Author's Note: Thank you for reading! Now that the Raid is over (and the climax is approaching), the chapters will become longer and more mature. TW will be inserted. Updates will also now be once a week (every Friday)!
Outside the hotel, members of the guild, including the King's Advisers, are escorted into flashing police cars and patrol wagons. Several of the guild's patrons, specifically political figures and business leaders, have been held back for interviewing. Luckily, only a few people sustained minor injuries during the raid, among them Bakugou, and have been taken to the hospital.
Nearby, underneath a flickering street lamp, Kirishima sits on the curb, elbows resting on his knees. His straggly, black hair shields his face that's been stained with soot and tears. He's looking at his hardened hands with deep concentration, turning them by degrees, still in awe that he was able to withstand that cannonball so readily. It's been ages since he's activated his quirk.
"Everyone is accounted for including Team C," a voice says. Kirishima looks up to see Todoroki standing in front of him with an arm in a sling and bandages around his head. "Everyone except the King and a guild member named Seo."
"Shouldn't you be in the hospital?" asks Kirishima, genuinely worried. The bruises on Todoroki's face are dark blue, making his face swell.
"It looks worse than it actually is," says Todoroki. He takes a few steps toward Kirishima and lightly kicks the tip of his shoe. "Hey. It's over now. You did good work. The city is safer because of you."
"I agree," says the police chief stepping into the light. He starts rolling his sleeve halfway up his forearm. "However, the King is still on the loose."
Kirishima reaches in his pocket for his cell and reads an incoming text message. "We don't need to worry about that," he says, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand, his sweat turning cold from the night chill. "Earlier, the King confiscated the phone I was using within the guild. I planted some false intel on it framing an Adviser as the mole, just in case I was ever compromised. If he discovered that then the security protocol for a Judas situation would take effect."
"Which is?" asks the police chief, his voice slightly panicked.
"The King would retreat to his stronghold until further instruction," answers Kirishima.
"Wait, the place I went to a few days ago?" inquires Todoroki. "We don't have a detail there."
"It's alright," says Kirishima, lifting himself up from the ground. "I kind of called in my own back-up."
They hear a clink clink clink sound like chains being dragged across the road and a barefoot man with a large, white hood draped over his eyes approaches. Beside him is the King, his hands and legs restrained in manacles and his mouth taped shut.
"I knew I could count on you, Tamaki," Kirishima says, offering him a smile.
"I'm sorry," Amajiki says, his head lowered. "I lost the girl. She got spooked seeing me. The tentacles always seem to freak people out." He's squatting now, refusing to look at anyone.
Todoroki stares blankly back and forth at Amajiki and Kirishima. "I don't understand. Suneater?"
"Uh, yeah, long story." Kirishima shoves his hands in his pocket and looks at the police chief. There's a lot of explaining to do, many of which Kirishima is not proud of, including bringing Amajiki in without approval. But, he can finally come clean with it all. "Should we head to the station now? I can tell you everything."
By the time they arrive at the police headquarters, it's almost midnight. Midoriya is keeping Bakugou company at the hospital while Kirishima and Todoroki meet with the chief. It takes Kirishima the entire night to give his statement: eight long hours recounting the past three years, the hundreds of names he's collected, the locations of known bases, what happened at the hotel, how he had Suneater wait at the stronghold just in case something went awry. When he's finished, his brain is completely spent. The early morning sun shines through the tiny barred window of the interrogation room. Kirishima is face-planted on the table, his arms sprawled in front of him.
"Coffee?" asks Todoroki, placing a paper cup near Kirishima's fingers.
"Sleep," he murmurs, not bothering to pick his head up. He closes his eyes and is tempted to take his long overdue nap right then and there.
"He probably shouldn't be left alone," the police chief points out, taking out a cigarette from his shirt pocket. "I don't think his identity has been leaked, but you can never be too careful, especially with that missing guild member unaccounted for."
"You're right," agrees Todoroki. He reaches across the table and puts a hand on Kirishima's shoulder. He gives him a shake. "Hey. You can stay at my place for the time being."
Kirishima swats him away, spilling the coffee in the process, and mumbles a few unintelligible words. Sleep overtakes him completely and the background voices fade into nothing.
\\\
The next time Kirishima wakes up, it's with a jolt. He sits up drenched in sweat, his heart beating rapidly. Terror sets in when he realizes he's not in his own bedroom at the base. Where am I? What happened? His mind is foggy. He takes a few minutes to register the contents of the room: a tall, brown dresser on the other side of the room; a modest desk to his right; a bamboo plant in the corner; a traditional lamp near the door; tatami mats across the floor. Todoroki's room?
Kirishima rubs his eyes, eagerly trying to reset his bearings. That's right. The raid. The guild. I was at the station last night. It's all over.
Kirishima finds his phone at the nightstand near him. He reaches for it and sighs. Eighteen missed calls and messages from Todoroki, Midoriya, and Amajiki.
