The second time Camie stepped into the Ground Zero agency, it felt like home away from home.
Everybody wanted to get to know her. Yesterday they all treated her like a trespasser, asking personal questions like why she's here, what business does she have with Ground Zero, why is a low level hero here with the rest of us, and so forth. She didn't mind the subtle insults, though that fact only came from her astounding ability to completely tune out anything she doesn't want to hear.
But now?
They love her!
Sparkler was the first person she recognized out of the bunch, along with the desk-lady, whose tone seemed to have laxed out a bit since yesterday. Sparkler, with her colorful vocabulary, made a huge deal about the partnership. She suddenly plopped down next to Camie on the old couch placed adjacent to the reception desk and started talking before the illusionist could even identify who she was.
"I seriously didn't think you'd be working with us! At all! Like, shit, every single candidate we've had was turned down on the spot! How did you even convince him? That's a hell of an achievement!"
"She's right," the desk-lady chimes in from behind the counter. "We've been takin' up offers since last December. No wait, November? Dunno, either one of 'em. You're damn lucky. Sorry I talked shit about ya, Maboromiecamie, pleasure to be workin' with you," she smiles warmly.
You what now?
Is it just Camie, or does everyone in this building have foul language?
Desk-lady sort of reminds Camie of a meaner version of her own mother. Laid back and bubbly, but with a twist of quick judgement. Again, she's baffled that desk-lady's flaming hair hasn't caused the fire alarm to go haywire. Though she has to admit, that hair color is to kill for.
Sparkler's on the shorter side, about an inch shorter than Camie. Going by her hero name, her quirk must be something on the flamboyant side. She's sort of like one of those foul-mouthed children Camie used to babysit all the time. Her hair is almost the exact same color as Bakugou's. It's cute.
Bakugou isn't here yet, Camie was told earlier, so while Inasa was out doing Inasa-things, she decided to stay sedentary until either one of them arrived. Talking with the other sidekicks here is interesting. Most of them have common quirks, such as flames or abilities akin to explosive feats, yet there are unique differences here and there. They aren't noticeable, nothing physical like desk-lady, but she has overheard someone discussing a firearms type quirk. She isn't even sure how that would work.
Unless a sidekick here has a water-based ability, Camie's the oddball of this entire place.
"By the way," desk-lady says with shifty eyes. "What the hell happened yesterday? No one was telling me shit, and Tatakai hasn't been answering my calls. Bastard keeps leaving me on read."
Tatakai's name sends a shiver up Camie's spine. She assumed the whole incident would have reached people's doorsteps by now.
Sparkler answers for her, "Oooohh, shit, yeah… you won't believe this. Tatakai got fired. Saw the whole thing go down actually. Maboromie and Gale Force saw it too, Ground Zero straight up broke his nose. I've never seen him that angry before, you should've seen it, his face was all red, he's like breathing really hard and shaking, Tatakai's bleeding all over the place—damn you should've been there," Sparkler uses wild gestures to explain it as best as she can.
Yeah, that's basically what happened…
"No fuckin' way," laughs desk-lady, rather amused than surprised. She nods to Camie, "All that and ya still wanna work with 'em?"
"Well, yea," Camie answers with a shrug. "He said Tatakai wasn't listening to him when that building caught on fire, lowkey almost got someone killed. I've known Bakugou for a long time, ngl, pretty surprised this didn't happen sooner."
"Heh, right? Guy's got balls of steel to be messin' with the boss. I didn't really like Tatakai that much anyway, he was fine when I met 'em, but then he started prancin' around like he owns the place. One time, no joke, he came into my office and stole my fuckin' reports on this job I was supposed to turn in, so guess who got the short end of the stick? Me. Had to redo the whole damn thing while he got credit."
"How didja know it was him?"
"You kiddin'? Dude was the worst at keeping his mouth shut."
"And he sucks at lying," Sparkler adds.
Well, shit.
Tatakai doesn't sound very fun to be around. Maybe he really did have it coming. The image of his abused nose stains Camie's memory, directing a strange sense of amusement.
"Jeez… Bakugou wuz just upset he might sue," she says, remembering the detail.
Desk-lady balks hearing this, "Sue?! Did he say he would?!"
A shrug.
"Oh, hell no," she whips out her phone and starts vigorously writing, like she can't type fast enough. "If he even thinks about it I'll kick his ass. Tell the boss he'll be fine, I'll deal with this myself."
