Freeze Frame

Chapter 80

Hey you guys! I'm super glad you like the story, but it would be super awesome if you could stop asking me to update or asking me when I am updating again. You all know it general takes a day or two for the next one to come out XP I'm going as fast as I can, but it's a bit stressful to have people constantly asking. Especially if I already posted that night! Thank you! 

Third person pov

Lillian has absolutely no idea what to do. So much was happening, and so fast. She'd bashed Endeavor, discovered that she had actual fans, and even communicated with Bakugo without him blowing her up. She'd even bashed Endeavor with zero shame whatsoever. Shoto's mother was out of the hospital and going to be living with them at the Shinso household, and the half-and-half boy was helping Hawks become the new Number Two Hero. Speaking of Hawks, he was Chad's brother, and Chad and Bakugo had both taken down a small portion of the Yakuza.

Neito was still MIA. They'd tried to call and text, but the most they'd gotten was a series of emojis not even Izuku could decipher. The freckled boy was, oddly enough, an expert. He probably had to be with all the time he spent on the internet doing god knows what. Probably stalking chat rooms about pro heroes, along with quirks and quirk analysis in general. Internet slang had evolved into a whole other language in and of itself.

Truth be told, she was pretty sure she was about to have a mental break down. She didn't know exactly what to do with the information Hitoshi had just given her, her plan to gain confidence was working, but slower than it needed to for someone gaining popularity. Internships were notoriously stressful, but she hadn't expected this. Then again, not everyone found their birth father while interning, nor did they accidentally gain fans because of some things they blurted out. 

"Hey, Shoto." Lillian greeted, sounding oddly despondent even in her own ears. She was almost surprised with herself. Almost. The girl knew exactly what was happening. This was the calm before the storm. For a while, all would be numb. Then the wave would hit. It would crash down on her and leave in a hyperventilating mess of tears that couldn't form a coherent sentence even if her life depended on it. It was a sad realization, but she took it in stride. She was getting a little better. With the support of her friends and teachers, and with Hound Dog's vigilant help, she was getting better.

Shoto had picked up after several rings. Lillian would have thought he'd be done flying by then, but immediately felt bad for making assumptions. She was probably interrupting his sort-of-reunion with his mother. It was almost hilarious, actually. She'd found her dad, and he'd gotten back his mom. What would happen next? Neito's parents would stop being assholes for two seconds and decide to give a shit about him? Wherever Neito was, that is.

"Hey." Shoto grunted, seeming oddly far from the phone. In the background, there was a clang. "You're on speaker. I almost wasn't sure I'd answered."

"Are you at Mihoko's already?" Lillian frowned a little, brow creasing. She didn't like the background sounds she was hearing.

"No, I got held up. Hawks and I both." Shoto grunted again. "I got a text from Fuyumi and didn't even see it coming. Hawks got tackled out of the air by one of those... one of those things before I even knew what was happening. I fell into an alley. I think my father is nearby, too. There are pros everywhere." Her blood ran cold at that.

A million things ran through her mind. It was in her nature to panic, but it felt justified this time around. What did he mean they'd been tackled out of the air? She cursed herself for not being more tuned into the news. It was possible this was a recent development, but it would have hit at least one station by now. The chain reaction would carry it to the front lines after than. She took a slow, deep breath. She needed to stay calm.