You Ate It?

Light from the street lamps got caught in the steady snowfall. It was only just after six in the evening but it had become dark outside over two hours ago. The second-floor office had cleared of all of its workers bar one as she sat conversing with a face she hadn't seen in person in over ten months. The small woman who had been conversing with the guest perked up at the sound of the office door opening.

"Good evening, Hawks San," she stood up and moved around the pair of sofa's facing each other. "Would you like a coffee, I just put a pot on."

Shaking the fluffy precipitation off his mop and the top of his coat, the business owner greeted the employee with cheer despite looking like he had got into a losing battle with the winter bluster. "Ossu, how's it going, Hana Chan?"

"Actually, we have a visitor," the younger woman gestured to the sofa with its backrest to the entryway.

"Another job already?" A groan lay flat in the toasty air contrary to outside.

"Hawks San, you don't have to show so much disdain. She's a friend of mine; we used to live in the same neighbourhood when we were younger."

"Aren't you from Osaka?"

"I'm surprised you remembered," the young woman who couldn't be more than twenty curled into herself and gave herself a confidence-boosting hug. Getting over the brief slip, she held out her free hand in polite gesture to the back of wild white hair and bare shoulders marred by an array of afflictions easily making it past the backrest of the sofa. "This is Ik-Zero San."

"It's good to meet you, kid."

Head almost untwisting off her neck, the guest looked back at the man who had addressed her. Mouth full of food and pale cheeks almost pushing her black-lined eyes shut with the sheer amount stuffed into her face, the addressee scowled at the now-number-two hero.

Hana wafted her hands, her eyes shooting between the laid-back hero and her stringent senior. "A-ah, Hawks San, she's five years older than you..."

"And two centimetres taller," a husky quip was punctuated by teeth breaking through the bone of a fried chicken wing.

"And also covered in crumbs. What the hell are you doing: eating or feeding my carpet?"

Standing up with a cardboard bucket in her hands around naval-height, phenomenal bust straining Lycra almost buried the item. "I brought dinner as a gift, but you were late."

Brow quirked, the man questioned as he inspected the empty wrappers and rubbish bag. "So you ate it?"

The stranger glanced up for a split-second. Just as quickly, she stared the man in the eyes and gave a flat reply. "I ate it..."

Glancing down to his assistant who usually worked the phones and uncountable hours, the owner of the business cocked his head in disbelief. "Was she your town dolt or somethin'?"

Covering her mouth as she looked up, the petite girl made an expression somewhere between apology and a 'you have no idea'. Lowering her voice, the pair's eyes slid to the guest. "She was-is a fantastic senior, but I don't think I've ever met such a foolish smart person..."

"Not to fear, two buckets are here~" The guest held up a paper bag stacked to the brim with goodies before placing them on the low coffee table between the two sofas.

The pro-hero sent another glance from the oddball, and then to the female he employed. Hana merely shrugged. "Please, just go with it; it'll be easier on all of us," the girl who had never broken from a smile in all the time she'd been working there faltered for such a small fraction of a second that Hawks wasn't even sure he saw it at all.

Finishing cleaning her hands on the lemon wipes which came with the meal and putting them with the trash bag by her feet, the guest stood properly. Holding her hand out, she inclined her head a fraction. "'The name's Zero."

Accepting the hand hot to the touch past any normal human degree, Hawks repaid the same courtesy with a matching lax expression. "Got a real name?"

"Show me yours and I'll show you mine."

"Touché."

"Okay, I think that's my cue-" Hana dodged out of the personal space shrinking between the trio.

"I thought we were gonna hit that new bar and then the baths at that hotel on the edge of town. I heard they just got refurbished-"

"-I'm sorry, Senpai, but I got pulled into a dinner date with my boyfriend's parents last-minute. I was trying to tell you..." Holding her hands together in a praying gesture, Hana closed her eyes and lowered her head. "Please forgive me; I said it was a good time to visit and now-"

"-Ergh."

The youngest's expression and tone flipped a complete 180 degrees at the noise which sounded like something caught in the back of the other woman's throat. "What kind of reaction is that?"

"Do you want me to call you every twenty minutes?"

"Why would I want you to do that?"

"Then I'd wear something expensive-looking if I were you."

"Why?"

"It sounds like a proposal ambush; he drags you out to somewhere fancy with his parents there so you can't say no, both of your friends are there and hiding in wait, he's picked some kind of musical act to play...He's gonna do it and you're gonna be stranded."