"Same," says Sparkler.
Wait, really? They can take care of that?
"I've known Tatakai for like three years, I know exactly what scares 'em. He isn't gonna sue shit, I'll make sure of that."
"Are you fr?"
"Well," desk-lady falters. "I can try. He's a stubborn rat, but I'll get 'em pinned. We literally don't have time to deal with his crap anymore."
It's unknown to Camie as of now, but maybe this desk-lady is more powerful than she looks. In and out of work.
Sparkler keeps adding on to the conversation, gradually turning it into a talk between her and desk-lady with Camie stuck in the middle. Her phone's been blowing up ever since she posted about her partnership with Bakugou, a notification coming in every few seconds. At this rate her phone will kick the bucket before noon. She reads the comments, tons of reaction images and cute messages being sent her way, and how fitting is it for Ashido to make a comment?
Go get 'em, tiger!
Oh, she will. Don't you worry, Ashido.
Camie has come to the conclusion that it's about time she started helping herself, too. With everything Ashido has done for her, the tension with Bakugou has officially leveled out to be tolerable. So many times before in the past, she's said wrong things at the wrong time and felt like burying herself because of it.
Not anymore.
If working with Bakugou means communicating, then she will do it right. No more hiding behind vague text messages. No more awkward exchanges at the movies. Right now Bakugou is in hot water, and she promised to help him through the dark. She'll put her feelings aside for now and work to accomplish what she's here for. Sparkler and desk-lady may as well be her new partners to work side-by-side with. Kazeno better not take offense to that.
Soon, everyone associated with the Ground Zero agency will be a familiar face and acquiantance.
...Speaking of familiar faces, while observing the agency interior, something peculiar caught her eye. A rush of dread washed over Camie as her brain gradually scrutinized the image in front of her. Is that…?
No… it can't be…
The high pink ponytail and ironed business suit say otherwise.
Chocolate eyes meet gold, Mei Hatsume's passionate smile lighting up like the brightest star.
The people she had probably been harassing look Camie's way before making their great escape. Mei makes a huge show out of it too, drawing attention as she suddenly begins striding in the illusionist's direction, swift and terse like she can't get over there quick enough. Camie's flight response is sounding off alarms in every nerve and bone, impending doom approaching like death itself. She locates the nearest exit and is about to make a break for it but the moment she leaves her seat Mei is already there, literally teleporting right in front of her.
"Maboromiecamie!"
Why'd she have to yell?!
Mei is right up in her face, but backs off like she remembered the term 'proper manners' and bows in a perfect 90º angle. "I wanted to say congratulations!"
The girl only stumbles, Mei's appearance literally spooking her.
Sparkler and desk-lady have stopped talking to see what's going on, which wouldn't be a problem if everyone else in the room wasn't doing the exact same thing. Mei stands perfectly upright, fixes her Yakunita nametag, and thrusts her arm out to Camie, "I saw your post about the partnership! Congratulations, Maboromiecamie! If you don't remember who I am my name is Hatsume Mei from Yakunita Supports! We have spoken once before at the Gale Force agency, and I have been hired by several heroes here and now that you have miraculously stepped into no man's land, you are a part of them! I have mentioned once before that I have several ba—I mean, support items ready at your service, for example the latest item suited to your quirk is yet to be named but I have flawlessly designed it to allow you incredible room for agility and flexibility! You are a rather dynamic fighter so I have invented a special type of spring boots, these babies can reach places up to twenty feet high but of course they are still in the testing region but if you would like to schedule a test run please sign this contract! It's required now, hah, had a bit of an issue with an intern and they forced us to have these!"
Holy run-on sentences!
There's no time to even react before Mei is all of a sudden holding out a piece of paper with text so small even a hawk wouldn't be able to discern a single sentence.
What.
Camie is getting some serious déjà vu right now!
Worse, she can hear desk-lady and Sparkler snickering! Of all the people she thought she would meet here, it was a ridiculous reunion with Mei, and to top it all off, she somehow managed to get even more threatening than last time. This must be how Tatakai felt. Mei's eyes gleam like diamonds as she awaits Camie's response. However, while a cat's got the latter's tongue, Sparkler scoots into view and divides a space between them. Her height makes her look like a little girl standing next to Mei and her heels. She hands the illusionist a sly wink that reads, I'll take it from here.
"Hatsume—"
"OH! Sparkler! I didn't see you there, wow, when did you get here?!"
