Chapter Text
Teruki Hanazawa is an important person.
He’s at the top of his class, the most popular kid in school, and loved by everyone who comes into contact with him— really, he’s the best all around. And he’s not saying that to be narcissistic, but seriously. Nobody else gets the kind of attention that he does.
That’s because Teruki’s special. Everyone around him has said it from the moment he was able to understand what being special was. His teachers say he’s special because he picks up everything in an instant. His friends say he’s special because he always knows how to charm them. The gangs at his school say he’s special since he’s so powerful and can take down any opponent without getting a scratch. His parents said he was special since he was mature enough to live on his own.
Teruki is special because he has something that no other kid has. Sure, he’s been attacked by adults with esper abilities, but the majority of them aren’t even naturals (though he’s still not sure how they got their abilities.) Yeah, sure, when he hit fifteen, Claw or whatever that stupid group was calling themselves started sending real espers after him, but he still hasn’t met a kid his age with powers. And even those people he’s still been able to defeat with ease!
Teruki has been shown time and time that he is the greatest. That he is the main character of this world. Of all the storylines going on around him, his is the most important.
Which is why he’s sure that if his life was made into a movie, it’d be a bestseller!
He’s got all of the traits that someone would want for a main character! He’s charismatic, has lots of pity points, and plenty of witty remarks up his sleeve.
People would love him! A movie about a child with abilities so strong to take down anything in front of him, all the way back from when he was seven! And then the (potential) tragedy of his parents leaving because they were too busy would definitely bring some tears for him. (Potential because Teru’s not really sure if he believes it’s a tragedy. He understands the reasons why they left him, but the few times he’s shared it with people, well, they didn’t react too well.)
But until he writes a screenplay and gets a company to pick it up, Teru’s left imagining his own movie when sitting in the theaters.
Teru leaned back in the theater seat, the scratchy fabric of the cushions warded off by his worn shirt. He picked absently at the holes in his jeans, his legs crossed and one foot bouncing up and down.
He was supposed to be watching this movie with a few kids from school, but they all canceled at the last minute for various reasons. Someone got grounded, someone had homework, and another got a girlfriend and went to see a different film. So instead of sitting with a group of people and laughing about bad CGI, Teru was sitting in a filled theater with three empty seats surrounding him.
He glanced to his right and saw a couple sitting way too close to each other, the armrest in between their seats doing nothing to stop their overly zealous affection. Seriously, the movie hadn’t even started yet. He was actually thankful for the two seats next to him.
On his left was a teenage girl and her dad, both quietly discussing if the movie would be different from the book. The girl seemed to be leaning more towards the hopeful side, while her father was pretty sure it was going to be a mess and an abomination to the arts.
Teru tuned out of their conversation and watched the previews being proudly displayed, still not really paying attention. With all of the discussions going on around him, it was hard to want to watch trailers he had already seen when he could be listening to the people behind him talking about an ex-boyfriend who was an extra in the show.
Okay, well, he was becoming increasingly aware that he was the only person without anybody sitting next to him. And it didn’t help that his friends and he had gotten tickets early enough to be sitting smack dab in the middle of the theater. But, despite the awkward looks, Teru kept up his uninterested look in the world around him and watched the giant screen lazily.
At least he looked good today. He was wearing an old colorful band t-shirt that he had found while thrifting. There were a few holes in it when he bought it, so he went home and added a few more around the collar and bottom to make it match. And he wasn’t afraid of accessories, so he was wearing a few leather necklaces, some with a few beads and others with small crystals. As well as, a collection of beaded bracelets he’s picked up from girls throughout the years.
Eventually, the film began to roll and Teru lost himself in the movie as the theater dimmed until only the screen was visible. The crowd fell into blissful silence before the surround sound kicked in and washed away reality.
Really, Teru doesn’t mind going to the movies by himself. He spends most of his time by himself anyway, so it’s not like he’s unused to it. Besides, he liked being able to focus on the movie rather than being distracted by making out with whatever girl he would bring with him. Unlike the people next to him.
Fast forward almost three hours, and a mildly annoyed Teru was standing up to leave while the couple on his right finally separated and the father-daughter duo were both wiping at the tears in their eyes.
While most everyone else stayed for the post-credit scene, Teru mumbled hushed apologies while he stepped around people’s legs and ignored all of the eyes on him. He rolled his eyes at the sappy song playing over the names scrolling on the projector before taking the sharp turn and leaving the theater.
He pulled off to the side of the hallway even though nobody was walking around, tossed his empty popcorn bag in the trash, and took out his phone. After shooting off a text to the group chat about the bad ending and how they didn’t miss out on anything, Teru made his way out to the rest of the mall.
Talk about disappointing!
The movie followed the typical YA dystopian plot line, but it had been praised by the critics for the ending. They said it was exciting, something that the audience wouldn’t expect!
Yeah. Of course the audience wouldn’t expect it because it didn’t make sense.
The main character sacrificed her life for her boyfriend’s when there were definitely other ways for her to find a solution. There wasn’t any reason for her to give herself up to be killed! Sure, if she had waited to figure something out, the boyfriend probably would’ve been extremely hurt, but nothing a doctor couldn’t help!
Besides, no one really loved anybody enough to sacrifice their own life and well-being for anyone. That was something that only happened in stories, not real life.
