I am bacccckkk! Sorry for the delay bubs; my laptop broke and I needed to get it fixed. Now that it is working once again I'll resume my weekly schedule.
Also, hope you noticed the new cover for the book :)
Enjoy reading!
-----
Hina's shadow followed Katsuki everywhere. Even at work; especially at work.
There was an escort request today. They wanted one of the top ranked heroes to be there for the collection and transport of some rare merchandise shipment coming in from China.
Katsuki took the job thinking it'll help him distract himself from his inner turmoil. What he wasn't expecting was at least three trucks worth of special grade fireworks he had to oversee.
Stupid of them to even request such an important transfer with someone who's made to explode.
It worked out in the end but he doesn't understand the fuss. They said the Hiyokuna clan ordered them for a special celebration. Rumor has it that the heir is finally taken but no one is sure.
Katsuki thought it was just fantastic, grumbled it under his breath too when the crates filled with explosives finally reached one of the private islands the Hiyokunas owned.
Since this escort job was off the coast, he wrapped up things at work later than usual, and was coming home when the moon was at its summit.
He drove through the night drowsily, grumbling in annoyance how today was just another useless day at work. How, even with the nuisance of an escort job he took, the guilt and dread curling in his stomach only amplified.
Soon he reached the gates of Midnight Hills and with the customary scan he entered the community and zoomed home. He had to cook dinner; Hina already did breakfast and lunch and it was only fair he cooked the third meal of the day.
When he saw his home at the end of the cul-de-sac, he saw a shadow standing above his home. Then the shadowed figure jumped off his roof and into the bushes of his front yard. With a screech, he slammed the breaks, and rushed out of his car, slamming the door in both anger and worry.
Whoever had the audacity to stalk his home was going to regret it very soon.
Using two powerful and condensed explosions from his palms, he shot forward into the bushes at lightning speed. The man he bumped into, grunted and hugged his torso as he laid on the floor in pain.
He was ready to explode the intruder, ready to scream bloody murder. But then he saw the silver scarf tangled all around the man, his purple waves for hair sprawled and his mask fallen from his jaw.
"The hell, Eyebags?" Kastuki grumbled, reluctantly giving a hand to help the hero on the ground. "What're ya doin' here, hiding in the shadows like a shithead criminal?"
Hitoshi Shinsou, Mind hero: Brainfreeze, and in Katsuki's nickname catalog was Brainwasher and Eyebags, only winced and smirked as he stared up at the number two hero.
"That's some thank you I get." He said, taking Katsuki's hand and standing on wobbly feet. "I only did what we all agreed to do when you were rescued. Watch over the woman the NVA seemed to have painted a target on."
Katsuki's scowl evaporated. "Thanks. Just give me a heads up beforehand."
Hitoshi's teeth widened as he gave a Cheshire grin, quickly using his scarf to wrap around Katsuki's torso, and tightening it so he couldn't move an inch.
"The egotistic Dynamight said thanks to me. The world must be ending."
He laughed when Katsuki fidgeted in the scarf, meeting red eyes that glowed with ire and irritation.
"I can apologize, you dimwit." Katsuki groused, flexing muscles yet barely moving the scarf a centimeter. "And if it's for Hina, I can do a shit ton more."
"Hina, huh?" Hitoshi released the binds, wrapping the scarf expertly around his neck. "I'd say I'm surprised but seeing how soft you get-"
"I don't get soft-"
"Seeing how soft you get with Tanaka-san, it's not as shocking of a development for you."
"Tch, go home, Eyebags. It's late." He grumbled, his eyes flitting to the ground and back to the stealth hero. "There's still a spy in the neighborhood."
Wind bristled, leaves shifting and the chill trickled down their spine. Hitoshi then put a hand on Katsuki's shoulder, his lavender eyes boring into Katsuki with a clear perception of the situation at hand.
"And that's why I didn't give you a heads up." He said, turning away and climbing up the wall with the agility of a cat. "I'll see ya around, Bakugo."
