Hey guys look a shower scene.
The best way out…
Maybe it was a bad idea. Leading the way, that is.
The longer the night dragged on, the more Lia's irritation increased. Between them was a collapsed, tired silence, and twenty minutes in, Ivan risked a glance. She hadn't slept on the train, had she? Her shoulders were slumped and her steps sounded as heavy as they looked. His eyes trailed over her nose, and then to the light frown that twisted her lips, before he turned away. How did the rice ball taste? Was it bad? He did his best. Or maybe he should've put soy-sauce on it? His teeth scraped over his bottom lip but he continued his steps in a light, repetitive rhythm. Was it… out of character? To have made them? What if she thought it was weird of him? Maybe… he shouldn't have made them. Were they so bad she couldn't even talk about them?
Ivan's fingers gripped the straps of his bag tighter - anxiously.
He was overreacting wasn't he? He had a tendency to overthink. The blond stared blankly ahead and reminded himself to stay on the task at hand. Overthinking would just result in unnecessary feelings.
Ivan inhaled a deep breath before letting it out slowly and raising his head so that he could clearly welcome the night sky in his view.
A few dark clouds gently drifted across the black veil of night. Clouds were nice. But they looked lonely.
And loneliness was never a good thing, after all.
The moon was hidden and the stars weren't many, but on the horizon and to his sides were clusters of lights spangled across buildings.
Bustling people were mingling about, with skyscrapers that accommodated restaurants, cafes, shopping centres and the like. Was there always supposed to be a lot of people awake in the city at night or was there something on? It must've been at least 10:00PM at night, but what was the exact time? Principal Massini had said to him that it'd take only a few hours or so to get to the apartment, including the time they were on the train.
He wasn't sure if Lia had a device that could tell it, but if he asked, would she get angry?
"…hey, idiot."
Ah- there it was. That 'nickname'.
"Yes?"
"…are we nearly there yet?" It was a quiet question, in a soft voice that sounded odd coming from Lia.
There was a short falter in his steps, and curiously, he turned his head towards her.
Grey, wrinkled jacket, hands stuffed into pockets, jeans that piled up at the end near tired-looking sneakers…
…she looked like a kid. A small smile crossed his lips and lit up his eyes.
But then Lia looked up and he could imagine her eyes narrowing because of his lack of response.
He produced the map from his bag. He had a feeling he was going the right way but if he wasn't… the teenager swallowed the sudden lump that rose in is throat. He didn't want to think about how tired-Lia would react if he was leading them away from the apartment than to the apartment.
Unravelling the map in his hands, he attempted to pinpoint their location.
The soft footsteps sounding behind him stopped.
Minutes dragged on.
If anything showed on his face, he didn't know – but it seemed as if Lia understood.
"This…" A heavy sigh, "Is why we can't have nice things."
The apartment wasn't that much of an apartment; that was for sure.
It was in the shape of a house. Not a large house, but a medium one, nonetheless. Is that what the principal meant by 'apartment'? There were similar houses beside it, most likely the other 'apartments'. Wasn't there another word for these types of buildings? 'Lots'?
And yet, what struck Ivan the most was the car that was parked directly in front of it. From what he knew, Lia didn't drive. He didn't either, and he was sure, that if there were separate rooms inside of the 'apartment' with other people living in it, Principal Massini would've told him.
His eyes flicked back to Lia's face. Suddenly, it didn't seem so haggard. A small grimace pulled at her mouth and behind a few strands of hair, her eyebrows were pinched together.
Then, people emerged from the car.
"I'm too tired for this…"
After that statement, Lia went so quiet, the teen beside her didn't know if she was still breathing.
He set his gaze on the elderly couple walking towards them.
There was a man, whose hair was as straight and as dark as Lia's, but at least three or four inches taller than Ivan. The woman that accompanied him was short. Shorter than Lia, but with almond shaped eyes that reminded Ivan of the first time they met.
"Lia."
The sound made his eyes flicker towards the aforementioned Asian, but quickly, he refocused on the person speaking.
