You took out your burner phone and stared at Alex's contact name. "The Angry Nerd." You chuckled to yourself. "God, I suck at nicknames."
You intended to call Alex and tell him about what transpired at the Minoru Mansion. You closed your phone and slid it back into your pocket since you didn't want to bother him. To prevent suspicion, you wore your jacket's hood up and avoided some people.
Turning to a corner, you gasped loudly when you saw a man suddenly passing by with white-colored hair, too similar to Pietro's. But it wasn't Pietro; instead, it was an unknown and ordinary man. Before going on his way, the man gave you an odd glance. As you accelerated your speed, you shoved your hands into your pockets. In the last few days, all you could see was your dead brother's face, which troubled and disturbed you.
You located a convenience store close after a few more walks. You walked into the business with your head bowed to avoid being seen by the surveillance cameras. You were just looking for cup noodles and canned items when you dropped a cheap protein shake for Chase. You were grateful to Alex for providing you with sufficient funds to feed the group.
You knelt to pick up the protein shake until someone in front of you offered assistance. When you glanced at the stranger, you realized he was no stranger at all. 'Oh, my God...' When the young man in front of you stared right back at you, your eyes widened.
"(Y/n)?"
"Adam?"
Adam grinned as he stood up with you and pulled you into a hug. You were caught by surprise, but you hugged him back, relieved to see a familiar face once more. "I heard the news!" Adam exclaimed as he pulled away. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? How are you holding up?"
You blinked your eyes in surprise. "Wait... you just said you heard the news and now you're worried about...?"
"You, of course!" Adama stifled a chuckle. "I said I heard the news but I didn't say I believed what the news said." He glanced at your hair and his smile grew bigger. "Nice hair color."
You cocked an eyebrow. "Sorry?"
"Your hair. It went lighter from the last time we saw each other."
You caressed your fingers through each strand of hair as you looked down. "Oh... I didn't even know it went lighter."
"You didn't do it on purpose?" Adam gasped. "I thought you dyed your hair so the police wouldn't recognize you—"
When the shop owner walked around the isles, you swiftly placed your palm around Adam's mouth to keep him quiet. You breathed a sigh of relief and moved away from Adam once the owner entered the backroom. "Sorry."
"No, it's okay." Adam smiled. He lowered his gaze to the small shopping basket containing a few foods inside. "That's all you're going to buy?"
"Well, we don't have enough money to spend, so..."
Adam took your hand in his and assisted you in standing up, removing the shopping basket from your grip. "I'll pay for it."
Your eyes widened as you quickly shook your head in protest. "No, no, no." You dashed over to Adam, who continued to stuff the basket with additional food. "No, I won't let you. You don't have to pay—"
"Hey." Adam faced you and gave you a warm smile. "It's okay. Seeing you okay is a great relief to me so the least I could do to help you is to make sure you and your friends eat a lot." He approached the cashier and paid for the entire contents of the basket. "Besides, if this is the last time we'll see each other, I want to make it worth it. Count it as a date even." He winked.
As you grabbed the paper bag from the cashier, you hesitated for a second, a faint blush forming on your cheeks, and you rolled your eyes playfully. "I didn't agree that this was a date, Adam." You chuckled as the two of you got out of the convenience store. "What are you doing around the neighborhood by the way? Especially in a convenience store?"
Adam tucked his hands in his pockets and glanced back at the store. "I craved for a hot cup of noodles." He shrugged. "I don't know. For some reason, they taste better than the noodles I had at home for me."
You and Adam turned to face each other and shared a smile. "So, this is where we part?" Adam asked gloomily, saddened by the fact that he won't be able to see you sooner.
"Yes, I guess this is." You replied.
Adam stared at you and his smile grew wider. "I am going to miss you."
"Slow down there, Adam." You chuckled. "We didn't even lend each other our numbers."
Adam thought for a moment before taking out his ballpen from his pocket and reaching his hand out. "Come on, give it."
You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. "Give what?"
"Your hand."
Adam began writing on your skin with your unoccupied hand, which you unwillingly took out. You attentively examined his scribbling till you saw he was writing his phone number. "If you ever need someone to talk to or need help with something, you can call me, okay?"
You looked down at Adam's phone number scribbled on the back of your hand once he was finished. "How will you know if I'm the one who's calling?" You asked.
"I'll answer every call just to hear your voice again."
Your cheeks warmed up from his words and Adam gave you a wave before leaving. You stood stunned in front of the convenience shop before turning around to go back to your friends. You couldn't drop your smile from how happy you felt after seeing Adam again. You were fortunate to have met someone like him.
You were going to start walking when you spotted an old woman offering free haircuts to the homeless and runaways. Your fingers grazed your hair and you thought deeply for a while before approaching the elderly. "Hi." You greeted with a polite smile. "I would like a trim, please?"
°•○●○•°
Nico and the rest of the group, stared at you in utter bewilderment as you walked toward them. You've noticed that the mansion now has electricity. You noticed your friends inside the dining room, so you set the table with the food you—well, Adam—had purchased. "Here's our food until next week. I couldn't get into a supermarket. Too many cameras."
The Runaways continued to stare at you, still in awe. Your brows furrowed, and you felt immediately insecure. "Um, what is it?" You asked. "Do I have something in my face?"
"Your hair," Gert said as she pointed her finger to you. "It's..."
"Yeah, I took a trim. Don't worry, the trim was free. There was a really nice lady who gives free haircuts to people." You explained.
"No, no, no." Nico shook her head. "That's not what Gert meant. It's just that..."
"Your hair changed." Molly gasped. "You didn't notice?"
You blinked in wonder and swiftly looked to the side, where a mirror was positioned, to find that your hair had altered significantly since the last time you saw it. You were completely unaware that about half of your hair had turned an orange-red color. "Did that old lady dye my hair or...?"
"Maybe it's linked to your powers?" Karolina suggested as she stared at your hair. "But, I'm not gonna lie, I kinda dig it. It looks good on you."
Nico shook her head. "Anyway, I'm calling a house meeting. With or without Alex."
You looked at the empty seat beside Karolina. "Oh, he's not back yet?"
"Apparently not." Chase sighed.
"Do we wait?" You asked.
"Think we have a quorum," Gert replied earning a nod from you as you sat beside Nico.
"Power's on," Nico stated, glancing at the lights in the mansion. "Thanks to Chase and Gert."
Chase and Gert nodded with a smile. "That's all I wanted." Chase grinned.
"We got the Staff of One back," Nico added. "And the Fistigons?"
"I'll fix 'em tonight now that we have light," Chase answered.
"Okay." You smiled. "I guess everyone should find bedrooms. Get some sleep tonight."
Nico nodded, agreeing with you. "Tomorrow, we're gonna figure out how to use our powers together..." She looked at her upset girlfriend and her friends. "...as a team. 9:00 AM."
-•-°-•-°-☆
I got confused with Alex and Adam lmaoo 😭 I accidentally wrote Alex's name instead of Adam's in one of the sentences.