Chapter 29
Stray
.:+:.
"I-I'll wait here, M-Miss Animal S-Spirit..."
"Hmm? You don't need to, you can stay outside if you want."
"N-No, this is fine... I'm f-fine."
"... If you say so."
I don't get why he's so insistent on coming with, especially when he was so against coming here at all. He looks like he's gonna have a heartattack just walking in the front door, let alone sitting in the waiting room.
Spirit let out an audible sigh, casting a glance back toward a halfway empty waiting room and a very anxious and extremely fidgety Kurokku Dairu (or 'Sushi-Dude' as she had been dubbing him till that morning). He was sitting in a chair tucked in the farthest corner of the room and as far from anybody else as possible, hands stuffed in his jacket pockets and hood up, hunched slightly with his head between his shoulders and chin on his chest. He seemed to be doing his best not to move at all, but his knee was bobbing up and down without end, and his hands kept fidgeting in his pockets without end. Oh, and lets not forget how his eyes kept darting every which way, like someone wary of being pounced upon- though by now his face had turned back into that sour one she had first seen on him.
(Maybe that's his default facial expression? Kinda seems that way)
He'd been very adamant on coming with her since demanding she actually go to the hospital, and he'd not really given her much a choice in tagging along or anything of the sort. He was very set on it, clearly so since he had been very uncomfortable even being in the presence of the hospital, and once stepping foot inside his anxiety and unease seemed to amp up tenfold with each footstep taken.
Spirit had told him he could wait outside and not actually come in, if that would be easier on him (plus she didn't need an escort), but he'd refused it. As she said, he was very set on it sticking with her... Though she wasn't altogether sure why he seemed so adamant and concerned over her all of a sudden.
Sure, her shoulder cracking and hurting as badly as it did had (understandably) caught him off guard and even unsettled him- she got that. And even being all wound up and telling her to get seen by a doctor made sense too, if you were to look at it practically. But to go from being all distant and reserved and generally not seeming like he wanted to be around her for any longer than he absolutely needed to be- to wanting to stick close, and even sort of chaperone her around?
It was a complete flip in his demeanor (of what she had seen of it thus far), and she didn't quite understand it. Hell, it was almost as weird and surprising as when he'd stomped off after telling him she'd call a cab for them to take- and he refused- only to shuffle back not a minute later and give in without warning.
He really is all over the place, and he's a huge jumble of nerves and anxiety. I don't think I've ever met anybody so tightly wound, or so quick to get set off.
Spirit's face fell slightly, watching Dairu jump a little as a door swung open on the other side of the room.
Geez... what have I gotten myself into...?
She shook her head at herself and looked away, her attention shifting toward the nurse ahead of her and waiting patiently to lead her down a hallway and to be seen. The young lady smiled as she caught the Pro's eyes and attention, tilting her head in the direction they would be going.
"Recovery Girl is this way. I'll let her know you're here, and she'll come see you after she finishes her rounds." The nurse told her lightly, and Spirit nodded once, looking weary.
"Right, thank you."
They started off down the hallway and quickly out of sight of Dairu, Animal Spirit still holding her right arm against her center gingerly and not daring to move it an inch.
There had been no question nor wonder as to why she was there or who she was looking for. The minute Spirit walked in and the lady at the front desk recognized her, a nurse was called to take her off and find Recovery Girl... Naturally, as Spirit showing up sometime today was entirely expected.
Spirit grit her teeth for the thought, grumbling internally.
She had told Dairu beforehand that she was already planning on going to a hospital before he basically ordered her to do so, and she had meant it. Because not long after the whole debacle last night where she was pretty sure she'd (slightly) dislocated her shoulder again trying to catch Dairu after he passed out, and eventually getting him sorted- she'd gotten a text. A simple, straight to the point, and very short text;
'Recovery Girl will be doing rounds at Shiozaki General tomorrow, you should go see her. I'll let her know you might drop by.'
And from whom did this message come from?
If you guessed Hawks, surprisingly this time you would be wrong.
No, this one came from Tanaka, which somehow irked her all the more than if it had come from the Winged Hero. Because somehow, in some strange and totally uncanny way- he knew she'd ended up aggravating her shoulder. She didn't know how the old git did know, but he definitely did, and she hated it.
She also hated him being so indirect, but not really so, about telling her to go and sort of forcing her into it too (even if she did need some Healing at this point). And she hated it even more that it was Recovery Girl he decided to enlist/sign her up with, because the Old Lady was 100% going to give her a lecture, and Spirit was not at all in the mood for it. The only solace about the whole thing was that she'd at least have her shoulder no longer killing her once Recovery Girl was done, and maybe that was a big enough plus to outweigh all the other aggravating things.
Spirit shook her head slightly, her eyes dropping to the floor as they kept walking and letting out a silent sigh.
Well anyway, on the note of texts; she did actually have a text from Hawks too. She had noticed it earlier after Dairu had handed her phone to her before heading to the hospital, though she hadn't bothered to read it or pay it any mind back then. And she wasn't gonna touch it for now or any time soon either- again, she was not at all in the mood.
And I'll be in even less of a mood after this. Getting scolded by Recovery Girl aside, her Quirk is gonna make me super tired, and I'm already tired as hell.
I only got like 3-4 hours of sleep because of all this stuff with Sushi-Dude, and I'd been awake well over a day before that.
A short walk later and a quick look-over and whatever by the nurse, Spirit got left sitting on a table in a room by herself, and awaiting the inevitable ire of the older woman who had already snapped at her for being too frivolous with her health and pushing things too hard. The Ebony Hero wilted a little in her seat at thought, her eyes dropping closed and grumbling quietly to herself for it.
... Really looking forward to being scolded about it again... Ugh.
My life fucking sucks
.:+:.
Dairu lost sight of Animal Spirit soon after she started to head off, the Ebony Hero disappearing down a hallway and out of sight- so he averted his eyes from that direction and briefly to the floor. But that was short lived, since inevitably he began glancing anxiously toward one hallway, then the next, and to literally every entrance and exit into the space. And on top of that, he was also casting wary looks at anybody coming in or going out too.
He swallowed hard, sinking a little farther in his chair even despite the prick of pain across his ribs for the posture, while tugging at the sides of his jacket hood to hide his face a little better. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest, quick and not at all steady or even remotely calm, his stomach in a million knots and nerves running higher and higher with every minute spent in this god-awful place.
Hospitals suck. There's way too many people, way too many looking at you, and getting in your business, and being suspicious and staring.
Too many people, too many in an out, too many beds and squeaky wheels, to many beeping machines and raspy breaths, too many gaunt faces and desperate ones, too many spats of rushing and panic, trembling hands and adrenaline to try and stop a sudden turn for the worse... There was always ever a turn for the worse, without end.
Shouting, orders, barking things, muffled desperate cries and pleas-
He sucked in a sharp breath of air and held it, cutting the line of thought off as quickly as possible and shutting his eyes tight against it.
Don't think about that, don't think about that, d-don't you... you dumbass!
He shook his head roughly, hands moving from being crossed tightly about his chest and instead onto his thighs, fingernails digging into his knees as he cursed himself a dozen times more.
You c-can't think about that..!
He forced himself to let out the breath he was holding, gulping rather loudly as his eyes opened again and he gave the waiting room and attached hallways another wary look-over. There were sparse few other people sitting around like he was, and even less moving up and down the hallways. In fact there was only actually 3 or 4 nurses milling about, not including the lady behind the check-in desk. He looked quickly between them, lips a thin line and teeth grinding anxiously as he glanced out from under the lip of his hood, heart still pounding against some very bruised ribs and utterly terrified that he'd catch one of their eyes... and worse, that they might actually recognize him.
See him, and know him, and then there would be that look again- the one where they knew what they were looking at when they saw him, but never did they say it out loud. Never saying it, and never would anything come of it beside those deathly silent and grim looks- but this time they would not be pitying looks.
No, they would just skip straight passed that to something icy cold and even angry. Disgusted, distrusting, afraid and wary all at once. Because they might see him and know him, and what they had been told might have them calling quickly for security, or worse-
He hissed under his breath, his stomach doing a flip that had him feeling queasy again and an icy cold lump getting all the heavier in his core.
-you can't think about that, b-but... shit, what if they do...?
He averted his eyes quickly, for the time being not earning the attention of anyone else- though that didn't stop him from being afraid he might.
His legs bounced nervously under his hands and quickly gained a fervor as the seconds ticked by, before he realized he was acting much too shifty and ill at ease, and that was definitely going to earn him those stares. He forced himself to stop, though it was a colossal feat to make himself go still. He kept grinding his teeth though, his eyes stuck on the floor and gripping his knees tightly, pinning them down a little for an extra bit of leverage to keep himself from fidgeting any more. And he of course could not make his heart nor his pulse settle, like at all.
H-How long has it been...? I have to have been here awhile already, yeah...?
Y-You got this, you can sit here, wait. I-It'll be fine, M-Miss Animal Spirit will be back. She'll get fixed up, then we can go again... oh my god, I r-really hope it doesn't take too long.
I can't be here too long... I... I can't... fuck
His eyes darted up again, eyeing the nurses at the desk then moving up and down the hallways for about the fiftieth time- only to snap his eyes back down when one of them turned slightly his way, and he would not dare risk making eye contact.
I-I'm gonna have a fucking heart attack. S-shit shit shit
Ten minutes stretched to about twenty, and with it there came a longer stretch of nobody in or out, and he finally managed to get his eyes to stop darting around... or rather, his heart couldn't handle the constant looking back and forth anymore. Looking just made his anxiety rack up a million times more each time he did it, and he was becoming all the more terrified of possibly seeing what would have been almost the worst thing-
He held his breath again, heart pounding loudly in his ears and his head starting to pound a little too, his lungs aching- Shit
S-Shit it's getting harder to breathe, o-or at least... breath kinda normal enough not to catch anybody's a-attention or anything... fuck, fuck, fuck...!
The pounding of his heart was deafening, drowning out even his progressively more shallow and shaky breaths as time went on and he'd ended up stuck staring at the floor between his knees, not daring to budge even an inch. He felt frozen and stiff as a statue, but he knew there was a faint trembling in his hands and through the rest of his body that he could not quell nor control- he simply couldn't help it.
Everything was muted by the sound of his blood roaring in his ears and it all felt so far away and so close all at once. He felt like he was detached from the reality and physicality of that waiting room and much too uncomfortable chair he was glued to, but all at the same time like the walls were closing in and about to crush him. He had to stay still, he couldn't act so fidgety and nervous because that was dangerous, and would earn the attention he didn't want- but his adrenaline kept spiking and every inch of his being and soul told him to get up, get out, and run.
Get away from here, get out, get out, get out-
-s-shit, no. N-no you're staying put, you have to...!
Y-you can't just leave, you're here and you are staying put. Y-You can't ditch damn it...!
Y-you're fine, it's fine...! They must be almost done by now, yeah...? I-It's been like... half an hour? T-That's gotta be close to being able to go... yeah...?
He shuddered slightly, bending over ever so faintly for a moment and eyes shutting tight- shit, he really couldn't breathe.
The walls are closing in, I c-can't hear anything, I can barely breathe, I... I just... d-damn it, I really really wanna go-
"... You."
