Author Note:
This one I have so many ideas for and plan on finishing out. I just cannot decide who to have her end up with. Kirishima or Shinsou, y'all decide!
The assault in chapter one will NOT be in detail. Though there will be smut in this story eventually...probably with both both let's be honest. I'm a hoe for both of these guys.
Let me know what you think!
I did end up naming this chapter after the song "Wrecked" by Imagine Dragons.
The warmth of the last beams of evening sun cast long shadows across the room, headphones sat comfortably on Hina's head. Music blaring as she worked the thick fabric through the machine, stitching it quickly. The low whirring of the sewing machine putting together the fabrics beneath her hands was vaguely heard. Her music easily drowning it out for the most part. She blew her bangs from her face as she finished sewing the seam and pulled her foot from the pedal. Pulling it loose she held it up and eyed the fabric. The thinner fabric now insulated for the autumn months. Pulling off her headphones, she stopped the music on her phone and set it both on the desk.
Smiling faintly, she folded it up and placed it in the silver case next to the boots and muzzle like mask. Closing it with a grunt, she hefted the metal off the table and left her workshop area. She preferred to work in a smaller area where there wasn't a huge amount of hustle and bustle as it was easier to focus. Turning right, she walked down the hallway and towards the storage vault. Tomorrow the hero she was working with would come pick it up. But at least it was finished and in the nick of time. The vault, as they all called it, was a large reinforced steel door with a key pad. For security, it would only open if you put in the correct code.
Wincing, she set the case safely on a shelf labeled Mindjack. Groaning, she rolled her tense shoulders and moved out of the vault. The sound of machinery running, the screams of saws, and faint scent of something smoldering assaulted her as she entered the main workshop area. There were still a handful of support lingering, finishing their own projects. The faint booms of explosions from the far sealed off testing room had her shaking her head. Mei couldn't do anything without an explosion, all part of the process apparently. Hina wasn't sure she believed that, but hey who was she to judge?
Smiling softly, she waved goodbye to the handful of support. A blue haired one, Tanaka Daisuke, grinned and moved her way. He was newer here and personally Hina didn't care for him. Something about him. She picked up her pace, pretending she hadn't seen him and hoped he would take the hint. No dice.
"Hina, wait up!" A warm hand landed on her shoulder, too warm. Burning slightly. Flinching, she twisted and pulled her shoulder from beneath his hand. For just a moment she saw his expression harden, irritated, before flashing back to calm.
"Yes Tanaka-san?" She asked, putting more exhaustion into her voice than she felt and emphasizing his last name. Simply to get him to leave her alone and he for some reason only used her first. His audacity irritated her immensely. They weren't friends, barely even acquaintances really.
"I was wondering if you wanted to go for drinks tonight! My treat?" He asked, looking eager and hopeful. Heat filled under her breastbone, stomach churning and teeth gritting. How many times did she have to say no?
"No thank you. I have plans already." Hina went to turn and he grabbed her shoulder.
"Come on, don't be like that." He grinned, dimples flashing. Teeth gritting so hard she could hear them creak, Hina opened her mouth but suddenly a large hand grabbed the one on her shoulder. The hand was massive in comparison to her own, scarred and calloused.
"When a lady says no, she means no." Head snapping back to look over her shoulder, her eyes widened in surprise. Even out of costume Red Riot was easily recognizable. His sharp toothed smile on full display, somehow disarmingly threatening. A paradox in itself, yet something about that easy going smile and his tone had the hairs on her neck standing on end. Daisuke quickly apologized and slunk off. Hina sighed heavily, shoulders sagging.
"Thank you. I could have-" She halted her words, finding a set of intense yet kind red eyes focused on her. Appraising almost.
"Does that happen often?" The gentle way he asked, his voice hedging with an odd tone she couldn't quite decipher. Pushing a lock of hair behind her ear she shrugged her shoulders and smiled.
"No, I'm fine. I promise. Thank you!" She bowed quickly and went to step past, he rubbed the back of his head and spoke up softly.
"Where is Hatsme?" He asked nervously. You glanced at the door and back to him and sagged slightly.
"She's in the blast room. Were you needing a costume update?" Hina asked softly, giving up on the idea of making to the train on time. She'd just have to catch the next one.
"Yeah, I'm here to pick up costume. Had to get it repaired." He grinned impishly and Hina found herself smiling back. Motioning over her shoulder, she started walking backwards.