"Yes?" Was the instant reply. Clipped and with a disrespectful undertone. It wasn't one you'd expect for what seemed to be a reunion for the three people. It was clear though, to see that the reply wasn't what the pudgy woman expected. Her eyes narrowed and a frown curled upon her lips.
It was a face much like the one Lia was putting on.
"The principal told us that you're a Hero now," she said finally, after a short exchange of looks. Just like that, the woman tried again and smiled. Her mouth curved upwards and Ivan noticed the dimples placed on the side of her cheeks. The smile seemed kind enough, and warm, but the words felt awkward and slightly forced.
And it seemed as if she were afraid.
"Isn't that great? We-"
"Whatever."
Lia shifted on her feet and pursed her lips. She… didn't want to deal with them, right now.
Immediately, the smile was wiped off the woman's face. Something twinged in her expression and Ivan's eyes softened. If he were a parent… that would hurt.
Lia was acting a bit unfair, wasn't she?
But… he had learned that everyone had reasons to act the way they were. He wouldn't interfere because it wasn't his right to.
These were her parents; it was obvious even to someone like himself.
The mother's eyes – brown – flicked to the blond and then back to her daughter, as if it were both a warning and a question at the same time saying, 'Do you really want to act that way in front of your friend?'
As if the message were easily relayed, a sneer welcomed itself onto Lia's face and she remarked in a sharp voice, "Ivan, let's go."
Eyes widening, Ivan stumbled a bit as Lia pulled him roughly by his arm – but before they could get any closer to their 'apartment', Lia's father put his hand out in front of them and in his hand was a plastic bag.
It was bulging with what seemed like fruit… vegetables… and meat? Maybe there was more, but the rest wasn't visible. It was groceries.
Lia stopped and Ivan nearly collided with her back.
The Asian eyed the bag for a few moments and in those moments Ivan wondered if she were arguing with her pride - before slowly taking it from her dad's hand.
"Thanks," she finally muttered.
The hand she had taken the groceries from raised and sifted over the top of her head and if Ivan had seen her face without the blindfold, he would've known that her eyes relaxed, and how something akin to acquiescence entered them.
The hand gripping his arm loosened and Lia retracted her arm to let it fall at her side.
And she walked away, leaving him with the two parents. A frosty atmosphere that wasn't due to the temperature seemed to rest in the air.
Hesitantly, Ivan spared the adults a glance, and awkwardly shuffled past them to step catch up to his friend.
The apartment neared, and when they reached the door, Lia outstretched her hand. Quietly, she stated, "Keys."
"A-ah…" The eighteen-year-old fumbled through the pockets of his green pants and, inwardly relieved that they hadn't fallen out of his pocket, handed the silver piece of metal to her.
When his hands touched hers, his fingers swept across a surprisingly cold surface and he pulled it back quickly to shove it into the warmth of his pockets. Lia scoffed lightly, though didn't seem particularly offended or shocked as to why.
It was a wonder if her fingers weren't numb with how freezing they felt.
The door opened silently and smoothly.
Ivan waited for Lia to go in first, and when she did, he turned his head around to see if the girl's parents were still there.
They were.
And they were arguing, it seemed.
They were an odd pair, sure, but Ivan wouldn't have guessed they were fighting, seeing as the father had a calm, maybe even soothing disposition…
And now...
Lia yanked him backwards and into the building (with him tumbling lightly into a couch near the hallway that led to the door). The door slammed shut and Lia settled beside his lightly dishevelled form with a minute huff.
Their ears got used to the silence in the house and there was nothing but the blurry noises of Lia's parents, outside.
When Ivan turned to look at Lia, she had a downcast expression. A few beats later she returned his gaze and sighed.
"…see? This is what I've had to deal with all my life."
But then again, it wasn't as if many people had any different. That thought ran through both of their minds at the same time.
She ran a hand through her hair, messing up the already slightly messy hair and making strands spread out across her forehead.
"But-"
He caught himself from saying anything that would potentially harm Lia or himself any further.
