He woke up to an empty bed.
Submersion drowned them in a sleep so deep the sun had risen and now hung high on its blue canvas, doubtlessly sweltering in this early summer week. He wouldn't have slept this late without her touch- both from discipline and the general insomnia he suffered from when life tested its chaotic limits.
And with UA under fire, the tumultuous end of All Might's career, and the new, sharp-eyed heroine performing a rigorous workout in the spare bedroom, Shota Aizawa felt life had taken a jackhammer to the farce of normality.
In nothing but a sports bra and leggings, her training displayed itself better than a bakery window. Every sinew proved her unquestionable hard work, body taut but relaxed, even as sweat dewed her hairline.
Seeing Chiyo in person had been even more jarring than her television premiere. Her baby-faced sweetness, sucked through a straw to leave a face of bone and alertness. Even the way she carried herself seemed different, each step purposeful, unafraid of whether the ground still stood below her. Nothing spoke of the damsel she might once have been; instead, she'd ripped the narrative right from the pages, to be written again in her own hand.
He supposed training for twenty hours a day would do that to a person. He just hadn't been prepared for it to happen to her.
But her smile was still just as heart fluttering as before, eyes warm upon seeing him.
"Hey. Sorry I didn't wake you- you seemed even more tired than I was."
"How long have you been up?"
"Not that long," Chiyo rolled onto her back to raise her legs in a painful-looking stretch. A corner of her mouth rose with his wince, but something worried her eyes. "We uh, we have no food. So grocery shopping is on the agenda today, though I'd really, really like to storm a buffet and eat until I throw up. Or die. Or both." Was she teasing him, doing that with her legs? "But there's so much to do. I want to check on Toshinori, and Bakugo, but then there's the little rescue team to attend to, and-"
"And?" Aizawa asked when she didn't continue. Chiyo's legs fell back to earth, weighted like her expression. He drew to her without thinking, pulled like a string tied around her finger. She tried to smile, sitting up to be nearer, knees butterflying to rest on his own folded legs. Her hands, despite everything, still felt the same in his.
"Tomura Shigaraki, he- Shota, he's my brother."
She proceeded to tell him everything, from the moment All for One appeared to the choice between saving Tomura or Toshinori, the smell of blood, the pain of letting go. All the while he listened, never looked away from her slowly welling eyes.
Finding out All Might was really a woman would've been less surprising than what Chiyo uttered, because despite his premonitions, he'd never truly thought it possible.
"Are you completely sure he's your- you're related? But how could-"
She moved with feline agility, up and pacing the room like a leopard in too small a cage. "I've been trying to piece it together- that's why I came in here to burn off some of...this," She gestured at herself. "Kotaro Shimura did know Mom was pregnant- or at the very least found out about it. So in exchange for a new life Mom, what, gave him one of us? But considering how protective she is of me, I bet it was more than that- did he simply take Tomura? Was it an agreement made between them in lieu of a custody battle? And what happened to them?"
Chiyo ran both hands through her hair. Down, as it had been after her shower, freed from her workout bun and bent oddly around her.
"He could've been me; I could've so easily been in his place. Should I have been?"
Seeing her in such distress felt like a jagged rock in his shoe, piercing with every step she took.
Her body ran gently into his when he diverted the pacing route, face burying into his chest.
"I just...I don't know what to do, Shota."
"We'll figure it out," He wrapped his arms around her, wishing for an easy answer. For the first time since yesterday, he felt a twinge of normalcy, holding her like this. "But dwelling like this, asking what ifs? They won't lead you anywhere. We have to work through this rationally-"
Chiyo broke from his embrace. With her new edges, irritation shone like a glinting blade.
"Rationally? Rationally? All Might is gone; the next generation of heroes are children who should probably all be fucking expelled for the stunt they pulled last night. My twin is the leader of the League of Villains. How long until the police take me into custody?"
Aizawa's blood iced in his veins.
The sentiment matched Chiyo's eyes as she watched him, viewed the pieces fall into place.
"Toshinori knows. That little wretch- Gran Torino- he knows, too. Which means Tsukauchi has doubtlessly been told. I left my answers vague enough last night and they hadn't pressed me because of the late hour, but now-" Chiyo bit her lip. "With Mom, and the abduction, even my newfound abilities- I'm only going to look more suspicious."
