Chapter Text
It was good to be back fighting for the reason All Might told me to. Well- not directly but through his movies.
And while I had been enjoying swinging through the city again, feeling the wind through my mask as I monitored the city and took down criminals, I did realize I’d been neglecting some things. I already spent time with my mother in the two days that I was grounded, cleaned up my room like I was supposed to, and finally decided on whether or not I should go to UA.
Which led me to where I was seated now, on top of Kacchan’s bed, staring into Kacchan’s ruby eyes as he flipped his desk chair around to sit backward. Maybe he wouldn’t take the news well, or maybe he wouldn’t care, but it felt appropriate to tell him anyway.
As I took a deep breath and took hold of Kacchan’s eyes again, I eventually opened my mouth and said:
“I-I’m going to UA, Kacchan…”
All he did was give me the same blank stare he started with, as we settled, excluding a slight raised brow.
Wait- no yelling or anything?! I expected him to at least get a little mad.
Kacchan registered my confusion from my lack of response and gave me a slow eye roll. “What?! What do you want me to say, nerd?”
“Aren’t you going to yell at me? Or at least get a little mad?”
“*Tch.* Like I care what you do.”
“B-But- You said that you would make my life a living hell if I went there!”
He signed and turned his attention to the cityscape outside of his window, seemingly contemplating something in his head. “I’m surprised you still want to go after everything. What the hell changed your mind?”
Deflecting the question I see…
“Well, I don’t think I will do well, but I want to at least try. It’s a great opportunity, and if I decide to decline the offer, I probably won’t have it again. Uh- what about you? Do you still want to go, Kacchan?”
“Of course I do, dumbass! Nothing's gonna stop me from becoming the greatest hero!”
Did… Did I just hear that correctly?!
I straightened my back and narrowed my brows at him. “You want to become…a hero..? But I thought you agreed-”
“No! Fuck, I-I’m just tired Deku.” Kacchan said before he spun around in his chair, facing his desk and fidgeted with something on his wrist. “Get out of here.”
“A-Alright Kacchan…” was all I said before I got off of his bed, exited his room via his window, and continued on with the rest of the errands for the day.
Near the afternoon, everything I did and saw became a blur. It wasn’t intentional, but I couldn’t help but think about Kacchan constantly.
That week messed Kacchan up more than I thought… Maybe I can ask his parents, but I doubt he gave them the real answer. I don’t think he would be acting that way if he were just lying low-
“Uh, are you gonna get your chiffon cake?”
I had to blink a couple of times before I recognized that I was staring at Sato, who was asking about the cake I just ordered, in Rikido’s Bakery that I somehow walked to while being completely and utterly distracted by Kacchan.
That’s been pretty normal for me lately…
“Haha- sorry about that”, I said as I swiftly grabbed the chiffon cake from the counter and ran to the entrance. “Thanks again, Sato!”
“Again?” Sato said as he tilted his head and observed my features. “I’ve never seen you come in here before. Do I know you from somewhere else?”
“But-”
Oh crap! I first talked to him when I was in costume! Quick, think of an excuse!
“Oh- uh- I thought you were your dad-” I smiled innocently.
“But you just called me Sato-” He said as he tilted his head.
“Anyway, bye!” I said as I slammed the entrance door to Rikido’s Bakery and speed walked away.
I really need to stop thinking about Kacchan or else I’ll never get anything done today.
As I breathed in and out, I tried to focus on the heavenly smell of the chiffon cake, the feeling of every step I took on the sidewalk, and the destination that I planned in my mind. Horizon Labs.
Just keep on focusing on everything around me and not a single thought on Kacchan!
Kacchan.
Kacchan…
Would Kacchan like chiffon cake? Maybe that might cheer him up a little. Wait no, he isn’t much of a sweets person. Maybe if I got him a really spicy cake-
“Umm… Hello?!”
I had to blink a couple of times… again to register Mei’s face inches away from my face while she waved her hand in front of mine. I couldn’t hide the blush that consumed my face as I walked backwards, only to bump into her lab’s door.
“H-Hi Mei. I bought a chiffon cake for you. I know last time I only gave you five dollars for the web…”
THE WEB SHOOTERS!!! Oh no no NO! Images of me using the web shooters are all over the internet already! She probably saw a video or two.
Damnit! I should’ve thought about this from the start.
