All The Way Around 2
[PART 5: Out Of My Sight]
It was definitely her worst idea in recent times.
Not because it was dangerous. In fact, it was the opposite. A part of her thought this place was safe. But she didn't want to be proven right.
She knew what she wanted from him. A target for teasing, a fun lay... not someone she could trust enough to rest around.
Yet she fell asleep in his arms a few minutes earlier. She also distracted herself from the ensuing thoughts with physical pleasure, and now, everything rushed back into her head.
She'd trusted him in a far more intimate moment, so why hesitate now?
"... hey."
He rose slightly, rubbing his eyes.
"Can you let me sleep now? Don't tell me you're thinking about staying here..."
"Maybe I am," she said, annoyed at being read so easily. He shifted behind her, and she subtly glanced at him, trying to gauge his reaction.
He'd moved his body away from the center of the bed and pulled the blanket to—
"... Come. Before I change my mind."
—make space for her.
"Hold on...!" She put her hands up, rising to her feet. "Don't you have a guest room?"
"I do. But I want you by my side."
He really should stop saying things like that.
"You..."
Without his quirk, he couldn't see her cheeks flushing in the dark room, but the unusual stammering in her words was enough of a giveaway.
"... don't look at me like that. If you're staying at my house, then I want you in my sight. I can't trust you otherwise."
"..."
"..."
She broke their stare off, laughing nervously. "That... that's a lot of mental gymnastics to say you want to cuddle."
He let out a slow, heavy sigh.
"... I hate you."
"Interesting way of showing it."
"We stay on our sides of the bed, you don't stab or rob me while I'm sleeping, and everything goes back to normal tomorrow morning. Deal?"
"... It can't be that simple."
"Why not? What we have is already unhealthy. We shouldn't make it complicated, too."
"..."
Not having a retort, she gave up, climbing onto the bed and laying on her back.
"... good night, I guess," she mumbled, pulling a bit of the blanket for herself.
"Good night."
"..."
"..."
Minutes passed. Cammy tossed and turned for a bit.
"..."
Minutes passed. Cammy rose slightly to fluff her pillow, then laid down again.
"..."
Minutes passed. Cammy tugged on the blanket again, almost uncovering Yuusei.
"..."
He didn't stir at any of her movements, and she turned to him, wondering if he had fallen asleep already.
"..."
He was staring at the ceiling with a pensive look. Still wide awake... and perhaps regretful.
He had not wanted to give her the guest room. It would make him too tense. Unable to sleep while knowing that a potential enemy was beyond the wall. Ironically, bringing her closer was safer because...
She had never made him feel in danger when they were at their most intimate.
However, without the burning desire present in those encounters, they were left with—
Awkwardness.
A weight settling on his leg took him away from his musings.
His... roommate had finally stopped moving. She lay on her side, watching him intently, not realizing—or not caring—that her tail was on top of him.
"What's on your mind?" she asked as their eyes met.
"I'm wondering if this was a mistake."
His bluntness brought a surprised chuckle from her.
"You mean this...?" She looked up and down, then around the room. "Or the whole enemies with benefits thing?"
"Don't call it that."
"What should I call it, then?"
"Something else."
"Hmm... my hero booty call it is."
That was even worse, but he didn't comment, dreading what else would leave her mouth.
"I get what you mean, though," she continued. "We gotta set a better time and place to do this next time."
"What's wrong with my place?"
"There's a wardrobe to bail you out, so you keep tearing my clothes for fun."
He rolled his eyes ."I already apologized for that. It won't happen..."
"—to do this next time."
"... again," he finished with a slight frown.
After their first time, Yuusei told himself it wouldn't happen again. She came onto him out of curiosity for his quirk, then the thrill of feeding his addiction. The novelty would wear off, and they'd leave that as a one-time affair.
Earlier, he told himself it was only physical. That he could have these moments with Karma because they'd go back to being enemies right after. Now, they were in his bed, casually throwing words like "next time" and "again"...
And he didn't know what to tell himself. He was the one to invite her here, after all.
"..."
Unaware of his turmoil, she sunk a bit deeper into the mattress.
"Quick question: are you an early riser?"
"Normally, yes. Tomorrow? Probably not."
His frown deepened. "Wait. Why are you asking?"
"Idle curiosity... completely unrelated, but have you ever given someone breakfast in bed?"
She was checking how much she could get away with, huh?
"Go to sleep," he said, closing his eyes. But it was no use. He still heard her laughter, still felt the weight of her stare.
He focused on his surroundings. The night turned colder outside. Raindrops became louder against the windows.
Then, the warmth of her breath tickled his lips, and he opened his eyes. Had she moved closer because of the cold? Or had it been him?
Their eyes met, and she leaned away slightly.
"..."
"..."
A comfortable silence. But not comfortable enough to let either sleep.
"... can I ask you something personal?" he said after a few minutes.
"... it depends."