Katsuki looked up, Hitoshi's frame eclipsing the moon behind him. When he blinked, he disappeared, the gentle whoosh of the breeze was all he heard.
"See ya, Shinsou."
-----
Hina heard Katsuki the moment he stepped in the house.
She heard the door slam open, heard his footsteps thump across the wooden flooring, heard him mumble out what sounded like a soft, "I'm home," and heard it echo against the empty four walls. She heard him take out dishes in the kitchen, heard him hiss out something unintelligible.
But above all what she heard, she felt him. She felt his worry, felt his guilt, felt his inner turmoil. She felt his gratitude when she heard him say thanks for the food, and felt minute joy from the taste of the food he ate.
She'd prepared spicy curry for them today. However, she still felt distance was needed between them. That the bridging of their gap wasn't in her control but his. He had to come forward and still resolve this mess between them.
Because if he just told her how he's so stressed, if he just communicated how he's afraid for her safety, then she wouldn't have pressed to go out on her own. She wouldn't have purposefully pushed on to have her independence when her life was in such danger in this animalistic world.
Nonetheless, what was done, was done. All that was left was to move forward to make sure it never happened again. Make sure he didn't bottle up his dark thoughts and let it explode in the worst of ways.
Not to mention, Hitsoshi's insight was immensely helpful.
So as she laid on her side on her bed, curled her knees closer to her chest, her mind flew back to the evening when Hitoshi was in the backyard, when the skies were magentas and indigos, when she felt Katsuki's annoyance at its peak for the day.
Hitoshi was perched on the wall, veiled by two maples speckled in marigold and auburn. When he saw Hina approach him with a bottle of water in hand, he jumped down with ease, unclasped his mask off the lower half of his face, and let it rest against his collarbone, behind the layers of his scarf.
"Thank you." He said, taking the bottle from her grasp.
"Please come inside. It's pretty chilly today."
He smiled gently and shook his head. "It'll be better if I take watch outside in the shadows. Enemies can blindside me inside."
She nodded in understanding, crossing her arms across her chest and sighing into the dusk air.
"I have a question," she asked, her voice shaking with uncertainty. "May I ask?"
With another shake of his head, he hummed in assent.
"Why is Katsuki so worried-" She tapped her fingers against her arm, biting her lower lip before continuing again, "-so paranoid all the time?"
He took a sip of water, twisting the bottle cap back on with ease as he leaned his shoulder against the thick maple trunk.
"You know I can't tell you what you're asking." He said, tucking the bottle in his belt.
"I know." She said sulkily, pouting and hanging her head in defeat. "Is there still no hint on who the spy is?"
He sighed, crossing his arms and tipping his head back so his jaw was exposed above his mask. "No. Even if there was, I'm afraid I'd have to hide that from you." He glanced down, his lavender irises soft and kind. "I can tell you one thing. Bakugo is one to take everything on his shoulders emotionally. He'll take responsibility for every mistake and every little inconvenience despite his brash mouth that seems to blame everyone else but himself."
Hina absorbed the information, a sudden influx of irritation that wasn't hers eclipsing her worry. She pushed against it and soon her worry eclipsed his irritation and she was left staring at the moss on the dirt floor circling the trees.
"In other words-" She started, her breath sparse and quick. "-his inner voice is louder than what he says. And his inner voice scrutinizes him more than anyone."
He tucked his silver scarf above his nose, his eyes meeting a cat's that was slowly stalking on the wall's ledge. "Yeah."
It suddenly made more sense. All of his reluctance to tell her his worries, all of his built up rage and paranoia that spread in his lungs like a disease; they were just responses to how he internalized all of the terrible events as his fault. How he internalized all of that guilt on himself.
"So, the attack at NVA's abandoned building, his capture, Dabi's mate's untimely death..." She looked up to meet his eyes that were now on her shaking frame, "He blames himself for all of that."