Another reason why a movie about himself would be better. It would show the real type of connections people have, not the artificial ones that you see in shows.
And while this critique wasn’t as prominent as the last, it was still obvious that the fight choreography was suuuper bland. As a person who has been in more fights than the majority of people, Teru knew how to make an exciting show. This was like a turn-based RPG where someone made a move and then paused for thirty seconds to shout a witty remark or power up their next move.
It’s not unrealistic to have characters say their witty remarks. Teru was almost always able to get one in, but not when it was a real life or death situation. The movie was trying to show that it was intense and she was on the brink of disaster at all points, but she made too many dumb jokes for it to come across like that. If they wanted to keep up the intensity of the battle, then they’d show flashes of fear in her eyes that could only just barely be seen through the intense act.
Not that Teru’s speaking from experience. He hasn’t been scared by Claw’s attacks since he was a child. Their power couldn’t even hold a candle up to him.
All in all, the movie was bad and he wasted money.
But the popcorn was good, so he couldn’t complain about that.
And now Teru’s walking back to his apartment and mentally preparing to finish his homework. He shouldn’t have too much left since he finished the majority during his free period yesterday, but it’s hard to pick back up the workflow after a day of hanging around.
With his hands tucked into his pockets, Teru studied the people on the street. It was a fairly active part of town, shown by the small crowds moving around him. On the other side of the street was an outside cafe, where the quiet chatter of the customers was muffled by the conversations of the pedestrians on the sidewalk. Over all of it was the hissing of cars and buses as they pressed on their breaks and honked at people in the way.
Teru’s phone pinged and he furrowed his eyebrows, glancing around before pulling off to the side and standing next to a store window. He slipped his phone out of his pocket, excited to see if it was his friends responding to his superior movie review.
Ah, just a girl.
August 2nd, 2014 - 17:42
[brunette girl from physics]
heyy teruki! i was wondering if u wanted to get dinner tonight somewhere <3 there’s a new place on funny bone rd or something
it looks super good tho
nice dark atmosphere ;)
Ohh, dinner did seem fun. And he loved spontaneous date nights that kept him from having to go home.
Teru glanced at the time, debating on whether or not he’d be able to have time to get homework done. Probably not.
Well, his teachers love him anyway. He’d be fine!
[you]
sounds fun *: ･ﾟ
see you in thirty?
[brunette girl from physics]
sure! <3
Cool.
Was he interested in starting a relationship with ‘brunette girl from physics?’ Hell no. He didn’t even know her name. But she sure could help him starve off some boredom. And that slight loneliness that always comes from being at his apartment.
Teru fished out his wired earbuds from his pocket and slipped one into his ear before plugging it in. As he scrolled through albums and playlists, he mentally thought about the fastest way to get to Funny Bone Rd from here. He’d probably have to take a few back alley paths, which he normally avoided, but he should be fine today.
Eventually, Teru landed on his ‘main character’ playlist and began his trek to his evening activity.
As he walked, his mind drifted back to the movie.
He did have to admit that the boyfriend was a good actor. When the main character died, the boyfriend’s reaction was pretty tear-jerking. He was an incredible actor. The sobbing was intense, but accurate. It was almost enough to make him believe that love is real.
Too bad it came from an unrealistic sacrifice.
When he gets home, he’ll rate it 5/10 and debate on leaving a lengthy review.
The music blasting in his ear eventually swept his mind away and all he focused on was the walk.
It was a normal day. And Teru was pretty sure that he was safe today. Claw had attacked last night, and they’ve never attacked twice in a row. There’s always at least a 48 hour cool-down period before he’s bothered again.
So he took the shortcut to Funny Bone and turned down a quiet street with nothing more than a few parked cars next to buildings with no windows. He normally avoided this route, but he was short of time. It wouldn’t be a problem.
He, albeit naively, thought he would be ok.
The moment his earbud was yanked out of his ear, Teru knew that he had made a risky assumption.
The blond whirled around and threw up a barrier, blocking the punch heading toward his face with his forearms. The force sent him skidding back across the concrete, the rubber on the bottom of his shoes melting.
Before Teru could even get a glance over his arms and at his attacker, a shoulder was rammed into his gut and knocked all of the air out of his lungs. A hand grabbed onto his face and Teru barely was able to put up a barrier when a burst of psychic energy raked across his skin. His ears popped and a pathetic cry was yanked from his throat, his flesh burning despite having been protected.
Teru twisted in the grip of the person before channeling a burst of power into his feet and launching himself away while laughter bounced around in his skull.
Teru twisted in the air, shaking his head and opening his eyes before he landed on the ground. In an instant he was preparing to be hit again, arms held up to defend his face and legs planted to run. He watched as his attacker stood up from the rebound of Teru’s blast, chuckling as he brushed down his pants.
It was Claw, that’s for sure. He was wearing the stupid grunt uniform which was just a black bodysuit that somehow protected him. Sure, this guy was pretty tall and pretty darn muscular, and that blast really didn’t throw him off, but Teru hadn’t met a guy he couldn’t take yet. He had been jumped and ambushed before, this would be nothing.
The man rolled his shoulders as he stood to his full height, casting a cold glare across the empty street to Teru. His brown hair was sticking up carelessly and the twisted smile on his face sent familiar chills down Teru’s spine.
“You guys gonna start messing with me every day now?” Teru barked, his aura swirling inside of him, letting it fester within his skin as it charged. “It’s getting pretty pathetic if you ask me.”
