Author's Note:
Greetings!
As always, I'm very sorry for late update! I'm not sure whether my updates from now will be any faster. I have internship and, God forbid, it's time to start preparing for my thesis. I'm squeezing time between job-hunting to write this so I apologize that it's kind of sucky and late!
As always again, thank you so much for the review, favourites and follows! They mean a lot to me and they always energize me! A little reply to Miqila, Mikoto has never been mature. Not now as Mikoto and certainly not as Lilith. Also, Mikoto (Lilith) is full of dualities. To make it simple, she's a Gemini through and through. Like if you'd read an article about Geminis' personalities and stuff, that's Mikoto.
All right, I'll let you read now. Happy reading!
The Eyes Flirt The Most
Chapter 11 – Bud
Three weeks since the "confrontation".
Three weeks since Mikoto decided to apologize to Todoroki Shōto.
Three weeks of trying to find the right time and place to apologize.
Three weeks of being ignored and avoided. Three weeks of receiving the cold shoulder—literally because he seemed to release chilly air. Three weeks of being treated like she did not exist.
It was annoying.
But Mikoto understood that he was just a young boy going through puberty. He was an angst-y edgy teen and confronting him would just create more problems. She had to settle things peacefully. If only he would give her a chance.
Thankfully, God listened to her prayers.
"So we'll do group presentations next week. Each groups is made of two people and, to make it easy, it's the one sitting next to you." Mikoto glanced to Shōto whose eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly to show his displeasure "We'll decide your topic by lottery. Now pick a representative who'll come here and pick a number."
Shōto didn't speak so Mikoto offered, "Do you mind if I go?" he shook his head so Mikoto stood and went to the front of the class. She picked the topic, showed it to the teacher, and went back. "We'll do a presentation about the Meiji and the Taishō period." He nodded. "When do you want to start?"
"I can't today."
Oh, a sentence after three weeks.
"How about tomorrow?" he nodded so she decided, "Okay, tomorrow after school." She marked it in her agenda. She had started to keep it to keep track of her class representative duties, meetings, and club activities.
This time Mikoto swore she'd get him to sit down and listen to her apology.
Except it didn't happen as she swore. Mikoto sighed. Two days of doing their project and no apology was made. Shōto was adamant about keeping as little communication and as big distance as possible with her. He was cooperative and he gave useful contributions but there was almost no communication. They were basically just doing individual research at this point.
Glancing up at the dual-haired boy, Mikoto asked, a pleasant smile plastered as always, "Is everything going well?" Shōto nodded lightly. "Tell me if you need any help with your part."
"I'll be fine on my own."
"Then it won't be a group project." Her smile almost twitched. She didn't mind dividing the project, but with this little communication she was afraid the content would be mismatched and messy, which would result in a bad score.
Shōto didn't reply, didn't even look up from his paper, and Mikoto felt a vein snap. "I don't want to do this while we're doing the project, but I have had enough." She closed her book. "At this point, our project will be at stake and I can't risk my scholarship—" or her image "—so we're going to talk now."
He finally spared her a glance. "What?"
Her eyebrow twitched and her smile tensed. "Clearly, you already know what I want to talk about. I'd like to apologize for what I did three weeks ago at the storage." Shōto's expression didn't budge. "I was being too nosy and I made you uncomfortable. I'm sorry." She bowed her head.
It was a long minute before Shōto showed a response. He sighed, causing Mikoto to peek up at him, and closed his own book. "It's not your fault."
She lifted her head, surprised at his reply. She didn't expect that. "Huh?"
"You were a bit nosy," she sweat-dropped, "But you didn't mean any harm and I was the one who lost control." He stared at his left hand—the one that caught on fire—then at her. "That man—my father… is not the most honourable in my eyes."
So he basically disliked his father, probably to the point of hate if even mentioning their relations could trigger such a reaction from him. He didn't delve into the story and Mikoto didn't ask. It was none of her business and if he wanted her to know, he'd tell her.
It was different with Izuku, very much so. She found it easier to confront Shōto. It was different with Izuku whom she knew and whom she unconsciously protected like a fragile glass figurine. They previously had no relationship that would make her fear consequences. Shōto was a stranger who knew nothing of that Mikoto who was so protective of her family.
It was weird that she found it harder to confront someone so close to her and someone she knew so well than confronting a stranger, but she knew she wasn't the only one who felt like that. That didn't change the fact that she disliked this side of hers and she wanted to change. She needed to overcome her darkness and find herself so she could stand proudly by his side.
Admittedly though, it did feel a little freeing to be able to openly confront someone or something.