"Come on, I'll show you to the vault" Twisting around so she didn't bump into a table, she beelined back towards the vault. She could feel him fall into step beside her, easily keeping pace. Hina eyed him from her peripheral, he was tall. Much taller than her at least, with broad shoulders, slim waist and biceps to die for. Shaking her head, she stopped in front of the door and keyed in her code quickly, as the large door slid into the wall she stepped inside the cool room. Rows and rows of shelves lined the room.
"You said Hatsume right?" Glancing back at him to see Red Riot curiously glancing around. He nodded and offered an apologetic smile.
"yeah that's right. Thank you for helping me, I'm sorry for taking up your time." He muttered almost shyly. Hina's eyes softened.
"Don't worry about it. So we have everything categorized by support personnel. Mei...err Hatsume will be on the right. Follow me!" She injected a bit of excitement in her voice, an uncomfortable feeling in her chest cavity. Red Riot had always been a favorite of hers since Hina had graduated Shiketsu high's support course. He is a cheerful hero and kind, the fact he thought he was bothering her of all things rubbed her the wrong way. Maybe Saito-chan is right and I really needed to work on my resting bitch face. Snorting at the thought, she walked down an aisle to the far right and skimmed the codes. Finally finding unit H-5 and under it were thirty silver cases. Scanning quickly, Hina found the one labeled Red Riot and lugged it off.
"Here you go!" She said with a grunt, she turned to the hero and held it out. The case felt like it weighed a ton.
"Thanks!" He quickly took it from her and carried it like it weighed nothing. Hina really tried not to be envious. Sighing, she rubbed her shoulder and followed him out. Closing the door behind them and making sure it locked with a hiss.
"Alright, anything else?" She asked. The redhead smiled kindly and shook his head.
"Nah I'm good. Let me walk you out though. I feel bad keeping you." Hina smiled slightly and rolled her eyes.
"I'm fine. I promise. If you need anything else, let us know!" She missed his frown as she said this, walking towards the exit. She suddenly remembered her phone was still on her workstation desk and grimaced. Groaning, she turned and trudged back up the hall, oblivious to a pair of steely blue eyes that followed her.
Padding up the hallway, she turned into her room and grabbed her phone off the desk. As she picked it up, the phone buzzed with a new message. Opening the text she read it quickly.
Coffee_Is_God
6:35pm: Still good to pick up tomorrow?
Coffee_Is_God
6:45pm: You good?
Hina snorted and quickly typed back to him. Shinsou was a good guy, he has a dry sense of humor. Sarcastic really. She loved it and found it easy to throw jabs back and forth. She hit send and locked her phone, grabbing her wallet and shoving it in her pocket.
Literal_Sunshine
6:50pm: Sorry, was helping Red Riot get his stuff. It's done and ready for pickup.
A few moments later, her phones buzzed in her back pocket. Pulling it out she snorted and smiled.
Coffee_Is_God
6:51pm: No worries. Thank you for helping on short notice.
6:51pm: It's not exactly fun to parkour in the fall and winter with thin fabric.
Literal_Sunshine
6:52pm: Poor baby. Anyways, I'm heading out now and will see you later? We still meeting up for coffee?
As she locked her phone again and made her way out of the room, she turned off the light. An odd feeling of being watched settled over her shoulders, looking back warily a few times she picked up the pace and jogged the rest of the way. The explosions were still going on but the general support area was empty. Only Mei again then. Swallowing, she eyed the room and shook her head. She is being paranoid, no one is following her. Right?
Jogging to the door, she yanked it open and breathed in the cool night. Crisp fall air filled her lungs and like a balm she began to relax. When her phone buzzed she definitely did not shriek. She would die on that hill. She took out the phone and scowled, huffing at the text that nearly send her soul to the nether. Honestly, why she was so damned jumpy tonight was beyond her.
Coffee_Is_God
7:00pm: Yup. I just arrived. See you soon.
Literal_Sunshine
7:00pm: I will be a little late, missed the train, but I'll see you soon!
Hina took off at a sprint towards the station. By the time she arrived, the station was boarding for the last train. The next wouldn't be for another hour. Picking up her pace she barely slid inside before the door slid closed. A few people gave her dirty looks as she panted and clutched her phone to her chest. Wincing she gripped a bar and waited for her stop impatiently. By the time her stop arrived she was impatiently wiggling and ready to get off the damn train. An old lady snapped at her to "act her age" and Hina promptly rolled her eyes. Cranky bitch.