My face morphed from slightly flushed and embarrassed to mortified and petrified as I let the consequences of my actions settle in.
I fidgeted with my fingers after I settled the cake on a workbench while I steadied myself to ease in on the topic of the web shooters with the pleading, hopeful possibility that she doesn’t know I’m Spider-Man.
“Do you… remember what we made together-”
“Who the heck are you?!”
Um… maybe this is a good thing?
“I-I’m Izuku Midoriya. My mom works here. Do you remember the web sho-”
“Listen curly-haired boy!” She said as she pressed a pointed finger at my chest. “I make at least thirty gadgets and gizmos minimum in a single day. I can’t remember what I made two hours ago, let alone yesterday.”
Before I knew it, she shoved me out of her door and into the hallway, only leaving a sliver of her door cracked open. “Now shoo or something. You’re disturbing my mechanical greatness.”
“Oh, Midoriya!” Echoed through the hallway as the sound of footsteps grew closer. The footsteps came from none other than Power Loader as he waved at me.
“Hey, Power Loader,” I said as I rotated my body.
“Are you visiting Hatsume? That’s sweet of you, kid!”
“Again, I don’t know this kid Loader,” Mei said.
“*Hugh*, of course you don’t...” Power Loader slung his arm around my shoulder, and turned us facing the opposite direction of Mei. “Please, do me a favor. I want you to hang out with Hatsume outside.”
Take her outside?!
“S-Sorry, but I just came by to say hi and leave-” I slowly tried to back away from Power Loader’s grip.
“She hasn’t left her lab in four weeks!”
“I can hear you two, ya know.” Mei interrupted.
“It doesn’t matter if you can hear me. You’re going anyway.” Power Loader said as he faced her completely.
“You can’t make me,” Mei scoffed and crossed her arms.
“If you don’t go I’ll take away your battery-powered impact wrench for a whole week.” Power Loader crossed his arms as well with a triumphant smirk.
“*UUHHHH!*....... Fine! I’ll take my monthly dose of seventy-eight percent nitrogen. Let’s go freckle boy!” Mei said before she slammed her lab door open.
“Wait but- I didn’t agree to anything.” I said in a hurry as Mei pushed me towards the front door.
“I’ll pay you.” Power loader spoke nonchalantly.
I can’t be that gullible, right?!
As Mei and I weaved through the crowd, I stuffed my fifty dollar bill in my jacket pocket.
I really am that gullible…
I mean- I would’ve done it anyway but I need some money!
Since we’ve only met once, naturally, it was pretty awkward between us as we walked from block to block. I couldn’t help but glance at Mei occasionally. All she did was confidently strut with a knowing smirk that I wasn’t sure was directed at me-
“I can see you staring, and not, I don’t feel like talking to you.”
“Um… thanks for being honest, I guess.” I said before I scratched the back of my head and used my surroundings as a distraction. Before rush hour hits, the streets of New York could become surprisingly peaceful if you were in the right place at the right time. The outer corners of Queens at the moment were relatively quiet with light chatter spread about. It was a nice bubble to be in for five minutes until-
“LISTEN UP LISTENERS!!”
Is that… Present Mic?!
Suddenly, every silent LED screen that surrounded the area featured Present Mic’s face with his boisterous voice projecting everywhere. Mei and I walked up to the closest screen we could find.
“YOU’RE PROBABLY WONDERING, HOW DID I MANAGE TO BE FEATURED ON EVERY SCREEN IN NEW YORK?!”
Actually yeah, I was wondering that.
“WELL, I’M GLAD YOU ASKED IN YOUR HEAD!” Present Mic said as he pointed toward the camera. “AFTER MY RECENT SPIKE OF POPULARITY FROM COVERING SPIDER-MAN, I GOT A TON OF MONEY AND DECIDED BUY A NEWS STUDIO BECAUSE I ONLY LIVE ONCE!”
The camera repositioned itself so that Present Mic was to the left while a monitor was to his right. “SPEAKING OF SPIDER-MAN, CHECK THIS OUT!”
In the monitor, there was a video of me in costume hitting-
*Hugh* How embarrassing…
“LOOK AT SPIDER-MAN HITTING A BRICK WALL FACE FIRST. THIS ONE MIGHT BE MY FAVORITE SO FAR!”