"Shit," he breathes. He checks the date and realizes he's been asleep for nearly twenty hours. Kirishima peers out the window. The navy blue blanket in the sky begins to peel back and a screen of burnt orange is rising to replace it just above the horizon. Usually at sunrise, he would be briefing the security team shortly after the night shift swapped. It feels weird that he doesn't have to do that anymore.
Unable to stay in bed any longer, Kirishima crawls out from under the covers and takes a moment to figure out where his clothes are. When he can't find them, he settles for taking a pair of jogging pants and t-shirt from Todoroki's dresser.
After changing, he sneaks out of the room. He assumes that Midoriya or Todoroki are still sleeping somewhere, but it's eerily silent. Only the creaky floors accompany him as he walks to the common spaces.
Kirishima stops as he passes the front door. I want to see Bakugou. Kirishima yearns to see his face again. Being so close to Bakugou at the hotel made him realize just how large the hole in his heart was.
"Oh, right," Kirishima says to himself. He pulls out his phone and checks his most recent text messages. The latest one is from Midoriya.
[10:30 p.m.] from Izuku: If you see this when you wake up, come find me, okay? It's not safe yet to wander outside. I'm staying in the guest room if I'm not already out and about. You can ignore my previous messages, if you want lol
Kirishima smiles. He's getting this feeling that most of these texts are from Midoriya. He clicks on Todoroki's text from last night.
[7:01 p.m.] from Todoroki: Taking Bakugou home from the hospital. He's fine. I'll stay at his place tonight, but I'll drop by in the morning.
Kirishima's fingers twitch across those words. I'll stay at his place tonight. Kirishima wonders how often Todoroki spends the night at Bakugou's and how close they've gotten over the last few years. He tenses up, lifting his shoulders to his ears. He's not usually one to get jealous but, admitting Todoroki isn't a threat and doesn't make him feel all sorts of insecure would be bold faced lies. Besides, Kirishima has changed a lot over the years and he isn't even sure if Bakugou will like the new him.
Kirishima isn't even sure if he likes the new him.
One step at a time, Kirishima reminds himself. He swipes at the screen on his phone and pulls up Amajiki's phone number. He thumb hovers over the call button. It's early, but he's probably awake. He clicks on the green icon and waits while it rings.
"Hello?" Amajiki's voice is gruff on the other side. "Eijiro? How are you?"
Kirishima leans back on a wall and cups the receiver with his hand. He whispers, "Sorry, I think Midoriya is still sleeping. I'm fine, Tamaki. I just conked out."
"Well, I'm glad you're okay," says Amajiki. "How're you adjusting to civilian life?"
"Honestly?" Kirishima says, pushing his hair out of his eyes and suddenly realizing that he should probably get a haircut. "It doesn't even feel like my life. I feel like I jumped right into another job and now I have to learn how to be this Kirishima guy."
"Heh," Tamaki suppresses a short laugh. "Maybe it'll fall into place once you spend some time with Bakugou?"
Kirishima's stomach flips. He pushes down the groan sitting in his throat and turns around to press his forehead against the wall. The rough drywall is a welcome distraction from the butterflies fluttering in his belly. "I actually called for another favor," Kirishima says softly.
Amajiki pauses. "Sure. Anything."
"I need you to find Seo." There's a pounding in Kirishima's chest that rings in his ears. "The girl that escorted the King. Find out where she's hiding."
"Aren't the police looking for her?"
"Yeah, but they're not going to find her," says Kirishima. He looks around to make sure Midoriya isn't nearby. He peeks down the hall to see his door closed. "They don't have your connections or your stealth. I'm going to text you some potential leads. And, er...I kind of need you to keep this between you and me."
There's another pause. Kirishima half-expected Amajiki to protest. "Okay. I'll do it."
"Thanks, Tamaki," says Kirishima. "I owe you a big one." Kirishima is startled by the jiggle of the doorknob of the front door. "I have to go." He hangs up quickly and slips his phone into his pocket. The door creaks open.
"Kirishima," Todoroki says as he walks in. His two-toned hair is wet and parted down the middle, the white strands slicked back. He must have showered before he left Bakugou's. The bruises on his face have come down a lot. "How're you doing?"
Kirishima scratches the back of his neck. "Still trying to figure that out." He gestures to the bags Todoroki is carrying despite the splint on his arm. "You went to the market?"
"I bought these last night so I could cook dinner after the hospital," answers Todoroki. "We had leftover ingredients so I figured I'd make us some miso soup and fish for breakfast."
"Let me cook," says Kirishima, walking over and taking the bags from him. He waits for Todoroki to change out of his shoes before reluctantly asking, "Did Bakugou say anything?" He meant to finish the sentence with "...about me?" but couldn't bring himself to.
Todoroki looks at him with his gentle dual-colored eyes. "He's just really confused. He hasn't really opened up."
"Eijiro!"
Todoroki and Kirishima look down the hall to see Midoriya hurrying toward them. He's in a yellow tank top and long, black shorts. There's still a bit of sleep in his eyes behind his messy bangs. He turns his phone so the screen is facing them with an article. "Did you guys see? The news just broke."
Kirishima squints at the headline:
BREAKING: RED RIOT BACK FROM THE DEAD.