"It was my bad." Shōto continued.
He sucked at apologizing. "Then why were you avoiding me?"
"…I thought you're scared."
"Of what? You?" he nodded. Well, she couldn't deny that but, "It was actually more shock than fear. It wasn't because of your Quirk too. You just looked so angry and it was different from your usual expression that I was used to."
"Sorry."
"Ah, that wasn't to make you guilty or anything." Although Mikoto couldn't really tell if he was guilty. His expression hadn't changed at all, but maybe that was just how he was. "So we're fine now right?"
"I guess."
Smiling—more genuinely—Mikoto offered him a hand across the table, "Then let's shake hands on it." He blinked in confusion but relented when she started wiggling her fingers. "Friends?" Once again, he went quiet. Mikoto tilted her head to the side. "What? You don't want to be friends?"
He shook his head then uttered, "I've never had a friend before."
Yes, Mikoto kind of guessed it from his behaviour. She assumed he didn't have the best childhood. "Then I'm your first friend."
"Yeah."
"Great." she pulled her hand back and started putting away her things. That was one problem solved. She felt lighter and her mood brightened considerably. "To celebrate, let's get ice cream. I know the best place."
"Celebrate?" Shōto repeated. "But we aren't finished with the project."
"That celebration comes later. This one's to celebrate the start of our friendship." Standing up, Mikoto picked up the books from the library. "I'm going to return these to their places. I'll meet you outside when I'm done."
"…Okay."
"I'm glad that we're fine now. We sit next to each other and we're even partnered for a project. Not to mention, I'm the class president. It'll be hard for me if I have a bad relationship with anyone."
"Sounds tough."
Mikoto laughed a little. "Everyone is really kind, though, and they're always helping me around so I'm grateful." Shōto hummed. "Oh, we're going this way." Mikoto led him to the shopping district. "It's a shortcut and I need to run an errand for the dorm. That is if you don't mind." Shōto shook his head. "Thank you."
Shōto followed her while she went around shopping for groceries. "Why don't you buy everything at the supermarket?"
"A girl at the dorm won vouchers to shop here," Mikoto answered while scrutinizing the tomatoes, "And our cook also knows a lot of the people here so we often get discounts if we use her name."
"I see."
"Yeah, she's really popular—" Mikoto was cut off by a loud scream. It was so loud and sudden that she dropped the tomato in her hand. She turned to Shōto who was as alarmed as she was. "What was tha—"
The question hadn't even come out of her mouth fully, once again, when a loud explosion caused uproar. From the sound of it wasn't a big explosion—she'd know all about the sounds of explosions, trust her—and there was no visible sign of fire yet. It also sounded very close.
"Everyone! Calm down! There's villain activity here so please evacuate in an orderly fashion! Follow me!" a Sidekick ran past them, screaming the instructions, and everybody followed in frenzy. It wasn't exactly easy to tell someone to calm down when they're scared and panicked.
Truthfully, Mikoto was also frightened. She had lived in this world close to thirteen years but she had never been even remotely close to a villain attack. The people panicking and running like chicken with their heads cut off didn't exactly help either.
"We need to evacuate too. Let's go, Todoroki!" she stopped when she noticed him looking at the opposite expression. Oh, hell no. Reaching out, she grabbed his hand before he could think of doing anything funny. "This way!"
But he didn't budge. "I'm going to be a Hero someday." He said, "This is a good chance to—"
"What? Prove yourself? Help people? Defeat the villain? Practise?" she cut him off. Another vein popped. "Don't be an idiot. I don't know how good or strong you are but if you want to be a Hero then what you need more than anything is a good judgement. This isn't the time for playing Hero. If you go there, you'll just be a hindrance."
"I—"
"Or what? Are you trained to work in teams with Heroes you don't know? Are you trained to fight a villain whose Quirk you don't know in a situation and setting you don't know? That's dumb and dangerous."
"I have—"
"Training to control your Quirk is different than fighting an actual villain, got it? Now let's go! We're wasting time!" not letting him say another word, she dragged him off with her.
Of course, without forgetting her groceries.
"Do you need to bring those?"
"Of course."
"Aren't they slowing you down?"
"I bought these with money, Todoroki. If you're that worried then help me carry this." She handed him one of the bags. "Okay, that's one load off. Let's hur—"
"WAH! MUMMY! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
There was a lost boy crying and he seemed to have fallen and scratched his knees. The district was deserted at this point so he must have fallen and missed his mother.
"Now of all times?" she complained under her breath, but her body had already started moving towards him without her realizing. Curses.