Even after my first attempt with the web shooters, I still struggled with navigating the city which led me to hitting buildings on occasion. I’d gotten better, however, in situations like yesterday, I managed to hit a brick wall because I was in a neighborhood I was unfamiliar with.
Without me realizing it my shoulders tensed up as I silently whimpered to myself. I quickly stopped when I remembered I wasn’t alone. When I looked at Mei in the corner of my eye, she was glued to the screen, smiling wickedly.
“Uh… Mei?” I said inquisitively.
“Who’s this Spider-Kid?! I need to know who made his gadgets!”
Well- you did, but I’m not gonna say that…
“N-No one knows.”
“*Hm*- it doesn’t matter either way” Mei said as she confidently studded away from all the hustle and bustle, beam lining back to Horizon Labs. “I’ll show the world what I’m made of!”
I scouted every sidewalk, street corner, and bus stop with my binoculars until I spotted the familiar green hair and freckles that I’d known all my life. What made me zoom in my binoculars even further was a girl I’d never seen before who walked beside him.
Who the hell is she? And no! I’m not jealous!
Fuck! I hate this mind-reading shit…
I was surprised Deku would even associate himself with this random pink octopus, but there was always a reason. Especially with Deku.
As I squinted my eyes at the octopus, my right ear was filled with a blaring beeping noise that came from the earpiece those old fucks gave me.
Damn, they didn’t have to make it so annoying!
“*Tch-*” I pressed the button to answer the call before my ears ruptured. “WHAT?!”
“Hello Katsuki.” It sounded like the woman who released me from my cell. “We have a mission for you.”
I rolled my eyes at her serious tone. “Just get on with it!”
“Your target’s Kuin Hachisuka. She’s close by, and I will give you directions. Your job is to eliminate her.” She said in the most tone deaf voice.
“What do you mean by eliminate?” I said before I squinted my eyes.
There was a pause at the end of the line before she spoke again.
“You know exactly what I mean.”
My heart sank.
I knew this would be the case as soon as I woke up from being drugged, I knew this would be the case when they said I was immortal, and I knew this would be the in this very moment. A part of me wanted to believe that this was no big deal, that the person I was going to- eliminate would be deplorable enough to deserve it. In a strange way it gave me comfort.
It’s not like I have a choice anyway…
“Um, Mei..?” I quivered in a futile attempt to gain her attention.
Her lab was somehow messier than before. Mechanical arms, disconnected wires, and objects I couldn’t describe were scattered from head to tow. The lab was shrouded in darkness, with the only light that was emitted from the room being Mei’s monitor displaying me- or well, Spider-Man over and over again. It had been an hour since she had been at it with no end in sight.
I tiptoed over the mechanical pieces through gaps on the floor until I finally managed to reach Mei at her desk. Mei didn’t bother to look up from her work, or most likely never noticed me beside her. “Mei, maybe you should-”
“Why are you even still here? Get lost.”
“I-I’m just… worried about you,” I said as I scratched the back of my neck.
Suddenly, she stopped tweaking a screw. She was completely still, eyes wide, trying to process what I said. After what felt like hours, she dropped her screwdriver and pushed her chair to face me, face hardened.
“Listen alright, I don’t need your pity,” she stood up, “I don’t need you or anyone. You’re just like everyone else with a savor complex. Trying to find everything wrong with me, but there isn’t. Now scram, nerd!”
My brain took over my heart this time, backing up slowly in defeat. “S-Sorry… I’ll stop bothering you now.”
She didn’t respond, opted to turn back to her work, and ignored me for good. It felt like I stepped into crisp, cleansing air after I left her lab. I closed my eyes first, then took two deep breaths to run the tears away.
I really can’t help anyone…
“I’m surprised she let you in there for that long.”
Jumping from the unexpected noise, I whipped my head around until I spotted the familiar excavator claw helmet that belonged to Power Loader. He leaned against the right side of Mei’s door with his arms crossed. Even without the helmet, I knew he was smirking at me.
“Come with me for a sec.” He straightened up and walked to the right of the hallway at a brisk pace, expecting me to follow. I whipped my head left to right, seeking guidance from my imaginary angel and devil on my shoulders, before I swallowed reluctantly and slowly followed Power Loader behind.
