Mina being a badass ex-roller derby girl headcanon initiated. Ps shit starts to get real next chapter. It's gonna be great.
The reception of Kotomi's Red Riot article went over better than she had hoped. The morning started off with a call from Hana commenting on how impressed she was and that she loved the flow of the piece. Kotomi, half awake and nearly drowning in fuzzy pink pillows laughed happily, thanking her cohort. Hana, herself, was close to the final draft on her hero articles and planned to email them to Kotomi later that day. Once the call had been ended, the short girl curled into a ball and surfed through the newest happenings in Musutufa: a few new wanted criminals, events at local venues, and updated crime rates for areas within the city. There were a multitude of missed calls on Kotomi's home screen, all of which were from her parents, and a couple of neglected voicemails. Ignoring them, she navigated to her text thread with Kari.
"Hey, kiddo. I miss you. I wanted to talk to you yesterday, but I know you were upset. Text me when you feel like it." Send. Mina was a humble person, many people would agree. If they judged this trait solely by the size of her bed, though, they would say otherwise. Kotomi had never slept in a king-sized bed before, but now that she had, she never wanted to leave it. Just as she started to slip back into the realm of slumber, a notification vibrated on her phone, which was sourced from Twitter. It was a quote retweet of the link to the article Kotomi had written the night before. The added comment caused her pause.
"This is probably the most flattering thing ever written about me. I think I can speak for the hero world when I say that we love our journalists. Thanks for sharing our stories! I wish you the best in your recovery! #RedRiot"
Kotomi buried her face in her hands and mentally squealed, so as not to wake her best friend who was only a foot or so away and snoring deeply. He actually read it. Her day was already made, and some of the burden of yesterday had been forgotten as a result. With a smile on her face, Kotomi gripped her phone to her chest and recounted Red Riot, the way he so carefully held her, his disheveled hair, how sharp his jawline was – before she knew it, Kotomi escaped consciousness once more, sliding into a world of enveloping warmth.
The day progressed at a quick rate. Kotomi couldn't deny that she was riding a journalistic high that she hadn't grasped in over a year. Mina was happy for her, skirting around the fact that she could very easily tell how nervous her friend was. As the time to get ready and leave for the city grew closer, they both felt how high the anxiety was growing. Still, the pink woman cheerily floated around her home as she decided on what to wear. She changed into something comfy and trendy and then dug her old derby skates out of her closet. She quickly found Kotomi digging through her duffel bag until she finally claimed her small makeup pouch.
"Y'know, we should do this more often. It's so fun to get all dressed up and go out!" Mina beamed. Kotomi, startled, almost dropped the object before slowly turning back to her observer.
"Yeah! It's been a really long time since I've done anything like this... does my outfit look okay?" She asked. Mina squared up to the blonde and looked her up and down. Comfortable but still cute. The hero tapped her cheek thoughtfully before an idea obviously popped into mind. Disappearing to her room for a moment, she returned with some jewelry.
"You look nice! But every great look is perfected with accessories," she explained, "You're going tastefully simple, so this minimalist jewelry will be a nice touch. I'd say maybe do a smoky eye to match?" Kotomi blushed and looked down at the pieces of golden jewelry Mina handed her before putting each piece on gently. Kotomi thanked her and started applying some makeup.
"Sooo, is there a reason you're going all out right now? I have to say... I don't think I've seen you wound up this tight before," Mina claimed.
"Well, it's normal to you, but it's not everyday that I get to go hang out with heroes! It's a journalistic dream!" Said Kotomi with a squeak. Mina giggled and shrugged, "Okay, fair. But we're normal people, you know that!" Kotomi's eyeshadow brush strokes grew more shaky. She did know, and she felt strange putting so much thought into how she looked considering this. It was pretty out of character for her - she was a business casual kind of girl that generally wore very neutral makeup and rarely wore anything to attract the eye. Today was different though: she wanted to impress Red Riot and thank him for helping her. Especially since he had read her article and so kindly shared it (which led to a lot of positive online attention as a result). There was something in her that felt magnetized to him. She had no clue if this was one-sided and she was scared to find out, but she figured she needed whatever help she could get to seem more approachable.
"Do you think we could stop by that to-go bar on the way?" Kotomi asked.
"I like the way you think!"
