Something that had seemed like such an obstacle in my life at that time just a few years ago was now one of my biggest blessings to this day. Ripping my eyes away from my clothed figure in the mirror, I turned my gaze towards a photo strip from a photo booth session that Clara and I had taken just a month before. Leaning forward, I took the strip in my hands from where I had squeezed into in between the mirror and the frame encasing it. A small smile hung at the corners of my lips as I examined each and every photo. The first was just me and my little girl smiling the widest smiles ever, the second was me giving her a massive kiss on her little rosy cheek. The third was her and I making the goofiest faces imaginable and the fourth was us sharing the biggest hug I possibly ever gave her. A tiny tear threatened to begin its trip down my cheek. However, I quickly brushed it away before it had the chance to escape, putting the strip back into it's home in my mirror's frame.
I shook the traumatizing trip down memory lane out of my mind as I grabbed several articles of makeup and tossed them into my tote bag, followed by my preferred black heels that coordinated with the dress. Because it was a nice day outside and it did not seem like the weather would be unreasonable today, I simply brushed through my hair once more, pulling it through a scrunchie before beginning my commute to Lush.
After the twenty minute stroll, I approached the closed nightclub, pulling my keys from my purse. Sliding the correct key into the lock, I twisted the knob with my opposite hand and pushed the door open. A rush of cool air from within embraced me, a stark contrast to the heat outside. Entering the hallway that led into the club, I pushed the door closed behind me before locking it back up. There was still several hours before opening, leaving plenty of time to prepare for the shift ahead.
The moment I locked the door, I kicked my flats off and shuffled around my tote bag for my heels. "Ya know, you don't need to have those on yet." My attention was brought upward, looking at the male carbon copy of myself.
"I know that, Hunter. They just go better with the dress is all." I replied, hooking the black heels onto my small feet and stowing away my flats. A small smile appeared across my twin's lips as he crossed his arms, biceps threatening to break through the fabric of his black button down shirt. As he leaned against the wood of the hallway's doorframe, his eyes, matching my own, glimmered with mischief.
As I walked through the hallway and approached him, I noticed his smile still hadn't wavered. "What's the dumb smirk for?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow in his direction. I continued walking into the main area of the club, with my taller, more annoying twin closely following.
"Oh, nothing. Just wondering how many more guys and girls are going to offer you their phone numbers tonight." Hunter explained through his irritating smirk, still following me up to the bar where I sat my bag down. Not even bothering to meet his gaze, I replied, "Oh hardy, fucking har."
An almost venomous chuckle escaped my brother's lips. "I'm messing with you, sis. It's refreshing seeing them fall over you, and you turning them down with a smile." Hunter hopped up on one of the barstools, pushing a Scotch glass back and forth between his hands. Another hand gripped the glass, stopping it dead between his hands.
"Stop messing with her, we need everyone in a decent mood tonight." A third, somewhat more soothing tone cut the tension between Hunter and myself. Chase gripped the glass and tossed it between his hands. As he rounded the counter to begin cleaning, Hunter glared at our fraternal twin.
"I wasn't done with that, asshat." Hunter protested, a very mild buzz lingering on his words. Chase scrubbed the glass and slid it on the counter with the rest of the clean drinkware, stating simply, "Yes, you were."
"Jake needs everyone in a decent mood and sober for tonight. It's a Friday night, there's gonna be a million idiots clamoring in here, we don't need anyone off their game." Chase continued as he turned to face us once more. He wore a similar ensemble to Hunter, with the addition of a dark gray vest that was left unbuttoned to the black button down and dark pants. Both of the boys had somewhat unruly chocolate brown hair that hid their foreheads.
As Chase droned on, I continued to listen intently whilst sorting through my bag and preparing myself for the shift ahead. Meanwhile, Hunter retained a facial expression that screamed boredom, his chin resting in his hand, with his elbow resting on the glass top bar.
"Yeah, yeah. Same spiel every weekend, blah, blah, blah." Yet another male voice broke through the now mildly boring atmosphere that Chase had created. The three of us brought our attention to the massive spiral staircase to the far right of the room. Strolling down the metal steps was the third and final brother, Daniel.
Considering he was another fraternal twin to us, Daniel bore a striking resemblance to us but not exactly. Being the black sheep of the family, Dan went for a simple, plain black t-shirt rather then the semi-formal garb that our brothers and myself preferred. Accompanying the t-shirt were simple black jeans and black Converse high tops. And, much to Jake's disapproval, Dan also adorned his double dimple and Medusa piercings.