Power Loader still his footing at a wall, head to toe with pictures. Old photographs from the nineties started the conga line of memories receding it. I walked while admiring what this lab accomplished in all the years, getting lost in the past until I bumped my head on Power Loader’s shoulder. He didn’t seem to mind, continuing to stare at the freshest pictures that included Mei.
Even though she was the newest member, she looked like she belonged there with the dozens of pictures of her face on the wall, looking bright as ever next to the person she helped. She plastered a smile I’d never seen before, a genuine one, onlooking her client's faces as they jumped for joy or competed with me as a crier.
“Who knew she could look so happy…” I spoke out my mind, quickly slapping a hand on my mouth in shame and shock.
“Ha! Yeah, I haven’t seen her like this in a while.” Power Loader slapped my back. “She’s helped so many people in such a small time.”
“She’s really talented,” I commented. “Do these people ever visit her?” I turned my attention to Power Loader.
“They did in the beginning. They gave her a bunch of gifts and praises, but over time, Mei stopped caring and they stopped coming.”
“I see…” I furrowed my brows, staring back at Mei’s youngest picture.
I wish I could see her smile again…
My target’s apartment blended in with any other building in the area. Normal, seamless, not daring to amuse the thought of a serial killer or whatever the fuck my target had done living there.
I decided to go with the more traditional break-in route due to the mystery of the layout. I scaled up the fire escape, waiting for a signal. When I reached the fourth floor, the creepy doctor lady called out, “She’s on this floor, in unit four-hundred and five.” The urge to say don’t tell me what to do was immense, yet I knew to suck the urge down and climbed through the closest window in the apartment hallway.
Whatever that girl’s name was housed right next to a unit with an unbelievably loud baby crying its little heart out. My eye twitched and I almost yelled myself to shut the damn brat up, but the ear bleeding screaching could be a good cover-up for whatever horrors I would enact.
When I kicked the door open, ready to fight a crazy woman who skinned puppies and tortured her ex-boyfriends, however, I studied a fairly normal apartment. From what I imagined a girl’s room would look like, the space was half-heartedly clean, the twin-size bed in the upper left-hand corner was messy at the edge of the bed, clearly a sign of someone rushing. Neatly hanging on the closet door was an ironed high school girl's uniform ready for the next day. And most notably, there were several photos of her group of friends, laughing and smiling without a care in the world.
I crept over to the closest photo frame I could grab and traced the outline of the frame.
What the hell have I gotten myself into..?
*CLING!*
I looked over my shoulder to witness a brunette-haired girl with an eyepatch on her left eye, stunned enough to drop her plate of honey toast on the wooden floor. Her mouth hung open before she said, “Who are you?! And what are you doing in my room?!”
“Uh.” I stared at her for a second, dropping the photo frame, then turned my head to the window and looked for an answer. “Well, I was sent here to kill you, but now I kind of don’t give a shit about that.”
“Huh.” Was all she said. She squinted her eyes at me, almost giving an aura of calmness, before she bent down and grabbed the honey toast from the floor. “I see.”
She quickly looked to her closet before her eyes pierced mine again. My ears were clouded with the sound of a low buzzing as she bit into her toast. “It seems like we’re both in a predicament. Usually in situations like this, the person calling the shots is far more scarier.”
Suddenly, she curled her lips into a sinister smile as the buzzing increased in volume, “If you don’t take me out, you’ll probably die too. But don’t worry. I’ll make sure your death is quick when my girls take you out…”
My vision was encased in dozens, if not hundreds of flies, biting and gnawing at my skin. This gave the girl ample time to pick up a shard from the shattered plate and swiftly ran up to me, gaining proximity to slash my right eye.
“Fuck-!” I yelped as I held my eye with both of my hands, desperate to see black instead of blood red that clouded my vision. I forced myself through the pain and reached behind my back to grab one of my katanas before I aimed the mono-uchi part of the blade in the direction the girl slashed me from.
“Agh-!” Despite all the chaos that surrounded me, I managed to cut a deep wound in her left arm. Before she made another move, I thunked the butt of the katana on the girl’s temple and knocked her unconscious for the time being.
My lungs strained as I huffed from the aftermath of the fight. Hundreds of flies that surrounded us fell to the ground, twitching their still bodies as they laid beneath my feet.
I put my hands on my knees and let out one last loud huff before I looked up to the ceiling.
Damn it!
My right eye at this point was cloudy with a red tint to it, with noticeable vein marks that grew in. I looked down at the girl lying helplessly on the floor, her eye shut from the hit to the head.
