Strays (WHM)

Part 10

"We're out of snacks," Senji complained.

"Well whose fault is that?," Rody grumbled back.

"Looks like we need gas, anyway," Senji piped back, leaning forward a little and staring at the gauge. Rody sighed, pulling into the first gas station he found. It was mid afternoon, and Senji had devoured all the food they had left several hours prior. Izuku hopped out to handle the gas pump, while Rody was sent in again to get food. Senji rifled through her wallet, frowning.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask," Izuku spoke to her through the open passenger window. Senji stuffed her wallet back into her pocket, fiddling with some other stuff inside the car.

"What's that?"

"So, you and Kacchan," he started up, and Senji flinched before returning to her interior exploration, "are you two, um. D-dating?"

"Wh-huh?!"

Senji jumped up, smacking her head on the roof of the truck cab. She knew the question would come up sooner or later, but she was hoping for later. Izuku reacted in an equally flustered manner, and the two ended up staring blankly at each other for what felt like ages.

"What makes you say that?," she finally croaked out.

"W-well. Y'know. There were those weird videos, but o-of course I don't believe those completely. Then there was that time in the dorms. A-and um," Izuku rambled on, giving Senji time to think of an excuse or explanation of some kind. It wasn't like there was a need for secrecy with this subject, but it was embarrassing to talk about openly.

"Whatcha talkin' about," Rody suddenly spoke up, making the other two jump. Neither had noticed him returning to the vehicle.

"Nothing! We heading out?," Senji's face was burning up, and she tried again to redirect the conversation. Rody slid into his seat, while Izuku finished up at the pump. He handed over a drink and a grocery bag.

"You talk in your sleep, by the way. Kept saying stuff in different languages, sounded like a name though. Kei...Katsu-something? Definitely started with a K-hmp!," Rody had started teasing her in his own way, but she panicked and covered his mouth with her hand when Izuku climbed into his seat. The curly-haired boy squinted at them, and nodded some sort of confirmation to himself before pulling some food out of the bag for himself. Senji released Rody, holding a finger over her mouth for just a moment before rifling through the bag. Rody shot her a look, but gave up on that topic for now and started the truck up again. They drove for an hour or two silently picking at their food, then Senji started up a conversation.

"So, what kind of Quirk do you have?"

"Who, me?," Rody was zoned out, but quickly caught on.

"I'm curious, too," Izuku sounded more than a little interested.

"Uh," Rody's cheeks grew warm, and he started fidgeting with his hair.

"Some sort of trade secret?," Senji asked, flipping through one of the notebooks that was in the case while her tail flicked against Rody's arm.

"Promise you won't laugh? It's kinda weird," the boy asked sheepishly. Senji and Izuku both swore not to, and their interest only grew at that weird statement. Rody's face burned more, and he pulled the small pink bird from his hood.

"Here it is."

"Pino?," Senji looked over at him, raising a brow. Izuku was similarly confused, and Rody floundered.

"Pino, yeah. It's not just that she's here, though. Pino represents my true feelings, even if I try to lie or hide it. It's not the most useful, especially in my line of work," the boy's face was sort of pouty, and the bird had an obvious blush going as she flew into Izuku's messy hair.

"Neat," Senji said, leaning back and closing her eyes. She drifted in and out of sleep while Izuku and Rody talked. The boys were discussing various quirk-related topics, until Izuku grew quiet. Senji glanced over at him, noting how pale and sweaty he was getting.

"Pain?," she asked softly. Izuku stayed quiet, nodding that she was correct with her quick assessment. The girl tapped Rody's arm, and indicated that they needed to pull over. He cruised along until there was an exit to a side road, pulling off.

"Bandage change," Senji nudged Izuku awake, and they all got out of the cab. Senji dug out the gauze and antibiotic ointment, sectioning off some for herself and sliding back into the truck to tend to her own wounds. Rody helped Izuku with his, working carefully with occasional instruction from Senji. Once done, the girl crept back out of the truck with her shirt hanging loosely off her shoulder.

"Give me your hand."

"Huh?," Izuku and Rody both looked up at her, confused. Her cheeks went pink, and she exhaled hard.

"It's your wrist or your neck. One of those will be a lot weirder to do. I can help with the pain a little bit," she pulled the corner of her mouth, showing off a pair of fangs. Izuku understood, and held his arm up. Rody, not entirely following, finished wrapping the gauze and waited. Senji took Izuku's hand, pulling his wrist up and toward her face. She tucked her hair behind her ear, the many piercings shining brightly in the sun.

"It's weird if you stare," she shot Rody a look, and he looked away for a moment. His face flushed, feeling like he had been staring at something rather intimate. Senji bit down gently, her classmate wincing from the small stab before relaxing considerably. The girl pulled away, wrapping the small bite mark with gauze and spitting out a small amount of blood that had trickled out. The group returned to their seats and headed off again. Izuku drifted off to sleep pretty quickly, despite the relatively early hour.

"Was that something with your Quirk?," Rody spoke up eventually. His and Senji's faces flushed a little again, and he glanced over to see her condition looking more and more like Izuku's before the stop.

"Yeah. It's a little weird to explain, but I can make a sort of venom. Its effects change depending on different stuff I take. Like alcohol, or medicine, and it makes it much more potent than the initial thing. It's weird to use it very often, though," Senji explained in detail, checking with Rody to make sure he was following.

"So, what about you? You've gotta be hurting from your injuries, too," the boy shared his observations. Senji chuckled weakly, sliding down in her seat while clutching her side.

"Since my body makes stuff into that venom, it means meds and stuff don't really work well for me. 'S not something I can turn on or off," her voice was growing more strained.

"So, could you just bite yourself?," Rody dropped one hand off the steering wheel.

"Nope," Senji's final answer was barely audible, and followed by a huge yawn. She slumped over, resting her head on Rody's shoulder for a second time.