A dark head tilted towards the ceiling, inhaled long and slow. "I just thought- When I went into the Paradox, I thought everything would be different. Better. But it's all just worse."
What can I even say?
"That's why you entered the Paradox though, right? To make the world better."
He looked too good, standing there in just his underclothes, hair haphazardly pulled from his face in a rather sloppy mess. His ruffled attire did nothing to hinder the seriousness of his expression.
"You're different now, Chiyo; you have power. A voice people will be able to hear. All Might may no longer stand as the number one hero, but what he stood for hasn't faded. We have to remind the world of that. As for the police, you're under the protection of UA; we would never allow them to harm or accuse you of any sort of treachery. There isn't a single teacher or student who has ever doubted your loyalty."
Was that true? Even with Mom's tampering?
Because now, knowing who she's the mother of- they might think she could be an affiliate of the League. And I the traitor, linked between the two.
"And I agree with you, the students should be severely punished for their actions-"
"Izuku Midoriya should be expelled." The thought interrupted all others.
When I'd seen him last night, I'd nearly lost it.
Momo, Iida- they would have never been out there without their overly ambitious ringleader. To risk their lives along with his own. My belly practically burned like a goblet of molten rage. They were children- my children. I couldn't take another event like this without suffering a heart attack and stroke combination.
"If there's a board of education, heroes, whatever, I want to go. I want him expelled."
"Okay."
Surprise must've widened my eyes. Shota couldn't hide his amusement.
"What, you thought the hard ass rational one wouldn't agree? And here I thought you knew me, Tsutomi." He rubbed his neck, looking exhausted despite his late wake-up. "Though he didn't act alone, and I have a sinking feeling there were others at least informed of their antics."
My stomach rudely cleared its throat, careless to our conversation. I'd taken another gloriously-scalding shower earlier and slept in a bed made of heavenly sheets and a warm, steady heartbeat against my shoulder; all I needed now was a feast to finish the Perfect World Trifecta. I patted my belly, ready to move on.
"You are less-wrong than I originally acted; I shouldn't dwell on the situation. So why don't we-"
"Less wrong? You can't just admit I was right?"
"-Go out and find that buffet, hm?" I continued as if he hadn't interrupted, "And after, we can go visit Toshinori. Then figure out the rest as we go."
I threw open the closet door. An alarming, barren mouth yawned back.
"Where are all my dresses?"
"I figured you'd come back beefed up like All Might, so I threw them all out."
Pain electrified my neck, I whipped around so fast. Shota held my stare with a note of boredom.
"Is that-" I licked my lips, trying to compute. "You're joking, right?"
He shrugged.
I wondered how hard bloodstains were to get out of hardwood flooring.
I followed his jackass silhouette back into the bedroom, trying to suppress the anger about to explode out of my body and splatter the walls with acid. Recovery Girl was right; all men were really, truly stupid. He moved to the closet to get dressed himself as I tried to reign in the combustion.
"Look, I- er, I see how you thought you were doing me a favor, but I would've really liked if you had waited for me to-"
An unusual rainbow of color bloomed from his closet, taking up nearly two-thirds of the space. One corner looked like a black hole; his own hung clothes, monochromatic in their darkness.
All my favorite dresses, ordered by color.
In the- our- bedroom closet.
Shota Aizawa proceeded to dress, as if he hadn't just pulled a logical deception on me, debating between casual attire or his Eraser Head outfit.
"You- I-"
"Is it normal for women to have so much clothing, or is it a Chi-ism?"
A Chi-ism?
A dimple poked out before his hair veiled the entirety of his face, bending to pull on a pair of dark jeans.
Why had I been such a dick before? Or, more fitting, a selfish asshole ignoring the one aspect of my life that hadn't changed, that guided me through all those hours of training, just to see his shyly smiling face again.
He complied when I pushed him onto the edge of the bed, hands on my hips when I followed him down. My body may have changed- I might be stronger, leaner than before- but still we fit together like two pieces of a matching set, bodies flush as we kissed, hands messing up his just-redone hair.
"I really...fucking missed you," I breathed, forehead warm against his. His smile razed my skin.
