Late. She paused in her drawing, the apartment going silent as she did so. Her tails lifted slightly and thumped against the couch in frustration. Hawks would usually be back now. He would have entered the apartment with a grin, calling out that he was home as if she was just his roommate. As if this was all normal.
Yori leaned back on the couch, stretching her arms over her head as she yawned. The stack of pages on the coffee table had steadily increased and, much to her surprise, the manga was really coming together nicely. Picking up the topmost page, she used her free hand to push up her glasses.
I never thought I'd be doing something like this…but I don't hate it. Setting the page down again, it really was hard to believe that she was in this position. There had been a time when she was sure she would die fighting alongside the rest of the League of Villains, but here she was working on a manga.
She had to wonder if anyone would really buy it though. It was a shoujo manga. With a girly love story. She was still surprised that Hawks was okay with helping her with it. Nothing fazes him, she thought as she returned to her work.
Running her fingers through her hair, the girl looked toward the door again. It was getting later. She had very little appetite, but she felt a sense of worry gnaw at her. What if something happened to him?
It was a genuine worry because, as far as she knew, no one knew she was in his apartment. If something happened to him, for instance if he died or was hospitalized, Yori would be alone. She would eventually run out of food and starve. He locked her in every morning when he left and she had discovered on the first day that there was no way for her to unlock the door without a key.
The thought of dying alone in his apartment, trapped like some kind of vermin, sent her speeding toward panic. She stood, looking around for something heavy in case she would need to smash the window and call for help. At the same time, she was reminded of how high off the ground she was and it made her heart race with fear. It was one thing to look outside, but to be exposed to the open air was a terrifying notion.
Yori's hand moved on its own, lifting to her neck and poised to start scratching. She paused and drew her hand away, frowning and chewing on her lower lip. The last time she scratched open her neck, the alcohol wipes had really stung when Hawks cleaned the wounds.
A memory started to surface. Blurred. Faded. From what felt like a lifetime ago. She subconsciously pushed it back down and shook her head. Both hands trailed through her hair as she looked to his door and then to the apartment door.
He'll be back. He has to come back. He can't just leave me in here to die. A cold sweat broke out on her skin and Yori paced, her tails swaying anxiously behind her. It felt too much like the past. Someone else had once trapped her. In a small room. Kept there until they wanted to see her, until they wanted something from her.
She continued to pace, the panic only increasing with each extra second that she had to wait. She felt itchy. She felt trapped. It was getting a little hard to breathe and she gave in, scratching at her neck in her anxiety.
Yori finally moved back to the couch, curling into a ball in a corner of it and wrapping her arms around herself. I can't die here. I can't die here! I don't want to die here alone! Why isn't he back yet?! She closed her eyes, teeth gritting as her tails alternately struck against the front of the couch.
The ex-villain was starting to have some bad memories resurface. Memories of a hand clad in a white glove, reaching for her. Memories of being helpless. It made her so scared that she felt like she might vomit. She could taste bitter bile and struggled to swallow it, fighting it down.
I'm safe, she tried to assure herself. He said that I'm safe here. Nothing can hurt me here. He said that I'd be safe. And Overhaul…can't even touch me anymore. So why does it feel like this? Why am I afraid that he's going to come through that door? I hate this! I can't…stand…feeling like this!
She bit the inside of her cheek, hard, tasting blood. Both hands ran through her hair as tears formed in her eyes. Yori could remember it so well. Overhaul's face was forever burned into her memory and she hated how it made her shiver. It was impossible for him to touch her so this was no logical fear. She knew that, on some level, but was still scared beyond belief.
Yori remained this way for so long that she failed to realize she had dozed off until she felt the cushion beside hers dip. In her groggy state, her fear instantly increased and she jolted away from the figure. Her tails lifted, the stingers pointing at the man's face as she struggled to focus her vision.
Hawks blinked in surprise and leaned forward, ignoring the tails. Her glasses were crooked and he adjusted them for her. "It's just me; you're okay." His voice was soft, his tone gentle.
She felt heat rise to her face in embarrassment and she leaned back from him. Tears had dried on her cheeks and her breathing was uneven as she tried to calm down from the residual terror from before. "…you're late…" she mumbled, turning her head to the side.
He tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly in puzzlement. Hawks pulled his hand back slowly, blinking once and then running his fingers through his wind-tousled golden hair. "I had to meet with Dabi."
It's more than that. Yori could see his wings behind him. A lot of feathers were missing. So many were missing that his wings looked smaller than usual. In addition to that, she could see that he was a little bruised and scraped. He had changed out of his hero costume so more skin was showing, revealing his injuries. What happened to him?
She wiped at her cheeks, trying to erase the trails of dried tears, causing the blanket draped over her shoulders to fall a little. What…?
"You looked cold," he explained, scratching at the scruff on his chin. "Sorry I was late. I didn't mean to take so long, Grayscale."
"Did you get caught in a ceiling fan or something?" she mumbled, trying to distract him from the fact she had been crying.
Hawks tilted his head the other way now, a grin tugging at his lips. "You don't watch TV while I'm gone, huh?"
"I don't watch TV." She was about to say more, but the hero leaned over to grab her wrist and stop her from scratching her neck. Yori's eyes widened, having not even realized that she was about to do it. The pale-haired girl turned her head to the side again, not wanting to see him.