Dairu went rigid, the deafening sound of his heart pounding and his blood roaring in his ears going utterly silent on the back of that single low, and utterly familiar voice saying that one word. One word, calm and quiet, and even incredibly level- but masking a venom and chill behind it he was oh so used to. One that had an icy spear of pure panic strike him straight through the heart, cutting deep and straight to the center.
One word, and one voice, and now so suddenly he was aware of something right in front of him, looming, and it was the... T...The...
His world crashed down around him in terrifying speed, his muscles locking, his mind wiped clean by terror, and he just reacted.
The back of the chair slammed into the wall with a loud crack of plastic on metal, the back of his knees ramming into the seat so violently he must have injured himself- but he couldn't feel it.
The world crashed down and right there, right in front of him, was that.
The worst thing
.:+:.
"Hmph, you are very lucky you didn't do any permanent damage to that shoulder! Or earn yourself an infection either!" Recovery Girl snapped, the Old Lady fuming as she stood in front of a very exasperated, and very exhausted looking Animal Spirit sitting on a stool before her.
The Ebony Hero wilted a little, tugging her arm the rest of the way through her shirt as she put it back on, and with absolutely no issue doing so- you know, since it wasn't all agitated and hurting and very much healed now. Though Recovery Girl had opted not to go ahead with said healing until after subjecting Spirit through a very agitated look-over, and then a lecture... And still more lecturing now, even after she'd used her Quirk-
"I do not understand why it seems so difficult for you to take time off and rest! You've clearly been up to no good the last few days, else your wounds would not have ended up so agitated!" Recovery Girl went on hotly, her hands stacked atop one another on the top of her cane in front of her, frowning. Spirit resisted the urge to frown herself, because the comment wasn't exactly true.
It wasn't the last few days, it was just last night.
I've actually been doing pretty good at the whole 'rest and relaxation' thing, and I hadn't done anything or been 'up to no good' at all until the fight, and dealing with Sushi-Dude, and him passing out and everything-
"You need to learn to stay out of things that will hinder the healing process, regardless if you think you can handle them or not!" Recovery Girl kept on hotly, and Spirit sighed internally.
-not that I think trying to explain any of that to her will do any good, mind you. I don't really think she'd care to be honest, she'd probably just snap at me for trying to make excuses.
Oi
Spirit dipped her head slightly, offering up a weary half-bow toward the Old Lady in front of her, and stuffing away what exasperation that hit her, and that was just as heavy as the exhaustion was.
"... I know, I probably shouldn't have pushed it so far, regardless of anything else." Spirit mumbled the apology quietly, "I am sorry for all this trouble I'm causing you, Recovery Girl, really." Spirit sighed and the Old Lady paused, lips pursing and looking still none too pleased- before she huffed.
"Hmmph, well I would be even more furious with you if you had not come to see me at all. At least this time you didn't avoid me entirely and make me come find you." The Old Lady grumbled, before sighing again and shaking her head. "Though it still seems you were prompted by someone else to seek me out, just like last time, hmm?" She added, and Spirit stiffened a little for the mention of it.
"... Uh... Right..." Spirit mumbled softly, chewing on the insides of her cheeks a bit and eyes falling shut a moment.
Yeah cause Hawks went and called her behind my back the first time, and this time Tanaka was the one to set up meeting her- again, behind my back and with no real choice in that matter.
She grumbled silently under her breath for the thought, straightening up again from the little half-bow and forcing herself a breath of air to quell what small spark of annoyance rose in her core. Her eyes moved back up and landed on Recovery Girl in front of her, who of which the Old Lady seemed to force herself a sigh of her own, her fingers tapping slightly atop her cane.
"Now, I expect you to get plenty of rest for the remainder of the day, you hear? I better not see any news of you out and about on Hero Duty tonight!" Recovery Girl started again and sternly so, Spirit chewing on the inside of both cheeks as she nodded stiffly.
"You won't, I promise I'll get plenty of sleep." Spirit mumbled, dipping her head slightly. "Thank you for all your help, Recovery Girl, really. This helped a lot." Spirit murmured and the Old Lady nodded once.
"Of course." She hummed, shifting slightly on her feet as one hand lift off her cane and started to dig in her pocket, a small smile making an appearance on her face in place of scolding and whatever in no time at all. The Old Lady stopped digging in her pocket and thrust her hand out toward Spirit, the Ebony Hero holding her own out to take what she was offering out of reflex, and not an actual want of what was being offered- which was some hard candies.
(Giving out candy is kinda Recovery Girl's thing, huh...?)
"There we are, now you be safe heading home now Dearie." Recovery Girl chirped, the candies pattering against the palm of Spirit's hand as Recovery Girl pulled away. Spirit nodded once and just faintly, her hand closing around the candies as she got slowly to her feet, and this time did more of a full bow toward the older woman before leaving the room entirely.
"Thank you again."
The door shut with a soft tap behind her and Spirit stepped into the hallway, pausing a moment just outside the doorway to quickly thread her arms through her jacket sleeves (and with no issue, pain, nor problems this time), before starting back the way she came. She gave the several brightly colored candies in her hand a look even as she walked, a small sigh escaping her as she did so.
Hmm... No blue this time
Spirit shook the thought off, half-heartededly popping a reddish-hued candy into her mouth because she might as well not waste it... And maybe she ought to try and put something in her very empty stomach, even if straight sugar (albeit cinnamon flavored sugar) probably wasn't wise.
Come to think of it, I haven't actually eaten since yesterday morning huh? I had coffee afterwards with Killjoy, but no food... Hmm, maybe I'll swing by some place and get some before heading off to bed, after handling Sushi-Dude.
She sighed, the single thought of the kid earning a reminder that he was waiting on her still, and probably all nervous and wound up a million times more than when she had left him.
She shook her head at herself, her free hand rubbing at the back of her neck wearily.
Seriously, that kid is a huge bundle of anxiety... Ah, you called him Sushi-Dude again Spirit, you gotta quit with that-
BAM!
Spirit's walking faltered, her head snapping up and eyes widening for the sudden crack of noise of two hard objects crashing against one another- and then followed quickly by the very distinguishable sound of a chair clattering to the floor. Ahead of her a nurse at the end of the hallway who had previously been talking with the lady behind the reception desk jumped slightly, both of them on edge and fidgeting as they shot the waiting room wary looks- Spirit grit her teeth, eyes flashing and immediately walking a little faster.
Damn it, tell me that wasn't-
"Ah hell." The nurse mumbled, the receptionist looking quite frazzled now.
"S-Should I call security? He looks like he's gonna try and fight Doctor Dairu-san..." She stammered quietly, hand hovering above the phone already. Spirit stiffened at the name, her eyes flashing again and a small hitch working its way into her step out of sheer surprise.
"Mmm, maybe give it a minute? I thought I recognized that guy earlier, I think he's Dairu-san's kid, we should probably just let him handle it."
"K-Kid...?! You don't mean the one he said is a delinquent who's super violent do you...?!"
"He only has the one kid, so yeah."
Spirit grimaced at the small exchange, little bits of urgency and even some sparks of agitation igniting in her center on the back of the small side conversation and the clear indication of something not right- and in more ways than just the major one about 'looking to fight'.
Because first; 'Dr. Dairu'? And his kid, Sushi-Dude?
And second; what the hell was with that? A delinquent who's 'super violent'?
I'd call him a bundle of nerves and anxiety, and maybe one with a tendency to jump between different moods way too fast... And someone who's stubborn too, sure. But not violent-
Spirit didn't spare the two and their side conversation a glance as she reached the corner, the waiting room opening up before her. Her attention landed immediately on where she had left Sushi-Dude before, while a dozen more red flags snapped up in the back of her mind.
She could barely see the kid around the man directly in front of him, Sushi-Dude nearly backed up against the wall where his chair had been beforehand, but had been tipped over and slid to the side. The seat was effectively boxing him in between itself, the corner and its two walls, and the man. The man who was nearly three heads taller than Sushi-Dude, and wider and heftier than him too, by a lot.
And Sushi-Dude?
He was rigid on his feet, fists clenched tightly at his sides and that same sour look Spirit had assumed was his default there on his face again, but darker now. Darker, more twisted, and even in some ways almost dangerous- but only just. Because behind even that, there was something else.
Something buried beneath a look that would have sent most anyone skittering away, something that came paired with the subtle trembling in his hands and shoulders- something that was nowhere near anger or violence, and Spirit grit her teeth.
Shit
"G-Go away, I ain't talking to you." Sushi-Dude hissed lowly, a faint tremble in his voice making the words stumble so slightly, and the warning went entirely unheard.
"Yes you are. We are going outside, and we will talk." Dr. Dairu-san rumbled lowly, his voice level and slow, and mostly even- but there was growl embedded in there that made Sushi-Dude want to recoil, but he didn't dare. He didn't move, not an inch, and the lack of any sort of reaction or any response made that familiar hint of darkness burn a little brighter in the man's grey eyes, causing Sushi-Dude's heart to drop into his feet. The man shifted, a large hand raising off his side to reach out stiffly toward Sushi-Dude stuck where he was as it came closer, and with nowhere to go or way to back off.
"Come outside, now-"
"-Ah, I'm sorry I don't mean to bud in."
The hand never managed to reach all the way out, it drew up halfway for the voice and the sudden new body that appeared beside them without warning. A voice and sudden interruption that subsequently earned a crack across the face of what suffocating layer of tension had been hovering, and so quickly it was almost jarring.
"We were just about to get going... Oh, is there a problem here?" Animal Spirit asked lightly, the Pro calm as can possibly be and even with the tiniest hint of a polite smile on her lips as she asked it. Sushi-Dude swallowed hard, his eyes darting quickly her way to see it and his heart dropping further for how totally unaware she was of what she just interrupted, and who.
Shit, shit, s-she can't-
Dr. Dairu-san paused for only half a second at it, his hand retracting slightly as the utterly intense look on his face got wiped away with a practiced calm, his attention turning right toward the Pro and a pleasant smile gracing his lips immediately.
"Ah, Animal Spirit. I didn't realize you two had come together, what a surprise." The Doctor hummed, "And no, no issues. I was just hoping to have a word with my son is all." He told her easily and Spirit nodded slightly, the little polite smile on her face turning a little apologetic.
"Oh, well like I said we were about to head off, and we are kind of in a hurry." She murmured, her head tilting slightly back the way she had come, and the Doctor just smiled a little more, eyes flashing.
"No worries, I understand. I promise we won't take too long." He replied with ease, shifting ever so slightly on his feet to move forward just half a centimeter, and that hand that had stalled a few heartbeats before raised once more- heading to grab Sushi-Dude again and simultaneously block Spirit from the younger in one small, deliberate motion. One small and nearly imperceptible motion even, but one that made the younger freeze, his heart pounding and panic racing all anew through his veins as his eyes snapped closed on sheer instinct.