“Hopefully not,” the man told him, flexing his hands at his side. “You’ve been a huge problem for us.” He held his hand out as if Teru couldn’t see the pooling of psychic energy waiting to leap out and bite him. “Why not join?”
Teru tightened his barrier around himself, unwilling to take his eyes off of the man in front of him but paranoid that someone could be behind him. “I’ve had this conversation for nine years now,” Teru spat, his chest burning from the missing air still trying to find its way back. “How many times do I have to tell you?”
Teru pulled his arms close to his chest, his aura turning electric and stinging the inside of his body and crackling in the air around him. He felt himself smirk at the man as his smile faltered at the feeling of Teru’s power. He grabbed at his psychic energy and snapped it into a tiny core in the middle of his chest, the sudden reduction in size causing the power to combust and grow. “I’m not joining!” Teru shouted, throwing his hands forward as the core popped and shot out a sharp blast, electric tendrils twisting through the air.
He watched as the yellow bolts grabbed onto the man, his screams filling the air. Teru whipped a hand out and snatched him with his aura, flinging him around in the air before slamming him into the side of a building and letting him drop to the floor.
Teru’s eyes flickered between the crater on the building to the limp man on the floor, reinforcing his barrier. “Is that all it took?” Teru laughed, standing up as he panted quietly. His chest ached and his limbs buzzed numbly, his aura still spiking. “You talked a lot of shit for—“
Teru cut himself off with a ragged, drawn-out scream as icy-hot pain shot through his neck. All of Teru’s aura, inside his vessel and in the air, turned as sharp as knives and shot toward his skin and core, scratching his insides and forcing his muscles to strain and cramp. The electricity in his veins and blood bubbled out his mouth and eyes as his scream faltered and died in his throat.
He felt hands grab onto his shoulder and someone’s breath tickled his ear. “Gotcha,” a low voice whispered over his choking.
Teru heard a switch and his aura sucked into a tiny sphere in his neck, leaving the feeling of a bullet barreling through him. His ears popped and his muscles gave out, a pathetic cry falling out of his lips before he tumbled to the ground.
Teru’s cheek squished and scraped against the sidewalk, his body aching and unable to move. He frantically sent out signals to stand up, to move his fingers, to use his powers, but it was like his whole body had shut down.
Wait— shit- shit why can’t he use his powers?! Where—
Teru’s breathing grew panicked as he tugged at his soul, begging it to cough up any amount of abilities. The small core nestled in his throat refused to unlatch and release, trapping all of his powers far from his reach.
He glanced around from the floor, watching as the first grunt stood up before two new boots blocked his vision.
Teru’s blood ran cold as he strained his eyes to see who was looking down at him. His mind screamed to stand up and to run, but without any control, he was helpless! Teruki Hanazawa is not supposed to be helpless!!
He watched the person crouch before a rough hand grabbed at Teru’s face, his fingers digging into his cheeks mercilessly. Teru was forced to look up at just another average Claw grunt. Except this time he wasn’t just average, he took Teru out.
“Teruki Hanazawa,” the man grinned, studying Teru’s face with pride sparkling in his eyes. “You’ve been running for too long.”
He yanked up on Teru’s chin and his limp body followed along before a combat boot slammed into his gut. The young blond cried out before he was dropped and his head hit the concrete with a sickening crack.
-
Blurry words bounced around in Teru’s head, his head stuffy and full of fog.
W…t… ….e… …p?
No… .lue
M… …’ll … . ra…e.
Raise? … … su.e
…it’ll be g..d! Ima.in! ….. a promotion!
“Yeah, and … the queen … England.”
“You are not the queen of England.”
“That’s why I said it.”
As the voices grew clearer in Teru’s head, he was able to latch onto them and ground himself in reality. With heavy breaths that he slowly became aware of, he dragged his mind out of the beaten stupor as feeling came back in waves.
His muscles ached and groaned, and a strange stinging feeling danced over his skin. He…wasn’t quite sure why he was hurting. Or why his chest was wavering with tired inhales and why he was wheezing softly. The tips of his bangs and hair tickled his face and neck as his whole body jolted, causing him to shudder.
“Damn, he really messed up my ribs though,” a somewhat familiar voice on his left grumbled.
A voice on his right scoffed. “That’s what happens when you get thrown into a building.”
What?
Oh.
Oh no.
Oh fuck—
Teru’s eyes shot open to see his feet sticking out in front of him, the rubber heels of his shoes catching on the tile as two people pulled him from his arms. He was in a long hallway with white tiles and a tall gray ceiling with no doors in sight.
His chest burned as his breathing grew faster and Teru clenched his eyes shut, gritting his teeth as he tried to launch himself away with his powers.
But…he couldn’t.
His aura stayed locked in his neck, wound up so tightly that he couldn’t feel it anywhere else. What had that man done to him?!
He… he hated how scared that made him. His aura is always there. It didn’t matter how much he was using his powers, how tired he was, how burnt out he was, he could always feel his psychic abilities. Pulsing through his veins with each pump of his heart, dripping through his bones and pooling in his arms and legs.
But it was gone. And he felt empty.
Teru whipped his head over his shoulder and looked at the two men dragging him behind them. Both of their hands were gripping unnecessarily hard, their fingers digging into his biceps and bruising his skin. The one on the left seemed to be limping, while the one on the right was walking with his head held extremely high.