Warm fingertips traced lightly over the deep scratches on her skin and he clicked his tongue. "You did it again? You're going to end up doing some real damage if you keep this up."
"Don't…talk to me about it. I know I shouldn't do it. I don't mean to do it. It just…happens. When I'm stressed."
"Oh? Why were you stressed?"
"I was alone! I thought you might've died or someth-!" Yori went silent, chewing at the inside of her cheek as she seethed. "It's not like I care. I just didn't want to die here."
His eyebrows raised and Hawks grinned again. "I really like that tsundere side you've got." He leaned back, stretching his arms above his head and yawning. "You know, I prefer this Grayscale. This is more like the real you, right?"
The real me? She drew the blanket up around her shoulders again. I don't even know what the real me is like anymore. Wanting to distract him, she nodded toward the stack of manga pages on the coffee table. "I…got some work done."
"Cool. Let me read it."
"…no…" Yori started to reach for the pages, frowning.
"Why not? Come on; I want to see how it looks." Hawks extended a hand to her, anticipating the pages being handed over.
"It's shoujo manga. It's not really for guys, you know. It's a love story."
"So?" He raised an eyebrow now and leaned closer. "Come on." She clutched the pages to her chest and Hawks sighed in mock defeat. He leaned forward on his couch cushion, elbows resting on his knees as he slouched. "If you let me read them, I'll tell you what happened today."
Whatever it was, it was important. The defeated, tired expression on his face was not normal for him. Yori's caretaker instincts kicked in and she knew she had to do something to help. "Fine."
She handed them over, watching his eyes light up. Was he just pretending to be upset? Yori looked away as he flipped through the pages, listening to him make a quiet exclamation or laugh every so often. Her eyes fell upon the half-devoured bucket of fried chicken on the coffee table in front of him, her stomach growling to remind her that she had not eaten.
As Yori helped herself to some food, Hawks grinned and settled back more comfortably. "This is pretty cute," he commented.
"I guess." She tore into a chicken wing, trying not to look his way as she ate. He looked too happy. Like this was really making his day. It made her wonder just what kind of fight he had been in to need a girly, lovey-dovey manga to cheer him up. "So what happened?"
"Oh. Right." His cheerful expression fell and he set the pages down. Crossing his arms behind his head, he sighed. "I met with Endeavor today. And everything was good, but then a Nomu showed up and then Dabi got involved. Endeavor got pretty messed up."
It sounds like he's describing a nightmare he had; hanging out with his idol and then it all goes to shit. Still sounds better than my nightmares. However Yori knew it was true. She could recognize that look in his eyes as he went into more detail. Guilt. It was something she knew well. Something that resurfaced and ate away at her frequently.
Her caretaker instincts kicked in again. Yori bit the inside of her cheek and reached over, placing a hand on his arm. Since he had brought her to his apartment, Yori had been pretty distant due to her past traumas and the fact that her trust in him was still really shaky. She never touched him. She tried to keep a good distance from him. Tonight, she pushed past her unease to comfort him.
Yori saw him relax slightly and leaned over, wrapping her arms around the hero. "It's okay…you didn't know that would happen," she whispered. Her eyes widened when she felt him hugging back, clinging tightly for a second before loosening his hold a little. He's really upset about what happened to Endeavor, she realized. How long was he holding this back?
"Thanks. You know, you really are a pretty good support," he said in an almost teasing way. As if he was trying to reassure her that everything was fine. "At least he's got a really cool scar now."
She drew away and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, because scars are so cool," she muttered. Her tails, forearms, and legs were covered in a variety of scars and she knew he was aware of it.
Hawks rubbed the back of his head, half-grinning at her sarcasm. "Anyway. Sorry I was late. I can make it up to you. Want to go for a ride after my feathers grow back?"
Yori paled and drew further away. She was absolutely terrified of heights and he knew it. She had fainted when he swept her up from that alley and flew her to his apartment. "Not a chance in hell." Again, he seemed cheered up by her sassy retort. The ex-villain shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. "You could…get me a gift or something…"
He tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. "You still haven't opened the last one."
"What? I opened the clothes and art supplies."
"No; the little one," he replied, nodding toward the small box at the corner of the coffee table. The small, gift-wrapped box that he brought home a while ago.
Having not even realized that it was for her, Yori reached for it and promptly tore away the paper to reveal what could easily be construed as a threat. Though she doubted that Hawks intended for it to be a threat; he probably genuinely expected her to enjoy a box "baby scorpion bark candy".
Baby scorpions. Yori glanced over at Hawks, seeing that he wore an expectant stare. She hesitantly opened the box and drew out a piece of bark. It was broken in half and she offered him one piece, which he happily accepted. Yori took a bite of the strange candy, and chewed. It was crunchy, but sweet. However, it was still baby scorpions that dotted it like crispy rice pieces.
Meanwhile, Hawks was enjoying his piece as he looked through the manga pages again. "I won't be working tomorrow since I have to heal. I think if we work on it enough, we can probably get this first volume finished by the end of the day."
Listening to the crunch of baby scorpions and candy beneath his teeth made her wince. She set her piece down and drew her knees against her chest, leaning back against the arm of the couch. "So…? What happens after that?"
"I'll take it to a publisher for you and we'll try to get it printed. It's a pretty good step away from being a villain if we can make you a published manga writer. It'll be like you're becoming a whole new person."