Taking her out now would be painless for her…
Immediately, I slapped my hand against my head.
Hell no! I’m not stooping that low!
I shook my head before I turned around, only to hit something hard as steel. As I backed up, my eyes looked upon a rando completely head to toe in navy armor with teal and white accents. What petrified me the most was their bright, glowing yellow eyes that pierced through my soul.
“The Hero Commission sent me here to observe you. To see if you we’re doing your job correctly.” They said before their eyes narrowed. Their voice was completely unrecognizable and seemed like a mixture of several voices mangled together.
I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t say anything. My mouth was slightly agape, too stunned to give a snarky remark. We stood in a standstill for several minutes, their eyes lingering over my face as I contemplated my next move.
“*Tch*, alright then… so what if I don’t wanna kill her?” I questioned as I crossed my arms.
It was swift, but I noticed they clenched their fists before they released their tension in their hands. “You’re going to let this mass murderer run free? She won’t stop if you let her go.”
I held my response, turning my head to look behind me and spotted the same picture that I picked up, a normal photo that any high schooler would put in their room, “I mean, yeah. The girl is fucking insane, but she’s just a kid. It would be better to send her to juvie or something. Let her become a better person.”
“Fine then,” they said, and before I knew it, they stretched their palm out to the girl’s head and released a yellow wave of vibrating shock waves directly at her face, spraying chunks of blood red flesh and bones all over the bedroom. Even little speckles of skin landed on my face mask.
Although I couldn’t see their face, I could tell that the metal fucker didn’t have any remorse for what they did, while I, on the other hand, felt bile rising from my stomach reaching up my throat.
We both looked at the lifeless, mutilated body for a minute or so before Metal Face looked towards me. Not a word was exchanged, but I knew the warning that was being placed onto my soul. As the sound of metal boots hitting the floor filled my ears while Metal Face walked away, the same blaring beeping I heard several hours ago rang in my ear once again.
Reluctantly, I lifted up my right hand to press the button on the earpiece with dread.
A *CLICK* sound came through the end before the same lady as before spoke. “We’re disappointed that we had to send Shocker in to finish the job. Don’t disappoint us again.”
“I-” *BEEP!* She ended the call before I said another word.
“*Hugh…*”, Without thinking, I turned my head to face the bedroom window and thought about the one person who was making this all worth it. After what I witnessed today, I couldn’t deny that I was second-guessing.
I hung from a stranger’s balcony backwards from a web as I examined the city. New York had been quite peaceful lately, and honestly, I needed it. It was nice to really take the city in, hoping that the peace I was experiencing was part of my doing. I knew the bubble was going to pop one way or another, yet I couldn’t help but savor it at the moment.
My life was already too much of a mess. Please don’t let this day be stressful!
Was I jinxing myself by internally telling myself that? Probably. It didn’t help that I was reminiscing on what happened yesterday with Mei. She was acting… weird, but I was being paranoid mostly. Power Loader and no one else in the lab seemed worried about her, so why should I, right?
I felt two firm taps on my right shoulder before I looked down to spot red and gold goggles on top of bright pink hair.
Right?!
Mei smirked at me as she stood on the railing of the balcony below me with a suitcase. I didn’t know what was scarier, the fact that she managed to get on the 5th story of this random building, or the fact that I never heard her.
“Hello, Spider-Man!” Her smirk grew wider. “Would you be so gracious as to assist me in a demonstration?”
“Me-I mean! Civilian.” I detached my web and landed on the balcony where Mei stood. “I don’t know what you’re planning, but you need to get down from here. It’s dangerous!”
“Hmmmmmmmmm…. No.” Was all Mei said before she tactfully flipped herself to the roof of the building with her hover boots, I never noticed. After the initial shock, I launched myself to the roof, following Mei in tow. Standing on the edge of the roof, she cracked her neck back and forth before she yelled in a megaphone she spawned out of nowhere, probably came in the suitcase.
“Fans of innovation!” Mei yelled into the microphone as onlookers looked up to her towering figure, casting a shadow on them. “I have a special announcement to make!”