She was scared beyond belief and she wanted to get to the safe place as soon as possible. If she carried, or had Shōto carry, the boy while they escaped, it would slow them down and made them open for any possible attack.
But that kid…
He reminded her of Izuku when he was younger—always falling, always having an injury someplace or other, and always crying.
It wasn't the time to succumb to fear. She once wanted to be a Hero or a sidekick for her brother. Acting pathetic like this wouldn't bring her anywhere forward. It would also be also inhumane if she left that scared lost kid alone.
"Hey, are you okay? Can you move?"
The boy peeked at her, face wet with tears and snot. "W-where's my M-m-mummy?" he stuttered, sobbing.
Mikoto crouched and examined his knees. There were light scratches but they weren't dangerous. "Your mummy is waiting for you with the Heroes. Are you hurt anywhere else other than your knees? Does anyplace hurt?" The boy shook his head. "Great. Then hold on a bit and we'll bring you to your Mummy, okay?" she plastered on the sweetest smile she had perfected, trying as hard as she could to hide her own trembling.
"Okay." The boy hiccupped.
Mikoto nodded reassuringly and she reached out to pick the boy up, but Shōto beat her to it. "I'll carry him."
"Are you sure?"
Shōto nodded and they continued running towards the evacuation site. Mikoto was thankful she got back into yoga or she would have keeled over. It wasn't the running that was tiring her out. It was the adrenaline rushing like waterfall inside her.
Now she knew why those psychopaths or targets in those thriller movies were always breathing so loudly. She promised she wouldn't complain about it anymore.
Noticing the boy peeking at her over Shōto's shoulder, Mikoto wiped off her look of pure struggle and suffering and she smiled at him. "We're almost there." She panted.
"Okay." The boy nodded meekly. They passed by an alley and that was when he screamed. "NĒ-CHAN!"
Oh my God.
Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.
That wasn't the author being unimaginative with words but that was actually what was running through Mikoto's mind at that moment.
This wasn't being near a villain attack panic anymore. This was being pressed against a villain with a knife against her throat panic. She was going to have her second breakdown. In the second arc too, how symbolic.
"Let go of her." Shōto demanded stiffly. His stance was cautious and tense. The little boy was crying and hiding behind Shōto.
"Heh, what can you do, kid?" the villain scoffed. "I'm going to use her to escape. You can try to attack me but I can't guarantee her safety then."
"Tch!" Her classmate clicked his tongue in growing frustration. The villain was correct that he couldn't do anything. It was a tiny alley and no matter where he tried to attack from, he would hit her. Except if he had a way to attack from behind inconspicuously, but she doubted that.
Mikoto tried to calm her racing heart, taking deep breaths. If only time could stop just a while for her to go through her yoga routine then she would be fine and dandy, but alas life didn't always go the way she wanted.
The villain began taking slow steps back and Mikoto's breath hitched when the knife brushed against her skin. She lifted both hands and slipped them between her and the villain's arm, trying to push it away. "Watch it, girlie!"
"That knife was going to cut me!"
"Not if you follow me!" Calm down. At least she had got the villain to stop moving, not for long though clearly. She got him to talk to her; now if she could just add a bit of room to turn her head up, "Stop moving!" or not. She couldn't use her Quirk on him if she couldn't look into his eyes.
Damn. She was ashamed to even think she had a useful Quirk. The only benefit she got out of this Quirk was the supernatural beauty, the seductive magnetism, and the flight—
The flight!
That's right. She could fly. She had wings in her back. They were like secret weapons. Her hands were in the right position. She simple needed to calm the hell down, examine the situation and escape.
First, she needed Shōto to take the boy and make a head start in case the villain could chase them.
"T-Todoroki!" Mikoto called out suddenly, causing everyone to jolt in surprise. "Run away! Bring that boy with you and run!" she screamed a little when the knife touched her skin again. "F-find a Hero!"
"Shut your trap, girlie! And you two! Don't move or I'm going to fucking kill this girl!"
No, he wouldn't. He said he would use her to escape. If he killed her, she would become useless to him and it would also make him open to Shōto's attack. Shōto should have realized this too so why wasn't he moving?
Mikoto gulped. She couldn't scream out things like 'I'll be fine' or the likes because there was a possibility it could raise the villain's guard. She couldn't have him realizing her plan or it would turn useless. She needed him to think she was having a breakdown.
She lowered her head and her body began shaking, which was partially real and partially an act. "P-please!" when she raised her head again, tears were streaming down her face. Thank God she joined the drama club. "Please run!" she begged, faking desperation and fear.