“A promotion would be nice though,” the man on the right said, looking over at the other. This must’ve been the guy who attacked from behind and messed up his powers. He hadn’t been able to catch any defining features previously but he looked pretty plain. The only thing that stood about him was his carrot-colored hair.
“I know right!” The guy with spiky hair exclaimed. “I mean sure, we already make good money, but more power is more money.”
“Mhm,” the other agreed, laughing somewhat evilly— which Teru thought was a bit over the top. “The president is going to be soooo pleased.”
Teru looked back ahead of him, his eyes wide and his skin crawling. He had to get out of here. Claw had never been this big of a problem, and some part of him never believed that there was more to the organization than the frequent kidnappers. But clearly they have a whole base and a president?? Teru knew that he was powerful, but what did they want to do with a teenager?
…and they can take away his powers now. He- he didn’t think that would be in the cards!
N-no, he can’t panic here. That’s— Teruki doesn’t panic, he’s fine.
Teru ignored the sporadic rising and falling of his chest and turned back around to look at the situation. His own body was still incredibly sore from whatever they had made his powers do, but he could handle it. Just because he feels like he’s been beaten with a club like a piñata for an hour doesn’t mean that he’s useless.
Both of the men were a lot taller than him though, and they definitely worked out. Normally, Teru would say that he’s fine because he can use his abilities to make himself stronger, but with the size of their arms, he doesn’t have a clue if his punches would feel like anything more than just a tap.
What did the spiky-haired guy say earlier? His ribs hurt? And he’s limping. But the other guy seemed in perfect form. He’d have to aim for Spiky and then try and use surprise to get away from Carrot before they could recognize what was going on.
Of course, he couldn’t see an end to the hallway or any doors, but he’d make it work. He can run fast without his powers. He just…doesn’t know how fast.
He mentally kicked himself for relying on his powers so much before inhaling deeply.
Teru tightened his arms for support before twisting around, bringing his legs with him and slamming them into the back of Spiky Hair’s knee. The man cried out, losing his grip on Teru’s arm with startling speed. Carrot shouted something, but Teru landed both feet on Spiky’s back before launching himself away, tearing his arm out of Carrot’s grip.
“What the hell?!” Carrot shouted as Teru rolled across the floor.
Teru grinned as he shoved himself to his feet, running before he was even fully standing. His legs burned and his lungs screamed but he pushed past it and sprinted as fast as he could, ignoring the two grunts chasing after him.
“Stop him!” Spiky shouted, causing Teru to turn his head back to see the man falling behind Carrot. He was really hopeful that these two couldn’t use telekinesis to stop him. All he had seen from Spiky was that he could beef himself up, and Carrot didn’t show much ESP prowess at all.
Teru huffed and kept going, obviously not going to stop. Just because each step felt like his bones were going to shatter didn’t mean that he wanted to get caught by these people. His eyes frantically searched the hallway ahead of him, looking for any door or out. A little further ahead was a branch in the hallway and his heart leaped in his chest.
Teru twisted and skidded, slowing down just enough to be able to make the sharp turn before barreling forward. He heard Carrot shout a curse and glanced back to see him miss the turn, his arms pinwheeling as he failed to stop.
How the hell did these guys catch him?
Teru looked around frantically, doing his best to put as much distance between them with the little he had. There were two turns up ahead. If he could turn before they could see, they might choose the wrong path and give him extra time.
Teru glanced back to see that they still hadn’t made the turn yet and he dove towards the path on the right. He landed in a roll before picking himself back up and racing straight into someone.
Teru’s voice got locked in his throat as he fell to the floor, staring up at the man towering over him.
“Are— are you ok?” The man asked softly, taking a step back from Teru, clutching at his orange hanten. “I- I didn’t see you there,” he apologized.
Is he not suspicious? Teru raised an eyebrow at him as his chest heaved. “All good,” he said in confusion, pushing himself back up and glancing behind him. “Uh, remind me where the exit is again?”
“Um… a little further that way,” he mumbled, taking a step to the side and pointing behind him.
“…Thanks,” Teru huffed, nodding to him before launching himself forward and sprinting down the way he had been directed. He looked back at the man, who pulled an umbrella from the inside of his hanten and held it close to his chest, watching Teru somewhat wearily.
Whatever, he could be fast enough. He’s almost out anyway! As long as those assholes—
“ CATCH HIM!” Carrot screeched as he rounded the corner, followed by a loud ‘ oomph’ as he most likely ran into the same man as Teru.
“Fucking shit,” Teru hissed, pushing his burning legs more. He was quickly running out of energy, finding it harder and harder to breathe, resulting in him holding his breath in giant puffs. His form was growing sloppy and his neck was starting to burn.
“W-what?”
“The boss wants him!” Carrot shouted.
Teru’s blood turned to ice as sweat dripped down his nose. The end of the hallway is so close! There’s only one other turn, and if he could just make it he’d be safe. He’d be able to figure out what’s wrong with his powers and he’d be able to get back home.
The turn is right there. Twenty steps away, fifteen, ten , five—
Teru’s foot never landed as an aura that wasn’t his own wrapped around him, freezing him mid-air.
Instantly Teru felt sick. The swirling purple seeped into his skin and poisoned his heart, his gut clenching and cold sweats spreading across his skin. He tried to break out, but the aura clutched him tighter, forcing him to change his posture into standing. He clenched his teeth, repressed shivers running through him.