Words could not describe how quickly the walls were closing in and about to snatch him up, or how much his heart felt it was about to give out. Words could not describe how hard it was to breathe, or how he wished more than anything his jaw didn't snap shut as audibly as it did in the next instant- his teeth clacking harshly and staying wired together with no control on his part to stop it, or pry them open again. The walls were incoming, the harsh grip about to reach him, grab tight to him, fingers digging in, blocked off from any route of escape and stuck in place before being wrenched away and forced to follow, and he could not avoid it, or shrink away. He had nowhere to go, he was backed in a corner with no room to resist, no time, with nothing to do and for the hundredth time- with nobody but him to realize how completely wide open and trapped he-
Sushi-Dude stiffened, eyes snapping open and heart skipping a beat when he felt something suddenly plant itself between him and that looming shadow quickly incoming, stalling the cruel grip that had been coming on fast and acting as a wall. A move that was just as deliberate in blocking the man from the young boy as his own arm had been in trying to cut her off from Sushi-Dude in the first place.
Deliberate, and not at all subtle-
Dr. Dairu-san's hand stalled halfway between himself and the Pro Hero now standing firmly between him and his son, the calm and cool of the older man's face breaking in tiny hints of agitation that made Sushi-Dude shiver uncontrollably. The tiny skip of his heart ended in a renewed breakneck speed brought on from sheer panic, and fear for the woman who was nearly five heads shorter than the man she had just so carelessly stepped in between. The man who dwarfed her by his overwhelming size, and whose hand could easily do more than just grab and hold on tight.
She c-can't-!
"I'm pretty sure he said he didn't want to talk to you." Animal Spirit murmured coolly, her expression just as even and polite as before, the smile still faintly there- but her voice?
It had dropped, just a little. It was steady, even, and even calm still, but it was laced with an edge and no small amount of warning too.
"And your son or no, he's not a kid. If he doesn't want to talk to you, he does not have to." She went on, her voice dropping a smidge lower. Sushi-Dude behind her stood breathless and staring down at her back ahead of him, ears ringing and the panic quickly getting replaced with sheer disbelief. Disbelief, because he saw that the face of that man quickly lost all that practiced calm and facade that hide everything else- all things that only ever showed behind closed doors and where no one would see- that facade vanished. And in it's quake some amount of distaste, unease, and disbelief showed there now when the Doctor realized she'd done what no one before had.
She didn't fall for it. Not for a second.
She saw right through him
Sushi-Dude sucked in a sharp breath of air, eyes wide and heart skipping another beat when the Pro suddenly stepped half an inch closer to that man so much bigger than she was- and that same man flinched back, just faintly.
N-No fucking way...!
Sushi-Dude couldn't see her face, so he could not see how much her red eyes were burning, or what sickly-sweet smile crept it's way over her lips when the Doctor flinched, and then immediately looked even more disgusted for his own inability not to, and angry toward her for getting in his goddamn way. But perhaps it was a good thing the kid couldn't see her expression then, because it'd have likely done nothing but help solidify that notion he'd voiced the night before, and that she'd hated in the moment more than she could ever admit.
What it meant to come off as a Villain
"So he's not going anywhere with you, we're leaving." Animal Spirit announced evenly, and Sushi-Dude sucked in a sharp breath of air, his heart twisting along with his stomach, and his hands moved without him meaning for them to.
The step Animal Spirit had taken forward retracted slightly as Sushi-Dude's hands grabbed stiffly onto her left jacket sleeve, tugging her back ever so faintly and earning Spirit's eyes off the man in front of her for half a second. Sushi-Dude's eyes were stuck to where his hands were clutching the fabric and not on her, head bowed and shoulders hunched slightly, jaw still wired shut and stiff in his space. But that?
That was the first time he'd reached out for her on his own without any amount of prompting, and his hands did not seem likely to let go anytime soon either.
Spirit's expression softened a moment for it, her eyes lingering on the younger for only a heartbeat more before looking back ahead, and that same steady and unflinching expression made a reappearance on her face. She adjusted, pulling Sushi-Dude behind her as she stepped to the side and moved them both from being backed up against the wall and the corner. She gently pulled the kid around from behind her and directly on her side instead, so she still kept herself as a wall between him and the man who did not budge an inch, and nor did the muffled fury or disgust on his face. Sushi-Dude stuck close on her left, swallowing audibly as they started to walk off and not daring to lift his eyes off the floor nor let go of her arm, not for a second.
Spirit ignored the rather baffled and incredulous looks from the two near the check-in desk as she walked with the kid on her arm back toward the main hallway, and out of the hospital altogether. Neither she nor the kid said anything (he'd actually have go be able to get his jaw to unlock to do so) as they made their way out, and Spirit didn't dare try and prompt him for anything. Hell, she didn't dare walk too fast or try and gain his attention until they were outside and a good distance down the street and from the hospital itself, and she only paused long enough at the entrance to tug the hood of her jacket up so they wouldn't get mobbed or anything of the like should people recognize her.
The hospital disappeared behind one street corner and then another a little further down, Spirit gently tugging Sushi-Dude along with her off the sidewalk and down a small side-street/alleyway without a word once she was sure they were in the clear and not being followed, or paid any attention to from those walking by. And the younger followed her down that way stiffly, still holding rather tightly to the fabric of her jacket sleeve and she didn't mind (though she did need him to let go eventually).
Spirit stopped, the sudden halt in movement causing Sushi-Dude to stumble slightly as he came to a standstill too. Once they were stopped there came a bit of a heavier silence between them that was not muffled with the sound of their footsteps, and made only all the heavier now that they were entirely alone within that little alleyway. And now with them no longer walking or moving, the trembling in his hands around her arm was all the more apparent, making Spirit swallow for it.
She wasn't surprised by it though, nor by the sour look on his face that seemed insistent on staying where it was even when it still couldn't hide all the way what amount of unease, tension, and even fear he was feeling.
Like she'd said, his anxiety was tangible... Really really tangible.
Spirit let out a silent breath at the thought, hesitant for a moment or two more before deciding it was best to break the silence- lest that add to his anxiety even further.
"... Are you alright?" The Ebony Hero asked quietly, her voice making Sushi-Dude jump slightly, almost as if it broke him out of some sort of daze or unending spinning cycle in his own head. His hands on her jacket unlatched quickly, the younger sucking in a shaky breath of air through his teeth as he stepped away from her, putting some distance between them at last and moving more toward the wall on his left instead. He nodded once at first, before deciding against it and shaking his head stiffly, and more than once- which made Spirit's stomach churn, but she stayed still in her spot. She wouldn't move, not in case her doing so startled him further. She simply stayed standing where she was as the kid backed into the wall all the way, shaking his head a few more times before it fell into his hands, and he dropped into sitting on the balls of his feet, face nearly buried in his knees and fingers fumbling slightly at his mouth and locked jaw.
Two minutes turned five before the slightly elevated rate of his breathing seemed to finally settle again, and Spirit felt safe enough to move. So she turned a little more toward him, her hands falling slowly into her jacket pockets and red eyes flashing under the shadow of her hood.
"I'm sorry." Spirit murmured softly, the apology making Sushi-Dude stiffen faintly, though Spirit's eyes had dropped from him and to the ground, so she didn't see it. "I didn't intend for you to get dragged into something you didn't want to be, especially if you only came along for my sake." The Ebony Hero mumbled and Sushi-Dude swallowed hard, his eyes cracking open to look down at his feet passed his knees, frowning.
There it was again, an apology. He needn't look up and see her face to know how genuine an apology it was either, he could hear it in her voice- but why was she apologizing? Let alone in a way where she was genuinely sorry, like she was the one who had overstepped, and was not afraid to own up to it?
She hadn't- shit.
CRACK
The sound of bone and tendon grinding with a sudden release of pressure made Spirit jump slightly, the Pro blinking a few times as Sushi-Dude seemed to grumble a bit, his hands rubbing at his face and jaw as it finally unlocked (and without warning). He kept at it for a few moments, before he sank a little more into his knees and his arms wound around his head and neck, hiding his face from all view in doing so and almost in a guarded sort of way too.
"Why did you that...?" He mumbled lowly, the question making Spirit stiffen slightly in surprise- and immediately worry she had actually overstepped.
Shit, maybe I should have just stayed out of it...? Did I read the whole thing wrong-?
"... Nobody... Nobody does that." The younger went on tensely, breaking Spirit off from her second-guessing and rather quickly. "No one ever sees it, or even thinks about stepping between him and... No one ever does that and against him. They... I'm the one they hate, they're all afraid of me, afraid that I'm gonna... Snap and go crazy... I'm the one that people tell to go away, nobody ever tells him to back off. Ever." Sushi-Dude hissed lowly and Spirit grimaced,
-okay, maybe I didn't read it wrong after all.
Hell if the idea of actually being right felt good in that moment though
"I know what being backed into a corner looks like." Spirit murmured softly, her tone of voice nothing but calm and steady even despite the churning in her core. "And I do have a sense of when people are lying or putting up an act. It wasn't hard to see through him being all calm and polite, or even 'reasonable' like he was trying to be." She murmured, before pausing half a second, eyes glittering.
Along with a dozen red flags that had already sprung up, and then a dozen more for the whole of the short interaction- what stood out the most was that comment of everyone going against the kid and nobody ever taking his side. A comment that was solidified a little more with the short conversation of the two at the check-in desk before she had approached Sushi-Dude and his father;
"K-Kid...?! You don't mean the one he said is a delinquent who's super violent do you...?!"
Which paired so very nicely with what he just said about him being the one they're all afraid of and that'll snap, and they want to go away.
(A part of her really wished it wasn't so easy to peg manipulative and isolating behavior to (likely) hide even more unsavory behavior on something so vague, though)
Spirit forced herself a small sigh, shaking the thoughts off with a small shake of her head and settling her attention on the young man still bent over in front of her.
"It also wasn't hard to realize there was something off, because of the way you were reacting. I told you, you're anxiety is tangible." She added softly, and the younger stiffened against it, her words earning a rather sharp shake of the his head suddenly, and he seemed to hiss.
"Tch, i-if you realized it was all an act and that he's... Damn it, why the hell did you get in between us if you could tell any of that?" The younger hissed lowly and Spirit blinked, her head tilting faintly in question and confusion. "If you could tell what kind of... of a person he is, why would you do that? Why the hell did you even try and step in between us, or stand up to him? Let alone yell him to back off?" The younger kept on, his voice growing a little louder than the hushed tenor, and there came a little bit of an edge in it too. "Tch, he's... He's fucking huge, he's way bigger than you, and strong as fuck and... Why did you do that...?! He could totally hurt you, and done some serious damage..! Why the hell did you do that, and stand against him without even thinking about any of that or what he might do...?!" Sushi-Dude snapped a touch hotly that time, and Spirit went rigid, eyes wide.
Woah woah, wait- is he... Mad at me?
Mad, or maybe less mad and more just annoyed...?
She blinked, stunned for half a second and her face falling flat for it.
I think he is, and not because I stepped in against that asshole at all. But because I did it without thinking about myself, and how I might get hurt?
Am I understanding this right?
She wasn't sure she was, but she had to be- which just made her a little more dumbfounded (and a little offended too).
This was a complete 180 from when she'd stepped in on behalf of Sasaki and the drunk guys that had gone after her. There Spirit's intervention had been met with shock and then appreciation afterwards, and sure there'd been some guilt and concern on Sasaki's part for Spirit getting hurt in that fight- but there'd been no amount of annoyance for getting involved at all. Not like this.