"I'm not sure how I got stuck here with the three of you." I remarked, turning my gaze towards the twinkly ceiling as Dan sauntered towards the end of the bar. A snicker escaped from Hunter and Dan as Chase held his hands up at his sides in confusion. "What did I do?" Chase questioned as he crossed his strong arms across his broad chest. While Dan and Hunter maintained a somewhat lanky figure with a bit of muscle, Chase made it a point in his day, every other day of the week, to visit the local gym. This obviously explained the significant physical difference between the three.
Leaving my brothers to talk amongst themselves, I rounded the bar, entering the small room separated by the wall of glasses and liquors. The wall directly to my left was lined, floor to ceiling with lockers, with a single row of plush seats dead bolted down the center of the tiled floor. Sitting atop one of the seats were one of my long time friends, Jessi.
It seemed as though she were lost in thought, her coiled, golden blonde hair not yet being styled. Her ensemble somewhat resembled my own, with her neckline instead being a sweetheart and cut outs underneath the bust instead being at her sides. Suddenly, it was as if she had gone on autopilot, her thin fingers absentmindedly braiding the golden strands lining her pale face.
I slowly entered the room, cautiously approaching as to not startle her. "Hey Goldie," I greeted sweetly, turning to my left and opening a locker, shoving my belongings inside before taking a seat at her side. Jessi gave a half smile in my direction as she twisted a black hair tie around the end of her braid. I returned the grin and stretched my back slightly as I asked, "Quinn hasn't come in yet?" I had asked, not just to break the anxious tension, but upon the discovery that the Latina's locker remained wide open.
"Not yet as far as I know," She answered blankly, securing her braid before leaning down to adjust the strap of her heel. As Jessi straightened her back once more, she inquired, "How's my niece?" A small smile remained across my lips as I met her green gaze. "She's well, actually at school with her cousins now." A small, somewhat saddened smile remained across my best friend's lips in response.
Jessi was never the sort of person to be this quiet. During these rare instances, her silence was unbearably loud. There were words she wished to speak, but it seemed as though they were trapped in her throat.
"What's on your mind?" I just barely whispered to her. Her hands now rested in her lap, her gaze now refusing to meet my own. Gently, I rested my right hand on her own. Not even a second later, out of the corner of my eye, I watched an eye roll escape her. "You know what's on my mind, August." Her reply caused my own words to retreat. "What's been on my mind since I found out you were pregnant..." Jessi added, causing a lump to form in my airway.
I remained silent as I retracted my hand from hers. Swallowing back the invisible bump in my throat, I maintained my silence as I stood from my seat and swiftly gained way towards the doorway. The further away I moved, the harder I felt her dull gaze concentrate on my back. "Okay, okay, party people! Who's ready for-Hey!" Hunter's obnoxiously loud voice led him as he entered the backroom, only briefly being interrupted by my quickly passing figure shoulder barging into his own.
Hours had passed by so quickly, considering those hours consisted of nothing but sweeping the sparkly, black tiled floors, spraying down and wiping the standing tables, bar stools and other surface areas that patrons loved to soil. Wiping down all of the metal door handles, the iron railings of the spiral staircase and the porcelain and metal surfaces in the restrooms were also a must. By the end of the night, many of the floors, especially those of the restrooms would require another good sweeping, quickly followed by a solid mopping.
The cleaning of the club always assisted in keeping my mind clear. It never mattered if the day had been filled with boredom, tension or laughter. The satisfaction that followed ridding the establishment of dust, dirt and grime, making it appear grand opening ready again was always invigorating.
Within minutes of the front doors opening, young men and women clamored through the doors to begin ordering what seemed like every single one of Chase's mixed alcoholic masterpieces. Every weekend, Lush was alive with all walks of life; college girls and fraternity brothers wanting to decompress from the past week's worth of classes, businessmen and women wanting a night out that did not involve being holed up in a stuffy office building. Given the club's growing popularity, every once and awhile a small named, low ranking Pro Hero would make an impromptu appearance. Some of those included Slidin' Go, Present Mic who had brought a rather sulky looking friend along for the ride, and even Pro Hero Snatch. That had been a bit before he was tragically murdered by a pack of villains.
It always brought a smile to my face witnessing the hustle and bustle of Lush. Despite how young the bar was, the growing business and excitement consistently reminded me how successful my step brother had become. Even though I do not see him as often as I'd like, I know he intends the best for us all. And we carry this feeling through each other, the kids and somehow, through the patrons that visit the club weekly.