"Are you sure you want to go out? We could just stay in here…"
He jumped when a cool hand slipped under his shirt and pinched. I seized the opportunity, sneaking out the soft valley beneath his ear with my mouth.
As tempting as going back to bed was, I was practically running on fumes.
But it didn't mean we had to leave in a rush.
Kugo Sakamata would kick my ass from ocean to ocean if he'd witnessed what I'd just done.
No one- not even the burly man two booths down blatantly gawking- had probably ever seen someone eat as ravenously as I did, inhaling practically everything in sight until Shota pried the spoon out of my hand after the third massive bowl of ice cream.
I'd been joking about the puking-and-dying thing; now it felt like an actual possibility.
It looked like I'd swallowed a bowling ball, belly perfectly round. I smoothed my dress around it, admiring the sensation of actually being full. How had I survived all those weeks on protein packets and water?
"Maybe my quirk is actually consumption. Bet you've never seen someone eat like that before."
"You'd be surprised."
I feigned a glare at such a slight. Shota smirked. But then he was leaning closer, and the smirk kept looking more and more boyish, and now with my stomach full I realized there was actually a fourth necessary action for this day to be truly perfect-
"Excuse me, but aren't you Chiyonex?"
The voice was small- almost as small as the kid herself, flanked by two others with wide eyes and hair the color of summer plums. Sisters, perhaps? I glanced around- for what, I'm not sure, considering they were all looking directly at me. Shota's smirk slipped at the edges.
"Um, yes. Can I help you?"
The trio tittered among themselves before pushing the original speaker forward. "We saw you save All Might on TV. We're your biggest fans. Can we, um-"
"Can we take a picture with you?" The tallest one finished for the younger, just as nervous despite her seniority. I looked to Shota, bewildered. He'd slunk an inch further into the booth in an attempt to blend in with the upholstery. Do I say yes- do I have to? What would Sakamata do? Had he lectured me about this?
It all depends on what kind of hero you want to be.
"Sure, yeah," I finally answered, because what was the harm? They were just kids. Girls, even; maybe my actions would spur a few more females into pursuing typically-male-dominated fields.
Such a thought made my smile genuine, pressed between two bird-limb bodies. The eldest switched spots with one sister to be in a photo, too. I tried to ignore the blatant distaste coloring my boyfriend through the entire event.
They admired the photos, chattering over which had the least amount of flaws. All three turned in unison and bowed. "Thanks so much!"
My friendly neighborhood jitters decided to visit in light of their unified gratitude. I waved the girls off quickly. "Of course!"
There were a few more eyes on me now- for reasons other than my earlier piggishness. A strange energy bubbled through my chest at the prospect of being seen as something more than just a clumsy space-case; something stronger, noteworthy.
And then I caught part of the girls' whispered conversation as they wandered back to their own table.
"A photo with All Might's girlfriend! So cool."
"She's so pretty. Do you think you could do my hair like that, Umeko?"
"You guys are such babies. Who cares what she looks like? She stood up to that villain like a real hero! That's cool."
Well.
One out of three was better than a full strike-out, I guess.
All Might's girlfriend? What the hell was that about? I'll have to text Manami so we can stage an accidental-intentional outing for her and Toshinori.
I turned to Shota, a lingering grin still in place from the thought of Manami and Toshinori. A half-lidded gaze twitched in answer. "Does this sort of thing ever happen to you?"
"I see to it that it doesn't."
How? He was a UA instructor, after all, and the staff directory was available on the school's website. Figuring out Shota Aizawa was Eraser Head couldn't be that hard- Mom and I had pieced him together with a few lengthy internet searches. Had he ever been on television before yesterday?
"What would you do if a kid approached you for an autograph or something?"
"Run, probably." He slid across the seat, grabbing the check as he went. "They're small and easily distracted. Candy would probably placate them into leaving me alone-"
"You should probably just stop talking before someone mistakes your intentions," I cut in flatly. "Bribing children with candy feels dangerously close to a kidnapper's tactics."
My tensing muscles eased with his half-grin. I let him help me out of the booth, groaning from the amount of food still digesting, swaying like a chunky little penguin. An arm slipped around me and I looked up, surprised by how serious he took my exaggerated behavior.
But the gesture wasn't to steady my instability- he was blocking the view of another curious patron now aiming a phone in my direction. The energy of before went off course, replaced by something oilier, griming my arteries in its wake.