"If you want to say something, say it," she grunted, folding her arms and sending him a pointed look.
He hesitated.
"…is that all… you want to say to them?"
Her head rose to face in his direction, and he felt his shoulders tense a bit because of the feeling he got that her cloth-covered gaze.
The right corner of her lip tipped upwards – and the slight dimple on her cheek became known (funny how he never noticed it before) – and she said, looking through the window behind her that he just noticed was there, "There's… not much I really want to say, y'know?"
After a few moments of silence, she smiled.
Ivan couldn't help but to fidget for what seemed to be the umpteenth time of that day. Why was she smiling? Why would someone smile at a time like this? Wasn't she sad? Yeah, of course she was… and if that were the case, what could he do? What should he do? No… what would Edward do? Surely, Edward had more experience with the ladies than him, and comforting people in general. Edward was better than him–
"Stop looking so sad, you idiot."
Ivan flinched at the jab to his side, and when he lifted his head, a thought occurred to him that Lia probably wasn't a person who should be talking about 'looking sad' and whatnot.
"Although, we're…"
There was an abrupt change in her voice that made him peer at her timidly.
The inside of the house was dark; nothing was visible except the objects that were in reach. The light from the window, however, flooded across Lia's face and when she looked at him in return, his eyes widened a fraction.
"We're… we're both idiots though. Right?"
She looked vulnerable.
Did she know that she was letting him see such a fragile side of her?
Did she?
He felt touched. He may have been overreacting, but-
For once… just for once, he felt as if maybe he could help someone. That he wasn't always so… helpless.
That maybe he could be equal.
Except equal wasn't the perfect word for it, because it sounded as if he was dragging Lia to his level.
No, it was that maybe he could be of worth.
His mind was jumbled and he'd need some meditation time to sort them out but he smiled a smile that mimicked Lia's own smile.
"Y-yeah…"
What could he do, but agree?
He wouldn't have categorized Lia as an idiot, so to say, but if she said it herself then…
Yeah. Maybe, they were both idiots.
"Yeah," he repeated softly, this time stronger and straining to include the reassurance he wanted to give the black-haired girl.
They could be idiots together, if she allowed it.
Ivan's eyes, as Lia had noted the first few times they met, were very pretty.
But now was not the time to think thoughts like that.
She broke the eye-contact (that lasted for more minutes that it should've) awkwardly and raised a hand to cover the portion of her face that wasn't covered by the blindfold. It'd be dangerous if he saw embarrassed blush that was bound to be there because of how awkward she felt at that moment.
She cleared her throat lightly and turned away a fraction to shuffle through her bag.
The screen of her music player reflected the time that it was currently.
It was 1:36AM.
She stared at it.
How long… were her parents waiting in that car together? It must've been cold. And awkward.
The numbers swapped to 1:37AM.
She shook her head.
No, it didn't matter. It wasn't her fault anyway – why should she care?
She sighed and shifted back to face Ivan, only to find him huddling in the opposite direction.
She raised a brow at the sight of his back towards her before making her mind up and merely lifting herself off the couch. It was pretty damn comfortable, but she bet one of the doors in the house-apartment would lead her to a bedroom that was much better.
"I'm going to go to sleep then."
The boy's head shot upwards and he asked, "A-already?"
"It's one thirty-eight."
His lips parted to form an 'o' and she gathered her bag in her arms.
She walked slowly towards the second hallway that stretched to a handful of doors before stopping.
Ivan tilted his head at the pause.
Then, she returned in a few short strides in front of him and lifted his hand into her own.
Or rather, pinched his thumb between her own thumb and her forefinger, and she mused, "They say that those with cold hands have warm hearts."
His eyes travelled down to where they're limbs touched and he realized that her hands were still the same coldness they were before and his were still radiating the same odd warmth.
She grinned suddenly, at the expression Ivan was making and retracted her hand.
"Well, goodnight."
"…goodnight…?"
With that, she peeked into one of the rooms, and when finding it did indeed have a bed to sleep in, entered.
The door quietly closed and Ivan blinked at his hand.
