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For the next week, not only was our faces spread throughout social media, but wanted posters began to come up as well. Dabi always complained about them getting his nose wrong, but appearance was the least of my worries.
Now, when I dared to leave my house, I covered up like crazy. Wearing masks to cover my face, and just excusing it as being sick, or afraid of catching a cold. Pinka's tolerance with my actions grew less, but she allowed me to hangout with Dabi whenever I pleased.
I haven't shifted in weeks, so Pinka was our only provider. It terrified me to just think about what my boss may say, or even my fellow co-workers. However, today was Saturday, meaning I needed to get groceries.
Despite the crowd which filled the street, I felt strayed away. My head hung low, trying to conceal itself from the fear of stares. When I looked up, though, I was met with a frightening sight. It was a feather, but shaded in a bright, vermillion red.
"Hey!" those words rocked my legs.
Hawks was still patrolling around this part of the city. He usually never stayed in a place for such long periods of time, but here he was. The sound of flapping wings flew over me, before the man himself landed in front of my eyes. "I have a favor for you, kid."
"Why would I be interested in anything you had to offer me?" I remarked. Surely, he was up to something.
"Look around you! You wanna know what I don't see? Posters with your pretty little face on it." Somehow, he was right. The wanted posters, they had all been taken down.
"I'm guessing you're the cause of all this." I sighed. Now, I really did have to complete a favor for him.
He nodded his head in agreement, before speaking once more. "Let's talk over some food. I know a great place nearby!" I then walked beside Hawks, keeping my distance. His giant wings were such a nuisance, occasionally hitting me.
"Watch your wings, chicken!" I complained, snapping away from his personal circle. My loud complaints created a scene, drawing in stares from other people. However, Hawks played it off like it was nothing. He laughed, showing it off as a joke. "Real funny, kid. Real funny."
Hawks took me to a building which seemed to touch the heavens. "What kind of restaurant is in here?" I pondered over the subject. As the elevator ascended tens of stories above street level, Dabi's belief began to cloud my head.
"He's filthy rich. Is that his reason for becoming a hero?" Hawks was able to throw money around just like that. I mean, he barely knows me, yet he's taking me to a sky restaurant. A terrible gut feeling overwhelmed my senses, but I tried to stay calm. What is it that he could possibly want?
The restaurant was gleaming, every surface waxed. Mostly being illuminated by windows which covered the entire wall, the industrial lights became just complimentary. Pro-heroes gathered in the restaurant, cheering and passing through life with ease.
Lush plants decorated every corner, and the workers dressed in formal attire. I swallowed my guilt, someone like me didn't belong in a place like this. The presence of several other heroes made me uncomfortable, since I was technically a villain now.
"Table for two, please. Just by the window." Hawks requested. The host glared me down, I obviously wasn't of this class. Hawks interrupted her stare, by excusing me. "She's with me, don't worry about it."
Our greeting host bowed, before leading us to a sky-view table. She brought over a wheeled cart, topped with fancy menus and stainless flatware. Hawks got situated atop the cushioned seat, grinning as if it was nobody's deal.
I took ahold of the menu, and scanned my eyes over the selection. "I don't even know what majority of this stuff is."
"Yeah, me neither! That's why I always go for the bowls." Hawks directed his finger onto a section of the menu, filled with delectable meat and vegetable bowls.
"Oh, this dumbass." I thought to myself. Someone like him should easily be able to tell what this stuff is, but I come from nothing. "Well, I guess I'll just get iced tea."
A formally-dressed waiter was waiting patiently for our decision. Instead of a pocket notebook, they had an entire digital pad. "That's it? Come on, now! Look at all of this delicious food." Hawks pushed.
To be honest, I didn't want to eat. My stomach was cramping, and I was nearly on the verge of vomiting. Although, I didn't want to seem ungrateful, so I went with him. "Alright, I'll get the chicken bowl."
"I'll just have what she's getting." Hawks said.
I was left in awe by the technology of the restaurant, as our waiter typed down our order and sent it to the chefs. Hawks smiled at my aloof face, before starting to interrogate me. "Are you new to the league?"
"The league?" I asked. What was he talking about? I surely wasn't in any league. "I'm sorry, but I have no idea what this supposed league is."
He continued to question me, yet I remained clueless. We went back and forth, until he was stopped by our interrupting waiter. They arrived with our matching bowls, and delicately lined the two atop the table. "Enjoy."
I pulled my bowl of food closer to me, and instantly regretted ordering it. Trust me, it looked delicious, but it made me nauseous to look at. There was so much food, but I didn't want to waste any of it.
Hawks went back on course with our topic, once again trying to explain the situation. I had enough of it. "This is about Dabi, isn't it? If so, you're wasting your time."
The snap of chopsticks echoed within the boundary of our table, as I took a bite out of my chicken. Almost instantly, I held in my gag. The influx of flavors was overwhelming, and in a bad way. My stomach was already nauseous, and the arrival of new tastes made everything worse.
The birdman dug into his food, almost acting as if nothing happened. He scarfed down the loads of chicken, confirming that it was his favorite. "Sorry for putting you on the spot like that! I'm pretty curious, aren't I?"
While he thoroughly indulged in his food, I was holding back my vomit. Pushing my chair away, I got up from my seat. "Please, excuse me." I said, hiding away my forming tears.
A worried expression immediately formed upon Hawks' face, causing him to get up as well. I dashed out of the fancy restaurant, shoving my way past the well-dressed heroes.
My feet consciously ran towards the bathroom, causing my shoes to make creaks, as they grazed over the marble tiles. I could hear Hawks' footsteps from afar, chasing after me.
I shut the lavatory door, taking a slight breather before making my way into the stall. Then, it all just came rushing out. The heavy tears, the ounces of vomit, it all spilled out into the toilet basin.
The chicken which was still being digested flushed out of my mouth, making disgusting plops into the dirty water. Tears were forced out of my waterline, consequently to my abrupt retch.
Once it was all out, I stood up, peering into the toilet. I pressed down on the metal button, causing my vomit to swirl down the drain. Hawks was waiting outside the door, limited by the gender restrictions.
After washing my hands and rinsing my mouth, I slowly opened the bathroom door. Hawks was nearly frozen, he must've heard everything. "Look, this was unexpected-"
He tried to bring his wings around me, but I snapped. "Shut the hell up, you government toy. Leave me alone."
My choice of words left him speechless, as I stormed down the corridor. "How dare he? Bringing me to a fancy restaurant to butter me up, just so I can give him information."
I needed to go home, now.
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authors note; government toy line hits SO HARD
anywhaz this was a fun part to write!!!
artwork by: maemaeSP on twitter
words: 1385