Feelings that Teru hadn’t allowed himself to feel in years came rushing to the surface, drawn out by the nauseating aura. Nights spent shaking under blankets and clutching stuffed animals, begging that no one would attack him while he slept. Days where he sat at his computer, formulating the best message to send to his parents that he knew he wouldn’t get a response to. It felt like the aftermath of caving in and crying in the shower when he missed his parents too much, a feeling of shame so strong that it choked him.
It was too much.
Dammit! Why the hell is this man more anxious than Teru?! He’s the one who just got fucking kidnapped!
Teru watched as he was pulled away from the end of the hallway, his heart sinking in his chest. He was turned around in the air to face the curly-haired man and the panting grunt. The suffocating aura let go of him, washing away all of the emotions that he kept stuffed down. Teru dropped to the floor, grimacing as the newcomer grabbed his shoulder with a strong enough grip that Teru wasn’t willing to go against. It didn’t hurt, but he was more powerful than the other two. Teru could tell.
At least the aura was gone.
“You little shit!” Carrot snapped after a deep inhale. “The boss better put you in your place,” he growled before smacking the back of his hand across Teru’s cheek.
The young blond bit down on his tongue, casting a sharp glare at the man as he refused to give any reaction to the stinging. “Fuck you,” he hissed.
Carrot faltered at the look and the man holding him made a dark face towards the grunt. “Don’t hit him,” he said, his timid voice stern.
Carrot’s eyes widened as he turned to look up at the man before he bowed. “Sorry, Serizawa.”
Spiky hair stumbled around the corner, gasping loudly for air. He grabbed onto Carrot’s shoulder and bent over, shaking his head. “Sorry, Serizawa,” he said between gasps. “He’s— just a little— excited.”
Teru looked between the three of them, his gaze deadly. “Let me go,” he growled, clenching his fists at his side.
The man who must’ve been Serizawa seemed to hesitate before he shook his head. “They said that the president would like to see you,” he mumbled. He gently shoved Teru forward before Carrot jumped on the opportunity and grabbed Teru, yanking him close with more force needed.
“Thank you, Serizawa,” Spiky told him, almost fully having caught his breath. He wrapped his hand around the back of Teru’s neck and dug his fingers into his skin, causing Teru to wince. He heard a soft clink as the man’s nails hit something, but Teru was too pissed off to really pay attention.
Serizawa nodded before continuing down the hallway, clutching his umbrella close as he moved briskly.
Teru watched him leave, thankfully taking his poisonous aura with him. He did not need an extra dose of anxiety right now.
“Let’s go,” Carrot growled, tugging Teru back the original way they were going.
And now Teru was walking in between two giant men, both death-gripping his arms. He glared at the floor, his legs shaking and chest heaving as he failed to catch his breath.
He cast one glance back at where Serizawa had said the exit was with desperate eyes before they turned the corner with more force than necessary.
…how was he going to get out?
The rest of the walk, neither Carrot nor Spiky addressed him or each other. Spiky’s limp was more prominent, which gave Teru a small sliver of satisfaction. Frustratingly, it was pretty overpowered by the fear that was no longer slowly infecting him.
His mind frantically tried to think of ways to escape, but they all relied on his abilities. His neck felt stiff and cold, his aura firmly trapped inside of him. He never realized how much comfort he found in being able to feel it all through him.
He briefly thought back to that Serizawa guy and wondered if he found his aura comforting. Teru knew that when he was stressed out, his aura felt spikier than usual, but his was nauseating. Maybe he could strike a deal with him to switch and he could take the trapped aura and Teru could have his back.
He…he didn’t like not having his powers. He hated it, actually. What was he going to do?
Eventually, they got to an elevator and Carrot pulled out a keycard and pressed it against a panel on the side. The doors beeped before sliding open and the three stepped inside. Teru watched as he pressed the button for the top floor and the door closed. There was a slight lurch before they started to move up. Soft, jazzy elevator music played in the background, which Teru thought was horribly ruining his vibe.
Spiky began to hum and both Carrot and Teru snapped their heads to look at him, their glares matching.
“What?” Spiky grumbled, shrugging his free arm. “It’s good music.”
“It’s not professional to hum in front of a hostage,” Carrot growled over Teru, his hair almost sticking on end.
Why the hell are they being so casual?! The least they could do is respect the intensity of the situation at hand!
The elevator continued to ping as they rose. Teru watched the numbers grow higher and higher before Spiky started talking again. “Do you think Serizawa will tell the president that we let him escape for a brief moment?”
Carrot didn’t have an immediate response. “I hope not.”
There was a long pause before curiosity got the best of Teru. “Will you guys get in trouble?” He spoke up, looking between them. Maybe he could get a gauge on the type of character the president was by their response.
Both of them made eye contact over Teru’s head before Carrot made a face. “Yeah. Probably.”
“You shouldn’t tell him if he doesn’t know,” Spiky told Teru, nodding sincerely at him.
Teru barked a laugh, glaring at the floor. “Says the guys who literally just kidnapped me.”
The elevator pinged loudly and the door opened into what looked like a lobby. The hallway was curved, the right wall plaster and the other lined with windows that looked over Seasoning.
