Chapter 6
After leaving the closet and cleaning herself in the bathroom, Asami sits in a waiting room designated for Endeavor's PR Team while they wait for the announcements to be broadcasted and the heroes to say their speeches.
A lot of pro heroes are doing pre announcement interviews, but Endeavor has made it clear that he is not interested in these interviews, only wanting to accept the title with the speech Asami wrote for him and return to fighting villains.
Asami sits next to her work friend Emiko as they use their laptops to monitor the public reception of Endeavor leading up to the announcement. Word has already gotten out that the flamed hero will assume the role of Number One formally, so many are debating how he will address the masses.
Asami hears the television in front of her as her other coworkers watch the interviews with some of the other pro heroes. She cannot help but glance over at the TV when she hears them introduce Hawks. She watches the screen as he is seated on a couch next to Miruko, Wash, and Kamui Woods. She stops her researching and focuses on the interview with the rest of her coworkers.
"Kamui Woods, how does it feel to rise with such a staggering height and sit here today with these other contenders?" the interviewer asks the wooden man.
"I am just honored to even be considered for the top ten, let alone be placed into it," he begins, "But I truly attribute my rise to working with Edgeshot and such a magnificent team."
"Speaking of your team," the interview hones in like a shark and Asami knows exactly what she will ask as it is all over the online forms. "What do you have to say about rumors online regarding your relationship with Mt. Lady?"
"We are hardworking teammates!" he says dodging the question.
"Speaking of," the reporter moves on, knowing that she will not get much out of him. "Miruko," she says turning to the rabbit hero, "Some recently surfaced photos show you and our very own Hawks here fighting a villain a few days back, any chance of you two teaming up?"
The muscular girl laughs with a smile that takes up her face, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm more of a solo act, myself. But I never turn down a good tandem fight."
"What about you, Hawks? Any chance of you teaming up with a hero in the lineup?"
"Yeah sure?" he says smoothly.
"With you and Miruko on the prowl, villains everywhere should be on the lookout!" she swoons as the two sit next to one another.
"Hawks, I gotta ask," the reporter continues, "Everyone is dying to know if you have a special someone in your life? Ladies all over Japan are waiting to hear!"
He releases a humored scoff, used to this type of question being asked in every interview. He is younger than the rest of those standing here before him, so it is expected of him to date around a bit, though his dating life has been completely tight lipped since he came out as a pro hero.
Asami tightens at the question as he takes a moment to answer. She stealthily places her fingers on the necklace he gave her, wondering if this was a token that he will finally publicly admit to their relationship. She waits with baited breath as he finally speaks up, "No lady's caged this bird," he says with a snarky smile and Asami loosens her shoulders, dropping her hand to her lap.
What did she really expect?
The interview continues and she turns her attention to forums regarding Endeavor, drowning her feelings in her work. After a few moments, they are invited to join the press in the stands as the heroes are to be announced.
Asami sits next to Emiko in the staff area just above the press as they begin announcing the crowd. She claps for each hero, listening to their rise in rank and fiddling with her badge when she is not using her hands. She is nervous for Endeavor, and she hopes that he will be able to stand proud in front of everyone and tell them all that he will not hesitate to act, and he will be the bringer of peace.
Each hero's speech is similar to the typical PR narrative. They are either humbled by their position, expressing regret for not doing more, or promising action against villains preparing an attack. Her eyes land on Hawks as he stands on the stage with his shoulder slugged downwards, his weight shifting from side to side, and his head heavily tossing from person to person that speaks.
He is clearly uninterested in their words as well as his presence here, and she grits her teeth, seeing his demeanor to be a PR nightmare. People are going to see him as an arrogant ass if he continues this.
She watches him as Edgeshot speaks, seeing him sighing heavily and rolling his eyes. Finally, he speaks over the ninja hero. "Ah come on guys, who wants to hear this kinda canned crap? Stain maybe?" Asami's jaw falls to the ground when he says this as the entire arena goes silent.
"I like this guy, he's fun," Miruko states.