Despite the unenthusiastic answer, he decided to push on.
"I'll explain, then. I was talking with a barista and a clown a while ago—"
"Sounds like the start of a bad joke."
"—And the subject turned to our life choices. Origin stories, one of them called it."
She smiled slightly
"... corny."
He hummed in agreement. "But it got me wondering... what is it that you fight for? Why are you the way you are?"
"..."
Her lips thinned, and she became quiet, not having an off-handed reply for that.
Seeing the growing discomfort on her face, he added, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
She nodded to show that she'd heard him... but didn't say anything.
Then, after he'd closed his eyes again...
"... you wouldn't get it."
A whisper so faint he wasn't even sure he'd heard it correctly.
Still, he faced her.
"Why?"
"...'cause you can turn off all the annoying parts of your quirk."
"... oh."
"Oh?"
"I'm sorry," he said. "For bringing up a sensitive topic. And that you suffered because of your quirk."
"It's fine," she muttered, not fooling herself or him.
"And you're right. I never went through the same ordeals as you. But on some level... I think I get it. As shameful as it is, prejudice based on quirks happens in my family sometimes—"
"You don't get it," she insisted, then sighed. "... You think you do, but you don't."
"Then help me understand."
Her eyes went to his hand squeezing her shoulder.
"Why..."
She grabbed his wrist but couldn't find the strength to push him away.
'Why are we even talking about this?' She wanted to ask, but the answer was obvious. He wanted to know her better. To build upon that invisible foundation of trust. And on some level, she also wanted to share more about herself. So when they went silent, they could fall asleep instead of staring into each other's eyes, watching for the next move that would never come.
"... prejudice... isn't the only thing mutants go through. The cost of living is just... higher for us. Even if someone in your family is a black sheep because they don't have a dragon quirk, they're still filthy rich. But if a struggling family has a mutant kid, they gotta deal with custom clothes and different doctors, and...!"
She huffed, annoyed at almost losing her cool. "... all the people who think their kid isn't human. And some of them end up throwing her—that kid away. Because it's too much."
It was so disgusting. Back when everyone was quirkless, anyone with a quirk was a mutant at risk of being stoned in the streets. Now, 80% of the world had powers, so people started putting down those with the 'wrong' ones.
"I can make it better for you."
Having heard the struggles of her past, he spoke the first thing that came to mind.
"... what do you mean by that? Money? Rehab? I don't want it."
She could have retired long ago. Kept the money she made from selling stolen items. Maybe even hire one of Midas' contacts and get a new identity somewhere far away.
However...
"I'm not stealing because I can't afford what I need anymore. I like being in Night Parade. I like fighting this fucked up system that you're a part of."
He smiled sadly.
"I figured..."
Even if he offered the way of life she was denied... even if he promised to wipe her slate clean... it wouldn't erase her experiences.
"...but I still had to make that offer."
"Because I never got it before?" She laughed. It was rather heartbreaking, how freely she confessed to that. "That's a cute sentiment. If you want to play benefactor for me like that wrestler hero does for kids in Osaka... I won't stop you. But it's a bit too late for me."
Was he stubborn enough to keep pushing his help on someone who didn't want it?
Maybe stubborn wasn't the right word...
Foolish.
She didn't have any intention of changing her ways. And as much as he tried, he couldn't hate her for it. Being discarded as a child would have that effect on anyone's mentality. He couldn't agree with her using it as a justification for her acts, yet at the same time, he couldn't blame her for not rising above it all on her own.
What she needed was support, but he came a few years too late.
Was this the best he could do as a hero? As a person?
"I'll... think about it..." he muttered, feeling his eyelids heavy with exhaustion. He'd told her to not make things complicated, but ignoring everything said tonight and treating her as just another villain to be thrown in jail... it would feel wrong.
"... thanks for being honest with me," he finished, closing his eyes. The hand on her shoulder slackened, falling to the mattress.
The rain outside, which seemed like an endless torrent minutes ago, had finally subsided.
Had that happened a bit earlier, perhaps she could have left without opening herself to him. But now, nestled in blankets and feeling his warmth close to her...
"Even now, my quirk's giving me trouble," she thought out loud, glancing at the window.
He didn't answer, of course. Somehow, he fell asleep as soon as his eyes closed. It annoyed her. Wasn't her story the kind that would keep anyone awake at night?
... Or maybe it weighed so much in his mind that it finally knocked him out.
"After hearing that, do you hate me less?" she continued, leaning her head until their noses were touching. "Maybe more?"
His expression remained unchanged.
Ah... why did she even care about his opinion?
An arm slid around her waist, pressing them closer. An unconscious movement. Far from the answer she wanted.
She leaned into him anyway.
Ending 4
Can't you stay a bit longer? Can't you stay for the night? I won't trust you a moment... out of my sight Can't you stay 'til the morning? Can't you wait 'til it's light? I won't trust you a moment... out of my life