Mavis' pov
When I was little, I wanted to paint everyone in my favorite color. I loved that color so much and thought that if everyone was painted in that color, I would love them. It wouldn't have mattered how their personality was.
I once told that my mother. I said it was possible, because that color showed our humanity. I loved the word 'humanity' because it made me seem like an adult when I used that word. At least, in my eyes.
I couldn't understand why my mother looked at me that way when I told her. She asked me if I watched a movie I shouldn't have.
She was thinking in another way than I did.
I always loved blood red.
And I only realized how absurd I sounded when I saw my own parents painted in that color.
They were haunting me in my dreams for several years after that, covered in blood and telling me desperately that I shouldn't fear them, because they were bleeding my favorite color and just wanted to hug me.
Oddly enough, I still love that color. Just not on people that I like.
Elara and I both took one of Akito's hands. Not a second later, I felt hollow, as if where my heart should have been, there was nothing. It felt like my blood stopped pumping and my body felt light. As if I was about to float.
"You know where to bring us?"
I felt Akito nod through our connection.
"Leave immediately if Elara senses anything." I reminded him again before we three went into a shadowed corner. Shadow-walking feels like you are everywhere and nowhere at the same time. You don't have a body anymore, just a consciousness.
You hear everything and everyone if you don't control your mind. Only Akito can do that. This is a con in shadow-walking if you are not the one with the quirk.
Akito pulled me and Elara with him, because our bodies are like oil, mixed into something that makes us move slowly.
I was holding my breath the whole time, and only inhaled again when we moved out of the darkness and appeared in front of big double doors. I let go of Akito's hand and moved to cover half of my face with my mask. Elara and Akito flanked me, and even though I know Elara wanted to, she did not reach for my hand.
Akito opened the doors with his shadows, and I entered first. The room was big. Bigger than I thought it would be, but less crowded than it should be.
I thought more heroes would be here, but only the big ones, that everyone knows of, are here. The most trusted to the Hero organization. Even the police and that one detective. They all were standing around, waiting for something or someone. And I guess that would be me. Instead of looking at them or stopping, I went to the big conference table that I saw and took my seat at the head. Elara took the one on my right, and Akito preferred to stand on my left behind, watching everyone. Only when I was seated did I look up at everyone.
They were watching me, either because of confusion or mistrust. For me, they looked like little dogs that waited for an order. I gestured to the seats with my right hand and they complied slowly. The headless following made me question their smartness. I do assume that the old madam informed them of a girl that was one of their spies, but why aren't they on edge like I am every day?
It's hard to admit, but I feel a spark of jealousy jolt in me just by watching their well rested forms while I haven't slept longer than 2 hours the last couple of months. The last time I slept longer than that was when I fell unconscious for 2 days, which feels like a foggy memory, as if I imagined everything.
"You must be our spy?" A mummy asked to be sure, and I nodded. But it already seemed as if most of them wanted to leave. Children paraded inside the building and now one of them claims to be the spy. I would've kicked them out if I was in their shoes, but these heroes seemed to just be butt hurt by the fact I have all the informations that they need.
"What does a child do here?" The Pro Hero who lost her quirk a while ago, asked. Her brows furrowed with worry as she gazed at Eri. "Who is that boy?" The detective asked instead, but I only held up my hand, which made me feel a sense of satisfaction when it became silent.
The burned smell of hair put me a bit off as I breathed in a sigh, and I felt like puking the little food I ate when a touch of a nutty smell mixed into it.
"First, I would like to announce that I have the aid that you will desperately need." The big guy of the pussycats nodded, and again, I felt jealous of the way they trust someone so blindly. I silently yearned for someone to do my tasks without me asking to, but on the other side, who could do it better than me? "Where are they?"
"The question is who are they." Aizawa was the only one that did not say anything. He was just watching me. Watching Akito and Elara. I looked away to hint that his presence meant nothing to me, and instead watched Endeavor for a while. His flames looked as if they were alive and had their own mind. It felt like I was watching them dance as I lost myself in them for a moment.
Elara, sitting at a table that is a bit too high for her, looked at them all as if they were something worth only for pity. A little girl looked out of place here, but if you looked at her face, it looked like she'd participate in these type of conferences more times than she could count.
"The Yamaguchi." When I said the name, Endeavor stood up, his hands on the table and his body flaming up. Slight smoke escaped from under his palms where they touched the table. It wasn't enough to hint that the table would catch fire at any moment, just enough to indicate burned in handprints. "You expect us to team up with the most wanted mafia?!" His voice boomed into my ears, and it felt like my body was vibrating when everyone stopped breathing for just a second.
I didn't. I was trying to breathe in as much smoke as I could, to keep my mind clear and steady. Which sounds stupid on it's own, but I seem to focus better when I smell something burning. Which is also kind of comforting.
Some nodded along with Endeavor's clear aggrieved emotions, some waited for me to explain myself. Others seemed to think I was joking. "I not only expect you to team up with them, I also expect you to protect them once if they ever need it."
