It was weird thinking about how you wound up somewhere.
Jirou really only had two things she knew she would be happy doing with her life when she was growing up: be a hero or be a musician.
"Thank you all, you've been great…" She called out in about as lackluster a tone as she could manage.
She had really thought she made the right one, at the time.
Only a couple scattered claps and cheers sounded in the half-empty bar, and most of those were from folks too blasted to even realize she had stopped playing until she mentioned it. She set her jaw and moved to clean up her equipment, unplugging her guitar from its amp and sliding it gently into its case.
The low haze of cigarette smoke and cheap booze made it hard to see. Not to mention, the layout of the bar really felt like someone just squeezed this place into a basement and tried to work around the foundation. Small tables fit into crooks, with railings and banisters in a poor attempt to keep things organized. The poor lighting didn't make things easier and the acoustics being trash certainly didn't help either.
She often worked dead nights like this. She wasn't enough of a well-known local talent to wind up in any of the actually vibrant bars. Turns out, not too many places are interested in a solo act these days. It was all about bands and consistency and image. Jirou snorted as she bundled up wires and shoved them into their worn leather bags.
Instead, she found the few places that didn't care about quality, so long as the people in the bar had something to distract them while they waited for their next drink. Not exactly stable work, or any sort of path to fame and recognition. But hey, it helped pay the rent.
When she started out, she had insisted to her parents that they let her kick off her indie career on her own. That's what they had done, after all. It didn't feel right to let them give her a boost or any extra assistance than what they'd already taught her. God, she had barely even gotten out of highschool when she was rushing to move out and get started on her career. They came to a compromise, and got her the finest quality equipment any starting artist could ask for.
And here she was, three years out with nothing to show for it.
She saw a figure approach the small stage in the dimly lit bar, and let out a groan.
"Look Sal, I'm not. Interested." She grit out, not even bothering to look up.
"Whoa, jeez, who's this Sal guy and where are you planning to hide his body?" responded an unfamiliar voice, filled with mirth and curiosity.
Jirou turned her head with a raised eyebrow, properly looking at the stranger. He had bright golden eyes and a wide grin, with bright blonde hair shoved away under a beanie. He was wearing black jeans and a soft beige sweater. He was definitely a vast improvement over the regulars at this place, though he still dressed like a bit of a slob. He was also kind of cute, too.
Not that Jirou would let him have that, of course.
"Ah, crap. My bad. I thought you were this creepy dude who always tries to hit on my after my shows. That is, unless, you're a new creepy guy I have to look out for." Jirou answered disinterestedly.
The blonde just laughed, "Ha! Yeah, no thanks." He responded as he leaned against the stage, eyeing her openly. "I mean, I'm pretty honest about when I want something."
Jirou stepped off the stage, her equipment now packed. She felt mildly uncomfortable as he observed her. As she descended, she realized how much taller he was than her. Shit. For a moment, she was thinking about how to get away from the guy in case he was a creep. No one was really looking their way, and the bartender seemed to be pointedly not looking at her, despite him being one of her few genuine fans.
So instead, she opted for her forte. Sass. "So, what, you think I'm unattractive?" she snapped back at him, making sure to glare up at him as she did so.
"Uh, wai-" he stuttered, his eyes widening as he finally seemed off balance.
"Look, man, I gotta head out. Hope you enjoyed the show." She said as she brushed past him, overladen with gear.
"Wait, whoa, hold on!" The guy called after her, catching up to her with a short jog.
Jirou groaned audibly, not caring as the man winced. She rounded on him, her jacks pulled up in an aggressive stance. "Look buddy, what do you want, exactly? Because I'm going to be honest, I'm tired as hell. And now, I've gotta drive through this shitty town in my shitty car to my shitty apartment. And, sorry to tell you this, but my car only has room for my gear and my flat ass. Sooooooo, with that in mind-"
The blonde guy held up both of his hands in defeat, shaking his head. "Alright, alright. Jeez. Message received. I wasn't even trying to ask you about that stuff, anyways, I-"
"Oh, so staring at me as I packed my stuff wasn't you checking me out?"
"- wanted to ask about that." He finished, pointing at the guitar case.
Jirou's eyes widened in surprise at the turnaround. Normally, guys she met tended to sulk off after being shot down so hard, so it was a change of pace to have a guy hang around after that, regardless of his real intentions.
