Zero Cool-down {Hacker, a BNHA Villain! OC story}

Chapter 11 : Words to Live by

"H-Hang on! Hold up! I gotta catch my damn breath!" I said, barely getting words out between rushed breaths.

My words made it to my competitor, and we perched on a nearby building for a breather. I practically tripped and tumbled onto the roof, rolling over and flattening out on my back. The adrenaline was still rushing like rivers through my veins as I gasped and gulped down fresh air like I was drowning and desperate for it. Crescent Rose, who I had loosely tossed over when I halted, fizzled away back into her designated code.

Sero also took a moment to breathe for himself, resting his hands on his knees and standing hunched over, a halfhearted chuckle escaping his lips at the sight of my exhausted state. His leg up in stamina allowed him to get up again and loom over and look down at me.

"I can do this all day y'know, and you're looking like you're about to pass out" he joked.

I kicked my foot up and my loosened boot flung off and hit him in the side of his head, sending him stumbling and laughing like an idiot. I didn't mean any harm by it, just thought it was funny as hell, and he had it coming for making fun of me.

Eventually my lungs caught up with me, and I was breathing at a normal and manageable pace for me to muster the strength in my arms in order to push me up. I dusted off my jacket and pulled my black cloth mask down, wiping my forehead from small beads of sweat and catching a glance of Hanta.

Or so I thought, somehow the dunce vanished.

For a moment I was startled and left in a panic. I ran to the edge and looked over to see if he had escaped off for some reason. Soon enough, he swings right back up to the roof, with a small tray in hand holding two drinks while flinging my weaponized boot back at me.

Well I'll be damned he actually took my fruit smoothie idea to heart, I caught my boot, "Convenient you stopped right in front of a smoothie bar, I got these for us. Seems we needed a refresher after that race, am I right?"

"Yeah, absolutely" I replied.

He sat down on the edge I was standing over and I sat right beside him, watching as the sun was coming over the buildings and beginning the day with a soft morning glow. He passed me my smoothie and I took it without a second thought. Best thing about fruit smoothies in my opinion, they have the abilities to satisfy both thirst and hunger at the same time. I don't know if it's because I'm small or not, that's just how it works for me.

Sero kicked his feet again and I just sat with my legs crossed. I sipped from my cup and hummed with glee. It was a mango smoothie, my fucking favorite. What puzzled me is how he knew that or if it was some wild guess of his.

"You like it?" he questioned.

I turned my head to him, wiping the corner of my mouth with my thumb, "Actually yeah, mango smoothies are my favorite. Not exactly sure how you'd know that though."

He chuckled at me before turning his gaze back to the waking city, "It was a lucky guess then."

I rolled my eyes to his witty response, and went back to the peace and quiet enjoyment of my smoothie.

It soon came back to me, I remembered when I used to think watching the morning sunrise was beyond me, something I wasn't interested in. An activity I deemed too stupid and basic for someone like me to enjoy. And yet, here I was, sitting on a rooftop, sipping smoothies with a complete stranger, and I couldn't be happier. And this once stranger rookie wannabe hero, became someone more like, a friend. Somebody I could trust.

The taste of the mango's tang on my tongue added a depth in the feel to the sunrise's gleaming glow. The brightness of the sun's light somehow felt softer, like a gleam through a silk sheet being lifted to reveal a brand new day. It was beautiful, mesmerizing even. I could easily turn this into my new live wallpaper project for another day.