"Shut up, girlie!" The villain shouted and Mikoto accidentally screamed when it actually dug into her skin a little. Darn it. She was being so careful too. "I'll seriously kill you!" Those action and words alerted Shōto and now there was no way he would go anywhere.
"Let go of her!"
Mikoto felt dizzy. She felt drowsy and weak. Her body must be going to its limit.
Or not.
That was strange. She wasn't particularly having a hard time breathing or anything even though she was in this position. She was panting for air when they were running but she was fine a few minutes ago. Yes, her heart was quacking like crazy and her adrenaline was raging a storm but she wasn't dizzy or drowsy before. In fact, she was very alert.
That's when Mikoto noticed something she didn't before. There was a very, very light something in the air. It wasn't particularly a scent. It was just something murky and heavy and it was what made her head all weird.
Could it be a poisonous gas? Sleeping gas?
Realization hit her like a truck. In her position, she couldn't look up but she could look down. The villain's pants were burnt up to his mid-calves and his skin was suffering from burns. Mikoto gulped then she turned her gaze to Shōto and the little boy.
The little boy's crying was oddly a little subdued. There was no difference spotted in Shōto. She closed her eyes, her mind running faster than it ever had. Shōto's voice, along with the villain's, seemed to become an echo.
She felt a hit of dizziness, the boy's crying lightened, and there was a strange something mixed in the air. She concluded it was either a sleeping or a poisonous gas and it was the villain's Quirk, which meant it would be unsafe to stay this close to him for a long period of time, especially now when they had started to feel the effect. The reason it didn't affect Shōto was probably because he had a stronger immune system or something.
Next, the villain holding her hostage had burn marks. There was an explosion before. There was a possibility that this villain was caught up in it, or he was the cause of it, which meant that his Quirk was flammable. She was confident with the later because every Quirk had a limitation and flammable could be the villain's.
She gulped.
There was a way out of this. She had a living lighter in front of her. She had her wings. They could escape and, perhaps even, apprehend the villain. It was, however, a bet and a dangerous one. She had to move fast. It was all riding on her speculation, timing and reflex.
If she shouted out the villain's Quirk, she might truly get killed. There was also a chance that he was playing it low and he could intensify it to knock them all out at once so revealing it was scratched off the list.
The only way was to tell Shōto in hints. They had just become friends today. Could she sigh at the moment, she would have.
"V-villain-san," Mikoto began in a meek shaky voice, "If this is the last time I'm going to see him, then please allow me one last favour."
"Huh? What the hell?"
"Todoroki," Shōto straightened a little when she called him, "I'd like to re-enact our first fight."
Confusion was all over Shōto's face. "Midoriya, this isn't the time—"
"I'd like to re-enact our first fight." she repeated with added emphasis, insisting. She narrowed her eyes. "We apologized but we never got to the bottom of it. We were just toeing the line. So this time, I'd like to end that fight and I'd like you to tell me about yourself."
Shōto's breath hitched and his eyes widened.
Oh, God, he thought it was the real thing. Mikoto wanted to face-palm so bad. "Todoroki, please." She pleaded, lowering her head so her face was invisible to the villain and winked several times to tell Shōto it was a code. "Please?"
"What the fuck are the two of you talking about?!"
"Please, Todoroki! I don't need a big ending! Just a small one! Please give me that closure and get rid of this poison between us!"
"SHUT UP!" the villain roared and Mikoto flinched. Her calming heart rocketed in pace. Had he figured it out? "I let you blabber for a minute and it turns into a fucking soap opera! You better shut the hell up!" Oh, thank God he was an idiot. He pointed his free hand at Shōto, "And you! Don't you dare move!"
"T-Todoroki…"
Shōto stared at her then his eyes lowered to his left hand. His jaw tightened and he gritted his teeth. His eyes were wild. It was the same look she saw that day. He got her hints.
But, no, she needed him in control. If he was mad and his fire went haywire, there was no telling what could happen. It would be dangerous for not only him or her but also the little boy.
"Todoroki—" her words were halted and her eyes widened when Shōto lifted his right hand instead. Thin ice—yes, ice —covered the tips of his fingers. "TODOROKI!" she shouted on reflex before the villain could see it. Did he not fully understand her hints? "Todoroki, our first fight! Please!"
His brows were skewed. "Our first fight…" he glared at his left hand. "It's—"
"Please! Todoroki!"
"I can't—"
Snap.