He wasn't that bothered by that 'saying', but…
Lia was teasing him just then, wasn't she?
His lips tugged upwards into a small smile.
Good.
That was good.
Maybe he did end up comforting her in the end, or at least, offering her his presence.
Hopefully.
He sighed and got up to enter the room across from Lia's.
When his indigo orbs met the sight, he blinked for the third time.
This was…
Though it was dark, his eyes automatically adjusted.
His day just got ten times better.
And the urge to tell Lia the good news overrode any other warnings that tired-Lia might not be as ecstatic as him.
He rushed back out with his hand outstretched to twist open the metal doorknob to Lia's room but he halted just as quickly in front of it. Slowly, he knocked.
There was no answer.
He assumed it was safe to open the door, and when he did, he immediately announced, "T-there's a-"
But his words stopped short.
She was sleeping, not that it was surprising, but her face-
He could see it clearly.
Her eyelashes weren't long, and her skin wasn't flawless. Her eyebrows, her nose…
All of her screamed 'Lia'.
It felt… weirdly… nice, for some reason.
He didn't know how long he spent with the door pushed open lightly to allow a sliver of light loitering around the room, but when he was done just looking at her face he shut the door softly, retreated into the bedroom next to the Asian's, slipped into his bed after taking off his shoes and his jacket, and just looked up at the ceiling.
She was very…
Ivan shook his head lightly and let his forearm rest against his forehead.
Even if it were in his mind, he didn't know if he could handle it if he thought it to himself on purpose - clearly.
Then he stopped and wondered briefly.
…was he a weirdo?
He did just spent quite a lot of time staring at someone sleeping.
…
He frowned.
Maybe he should just stop thinking and go to sleep.
There was… something she was forgetting.
But…
When her eyelids parted, her immediate reaction was to roll over and bring the new-smelling cotton blanket up to her forehead.
What was she forgetting though?
That nagging feeling at the back of her mind was annoying to say the least, and she pulled the blanket back down to let the rays of sunlight greet her face. Out of moonlight and sunlight, she liked moonlight better – but at least the sun wasn't directly in her eyes.
Luckily the tree outside blocked some of it.
She turned her head to face the rest of her room.
A night stand beside her bed that touched the wall, a dresser, a computer desk lacking a computer, carpet…
A typical bedroom.
It was satisfactory, for lack of any other word at that moment.
Lia pushed herself up, her hand swiping across the white, crumpled sheets.
Her hair felt heavy yet light on her hair and she pressed it, cringing noticeably at how wiry and simply bad it felt.
She glanced at her outfit. Ah, so she forgot to change. But that wasn't it – there was still something…
The tree outside her window swayed, making the dapples of golden light morph into a different pattern.
A tree…
Green…
Vegetables…
Groceries.
Huh, the groceries.
Her dad…
Lia rested a hand against her head and frowned softly.
She also forgot to put the bag into the… was there even a fridge? There had to be. She really needed to check out the apartment.
But crap. She hoped the groceries were still fresh otherwise it'd be a waste of money.
Unzipping the grey hoodie from last night, the Asian allowed it to pile up around her as she stretched, letting out a short sigh of contentment. Her bare arms fell back to her side and she shivered.
It was fairly chilly inside her room.
She reached over and pulled her music player from her bag.
It was the 1st of November – a Friday. NC 1976, 10:16AM.
It was a little too early for her liking, but she was awake enough.
Well.
Time to have a shower.
When she exited her bedroom, she entered the room beside hers, assuming to be the bathroom. It wasn't surprising that she was wrong but when she saw the sleeping Ivan she paused.
A passing thought in her mind was that Ivan was really pretty. How could a guy be so pretty? It wasn't possible.
And yet…
Squinting, she pursed her lips. He'd probably attract a ton of ladies/and even men if he stopped slouching, stopped overthinking, stopped looking so sad, stopped being…
Ivan.
That'd change pretty much all of him though, and she wouldn't really want that, so…
Meh. He was enough.
She leaned against the doorway and a gentle smirk played on her lips.