Unnaturally huge hurricane cocktails in hand, Mina and Kotomi made their way to the noisy, bumping skate center. Mina had a stylish hat on, pulled relatively low on her face so as to escape any potential paparazzi. You wouldn't be able to tell she cared much, though, as she loudly laughed and talked with her friend, pointing out different things around the city. Kotomi put on her best face, barely managing to hide the sheer unease swirling in her stomach. She tended to her drink, sipping heartily from the obnoxious curly straw. Mina linked their arms, hoping to curb some of Kotomi's worries with the reminder of her presence. It seemed to help to a limited degree. As they walked into the skate center, Mina payed for the both of them and ushered Kotomi to the shoe switch out. After acquiring rental skates, the rosy girl sat her friend down and laced Kotomi into her skates before pulling her own personal skates on.
"You look really snazzy in your skates," Kotomi said, marveling at the wheels, which were a marble effect of hot pink and black rubber. Mina hopped in place, the compliment clearly resounding with her. "Thanks, Tomi! I used to play roller derby before I started in hero work! It was my main scene when I wasn't hanging out with my dance friends!"
"Oh, that's so cool, Mina! I didn't know that about you," she said, feeling impressed. Kotomi stood shakily, doing her best to steady herself with her arms in front of her. "Uh... you might have to teach me how to skate." Having looked down to check her phone a moment prior, Mina glanced to the journalist.
"I figured as much! That's okay, Uraraka and Kirishima aren't here yet anyways. Let's go for a spin!" Mina said, having to yell over the music that flared in the background. The two chugged the rest of their drinks and adopted Kotomi's pace to the main floor. Dodging others as they went, Mina skated backwards and with her fingers Kotomi's in front of her to hold her steady. There had already been a few close calls of Kotomi nearly busting her ass but with time, she felt more confident in herself. The skate floor was almost completely full, though, which was intimidating. Kotomi had to actively focus only on Mina's face and praises of encouragement to keep from feeling claustrophobic. The Alien Queen was graceful and poised rolling across the rink with no worries. She almost appeared angelic.
Mid-conversation, she stated that her phone was ringing and guided the both of them to a safe spot to idle by the at shoulder-high wall that separated the food court and rink. Digging her phone from her pocket, she tapped it and brought it to her ear.
"Huh? I can't hear you!" Mina yelled. "You might have to text me! Wha- oh! You're here!" She took pause, listening to the other party. "Yeah, we're at the wall... 'Kay!" Mina told Kotomi that her friends were on the way. In that moment, Kotomi felt her heart threaten to bruise her ribcage. She nodded, feigning overjoyed excitement. After a few minutes, Kotomi followed Mina's gaze as she waved to the distance. She could see over the short wall and immediately saw a young girl with brown hair that framed her fair face cutely. Kotomi could tell that her cheeks were dusted by color, even under the blacklight. The blonde joined Mina in waving to her. Uraraka met the two girls at the wall, lightly jogging on her way over.
"Uraraka, oh my god, it's so good to see you! Thanks for coming! This is one of my best friends, Tomi!" Mina yelled. Kotomi smiled at the new party as she spoke. "Oh, you're the famous Tomi! It's nice to meet you, I'm Ochaco Uraraka!" She reached her hand over the wall to shake Kotomi's gently.
"It's nice to meet you, too! I wanted to thank you personally for saving me from one of the collapsed buildings the other day!"
"I'm happy that I could help! I'm just sorry you still got hurt - Kirishima told me there had been a minor casualty," Uraraka said sheepishly. Kotomi waved it off, asserting that it could have been much worse.
"Say, speaking of the big lug, where's he at?" Mina asked. Uraraka threw a thumb toward the rental station. "He was in line, but he should be over here any minute. I'm gonna put my skates on really quick!" Mina assisted Kotomi to the table that Uraraka had claimed a spot at to lace up her skates.
"So, you weren't hurt too badly, Tomi?"
"Yeah, just a couple of fractures in my arm, thankfully. It still feels a little sore, but the nurses were able to patch everything up!" She replied.
"Hey, that's a relief!"
The three turned to the source of the voice, only to find the towering Red Riot to be the source. A smile graced his face as he spoke. Kotomi, already unsteady, felt her knees weaken further. It was almost as if all the people around her had stopped in time as her eyes landed on him. He somehow looked even more attractive than the night before, and his cologne was absolutely divine.