There went her third vein for the day.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T, FUCKING ARSEHOLE?" Mikoto yelled. It was so loud and harsh it caught all three males in surprise. "DON'T YOU SEE THE SITUATION WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW? I CAN DIE AT ANY MOMENT, WE HAVE AN ESCAPEE AND THERE'S A BLOODY LOST BOY CRYING BEHIND YOU! IF YOU DON'T WANNA RUN AWAY THEN AT LEAST MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL TO ME!"
"I—"
"YOU SAID YOU'RE GOING TO BE A HERO ONE DAY! IS THIS HOW A HERO IS SUPPOSED TO ACT? DON'T JOKE WITH ME HERE, KID! YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO BE A HERO THAT SOME DON'T, BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN A THING IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE PASSION FOR IT, DUMBARSE!"
Izuku's and Katsuki's faces flashed in her mind somehow. Izuku was Quirkless yet his passion for Heroism ran as strongly as ever. Katsuki was cocky and proud but he too was passionate about Heroism. Izuku learned all about Heroes and Quirks and Katsuki practised his Quirk. There was never a day when those two ever not wanted to be a Hero and they worked on it.
But this boy…
"YOU AREN'T EVEN TRYING, ARE YOU? LISTEN HERE, YOU WANKING PRAT, I DON'T CARE WHO YOUR MOTHERFUCKING FATHER IS. HE CAN BE A LAWYER, A HERO, A MATCHSTICK OR WHATEVER. I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR PAST, BUT I KNOW YOU WANT TO BE A HERO SO SHOW IT PROPERLY! DO YOU THINK YOU CAN BECOME A HERO WITH THAT HALF-ARSED ATTITUDE?!"
She panted for air. Holy, she had never screamed like that in this life. Her throat was going to ache tomorrow for sure.
But it felt so good.
"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME, SHŌTO?!"
"Calm down, girly. Your boyfriend's scared to silence—"
"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS, FUCKTARD!" the villain flinched away from her slightly. "THIS IS ALL BECAUSE OF YOU! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST ESCAPE ANOTHER WAY! YOU JUST HAD TO CAPTURE ME AND MADE ME DROP MY FUCKING GROCERIES!"
"I-I'm sorry—"
"AND WHERE IN THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE PUTTING YOUR GREASY HANDS ON, PEDOPHILIAC MOB? YOU BETTER GET OFF OF ME OR I'LL TURN YOU INTO COTTAGE PIE!"
"I-I can't do that!"
Tch, so that didn't work.
Oh well. At least it worked enough to open Shōto's eyes.
"Midoriya," the dual-haired boy raised his left hand and stretched it in front of him, "You're really nosy."
Mikoto grinned. "I try not to be but you pushed me."
"Are you prepared?"
"I've been prepared ages ago."
Should the situation not be as intense as it was, Mikoto's breath would have hitched and her eyes would have widened and she would have started hyperventilating because Shōto—that snow figure Todoroki Shōto who was antisocial and awkward—smirked.
Holy—
"Hey," he turned to the boy who jumped three feet in the air, "Go take cover somewhere." The boy was hesitant but Shōto nodded at him and he scurried off.
"Ack! What do you think you're doing—"
Flame lit up and licked at the skin of Shōto's left hand. It started from the centre of his palm before it spread out to his fingertips.
The villain screeched. "S-stop that! Put it out!" Mikoto's lips stretched into her own smirk. So her guess was correct after all.
"Ready?"
"Anytime."
"STOP!"
It all happened in matter of seconds—maybe even a second. Perhaps it all happened in a split second. It was so fast.
The fire on Shōto's hand launched towards her and the villain. She pushed the villain's arm away from her. Her wings shot out of her back, knocking the villain away from her. It created the right momentum for her to jump and flew forward, knocking Shōto down with her and out of the alley, her wings wrapping around them securely. There was an explosion and heat on her back.
And, ow, her wings hurt.
It wasn't until a minute had passed and Shōto groaned that Mikoto raised herself up some, unfolding her wings to give them room, and let out her own groan. "Oh my God…" her body felt like jelly and she was afraid to open her eyes. There was dust everywhere—she was coughing from it—and it could get into her eyes.
Shōto sat up as well, rubbing the back of his head. "You okay?" he asked.
"Kind of." The dust dispersed and Mikoto wiped her eyes before opening them. She was face-to-chest with Shōto. "Oh, sorry." She apologized, lifting her head to look at Shōto, "Are you okay—" who was looking away from her. She blinked. "What?"
He glanced at her briefly, less than a split second, then looked away again. "Your uniform…"
"Ah, yes, it ripped but it was—" she looked down, "—at the back…" Momentary silence, "Oh, fuck!" Mikoto hugged herself, jumped up and turned away. Her wings wrapped around her.