He was very…
…wait a moment.
What was she doing?
She slapped her hand on her face, hurriedly shooing away the half-smile.
The sixteen-year-old backed away from the door and knocked it shut with her foot.
No.
That was creepy.
She would not be entering his room when he was sleeping again.
It was risky.
She sent a weird look to the wooden door.
Nope.
She definitely would not be doing that again.
She swivelled on her feet and walked towards the door opposite from her room.
It wasn't the bathroom though, that was for sure.
Ivan would like that room though. What was it – a meditation room? She didn't know how to describe it, but she felt that Principal Massini had something to do with it. It's not every house you see that has a room with random bamboo floors and such; unless of course you live in Japan or any place else that accommodates such material.
The next door was the right door.
Cue Lia pondering what to do for breakfast while water from the shower head beats down on her.*
Bzzzt.
There was that noise again.
Beep.
Ah… it stopped.
Wait.
Should he be worried?
In a flash, he was sitting up. The sunlight from the window near his bed came with full blast when he opened his eyes, and his immediate reaction was to push himself back down. His back met the mattress with a light 'flop' and resting on his side, he curled his legs into his chest.
It was cold.
Where did that noise even come from though? Not from his room… maybe from the lounge?
And was that… running water he heard?
He sat up again, with his hair falling into his eyes.
Blearily, the blond rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms over his head. The shiver of Autumn met his arms and he retreated them underneath the covers.
Bzzzt.
Indigo eyes widened.
That noise…
Bzzzt.
The sound of water flowing through pipes stopped, but he didn't realize when. Instead, Ivan jumped out of bed, sprinted towards the door and into the hallway.
Bzzzt.
There!
He made a dive for the two bracelet-like devices on the coffee table.
Of course, he had the best timing and fell right as his hands grasped the rotary gadgets.
"What are you-"
He rolled over, rubbing the area he landed on.
Lia, clothed in the same grey hoodie from yesterday, plain black tights and a towel caped over her head, gave him a deadpan look.
He blinked. She merely grinded the towel across her hair in an attempt to dry it.
"Y-your eyes-"
"Oh yeah."
She blinked once from underneath the white towel shielding her wet hair, before putting a hand before them.
She glanced at him again, brown meeting purple, before she grinned lightly.
The grin came to an abrupt stop though, a low murmur of 'oh snap' before she covered her eyes and disappeared into her room.
Ivan blinked again.
"Was her power disabled?"
Startled, the boy released the items he was holding and took four crawl-steps away from them.
A hologram…
"P-principal Massini?"
"Good morning Ivan."
The blond opened his mouth to reply but Lia interrupted him.
"What the hell? Is that…"
"Good morning to you too, Miss Phan. That was quick. Are you sure your blindfold is on properly?"
Instantly, Lia scowled.
"Don't call me that Massini. And of course it is."
"Yes yes," the adult sighed, waving off the open contempt drifting from the girl. The man's face immediately sobered when he declared, "I have news for you two."
"Spit it out," Lia mumbled, crouching down beside Ivan.
"Lia, you're going to school."
Silence. Lia's eyes widened, and then did the opposite.
"No way."
"…yes, you are. I've already enrolled you into-"
"I don't want to! Is Ivan? If Ivan isn't then why should I-"
"Ivan has a choice. He has almost graduated, because he started early, and is always able to leave school. Of course, that space is always open for him if he decides to quit being a Hero… but that is highly unlikely."
Ivan looked away with a small frown when the elder gave him an expectation-filled look.
"You, Lia, are required to continue because you started school late, did you not?" Without receiving a confirmation (although it wasn't really needed), he continued. "The Hero Academy was teaching you the basics of the level you are up to now, but that is a different matter because it is mainly focused on making your powers more qualified for being a Hero. 16 years old and in year 10."
"Aren't I allowed to leave school at that year? I am. That's what-"
"Your parents have-"
"I'm my own person now! Why do my parents have to come into this?"
"They are your guardians."