Hopping off the train she darted towards the exit and up the stairs. It was now 7:20pm and she was so late. Sprinting down the road she finally made it to the coffee shop ten minutes later. Panting, she opened the door and walked in. The shop was nearly empty except for a bubbly barista and a very tired looking man who sat at the far end of the shop. His mop of violet hair standing up in a gravity defying manner. Struggling to catch her breath she flopped down in front of him, his violet eyes flicking open and he quirked a brow.
"Late much." He grunted. Grumpy sounding as always.
"Sorry, had to help Red Riot and deal with Tanaka. Got here though!" She slumped, setting her elbows on the table. Hina noticed the dip settle between his eyebrows, lips pulling into a thin line.
"Tanaka is still bothering you? You didn't say anything." His tone is accusatory, but it's his eyes that tell her he's actually worried.
"Sorry Toshi, I promise, it's not that bad. He's just adamant. Enough about him, tell me about everything. It's been a bit!" Shinsou's eyes narrow and he makes an aborted gesture to his mug. A new sickeningly sweet coffee one is placed before him, steam rising tall. A warm decaf settles in front of her as well. The scent of blueberry hitting her nose.
"I figured you'd want the usual." The barista smiles down at her and Hina smiles back tiredly, murmuring a thank you. Shinsou sips his coffee and tells her about his new cat, Mocha, who is a black cat with golden eyes. Pictures are quickly pulled up and Hina cooes. He tells her about Kaminari's recent shenanigans as well as brings her up to date on his previous classmates.
"So you mean to tell me that the whole reason this happened is because Kaminari-kun...he... he put a fork in the outlet?" She manages out between laughter. Shinsou smirks into his coffee and shrugs.
"It would appear so." She snorts and shakes her head. She'd met the blonde once, while he could be ditsy he wasn't an idiot like others were led to believe.
"Why would he do that?" Hina asks once she's caught her breath. Her violet haired companion shakes his head and sighs tiredly.
"Honestly? Who knows. Something about an experiment on if he could or could not trip the whole apartment complex or boost it. I honestly don't know." He says with a dry laugh. She grins and checks the time. It's eight forty, the shop closes at nine, and the barista looks ready to close. Standing, she stretches out, missing the appraising violet eyes that sweep over her exposed midriff.
"Want me to walk you home?" He inquires, that deep baritone voice of his carrying in a gentle cadence. Hina glances up at him, finding intense violet eyes focused on her own brown ones. He watches the golden ring around her pupils flex, shrinking and growing with her pupils.
"No, it's ok. I know you're probably tired. Don't you have patrol later?" Hina asks around a yawn. He takes the disposable mugs from her and tosses them.
"Yeah, but later on." He says, dropping a hefty tip for the barista who smiles and thanks them. Shinsou steps around Hina and opens the door, letting her walk under his arm. Always the gentleman, Hina thinks in fond amusement.
"I can walk, don't worry about me. Okay? Try to get a nap if you can." Hina murmurs. He frowns and blows out a breath. With a nodd he takes a step forward and pulls her into a hug. His warm palms pressing gently into her back as she wraps her arms around his waist.
"Text me when you get home." He murmurs into her ear. Hina shivers as his warm breath caresses her ear.
"I will. Thank you for hanging out, sorry for being late...again." She whispers, pulling away. He takes a step back and smiles slightly.
"It's fine, I'll be by tomorrow to pick up the case. Lunch is on me." He says, turning and waving over his shoulder. She snorts and shakes her head. Turning, Hina walks down the street and turns a corner.
Shinsou Hitoshi is many things. An insomniac, a friend, a pro hero and on occasion a paranoid bastard born from years of abuse. So when Hina walks down the road and an uneasy feeling settles in his chest, one he knows he shouldn't ignore, he follows. The instinct is something he has come to trust, it's rarely wrong and has served him well. He scales a fire escape and follows from the roof tops, unable to shake the feeling of unease. He sees her look behind herself a few times as well, sensing something. Though she could just be sensing him, he doubted it though. He follows until she gets home, Hina dropping her keys and taking at least two minutes to get in. But still, he stays and waits until the door closes behind her. Until he can hear the lock click into place. Only then does he leave, begrudgingly. He doesn't get a text that she made it home.
Hina's back rests against the door. The lock she had just bolted feels like a death sentence. Standing before her in the hallway is a shadow. Alarm bells ring in her skull and she struggles to keep her breath even. She lifts a hand and a light glows in her palm, matching the rings around her pupils. Standing at the end of the hall is Daisuke.