The top of her uniform as well as her camisole and bra did rip at the back, yes, but because she released her wings so strongly, the force ripped it so bad the whole back was gone. The problem was it was loose and when she lifted herself up, the front slipped down her arms, baring her—
Yeah, you got it.
She couldn't believe she just defiled the eyes of a thirteen—or twelve, oh my God—year old. She could go to jail for this. Oh, wait, she was almost thirteen, not thirty-seven. Not exactly safe, but safe.
"Here." Shōto's hand shot out into her vision, his school blazer in it. "Wear this for now."
"O-oh," she took them gratefully. "Thank you."
He nodded then went back into the alley. There was no big fire, only a few small ones here and there, and the villain was lying unconscious in the middle of it all—hopefully alive. Putting on his gakuran, Mikoto watched him put out the fire with the ice from his right hand, retracting her wings. He then bound the villain with his ice.
"So, you can create ice too?" Mikoto asked, buttoning up the dark blue blazer. It was a little big on her. "You have a dual Quirk?"
Shōto nodded. "And you have bat wings."
"Mm-hm. In a way."
He didn't need to say it but Mikoto deduced that his left side—his fire Quirk—was inherited from Endeavour. To hate his own father so much to the point that he couldn't even use his own Quirk without some encouragement made her wonder what exactly Endeavour had done. It must be really bad.
Mikoto shook her head. She mustn't be nosy, even though her nosiness just saved their lives. Looking around she called out, "Little boy! Where are you?" The little boy peeked out from one of the empty shops. Mikoto approached him. "Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"
The boy sniffled and he jumped into her arms. "T-that was scary!"
Mikoto picked him up and patted his head. "Yes, it was but you're so brave and you listened to that Onī-san when he told you to take cover, didn't you? Good job." The boy cried harder and Mikoto rocked him gently. "Good boy."
"Over here! There was an explosion from this area!"
"Hurry!"
Mikoto turned to look over her shoulder at the approaching Heroes, police, and medics. She let out a long breath in relief. It was finally over and she was still alive, thank God.
Now to think of ways to calm her mother tonight…
After having the medics checked up on them, Mikoto and Shōto sat at the back of an ambulance. They couldn't go home yet because they needed to give their report to the police. She wished they would hurry because she needed to call her mother before they informed her first and she had a panic attack.
"Are your wings okay?"
"Hm?" Mikoto straightened. "They are. The medics told me to stretch them before I go to sleep tonight and that's it." She smiled proudly. "My trusty wings are sturdy." They're probably the strongest parts of her body.
"You're a bat?"
Mikoto chuckled. "No, I'm not." She turned her head sideways so she could see him. "Guess what my Quirk is." Shōto turned towards her as well and he examined her. He didn't answer for several minutes and Mikoto laughed. "All right, I'll give you a hint." Reaching up, she removed the bobby pins keeping her hair in her mini space buns. It cascaded down to meet its fellow hair. "So?"
"A devil."
"Boo."
Shōto's head tilted a little then his eyes widened a wee bit. "You have a dual Quirk too? A bat and a—" his eyes flickered to her chest briefly involuntary before they went back to her eyes. He didn't finish his sentence.
Mikoto almost face-palm. Her face grew a little hot. This boy could probably beat Izuku in terms of awkwardness.
"As I said, I'm not a bat and I'm most definitely not a cow."
"Yeah."
"Since you're having such a hard time guessing, I'll tell you. It's only fair since I already know your Quirk." Shōto turned back to her. "I'm a succubus."
Shōto blinked, "A what?"
"You don't know what a succubus is?" He shook his head. She laughed. "A succubus is basically a female demon that enters the dream of a male to seduce them."
"You can enter dreams?"
"Nope. At least, I don't think so. Not much records exist about my Quirk apparently." Mikoto redid her hair. "But I can seduce people. I can make people go crazy about me if I look into their eyes for a period of time."
"How long?"
"That depends on the person and how attractive they find me. That's why I blink a lot." She blinked twice to prove her point. "Though you don't need to worry. It seems like my Quirk doesn't work on you."
Shōto tilted his head. "Why?"
"Because you don't find me attractive."
It was his turn to blink. "Have I ever said that?"
"Well, you act like that."
He was confused, it seemed. "Really?" he faced forward and did the thinking pose. "But Midoriya is attractive."
"Huh?"
"You're beautiful, smart and friendly. You're popular and everybody likes you. You're also brave and strong."
Mikoto's eyes had never been wider. She was shocked. "W-where is this coming from?"
"Because you said I don't find you attractive."
"A-ah, right."