The smile that this thought produced remained across my lips through the first hour and a half of my shift. It was this sweet grin that earned me any loose bills that any and all of the patrons that I served carried in their pockets, wallets, wristlets and purses. However, sometimes this smile gained unwanted admirers. Hunter's earlier comment of how men and women of any age fawned over me came surfacing through my mind as many phone numbers and social media handles were shoved my way. Some on business cards, others had been scrawled across our signature silver napkins. Of course, politely, I would accept them. However, not even seconds later, they'd be discarded at the bottom of my bag, and later, in the trashcan behind the bar.
The moment that my assigned tables were served, I situated myself in an empty barstool at the opposite end of a handful of patrons. Stretching my back against the chair, through the thump of the bass and the accompanying harmonies of the music, I heard Chase inquire, "Filled all your orders already?" Straightening my back once more, I nodded and watched as Chase created three margaritas in the span of a single minute. He had discarded his vest, hanging it on a hook nailed into the wall by the end of the bar. At somewhat lightening speed, he garnished the drinks and slid them onto the tray reserved for Quinn for the night.
The moment the third and final drink slid onto her tray, the brunette Latina glided to my side and perched herself onto the stool to my left.
"I was beginning to think I wouldn't see you all night!" Her enthusiastic tone pierced through the thump of the tunes that Dan proceeded to blast through the club. Leaning an elbow onto the glass top of the bar, I watched my best friend stretch her caramel colored arms over her head. The motion caused her two piece, black dress to move with her body, the bust moving upwards to contain her breasts and the skirt maintaining it's hold along her waistline. As she relaxed her arms back down to her sides, the twinkling fabric relaxed.
"I was about to say the same to you, Quinta." I replied back, a small smirk plastering itself across my lips. Her head was now leaned back, the strawberry blonde highlights that streamed through her brunette locks almost shimmering in the miniscule lighting of the club. A small, sarcastic grin arose on her lips before she leaned back upwards. "Oh, ha, ha, ha. I'll be back." A snotty undertone reverberated through her words as Quinn snatched the tray from the glass. I watched as she quickly turned on her heels, reuniting with her three patrons and serving their drinks.
Simply through her body language and how she was carrying herself around the customers, something was wrong. That observation only solidified through our short-lived conversation.
Turning back to face Chase, I questioned, "What flew up the Latina's ass and died this time?" Chase turned towards me from where he'd been sanitizing more drinkware. "Hawks, funnily enough." He continued wiping down the glasses while I intently spectated.
"He asked her out again, huh?" I inquired, earning a nod from my brother. "Of course. And your best friend was dumb enough to broadcast where she worked on social media. So, take a wild guess on who's now a regular." A small eye roll escaped me at my brother's words.
Just before I even thought of replying, the loud slam of a tray to my left filled my ears. Plopping her rear end back down into her seat, Quinn held her face in her hands, glaring daggers at Chase. "Yes, broadcast my mistake to the entirety of Lush. Thanks, Chase Dashiell Hadley." Quinn retorted in Chase's directions. In response, his nose scrunched at the mention of his middle name. Before gliding away to tend to a new blonde at the bar, he raised his stressful looking hands in surrender towards my best friend.
Quinn rested her head in her hands, massaging her scalp. "What did I do to deserve his attention anyway?" My best friend asked such an idiotic question, that I felt the overwhelming urge to deliver an idiotic answer. "Perhaps because, the first night the hero was here, you decided to be flirty and give out your real phone number." I reminded her of Hawks' first visit to Lush. Meeting my gaze once more, she gave a mildly sarcastic smile.
"How do you remember all of the idiotic things I've ever done, Hadley?" Quinn asked yet another idiotic question. This caused me to serve up a rather shit eating grin before answering, "Well, don't you recall our first day of high school? You asked me to keep your idiotic actions and statements in check." The fond memory brought a fond, genuine smile to the young woman's lips. Leaning back upwards, Quinn drummed her hands on the bar before standing from her seat. "Yeah, I remember. Not sure where I'd be without you, Hadley."
"Aw, you're flattering me, Montez." I sarcastically but genuinely remarked before spinning my stool to face the now standing brunette. The same wide, dimpled and genuine grin remained plastered across her sweet face. In that moment, all I could think of was that it was pretty obvious why Hawks took a liking to her; she was amazing.
"Hawks is right to like you, you know." I remarked, leaning onto my knees with my elbows. No other words formed from her, but the genuine grin remained. It was while matching her grin that I recalled a small fact, that produced a rather sizeable, mischievous thought. "Uh... Don't you have to check in with your bird boy?" I reminded her, gesturing towards the hole in the wall styled booth that the pro had recently reserved.
A small roll of her eyes followed her reply. "Yeah, yeah, don't remind me. I'm going." With that, she turned on her heels and lazily sauntered in the direction of the booth. The small remained across my lips as I turned back towards the bar. With this, I had noticed that Chase was still busying himself with the blonde that had approached the bar earlier. She seemed cute enough, two double buns tying her hair up and out of her curious, golden eyes.