It's just because those kids wanted a photo. This guy probably just noticed. Calm down.
Maybe we should've just stayed home.
My thoughts read too clearly; fingers slipped between mine after exiting the restaurant. He kissed the back of my hand.
"Want to head to the hospital now?"
At least he wasn't rubbing my publicity choice in my face. "Okay."
We weren't the only visitors Toshinori had.
I went stiff. An arm quickly wrapped around my shoulders.
Again, it wasn't a loving gesture.
Shota was making sure I didn't lunge across the room at the grey-haired man beside my sunflower friend, barely tall enough to reach the first rung of the stool he sat on.
Every head turned towards the bathroom, where the pipes rattled like ghosts beneath the surface, riled with my quirk.
But I didn't let regulation calm me down; I had to learn to do so myself, without the restrictive aid.
"Chiyo! Aizawa! You came to visit me?" Toshinori was a mess of bones and bandages but smiled all the same, practically glowing even in his ragged condition. I tried to radiate a similar expression. One half of my face ticked into a grimace; all I was currently capable of.
He knew. He knew this whole fucking time.
"So, you're Gran Torino. The bastard who let a murderer off the hook." My voice sounded infinitely more casual than my vibrating brain. "And let him take one of Kishi Otani's children. Turned out real well, huh? You must be proud."
"Chiyo-"
One glance cut my friend's protest like a sabre.
"Did she know?" I asked quietly. "Did my mother know there were two?"
The bastard didn't even look me in the eye.
"No. The births were cesarean; the doctors kept her well sedated."
Mom. My mom. Broken, afraid. Alone and unaware of what was being taken from her.
Every nerve in my body vibrated.
It'd be so easy.
To kill him.
To wipe him from their world like a smear on a window, forced off with a single rush of raging water.
But I wasn't like him; I couldn't ruin a life, hurt those who cared about his wasteful existence just to satiate my own selfish desires.
"You should leave." There was no civility in my voice.
"We were actually discussing Tomura Shigaraki and what our next steps should be," I hadn't even noticed Tsukauchi right beside him, too focused on the elder hero. He, too, tried to smile, put me at ease. Shota's arm only seemed to tighten more. I leaned in to him, glad for the support.
"Which is what, exactly?"
"The ones to search for Shigaraki will be Tsukauchi and me. Despite the new findings, Tomura Shigaraki is still a wanted criminal. I understand the desire- both yours and Toshinori's- to find him, but if you think he's anything less than a villain, no good can come of it."
A snarl ripped through my teeth, "And whose fault is that, Gran Torino? Who let him go with an attempted murderer?"
"I've made peace with my past, Chiyo Tsutomi. I cannot ask your forgiveness, but my thinking will not change based on your anger."
Anger? Anger? I took a step forward, only to be stopped by the skeleton in the bed; "Don't invalidate her feelings, Gran Torino. You were part of a terrible crime, and while the statute of limitations would keep you from custody, there is no doubt you not only broke the law, but fractured the lives of those involved."
I hadn't expected Toshinori to be on my side, even if it was his master's other descendant in question. What pain must he feel, to go against both a mentor and Tomura Shigaraki?
Foolishness staggered my pace. So caught up in my own injustices, I'd never considered what Toshinori was going through. Toshinori, the person I'd used as an excuse to even become a hero.
I counted each finger against my thumb once, twice, took a breath before sitting on the mattress's edge near two bony ankles.
I didn't look at the tired, wrinkled eyes of Gran Torino, or the plain-faced detective.
I looked only to Toshinori.
"Is this what you want?" This face, the face I had already known so well, now revealed to the world. "Are you okay with this plan moving forward?"
"As much...As I would like to pursue Tomura Shigaraki, save him from himself, we...We have obligations to uphold. Not just to society, but to our students." Even skeletal, his hand swallowed mine like a pebble in the ocean. "We've vowed to rear the next generation of heroes. I need to see that through."
Those little faces bobbed to the surface of my mind's eye, pale and slick with fear over, and over, and over again. The USJ attack. Operation Submersion. The Training Camp.
Last night, only meters away from the most lethal villain in history.
Tomura...will have to wait.
"Then I'll let go of it...For now."
