Red Ink

Part 52 - Silent Heroes

Red didn't know what to think.

It has to be the blackmail, she thought. I'm finished.

She looked over at Kirishima in the seat beside her as the car slowly made its way to Dynamight Agency. When he noticed, he gave her a sweet smile and a reassuring squeeze of her hand, but for some reason it made her feel worse. Here he was: the shining sun in her life, completely oblivious to what she'd done. Would he be disgusted? What would he think of her for hiding this?

"It'll be okay," he said, his tone much more cheery than usual. Clearly he was trying to make her feel better, but was struggling to feel better himself. "Whatever it is, we can handle it. Right?"

Red looked away from him and nodded to herself. "Yeah. Right."

Not even she bought the words coming from her mouth. They felt stale and lifeless and she wondered if this was going to be the last time she got to hold Eijirou's hand.

She held tighter. "Eijirou. You've... you've been wonderful to me, you know that?"

"Well, yeah. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me," he said as if it was obvious. "I'd be a moron to not treat you right."

Guilt ripped at her chest. Regret, too. Was it wrong of her to fall for a hero knowing what she'd done? Even worse, was it wrong to let him fall for her? Perhaps her final crime, she thought, would be breaking her hero's heart— to give him a scar that not even she could heal.

Sad. That's how she felt. Not even living under the protection of Red Riot could save her from Dabi's blackmail. For ages now Red had been running from the inevitable, but now it was catching up. She expected to feel scared, but she didn't.

No. Red just felt sad.

As Kirishima watched out the window of the car, she stared at him, trying to memorize the handsome face. Maybe she should've taken more pictures. Ten years from now, would she remember the little scar over his eye? The smell of his cologne? The sound of his voice?

Would he remember her, the girl who lied to him and broke his heart?

There was a chance— a little one, but still flickering with enough hope for Red to dream— that he would forgive her for what she did. For creating the symbol that scarred his back, for letting him fall in love with her anyway, for lying to him about it the whole time they'd known each other.

"Hey," he said gently, nudging her with his shoulder. "I'm not letting go unless you do." He squeezed her hand tighter and brushed over her knuckles with his thumb.

Did he mean her hand, or her? She was too nervous to ask.

When the car pulled up outside Dynamight Agency, Red's stomach dropped. A massive crowd, full of reporters and cameras and an abundance of yelling civilians, completely flooded the front steps. Even before they opened the door she could hear them.

"Woah," Eijirou muttered. "That's..."

"A lot of people," Red finished.

"Do you think that's why Bakugou called us?"

"Gotta be." When he noticed the fearful look in her eye, he tilted his head a bit closer. "Hey, it's okay. Just stick close, alright?"

"Alright."

Kirishima climbed out the car door and the sound of the crowd surged in her ears. It was difficult to keep the panic at bay until he peeked back inside. "C'mon, angel." He even offered his hand.

She stared at it for a moment before taking it. What if people saw? What if associating with her ruined his reputation? It was all happening too quickly for her to think clearly, but the need for something familiar trumped her anxieties.