"Kirishima, it's about time! You're late!" Mina scolded, pointing at him. He laughed and hung his head a bit. "Yeah, sorry, didn't mean ta' keep ya guys waiting. I got stopped by the media on my way."
"I guess we ladies can forgive," replied the rosy woman, glancing to the others. "Well, I know you two have kind of met but formalities. Kirishima, this is one of my best friends. Tomi, this is big dummy, Kirishima." Kotomi felt powerless, noticing her face flush as they made eye contact.
"H-hi! Uh, thanks again for helping me to the ambulance the other day!" She managed to squeak, holding a hand out. Kirishima's hand was so warm as he encased hers in his own and shook it once.
"All in a good day's work. Thank you, too, for that article. I thought it was great! You really talked me up!" He replied happily. "Oh, be still, my heart." Kotomi silently pleaded to herself. She smiled shyly, thanking him.
"Okay, guys, it's our duty as heroes to keep Tomi from falling and busting her ass tonight. She's gotten pretty close but we've done well. We can't let her break anything else while we're on watch, 'kay?" Mina asserted. Uraraka and Kirishima agreed in response as the latter laced himself into his skates. Kotomi and Uraraka were easily the worst skaters of the group, both of which were very shaky and unstable. They decided to ban together and skate arm-in-arm in solidarity. Mina and Kirishima, on the other hand, looked like naturals, zooming across the rink. Kotomi pushed Mina to go off without her and get some rounds in at her own speed. Naturally, that led to her and Kirishima deciding to race around the oval floor. It was a close match, but Mina was much more skilled at weaving between the bystanders, much to Kirishima's dismay. Many rematches were had, but the Queen was bested only once. Eventually, she outright denied the request for another go, opting instead to bask in her reign while she made her way to the food court counter to buy a sprite. Kotomi looked to Uraraka curiously, "Hey, do you like arcade games?" Uraraka matched her view on the arcade games at one side of the rink.
"I'm not good at them, but yes! We should play some if you're up for it!" Kotomi agreed and the two slowly rolled over to the bright arcade section. The two got quarters from the change machine and looked up at what could be won from the ticket counter, scanning it for anything interesting. Most of it was cheap, small, knickknacky items. Uraraka pointed at one of the prizes in the glass case.
"Look, the fuzzy bunny keychain! That's so cute! I'm gonna try to win it for you!" Uraraka claimed, a spark of determination in her eye. Kotomi was touched and vowed to help, wordlessly hoping to win something for her new friend instead. Uraraka's attempts were valiant... but fruitless. She hadn't lied about not being very skilled at arcade games. Kotomi, though, surprised her counterpart in neglecting to mention that there was a single game in which she could win nearly every time.
"You know... this is basically gambling, right?" She asked, watching tickets pour from the machine on Kotomi's fourth seventy-five ticket win. The blonde was rigidly bent and doing her best not to lose her balance as she collected the tickets spilling from the machine . She laughed and shook it off, "You're right! I'm not brave enough to actually try my hand at gambling, though, so I do it this way instead. I'm only lucky at this game specifically." Around then, Kirishima sailed over to the two. He looked like he had been really enjoying himself. Uraraka pointed at Kotomi in disbelief.
"Do you see this? This is insane! She isn't even trying!" She yelled. Kirishima took stock in surprise noticing the tickets going everywhere.
"Oh, wow, that takes skill!" He replied, "Here, let me hold those for you."
"Sure! Thanks, Kirishima," Kotomi said, beaming up at him and handing him a bundle of tickets. For the smallest moment, she saw bashfulness in his eyes.
"Sure," the redhead muttered. "So, what's the trick here?" The blonde had turned back to the game, sinking another quarter into it. She carefully watched the wheel spin and responded, her gaze not shifting once. "Can't tell ya. Gotta be born with it."
Kirishima cocked a suspicious brow. "Hm... ominous." In reality, it was just a matter of lucky timing. Kotomi figured they knew as much, but she didn't relent. The wheel stopped and the ball landed, once more, on the color she had selected. The tickets began to pour from the machine again. Kotomi was unsure of how long it had been since she'd had such a good time. It was mindless, money-oriented fun, but still fun nonetheless. Being more of a wallflower, generally, she felt strange being accepted so quickly by the people she was with. It was more than strange - it almost felt wrong, really. The short blonde girl refused to let their thoughts permeate her mind, but all the same, she could feel the sincerity of their intentions.