Everyone seemed to sigh in visible relief- even the old coot.
Was I really so scary now?
Better use it to my advantage, then.
I attempted my sternest Aizawa impression.
"Now that you're a permanent bag of bones, you're going to eat well, and regularly. Your hair is a fried mess because your showers are clearly too hot, and the hunched way you walk around is doing nothing for your back-"
Sensing the storm had broken (or fearing another was about to hit), the two former visitors made their exit. Tsukauchi caught Shota's arm and pulled him out of the line of fire.
Face cherried, angled shoulders raised nearly to his ears, Toshinori looked almost happy to be nagged at. I popped him in the forehead as punishment.
"We have another problem, Toshi." He looked at me with fearful hesitance. I set my mouth in a hard line. "It concerns your protege, Izuku Midoriya."
Toshinori seemed to relax. What'd he think I was going to say? "I can't believe the kid showed up like that. With all the dangerous events he's already barely scraped through, you'd think-"
"He's reckless, Toshinori. His moral compass is askew; the minute he senses trouble, Midoriya flies into the heat of battle- regardless of danger, or whose lives he puts on the line."
"Hey now, he has a long way to go still, but-"
"I'm going to pursue his expulsion from UA, Toshinori."
There wasn't a monitor, yet his heart pounded so dramatically the vibrations reached across and tapped against my skin.
"You can't."
"He's a danger to himself and the other students, you have to see that-"
"Midoriya, he's just a kid-"
"Exactly!" I slapped my open palm against the sheets. "Exactly, Toshinori. He's a child, and yet he breaks bones at the drop of a hat, has destroyed his body a dozen times over- and why? Because he's trying to be you."
Toshinori withered, a flower nearing the end with no water in sight. "Midoriya is going to kill himself, the way he's going. And I'm afraid he might take others down with him."
The world didn't question All Might's brash decisions because he had that insurmountable power to back every action- there never seemed any true risk when he threw himself into the fire, took on a gang of villains single-handedly.
Midoriya, however, wasn't able to harness that power yet. It would only be a matter of time until he bit off more than he could chew, fall prey to a situation of violence and death.
Wasn't it our jobs to stop that from happening?
"It's my fault," Every word carried an anvil, hung from his gaunt face. "I've neglected my job as his mentor, and because of it, young Midoriya has persisted in his emulation rather than trying to carve his own path. If anyone should be punished, it should be me."
Based on his battered, defeated appearance, I couldn't imagine anything else being done to him. He reached out and took my closest hand.
Even if All Might had faded, sunlight still seemed to warm his blood, making his touch like a summer afternoon.
"I know you're right, Chiyo- Midoriya displayed poor decision making and helped endanger several students. He has so much still to learn. But I- we- can't just give up on him; not attending UA wouldn't stop him from pursuing his dream of becoming a hero. Would it not be better for him to stay under our guidance, rather than out on his own?"
Doing so outside school would result in his arrest, though. But did I want that? Was this about punishment, or keeping my kids safe?
I mindlessly pinched the meat between Toshinori's thumb and index finger, caught in a conflict of interests.
Lift him up or tie him down- were those my options?
"So what will you do differently?"
Two blonde eyebrows rose. I sighed.
"How will you raise Midoriya differently, so that this doesn't happen? You know, again."
I wish Toshinori wouldn't smile like that. As if I'd given him the moon, tethered to a rainbow.
He proceeded to make a string of promises I doubted he'd be able to keep regarding the new plan for Izuku Midoriya. I tried to stay unpleasant, angry at the man who'd all but given every last piece of himself to others, but the goldenness of his aura seemed to outshine even my darkest corners, softened my frown like taffy in the sun.
A pair of dark limbs, crossed at the ankles and wrapped inward at the elbows, waited just outside the door, leaning casually against the wall.
"Good talk?" Shota asked. I shrugged.
"Despite all the beef, he's still the same bone-headed man we all know and love."
Shota rolled his eyes, kicked off the wall towards the elevator- the back one this time.
"Why did you leave?"
"Tsukauchi wanted to discuss a matter with me."
I waited for the subject. When he didn't continue, the hand selecting the down button strangely flew up and whacked him in the forehead. My eyes widened with innocence upon the heated glare shot my way.