Mei dropped her suitcase on the ground before it sprang open flat on the two open shells. Inside the suitcase laid an exoskeleton of some sort that had four appendages. It wasn’t clear what it was from an observation standpoint. Mei bent down to grab the strap attached to the exoskeleton, sliding it on like second skin as its lifeless four appendages suddenly sprang to life by what appeared to be her gloves controlling it. The gloves almost looked like those mocap suits I would see while watching the behind-the-scenes for All Might Movies.
“BEHOLD! My innovation!” She stretched her arms outwards, leading to the top two arms spreading out with her. She used her bottom right appendage to hold the mega phone, “My latest baby is one of my proudest achievements! Four electrically powered, telescoping, prehensile, titanium-steel artificial tentacle ‘arms.’ The stem-punk accents are my personal touch. Feeling lazy or have a disability? Why not let one of my babies’ six-foot arms grab something for you? Or if you’re looking for some fancy defense, my baby is strong enough to withstand three-hundred pounds of force, all for the low price of five-thousand dollars.”
“Thankfully, I have Spider-Man as an assistant to demonstrate the sheer power of my baby!”
“W-Wait- no I’m not!” I yelled as I yanked Mei’s megaphone from her mechanical claw. “I think you’re in a little over your head right now. Please just step away and reconsider some things before you take it too far…” I whispered into her ear.
“It seems this week is filled with people telling me what to do, but what is life without obstacles?” Mei shook her head and turned her body towards me, stretching and flexing her “tentacle arms.” “But alas, it looks like I have to do this the hard way. I’ll try not to hurt you too much.”
“Stop!-” Mei didn’t hear me as she launched her top right tentacle straight to my face. I managed to dodge in time, flipping backwards in sync with the tentacle reaching me. When I landed upright, I shot four webs to each of the tentacle claws to stop Mei. “Think about what you’re doing! I don’t want to hurt you!”
“Well, I’m attacking you right now, so I don’t see a lot of options for you.”
Mei smiled as she toyed with her remote to slowly spread her claws, effortlessly breaking each thread of web.
How did she?!- Well, she did make the webs, so it makes sense she can break IT-
Just in time, I managed to jump in the air as Mei’s bottom left tentacle tried to grab my leg. I landed on top of the tentacle, squatting on it as I held on with my two hands.
There’s no time for internal mumbling!
More often than not, I’ve been taking the long way back home. I need the cold wind on my face to distract myself from the smell of blood.
As I trekked further along into my walk, I noticed dozens of people encasing a window TV. I was going to walk away until I spotted Deku fighting the same pink octopus girl I saw earlier in the day through the heads and shoulders of the crowd.
“Fuck-!” I silently yelled before I ran to save the dumbass.
Each dodge from me and attack from Mei landed us in the middle of the construction site, Kacchan and I trained in. Uniform bright red steel columns and dull concrete structures surrounded us as ignorant bystanders observed and recorded behind a metal gate that blocked their path in. I managed to be careful and took into account any debris or loose screws that could fall on innocent people. I knew if I kept this up for much longer, something was bound to go wrong, so I decided to change my strategy.
“What’s your real plan here, Mei!” I shouted at her before I slammed my mouth shut with my hand.
Crap!
“Oh, so you do know who I am!” Mei paused for a second, smiling menacingly. “No matter. That just makes this more interesting!”
That was an… unfortunate, dumb mistake, yet Mei was not going in for an attack, so maybe it was a win.
“That was a slip-up, but- think about the after effects of this! Think about all the people you could help if you stop this.”
She gritted her teeth before she barked, “Why do these metaphorical people matter now?! The people that I’ve already helped didn’t care anyway!”
“They did care! They tried to visit you, but you never noticed!” I yelled back at her.
I could see the metaphorical cogs in her head turning, trying to make sense of what I said as she stared at the column under her feet. I thought I saw a glimpse of consideration until-
“Well, they didn’t try hard enough! I-I’ve worked day and night to make their lives better, and they just walk out when I’m tired and stressed?!” Why didn’t they… bother with me..?”
The look Mei gave me when she finished that last sentence was… it was as if she was asking me for the answer. To answer why no one truly reached out to her, or why…
“I-I..”
*BANG!*
Mei slammed me into the red column five feet behind me using two of her upper metal arms. I grunted in pain as she slammed hard enough to unravel some loose screws that held both of us from falling; the sound of screws clanking filled my ears as she squeezed my chest and throat harder.
