Chapter 3: The Monster (For ShimaDeGoat and Silly_Fifi)
You hooked arms with Shigaraki, careful to not touch his hand by accident. He explained more of his situation as you walked.
"So you're saying this... thing... isn't even from our world?!" You kept your voice in hushed tones, lest you be caught by the men searching in the forest.
"It's some kind of semi-aquatic creature. So stay away from the-"
Your ringtone went off, startling you.
"Hello?"
"Hi F/N. Are you okay?" Midoirya's concerned tone permeated your ear drums.
"Yeah..."
"Because I found everyone else and hadn't heard from you. I was worried you might be lost or something."
"No. I'm fine. I... just stopped to grab a drink at the shop in town." You lied. "I was going to call you after."
"Oh. I see... Well, where are you now?"
"Uh..." You met Tomura's questioning red eyes. "Krrrsh. I'm uh- losing signal... krrrsssh."
"F/N?"
"I'll call you back in a bit. Bye!" You hung up with a sigh.
"Who was that?"
"Just someone in my class."
"A boyfriend?" He frowned at the ground.
"Ah- no!" You walked a little faster. "We're just friends..."
"Friends..." He repeated the word, as if the concept was foreign to him. By this time you had made it back to the campsite. You now were a bit aggravated by the fact that Momo had brought a tent for everyone, which hindered the option of you hiding Tomura in your own tent. You had, however, brought a hammock with you.
"Wait here." You told him, then strolled into the big tent to grab it, giving Bakugou a generic "Hey" on your way. He ignored it. For once you were thankful of his apathy towards everyone and their business. It meant that you didn't have to worry about him growing suspicious and finding out your secret.
"What's that?" Shigaraki pointed.
"It's a hammock. It's like a bed to hang on trees so you don't have to sleep on the ground." You tied it a considerable walk away from the camp, hoping nobody would accidentally stumble upon it. "Uh oh..." The voices of people echoed in your ears. You sighed in relief when you recognized them to be your classmates and not the bad men. They were all returning to camp for the night, chatting away about how much candy they had secured. You tightened the hammock string with a final tug and grunt. "There. You should be safe until morning and I'll come back for you. Stay hidden."
"Wait." He stopped you, voice shrouded in worry.
"What?"
"Promise."
"...I promise." You grabbed your bag of candy, leaving a pile for him to eat. "I'll try to sneak out here tonight if I get the chance..." And with that, you ran down the large hill, trying to catch your breath quickly before the others found you.
"F/N!" Midoriya exclaimed upon seeing you. He ran up towards you, grasping your hands. "I was so worried-"
"I lost service out here." You said, scratching the back of your neck. "Sorry. I figured you'd come back to camp eventually."
"I almost came to look for you."
"Well, I'm safe." You smiled, and he sighed in relief.
"Good."
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It made you impatient how long it took for everyone to finally go to bed. You wanted to go check on Shigaraki and make sure nobody had found him. You recalled the groundskeeper that you and Midoriya had run into, hoping he wouldn't get here as early tomorrow and make a shocking discovery.
After you were certain everyone in the tent was asleep, you made your escape once more. You tiptoed over the rise, peering around shrubbery until you found your half-consumed pile of candy on the ground. Between the two trees sat a pile of ashes where your hammock used to be.
"Okay... I guess I expected that..." You pursed your lips, eyeballing the perimeter. "Tomura?" You whispered, beginning to worry for his safety. 'Maybe he went to the bathroom or something...' You thought, walking towards the river. A sigh of relief escaped your lips when you saw the silhouette of a boy standing on the bank. "Tomur-agh!" The person spun around to reveal a surprise. "Kaminari! What are you doing here?!"
"Fishing." He shrugged, pointing to the fishing pole lodged between a rock and his backpack.
"At this hour?"
"There's less wind. The water's more calm at night." He tilted his head at you. "What are you doing out here this late?"
"Uh..." You began to sweat but he took a step closer to you.
"Did you have a nightmare and come looking for me?" He smiled confidently.
"If that isn't the most presumptuous thing I've ever-"
"Presumptuous, eh?" He grinned wider, thinking that sounded like a seductive term. "Wait... that's a good thing, right?"