"I think that's enough for the keychain, Uraraka! I want you to have it instead," Kotomi said, holding the newest batch of tickets close to her. Uraraka blushed and shook her head, "N-no, it was supposed to be for you!"
"I know," replied the blonde, "But I want you to take it as a token of our friendship!" Uraraka buried her face in her hands, clearly embarrassed. She relented hesitantly, and when given the cute plush rabbit charm, she smooshed it to her cheek happily and thanked Kotomi. It warmed the journalist's heart.
"All riiiiight, Saturday night skaters, it's time for one of our daily rink races! Participants, please make your way to the center of the floor and wait until your age range is called to race!" Came the intercom announcement. Mina was in place in a blur. Kotomi looked up to Kirishima, pointing to the floor. "Aren't you going to go?" Kirishima scoffed, watching Mina as she nearly vibrated in place with excitement.
"Nah, me and Mina are the same age. She's already wiped the floor up and down with me enough tonight," he explained, rubbing his neck, "It just wouldn't be manly to keep challenging her on it..." Uraraka and Kotomi laughed at Red, the former chiding him for doubting himself, and he laughed, too, sheepishly. The three found a small bench serving as spectator seats, albeit being small in length. They squeezed between the armrests together. Being squished in the middle, Kotomi was hyper-aware of her surroundings and how much space her fluffy thighs were taking up. In her peripherals, she looked at Kirishima's right leg which was pressed against her own.
"Do you have enough room, Tomi? I can stand if you don't-"
"N-no," she sputtered, not looking to him, "you're fine." She did her best to relax her posture a bit, sinking onto the backrest only slightly. She realized, then, that he'd laid his arm across the back of the bench to lend more room for her shoulders. She wanted to turn and talk to him, but her nerves overwhelmed her still. She felt like a teenager for how badly her little crush was affecting her. She couldn't help, though, that he was an attractive person, both in looks and demeanor. Her face heated up as she considered allowing her quirk to activate once, just to find out what he was thinking. She really considered it. Mina finally caught her eye, though, ripping her from her thoughts. The Alien Queen stared at her with a mischievous expression - if Mina hadn't known earlier about Kotomi's newest conviction, she did now. It wasn't hero panic, as stated in excuse: it was a matter of adoration. She was tense enough around him tonight normally that sitting right next to him had her stiff as a steel rod. Kotomi slowly disengaged eye contact with her closest friend to innocently look elsewhere.
The races began. Uraraka and Kotomi cheered the young children on, particularly those that were struggling to get around the rink. Their shaky little legs did their best to propel their bodies forward. When they all crossed the line, the two cheered. Kirishima snickered, listening to them, and decided to join them in a congratulatory clap. As the ages progressed, so, too, did the speed of the contestants. When it came to the mid-twenties range, Mina readied herself at the starting line and sized up the competition. As the countdown ended, her powerful legs pushed her into movement. The three watched each of the racers get absolutely smoked by the Alien Queen and laughed at her blatant disregard for their efforts. She really did have a habit of mopping the floor with people, Kirishima wasn't wrong. She didn't brag (too much), but once she crossed the line, she did a little happy hop and claimed her winner's voucher for a free pretzel before making her way to her friends.
"Good job, Mina! You're like a bullet out there!" Kotomi remarked, impressed. Mina giggled and did a little spin.
"Skating is similar to sliding around on my acid, so I'm pretty well-versed as far as muscle memory goes. Thanks for cheering me on, guys!" She held the pretzel voucher out and continued, "Why don't you guys split this? Not a big pretzel person." Uraraka waved.
"I'm not either. You guys should share it!" She said, looking at Kotomi and Kirishima. The redhead was stoked. He happily took the voucher and thanked Mina before getting to his feet. "Heck yeah, thanks, Mina! You're the best! C'mon, Tomi!" He held a hand out to the girl. Surprised, she gingerly took it and used it as leverage to stand. She looked to him nervously and said, "Oh, you can have it! You don't have to split it with me."