“You somehow know who I am, yet you’re still trying to stop me! You’re worse than everyone else!” Mei said, before she flung me to the right. My back broke while setting concrete, leading to the concrete’s infrastructure crumbling.
Not in small crumbles, huge chunks of concrete that were twelve feet high were heading directly towards me.
I knew I should’ve at least tried to move, to dodge the inevitable, yet I couldn’t. I couldn’t stop thinking about what she said, how she said it. I stilled because of my thoughts, but I also stilled believing that I deserved the pain.
I closed my eyes before I looked down and braced for impact. However, something peculiar happened. Nothing fell in me, in fact, I felt a warm and compressed sensation in my forearms.
I fluttered my eyes open, examining what the warm compression was coming from.
What the…?
Hovering over me as I laid down on cold steel was a masked person just like me. They adorned themselves in a black and orange color scheme, but that wasn’t my main focus when I looked at them.
Despite the thick mask that covered their face, I could tell from the folds, wrinkles, a piercing white eye mesh that squinted at me, and the labored breath that sped up, painted the picture perfectly to me.
Whoever was behind the mask was utterly pissed at me.
“Dumbass…” They faintly said under their breath. Their voice was deep, too deep for it to sound natural. Maybe they were using a voice changer?
Unexpectedly, they hauled me up from my left forearm and turned around to face Mei.
“Don’t just stand there! Come on and fight me!” They yelled at Mei and bent down to a fighting stance, unsheathing the two swords that laid behind their back.
“Wait, this isn’t fair! How come you get a sidekick?!” Mei accused as she pointed at both of us.
“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!?!” Their eye mesh twitched, almost growling at her.
I stepped forward, trying to disarm the situation.
“This isn’t my sidekick, in fact, I-I don’t know who this is!”
“Enough stalling!” They exclaimed and charged at Mei as they drew up their swords.
I quickly shot a web at their torso, leading to them being stuck on another wall of concrete.
“What the hell?! I’m tryna help you!” They said as they squirmed.
“I appreciate you trying to help me, but I don’t want you to kill her,” I said back.
After they stopped squirming, they lifted their swords on top of their head and cleanly cut the frame thread, letting the whole spiderweb fall gently.
“Y-You cut through it?! But-”
I’ve never seen anyone cut it?! How did they know?
“I’m not gonna kill her, I’m just gonna make her bleed, so you better not get in my way again.” With surprising speed, they managed to catch up with Mei, who was trying to flee the scene.
Right as they were behind Mei’s tail, they quickly slashed a mechanical claw from her exoskeleton.
“NO! My baby!!” Mei yelled as she turned around and looked at her creation in horror.
I used the surroundings, Mei and the stranger were enclosed in to launch myself close enough to flip above and block their path, spreading my whole body wide enough to cut them off.
“I told you to!-”
“Just let her go…” I interrupted them and watched behind my shoulder as she clumsily ran away.
As we both witnessed Mei fade further into the horizon, I felt them push me in my chest to draw my attention toward them.
“Why the hell did you let her get away?!”
“Listen, Mei may have tried to hurt me, but she didn’t hurt anyone else,” I stepped closer to them and tried to gauge their reaction, “At the end of the day, she just caused some property damage. I don’t think she had any bad intentions. I think she was… a little lost…”
“Nah, she was clearly a lost cause. And when she comes back, I’m gonna take her down, and I won’t let you get in my way next time!” They said, pointing a finger at my chest hard.
“I probably can’t stop you if you get to her first, but I-I won’t hold back either if we both find her!”
They squinted their eyes, close enough to look like they were looking through my masks. I thought they might finally have the urge to attack me, or at least hurt me a little; however, all they did was cross their arms as they looked to the side and said:
“Whatever…”
I couldn’t help but twiddle my thumbs and stare at the ground in the midst of the awkward pause we shared. I didn’t know what to think about them at the moment. They seemed… aggressive to say the least, maybe a little more than Kacchan, though they somehow clearly wanted to protect me for some odd reason.
“I don’t know why you helped me out or why you would in the first place, but thank you..?” I dragged out.
When my eyes trailed up from the ground, the mysterious person was no longer seen, yet left faint small orange stars from where they stood.
This whole day has been strange…
I squatted and dragged my face over my mask and tried to calm the storm in my head. I looked up to the blue, clear sky, before I asked an important question to myself.
Will things get crazier than this?