Teru raised his eyebrows as they walked out, glancing around at the much nicer room. There were a few couches by the window as well as a few plants climbing out of their pots. Outside the window, he could see that the sun had already gone down. The dark city was somewhat visible thanks to street lamps and people who had yet to turn off their lights to sleep.
He thought back to the girl that had invited him to the restaurant. He wondered if she was still waiting for him. Maybe she’d think something was wrong and call the police.
…yeah, that was probably a low chance. Teru had stood up a fair amount of dates, in the past…
He kind of regretted that now. Hopefully when he doesn't show up to school tomorrow, someone will think something of it. It’s not like he misses school often.
But… even if someone does try to help, what would anyone be able to do?
Teru had told the police about Claw before. They knew that they existed, but they hadn’t ever been able to do anything about it. After a while, Teru had to stop calling them because they started to accuse him of hurting himself and staging his apartment in disarray for attention. Which was stupid on an insane amount of levels, but Teru decided it was better to leave it alone than push more.
But even if they did do something about it, what could they do? Teru’s never met an esper outside of Claw, and after that run-in with the Serizawa guy, he can’t imagine an esper outside of Claw that would even be strong enough to help him! There can’t be that many, right?
He needs his powers back. He— he can’t be without them! His powers make Teru Teru. They make him special! They’ve let him survive!
Was he always doomed to get caught by Claw? Did he really just expect them to stop coming after him one day? Or was he expecting to live the rest of his life in a useless game of cat and mouse?
Teru watched the floor as they walked, feeling the point of aura in his neck fluctuate and sting.
“What does Claw want with me?” Teru asked quietly as they grew closer to a large room that's walls were made of glass. He could see a tall man with buzzed red hair standing in front of the windows to the dark outside, a phone tucked close to his ear and his other arm folded behind his back. A large meeting room table took up the majority of the space, but none of the seats were occupied.
“He’ll explain it,” Carrot muttered, bringing Teru right outside the glass door. He knocked carefully, making sure not to leave fingerprints behind.
The man in the room glanced over his shoulder, his cold blue eyes piercing straight through Teru. The blond’s heart stalled as the man looked him up and down, his face darkening. He said something to his phone before hanging up and slipping it into his pocket. He turned around and walked towards the door, standing tall and looking at Teru down his nose as he grew closer.
Teru felt nauseous.
“Teruki Hanazawa, yes?” He asked as he opened the door.
Both grunts bowed deeply, but Teru kept standing straight. Despite the shiver that ran through his body, Teru straightened his posture and looked the man dead in the eyes. He could feel the man’s fiery aura radiating off of him, hot and powerful. It was trying to tell Teru that he should be scared.
Fuck that.
“Present,” Teru said calmly, speaking up despite the silence around him. “Are you the president-boss-leader guy?”
The man huffed through his nose in amusement, his stern face unchanging. “Yes, President Suzuki.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Teru told him, shifting his arms in the two grunts' grips. “I’d shake your hand, but I’m a little stuck at the moment.”
“Ah, yes,” Suzuki murmured. “Mori, Ogawa, you’re excused.”
Both Carrot and Spiky straightened, bowing their heads again. “Thank you, sir,” Carrot whispered.
“I’m impressed by your actions,” Suzuki continued, nodding to them, entirely ignoring Teru’s presence. “I’m assuming the only reason you caught him was because of the collar?”
The what now?
“It did play a part,” Carrot admitted, somewhat hesitantly.
Suzuki hummed softly.
No one moved for a few seconds before Suzuki raised an eyebrow, pushing his shoulders back. “I said you’re excused,” he said again, a cold chill running across Teru.
“Right,” Spiky nodded quickly, letting go of Teru’s arm and leaving the office. Carrot followed quickly behind him, leaving Teru free and yet ultimately still trapped.
Teru glared back at them as they left, crossing his arms and rubbing his sore biceps.
“Don’t try and escape,” Suzuki told Teru, turning away from him and letting Teru get a good view of the dimly lit city below. “You won’t get far,” he said as he walked around to the head of the table. The man pulled out his seat and sat down, unbuttoning his dark suit blazer and crossing his legs. He held his hand out to the seat directly across from him, his chilling eyes turning back to him. “Have a seat.”
Teru clenched his fists at his side, itching to turn and run. But he didn’t need Suzuki’s warning to know it wouldn’t be safe. Besides, every step now was making him ache. He wasn’t sure how much longer he would’ve been able to push through running without his powers.
So Teru did as he said and took a seat at the end of the table. He huffed as he sat down, keeping his arms crossed and not bothering to sit respectfully. “How does it feel to know that it took you nine years to catch me?” He asked, tilting his head at the president with a smirk. “I really don’t think this organization is as strong as it wants others to believe.”
“Don’t worry, anyone who wasn’t able to kidnap a child was swiftly dealt with,” Suzuki said simply, the implied meaning behind his words hanging in the air. Teru ignored the pounding of his heart in his chest and continued to stare at the man. “Mori and Ogawa are the only two who’ve been able to get it done.”
“Well, they wouldn’t if you assholes didn’t do something to my powers,” Teru argued, sitting up straighter in his seat. He brought his hand to his neck and massaged where his aura was trapped. “I would’ve taken them in an instant—“
Teru’s voice faltered when he felt something cold. His confident face fell off slightly as he felt around his skin, feeling the cool metal of a collar.