And even weirder was the fact that he seemed annoyed with her butting in not for butting in, but that she could have ended up hurt doing it.
Spirit's eye twitched a little at the thought and the very clear assumption on the kid's part that she would have had her ass handed to her by his father, should things have come to that. An assumption that was insulting, and a little infuriating, but she kept herself from showing either of those outwardly and decided to try and not assume that was what he was actually assuming about her.
Spirit shook her head at herself once and got rid of the flat expression on her face too, opting for a calm one instead.
"That's what I do." Spirit replied levelly, and the younger went rigid for so simple a response. "I am a Pro Hero ya know. I go up against people bigger and stronger than me all the time, and I don't think about that when I get involved. This was no different." Spirit went on, "It doesn't matter who he is or what he can do. He's an asshole, and I can't just stay out of it and leave it be just because it might be bigger than me, or even that I might get hurt... Hell, I wouldn't stay out of it even if I wasn't a Pro, or if I thought I was gonna lose or get hurt. I could tell something wasn't right, and that you didn't want to be there, so I had to try and do something at least." Spirit mumbled, shaking her head slightly. "I wouldn't ever leave you there trapped in that situation, not on anything." She murmured softly, a small sigh escaping her as she said it and the Ebony Hero totally oblivious to the way the younger's eyes had snapped open wide at the words.
He didn't lift his head or unwrap his arms from around it, he just stared at his knees right in front of his nose and his heart skipped a beat and nearly stopped all at once. In his ears rang with those words, echoing over and over and so goddamn foreign;
I wouldn't ever leave you there
Nobody had ever, even once, said anything remotely alike to that. Not a single person in school, at home, in all his life, no one.
No one ever saw that and realized 'something wasn't right'. No one ever looked between him and that asshole and figured he was the one who wouldn't do something awful. Everybody else always saw that exact situation and figured he was going to start a fight, or go off the rails, or just generally be the hotheaded, dangerous, unstable, violent thug that everyone saw him as, and had been told about.
No one ever saw him and didn't shrink away, afraid he was gonna snap at them or do something crazy. No one ever assumed he was the one who wasn't the asshole, or the crazy one. No one... No one had ever looked at him and had that look of knowing, and didn't look away or avert their eyes, trying to ignore the inkling in the back of their minds or just remain utterly clueless.
Nobody ever saw him and had that look or air of true understanding, and there not be any sort of pity there. No one ever saw him, straight through him, and had him feeling like there was no wall between him and them. No wall between, and no more barrier constantly separating him from everything else. And he had never had that wall gone between him and someone else and not be completely terrified by the absence of it.
He had never felt like that before, ever.
He didn't know how to process it, he couldn't fathom the strange sensation, and really had no capacity in himself to handle it because it was so new. The same new from earlier that morning, the same totally unheard of, same totally foreign... But man, he didn't hate it.
Not even when he felt a little sick for it, a little uneasy, a little on edge- but not at all like he was standing on the edge of a cliff. Not like he was about to go over the edge of whatever this was and slam into the unyielding earth and regret far far below. It felt more like being out in the open, maybe even a little vulnerable- but not scared he had nothing between himself and the incoming danger or attack. Because even if the wall wasn't there anymore, something else was.
.:+:.
"No worries, I understand. I promise we won't take too long." He replied with ease, shifting ever so slightly on his feet to move forward just half a centimeter, and that hand that had stalled a few heartbeats before raised once more- heading to grab Sushi-Dude again and simultaneously block Spirit from the younger in one small, deliberate motion. One small and nearly imperceptible motion even, but one that made the younger freeze, his heart pounding and panic racing all anew through his veins as his eyes snapped closed on sheer instinct.
Words could not describe how quickly the walls were closing in and about to snatch him up, or how much his heart felt it was about to give out. Words could not describe how hard it was to breathe, or how he wished more than anything his jaw didn't snap shut as audibly as it did in the next instant- his teeth clacking harshly and staying wired together with no control on his part to stop it, or pry them open again. The walls were incoming, the harsh grip about to reach him, grab tight to him, fingers digging in, blocked off from any route of escape and stuck in place before being wrenched away and forced to follow, and he could not avoid it, or shrink away. He had nowhere to go, he was backed in a corner with no room to resist, no time, with nothing to do and for the hundredth time- with nobody but him to realize how completely wide open and trapped he-
Sushi-Dude stiffened, eyes snapping open and heart skipping a beat when he felt something suddenly plant itself between him and that looming shadow quickly incoming, stalling the cruel grip that had been coming on fast and acting as a wall. A move that was just as deliberate in blocking the man from the young boy as his own arm had been in trying to cut her off from Sushi-Dude in the first place.
Deliberate, and not at all subtle-
Dr. Dairu-san's hand stalled halfway between himself and the Pro Hero now standing firmly between him and his son, the calm and cool of the older man's face breaking in tiny hints of agitation that made Sushi-Dude shiver uncontrollably. The tiny skip of his heart ended in a renewed breakneck speed brought on from sheer panic, and fear for the woman who was nearly five heads shorter than the man she had just so carelessly stepped in between. The man who dwarfed her by his overwhelming size, and whose hand could easily do more than just grab and hold on tight.
She c-can't-!
"I'm pretty sure he said he didn't want to talk to you." Animal Spirit murmured coolly, her expression just as even and polite as before, the smile still faintly there- but her voice?
It had dropped, just a little. It was steady, even, and even calm still, but it was laced with an edge and no small amount of warning too.
"And your son or no, he's not a kid. If he doesn't want to talk to you, he does not have to." She went on, her voice dropping a smidge lower. Sushi-Dude behind her stood breathless and staring down at her back ahead of him, ears ringing and the panic quickly getting replaced with sheer disbelief. Disbelief, because he saw that the face of that man quickly lost all that practiced calm and facade that hide everything else- all things that only ever showed behind closed doors and where no one would see- that facade vanished. And in it's quake some amount of distaste, unease, and disbelief showed there now when the Doctor realized she'd done what no one before had.
She didn't fall for it. Not for a second.
She saw right through him
Sushi-Dude sucked in a sharp breath of air, eyes wide and heart skipping another beat when the Pro suddenly stepped half an inch closer to that man so much bigger than she was- and that same man flinched back, just faintly.
N-No fucking way...!
He couldn't see her face, all he saw was the man flinch, and he couldn't believe it... or how steady her voice was when she said the next thing;
"So he's not going anywhere with you, we're leaving."
He sucked in a sharp breath of air against the words- no, the declaration with no room for argument or dispute- and his heart twisted along with his stomach at it. And then his hands moved without him meaning for them to.
The step Animal Spirit had taken forward retracted slightly as his hands grabbed stiffly onto her left jacket sleeve, tugging her back just faintly and attention stuck to where he was clutching the fabric and not on her, head bowed and shoulders hunched slightly, jaw still wired shut and stiff in his space.
He grabbed onto her without feeling any amount of uncertainty or sensation that it would be wrong for him to do so. All that he felt in that moment was an overwhelming need to just hold on, reach out and check and see if what was going on was even true and not just some wild fever-dream. He had to make sure she was actually real, and she had actually done all of those things nobody had ever, ever done before.
So he reached out and held on, stomach flipping and fluttering all at once for the very real feel of her jacket in his hands, and the weight of that woman under his hold as he pulled her back a little toward himself... and he could not let go, nor really, truly convince himself of the fact even all the way out of the hospital.
It couldn't be, but...
.:+:.
But...
He swallowed hard, his hands slowly unhooking from around his head and coming up in front of his face, grey eyes flashing as he looked down at his palms, the memory of it all fading to none again as he honed in on the present, lips pulled into a thin line and still wavering on that couldn't be. That couldn't be that lingered from last night to now, and all with that same person he had only met by pure and utter chance, without ever really knowing who she actually was. The couldn't be paired with the wavering still on that one word, one thing, whole thing.
Real
He bit down on the insides of his cheeks, the word ringing on his ears in that same tenor of ingrained disbelief it had been the whole way here. But the word had slowly lost that tenor with each word she spoke since arriving, up till now where it sounded less like some impossibility, and more... heavy.
"That's what I do."
Even against someone who could hurt her so badly if he wanted to.
"It doesn't matter who he is or what he can do. He's an asshole, and I can't just stay out of it and leave it be just because it might be bigger than me, or even that I might get hurt. I could tell something wasn't right, and that you didn't want to be there, so I had to try and do something at least."
Do something, even for him- someone who everyone else in this world either averted their eyes from in indifference and a want not to see it, or in fear of him and what image had been built up about him.
"I wouldn't ever leave you there trapped in that situation, not on anything."
Never, where he had been left countless times before with no hope or thought that one day it might be different than that...
He glanced up from his hands slowly, grey eyes gleaming slightly in the shadow of his hood as he cast a glance toward Animal Spirit just ahead of him, the woman standing still in her place and calm as can be- patient, quiet, and so very real.
... Never a hope any day would be different- not until today.
And Animal Spirit never knew it, but just then, for him?
What came to mind about her was the complete opposite of 'Villain'. Any of his doubts about her on the matter before finding out who she was were long, long gone now. And now the word Hero had never meant more to him than just some letters strung together, than they did just then. Until today Heroes and everything they were supposed to do, and stand for, and be, they weren't real.
But she is
He swallowed again, eyes flashing and looking away from the Pro who wasn't all bright and shiny and flashy- but who was unbelievably kind, and understanding, and much more the sort of Hero he never knew he needed to know actually existed. And he wished he could have found his voice and actually said what he meant to, but never actually worked himself up to saying just then;
Thank you
"Are you hungry?"
Animal Spirit broke the few moments of silence that had fallen, the question coming rather abruptly and a little startling since she seemed to be switching gears out of nowhere, and made it seem so easy too. Plus, she didn't press anything further, which was not a normal reaction to all of this, and just as jarring as her deciding on a round of non-prying and simple questions earlier than morning that never went any further than the first inquiry.
The younger's head snapped up and her way at the question, looking a little wary again and confused too- but that was better than whatever amount of brooding he had been doing a heartbeat before, and that being the main reason she decided to switch topics entirely. She didn't wanna linger too long on what was clearly a touchy subject all around, and he'd already gotten worked up enough so she wasn't gonna press any further about it either. If he wanted to talk about it, he could be the one to bring it up. And until he did (if ever), why not try and take a break from all the tension and sheer unease?
Besides, I am actually really hungry now, and maybe getting some food will help with how goddamn exhausted I am from Recovery Girl's Quirk.
"... What...?" The younger mumbled after a moment, grey eyes narrowing in confusion at the Pro,
"I asked if you're hungry." Spirit mumbled, dropping slowly down into crouching on the balls of her feet just ahead of him with a weary sigh, bringing them eye-level again (or mostly close to it). Their eyes matched, tired red on grey while the Ebony Hero's elbows landed on her knees and she dropped her head into the palms of her hands as she leaned into them tiredly. "It's a little late for breakfast, but even still a meal might be a nice way to wind down again. You haven't eaten anything since yesterday, yeah?" She murmured and he swallowed, grimacing faintly to himself for the question- because she knew damn well he hadn't. And she knew damn well he'd lost any amount of his last meal after he ended up retching too, so his stomach was totally empty (not that he really gave it much notice or care, with how much it had knotted and been churning over and over).