Already relaxing with his overcoat hung on the rack and his bootlaces partially undone, Hawks chewed on a hot wing from the secondary bucket. "That sounds a little too specific," leaning back on the couch which didn't house the stranger's belongings, his attention was undivided from the bucket of fried chicken he had taken for himself.

Hana's shoulder's dropped and her voice came out breathy, "please don't bring it up."

"Ah," peering up, prominent eyes flickered when they met the ashen woman's, "got it in one."

"Hawks San, it's a sore subject-"

"-Hana Cchin-" the newcomer held her hand up to halt any more of her secrets from getting out.

"I'm sorry, Senpai."

Lounging so far back that his wings were comfortably over the backrest, Hawks crossed one leg over his knee at the ankle. "Go and chase your happy future, Hana Chan. I'll take care of your friend."

The receptionist was always tremendously sweet to everyone, but that face she was making right now looked like a cat-demon chewing on citrus fruit. "That's one of the things I'm worried about."

"What's the other?"

Clinging to her coat, Hana's face scrunched even further as she avoided eye-contact with the man. "That she'll let you."

Head back and mouth open, a boisterous laugh creased the guest's temples as her eyes turned up into crescents. "I have time to kill until Monday; what's the harm in having a personal guide?"

"All the harm. All of it; I care for you both but there is no way I feel safe leaving you two together alone."

"My cute little kohai," wrapping her arms over the bottom of Hana's ribs from behind, a sturdy nail gently prodded at the younger girl's flawless cheek, "always looking out for me~"

"S-S-Senpai-!"

Catching the stutter and hitched breath vibrating against her bust, the older woman lowered her voice when she spoke into the ear just below her jaw, "what's the issue?"

"You're too close."

"But you're just too cute, I can't help it." Snaking her arms around the upper torso of the much shorter female, Zero nuzzled the side of Hana's face, her nose ending up in the hair behind her ear and giant breasts pushed into the employee's back. "I just wanna squish you."

"I don't want to be squished right now - I want to plan for the fact my boyfriend may or may not be planning to ambush-propose to me."

Letting go and holding her hands up by her shoulders, the ashen woman gave an exaggerated pout. "Stingy. We always used to cuddle."

Remembering that her employer was still there, Hana turned to face the man and folded in half thrice with a rushed apology. "I'm so sorry, Hawks San."

"Don't mind me - saves me the cash for Pay-Per-View."

"Eh?"

"Kyahahah."

The much smaller woman's eyes turned white as she gnashed at the air, her grip on her friend's arm tightening. "Don't you laugh!"

"Just go, Hana-Cchin." Wafting her hand, Zero plopped down on the couch she had been sat on prior. "Text me when you get there so I know you're safe. Oh, and if he does pop the question," leaning backwards so she was looking upside down, the guest made the hand-gesture for a phone, "I wanna be the first to know."

Hana had worked twelve-hour shifts for weeks on end at her employer's Pro Hero Company since just after leaving high school. It had been her first job, bar babysitting her younger brother and keeping her family home in order after her mother had become sick six years ago. But never, not once, had she felt more exhausted than she did right now. How in all the Gods names did they manage to do that to her in less than twenty minutes? She didn't want to know: she wasn't interested in that at present. She cared greatly about both of them for similar reasons at different times in her life but holy hell, did they drain her battery with all of their fuckery - and neither of them had even really gotten started yet. It was bad enough when it was just one of them, but by the way they had spoken to each other upon their first meeting - Hawks calling a woman five years his senior 'kid' and her not setting his wings on fire (as would be the usual course of action); and her not just eating the gift she brought for the office employees, but also the fact she didn't bat an eyelash when she saw the celebrity hero - something the twenty-three-year-old man hadn't had to deal with since middle school - was a cause for concern.

Giving a final glance back as she fastened her winter coat shut and pulled her scarf up to her chin, Hana inspected the pair sat in seemingly comfortable silence. "You both have my number if anything goes...astray."

"I think if things go astray, you'd be the last person to be called."

Sucking in a deep breath, the smallest opened the foyer door loomed by a cloud of despair. Although she didn't really want to get stuck between any of...that...it kinda hurt when it was told to her in such a blunt way.

"If you're going to accept, don't forget to weep a little~"

"Sometimes, I really want to tell you to screw off, Senpai."

"Hai-hai~~~" Flapping her hand over her shoulder by her head, the older female rooted through the bag by her hip.

 

Updated: 9th July 2020 - 15:41