Suzuki nodded knowingly. “Ahh, we designed those fairly well, didn’t we? You can barely even notice that they’re there,” he explained as Teru tried to pull it off of him, both hands circling the metal to figure out where the clip was. “Well, only if we want you to,” he added as a shock tore through Teru’s body.
He yelped, yanking his finger out from under the collar as all of the hair on his body stood up straight. His world tilted for a moment, a wave of nausea falling over him. Teru gripped the table as he tried to steady himself even though he knew he wasn’t really moving.
…shit. “Take it off,” Teru growled, locking eyes with Suzuki, anger bubbling up inside him.
“No.” Suzuki pulled out a remote from his pocket and held it up to show Teruki. “But, throughout your stay, I can change how much of your aura it’s holding back. Depending on how well-behaved you are.”
He pressed a button and the core in Teru’s neck snapped. His aura came crashing back through him, the familiar feeling washing over him and dousing him with confidence. Teru instantly leapt to his feet, lashing out with his powers and snatching Suzuki out of his chair before slamming him into the wall. He kept an arm held towards the man to keep him in place as Teru leapt out of his chair and raced towards the glass. His aura pooled in his fists to prepare to blast through the window, false hope rushing through his veins.
Just before Teru could crash through and make his exit, Suzuki launched himself off of the wall and dove into him, knocking the teen out of the way. Teru cried out as an aura-infused fist connected with his gut, fire spreading through his insides.
Suzuki brought a leg around and kicked Teru into the ground, causing him to crumple face-first into the tile.
“But even when I give you your full power back,” Suzuki explained calmly, moving to stand in front of Teru’s blurring vision, talking over his wheezing. He buttoned up his blazer, looking down his nose at Teru. “I will still have the upper hand.”
Teru heard a click and his aura was vacuumed back into his neck, the shock of its departure tearing through him and causing his ears to pop. He was back to being a pathetic sixteen-year-old laying limp on the floor, vulnerable to the man above him.
The toe of the man’s black shoe dug into Teru’s side and flipped him onto his back. “So. Are you done yet?” He asked, staring at Teru with a bored expression.
Teru’s chest heaved, his muscles exhausted and his neck burning. He clenched his teeth and looked back up at Suzuki through wet eyes, puffing loudly. “What do you want from me?”
“You’re powerful,” Suzuki told him, his shoe still unnecessarily prodding into Teru’s waist. “But you’re not as powerful as you think you are.” Suzuki stepped onto Teru’s gut and bent down, looking into his face with disinterest as Teru squeaked. “We can make you stronger. You can easily become one of the strongest espers the world will ever see.”
Teru glared at him, shaking his head weakly as he tried not to react to the heel pressing into the soft skin of his stomach. “I’m perfectly strong, thank you,” he spat.
“Do I need to throw you around some more?” Suzuki asked, raising his pronged eyebrows.
“I’m not going to join you,” Teru hissed, breathing heavily, not caring if there weren’t any other options. “That ship sailed when you attacked a seven-year-old—“ Teru’s sentence got cut off with a pathetic whimper as Suzuki dug his shoe into his gut.
“Alright,” Suzuki murmured. He looked at his watch before tapping something on the screen. “You have two options. Join us, or become a prisoner.”
“I’ll get out,” Teru said defiantly, hating how small he sounded. His dark blue eyes bored into Suzuki’s while he grimaced. “I choose neither.”
“Well, for tonight, you’ll be a prisoner,” Suzuki said simply. He took his foot off of Teru and stepped over him, flicking his hand and picking Teru up with his aura by the scruff of his neck.
He dropped Teru on his feet and the boy forced himself to stay standing, despite how badly his vision swirled. “I’ll let you stay with my prized pupil,” he told Teru, his tone making him feel sick. “I’ll warn you, he can be feisty.”
Teru’s shoulders fell up and down with each breath, his lungs still screaming and his legs threatening to drop him back to the floor. He pressed his hand into his stomach, trying to rub out the lingering pain. He needs to sleep. A headache is brewing behind his eyes and he can feel the snot in his nose growing warm and threatening to slip out of his nostrils. This is a terrible place to have a fever. “I’m not scared of whatever roommate you’re putting me with,” Teru grumbled, taking a weak step forward. “I’ll be fine.”
“I hope not,” Suzuki mumbled as he pulled out his phone. “I want you to join us, after all.” He dialed a number and waited a few moments, tapping his foot on the ground like he hadn’t just been digging it into Teru. “Send up someone to escort Teruki to his room,” he said into the microphone. “And put another bed in Room 46.”
Within moments, a man and a woman showed up outside the office to take Teru down to his new living quarters.
Suzuki put a heavy hand on Teru’s shoulder, squeezing him just a little too tightly. “I’ll see you soon,” the president told Teru, pushing him towards the door. “Do yourself a favor and stop trying to run.”
Teru couldn’t even fathom the idea of running anymore. His stomach would be black and blue in the morning thanks to the multiple times he’s been kicked and rammed. It hurt to lift his arms, and if he thought walking was painful before, he really was clueless.
The man and woman parted so Teru could walk in the middle of them, neither saying a word. Teru hesitated before moving to their assigned spot and letting them lead him down the hallway.
The young blond looked back to see Suzuki watching him leave, his face stony and serious. Teru watched behind him as he used his aura to put the office back together from their quick fight.