"Plus, I am super hungry myself at this point." Animal Spirit added after a moment, her eyes dropping closed and shoulders sinking slightly. "I need something to pick me up a little too. I'm tapped out on energy right now, and an empty stomach isn't helping..." The Ebony Hero mumbled wearily and he blinked, eyes widening slightly when he realized for the first time how absolutely exhausted she looked now.
There were some serious dark lines and circles under her eyes that hadn't been there this morning, and her entire mood seemed rather deflated now. Which the deflated mood only surprised him and kept his attention for a few seconds, before he latched on to the other thing he'd failed to notice till then; that her arms, hands, and shoulder seemed totally fine. He couldn't see any of the cuts or anything on her hands anymore, and even where her sleeves fell passed her wrists there was no more tearing or stitches either. And clearly she was moving her shoulder around and putting pressure on it just fine, but it was such a quick reversal of all the damage that it almost seemed like none of it had ever even been there at all.
He swallowed, his hands falling on his knees and perking slightly as he gave her a quick once-over and took it all in, eyes flashing and instantly a little more uneasy again.
"A-Are you okay..?" He mumbled quickly and before he had a mind to argue with himself on whether or not he should actually ask that. Animal Spirit paused at the question, her eyes cracking open again halfway in reaction to it, and expression as calm and unreadable as can be while he seemed to bristle a little more despite himself. "Y-You're shoulder, a-and everything else... are all fixed...?" He mumbled, and Spirit paused half a second more, before nodding once.
"Hmm, yeah I'm all healed up now, I'm fine." The Pro murmured, but he shook his head a little, eyes narrowing and still a little uneasy regardless of what assurance she tried to give just then.
"B-But how...? That was really freakin' fast, a-and you looked tired as shit now, like you're gonna fall asleep walking." He mumbled and Spirit fought the urge to grimace at the assertion, and comment on her appearance.
Because of course it's that bloody noticeable damn it... ugh
"You know who Recovery Girl is, yeah?" Spirit asked levelly and he blinked at the name, nodding stiffly once, "And do you know how her Quirk works?" Spirit asked next and he blinked again, understanding trickling it's way over his face as he nodded once more, and a lot slower than the first time.
"... yeah..." He mumbled softly and Spirit gave her own faint nod,
"That's why I look tired. I am tired, but I'm not gonna fall asleep walking, don't worry about that." She sighed, shaking her head slightly as she said it. "I'll be fine, and I'll sleep plenty when I get home. But for now food is the first thing on my mind." She mumbled, head tilting slightly as she held his gaze steady, and he still looked little convinced with her assurances, but she didn't linger.
"So, speaking of- are you hungry?" Spirit pressed again, red eyes glinting faintly under the shadow of her hood while he seemed to hesitate at the question, and she noticed it of course. So she offered up a small, weary smile that was meant to try and put him at ease, and it sort of did (and maybe more than she realized).
"Food will be on me if you do." She added softly and his hands fidgeted on his knees slightly, the younger breaking his eyes off the Pro and to the ground for a few heartbeats... before he nodded stiffly, and perhaps even a tad sheepishly.
"O-Okay..."
.:+:.
"Here you two are." The waiter hummed pleasantly as he set down two plates of food, one in front of Spirit, and the other in front of her younger companion across the table from where she sat. Animal Spirit shot the waiter a polite smile and a soft thanks as he did, while Dairu/Sushi-Dude/the kid kept his eyes locked on the table and only nodded a little in his own silent, rigid sort of thanks.
(He didn't wanna glance up and look directly at the waiter, lest that same (and very default) sour look on his face was there again, and made the poor guy skitter off in a fright)
The waiter headed off and left the two of them in peace, their table tucked away near the back of a quaint little cafe that wasn't nearly at all full. As Spirit had noted earlier it was a little too late for breakfast, and not quite lunch, so they'd showed up in a rather slow point between the two. Which was great, there was less people to worry about pegging the ever popular Animal Spirit out and about, and less people to potentially make Dairu/Sushi-Dude uncomfortable or anything like that.
Spirit cast said young man a glance from across the table once they were left alone though, waiting a moment on starting to eat her own food while he seemed to stare rather pensively at his for a little too long. Though whether that was because he wasn't hungry, or felt nauseous, or was just simply lost in thought- she wasn't quite sure.
He'd said nothing as they made their way here, and apart from mumbling his own order to the waiter to start the silence had continued on till now. Spirit didn't really mind he didn't want to talk really, he could keep quiet if that was easier... only she could feel the brooding getting a little heavier, and she was getting a little more convinced he actually wanted to say something, but just hadn't gotten to it yet.
Spirit's shoulders sank slightly, red eyes flashing.
Should I say something instead...? Maybe he needs prompting...?
Or that could just totally put him off... hell, I don't know with him.
Spirit sighed internally for the thought, her eyes dropping from him and to her plate stacked with a bowl of steaming rice, some seasonings and toppings spread out along the side, and an egg waiting to be cracked open. She shook her head at herself, deciding maybe she ought to just try and eat for now- so she busied herself with cracking the egg lightly against the edge of the bowl and then dropping it atop the pristine white rice bed. A few pinches of salt, seaweed, and some ginger later, she started in on stirring it all together until everything was all mixed in and a nice light yellow.
Her mixing caught Dairu/Sushi-Dude's attention not long into the entire thing, though Spirit never noticed his eyes had wandered up to her, and he certainly didn't say anything even still. His grey eyes just traced the circular motion of the chopsticks in her hands in sheer silence, his own hands in his lap and food in front of himself ignored for now... He actually had been trying not to look up at anybody for awhile now, and especially not Animal Spirit. But once his eyes were up, he didn't think he could bring them back down again, which meant he ended up staring rather moodily at her hand and it probably looked weird to anybody else who might be sparing them a glance in the cafe. But hell.
She just started eating- no pause, no care, no questions.
He grit his teeth slightly, grumbling a little to himself and silently so she wouldn't hear it. It was lucky enough already she hadn't noticed him staring yet.
Her stirring came to a pause when she had everything mixed enough, and she was a few heartbeats away from picking up a mouthful and setting in on eating it before he worked up the nerve to say what he meant to;
"... You're not going to ask?" He mumbled, and Animal Spirit's hand stalled just above her food, red eyes flashing as she seemed to pause just long enough to register the question, before shaking her head once and continuing on getting a bite picked up.
"No." She replied evenly and he stiffened,
"W-What do you mean no..?!" He asked without missing a beat, and Spirit paused a heartbeat more with her food balancing on her chopsticks, the Pro letting out a quiet sigh. "Y-You can't be there and see that and... and not ask!" He hissed lowly and Spirit looked up at that, her expression calm and entirely unreadable.
"If you want to talk about it, or explain things, or anything of the sort- that's fine. But I'm not going to pry, so I'm not gonna ask." She told him softly, "It's really not any of my business, and I'm not looking to prod at you for anything you wouldn't wanna bring up on your own." She explained levelly and he stalled at the reply, grey eyes widening slightly.
"B-But shouldn't you like have to ask or something...?" He mumbled breathlessly, "Like as part of your job or whatever...?" He asked and Spirit paused, holding his (slightly searching) eyes for only half a second more before her attention fell to her food again, her shoulders seeming to sink just a tad as she shook her head once.
"No, I don't have to ask." She murmured, "You clearly don't live with him, and I assume it's been awhile since you even ran into each other, since you didn't mention anything about it earlier. I also doubt you've told him where you live, or ever will, since I'm sure avoiding him is your intention... Not seeing him was why you didn't wanna go to the hospital in the first place, hmm?" She hummed, the assertions earning a slightly uneasy look from the younger, though she didn't pause or wait for an answer to the very rhetorical question. She just kept on,
"Well anyway, as long as you're alright living on your own, and you're not stuck with no way out of a bad situation, I don't need to ask anything further about it, and I don't need the details. And you needn't feel obligated or pressured into telling me anything just because of what happened either." Spirit murmured with a small shake of her head, and he swallowed, eyes growing a little wider despite himself and glittering.
Because she couldn't really mean that right? That she didn't need to know, and wouldn't try and get it from him?
Nobody would ever just-
"All that being said though, if you do want someone to talk to, or need help, or anything at all- I'm around, okay?" Animal Spirit told him softly, her crimson red eyes breaking back off her chopsticks and growing level with his grey gaze. Steady, unwavering, and so unbearably sincere.
"I realize we don't really know each other and all of this has been a bit odd, but even regardless of all that I'm not gonna ditch you after this and never look back." Spirit hummed, "I won't treat you like a kid or anything, and I'm not gonna invade either- but at the very least I am gonna check in on you from time to time, alright? And if you want nothing to do with me outside of those little bits of making sure you're okay, that's fine. It doesn't have to go any further than that." She promised quietly, and he went stiff as a board, eyes wider than ever now as his heart skipped a beat in shock, because w-wha...?!
Part of him had expected things would end the minute they parted ways, and he was not likely to ever see her again. Why would he ever think it'd last beyond this? Especially when it really should have ended last night, and it had only continued because he'd passed out and she'd felt the need to keep an eye on him? Hell, it should have ended already with seeing her healed up finally and then they went their own ways as they left the hospital behind.
This was not normal, this had been extended far beyond what it should have been, and she was still going to... To keep it going...?!
To check in on him and only that if that was all he was okay with..?! And more than that- she offered herself up to help him and listen if he wanted to talk, and whatever else! Her! Animal Spirit, the No. 19 Hero in the whole of Japan!
She's a renowned Pro, she's always working, always doing Hero stuff- she can't possibly even have time to check in or anything else, so what the hell...?! How can she promise that so nonchalantly...?!
It was crazy, it was weird, she shouldn't have committed herself to such a thing or even suggested she had the time to do so- but she did it anyway. And when she said it there was no shred of hesitation or thought to it. She was serious, and sincere and she meant it, regardless of her being busy, having too much to worry about on her own, or them really not knowing one another. It was like it just... It just came naturally to her to offer that, and set herself to it; to not ditching him
He would have probably stammered something out about all that- about her not having time, about being too quick to offer something like that to a stranger, and all else- but his throat had run dry and all he could do was stare with the thought of 'she won't ditch me' echoing now over and over in his mind.
She hardly knows me
She won't ditch me
She has so much more things to worry about than me, and she can't have time to deal with me either
But she won't ditch me
She won't bother me or ask for things I don't wanna give, which she totally should not be okay with okay letting go- but she is.
And she won't ditch me... And she's promising that she'll help me, and listen if I... I...
His eyes dropped from the Ebony Hero quickly, hands in his lap wringing together tightly and heart pounding in his ears.
... Nobody ever sees even a little bit of what's wrong with me, or my face, or how I act and... And decides they aren't just gonna immediately run off and never look back.
Nobody... So what the hell...?
How the hell did I end up meeting someone- even a Pro Hero- who just... Somehow, weirdly, crazily... Seems to just...?
He swallowed hard, breaking the thought off before it came to full fruition- because that's part of the how, right?
She is weird
She's really not much of a normal, bright, cheery and altogether shining sort that a Pro should be- she's way too normal for that. And even then she's really not even all that normal a person.
