Bursting at the Seams

“So it’d basically let me work with Present Mic if I had to,” They mused. Rather nifty. Working with their English teacher would be extremely tricky, since his voice could not only cause a sensory overload, but their sensitivity meant that his quirk had the risk of causing rather bad damage to them. “Yeah, that’d work!”

“I’ve never been slugged in the ear, funny enough.” They thought for another moment. “Oh, there’s some wiggle room inside the collar, so it’d be right around my neck! It can be protected that way too, and won’t easily fall off. Maybe we can have it attach somehow on the inside just in case.”

“Basically, yeah. Won’t make you immune to his quirk, especially if you’re IN it, but it’ll be a drastic improvement in being around him.” Junpei notes with a nod. He takes a moment to add more to the notes, refining what he has down already.

“Then maybe some noise compression like that. But would they let me hear voices over a distance?” They asked and tilted their head.

At the concerns, they shrugged. “I think it wouldn’t be a worry for me. I mean, I can make them stick to my fingers no problem, so it wouldn’t be too much of a hassle. My concern with the thing that unfurls is where is it gonna go? I don’t have anything it can attach to. Maybe it attaches to the collar around my neck?”

“Depends on the distance, but voices aren’t usually filtered out. It’s primarily noises over certain decibels that it filters, and voices tend to not reach those- unless you’re Present Mic.” He explains, lightly tapping the pencil to the paper.

They thought for a moment at the question. Generally, it was a rather good idea. “I mean, sure? I don’t need them on a lot though, only if I’m in really loud battles. And with my hearing, it could be pretty important for me to hear things, like civilians or something.”

Then an idea popped in their head. “Hey! You know the web canisters I keep on my waist right, the little yellow tubes? Maybe one of those can hold some earbuds? Or parts of my webshooters can hold them on the back of my wrists? Earbuds are small, unless you wanna try an easier approach and something bigger?”

“Right. There’s certain noise suppression that filters out louder noises, but still lets you hear what’s going on, like voices. It’s primarily used by construction and factory workers, but some heroes use it too.” Junpei notes, still jotting things down in the book.

“AH— oh.” They fidget with their hands a little. “Instead of like a full mask, maybe just do something… I dunno, different? Like maybe have a part that comes up to my nose and mouth, sure, but trade the rest for… I dunno. Goggles or something. Something that changes opacity depending on light as the lens. Easy to see through. The mask never really did much for sound, so I’m not too worried about it.”

He’s jotting down notes the moment they start explaining, then starts adding on. His handwriting isn’t the cleanest, but it’s quick and enough to be read, and that’s all he needs.

This was the first time in… a while since he had a deep conversation like this. Always, he was a smiling hero, calm and reassuring to those lost. He was the friend always offering help. Always the one that was lighthearted. It seemed to shift when he and Teeni were together.

It was so strange, he never saw himself falling for anyone, yet here he was, confessing a sad fact. He hasn’t seen his family in a long time. He never had friends besides someone that was now a villain (and someone he fell in love with those years ago), so now he felt… rather alone. A clawed hand gently held a flower from a little pot that was inside. A Forget-Me-Not, and he looked at it with some sort of longing he didn’t know he still had until he talked about it.

When her hand took his, he was surprised, but it oh so carefully moved to hold hers.

“Remind me..?” He asked quietly, his onyx eyes looking at her and his head tilted. He wanted to think it was her wanting him, but… that would be too good to be true, wouldn’t it? “I… wish I could, but… I don’t know. A-are you implying something..?”

They were alike in that sense- it’s been a while. Teeni always had on a bubbly smile, a bouncy disposition, always zipping around to help anyone and everyone she could. But when it was just the two of them, she felt.. grounded. Like she could slow down, feel the breeze, smell the flowers. It was a breath of fresh air.

Sure, the electric hero had her grandpa and brother here- but often they were tired, recovering- or she just didn’t want to make them think she was anything but happy and doing well. Other than that.. Who did she have? A friend from highschool, but they didn’t talk to each other that often. Both were busy, especially with said friend’s agency intermingling with the america’s commission heroes. 

The care he took made her heart warm, fully holding his hand in return.

She messed up, of course she did. She was a child. Kyogoe couldn’t fault her for inexperience when it was his internship that was supposed to help with that and let her make mistakes. It was the fact that she said she should give up on heroism is what made it so heartbreaking.