"Well? What'd he say?" I asked, finally breaking when he still didn't answer. I tried to play it off as a caught femme fatale, hands on my hips and voice breathy. "Am I on their watch list? Am I the assassin and you their spy, ratting out all my dirty little secrets?"
He snorted but still didn't elucidate.
So, being the dramatic, drama-tv-binger I am, I pulled the emergency stop lever.
Unlike television, the lights stayed on.
Shota turned to me, eyebrows raised but uncannily not surprised.
"What are you doing? You can't just- Is there a camera? We'll be-"
"What did Tsukauchi say, Shota? Why aren't you answering the question?" The growing fear made my voice wobbly. I watched his chest rise and fall, throat clenching with a swallow. Another layer of nervousness iced the last when he let out a tired sigh.
"There's...rumors. Media outlets mostly starving for the next big story, or a way to spin last night to accrue the most drama. And a lot of them are focusing on you."
Shit. Shit, shit, shit. "They-" I swallowed, lightly shook the rushing blood from my ears. "There were newscasters who saw me try and save Tomura?"
"That seems very unlikely- especially since the leeches were always on All Might. They're looking at you for a different reason,"
It was like looking at me caused him physical pain. The small space grew smaller as I took hold of his arms.
"Shota, please, just tell me what-"
"Their focus isn't on you saving All Might, but the way you acted with him."
"Oh." What? My shoulders sagged- from both confusion and relief; this was nothing in comparison to what could have been seen- me, blurry-faced and clinging to the League's leader like a lost child. Which, I supposed, we both kind of were. "What does that even mean?"
Shota took a slow breath. He hadn't pulled out of my hold but he wasn't exactly returning it, either, muscles like taut wire.
"They think you're lovers."
All the wind blew out of me, ending in a snicker. "Is that the term they actually used? Lovers? Is it the fifties again? Wait- am I the main lover, or a mistress-"
"You think this is a joke?" The silvery scar beneath his eye went rigid; he was angry. "I know you're new to this whole game, but as soon as you stepped into the spotlight like that, a target attached itself to your back. You're not unknown-little-Chiyo-Tsutomi anymore- you're mysterious Chiyonex, lover of All Might. You're a public figure with interest."
Definitely angry. I tried to cipher each word's inflections; what element was pissing him off the most? Sure, he hated the media, but he couldn't actually be mad at me for protecting a friend, right? Wasn't that the primary goal of heroism- saving people? And the heartbeat pummeling through my fingertips- frightfully chaotic for someone whose job consisted of lecturing students over heroism and levelheadedness.
Which really left one plausible conclusion.
He's jealous.
Such an irrational, senseless feeling in the grand scheme of us, I'd almost forgotten he could be capable of it.
"Let's go back to the spy theory instead," I said, thinking quickly. My hands slid down his arms. I watched them twine between each finger, even though his didn't answer. "The coy assassiness, suspected of villainy and shadowed by the tall, brooding anti-hero, who thinks he has her all figured out- she's the bad guy, aiming to take over the world. And what better way than on the arm of the world's Golden Boy leader? He's handsome, and rich, and naive. He never stood a chance against her feminine wiles."
He was pressed against the back wall; I leaned in until my chest grazed his, one leg shifting between his until a hip fell flush against his body, eyes on his mouth as mine murmured the rest of the story. I swallowed, let my gaze find his again.
"Problem is, the web was never meant for the Golden Boy; it was a clever ruse, a distraction from her ulterior motive. Her entire plan had to change with the appearance of that damned, brooding spy, you see. Not because he proved a threat," A corner of my mouth rose. "But because she very foolishly fell in love with him. The way he smiled at her when he didn't know she was looking, how their witty banter felt as easy as breathing and became just as vital."
My own inhale was surprisingly shaky, despite my soft words.
"It was him she loved all along, and the spy didn't even realize his error until he was already caught in the real web, stuck in a back elevator no one ever checked or bothered with."
It wasn't fear trembling my ribs.
It was need.
When had his hand broken from mine, grasped onto my neck to tilt my mouth to his? When had my hand slid across his thigh, ripped open his zipper, roamed beneath for exactly what I'd been without for thirty-something days?