"Oh, uh, yeah. It's my Ibanez. My parents got it for me when I started my career." She replied.
"Huh, no shit. I always wanted to learn more. I played a bit of it back in highschool, when we had our school festivals, but nothing beyond that. Who taught you?" He leaned casually against a table, as Jirou shifted a little bit.
"Well, my mom and dad did, actually. They're pretty great at this sort of stuff, though I have a suspicion it's not genetic after all." Jirou muttered with a tight frown..
"What!?" He squawked, shock written on his face as he stared at her in disbelief. Jirou felt a rush of embarrassment as he gawked at her.
"Well, I'm not ne-"
"You were incredible!" He nearly-fucking shouted in the small bar. A few patrons turned to look at them, and the blonde ducked his head a little, pulling up his hood a bit more. "O-or, I mean- you were crazy good, is what I meant to say." He added sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.
Jirou just stared at him, before slowly nodding in understanding. She wasn't exactly sure when it happened but she let her guard down. Just a little bit.
She stared into his eyes and saw the admiration he had for her in that moment, and she couldn't stop a blush from creeping up her neck.
'God, he looks and acts like a Golden Retriever.' she thought.
She gave him a small smile, and then reached over and flicked him in the forehead.
He let out a yelp of surprise and she let out a laugh. "Well then, you'd better buy my CD then, dummy." she told him cheekily.
He rubbed his forehead and smiled, finally back to his relaxed state from before. "Hell yeah, fork one over!" He responded enthusiastically.
"Wait, really?"
"Sure," he shrugged, "I like your music and your vibe is fun. Definitely something I'd play in my car." He pauses, "Unless the CD is just you yelling at me. In that case, that's more a 'home' thing."
She laughed, high on the realization that someone actually wants to buy her music for the first time in god knows when. It's only as she looked around for a CD that she realized it's literally all packed away in her car; shoved into a box in her trunk.
She sagged, looked up at the grimey ceiling, and groaned. "Ugh, god. This is so embarrassing, but I kinda stopped bringing them around. They weren't selling and I got tired of bringing the box everywhere. They're in my car if…" She hesitated, suddenly unsure of having this guy follow her out through the small back streets of downtown Shizuoka.
The man, to his credit, noticed her concern immediately, and waved it off. "Ah, well, don't worry about it this time. I'll just come by next time you play and pick it up, okay?"
Jirou arched an eyebrow, "Next time?"
"Sure! I mean, I've gotta hear you play while you're still in my price-range, amiright?" He joked with a wiggle of his eyebrows.
Jirou wanted to smile, but realized she'd done that way too many times in front of this guy already. Anymore and he'd probably get the wrong idea. Instead, she rolls her eyes and breaks out a small smirk as she sizes him up.
After a moment, she nodded begrudgingly.
"Right, well, I play here from 9 to 10 on Monday's, Tuesdays and Thursdays." She finally told him, albeit with a bit of hesitation. He'd been nice so far, and hadn't pulled any serious moves beyond what she was starting to suspect was just him trying to be friendly...
She also really didn't allow herself to dwell too hard on how long it had been since she had an actual conversation with someone new.
Now it was the man's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Not a lot of showtime, is it?"
Jirou levels her jacks at him menacingly and just glares.
For what feels like the hundredth time tonight, the guy just laughs it off - the nerve of this moron.
"Watch it there…" she pauses, "-What did you say your name was again?"
He looks off-balance for a moment, before shaking his head and sticking out his hand. "Kaminari.'
She eyes him for a moment, before she takes it tentatively. "Jirou."
√v^√v^√
Aside from furiously kicking the shit out of her dashboard as her dumpy old Toyota Echo nearly died on her, the drive back home was uneventful. The flicker of streetlights and oncoming traffic was hypnotizing, and Jirou found herself getting even more exhausted behind the wheel.
"Shit. I should have bullied that guy into buying me some coffee or something." She yawned, cracking open a window slightly as she made her way through the cool spring night. The fresh air helped somewhat, but what Jirou really looked forward to after a night out was turning on the news.
She couldn't help but be fascinated with the world of heroes, even so long after she had abandoned that path. It probably wasn't healthy, but she liked to imagine herself right alongside all of those pros, fighting the battles she watched on TV and listened to on the radio.
