-2-
When I get home, I change into my pajamas, a matching set of burnt orange cotton shirt and pants, grab my sketchpad, and settle into the couch. Hedwig stretched out on the other end, opens an eye to stare at me.
"You will never believe what happened today," I admit as I reach towards his head. He swats at me and I pull away, laughing as he purrs. "I had another memory of the plot."
He doesn't acknowledge me and rolls on his other side. I take it as my cue and open my black sketchpad, the one with all of my plot drawings. I flip open the first page to glance at the image of U.A., marveling at the odd buzz in the back of my head it evokes. Different heroes scatter the page after that, a girl in a frog outfit-Froppy, All Might in both his forms, Blood King, Eraserhead… I flip to the first empty page and draw the blonde from today.
Sketching out his basic outlines for his hero and human version, I smile at the soft curve of his face, the narrow space between his eyes, the arrogant look against his skin and the slight sketch of scars. It doesn't render exactly, the image some strange mix of reality and cartoon-like all the others.
I rub my face, mindless of the graphite all over it, and try to fix his hands.
Larger. More scarred.
It's the hands that conflict the most.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.
I nearly jump out of my skin at the sudden, loud bang, sending my sketchbook flying abruptly to the floor. The muffled voices outside my door sound familiar, but unrecognizable. Hedwig, aggravated at being disturbed, offers a vicious hiss before running off.
Who would… I glance over towards my phone and frown at the time, nearly 10:30. Surely, it's for someone else? Maybe they're at the wrong apartment?
I cautiously don't make a sound and a man's voice on the other side barks something rude.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.
I launch myself at the door, wide eyes as the pounding continues ridiculously loud at an obnoxiously fast beat. I wrench it open. And my jaw drops. The hero, Ground Zero, from earlier and the silver-haired lady, are there. Are here.
I step backward and the woman steps in with me, slipping by with a coy smile.
"Interesting place here," the girl says, lips curling into something unpleasant. "Tanaka-san, right? Very quaint."
The blonde scowls.
"Starlight, she hasn't invited you in. Get your ass back here."
Starlight ignores him, silver hair fanning out as she dances in circles behind me. I turn as well, not sure what to do and feeling strangely stuck — mouth still gaping.
"You have a cat?" Starlight says, picking a toy mouse up off the floor and flicking it with her fingers. "Oh, and what's this-"
"Uh, h-h-hey-"
I find my voice as the silver-haired hero prances by my dining table to pick up some papers, my unfinished manuscripts. "Haru Pot-to, what a strange name! Are you a writer?"
"No, yes—I mean, please don't touch-"
She drops the manuscripts haphazardly. I flush crimson and hurry to put them back in order. She ignores me and examines my kitchen, moving further back as Ground Zero steps in with a scowl.
"I said get your ass over here bitch!"
"Oh, takeout!" Starlight admires, still ignoring the blonde and running her finger down the menu on my fridge. "Look, they have Wonton a few streets down, yum!"
"We just ate, you useless pig."
He stomps towards her and I know the sound is probably carrying down to the neighbors below.
"Ah, please don't-" I interrupt, but neither listen as Starlight slips away from the now fuming blonde and towards my couch and my open sketchbook. I can see the moment she realizes what it is, the widening of her eyes, the image of glee and something like victory swimming across her face.
"Oh wow!"
I move to intercept her, but she's quick, quicker than I expect and in a moment she's across the apartment with a trail of light fading behind her, the sketchbook held almost reverently in her hands as she grins towards the image. And then, to my horror, she flips it over to show Ground Zero.
"Hah, I told you she was suspicious!"
I freeze at the image of him drawn carefully in pencil. He pauses as well, eyes narrowing to take in not only his hero form but his civilian one as well. His lips crease downward. His teeth grind audibly. His name, in simple print, outlined at the bottom—Bakugou Katsuki.
Oh no.
"What the fuck is that?" He asks, his volatile gaze snapping on my own.
"Ah…"
"The others are in here too," Moonlight says with less glee as she starts flipping the pages. "Look, it's Blood King and Eraserhead."