She's just... Different
But maybe different was okay. Maybe her specific flavor of different and weird was actually something he'd been missing up until this point, and one he never really knew existed somewhere out in the world.
He swallowed again at the thought, hands still wringing a touch nervously in his lap.
Maybe
But even still, this was weird and totally out of the blue, and totally foreign. He didn't get it all the way, he wasn't entirely sure if he was even okay with it, or comfortable, because he really felt insanely uneasy even thinking about it. Like sick to his stomach, about to step over the edge of a cliff and send himself falling down to someplace unknown... But even with the unease, and the not getting it, that fall awaiting him and everything else?
For some insane reason the thought of hitting the bottom of that cliff didn't strike him as an altogether bad thing.
He was nodding his head before he knew it- stiffly so and with his eyes still stuck down- but nodding nonetheless, and nearly without even meaning to. It was a sort of gut instinct and reaction, it just happened.
Animal Spirit's eyes flashed at the nod though, her expression softening from the slightly tense one it had adopted when he went quiet for a bit there and seemed to he brooding extra hard. He'd been brooding, quiet, and altogether seeming to be working himself up all over again with whatever was running through that head of his- which had her starting to get a little worried (yet again) that she might have overstepped, or misstepped. Naturally so, since this was a little out of the ordinary all around, and she really wasn't all that great with handling people and complicated situations.
Sure, she could fight and do Rescue stuff well enough and handle citizens and evacuation in crisis- but that was different than this. In the middle of some disaster or whatever she could flip a switch and stay on point and focused, and do what needed to be done how it needed to be done, even regardless of what awful might be raging in a moment. That's what being a Pro was all about. But this wasn't a disaster or some place where she had to act fast and efficiently, and simply deal with something in a capacity to minimize the damage done until better help could come along. She had no EMTs, or Police, or anybody else to back her up with this. It was just her, so all of the heavier bits and stuff fell on her to mull through and address instead. And again, she was not used to that or all that great with it.
But he nodded- agreed- even despite what amount of thinking and unease seemed to hound him for what she'd said. So maybe she'd done well enough even despite not being good at it?
Hopefully so anyway
Spirit let out a breath at the thought and tossed it off, a small and supposed to be reassuring smile pulling at her lips.
"Alright." She hummed softly in a simple reply, and only that. The younger stopped with the nodding once she said it, and Spirit didn't linger on the subject any further than that. Instead she tipped her head toward him with a small wave of her hand toward the plate that had gone untouched thus far, "Eat your food before it gets cold." She instructed lightly and he hesitated at the abrupt shift, before nodding once again and starting slowly in on doing what he was told.
"R-Right..."
It fell into silence between them for the time it took them both to get about nearly done with their respective meals, Spirit getting closer to actually finishing hers a bit more quickly than he did, but she didn't interrupt. She let him continue eating until he seemed to slow down and be just about done (and with near a sparkling clean and empty plate). Spirit set her chopsticks down lightly on the rim of her own empty bowl and paused, mulling for half a moment as he finished up, before letting out a quiet breath.
"If you don't mind my asking, what is your Quirk?" She spoke up after a moment and he paused, eyes moving up toward her quickly and blinking in surprise.
"My Quirk...?" He mumbled and she nodded once. He paused half a second mote, almost like he was trying to figure out why she asked or to what end- before giving up on the wondering why and letting out a small breath instead.
"Uh, i-it's called 'Lockjaw'. Uhm, I can bite down with lots of force and hold on for a really long time too, b-but it's only for biting down. Getting my mouth open after it is... It c-can be kinda hard." He explained quietly, hints of nervousness and even embarrassment making its way onto his face for a moment.
Spirit blinked, the explanation making complete sense in her mind and more or less confirming what she'd assumed about his odd tick with his jaw seeming to lock up on him being related to a Quirk. And it made sense too with how torn up that guy's arm last night had been after the kid had bitten him- but really the answer, and how it all made sense was not the most pressing thing on her mind right then.
His Quirk is Lockjaw... And his name is 'Kurokku Dairu'...?
A part of her felt sure she must have heard him wrong or something, or maybe she was making a connection she shouldn't. But another part of her totally thought the connection was there, and she felt the urge to smirk at it, though she stopped herself from doing so- lest it earn the wrong reaction.
Resisting the urge to smile did not make the small surge of amusement in her core go away though, but she had to move on. Again, she didn't wanna set him off or anything of the like.
Spirit nodded once and slowly, her eyes dropping from him a moment and letting out a small, faintly amused breath that was all the indication of such she allowed herself.
Heh... Well anyway, that's good to know about his Quirk.
But continuing on-
"-Alright, that makes sense. Thank you for clearing that up." The Pro Hero hummed calmly, and he paused a little at the thanks, before nodding stiffly and only once. Spirit let out a silent breath, her arms shifting to cross slightly about one another and she leaned against the tabletop with her elbows a bit, the woman's head tilting slightly. "I do have one other question, and it's a little weird, but I gotta ask it." She started next and slowly so. The younger stiffened a little, looking instantly more uneasy and nervous, as well as confused.
What does she mean by 'weird'?
"A-Ask what...?" He mumbled quickly,
"Do you want me to keep calling you 'Dairu'?" Spirit asked softly and he faltered, eyes going wife at the inquiry and quite lost for it too- because what the hell was that supposed to mean?!
That was his name, why wouldn't she call him that?! What the hell else would she even call him...?!
Those questions must have been clear enough on his face because even though he didn't say them out loud, Animal Spirit seemed very aware of them all the same. She shrugged her shoulders faintly, still calm as can be as she held the incredulous look he had set on her steadily.
"I know that's kinda an odd thing to ask but to be honest with you, I've kinda reverted back to referring to you as 'Sushi-Dude' in my head already." Animal Spirit explained quietly and his face fell a little for it.
S-Seriously...?!
"And I know you didn't really like that earlier, so I'll quit with it. But is Dairu what you would prefer? 'Cause I can call you something else instead." She went on calmly despite the way his face had fallen. He faltered at the question, the shock on his face turning into question and sheer confusion as his eyes narrowed to slits.
"H-Heh...? W-What the hell else would I want to be called?" He mumbled quickly, and Animal Spirit blinked.
"I dunno, is there any sort of name you've preferred to be called instead, or someone called you? Like a nickname or something from someone you know?" She murmured and he stalled, his eyes dropping from her quickly onto the table and grimacing faintly.
"... No, nobody's ever... I've always just been called Dairu..." He mumbled lowly, and Spirit paused at it, crimson eyes glittering faintly as she watched him shift a little uncomfortably in his seat. He seemed to fall back on a bit of brooding again and she bit the inside of her cheek, hesitant for a second or two before shaking herself out a little imperceptibly.
"Well then if you don't have a nickname or anything already, would it be alright if I called you Kuro instead?" Spirit asked lightly and he nearly jumped out of his skin, eyes snapping off the table in an instant and all sorts of flustered, nervous and confused bumping up on overdrive in no time at all.
"W-Wha?! 'Kuro'?!" He stammered, Spirit nodded once.
"Yep." She hummed, head tilting slightly and still as calm as can be. "Would that bother you?" She murmured and he stalled, blinking rapidly a few times and the question bringing a rather abrupt pause to the sudden flustered fidgeting that had started.
Would... Would it bother him...?
His eyes dropped quickly again, hands wringing together in his lap and eyes flashing.
Yeah, it kinda did bother him, but not in a regular bother sort of way, and not really in a bad way either. Just in a sort of 'I don't know what to do with this' sort of way, because he'd never actually been faced with the situation where he'd have to decide on a name bothering him or not. There'd never been a reason to even consider it.
It was another weird thing, another foreign and totally new thing- another new thing that didn't register as bad, and still he had no clue what to do with it. So again his head ended up moving before he had a thought to stop it, or even a want to do it, and he shook his head once.
"N-No I don't think it'd... bother me..." He mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper that time, ".. i-it's better than kid or Sushi-Dude anyway..." He added a touch hotly, and Animal Spirit nodded once, a small smile pulling at the edges of her lips.
"Alright, Kuro it is." She hummed lightly, and he swallowed at the sound of it on air again and what some other new thing stirred in him at hearing it again. Some sensation in his core that was strangely (and weirdly)... warm?
He shook the sensation off quickly, biting down hard on the insides of his cheeks to replace the sensation with pain- he had no want to linger on that weird warm and sort of liking it feeling at the sound of the nickname.
Q-Quit that...!
He shook his head stiffly at himself, still chewing on his cheeks as he busied himself with stacking his chopsticks on his plate, before fuddling with that and his drink. Spirit watched him do it in silence, smiling a little more to herself while he shuffled the plate and his empty drinking glass toward the edge of the table nervously, fidgeting for a moment with making everything line up as straight as it could- probably just trying to keep his mind and attention off her and the situation for a little.
Heh
The waitress came back and picked up the plates and the check, Spirit paying for the meal with a polite smile to the server while Kuro (now formerly Sushi-Dude) stayed quiet all the way through that, and through them heading back out and onto the street. Once they'd made it outside he did mumble and quick and hushed 'thank you' that rather sounded like it was for more than just the meal- Spirit nodded again, smiling faintly still and all too easily replied;
"Of course."
He averted his eyes again at the response and she left it be, heading up the street with the taller sticking as close to her shoulder as he'd dare, and seldom letting his eyes dart back up.
Well, until he realized what direction they were headed in- both of them.
"W-Wait..." He mumbled quickly, staggering to a stop at a street corner and causing the Ebony Hero ahead of him to pause at the edge of the street and crosswalk she'd been about to lead them across.
"Hmm?"
"A-Are you, w-we... we're headed in the direction of my place, yeah...?" He mumbled quickly, the Ebony Hero blinked once, red eyes glinting in the shadow of her hood (which she'd pulled back up after leaving the cafe).
"Yeah." She murmured. He bristled a little at the reply, shaking his head quickly.
"B-But I don't need to be walked home or anything, I can go by myself...! I ain't a kid!" He told her, "P-Plus shouldn't you go home as soon as you can? You're tired as hell." He mumbled. Animal Spirit blinked again, slowly so as her shoulders seemed to sink a tad, and she let out a sigh.
"I'm not walking you home like a kid or anything like that." Spirit mumbled, "I'm coming with you because I left my bag at your place, and I need it back." She explained evenly, he stiffened at the info, grey eyes widening.
"Your... Bag...?" He mumbled and she nodded again,
"Yeah, you rushed us out so fast this morning I forgot to grab it." She mumbled, "Which was fine, since I had my wallet in my jacket anyway, but I do need it back. It's got some of my uniform in it, and the keys to my flat." She told him quietly and he faltered a second or two more for the explanation and the three whole seconds it took for it to really sink in- and when it did he got caught on that last bit.
Her 'flat'? What the hell is that?
His eyes narrowed slightly, head tilting a little as the word echoed a few more times on his mind and the context slowly pieced itself together... was she talking about the keys to where she lived...?
Why the hell did she call it that, and not... I dunno, her house? Her apartment?
He didn't know, and he had little time to wonder about it before Animal Spirit tilted her head toward the crosswalk, gesturing him forward again.
