all," she remarked.
"Or, maybe he just didn't want to make All Might jealous," Mic suggested.
"What is wrong with you? Can you please not do this now, Hizashi," Maddie laughed nervously through gritted teeth.
Toshinori just stared at them in confusion, "Uh, what?"
"Anyways," Maddie continued nervously, changing the subject, "I was just helping Eraser sort through the internship offers, that's why I was here today."
"And I heard a mysterious melody in the old music room, so when I went to investigate, I found our own Sapphire jamming on a guitar! Then we rocked out together, it was pretty stellar," Present Mic said enthusiastically.
"I didn't know you played the guitar," Toshinori said with some surprise.
"Well, we haven't really known each other for very long. There's probably a lot you don't know about me," she said with a wink. Oh wait, what was she doing?! Stop spontaneously flirting with him! Not in front of Mic!
Toshinori stared at her with his mouth slightly agape, he didn't know what to say to that except to stutter out, "Yeah, I guess."
Present Mic didn't let the awkwardness slip away. "She's even going to do a song at Midnight's party! You should come, All Might, so you can hear her sing. Maybe even ask her to dance, eh?" the voice hero prodded Toshinori with his elbow.
"Oh, um, sure…maybe," Toshinori stuttered again.
"Hizashi," Maddie hissed. "Maybe we should go home. I'm sure All Might has a lot to do today. Nice seeing you, All Might," she said and began pushing Present Mic away down the hallway. He was treading on dangerous territory and she had to get him out of here before he embarrassed her even more.
"All right, suit yourself. She's really good though, All Might, trust me, you don't want to miss it," Present Mic said with a thumbs up to Toshinori while being pushed by Maddie. "See ya!"
Maddie was moving away too, and Toshnori suddenly realized that due to Mic's distractions he hadn't quite done what he had meant to do in the first place. Even if he didn't exactly have a firm grip on what he was going to say, he still needed to talk to her. "Wait, Maddie, I actually really need to talk to you alone. Do you have time?" he called after her.
"Oooooo," Mic said quietly at her with a wink. "He wants to talk to you alone."
Maddie was incredibly flustered with what Mic had been saying, what Toshinori had said to her only yesterday, and what her stupid emotions were doing to her. The last thing she could handle right now was a "talk" with Toshinori. "I'm a bit busy right now, how about later?" she asked, trying to duck him yet again.
"How about at the party?" Present Mic added in.
"Sure, that sounds like a good idea, I'll see you then, ok?" Maddie said.
Toshinori sighed. It hurt to get blown off by her like this again. "Fine. I'll see you then."
Maddie walked off with Present Mic in tow and breathed a sigh of relief when Toshinori was out of sight and sound. "Hizashi, I can't believe you, I never agreed to do a song and Midnight hasn't even invited me!" she ranted in frustration to her friend. "And how dare he! Does he enjoy playing with my emotions like that? First, he disappoints me and then suddenly he "wants to talk" and gives me those sad puppy dog eyes! Ugh!"
Present Mic had to fight back a laugh at her outburst. Puppy dog eyes? Oh, she liked him alright, and even though Recovery Girl had advised against it, he felt like it was time to give the two of them a little push. "Calm down, Maddie, and don't worry about it until the party. Of course, you're invited, besides, you can always come as my plus one. Anyway, I really think you should do a song. You know, show All Might and the world that you're a strong independent support hero!"
"Well, when you put it that way…" Maddie said, taking a deep breath and trying to calm down.
"Just keep thinking about it and call Midnight, ask her what she thinks."
"Alright, alright, I just really want to go home now."
"Ok, see ya soon, try not to break anymore hearts until then, eh?" Mic teased.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Maddie frowned.
"Bye, Maddie," Present Mic waved and walked away still shaking his head.
With the students gone on their internships for the next week, Midnight announced her party and invited all the faculty and staff at the school including many of her other friends. Maddie was indeed invited on the request that she perform a song. Everyone was very excited to hear about her performance and several of the teachers had asked her about it, so between what Present Mic had said and not wanting to disappoint anyone, Maddie decided to do the song.
"That's wonderful!" Midnight exclaimed when Maddie told her about it. "Especially since I already promised so many people that you would!"
"Oh, great," Maddie replied sarcastically.
"Look, I've got to go. Got lots of planning up ahead," Midnight said. "Just promise me one thing, Maddie."
"What's that?"
"Promise me that you'll have fun and relax a little at the party. I throw this thing to give us adults a chance to unwind and enjoy ourselves for once, especially with what's all been going on recently. So just do yourself a favor and do the same, do what your heart wants, you know?"
"Alright, don't worry about me," Maddie laughed. "Seriously, what is up with you and Hizashi all of the sudden? You guys are acting so cryptic! Are you up to something?"
"What us? Of course not! Just have fun, that's all. See you later, cupcake," Midnight replied with fake surprise and then hung up the phone.
"I'm not so sure I want to go to this party anymore now," Maddie mumbled.
A/N: Song used in this chapter was "My Own Worst Enemy" by Lit.