Ground Zero doesn't look, his hand snaking out instead and snatching me up by the collar. My oversized, orange shirt curls in his hand, slipping up to expose my stomach and I clutch at his hand, completely overwhelmed by the situation.
"Well?"
His grenade wrist bands smoke dangerously, and I close my eyes ready to scream. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. Oh god, I'm gonna die, again. When to my utter horror, his phone goes off. There's a pause as a bright tinkling noise echoes in the space and a tick develops over his eyes.
"Starlight-"
"Better answer that," Starlight responds with a bright wave before speeding towards the dining room and out of immediate range. Releasing me, the blonde lunges and swings his arm in a vicious hook. It catches the girl across the middle and stops her with a sickening smack.
I swallow and fall, as she drops to her knees, purple and breathless, spit dripping down her chin.
"Fucking pig, I told you don't touch my shit."
Then he turns back to me and approaches.
"Ah, please don't hit me!" I cry, covering my head and looking up with one squinty eye. He stops, face shifting incredulously. His phone chirps some happy melody, and with a vicious yank, he drags it from his back pocket.
"What?" he snaps. His scowl grows as a voice grumbles in his ear. There's a momentary pause. He grunts. "I have a suspect."
A suspect…
I slowly lower my hands and look up with wide eyes.
Is… is that me?
"Civilian, unknown quirk. Some sort of sight-based shit maybe."
Yeah. Fear curls in my stomach as his face changes again, taking on a more perspective look as he glances at Starlight, still drooling on the floor, and then the door.
"She's not combat-ready," he says gruffly and pauses. "The suspect-"
He hangs up the phone at whatever the other person says and glowers for a moment before turning to Starlight.
"Get your lazy ass up sparkles," he growls, running his hand through his hair with a huff. Starlight groans from the floor and scrubs her face with the palm of her hand. "And you-"
I freeze as he turns towards me.
"You're coming with me."
I shiver and hug my arms, suddenly regretting more than anything going in today. (You need to stop letting people run over you!)
"In that?" Starlight sneers still slightly out of breath.
Ground Zero pauses long enough to look at me and seems to realize I'm not even wearing a bra. His ears pink and he crosses his arms, but he doesn't turn away.
"You have five minutes."
.
.
.
Five minutes was closer to ten in truth.
I am half-dressed in a pair of sweats when Starlight slips in, take one long (unimpressed) look, and glares.
"Absolutely not!" she snarls, zooming through my room and knocking the loose shirt from my hands. I hardly have time to breathe, much less resist, when she has my closet door open exploding twinkling sparkles behind her.
"But-"
"Here," she says, and a pink skirt and simple gray sweater are thrust in my direction.
"What-"
"Put 'em on," she threatens with a dark look. "There's no way my first suspect is coming in dressed like a damn laze about."
"S-s-suspect for what?" I ask even as I do what she asks—as she tells me to.
Grow a backbone and say no!
I shiver, ignore the good advice, and pull on the sweater. Baggy, but cute, it hangs off one shoulder and bunches at my waist. A gift from Mina I'd never worn.
"Uh, uh," she snarks with a cruel twist of her lips. "We'll be the ones interrogating-"
"If you two don't hurry the fuck up, I'll kill you."
I squeak at Ground Zero's voice through the door and Starlight gives me a dark look. This close I can identify the fabric of her skin-tight uniform as some sort of fireproof polyester—the same coating the cook's aprons. And I notice her mask is also a type of goggle, probably to protect her eyes…
"You're either a really good actress," she says after a moment, "or you've got the shittiest luck in existence."
I'm inclined to agree with the second, but I don't say anything, hunting for leggings to at least cover my exposed thighs and calves.
"Ready," she says when she realizes what I'm up to. She opens the door and Ground Zero rakes his eyes up and down me before scowling at Starlight.
"Done playing dress-up?"
She grins and shoves me forward, a pair of pink sneakers in hand.
"Looks good, doesn't she?"
He says nothing and I flush at her knowing smirk.
"W-w-where are we going?"
"Headquarters."