"No, Denki." But he laughed anyway, elbowing you playfully.
"Don't worry. I'll protect you." He put his arm around your waist. Just then you noticed something moving out of the corner of your eye.
"I think you caught something..." He turned to grab the fishing pole before it flew out into the water.
"Wow! It must be a big one!" He exclaimed, fighting it with all his might. "ACK!" It lurched him forward, surprising him.
"What's the matter, big guy? Can't handle a little fishy?" He kind of deserved a little teasing after that advance he just made on you. But you grew more concerned as the strength of the line pulled him face first into the water. "Denki!" You ran over to him. Luckily the water was only ankle deep and he pushed himself back onto his knees. "Are you okay?!"
"Yeah..." He rubbed his shoulder, which must have been nearly dislocated by the strain of that pull. "That must have been a huge one."
"Well whatever it was, it's gone now." You pulled him to his feet and he went to gather his bag, spilling the bait onto the rocks.
"Aw man!"
"Rotten luck." You grimaced at the dripping wet blonde. He reached forward to grab the bait from the ground, but something long slapped his hand away.
"What the-" A large dark shadow approached the shallow water, climbing up onto the bank. 'A fish?!' Kaminari fell onto his butt in shock as this human-sized tadpole approached.
"Oh my god!" You took a step back when the fishlike monster suddenly sprouted legs.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" He scrambled to his feet, gripping your arm in terror. It was then you realized that this must have been the monster that Shigaraki had mentioned before. You gasped in fear, but it was too late to run. Using it's powerful back legs, the supernatural being launched itself forward, taking you to the ground beneath it. It croaked an explosive roar before Kaminari whacked it with a nearby stick. The beast went rolling towards the river. "GET BACK!" He shouted before his lightning filled the darkness. The monster screeched in pain before diving back into the water to flee. You trembled, catching your breath before hiding your face in his damp shoulder. "Are you okay?" He asked.
"I think so-"
"F/N L/N!" A voice called. You turned, relieved to see Shigaraki safe and sound.
"Who is that?" Electricity sparked in Kaminari's hands.
"It's a long story..."
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"So you see... he needs somewhere to hide." You gestured to the white-haired boy. "Can you help me hide him?" He pursed his lips, puzzling at the thought.
"Hm... I'm gonna need something in return..."
"Seriously?" You gawked at him. "What do you want?" He smiled at Shigaraki.
"How about this kid's Halloween candy..."
"You really think a government fugitive went door to door trick or treating?!"
"..."
"..."
"...Right. Well, how about yours then, F/N?"
"All of it?!" You whined.
"Nah. Just the Three Musketeers. I really like nougat."
"Alright. Deal." You rolled your eyes. "Moron..." You muttered under your breath.
"You love me." He winked and grinned.
"Whatever. Let's go."
"Wait. We can't go back together. We'll make too much noise." He pulled out his phone. "I'll text you in a little while when it's safe to come to my tent."
After a few minutes you received the all-clear and made your way to his small two-person tent.
"Hey." Kaminari snickered. "Did ya see Midoriya's All Might tent?" You held back a giggle.
"It's the cutest thing I've ever seen."
"And the nerdiest." He added, poking fun at Midoriya.
"Nothing wrong with liking things." You shrugged, then felt a sting along your back. "Ah!"
"You okay?" He pulled out a light only to grimace at your torn up back. "Oh jeez..."
"What?" Shigaraki reached out only to withdraw his destructive hand in disappointment.
"Know where we can find a first aid kit?"
"Betcha Midoriya has one. He's always getting himself injured so..." Kaminari bit his lip. "I'll go swipe it."
"Wait. I can go..." You whispered, but he was already out of the tent, quietly unzipping the All Might smile on Izuku's tent. You held your breath until he returned with it, unwrapping the alcohol wipes and bandages. "Ow." You winced as he began to clean up your cuts.
"Sorry." He grimaced, empathizing with your pain. When he was done you felt comforting hands on your shoulders, turning you around to look in his eyes. "I promise I wont let that thing hurt you again."
"That was so scary." You wrapped your arms around his waist, suddenly feeling very tired. He laid you down next to him, patting your hair until you drifted off to sleep.
"I'll show that creature who's boss..."
One more chapter left!