"I won't stay and bug you once we're there, I promise. So come on." She hummed, and he hesitated for a single millisecond, before nodding stiffly. His feet brought him forward after her without actively thinking about it, and they crossed the street briskly to the other side, continuing on in quiet.
Once they got back to his 'house', Spirit followed his lead through the chain link fence surrounding and halted at the door, electing to stay outside and let him go get her bag for her so she wouldn't invite herself in (and intrude) a second time. He quickly disappeared through the doorway and tracked it down, appearing back in the entrance a minute or two later to hand off her bag, his eyes stuck down and not on her as he did it- not that Spirit minded. She took the bag gratefully and slung it over one shoulder, a small sigh escaping her as she did and voiced a little 'thank you' for the younger. He just nodded stiffly to it, fidgeting a little on his feet and hands stuffing themselves in his coat pockets as there came a tiny, almost imperceptible pause between them at the door- but a sort of heavy pause all the same. And they both felt it, and both a little in a sense of not really knowing what to do next, or to expect... hell.
Spirit forced herself a quiet breath, red eyes glinting in the mid-morning light as she settled Kuro with an even stare.
I really am not super great at this, but-
"I'll check in on you tomorrow, alright?" Spirit murmured, breaking that uneasy pause and causing Kuro to jump slightly, his eyes breaking off his feet and up toward her in no time at all. "Just to make sure you're good. If you aren't sore already, you will be tomorrow." She hummed, and he bit the inside of his cheek at the assertion, but nodded stiffly anyway.
"...fine..." He mumbled, and Spirit paused half a second at the agreement, before nodding slowly herself.
"Take it easy the rest of the day, yeah?" She said next and he stiffened against it, hints of that same sour look of his making a quick reappearance on his face as he shot her a sort of heated, still sort of nervous glare.
"Y-You should be telling yourself that...!" He retorted quickly, and Spirit's face fell ever so faintly for it, the Ebony letting out a heavy and almost exasperated sigh.
"... Yeah, yeah... I will..." She grumbled with a small and almost dismissive wave of her hand toward him as she stepped back and turned on her heel. She cast another (less dismissive) wave over her shoulder as she did, red eyes glinting in the shadow of her hood as she headed off, and cast a small, nearly imperceptible smile husband way.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Kuro."
He nodded slightly, though he didn't mean to, and he definitely ended up stuck standing there in his door for way too long without meaning to, too. It was only when he lost sight of the Ebony Hero around the bend of the building and fenceline did he realize he was still standing there like an idiot and he jumped, scrambling quickly back inside and shutting the door behind him. He grimaced, forehead falling against the now closed door in front of him and gritting his teeth.
Tch, you stood there like an idiot staring, seriously...?
He let out a heavy sigh, grey eyes glittering as he slowly pushed himself back from leaning into the door, biting on the insides of his cheeks as he did so.
... I'm a dumbass, but...
He glanced behind him slowly across the space, back passed the couch and the divider wall where his bed sat next to the dropped water bottle and puddle it lay in even still. He turned, swallowing a little before picking his way across the threshold toward it, and dropping down into crouching on the balls of his feet near the puddle- though he didn't start in immediately on trying to clean it up. He did pick up the bottle and set it upright again, but he got sidetracked by the folded piece of paper on his bed that had previously been settled atop his jacket, and instructed him to 'drink plenty of water and take the pills'.
He picked the folded paper up slowly, chewing pensively on the inside of his cheeks as he traced the characters of the instructions over again more than once. He did it two, three, five, and even seven times, each time still trying to convince himself that yeah- Animal Spirit, the No. 19 Pro in Japan was here, at his place, had wrote that, had kept an eye on him, tracked him down, gone out to eat with him, promised to not ditch him... That yeah, she'd done all of that, plus she got in between him and that asshole like it was nothing- and didn't ask.
His fingers pinched the edges of the note tighter for the thought, eyes scrunching closed tight as he stiffened, his head bowing so his forehead bumped against that note slowly getting all the more crumpled in his grip.
It was all crazy, all out of nowhere, and basically impossible to even fathom. So really?
Did... Did all of that really happen...? Seriously...?
It totally did, he knew that, but it still didn't seem possible... Though he supposed it did feel possible, and real, and whatever else.
He let out a slightly nervous and disgruntled growl, forcing his head back a bit again and stalling the crumpling of the edges of the note before it got too wrinkled. He let out a heavy sigh, chewing on the insides of his cheeks as he tried straightening the edges out first, and then more nervously started to fold the paper the other way around or whatever- but that plan of action stalled when his attention got caught by even more characters written on the inside of it he'd been previously unaware of.
His flipping the fold over had the writing upside down for him, so he reflexively tilted his head rather far to the side to read it better (ya know, instead of doing the rational thing and turning the note itself the right way). The writing was as short and simple as the instructions on the previous side, but this time a mix of characters first and then numbers too- and the instant he read the first word he felt his heart skip a beat, his nerves going from 0 to 100 in no time at all.
'Call or text me if you need to'
"N-NO FUCKING WAY SHE GAVE ME HER NUMBER?!"
.:+:.
THWUMP
Spirit let out a long and heavy sigh as her body fell into the embrace of her bed with a muffled wash of air, the breath that escaped her in the midst of it even more muddled by the faceplant into the sheets she just did. She didn't even bother getting changed out of the clothes she'd by now been wearing for two days straight, it was miracle enough she paused to take her shoes off before collapsing on the bed top.
... Fucking hell... I am so tired...
Spirit grimaced at the thought, shifting a little and only enough to tilt her head so she could glance toward her phone that she'd tossed down beside her before falling face first. She tapped the screen wearily, the light from it in the otherwise dim room making her eyes water more than they already were from just sheer exhaustion.
12:17pm
She flipped the phone over to kill the light and buried her face in the comforter again.
Alright, that'll give me plenty of time to sleep and whatever else, and still make it to the club for my usual shift...
She sighed, rolling over slowly and pulling a pillow closer to hug it wearily to her chest.
... Recovery Girl said no Hero work... But work as Kage doesn't count...... Ugh... But I will have to deal with the girls all asking about what 'family emergency' I had to be out for... Huh...?
Spirit nuzzled her face into the pillow with a small grumble, one hand pulling at the comforter and jerking the corner of it halfway over herself and her head. Not fully under it, but enough- again, she was way too tired to care.
Well... Whatever... I'll deal with... All of that... la...ter...
Her mind and attention dropped quickly down into oblivion, great waves of pitch black lurking at the back surging forward to sweep her up in their hold, dragging her down into their depths way too quickly to even be unnerved by their ferocity. And she definitely didn't hear the clatter of her cell phone against the hardwood floor when her jerking of the comforter sent the device sliding quickly over the edge and into the clutch of gravity.
Then once a few minutes went by and she sank down into the very depths, the buzzing of the phone against the floor and flare of light from the screen coming to life went completely unnoticed. All the more so since the phone itself had tumbled underneath the bed itself, and the screen and what it said was never seen;
Incoming Call From: Restricted
The phone fell quiet again as the call went unanswered... and what notification was meant to alert to a missed call appeared on the screen for but a moment, before disappearing entirely, no trace.
.:+:.
"K-Kage...?!"
Sasaki nearly squeaked as the (pseudo) name made it passed her lips in surprise, the girl jumping faintly as she made it down the last step of her apartment building and found the Ebony Hero waiting at the bottom. The early morning air was chilly, the sky dark grey and the sun still a few hours from rising- it was near to their normal 5am shift now, and it was to that shift Sasaki was heading, though clearly she hadn't expected to see Spirit waiting to walk her there this morning.
Naturally not, it had only been 4 days since the whole incident and having to take off work- even if it had already been a few days, it still seemed rather short.
Sasaki faltered on the last step in her surprise, before quickly recovering from it and nearly rushing up toward Spirit instead, wide-eyed and scanning the older girl in rapidity. Spirit (or rather Kage) looked the same as she always did, hair pinned up in a bun, 'blue' eyes, slacks with a white blouse, vest, and tie- she looked not at all worse for wear as she stood calmly on the sidewalk, hands in her pants pockets. There were no obvious signs of injury that Sasaki would have anticipated- and though granted she likely would not have been able to see them with Spirit's sleeves rolled down as they were- she still expected something.
Like a little tilt in her shoulders, favoring one arm over the other, some scrapes here or there nor covered by clothing- but no, she didn't see any of that. All that was really noticeable was that maybe Spirit looked a little tired, but it was fairly early in the morning, so that was reasonable.
Sasaki staggered to an uncertain halt in front of Spirit, her searching eyes stalling and growing level with Spirit's gaze, her hands wringing together in front of her uncertainly.
"I w-wasn't expecting to see you!" Sasaki murmured quickly, Spirit nodded slightly.
"Yeah sorry, I was gonna text you and let you know I was coming, but I woke up late." Spirit murmured softly, a small sigh escaping her as one hand lift out of her pants pocket and rubbed the back of her neck a touch nervously. "... And my phone is dead too, I had to leave it behind to charge." Spirit added quietly, Sasaki blinked in surprise.
"O-Oh, I see, but... Uh..." Sasaki mumbled, ".. Are you okay? It's only been a few days since you got hurt." She asked quietly, and Spirit nodded once, smiling a tad reassuringly.
"Yep, I'm all good." She hummed, "I ran into Recovery Girl yesterday and she healed me up. So don't worry about it." She murmured and Sasaki paused at the explanation, before smiling a little in relief and nodding.
"Ah, that's great." Sasaki hummed, eyes gleaming faintly. Spirit took a step back, her head tilting up the sidewalk.
"So, shall we?"
"Y-Yes!" Sasaki replied, quickly following Spirit's lead as they headed away and following along in tandem with the Pro on her right. "Ah, and thank you for coming to walk with me." Sasaki added, Spirit nodded once.
"Of course. I figured we could catch up on what happened the last few days while I was out while we head over." Spirit told her, and Sasaki blinked.
"Oh, well nothing all that exciting has really gone on." The younger mumbled, her attention turning from Spirit and back ahead. "We haven't been that busy this week, the most noteworthy thing that even happened was you having to take time off all of a sudden-" Sasaki mused, before catching herself and looking instantly a little nervous. "-Uhm... Everybody at the club has been really interested about what happened to you, by the way." The girl told Spirit slowly, the Ebony Hero not glancing her way for the comment, but nodding stiffly in an assertion that she heard it.
"I figured." Spirit sighed,
Everybody there has always been way into everybody else's business... Oi.
"Well anyway, work hasn't been too hard then?" Spirit asked, skipping straight over the subject.
"No, it's been fine."
"That's good. I hope Jeriko hasn't been complaining too much."
"Well he complains a lot, but I don't really think he's mad or anything... Well, I don't think so... Its just..."
"... Kinda hard to tell with him sometimes?"
"... Exactly..." Sasaki mumbled shyly and Spirit let out a heavy sigh for it,
"Yeah, he's a weird dude." Spirit mumbled, her eyes dropping closed for the thought. "Granted never sleeping is bound to make you a little weird I think. But Jeriko is something else..." She sighed, trailing off as her head tilted up toward the dismal grey sky, blinking once.
