Chapter Text
"Oh-em-gosh, don't look now, but that hero from class 2B is right behind us."
"Wow, I saw him on the news last week. I heard he took on three monsters and that super bad guy! That weird hero hunter guy, remember him?"
"Do you think it's okay for him to be back to school after being hospitalized for so long?"
"He looks so scary with all the cuts and bruises on his face!"
"Oh-em-geeeee don't say that! He'll hear you! I heard the last person who made fun of him never came back to school."
"Shhhhh, he's coming closer, act natural!"
Your two closest friends went from whispering to each other to acting "natural", assuming odd positions as they pretended to return to their study guides, which lay blank before them.
You looked up from your sheet to watch the victim of your friends' gossip. A brooding man, who stood roughly five and a half feet tall, was indeed walking past you. His jet black hair was slicked back to expose his dark brown eyes, which never gave your trio a passing glance as he strutted forward. Around his eyes were dark circles, and just as your friends had stated, he had tiny scratches along his face, and white bandages wrapped around his forehead. He was exempt from the school's uniform on account of his heroic duties, except for a Gakuran, which was draped lazily around his shoulders. And at his side, in his right hand, was his iconic metal bat.
You were staring down Class S, Rank 15 hero Metal Bat.
Or, as he was known as at school, the loner delinquent Bad from class 2B.
Your friends were always gossiping about classmates, but they seemed to pay special attention to the heroes in the school. There were quite a few, mostly lesser-known Class C heroes who tried to hide their status as heroes as if they were Clark Kent or Bruce Wayne. But your friends always knew who was who, nothing could escape their radar. And Metal Bat, well... He was more the Tony Stark of superheroes, and with that, he definitely could not escape your friends' knowledge of gossip.
As your friends return to their meaningless banter, pointing out how tight the hero's red turtleneck was and how baggy his pants were, you finish the worksheet before you and begin to gather your things. "Sorry I can't hang today, guys, I need to feed my (pet) and wash my hair tonight. Are you free tomorrow?" You say, packing your backpack.
(F/N1) looks up at you with a smile. "Yea, there's no practice after school tomorrow, so why don't we catch a movie?"
You and (F/N2) nod in agreement. You turn your worksheet into your teacher and, after placing your shoes back on, leave school for the day.
...
You don't need after school tutoring, but you thought if you decided to join, your friends would be a little more interested in going and completing the sessions. After all, their grades could use some improvement. Leaving school an hour or two after the dismissal bell was a small price to pay, but you love your friends dearly and always wish the best for them.
The sun was setting behind the school, illuminating the trees with a golden glow. The sidewalk and parking lot were nearly deserted, as most students had left earlier in the day. But you didn't mind the stillness in the late afternoon air as you walked the familiar route to your home. You almost found it soothing.
As you approached the crosswalk and turned to press the button, you noticed an oddly familiar man leaning against the building behind you. He had to be in his mid-30s to early 40s, wearing a business suit and carrying a briefcase with him. He had long, shoulder-length gray hair, parted in the middle, and startling golden eyes.
At first, you didn't pay him any mind, waiting for the cross signal to switch over so you could continue on your journey home. The streets were deserted besides you two, and you didn't think it rather odd that as you began to walk, he followed.
His home is probably the same way as mine. You thought to yourself. But why haven't I seen him before? I know almost everyone in my neighborhood.
Something about the man startles you.
Beginning to worry, you pick up your pace. Gathering every ounce of courage you have, you look over your shoulder. The man is still trailing behind you, going the same pace you are, his eyes locked on you.
Oh yeah, that's the guy from the smoothie shop... And the park... And the... And the...
You drop your things and run.
The man follows. Quickly.
Your mind begins to become foggy as you hightail it. In the blink of an eye, you go from a familiar stretch of road to a nearly deserted one.
And then you hit a dead end.
Clumps of your (h/c) hair end up in the man's hands, and you fall back into his arms. His moist breath hot on your neck, he lets out a hair raising laugh.
"I love it when they run." He sneers, his other hand around your wrists. "Boy, does it whet my appetite."
You begin to choke and cry, flailing about to break from his grasp. Another hand caresses your cheek and neck, covering your mouth as you begin to scream. A third hand untucks your shirt and plays with your waistband, and, is that a tentacle or a tail wrapped around your ankles?
You close your eyes and wiggle about, imaging the cruel things this man, or monster, has in store for you.
Then...
"GET YA HANDS OFF HER, PERV!"
A strong wind passes you and you hear a metal thunk. The limbs that held you so tightly release, and you break free, gasping for air as you drag yourself into the corner, shivering with fear.
With one swing of the bat, the monster is curled up in the fetal position, crying.
"M-mommy!!"
You have no idea where Metal Bat appeared from, but you assumed it was from the floors above you. He picked up the monster by the, uh, antenna? and started barking in its face.
"Who sent you?!" He exclaimed, squatting next to him, bat rested against his shoulder. When no answer trembled from the weeping man's lips, Metal Bat bashed his face into the pavement. "WHO?!"
The monster either died or fainted.
Either way, the hero before you didn't seem to care. He scoffed at the man lying below him.
"If there's one thing I hate more than fuckin' perverts, it's fuckin' stalker alien perverts." He mumbled.
Metal Bat started rummaging through the pockets of the blazer jacket, pulling out a wallet, and an old-style flip phone. He pulls what appears to be a fake ID from the man's wallet and scoffs again. "Gross, this guy is like, fifty."
He stands up and punches some numbers into the phone, holding it to his ear.
"Yea, Metal Bat here. Tell the Director we got another perv alien, but he ain't talking about who's behind this."
Metal Bat looked from his bat, which was covered in blood, to the body below him, before his eyes trailed over to you, who laid nearly motionless before him, wedged in between the wall and an old empty trash can.
"Yea, got the victim here, takin' her home now." He says without breaking his gaze with you.
As he pulls the phone away from his ear, it sounds like the lady on the other end is asking him to stay on the line, but he closes the phone and tosses it over his shoulder. He lowers his bat to his side and approaches you with two big strides.
"Hey, girl, get up, I'll walk you home." He orders, looking down on you. You're speechless, gazing up at the man with the incredible strength and the huge temper.
You're as frightened of him now as you were of the monster that just attacked you.
You shake your head, never breaking your gaze from him, backing yourself further into the corner.
You expect him to yell at you, maybe even scream. Will he beat you with his bat, or will he drag you by the hair?
You flinch as he squats before you, becoming eye level with you. Scars and bandages aside, his face becomes soft as he offers his hand to you. "What? Ya gonna sleep out here? It's supposed to get cold tonight, ya shouldn't do that."
His voice is soft and warm, his energy shifting. You don't even notice him taking your hand, pulling you up, or even him wrapping his Gakuran around your shoulders, the jacket nearly swallowing you.
"I'll take ya wherever ya wanna go, just c'mon."