"Pfft, only one of them-"
"Your mother has requested you continue education until you've gotten your High School Certificate. It's for your future."
"Why can't I just be a Hero? Is that not good enough?"
"As I said, your mother-"
"Why can't I just be a Hero?" Lia inquired again, this time with a firmer voice.
Principal Massini sighed.
"Being a Hero… no- with your unstable powers, it is better for you to have a back-up, so to say-"
"So you're saying I'm not good enough? Is that it-?"
"Lia." That wasn't Principal Massini's voice.
The Asian flinched at the hand that rested on her head.
Ivan lowered his head slightly, to meet her covered eyes.
"This is a good idea."
There were several beats of silence. Both Lia and the principal could only stare wide-eyed at the boy.
That was out of character.
Lia eyed him cautiously before shifting underneath his hand. The warmth and that one feeling that coursed through her body disturbed her. What was it? There was a name to it... but it felt nice; the hand on top of her head.
Something is definitely wrong with me, Lia thought, thoroughly alarmed.
How interesting, Principal Massini mused as he observed the little interaction. It was a good idea, having the two together. Sure, Lia's parents put up a fight about having a boy and girl live together, but it was better for the school's funds (who paid in advance for the living area), and for the two students. Especially if they had to spar. In the end Lia's mother agreed and Lia's father remained thoughtfully quiet.
It was surprisingly nice to see the two teenagers communicate. The adult hid a warm smile. It was as if Ivan was learning from Lia, and Lia was learning from Ivan.
"Che."
Lia grumbled underneath her breath and crossed her arms, looking a lot like a spoilt child who got recently scolded. With this, she ducked out from under Ivan's hand and pursed her lips irritably.
"Whatever."
She just didn't want to go to school, to be judged. What if there was someone like… like Edward when they first met? She didn't want unreasonable hatred. She was bound to get weird looks, especially if she were to wear her blindfold.
She wouldn't say it out loud, but she did have her own handful of fears.
She didn't to feel that certain isolation. It was fine, being hated; but to be alone?
Lia stood up. Her face felt like it was burning, for multiple reasons, and she clenched her fists lightly.
"I'm going to…"
Without finishing her mumbled sentence, she sprinted away and entered her room with a resounding bang.
The two males were left in silence, until Principal Massini murmured, "Five o'clock, at the Justice Tower. You'll meet the other Heroes and there'll be a welcoming party. It is also the place you'll meet your sponsors. Don't be late."
…is always through.
Bet you weren't expecting that steamy shower scene aye?
/chortles.
Sorry. I was a bit tired when I was writing that so I... yeah.
Anyway sophiashyaway, is that good enough? A thousand words longer? Hahaha. It was fun writing and I really hope you like it...? You're one of those awesome reviewers so if you have any tips, tell me yeah?
/squints at writing. I honestly don't know what to think of it. I'm just looking at it with this look on my face and it's like...
...
Hmm...
Ivan's actions will be explained in due time /cough next update cough. He most likely feels some sort of something for Lia that's akin to responsibility now because well, her situation and stuff. And that responsibility may or may not be a good thing, honestly.
Hah, well, I have no idea either but I'm going to flesh it out, alright? Hold on.
And no, the feeling that Lia feels is not love. It's like... you know when you pet your dog or cat and it leans into your touch? Yeah. Lia has a thing for being pet on the head. That's why she reacts relatively well to it and to her it's like a sign of affection because her dad/mum used to do it and she kind of misses it, ya feel me?
Uh sorry if this isn't good enough. I hope it doesn't disappoint anyone, although I can say I did try my best... I think orz. Sorry, sorry. And sorry if there are any mistakes. Notify me if there are, please.
You guys are awesome and thanks to that one person who favourited!
Ah, and friendship will come first although it will be hinted throughout the story that there is some type of attraction there, because Lia already has something and blah, and Ivan is Ivan and such... I'm not making sense, huh.
It'll be slow, their relationship.
I'll try to make it slow and progressive and all those good things.
Next chapter they'll probably meet all the other Heroes~!
/whispers oh boy how am I going to do this-