Suzumi rounded the corner from the kitchen after putting her empty breakfast plate into the sink. She stopped, staring at the office door that hung slightly open, the heavy feeling of loneliness welling up within her.

She wanted to go in and wake him up… to talk about something… or to wrap her arms around him but she decided against it. Who knew how late he was up and if he would react in anger if she bothered him.

Instead her eyes fell onto the boxes Franklin had left in the hallway. She took a step over to the stack and tore open the smallest box that sat on the top. A letter sat on top of the contents inside and Suzumi opened it curiously. She set the paper down so that she could read it. At the bottom of the page she could see that it was a letter from Oba. Her eyes returned to the top to read the message. Suzumi deduced that she must have used her levitation quirk to write as the letters were clear. Oba's old hands would have been too shaky to come out this clear on paper.

Suzumi,

I hope this letter finds you well. I was so sick with worry when I found you hadn't been home for days. I let the police know right away and I'm glad I did as I later found out you were in trouble. I won't lie, I am saddened to hear that you won't be returning, but I do hope that it means that you were able to reconnect with your hero. ;)

If you find the time, please do write back. It would be nice to hear from you again.

Oba

Suzumi smiled, already answering the letter in her mind as she started rummaging through the box. Her stomach soured when she noticed her phone inside, padded by the arrangement of paper cranes and butterflies within the container. She reached in and began tearing each of them apart as if it would somehow erase the terrible memories from her head. As if it would erase the terrible feelings lingering within her like a monster hiding in the shadows, ready to pounce and drag her back into the deep pit.

Keiji throwing things at her.

Echo punching her in the gut.

Keiji punching holes into the wall.

Seeker grabbing her face.

Keiji screaming and yelling at her.

Blood pooling at her feet.

The ocean waves knocking a crane against her ankle.

Seeker poking his head up over the crowd from the other side of the crosswalk.

The gunshot as she ran towards the police.

The look on Shota's face from the other side of the gun in her hands.

Unit's lifeless body against the wall.

Keiji screaming orders at her.

Fire.

His hand wrapped around her neck.

The taste of his blood in her mouth…

She shook her head from her daze and took out her phone from the package before tossing it into the trash. She wanted it gone. She didn't want to see another paper crane or to remember the past anymore. She didn't want to feel that pain and heaviness in her chest ever again. She wanted it all gone.

Suzumi looked around the quiet house trying to ground herself. She wanted to remain in this safe and quiet place. She wanted to learn to control her quirk… and most importantly, she wanted to stay with Shota. For the longest time she never felt safe, but with him it was different. She wanted to be that new person she longed to be when she thought she was free from Keiji.

She didn't want to look back and suffer anymore. She wanted to be free. She wanted to be new.

Suzumi turned on her phone and put it in her pocket while it loaded itself back to life. She opened the next box and found her clothes, pulling out an outfit before going into the bathroom. She set them down on the counter and began running the bath, ignoring the reverberating ick that flowed under her skin and nagged at her insides. She stood under the shower and scrubbed at her invisible skin, wanting to cleanse away the anchoring feeling of grim she felt welling up in her gut. She bit her lip, feeling the sharp edge of her canine dig into her skin.

Once she sunk into the warm water of the tub she finally felt more at peace. Her mind felt less clouded. She leaned back and sunk in deeper, moving her arms around slowly to feel the flow of the water between her fingers. She found relief there in the water.

Suzumi's mind wandered back to the photo she found face down on the bookshelf in the living room.

Earlier that morning she had wandered over to the shelf, wondering what kind of books he had to read. She found that they were all non-fiction and too boring for her to pick up, but he did have a few volumes of a slice of life manga… but that's when she noticed that photo frame again. She picked it up and turned it over before putting it back on the shelf for her to view.

In the middle was a very young Shota, smiling so brightly as if he were caught mid-laugh. He must've been around five… he was so small. His tiny hands were over his head as both of his parents were pulling him up and swinging him through the air between them.

His father looked very similar to the way Shota did now, his dark messy hair long and pulled back out of his face in a low ponytail. He was tall and wore a black Kimono with a gray Hakama. His expression was bright and happy as well, but much more reserved on his clean shaven face.

His mother was about half of his father's size with mid length blonde-dyed hair. Her smile was nearly as excited and happy as Shota's. Her clothing looked expensive, almost designer just like her son's. It was a stark contrast from the father's traditional look. Suzumi thought of her mother. She would have worn the same kind of casual outfits.

She wondered what had happened to that bright smiling boy… and why the photo had been laying face down and gathering so much dust in an otherwise empty shelf.