The sight of my brother finally immersing himself in a conversation with someone brought a little fuzzy feeling to my chest. All of his time was either spent at the business, honing his Quirk or by himself doing God knows what. So even if this was the only occurrence, perhaps it was a step in a certain direction.
The relationship that Quinn seemed to be building with Hawks, and Chase's newfound connection had sent my mind down a rabbit hole of thought. The first thought that had begun this roller coaster was if I would ever find the same connection that Chase seemed to have just discovered. Was there any kind of chance left in the world that someone would speak to me and we would feel some sort of connection? There was always that single spark of hope that perhaps someday, there would be that special someone. Someone that overlooked my past, my own mistakes and the events that were never my fault.
However, there was this one small fact that remained; I am a mother. Clara would most likely have questions, and whether she asked them or not, they would still surface in her mind. If I ever did meet anyone, she would wonder who they were, where her biological father was and if he would ever be in the picture. Or, why he was never in the picture to begin with.
The overwhelming guilt of wanting a partner was beginning to consume me. Solely because of the fact that if I somehow met someone, it would severely complicate Clara and I's life together. At that thought, my heart sank into the ever growing pit at the bottom of my stomach.
Just as I had resigned myself to being a young, single mother forever, a warm hand found itself a home on my bare shoulder. Nearly jumping and tumbling from my seat, I turned and saw Quinn had returned, her hand clamped onto my skin. "You have to follow me, now." She firmly ordered, replacing her vice grip onto my wrist and basically dragging me from my seat. Before I could even begin to string a response together, the brunette began dragging me across the dance floor by my hand. As we hurried, we managed to slip and slither through the oblivious patrons.
"Can you tell me what this is all about?" I questioned as I made my best effort to keep up with Quinn. Despite the fact that she was wearing six inch heels, she was hustling as if she were an emergency medicine doctor and there were lives on the line. "No," She answered simply as we braved the crowd of drunks together. Before I could even begin to question her, Quinn added, "Because if I tell you why, you'll try to run and hide." Her words shoved my own back down into my throat and I allowed her to lead me to our destination.
Lounging against the plush upholstery was the newly appointed number two hero, Hawks. His glorious, crimson wings seemed to mimic his utter relaxion and the calm, cool attitude that seemed to exude from his being. Just by the feeling of the atmosphere surrounding the hero, it seemed as though he had a friend who had taken well to hiding in the shadows. Through the dim lighting of the booth, his golden eyes shimmered at the sight of Quinn.
As we neared the booth, Hawks' signature grin surfaced. The mere sight of this man's smile sent a small butterfly to tickle through my heart. How Quinn isn't infatuated with this man, I am not sure, was the only thought that crossed my mind. His attention remained separated from his friend as he rose a gloved hand towards Quinn.
This caused her to release her grasp on my wrist, rejoining the hero on the banquette. Despite not having those sort of feelings towards him, Quinn was careful to not injure his wings as she scooted close to him.
"You must be the amazing August Hadley," Hawks kept his signature grin across his thin lips as he met my gaze once more. Oddly enough, as he spoke my name, the same curious glimmer crossed his eyes. A small smile and nod was my only response, following my growing social anxiety coming to join the soiree.
Almost seeming to catch himself, Hawks facepalmed himself with his free hand. "God, where are my manners? August, this is my associate, Dabi. Dabi, be nice and entertain the girl." A small tilt of my head followed Hawks' words. Perhaps that was the name of the person that seemed to accompany Hawks tonight?
Just then, a somewhat warmer then average hand gently grasped my wrist and guided me downwards, causing my rear end to meet the comfortable seat of the booth. The brief curiosity of the moment was quickly stunted by the feeling of the hand gently squeezing my wrist.
Through the dim lighting of the booth, I finally managed to make out a face. However, it was not one that I recalled. This Dabi character was completely unknown to me.
As my eyes continued adjusting to the shadows hiding this man mostly from view, the first most noticeable feature were his eyes; the glimmering, gorgeous turquoise that would for sure haunt my dreams later on tonight. The more and more I stared into them, I feared I would become lost. Something about them seemed so warm, inviting, but also dangerous.
Lining what seemed to be the majority of his body were patches of gnarled, leathery looking scarred skin that clung onto the healthy portions by sturdy looking, surgical staples. Many people would most likely run for the hills upon seeing this man, clad in a dark leather jacket over a white V-neck t-shirt paired with dark pants and boots. But the longer I sat beside this man, something about his aura, the air surrounding him felt so familiar.