"Maybe your Quirk just doesn't work because you haven't looked into my eyes long enough."
"I-it seems so." Clearing her throat, Mikoto fanned her face. She had thought before that Shōto was awkward and now she found out he was also a bit tactless. He was a natural airhead. This type of people was dangerous. "So do you want to try being under my Quirk?"
It was offered as a joke but Shōto seemed to genuinely consider it. A natural airhead who was sincere and pure; he was truly dangerous. "Not now."
Laughing, Mikoto affirmed, "Sometimes then."
The police were still not there. How many people did they need to arrest or question?
"You acted different earlier."
Mikoto choked and coughed. Shōto hit her back gently and she thanked him. Goodness, she had hoped this topic wouldn't be brought up. She was not proud of this side and habit of her. Curse Lilith and her bar fights.
"I was a bit angry."
"A bit?" Shōto absentmindedly recounted, "That was the first time I heard you scream and curse. It was surprising. Do the others—" Mikoto covered his mouth before he could speak anymore.
"Let's not talk about this ever again okay?" Her smile twitched and her face darkened. "It shall be a secret between us, okay? Also, you must keep my Quirk a secret, understand? In return I'll keep your family stuff a secret too. Deal?" He nodded. "I'm glad you're cooperative."
"You looked—"
"Oh, first secrets together! Today truly is a day of our budding friendship! Don't forget to mark it in your calendar." She teased. Shōto nodded and she sweat-dropped. It wouldn't surprise her if he did mark his calendar. Just to be safe, she'd mark hers too later.
"You called me Shōto earlier."
"Oh, I did. I'm sorry, that was rude." In terms of soul, she had lived longer in the west. It was so hard for her to adjust to the Japanese custom of addressing someone with their last names.
"You can call me by my first name."
"Eh? Really?" Shōto nodded. Wow, she felt like a VIP or a privileged person. Being able to call that ice figure by his first name? Other than his family, she was probably the only one. "You can call me by my first name—"Wait, that was what she told everyone to do. "—Hm…"
"What's wrong?"
"I'm trying to think of a nickname for you to call me by." he was confused again. "Think of it as a sign of our friendship. Hm…" she pondered. 'Mimi' was her friend's actual name. 'Miko-chan' was already used by everyone back home. She would like something more original. "How about.., Riri?"
"Riri?"
"Yes."
Riri from Lilith. After this experience, she had realized that she had never been just Mikoto. She was reborn as Mikoto but her true personality, her habits, her weaknesses—everything was Lilith's. Mikoto was reborn with Lilith's soul and traits. It was up to her to better herself to truly become Mikoto, but that didn't mean she could forget her roots. She also didn't dislike her life as Lilith, as troubled as it had been.
Besides, Lilith had good friends. This could be like a prayer.
"Do I get a nickname too?"
"Huh? You don't mind?"
"Not really."
"Okay then," she wasn't the expert at Japanese nicknames. "Shōto-chan? Shō-chan? Shō-kun?" They sounded so basic and simple, but that was all she could do. "Shōtocchi? Shōto-chin? Shōto-nyan? Todo-sama? Totty?"
"Whichever's fine."
"Shō-chan, then."
After all that had transpired and leaning more about each other, this actually felt like the beginning of a good friendship.
"Onē-chan! Onī-chan!"
"Hm?" Mikoto turned. She and Shōto were about to head home after the police finished questioning them. The boy they helped earlier came running, followed by a woman. She must be his mother. "Hello again, little boy."
"Nē-chan, Nī-chan, are you two okay?"
"Yes. We're perfectly fine. What about you?"
"The doctor said I'm fine and I'm a strong boy because I didn't cry when they cleaned my knees!"
"Really? That's amazing!" she ruffled his head, grinning. "Good job!"
"Hehe…"
"Thank you so much for saving my son. I lost him in the crowd and I was afraid something would have happened to him. I'm so glad he ran into good people like you two who protected him and brought him safely back to me." The boy's mother bowed, "Thank you so much."
"It's nothing, ma'am."
"I don't know how I can ever repay you."
"No, no, it's really okay. We're just glad that he's uninjured." Mikoto turned to Shōto. "Right, Shō-chan?" he nodded.
"Thank you very much. It really makes me happy to see truly good people. So young too." The woman looked down to her son. "What do you say to Nē-chan and Nī-chan after they saved you, Yūji?"
"Thank you for saving me, Onē-chan, Onī-chan! You were really brave and cool!" Yūji bounced on his feet. "You're like Heroes!"