…

After getting dressed and drying her hair, Suzumi pushed open the door and tiptoed into Shota's office. She found him exactly where she expected him to be; doubled over on the desk. She stood there for a moment behind him, watching as his back rose and fell with every breath. Her smile faded slightly as she saw the teeth marks embedded into his arm just under where his chin rested.

She reached out to touch his back but stopped, her attention moving to the map on the wall. The photos of the Yakuza members had been cleared off, but a few pins remained pushed into random places in the city. She felt relieved to see he had moved on to something new. It was as if that part of their past was behind them now. The case wasn't officially closed yet, but to her it was. She wanted to be done with it.

Suzumi turned back to Shota and placed her hand on his back. Very slowly he came back to the land of the living, opening his eyes and, after blinking a few times, he sat up in his chair. He leaned back and stretched out his arms in front of him.

"Good afternoon sleepyhead~" She greeted.

Shota jumped out of his chair and immediately went into a defensive pose, ready for attack. His hair stood on end as he used his quirk to look around the room.

Suzumi just blinked back at him in surprise, taking a step back.

He immediately relaxed, leaning over and putting a hand to his chest while he caught his breath. "Don't scare me like that…!" Once he composed himself enough he added "Are you alright?"

"Sorry.." Her apologetic smile went unseen as she watched him push his chair back into place. "I didn't want you to oversleep… I… was getting…"

She stopped, instantly feeling embarrassed. She didn't want to sound too clingy or like a needy child. The truth was she felt lonely. Even though they were in this house together she was often left alone. She slept alone, woke up alone, ate breakfast alone… He was so busy with the work in his office that he didn't really come out except to eat meals.

She didn't want to sound ungrateful… She was just lonely.

Shota rubbed his eyes before reaching for the eyedrops on the desk. Before he applied them, he gave her a tired look like he was waiting for her to finish her thought.

"I was getting lunch together… Did you want anything special?"

He leaned back and blinked as the drops fell into his eyes. "No… I told you, you don't have to make meals for me…"

"I know… but I want to. I like to cook."

"Alright." He gave in, picking up his phone from his desk. "Anything is fine."

Shota listened as her tiptoes shuffled out of the room excitedly. After going through his usual 'morning' regimen he sat down at the kotatsu, watching as a bowl of leftovers materialized in front of him. He clapped his hands together and thanked her for the food before digging in. He paused at the silence, using his quirk to make sure she was still really there at the other side of the table.

"You're not eating?" He asked after swallowing his bite.

"Not really hungry." She shook her head, smiling politely back at him.

"Did you feed the cats yet?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks…" He set his bowl down to check on his phone. It was another message from Hizashi he chose to ignore. "I… I've been cleared to go back to work."

"Really?" He was surprised to see that she was excited for him. "When are you going back?"

"I was hoping to start doing patrols overnight… Tonight if I can. Will you be alright?"

Suzumi opened her mouth, eager to say yes and support him, but she hesitated. Some sort of worry gripped her insides. "I'll be fine… I'll be asleep anyways."

Shota nodded, bringing his attention back to his meal.

"I have my phone back now too…" She pulled it from her dress pocket and set it down on the table.

"Oh?" He picked it up and entered his number into her contacts and sent a quick message to his phone before handing it back. "There. Now you'll have my number and can call me if you need anything."

While Shota turned his attention back to his phone, Suzumi smiled down at hers. She stared down at the number, engraving it into her mind before she picked it up and held it to her chest. The highschool girl within her giggled excitedly. She had never gotten the number for her crush before… and she never thought she'd get the one for the hero that saved her.

They spent the rest of the day together watching TV, playing with the cats outside, and just talking about things that they liked and disliked. When the sun began to set Shota retreated into his office again and emerged with his hero costume on. He was just about to march towards the front door but stopped, turning around to find Suzumi sitting in the living room watching TV.

She smiled and turned to look back at him as she came into view, waiting to hear him say 'I'm off!' or 'goodnight!' but what he said instead was "you sure you'll be okay?"

Suzumi smiled brighter, feeling the warm fuzzies bubble up in her chest. "I'll be okay. I'll let you know if I need anything."

Shota nodded with a small smile before putting on his boots and leaving the house.

…

The hero walked around the city with his hands in his pockets, gripping his phone in one hand to ensure he wouldn't miss a message from Suzumi just in case she needed him to return home. As the hours passed deeper into the night, the streets became more and more quiet and devoid of life. He smiled, enjoying the peace and quiet as the rest of the world slept. He preferred night patrols more than anything. The sun wasn't up to hurt his eyes and there weren't crowds of people to stare at him or recognize him as a hero. It was easier to avoid reporters as well. It was just peaceful and refreshing.