I barely suppressed a whimper when his teeth caught on my shoulder. He lifted me effortlessly, turned to brace me against the cool metal wall. I gripped his biceps, thighs spread on either side of his waist. He paused, breath shiveringly warm in the curve of my neck.
"There- what if someone switches on-"
"I don't care," Came my hiss, fingers clawing into his hair, pulling him back to me. His heart beat into mine, just as thunderous, just as desiring. I'd spent over a dozen days at this hospital and never once seen anyone use this elevator, let alone notice its movement tendencies.
And even if someone did restart the elevator, catch us, my adrenaline-and-lust soaked body wouldn't be able to stop- not now, with his hands against my bare skin, ripping the lace underneath, adjusting until we aligned. He exhaled a wavering breath. My body clenched before the wave crashed through, pulling another sound from my mouth, one I wasn't quick enough to catch.
I hadn't thought to be self-conscious until last night, body foreign in the mirror before I'd stepped into the shower. Had he noticed? Years of school locker rooms made changing a cinch, pulling the shirt and yanking the towel simultaneously to never reveal more than my arms and legs. Which was ridiculous, in a way; I was healthier, in better shape than ever before.
But the way everyone had- continued- to look at me. It filled me with the same high-strung anxiety I'd always had, regardless of weight.
"Shit, Chiyo."
My cool-girl spy persona vanished with a breathy giggle, sweaty head falling back against the elevator wall. Everything slid towards the ceiling; he'd lifted me with one ridiculous arm.
I let my head loll to the side, rest against the one currently face-down against my shoulder.
"Maybe you could think of...a different...kind of comment?"
He tensed. "It's more in regards to the overall situation, not-"
Now seemed like a strange time to blush. Red crawled up his neck, colored his cheeks. A too-lovey smile turned my face crooked, and then he smiled, which made me only smile more stupidly, and then he was kissing me so gently I thought my heart would implode or burst out like a surprise party popper or both.
"I'm sorry," He murmured, cheek scratchy against mine. "This- Everything is different, and this new world, where an interest is suddenly being given to our lives, I- I've always been terrible with change."
"Yeah, I kind of got that from your wardrobe."
He glowered at my chipped-tooth grin, nipped at my exposed neck and relished my reaction.
The elevator gave a sudden jolt. I yelped and Shota jerked back, nearly careening me into the ground before quickly depositing me carefully onto my feet.
"Your hair-" I hurriedly reached to fix his mussed hair. The task was made easy; he leaned down in near synchronicity, tugging straight the hem of my dress, attempting to fix the top button of my summer dress.
"By the way, they look-"
"A little bigger, right?" I offered a little too excitedly while wiping for any marred makeup lines. His eyes crinkled. Mine all but disappeared behind my hands. "Sorry, that was weird. It's-"
"Been a long day?"
"And it's not even sundown yet."
Sundown. Would Operation Submersion continue, since it was summer? I'll have to email the others. Right now I was too preoccupied with the present, dazedly watching the elevator numbers decline.
"We- I just had sex in an elevator. I've never-" I cleared my throat, smoothed my hair one final time. "This will probably be my number one strangest place of intercourse of all time."
"Really?"
Why'd he say it like that? So incredulous, looking down at me with maddening bemusement. Had he done this before? Had he done this somewhere even riskier?
Hello jealousy, my old friend.
"Really-really. Guess I'm just too new to this whole game to have the experiences you, a veteran, would have."
The elevator must've reset, parading to the very lowest floor. It paused, as if to admire Shota's deep chuckle, before ascending. I pressed the starred button without glancing at his smirking face.
Which left me a little too jumpy when his breath suddenly tickled the curve of my ear.
"I'm surprised an assassiness of your caliber would think this would be the last web the spy fell into. You've opened the door to so many possibilities. Though-" Fingertips rubbed along one side of a seemingly-never-shaven jaw, where someone else's teeth had claimed territory. "-I'm still not sure who actually sets the trap- the assassin in love with the spy, or the spy who's in love with the assassin."
The elevator halted.
A cane hit a dark-clad shin. I jumped to life, hurrying out before the weapon found me next. In seconds we were a parallel image, the medic tucked inside with us viewing from the ground floor's lobby.
Two all-too-knowing eyes took in my ruby face, the stolid plainness of Shota Aizawa's.