That compliment warmed Mikoto's heart. She hadn't decided if she wanted to become a Hero later on in the future. She was terrified when she had an encounter with that villain. She wasn't sure if her heart could handle all the fighting and ambushes and thrill.
But although she was a selfish individual, she enjoyed the idea of saving and taking care of others. Her body moved on its own. That's another thing she learned from this experience. Shōto seemed to have learned a lot from today too.
"Thank you. Yūji-kun was brave and cool as well. You're a Hero too then!"
"Really?" Mikoto nodded. "Yay! I'm going to be the bravest and coolest Hero ever!"
"I know you can."
Yūji giggled then flushed. He fidgeted and lowered his head, peeking up at her. "T-then when I become the bravest and coolest Hero ever, w-w-will Nē-chan become my girlfriend?"
Children these days grew up so fast.
Mikoto and Shōto walked home together. He was heading for the station and the school dorm was on the way.
"By the way," Mikoto started, "You really want to be a Hero, don't you?"
"Yes."
"Then I'm not going to apologize for what I said earlier." Shōto shot her a confused look—kind of. "I was going to apologize because I was really harsh earlier," he was just a kid after all, "But if you really want to be a Hero then you must learn to take a critique."
"…That was a critique?"
"Indeed." She crossed her arms and nodded surely. "Of course, to be a Hero you need to be strong, but it doesn't mean a thing if you don't know how to use them effectively." She cut him off, "And I'm not just talking about control. I'm talking about judgement and trust."
"Trust…"
"You didn't run away with the boy earlier because you didn't trust that I could make it right?" Mikoto huffed. "Do you think I would have told you to escape if I hadn't a plan to break myself free?"
"I didn't know your Quirk."
Urp. "Well, that's true, but that doesn't mean you can't trust me. In my opinion, a Hero isn't someone who's just strong, but a Hero is someone with wisdom and wit who can mix judgement and trust well."
Shōto nodded. "Do you want to become a Hero too, Riri?"
"Me?" She blinked. That question somehow made her feel like a deer caught in headlight. "I don't… know."
"I think you can be a good Hero."
Once again, she felt warm inside. "Thank you, I guess?" she smiled up at him, "You too. Your Quirk is really strong and it can be used in a variety of ways."
"Yes. I'm going to become stronger. I'm going to practise good judgement and trust. I've decided that I'll be the number one Hero—" she nodded along, "—without the usage of my left side." And she almost fell.
"What? Why?"
"I told you I don't find my old man honourable. I'm going to become a Hero without using my left side and rejects him completely."
She face-palmed. "Then what if you have to use it? What if the situation begs for it?"
"I have my good judgement and trust."
Oh, what had she done?
But Shōto looked different. He seemed a bit looser—atmosphere wise, not the dirty kind—so Mikoto decided to let it slide. They had already gone through a lot today and, once again, she didn't want to pry too much into his family issue. She wasn't comfortable talking about hers. If he wanted her to know, he'd tell her.
"Oh." Shōto stopped.
Mikoto stopped as well and looked at him questioningly over her shoulder. "Shō-chan?"
"Your groceries."
"Ah, I dropped them—!" Shōto pushed the white plastic bag into her line of vision.
"I have this in my right hand the whole time. I forgot."
"What? How—pfft!" Mikoto threw her head back and laughed. "Oh my God, you're so cute!" His expression was blankly confused and it made her laugh harder. "You're going to be seriously dangerous for my laugh box."
"Laugh box?"
"AHAHAHAHA!"
The next week, Mikoto and Shōto presented their project. They were praised by the teacher and they got the highest score. After school, they went to celebrate by eating the ice cream Mikoto promised. It was the first time Shōto had ever entered an ice cream parlour. He didn't even know how to order. Mikoto was shocked.
"Riri, this machine won't take my money."
"Shō-chan, this vending machine only accepts coins. See?"
It seemed like it was up to her to teach him the ways of the world. Good thing she was a naturally nurturing person, right?
To Be Continued…
I'm sorry if Shōto was OOC! I wrote him exactly how I imagined him. In my eyes, Shōto is, and often depicted as, a natural airhead and it fits him so well.
This chapter is long, right? I originally wanted to separate this into two chapters with cliffhangers but I decided not to because I was already guilty of making you guys wait so long. I feared you'd kill me if I did LOL. I'm sorry if the villain scene was sucky. I'm not good at fighting scenes and the likes and I tend to overanalyze things. Hope I didn't mess it up.
Thank you so much for reading! I''m going to sleep now because it's 4 a.m. and I'm going to collapse any minute now. Please leave me lots of love and I'll see you in the next chapter!