"As always, you enjoy causing a commotion," Edgeshot directs at the winged hero.
"I just have a problem holding back sometimes," he says snatching the microphone from the host. "Okay, so if we're talking about popularity Best Jeanist is ranked at the top thanks to the boost he got from being on hiatus," he begins as he starts flying over the crowd. "I'm runner-up, thanks," he says catching Asami's hard eyes on him and returns it with a wink at her. "Edgeshot is third," he turns his eyes from hers, "And Endeavor ekes in at fourth," he says with a slight smile on his face. "I'll skip the rest."
Asami's heart races as she begins calculating how she will control the narrative after this stupid show of his. "To be honest with you, I think the approval rating is the most important number right now." He continues, "Isn't it about time the charts were overhauled? Don't you think we need to change how we do things? Our great symbol is no more."
"'Critical juncture'?" he continues with a scoff. "So why does it seem like everyone's playing it safe with these rehashed PR lines up here?" she feels her chest heat up at his smug comments, "Maybe we should stop pretending and start saying what's on our minds, huh?"
He looks down at the crowd as Asami hears people whispering about his speech with a mix of people disgusted in his arrogance, while others feel he speaks an unspoken truth. "Well, that's all I've got to say," he says as he lands next to the flame hero. "Now let's hear from Number One, who has a lower approval rating than I do," he adds and she feels like he is punching her in the gut more than he is Endeavor.
Endeavor snatches the microphone from Hawks who watches him expectantly. The flame hero's turquoise gaze moves towards Asami in the crowd. She sends him a sad smile, unable to conjure up real happiness after Hawks' words. She gives him a thumbs up, hoping that is enough to encourage him to say what he needs to say, regardless of Hawks' stunt.
He hesitates for a moment, thinking about what to say, recalling the speech and suddenly feeling foolish because of that winged idiot. "Since this child decided to fan the flames, I won't say much," he begins and her heart sinks as he goes off script, but still hopeful he will maintain something from the speech she worked on. "So instead, just watch what I do."
She slaps her hand to her forehead as he says this, not getting the point at all of her speech. A dim murmur from the crowd ignites as people question if that was really what he had prepared to say.
Asami looks up with a cringe as Hawks begins clapping steadily, with his gloved hands being the only applause the flame hero receives. Asami grabs her purse and leaves her seat, feeling her chest tighten as she seethes.
She pulls out her phone, dialing Fuyumi's number as she brings the screen to her ear. The phone rings twice before she picks up. "Hey," Asami says to her with a forced smile on her face as she fakes a happy tone. "I was wondering if you were busy? Maybe grab a drink?"
"Oh, I am actually with my mom and brother right now," she returns on the phone. "But you're welcome to visit."
"Umm," she thinks for a moment chewing on her lip as she sees the crowds of people leaving the awards. "Sure, why not, it will be good to see you all again," she says with a warm smile. "I'm pretty hungry so I am going to grab some sushi before I head out, want me to bring you some?"
"Sure!" she says and gives the girl her family's order.
Asami stands in line at the restaurant for a bit while she waits for them to complete her order. She sighs heavily, glancing at her phone at Hawks' messages that apologize for his actions today. She considers sending him a scathing message for what he pulled today, furious with him for making a fool of Endeavor and consequently a fool of her. She keeps her emotions in check, knowing that if she messages him anything in this state, she will regret it.
She grabs the bag of food when they call her name and shoves her phone in her purse so she is not tempted to text the winged hero.
She juggles the bags of food and her purse in her hands as she tries to hail a cab towards the hospital where Fuyumi and her family wait for her. She lifts her hand to wave down a ride when she hears a deafening explosion ring through the street and shakes the ground around her.
Asami drops her food from the shock, spilling the contents on the floor, but her eyes are on the building the explosion comes from. Her heart drops when she looks to the sky to see a villain fly out of a building it's crashed into. She squints her eyes when she noticed Endeavor coming from the building the villain crashed into and begins fighting with it.
Her hands shake as she begins running towards the battle, heart beating in her throat at the realization that Keigo was with him.