Nothing seemed off or suspicious around the residential areas so he moved on to the storefronts and towards the tall buildings of the city. After spending about an hour walking about, he decided to head into the park to take a break. The skyscrapers disappeared behind the cover of the tall trees and soft lights lit the path under his feet.

Shota sat down on a bench and pulled out his phone. Suzumi hadn't messaged him, but there was another message from Hizashi waiting for him. Up until now he just sent random memes and updates about his own life, but it was obvious that Hizashi was becoming more concerned about him. He sighed, knowing he should reply something but he wasn't sure of what to say. He wasn't ready to tell him that Suzumi was now living with him and how horribly the mission had gone.

He raised his head and slid his phone back into his pocket as he heard footsteps approaching.

"My, my." A familiar voice greeted him. "How lucky am I to get to see you on your first day back to work!"

Shota leaned forward in his seat, keeping his hands in his pockets. He managed a small smile as Midnight stepped closer into the dim lighting. It seemed she was on patrol as well as she was also dressed in her hero outfit.

"See anyone suspicious out tonight?" She put a hand on her hip.

"No."

"Well that's good, I guess…" She turned her head to look around the park. "People are starting to get antsy about this new serial murderer… Do you really think it's the work of one person?"

"I think it's safe to say." He leaned back against the bench. "Reporters are drawing a lot of similarities between this person and the Chi-Oni murders that happened in the 80s."

Midnight raised an eyebrow curiously. "What's that about? Did they catch the guy?"

"Yeah they did. He murdered around 200 people before he was apprehended. He's still doing time in Tartarus. From what I could find online, he left messy crime scenes. Bodies severely mutilated which made identifying the victims pretty difficult."

"Damn…" She sighed. "So he had some sort of signature?"

"In a way… He didn't leave any messages behind but he always left the bodies in dumpsters or back alleyways. Blood everywhere and bodies torn open. Bite marks were found as well-"

"Cannibalism?"

Shota nodded. "In a way. After he was arrested it didn't take long for him to start talking, but it was clear that something was wrong with him psychologically. His murders were a result of his quirk and weren't planned or directed at any specific target. His quirk is something they referred to as a 'demon mutation' and they surmised that one day he just snapped and lost control of his mind and went on a rampage. When he was taken into custody he acted deranged and more like a feral animal more than a person. Violent and motivated only to kill for the taste of blood."

Midnight let out a low whistle, a chill going down her spine. "That's messed up… Do you think this new murderer could be a descendent of his?"

Shota shrugged. "It's a possibility. I haven't heard anything back from Tsukauchi yet."

She returned a proud smirk. "So this is what you're going to be focusing on next?"

"Yeah, I guess." He paused, trying to ignore the proud parent look on her face. "What about you?"

"I'm teaching at the academy, remember?"

"Right…" He pulled his hands out of his pockets and crossed his arms. "You really like that? Teaching kids?"

Midnight tilted her head to the side, the small smile remaining on her face. "I do… There's something about it that's so…. Rewarding. I like the thought of training the next generation of heroes. You should really reconsider joining Hizashi and I-"

"No." He stared down at the path, lowering his voice along with his head. "I can't imagine myself working with kids."

She bit her lip, unsure of if she should press into the topic any further. She knew that he'd probably be a natural at it. After all, he was so warm and caring once you broke past that dark and hardened exterior. She decided to leave it be, knowing that it would only upset him. She was only being selfish after all. She wanted to have him nearby so she could keep a closer eye on him. To make sure he was doing alright… and that he would be okay. To be in a place where she could easily swing in to help him whenever he needed it, even if he didn't ask.

Shota turned his head back over to look at her after she didn't answer.

"How are you and that girl doing…? Su…?"

"Suzumi?" His eyes widened in surprise. "How did you…? I didn't tell you we were living together, did I?"

Midnight's lips curled up into that annoying smile of 'knowing' as she giggled. "It seemed pretty obvious to me!" She watched as he looked away and his body stiffened. His face twitched as he was rendered speechless, a look of embarrassment overtaking his face. She couldn't stop herself from twisting the blade while it was already in. "Did you sleep together yet?"

Shota jumped to his feet and put his hands back in his pockets, turning away from her as his face burned red. "NO! Why would you ask that?"

He asked that as if he didn't realize who he was talking to. This was Midnight after all… and he knew she was teasing him. Whenever she saw the opportunity to she would jump at it and she was almost as ruthless as Ms. Joke.

"Because you love her."

Shota dropped his shoulders and turned around. Nemuri's face had turned to match her tone, dropping into something more soft and gentle, giving up on her teasing. As if the twisting knife she threw to cut into his walls was able to break through and she was able to peek in to see his heart. But as he studied her face he could see a tinge of pain behind it, in the corners of her lips and behind her eyes.

"Why do you say that…?"