... Though speaking of weird dudes, I'm gonna have to go check in Kuro later, hmm...? Hopefully he hasn't gotten into anymore fights, intentionally, trying to help someone else, or otherwise.
Spirit hummed internally for the thought, her eyes shifting slowly sideways toward Sasaki at her shoulder, red eyes glinting in the dim morning light.
Speaking of again, that's two people I've unintentionally become rather glued to because of them getting caught in some kind of fight, huh? Some kind of fight that subsequently ended up with me being at their place afterward, and in their business, and life more than I really planned to be in the start.
Spirit bit the inside of her cheek a little, a small, silent breath escaping her for the thought. She glanced away from Sasaki and back ahead a moment, her shoulders sinking faintly and smiling wearily to herself for a moment.
Somehow I have managed to pick up two strays, huh...?
She shook her head at herself, taking in a big breath of air as both she and Sasaki drew up a bit at a crosswalk all by themselves. Spirit glanced down toward the younger again, 'blue' eyes narrowing slightly in thought as they waited on an eventual green light.
On the topic of fights though-
"Sasaki." Spirit's sudden voicing of the girl's name made her jump a bit, Sasaki's purple eyes snapping up to meet the Pro's and instantly at attention.
"Hmm?"
"Would you be interested in learning how to fight at all?" Spirit asked evenly and straight to the point, though the question itself caught Sasaki even more off guard than being addressed at all- as well as had her looking both unsure and uneasy.
"F-Fight...?" The girl echoed, and Spirit nodded.
"Yeah, like self defense." The Pro elaborated slightly, "You'd probably do well to learn how to defend yourself at least a little, and especially so living in this district. I wouldn't mind working with you on it and teaching you a few things if you'd be up for it." Spirit murmured, and Sasaki's eyes went wide.
"W-Wait, really...?!" The girl breathed, suddenly perking up quite a bit as she leaned in toward Spirit in nervous excitement- and an excitement Spirit hadn't quite been anticipating (not that she was complaining though).
She was excited to learn how to make drinks and stuff though, so I guess I can't be super shocked learning something else- even if it is fighting- would appeal to her.
Spirit smiled faintly though, the now green light of the crosswalk going entirely unheeded as Sasaki continued to perk up even more, and get a little more excited at the idea.
"O-Oh, I mean yes! Yes, I'd definitely be up for that!" The girl told her, "I can't say I'll be any good at it, I'm not great with physical stuff usually, b-but I'll definitely do my best! It'd be such an honor to learn from you!" She nearly beamed and Spirit nodded a little,
"Great." The Pro hummed, "Give me a few days to settle everything again all the way and we'll set up some time to start, alright?"
"Alright!" Sasaki chirped, though Spirit paused a moment.
"... Mmm, I might bring somebody else along for some training too, if that's alright?" Spirit added and Sasaki faltered a little in surprise, her head tilting in wonder for the 'who', though she didn't question it. She simply kept smiling and nodded once,
"That's totally okay with me!" She replied all too easily and Spirit smiled softly at it, eyes glinting.
Self Defense training it is
Spirit let out a silent breath, her attention leaving Sasaki for but a moment as she cast a small glance from the smiling girl in front of her and toward the edge of Shinbuku.
Now, would it be too much to hope that Kuro will like the idea as much as Sasaki does?
Her smile turned to something a little more weary as the question ran through her mind, and she actively had to fight the urge to sigh out loud.
... Probably...
.:+:.
"Well, here we are."
"Yes, thank you for walking with me."
"You don't need to keep thanking me for that, Sasaki."
"O-oh, right, ah... but I do appreciate it, really."
"Hmm, well you're welcome. I'm gonna head out now, so take it easy the rest of the day, kay?"
"I will."
"And I'll let you know about self defense training in a day or so, Sasaki."
"A-Alright! But no rush!"
.:+:.
No rush... she might have a point about that.
Spirit sighed, her fingers working to undo the last of the buttons on her shirt before shrugging it off her shoulders and hanging it on the edge of her dresser. She backtracked to her bed and paused beside it, picking up one of the two backless red shirts that tied around your neck resting atop it. One was hers, but the other was Hawks'- and she made sure to give them both a good lookover and a good sniff to make sure she actually put hers on, and not his accidentally.
(Can't risk losing a shirt if she had to use her Quirk for some reason while she was out)
She picked up hers (the one that most definitely did not smell like sunshine spot-showers), slipping into the clothing with ease before sitting down to pull on her boots. She was back home now, after her shift had ended and she'd walked Sasaki home to boot- she had to get changed out of the attire of 'Kage', and more specifically take out the color contacts, before she could make good on her word and go check in on Kuro.
I do think it'd do him good how to learn to fight properly, though.
I mean he did seem to do some damage on those guys the other night, but he got his ass handed to him regardless.
Besides, even with me telling him not to go getting into anymore fights he's more than likely going to anyway. Might as well learn how to do it right- plus it'll be better if he ever gets caught in a situation against a real Villain too.
... Though hopefully that never actually happens.
She finished with the straps on her boots and paused long enough to tug at the ones around her neck, just to make sure they were snug and not apt to come loose later on. She paused once she was sure, her head tilting back to glance up toward the roof with a small sigh.
But all that said, not rushing is probably a good bet. I only just met him, he's definitely nervous as hell, and especially around me, so it might be better to give him a few days to get used to the idea of me even being around before I mention trying to learn to fight or anything. Especially if it'll be a joint thing with Sasaki, I have no idea how he'll feel being around her and me both.
Her eyes dropped back down, shaking her head faintly with a small shrug to no one in particular.
Well, first things first- check in, and then go from there.
She stood up and turned, folding Hawks' shirt neatly before returning to gathering up the rest of her things. Namely, making sure her bag had what she needed in it- wallet, keys, etc- before turning to getting a jacket out of her dresser and slipping her arms through the sleeves while she walked around her bed toward the nightstand where her phone was sitting still attached to the charger.
She shook the phone loose from the chord, the screen coming to life as the power disconnected. Spirit paused for a moment to scroll through the notifications awaiting her on the lock screen- all of it nonsense and unimportant, and few from all those she'd cleared on first coming in and checking to make sure nobody had tried to get in contact with her while she'd not had her phone on her... which had been a no, and was still a no as she got ready to go.
Spirit nodded once to herself (and mostly reflexively), locking the screen with a quick tap of the button and pulling her bag up so she could drop the device in-
BZZZZTTTT
Her hand stalled, fingers about to open up and let it fall suddenly tightening again as it buzzed in her hold and the screen sparked to life once more.
Hmm?
The hand with her bag in it fell as she honed in on the phone again, her head tilting slightly as she pulled the new notification down with a swipe of her thumb to expand it.
New Message From: Feathers
Heyyyyyyyy, so did you give any thought to what I said about tonight?
Spirit's eyes narrowed slightly for the question, both confused and lost all at once for... Well, the question.
Said about what?
She hadn't a clue, she didn't remember him asking anything at all about tonight or whatever that might enta- wait.
He texted me yesterday morning, didn't he? I saw it right before going to the hospital with Kuro... Ah, shit I never actually opened that text up and read it did I?
With a heavy sigh Spirit tapped the text and unlocked the phone, bringing the whole message app up now and moving her attention to the block of text previous the one that just came in.
Feathers
...(Yesterday)...
Hellooo Sunshine~!
I am headed out of the country soon! My offer for you to tag along still stands if you wanna jump in last minute!
But whether you stay or come, do you wanna get together for some food and maybe a few drinks as a send me off tomorrow night?
I know you don't drink, but you like food yeah~? It'll be my treat!
...(1 min ago)...
Heyyyyyyyy, so did you give any thought to what I said about tonight?
Spirit bit the insides of her cheeks as the (rather short) reading came to a close, a small sigh escaping her while her eyes flashed in the dim of the room.
I almost managed to forget Feathers is gonna be leaving. And he wants a 'send off'? It's not like he's never coming back.
Spirit sat down on the edge of her bed with another (heavier) sigh, shaking her head slightly as her thumb hovered above the input bar a moment.
But away from it being sort of weird and unnecessary- he wants to go out, and hang out... But do I?
Technically I could go back to Patrol and Hero Work tonight, since I am all healed up and slept- but I'm not sure Recovery Girl would be super pleased if she saw me out and about in the news tonight, and knew I only took one day off.
Her eyes shift away from the screen and toward Hawks' shirt folded beside her, mulling for a few seconds and chewing on the insides of her cheeks as she did. She stared (and chewed) pensively for a few seconds, red eyes glittering as she found herself doing it again... Hesitating.
Spirit looked away from the shirt with a huff, a low growl in the back of her throat as her head fell back with a sigh of exasperation.
"Ugh... God damn me."
.:+:.
DING
Hawks perked at the soft chime that sounded from his coat pocket, golden-yellow eyes leaving scanning the street below as it reached his ears. His hand came off his hip and immediately moved to dig his phone out of his coat pocket, shifting a bit as he turned to walk a few paces along the ledge he was perched on, thumb tapping the screen and bringing it to life.
New Message From: Sunshine
Hawks' lips pulled into a smile near immediately at the letters written on the screen face, the Winged Hero's steps across the ledge earning a subtle sort of spring to them suddenly. And when he opened the phone and pulled the reply up, the smile gracing his lips got a little wider, and the sudden skip in his walking a bit less subtle.
Sunshine
Heyyyyyyyy, so did you give any thought to what I said about tonight?
...
Fine
I'll humor you, at least a little
Pick a place. I'll meet you at your Agency Building at 6. We can go from there
Hawks smirked, chuckling a bit to himself as his thumbs tapped quickly against the screen and his golden eyes gleamed, vermilion feathers ripping behind him as he kept up that slightly bouncy walk along the ledge with not a care in the world as to the height, or any worry over where he was placing his feet either.
Sunshine
Fine
I'll humor you, at least a little
Pick a place. I'll meet you at your Agency Building at 6. We can go from there
...
Great~! I'll be sure to pick somewhere with some good food for ya since you don't drink- but still someplace with good drinks if you do change your mind!
See you tonight Sunshine, looking forward to it~!
The message sent off with a tiny woosh, Hawks smirking still as he watched the bubble of text appear and the confirmation of being received pop up underneath. The Winged Hero's steps across the ledge came to a stop once he became only faintly aware of the cement coming to a halt under his toes- though he surely didn't look away from the phone even when he nearly stepped into midair.
No, he kept his eyes on the screen as he watched the confirmation of being received turn to one of being read... And then the subsequent (and very short) posting of three dots indicating the Ebony Hero on the other end was typing.
The dots blipped out of existence and another text bubble popped into view under the one he'd just sent, the Winged Hero's eyes flashing as he read it quickly, while still smiling to himself all the while.
See you tonight Feathers
ooooooh wow it's been awhile hasn't it? ;w;
I am super sorry you all had to wait this long, having a fulltime job certainly makes it harder to write consistnetly, I am so sorry QwQ
But I am still writing, please do not worry! And I do hope you enjoyed this chapter, even if there was very little Hawks in it XD
And I do hope you look forward to the next installment, and some more chapter in my other fics on my main account too if you read those!
Thank you for your abundance of patience, and please enjoy!
Also, please follow, fav and Review if you've got a moment! Tysm!