"Uh—"
"Never mind that, I have been wanting to speak to you as well, your last commission was completed this Wednesday, but we ran into a few issues with the powering system and had to take it all apart and do it again so I thought I might as well come to you personally to discuss the cost issues of the new project, of course we will take care of the failed one and-"
Mei's unlimited air supply is cut off by Sparkler's hand over her mouth. Even she looks rattled by the onslaught of words without end.
"Hatsume," she starts again. "I love that you care enough to talk to us about it, but we are busy today. Can't schedule anything until after the Summer Festival, I sent you an email about it but I guess you didn't see it."
The suited woman cocks her head. "I don't read emails."
…
"...Why not? I've… been sending you emails for the last, uh, few months, you haven't looked at a single one?"
"Nope!"
And she says it with that big stupid grin.
How in the hell has she survived this long?
Desk-lady's cackling like a witch. "Shit, Mei, you crack me up. No wonder I haven't heard back from you in years."
Years?!
Not like Camie's one to talk, since the last time she even opened her emails was last summer, but isn't that kind of stuff important in the business world?
It's a wonder how Imperium puts up with her…
Sparkler's a veteran when it comes to Mei, evidently, explaining things fluently and looking the woman right in the eyes despite being literally towered over like a skyscraper. Thankfully Mei isn't one to patronize. What a relief, too. If Camie had to go through that mess all over again she may as well never buy support items again...
Although, those spring boots did sound enticing...
Before they knew it Sparkler was shoving Mei out the door and telling her to find better prey. She departs with one final suggestion to some kind of support item, but her smooth-talk has zero effect on Sparkler. The moment Mei disappears is when Camie realizes they may have just bestowed hell on this city. Wonder if Imperium's looking for her...
"Ain't she a riot?" It's also a wonder how desk-lady keeps her cool. "I like her. She's got a childlike air, y'know? Full of energy. The first time I met her I felt like I had found the wrong agency. But you get used to her."
Getting used to her may take some time to get used to. Camie dreads the thought. "Didn't think I'd meet her here…"
"Heh," Sparkler's hidden emotions are released as a sigh. "She's literally everywhere. You'll see her again for sure, so get yourself prepared."
"Does she, like, make Bakugou's support items?"
"She sure does. Hella fast at them, too. He ordered a new set of gauntlets a few months ago. Got them good as new the same week. Super high quality too, it's insane. Totally worth the price tag."
She's strange, but Mei sure is reliable. Camie has thought about it once or twice, though never really took action on it, but maybe a support item of her own wouldn't hurt. Maybe that 'Whistle' the genius had told her about?
Desk-lady then suddenly starts nudging Camie, eyes directed at the entrance. "Hey, hey, hey, look who's here!"
Look who's here indeed.
Camie watches Bakugou enter the building with his head turned in the direction Mei had gone. He's saying something, his words rendering inaudible from this distance, and gestures something with his hands to someone.
He walks in with no grace whatsoever, but Camie couldn't care less. She approaches him with a comely grin with Sparkler right behind her. "Ayy, ya made it! What's poppin'?"
"Tatakai," Bakugou replies with a gruff sigh, and Camie's smile immediately vanishes. "That's what's 'poppin.'"
"What happened now?"
Sparkler looks like an ant compared to Bakugou. The more Camie looks at it, the funnier it gets, but now's definitely not the time for jokes. Bakugou walks past them, reluctantly telling, "He wants to sue. I got a call this morning."
Are you kidding?!
All three girls combined have the same reaction!
"Already?" is desk-lady's choice of words, eyes wide and panicked. "It's literally only been a day! What the hell's he thinking?!"
"I don't know."
"What'll happen to your ratings?" Sparkler squeaks.
"I don't know."
And Camie, she… she doesn't know what to think. A molasses dread is sinking in, realizing the words she promised Bakugou a day prior may have little to no help. This is seriously bad. This whole Tatakai thing could ruin Bakugou's reputation as a hero, if not raise false accusations and theories. The media is rough on him already!
Repercussions as a result aren't subtle, either. Right now Bakugou looks like he might keel over, or punch someone again, answering his sidekicks' questions with miniscule thought or regard. It's terribly painful for Camie to witness — she just wants to make him feel better. But, how…?
Desk-lady, however, holds a glint of pure determination, talking to Bakugou as he writes something on a sheet of paper. "Boss. I swear on my life, if that traitor tries anything, I'll kick his ass. He won't be suing shit. Okay? Don't worry about it."