"I can read your mind: you love pretzels and could go for a snack. I'll get it for us!" He replied with a smile. Very funny. He looped his arm in hers and looked to the other two, "We'll be back in a little bit, guys."
"Oh, take your time..." Mina sang. "Enjoy. The pretzel, I mean." Kotomi shot an incredulous look over her shoulder at Mina, and she and Uraraka giggled. Flustered, the blonde simply turned back around and struggled to pull Kirishima with her toward to food court. He chuckled and complied with her silent request.
Kotomi sat at the table and waited for Kirishima where he had left her. There were only a couple of people in line, so he insisted that she sit where she wouldn't risk falling and hurting herself. The girl could see Mina and Uraraka stealing glances in her direction as they skated around the rink, which only added to the anxiety hanging above her. Despite the nerves, this felt like an escape from life. She hadn't checked her phone in hours or made any business calls or revised any articles that had been put on the back burner. Everything she'd known had imploded just a couple of days before - was this escapism justified or was it the beginning of a quarter-life crisis? That'd be hilariously ironic.
"Hey, I got you a drink in case you were thirsty. Sorry, I just guessed at what you'd like," Red said as he sat down across from her. Ripped from thought, Kotomi looked to the drink and took it from him.
"Thanks, Kirishima. That was sweet of you," she said.
"Nah, ain't no thing," he replied. He halved the warm baked pretzel and handed it to her carefully, mentioning that it was hot. She blew on it for a few seconds.
"Are you okay?"
Her eyes snapped up to meet his. He shot her a worried smile and cocked his head. Kotomi's heart fluttered, wondering if he'd noticed her demeanor through the evening. "Well, um... what do you mean?"
"I know you said you lost your workplace... is everything okay? Do you need extra resources?" He asked.
"Oh! Yeah... I'm making it okay. Things might be rough for a little while, and I may have to find a part-time job, but I'll make it. I told you not to worry, remember?" Kotomi took a small bite of her pretzel half and reveled in its salty goodness. He laughed lightly, looking down at his own half. "It's not manly to be inconsiderate. Passion is a good thing."
"That's very true," she agreed. "Thanks for being a manly man, I guess." Kirishima laughed, his face growing a shade pink. "Hey, it's the least I can do."
A silence grew over the two as they ate their snack and sipped on soft drinks.
"I'm sorry if I came across kind of aloof that day," Kotomi said randomly. Kirishima's brows stitched together in confusion. He swallowed the bite he'd taken and responded, "You didn't. You were upset about what had just happened, and that's completely normal. Don't beat yourself up! It was a bad day, y'know?"
"I just don't want you to think I didn't appreciate it. I've been around a lot of heroes in my career path, and..." Kirishima watched her intently, waiting for her to finish. "You're one of the innately nicest I've encountered. You're charming and confident and pleasant. It made me feel a lot better, even if I didn't show it." Another silence crept in. His eyes were widened slightly.
"Oh god, I'm sorry, that just kinda spilled out of me. I sound like an idiot," she backpeddled, refusing to met his eyes. She immediately shoved more pretzel into her mouth. His sharp teeth were visible in his kind smile. He laughed, covering his mouth with his hand. His chest rose high and fell as he watched her, hoping to catch her view. He could tell pretty easily that she was avoiding him.
"For someone that tells other people not to worry, you sure do an awful lot of that yourself, don't you?" He mused, taking another bite of pretzel. "You've got a way with words. You're in the right industry. Thank you... seriously." If Kotomi hadn't been feeling flustered earlier, that moment was very defining. She felt his eyes on her, and she wanted to return his view, but she was worried that she would make a fool of herself. It had been a long time since she wondered what someone was thinking, but now? That was all she wanted to know. Just look at him and let it happen. It'll only take a second, and you'll have your answer. She took a deep breath and clenched her fists under the table. Her eyes slid to meet his - they were just as deep and endless as the first time they'd met and just as full of emotion. She felt a pang in her stomach but didn't falter. She relaxed the barrier that she consistently put up in her mind, and instantly the mindspeak of all the people around her rushed in. One stuck out though.
"She's... cute."
Before she had time to fully register what was said though, a piercing scream tore through the building, and panic ensued instantly. The night came to an abrupt stop, and Kotomi felt a sense of panic bubbling up in her her esophagus in the form of anxious nausea. Shit.