She begins running towards the explosion, eyes focused on the battling two in the sky. Endeavor fights the black beast that attacks him, and she notices that it is one of those Nomu creatures that the League of Villains created. Her heart races, having read online the power of these beasts and how one was almost as strong as All Might himself.
Her eyes frantically search the sky for Hawks, wanting but worrying if he is helping Endeavor. She continues to run towards the fight, now pushing her body against the crowds of people that evade the disaster and pull her from the sight.
She hears news casters discussing and reporting on the battle, focusing on the lack of a Symbol of Peace and not the fight or Endeavor's push to fight against the beast. She continues to watch the battle above her, hearing the booming explosions of the fighting duo crashing into one another.
The closer Asami gets to the fight, the hotter and thicker the air becomes. She can feel the heat emanating from his blasts against the Nomu. She can hear his war cries over the battle while the Nomu roars with a trembling sound.
Her eyes widen with shock as the Nomu continues to regenerate against Endeavor's attacks, regardless of how much he puts into each attack.
Her heart races at the idea that he will not be able to win against this beast, and she questions what this will mean for heroes moving forward if their Number One is taken out by this creature.
The ground begins shaking and Asami looks up to the sky to see a building begin to collapse. Her eyes widen in fear knowing that she and the rest in the crowd around her are too close to the building, and will be buried in the debris of the blast. She thinks about all the people in the building and how they will all surely die when it comes crashing down.
Her legs begin to shake at the thought when she notices Hawks, flying above, shooting out the feathers of his wings as they begin pulling people and evacuating them from the area. Her eyes glisten as she studies him from below, watching as his wings effortlessly free people from their perilous situation.
She smiles up at him, realizing just how amazing he truly is, silently cheering him on as he fearlessly assists the Number One hero.
Once all the bystanders have been evacuated from the crumbling building, Endeavor uses his Flash Fire Fists to incinerate the building into small pieces, so any raining debris will not harm the people who watch from below.
Asami smiles as she glances up at the two men she's worked beside for years, completely crippled in awe at their ability and strength to fight alongside one another. She can't help but think about how great this will bode for his public image, especially on the day he accepted his Number One hero spot.
The frustration of the day and his speech being cut short by Hawks' antics all sweep away from her worries as she watches the Pro Hero do what he does best.
She hears another explosive boom and her eyes move from Hawks to Endeavor and the Nomu, looking up in horror as the Nomu launches out other Nomu from his back. Smaller light blue Nomu begin to jump to the ground below and terrorize the civilians.
Asami panics as the ground around her begins to flee from the scene. Her body is pulled in all directions as people frantically try to evade the incoming Nomu.
She feels herself falling towards the ground as she is pushed and pulled in all directions. She frantically tries to stay afloat in the crowds as mass panic erupts around her.
Deafening screams ring in her ears, her vision is blurred as she's drug under the bodies of those surrounding her, and her body is hot from the proximity of others as well as the fire user's Quirk exploding above them. Asami can no longer breathe as her chest contracts and tightens, and she needs to get as far away from this scene as possible.
She's dragged down in the crowd as she sinks further and further into the sea of bodies. She panics more as her body clenches and freezes as her head falls below everyone. She clutches onto her necklace closing her watering eyes wishing the feather was large enough to pull her from the crowd and save her as the others had.
Her vision begins blackening as she falls under the bodies of people, with only a matter of time before she's trampled to death. The tear threatening to break through her lashes falls down her cheek, and she whines at the realization that this is it.
She lifts her other hand to the sky, hoping that Hawks will see her and swipe her up into his arms, but he doesn't. She closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath, pushing out the sounds of people's crying and the Nomu roaring above her so she can die with warm quiet surrounding her.
But her eyes flash open when she feels someone forcefully tugging at her arm, pulling her out of the crowd and opening up her airways and surroundings. Her eyes frantically search for her savior when they land on two piercing turquoise pools.
A/N: Hope you all enjoy! Don't forget to leave a comment to let me know what you think of the story so far!