"Glad to know you're still a psycho," Bakugou scoffs as he throws the pen down.
"Don't try me, now."
"God, you're like my fucking mom."
"And damn proud of it."
They make a convincing couple. Camie finds she doesn't like that one bit, and by pure impulse she intervenes with, "I'll help you, too. You'll get through this. Time heals, remember?"
Time heals, and time tells.
She doesn't want to see him miserable. Her eyes meet his, a panic rising when they lock, yet neither of them dare look elsewhere. An electrical current connects them to each other, the rest of the world becoming a fading memory. Nobody else exists. Nobody except them, at this very moment in time.
"Yeah," he answers with a dry throaty sound. There's no sign of aggression in his voice at all. "Yeah, I remember."
And that alone is enough to help ease Camie's weary heart. "Good."
She… wants to stay in this moment forever.
…
Without warning Bakugou suddenly and rapidly blinks, like he had been hypnotized and brought back to reality. It takes Camie by surprise, realizing she had been doing the exact same thing. Immediately her eyes avert to a separate location with a hard blush.
"A-anyway," Bakugou rolls off to avoid the subject. "Was that the crazy bitch I saw outside?"
"Yup," says Sparkler. "She came to say hi to our new associate."
"You sure she wasn't high this time?"
"Nah, same old Mei. I'll give Imperium a call in case he's looking for her."
Bakugou nods once and turns to Camie again. She watches desk-lady type in the engine-hero's number on the phone and hand it to Sparkler as he talks. "Where's the other one?"
"Who?"
"Your boss. Wind guy."
"Wind—wait, you mean Inasa?"
"Yeah, that guy. Where's he?"
"He said he'd be right back, tho that was like an hour ago… how'd you forget his name already?"
He just shrugs. "Happens sometimes."
"Hah," Camie finds that oddly adorable. "You wouldn't forget mine, wouldja?"
"Fuck no," his eyes roll, "I'd never forget yours."
…!
That…
That got her…
The simplicity and ambiguity of that statement makes her heart crumple. He still looked dismissive as ever as he said it, but the effects worked all the same.
So in a sudden wave of confidence, Camie blurts out her honest thoughts. "You can be so charming, sometimes. I like it."
For a split-second there are visible gears turning in Bakugou's brain, and once they process he abruptly stiffens, tensing up and holding his breath. It's released all at once, the man smoothing his tongue over his lips.
"And you can be a real ass."
Camie can't contain her laughter. "Hahah! I can be more of an ass, if ya want!"
"Oh god no," he smirks and gestures to the girls speaking to a panicked Imperium, "I've already got enough to deal with."
"Awww, don't be such a wuss, what's one more gonna hurt?"
"My sanity."
He looks like he's having fun.
Good. That's all Camie wants. To see him without stress. Without worry. Without Tatakai.
"Ay, you two," desk-lady hollers. "Stop flirting and let's get ready. We got a job, don't we?"
The word makes them simultaneously jump. "Yeah, yeah, whatever…" Bakugou responds. He can't seem to look at Camie again. "You don't give orders, I do. So let's go."
Sparkler salutes. "Aye-aye, Cap'n!"
While the two girls start following Bakugou towards the elevator, Camie tags along beside him and asks, "Where are we goin'?"
"To get the stuff we need. We're going on a mission today. Nothing dangerous, so don't get your hopes up. Didn't you read the list I gave you?"
"Sort of…"
Her first mission with Bakugou…
It's finally here…! Her heart pounds exhilaratingly with each step!
"If you wanna know the details, ask Tsukue."
"...Who?"
She didn't expect desk-lady to pop up between them, "Me! I'm Tsukue Redi. What'd you think my name was?"
…Oh. Well then…
"Pleasure working with you, Miss Tsukue."
"Aye, likewise! You can call me Scorch, it's my hero name. Let's kick some ass, alright?"
"Heh. Totes!"
Sparkler gets in on the fun. "Can't wait to see you in action! I've never seen your quirk up close before!"
Yes. This was a wonderful idea. Camie makes a mental note to tell Ashido all the details in the future, but for now, that can wait a millennia. Scorch and Sparkler are now her newest allies with Bakugou. They come first and foremost.
"Don't get too excited," Bakugou scolds as the elevator door closes.
"Gotcha."
This is going to be fun.