"That and more, Tanaka-san." He clasped the mask back on, with sadness glazing his eyes. "Much more."
The creak of the door snapped Hina from her memory, and she froze, holding her breath in her lungs.
"Hina?" Katsuki called out in a whisper.
Hina closed her eyes when she heard the thump of his foot stepping inside, and leveled her breathing when she heard the floorboards croak with his weight when he reached the side of her bed.
She wasn't one to fake sleep or deceive others in vulnerability. But this sudden impulse Katsuki surged with was one she wasn't prepared for. This impulse that was steadily building the whole day from under her nose and exploded right in her face as she laid in bed. Exploded seemed accurate for the person that Katsuki was.
There was a dip in the mattress in front of her, warmth emanating from him with comfort like a furnace in winter.
She wanted to curl into him, tuck her head underneath his chin and listen to his heart lull her to sleep. She wanted to feel his arms cocoon her in his warmth, wanted to feel his touch that grounded her with her nightmares and soothed her nervous ticks. She wanted to inhale his scent more, wanted to let the sandalwood and campfire scent envelop her with everything.
She wanted it all, yet their conflict, his mistake, was holding her back. Even if his command was just a mere whisper now.
His hand cupped her face and she hoped her micro-twitch wasn't noticeable to him.
The empathy link that was buzzing with a plume of confusion and worry bloomed with compassion. With love. It took all of her senses to not cry into his chest from how overwhelmingly affectionate he was making her feel. It took all of her to reign in her understanding, her yearning too.
His thumb grazed her cheekbone, resting under her eye when a tear slipped through her lashes.
"'M sorry." His voice trickled through the little space between them, his breath ghosting her skin and eliciting goosebumps on her nape. He scooted closer, his knee touching hers. "I just- I can't lose you. Not when I finally have you with me."
Bittersweet affection of her own pooled in her chest, a conflicting guilt bounced back and forth too.
She sniffled and the fear webbed from him to her. Because he suddenly realized she heard him. Because he felt emotions—her emotions—that were so out of place for him.
He held his breath, frozen in place, and waited for her to do something since clearly she was awake.
And she felt the hesitance from how his touch was loosening in grip, from how his doubts were ricocheting in his fingers and toes.
She blinked her eyes open, her swirls of blue sheen with unshed tears. And when she felt his warmth recede, felt him delicately move away because he knew he entered her space unannounced, she held his hand cupping her face, pressing his touch.
His breath hitched, and his eyes widened fractionally as she blinked stray tears away, his thumb catching them on her cheekbone.
She didn't want him to leave. She wanted him to stay.
And that was enough, more than enough for his lungs to inhale fresh, enough for him to sink into the sheets by her side. Enough for him to offer comfort she so willingly accepted.
"I just-" she started in a broken whisper, her hand curling on his fingers and digging in self doubt. "I just thought you would trust me with your thoughts. Your fears. Like I trusted you with mine." Her brows pinched and his lips were pressed in a line, both breathing restless breaths filled with pain. "And I really want to hate you. I really do. But I can't. Not when I could feel you and your emotions that've been hurting you inside and I didn't help even when I knew something was bothering you-"
He crossed his finger over her lips, shushing her softly, kissing her tear stained cheeks and letting his warmth envelop her just as she imagined. And his comfort, his presence, melted the stone carved in her chest, and her sobs finally racked her lungs in relief. Because forgiving him was healing her more than healing him.
As she cried, he held her close, whispering sweet nothings in her ear. All until she finally calmed her cries, until her tears no longer flowed.
"You can be upset at me," He started, his gaze meeting hers despite the shame in his chest. "But I won't take it if you're blaming yourself for something that was never your fault. It was never your fault, ya hear me?" He kissed her hair before touching his forehead to hers.
"God I'm pathetic." She said, grabbing the collar of his muscle tank and fiddling with the hem.
He shook his head in denial, wiping her tears with his thumbs and soothed the ache of her withering heart with a vow whispered against her lips.