Nemuri huffed at the ridiculousness of his question, but she understood him enough to know exactly why he was asking her for the answers. He wanted his feelings to be justified. If someone else told him what he was feeling then they would suddenly start to make sense and become logical. His mind was still so clouded… it was like he was being flung forward, unable to make out the blur of the scenery to make sense of where he was at.

She hated him for this. To make her of all people tell him that he was in love with another woman… but at the same time she adored him. She wanted to root for him and this lucky girl… She didn't want to poison it with her dirty hands.

'Dammit Shota… You still haven't changed.' She closed her eyes and pushed aside her feelings.

"You care so much about her Shota… You could recount every detail about the mission- hell you could sit here and tell me about the brutal murders of Chi-Oni without an ounce of emotion in your face, but once you talk about Suzumi I can see it… and when I met you at the hospital… I followed you up to that room…" Nemuri's voice strained and tears began rolling down her cheeks. "The way you held her… and the way you spoke to her…"

'Was something I never got from you…'

"You love her so much…" Her shoulders shook as she sobbed and she wiped the hot tears from her face as she stared at him in frustration.

Shota couldn't bring himself to look at her, staring down at her feet in shame. He knew exactly how Nemuri felt for him and he felt ashamed to have used her. That unfair cycle of smoking, drinking, and making empty love to her for days and days and days before he abandoned her. It was so unfair to her.

Nemuri was surprised to be enveloped in his arms. He held her to his chest as she sobbed instead of running away and leaving her behind. She wasn't sure if this hurt even more.

"I'm sorry…" His voice cut through the darkness around them. "I'm so sorry…"

She took in a heavy, shaky breath feeling his hand on her back. "Don't be… I want you to be happy."

He held her tighter, lowering his voice. "I never thanked you… for taking me in back then… When I didn't want to go back home and I was so depressed… I-"

Nemuri pulled away and pressed a finger to his lips. Her eyes were still wet and sad, but the small smile returned to her face. "It's okay… We both did a lot of things we regret. I know you never want me to take care of you… but… It's just in my nature." She pulled back her finger and wiped her eyes again. "Just… let me say this… just once… and then I'll be okay."

Shota finally looked at her with the same kind of worry he would give Suzumi. He couldn't find any words to say so he just nodded slightly.

She took a step back, pulling her hair behind her ears before holding her hand down by her thighs. "I know it's too late to say this… and that it won't make any difference.. But I won't feel better until I get it off my chest." She took a deep breath as if preparing herself to give away her biggest secret. "I love you, Shota… and I've loved you for the longest time. I wish things could have turned out differently…. But.."

She just shrugged as if to say 'This is how I am' or to show that she accepted what happened between them.

"I just want you to be happy… and if that means I need to be hurt once or even a thousand times I would gladly endure it for your sake. I want to see you smile like you used to… and I want to see you live." She sighed painfully. "I want so much for you, because you deserve it. You're too sweet and kind to be stuck suffering this long." She shook her head and stepped forward, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Stop making excuses, Shota…"

"Live."

note.

Sometimes the characters end up writing the story for you.. And I feel this is the case for Midnight. I was just going to leave their relationship as a friends with benefits thing that happened in the past and they got over quickly and ignored it, but it just… blew up into something much much more. Unrequited love is the worst and especially if the person you love so much ends up loving someone else. I was sobbing for her. This girl cares so much for Shota as a person that she'd rather sit back and watch him be in love and so happy rather than being selfish and forcing herself back on him like she used to. Break that cycle girl!

I also noticed that Shota only started using Nemuri's name instead of her hero name once he began realizing and regretting how he was treating her. Like he all of the sudden realized and remembered 'oh this is a real person with actual feelings.' And then he hasn't given himself permission to move on to or acknowledge his feelings much for Suzumi until he apologized to Nemuri. Ugh my heart.

For Shota's feelings I urge you to look up the music video Second Hand Lovers by Oren Lavie. I love how the video portrays the ghosts or lingering feelings of past lovers and falling out of love with someone gradually. It's just so good and it fits well with how haunted Shota has been feeling lately while sitting around home in his shame and regret.

For Nemuri… her tone definitely matches with a lot of Daughter songs. Still is one of them and is about that empty kind of love they had. The other would be Smother which is her own shame and regret she holds deep within herself for just smothering him with her toxic love even though she wanted to do much more for him.

Also, side note, Suzumi is so traumatized by paper cranes now. I'm sure her origami days are over and if she sees any in the wild she'll have a full blown panic attack. But at least with her phone back she can resume her therapy appointments lol.

Please leave some sort of review. I love hearing them! Even if it's something little like your favorite character or moment or something you'd like to see more of when I write. I appreciate you reading!