"Nice pocket accessory," Recovery Girl said.
The door closed but not before a wolfish grin struck me dead, gaze gliding from the forgotten white lace poking out of Shota's pocket to me, deviant and somehow...delighted?
I was going to die.
Drop out of my UA gig and take a blind-folded bike ride down the North Yungas Road.
Shit, is that too dark?
Dye my hair and move to the States under a new name, then.
"Well, that's an image I'd rather not have her have of me," Shota mumbled. I shook my head, stunned beyond words.
Disappearing was the only answer.
The lobby nurse seemed to be enjoying a rare moment of peace, considering the clientele of the hospital. I hurried past her in hopes to not ruin that experience.
"Wait, Chiyo-" Shota hurried after me. He caught my wrist and I swiveled, tripping on the raised mats in the vestibule. On instinct my legs took a few extra steps to retain balance, parting the exit doors. The hand fell from my arm as if burnt by the sunlight.
Only, it wasn't sunlight.
For a second I thought the spider-walking woman had escaped the haunted house from Shota and I's first date, rallied a horde, and now stood before me, bones clicking and snapping like a thousand angry spirits waiting to drag me to hell.
Instead an ocean of cameras froze my surprised face in digitized pixels, flashes like grenades, just as blinding as the real thing.
"Chiyonex!"
"Chiyonex, how is All Might?"
"Chiyonex, over here! Over here!"
"Did you stay overnight? Is that allowed?"
Could they follow me back into the hospital? I turned, ready to ask Shota if he could scale the building without his capturing scarf, only to find myself alone.
"Chiyonex! Please, can you speak on your relationship with All Might?"
He'd left me. Again.
"Chiyonex! You look disheveled. Did you have a spicy reunion? Does that mean All Might will recover?"
Living in the city my whole life, there were few encounters with wandering wildlife caught on concrete, powerless to the cratering speed and brightness of the oncoming force. Once on a vacation to the countryside I'd witnessed a slain tanuki; its face pulled in a grimace, blood sticky, a swarm of thirsty insects feasting on its ripped flesh.
I supposed the city simply had a different kind of roadkill.
Was there a way to avoid the headlight once you were already on the street?
"Hello! I will leave the status of All Might to the man himself, as a press conference will be held within the upcoming week. I can tell you he's going to be all right, despite his less-than-hunky appearance,"
The crowd laughed gaily. I tried not to throw up, holding my hands calmly in front of me. It's not like they can see up my dress. Humiliation shook my lungs all the same, feeling intensely vulnerable with my missing undergarment. You're fine, everything's fine. I imagined my nerves as a lethargic, lazy river.
"You arrived to save All Might and consequently saved those civilians still caught in the crossfire. Was that your goal?"
"As a proponent of ethical heroism, it will always be my goal to save as many people within my reach as possible," Damn, I sounded too much like that reckless clover-headed zealot. "One should always consider the dangers of their actions, however, and assess every situation carefully."
"So your heroism won't end with All Might's?"
What was the insinuation here? That I was only there for him, like some dewy-eyed waif living for the real hero? Not that he wasn't a hero, and a large portion of my conviction was fed by the idea of being there for him.
Did that mean I was done?
Fatigue nibbled on my bones. The fact that I'd been abandoned once again, in the light of cameras, left me feeling more exposed than if I were naked.
I didn't allow these elements to win over my mind.
Instead I let my features take their time, pictured Kugo's frightening grin and added a feminine twist. Women were scary in their own way, never needing more than a slight inflection in an expression to display a terrifying malice.
"I'm just getting started."
Author's Note: A tanuki is a raccoon dog! Which are not related to raccoons. They snuggle together for hibernation and are monogamous. Many retailers claiming their material is "faux fur" is actually made of raccoon dog fur, so beware!
I feel bad for Gran Torino fans because he's definitely not as heroic in my tale as he is in MHA. I always felt like he failed Kotaro (and by relation Tenko) because if my best friend had a child and put him into hiding/fostering, nothing would stop me from finding him upon that friend's death, so I've always had a little beef. Allowing Kotaro to take a child like some King Solomon bs seems like such a plausible move, especially since Torino's loyalty was always with the Shimura family.
Emotions are running high. There's a lot to unpack here.
...Have fun!