"I won't use my alpha voice again. Never again. Ya hear me?"
She bit her lower lip, clenching the cotton of his shirt between her fingers.
"I hate you." She hissed, her eyes boring holes into his, juxtaposing how her chest was light and free with his compassion.
I don't hate you. She thought instead. Even if I wish I could.
"I know." He sighed, defeated yet daringly hopeful.
You should hate me. He thought miserably. I don't deserve you.
She glided her wrist on the scent gland in the dip of his neck, purring softly in his skin, tears of sorrow and relief mingling with one another.
"Don't ever use it again."
"I won't." He murmured, kissing the corner of her lips. "Promise."
She pushed him gently, so she could see his face without the wrinkles of tension and shadows of guilt. To see his face with bittersweet contentment after what felt like a long time.
"Pinky swear?" She asked, bringing her pinky in front of him.
"Heh?" She wiggled her pinky again, and he couldn't stop the impossibly soft smile on his face. Hooking his pinky with hers, he leaned forward, kissing her knuckle with such care it made her heart swell.
"Pinky swear."
-----
The world was gray at night. The perfect mesh of light and dark for Torii to use his quirk.
Perfect to hide the glow in the silver reflections of the moon, dark enough to hide his frame in the shadows.
He twisted his wrist, opening a golden door from a dark, foggy alleyway and into Xerox's office.
The room was gray here too, the whites from the moonlight reflecting off of Xerox's gloves. His back faced Torii as he looked out the window, gazing at the ocean water lapping on sand and the clouds rolling in the pitch black sky.
"The shipment was processed successfully." Torii said after moments of silence, his eyes falling on the fingerless black gloves on his oak desk.
Xerox inhaled the salty yet sweet spray of the coast. "So glad Dynamight-san was so kind to personally escort the goods." His shoulders drooped within his cloak. "My cousin must be appeased?"
Torii scoffed, recalling the women trailing in a line, shackled in chains, and their faces lined with fear. He recalled Lupa's expression embellished with greed too.
"Like a child on Christmas morning." He scoffed, his scar on his left brow deepening in vengeful ire for his ex-wife. He'll reap the seeds he's sown for her demise one day. Someday.
"Good." Xerox turned around, his hood shadowing his face, his hand tucking a satellite phone in his sleeve. "Our associate says they'll have an opening tomorrow, midday."
"I'll inform the Doctor."
"No need, I already have." He chuckled, swiping on his tablet propped on a stand atop his desk, revealing live footage of the Doctor in his lab. "He's having our guest's room ready as we speak."
Torii leaned on the leather seat in front of him, shivers going down his spine. If it was from the chilly autumn breeze or from the experimentation equipment—needles, leather restraints, sensory deprivation helmets, and many other probes connecting to a larger machine—the Doctor was setting up. "What do you need me to do?"
Xerox opened a drawer in his desk, pulled out a bracelet, and gave it to Torii. With thanks on his tongue, Torii inspected it, noticing the Nakamura Enterprises logo embellished on one of the beads.
His brows raised in surprise. Because he recognized it from their debriefing meeting weeks ago. This was technology Nakamura was still running beta tests on. It's function: to hack any security system on the planet.
That included Midnight Hills.
"You'll be their getaway car." Xerox said.
Torii sighed, shaking his head and smiling in disbelief at the man's thorough execution. "As I always am."
"Well, you haven't been caught."
"Yet." He added, slipping the bracelet on his wrist and glancing to Xerox's computer screen. The one showing footage of Dynamight throughout his day: one showing him grumbling while helping the firework transport, the second of him from his car, driving home, and the third static with a thumbnail of Nakamura Enterprises listed on the bottom. The last scene made Torii more appalled than anything.
Footage of Hina in the gym, laughing along with Mina and a blue-haired man he didn't recognize.
"Be optimistic Kin-san." Xerox's blood red eyes of vengeance glowed bright. "We have all the cards in our hand."