Outraged, the detective stood up too. "They should be happy enough we wouldn't arrest them if they ever showed to help us."
I maintained eye contact as I said, "do it then." He looked at me bewildered. "What?"
I inhaled deeply, looked around and then stood up, too. "Arrest them." I smiled and thought better of it, turning slightly and pointing to Akito and Elara. "How about now? Two of them are already here." Both of them did not budge, while Elara was fixated on Aizawa, Akito was watching everyone that moved too suddenly.
The detective scoffed and looked at me insulted. "You expect me to arrest a child?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "Why not, it's just a kid from a billion." No one said anything. No one moved. The tense atmosphere was clear as day and the way they all looked at me with disgust made me smile slightly behind my mask.
"Well, then it is settled. I am leaving." I was about to walk out, but stopped when someone shouted behind me. "Where are you going?!"
I turned around to Present Mic. "I don't wish to get arrested, so I'm leaving."
The heroes started talking in unison, making me not want to follow nor answer them. "I may have a contract with Madam President, but I am not obligated to follow any of you other than the President. And because she is not here, I can do whatever I want."
So either you accept my allies, or I'm walking out of this door and you will be left with no information."
I waited. And waited. For someone to say something along the lines of "we accept" but the only things I was hearing were outraged heroes, disgusted by the idea of joining hands with 'disgusting people'. For people to hold a moral compass above our heads, they can't even suck up their pride to save their oh so beloved city.
"Enough." The number 5 hero demanded, and everyone fell silent. "Where are they? We should at least see them to make a decision."
For a moment I just stared at them. Elara still sat at the table, so I saw her nod from my peripheral and smiled at the heroes behind my mask.
I looked at Akito and nodded towards the door. A moment later he vanished. I walked back to the table and reclaimed my seat, smiling at Aizawa and gave him a slight nod when we made eye contact.
The doors opened. Endo, Emessa and Anostrous walked inside. I didn't wanted to take everyone that I knew with me. That would have just felt like a declaration of war for me. So just those should suffice.
They had ceramic masks on. Those scary looking puppet masks with big dots as rouge, high arched, thin eyebrows and big eyes. There were two slits for them to see things, but it must be quite uncomfortable for them to breathe in those.
I never liked these masks.
Akito appeared behind me again, and the three joined him, flanking me from behind.
"Take a seat so we can speak comfortably." Some complied, others refused. Aizawa was one of them. "Mavis, since when did you start having a connection with them again?"
"Mavis? You mean that girl that went missing?" Midnight asked, but Aizawa did not answer her. He just stared at me.
I pulled down my mask, looking at him amused. "Don't tell me you thought I would turn a leaf after all that happened."
I glanced at Elara for a second and saw her ignoring Aizawa and looking at all the policemen. Her eyes completely black. Making myself comfortable on my seat, I inhaled deeply. The air smelled of coffee and almonds. And a tinge of something that I could not put a name on it yet. I furrowed my brows slightly.
It smelled familiar and made my heart pound slower than it should. For a second I thought it was from all the smoke I inhaled, but I quickly ignored that.
Am I going to have a panic attack? But why would I?
"You were right Aizawa." I made myself smile slowly, gulping down the knot that was forming in my throat. "I am a Villain." He sat down with what looked like a tinge of sadness in his eyes. But I couldn't hope for much from him. "But also a hero if you count what others say about me, disregarding who I work with. A civilian. A vigilante." I started counting with my fingers, as if this wasn't a serious meeting. "An orphan. A weapon." I clasped my hands together and gestured at him.
"I am anything you want me to be and everything you need. I have connections you heroes could only dream of, and I'm ready to work with you if you are ready to ignore everything I am but a human. Just like my acquaintances."
"Is this the only thing you want from us in exchange of the informations you have?" One of the heroes asked.
I hummed. "I also want you to not arrest the ones that have a white band tied somewhere on them. Do not engage with them if not necessary. Not before, during or after the war."
"That is all?" The detective asked and a hero bristled. "All? She wants us to team up with villains!"
I gasped exaggeratedly. "Oh my god. What a nightmare to work with humans that offer their help!"
Endeavor, after being silent for what felt like the beginning of this discussion, finally nodded. "As long as you promise to cooperate and not stab us behind the back."
It felt weird. Really weird for the number one hero to say this, but even though every hero looked at him, he was just staring at me. Into my eyes. As if he saw something in me that made him trust me.
And then I noticed that I did not feel weird like I used to when he was near me. Something seems different about him, and I don't know if I like it or not.
"Does anyone have anything to say against his words?" The mummy opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it and sat down. "Hawks trust's you." Endeavor said absently. And other heroes sat down some time later.
I nodded after a moment and heard the others take off their mask. "These are Anostrous, Akito, Endo-"
Elara pointed abruptly at a policeman. He made a move to pull something out of his uniform and before anyone could do anything, he seemed to have a problem with his balance and I immediately knew that Em was using her quirk.