Teru turned back ahead and bit his lip, his heartbeat erratic and the skin on his nape crawling underneath the collar.
…he felt weak.
-
After a long elevator ride that went below the ground floor, Teru was brought down a long hallway lined with doors. Each one had a plaque on the front that displayed a different number. It started from one and continued to grow as they walked along.
“How many prisoners does Claw have?” Teru asked quietly, his eyes trailing the doors and wondering about how many people were living behind them.
“Not that many,” the woman replied, way too casually for what was going on. “We just have a lot of potential rooms. That kid is kept in Room 46 so he’s far enough away from everyone else to make sure that he doesn’t prematurely hurt anyone.”
Teru looked up at her, pressing his eyebrows together. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, clearly unbothered by what she said.
Eventually, they got to Room 46 and the three of them stopped in front of it.
“Be careful of him,” the man told Teru as the woman pulled out a keycard. “You should see the things he’s done,” he hissed, laughing cruelly.
Teru glared at the floor, his lip curling. “I’m not scared,” he snapped.
“Sure you aren’t,” the woman laughed, pressing the card against the keypad. There was a soft beep and a loud clunk as the door unlocked.
The man pressed a heavy hand against Teru’s back. “Have fun,” he told Teru while the woman opened the door.
The moment the slab of metal was wide enough for Teru to get through, the man shoved him forward. Teru tumbled ahead and landed on his knees, hissing through his teeth as the door shut behind him.
Teru panted heavily, getting back up to his feet and whirling to face the door. “ Fuck you!” He roared, his voice cracking pathetically from exhaustion. He slammed his fist against the metal, the sound reverberating through the room as he let his forehead rest against the cool surface.
Teru doesn’t have his powers. He can’t intimidate anyone, he can’t charm anyone, he can’t outsmart anyone, he can’t outrun anyone—
He’s— he’s fucking useless! How is he supposed to get out?! How is he supposed to not be a commoner?! Teruki Hanazawa isn’t supposed to be like everybody else, he’s supposed to be the greatest!
And— and he’s fucking scared.
Teru turned around and leaned his back against the door, sliding to the floor. He hated how his breaths wobbled in his chest and he hated the tears burning his eyes and he hated that he felt so small.
He hasn’t felt like this in years. He did everything he could to stop feeling like this.
Soft shuffling caused Teru’s head to snap to the left, a furious scowl on his face as he looked at a bed shoved into the corner. Teru got to his feet, hating how much work it took to stand up while he furiously rubbed at his eyes. He noticed that the bracelets and necklace he had been wearing at the start of the day were missing and he bit down a whimper that was threatening to bubble out of his throat.
He glanced around the rest of the room quickly, seeing that it was a mostly blank square with a gray floor and white walls. On the right side was a much neater and unoccupied bed. On top of the beige blanket was a stack of folded white clothes that Teru would refuse to put on. A little further down from the bed was a door, which Teru hoped led to either an exit or a bathroom. Other than that, the only thing in the room was the bed on the other side.
Teru turned back to study it, refusing to let himself shrink as he took in the sight.
The bed looked much older than Teru’s. The pale beige blanket was scrunched up and covering a shivering figure. All that Teru could make out of his roommate was his long black hair that spilled down the side of the bed, protecting any skin on the back of his neck. His face was shoved into a pillow, hiding any more features.
It was what surrounded the bed that made Teru feel even more sick.
Dried blood was scattered around the tile. There were a few, small sprays, but there were also thick pools in the shape of footprints, most smudged and a few almost perfectly intact. He glanced back up at the blanket and realized there were a few holes and blood stains on the fabric, which Teru didn’t like all that much.
…was this what would happen to him?
He…hoped not.
But at least he didn’t look too dangerous. He entertained the idea of talking to him but decided against it. He was really fucking tired.
Teru turned away from the boy and made his way over to his bed, his fingers poking at the thin collar around his neck. He tried to slip his fingernail underneath the metal, only to be met with another shock that forced a strangled curse out of his mouth.
Teru glared at the scratchy blanket on top of his sheets, his chest heaving and his ears hot as he grabbed more desperately at the collar, trying to pry it off without sticking his fingers under it. He could feel his aura locked tight inside of him, refusing to budge. He tried to slip the collar up or down his neck, but anytime it budged slightly, it shocked him again.
“Come on,” he growled, his voice tight as he clenched his eyes shut.
In an act of desperation, Teru dug his fingers into his neck, slipped multiple under the collar, and yanked as harshly as he could. The shock that tore through him made him lose his footing. “ Dammit!” Teru hissed loudly, tugging his fingers out before pressing his knuckles into his eyes, his neck burning.
He turned and sat down heavily on the thin, rock-hard mattress and held his face in his hands.
Nine years. He had been safe for nine years.
Teru kicked off his shoes, grabbed the clothes on top of the bed, and threw them to the floor, knowing that if he could, he would’ve used his abilities. He pulled the blanket out from under him before yanking it up to cover his trembling shoulders.
Hot tears rolled down the bridge of Teru’s nose while he shoved his face into the stiff pillow. Each blow he had received began to surface and Teru let out a stumbling puff of wet air.
Just a few hours ago, he was leaving a movie theater and walking into fresh sunlight and heading towards a date.
Now he’s in the hell he’s been scared of for years.
He’d get out. He’s Teruki Hanazawa.
He has to get out.