As she thumbed the radio on, she was surprised to not hear the typically casual tone of the nighttime Hero News reporter.
"-Tearing apart Yamanashi Prefecture! I repeat, the villain group labelled by the Hero Public Safety Commission as: 'The Hand', is currently causing widespread panic across the Yamanashi Prefecture!"
Jirou gripped her wheel tighter, snapping wide-awake. She thankfully didn't live or even have family in Yamanashi, but Shizuoka was right next to it…
"So far, only three of the five traitorous former-heroes have appeared! We believe that 'Red Riot', 'Alien Queen', and 'Cellophane' have all made an appearance in the confrontation. The conflict erupted fifteen minutes ago, when Alien Queen was confronted by Pro-Hero power couple Kamui Woods and Mt. Lady after being spotted while making her way away from a recent bank robbery. Both heroes are down, and the arrival of several other Pro heroes has done nothing to hold back the group this time!"
"C'mon, c'mon." Jirou muttered as she clenched her wheel. Her eyes stayed focused on the road as she ground her teeth, but her mind was firmly devoting itself to the news report.
"If you or anyone you know are near the heart of Yamanashi, please evacuate the surrounding area! The Hero Public Safety Commission has already assigned a detachment of Rescue Heroes to assist in evacuation. There have been no reported casualties as of yet, but it is unclear if the fighting will spread further!"
Jirou had a soft spot for heroes, the kind of childhood fascination that had never really faded away. There were a few years of almost blissful peace, and Jirou couldn't help but feel bored and grateful at the same time. The League of Villains, and all of the other organizations they had absorbed, had been defeated.
There was a brief period of calm… and then-
"I-! I am now getting reports that- yes, yes, it's true! The Symbol of Peace has arrived! Deku, the number one hero of Japan is on the scene!" The radio host shouted through the radio with palpable joy.
Jirou sighed in relief. As dangerous and treacherous as the Hand had been, they had never been forced into a corner before by Deku himself! They'd always scattered long before he arrived, or had some sort of escape plan.
"Kick his ass, Deku!" Jirou shouted, thumping on her wheel as she pulled over, her car still running as she focused all of her attention on the radio.
Minutes passed as little new information was shared on the radio. The newscaster tried to keep them all abreast of what was happening, but it was clearly too chaotic and fast for him to keep track of. A circle of heroes was descending upon the group as Deku fought to keep them penned in. Meanwhile, evacuation efforts were underway as the battle began to deal serious damage to the downtown area..
Her hopes were rising until the announcer let out a shocked cry. "I- it's him! The elusive ringleader of the Hand- h-he's actually here!?" He ended, voice high with almost disbelief.
Dread clung to Jirou's throat as she leaned forwards, bracing herself against her wheel.
"It must be! Those explosions, it must be him! The most dangerous criminal alive: Ground Zero!" The announcer spoke in a horrified voice, "Last seen one year ago, Ground Zero has arrived, locking our Symbol of Peace in a horrifying clash!"
"It- yes, our Symbol of Peace is holding on! He's still driving the villains back!"
"What? No way! They're running, you morons!" Jirou shouted at her radio, thumping the dashboard with her fist.
"Deku has pu-" Silence reigned over the radio for a few moments. Then the announcer let out a loud cry of triumph.
"He's done it! Deku has driven off nearly four members of The Hand entirely by himself! As they fled, however, they destroyed the foundations of several buildings. Deku is now breaking off his battle to assist in last minute evacuations- though it would seem that the nearby Pro Heroes are continuing their pursuit! He has done it, the day has been sa-"
Jirou slammed the radio off with a growl.
That wasn't a victory. How could it be?! Destruction visited those people like it never had before, and the villains still got away! And it wasn't even all five of them! If Chargebolt had been there- ugh!
With a furrowed brow, Jirou kicked her car back into first gear and peeled off, steaming loudly in her car as she drove home.
She had completely forgotten about the enthusiastic Kaminari.
A/N: Heyo! Hope you enjoyed the start of this fic!
Just to clarify: YES, the Bakusquad has gone rogue in this fic, and are operating as villains for their own personal reasons we'll hear more about as the story progresses, particularly Kaminari's.