"Don't damage his brain too much." Endo warned her.
"Ahhhh, there he is." I stood up with the heroes. The heroes started shouting. Something along the lines of "what is happening" and "explain". But honestly, I could care less about them.
I clasped my hands behind my back while Endo walked over to the man to drag him to me. "He is just having a stroke. You can all relax. This is Emessa. My half sister. And this adorable thing is Elara."
I glanced to Em when Endo reached me with the policeman. "You can stop now." Not a second after did the man gasp for air and cough shortly after vigorously.
"Was she using her quirk on him?" The detective looked furious, walking towards us to look after his man. "Why would she do that." One of the heroes demanded. The policemen moved into one formation, their hands on their guns as if it would threaten us in any way.
Gods, I know this is confusing, but I hate too many questions.
The policeman lost his cap when he fell down, so I was now able to see his face fully without him ducking his head. Number 6741. His file flashed before my eyes and I smiled to myself, humming. This is why I took Elara with me.
I crouched down to open his uniform jacked. The detective wanted to slap my hands away with his last energy, but Akito used shadows to pull the detective away. "He is a member of the Army, so stop making such a fuss and think about what to do about it." Em's voice boomed through the whole room, making the heroes quiet down.
One glance at them and I saw Akito's shadows let go of most of the heroes. The smell hit me the moment I opened the jacket and I recoiled slightly.
Of course.
It was the bitterness in the almond scent that I should've paid mind to. "Get Elara out of here." I commanded and immediately, Akito grabbed Elara and walked through a shadow. I covered my mouth and nose with a cloth that Endo gave me. "Everyone out. This is Cyanide." That explains my heart pounding weirdly. I stood up from my crouch and felt slightly dizzy, loosing my balance. Em caught me and we all rushed out of the room. Some policemen fell down. They must have been exposed to that poison more because they stood besides their supposed comrade.
"Get a doctor!" Endeavor shouted. Some people started feeling the symptoms, too. Either they were too preoccupied to notice any of the early symptoms, or they ignored it.
"We need Hydroxocobalamin!" Another hero shouted. Em guided me to the first window she saw. Because she could not open it, she called for Endo and he grabbed a big indoor plant and threw it at the window with all his might. I was the one that opened the jacked and was hit with the poison first. The people that collapsed in the room probably have seizures by now or some might even be in cardiac arrest. Nothing prevents that unsecured bottle of poison from spreading in the room.
Doctors came from downstairs. They had a nursery here, and Recovery Girl was with them. We were all tended to and soon after Akito came out of a shadow behind me, telling me that the twins got rid of everything but we shouldn't enter the room.
The men that couldn't make it out died.
We went into another room and I told them everything that they should know. What was happening to Shigaraki. When everything will be finished. When they should attack. The rank layout and the teams. And what Nomus really are. The last thing left them shocked, and I would lie if I say I wasn't disgusted when I found out.
"Can we rescue the humans?" Aizawa looked desperate when he asked, and I nearly felt bad for him. "Like I said. They used human corpses. Even if you manage to turn off their Nomu part, which I doubt you can do, they should have been dead long ago. They will not survive as humans, hence why nearly all of them have exposed brains. They will not be able to live with the quirks that were given to them."
Anostrous gave me the documents I prepared for the heroes, and I laid them out on the table. "This is the layout for their hideout." I pointed to a picture. "And here is the layout to the hospital. The Nomus and Shigaraki are underground. If anything goes wrong down there, you would have to kill him."
I don't really care if he lives or dies. I will be gone either way. This was just a recommendation of mine.
I pulled out a paper with little pictures. Portraits of the people not to touch. "Remember our deal. I'll be there till you guys attack the place, but you can not count on me afterwards because I will be gone by then. That's why the others will be there."
"So you are leading them right now?" The detective asked and I thought for a second. "I mean, yeah. In some ways I do. But I am just a placeholder till Shigaraki comes back. I refused first when Re-destro asked me though. And Dabi and the others do not see me as their leader, but as their comrade."
I know what they were thinking at first, but I already thought about demanding to stop the revolution so I could leave Japan sooner and be done with everything.
Even if I told them to, there would be people against it. They would throw me out and everyone would have no clue of what's going on inside. My people wouldn't get their revenge and my deal with the President would be down the drain.
Besides all that, seeing their betrayed faces would give me so much satisfaction.
"Re-destro is ours. So do not kill nor arrest him. Just like Trumpet, Geten and Skeptic."
"Why would we do that?" Aizawa asked. Not out of protest, but curiosity.
I debated telling him, and then realized that there is no harm if I do. "Remember when my old friends visited me?" He nodded slowly. "They came to tell me that 5 of our friends died. We do not know why, or how. But they died and they refused to give us their corpses. Only when I became the Grand Commander did I find out that they dumped them into the east sea."
So, they are damned to be ours."
2828 words
Guys, I was in Austria and learned skiing🤭 lost my AirPods though😬
Love you all😙😙