The winged hero felt his chest tighten at the tears, and her question made him nod.

“Not ever,” He repeated with concrete certainty. He took her hands, gentle with his own dulled talons, even though he knew she was wearing her metal-tipped gloves. Poor girl…

“This is supposed to be a learning experience. Demalion, it’s alright. We didn’t know that this would become a more serious situation. Even then… you handled it wonderfully. It’s your first time. One hospitalization, but no casualties. It may sound awful, that one case, but truly… it could have been far worse.” He offered her a smile, warm and encouraging. “It was just one mistake. I don’t even need to scold you since you feel awful about it. Instead… you can just take this learning experience for next time.”

He gave her hands the gentlest squeeze. “I’m so proud of you.”

Her first instinct when her hands were taken were to tense up, pull away, shun herself away. Remnants of a past she’s still recovering from, she’s just a child. But.. She kept still, watery eyes behind pink tinted glasses still on her mentor. 

He reassures, encourages even- and Ruru doesn’t know what to do. Her last internship- that hero never praised her, only reminding her that mistakes with her quirk could be fatal. As short as it was, her time there in ‘regular’ heroes work wasn’t a booster to her confidence. Tears easily start to spill despite her best efforts, One hospitalization. It could have been none if she had been more careful, but she doesn’t even get the chance to express that before her throat tightens.

I’m so proud of you

@liberat-d​:  “  i’m afraid that if i let you see every side of me, you should shrink back in fear or disgust.  ” Shohei to Teeni 🥺

For a long moment, she’s quiet. Contemplative. Even a bit sad- a contrast to the usual bubbly joy she puts forward. But, soon enough- she carefully takes his hands in hers. One matching the rest of him, the other shiny- new- not nearly as warm. Thumbs brush over knuckles all the same, though, bringing the flesh and blood hand up for a small kiss on the back of it.

“Those feelings aren’t in my dictionary when it comes to people I love.” Teeni looks into his eyes, hands letting go only to come up to his cheeks to make sure he’s looking at her. The touch is unafraid and gentle, loving and whole. “Everyone has skeletons in their closets, but closests are only part of a whole house, and you don’t move away just because there’s a leaky faucet or a dark basement.” The analogy was silly, but, at the same time it held truth in her eyes. People were complex- she knew he wasn’t an exception..

@kycgadian​:  “  i can’t remember what it’s like to be truly wanted.  ” kyogoe to teeni :)

Electric blue eyes soften when they turn their gaze away from the cityscape to Kyo. They had been sat on the roof of his complex since sunset- enjoying the view, and each other’s company. As the sun went down, and the lights went on- the conversations became deeper. 

Teeni couldn’t help but adore the fellow hero next to her. Working together led to being friends, and friends led to.. here. With her heart singing just being near him, with being content in silence for the first time in ages so long as he’s next to her. 

Her hand would gently lay overtop his, a small reminder that she was here for him. In a rare moment, though, Teeni hesitated- trying to find the words, and the proper courage to speak them.

@sevensav--d​:  “Playing with my hair? I’m going to fall asleep…” QToshi!!

“Good!” Quinn says with confidence, leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead before they resume to gently card through his soft locks.

“You look tired today, babe. Take a nap. ‘m not going anywhere.” They add, snake eyes looking softly at the fellow teen. His head was in their lap, they had just been hanging out- them on their phone, him on his switch. Course, they couldn’t go forever without giving him affection, which is what led them here. Phone abandoned to the side, they’d use both hands to go through his hair.

@kycgadian​:  “  i’m not giving up on you. not ever.  ” kyogoe to ruru uwu

She messed up.

Of course she did. Her quirk is destructive, it’s not befitting a hero. People can talk about good intentions all they want, but the fact of the matter is someone got hurt, because of her. Not very heroic, is it?

Those downtrodden thoughts halted temporarily, however, when her mentor came up to her. The first thing to come out of her is an apology, followed up with how she should probably just give up- that he should give up on her. It had slipped out without much thinking, though, nothing quite prepared her for what he said in return.

iIm not giving up on you

not ever

Yellow eyes widen, and it didn’t take long for tears to start welling up. Was that true? Did he really think that way? Why about her, what made her so redeemable?

“Yes… It’s Italian, Graves.”

“Are you trying to say Da Vinci?”

“.............................................”

“…Pardon?”

“...”