The next few days were quietly chaotic, with nobody wanting to discuss the events of the night before. Finally, it was time for them to go back home to Japan. They shuffled awkwardly behind Endeavor through the airport, while Burnin' looked frantically from face to face trying to discern what the weird tension was. There were some people in the crowd murmuring and staring hard, but that didn't seem to fit the mood that hung over the students. As they rode the escalator up to their gate, a chortling chirp rang out behind them. Senji and Izuku turned first, spotting a little pink bird rushing straight at them. Her counterpart, Rody, waved up at them from the window facing the runway.
"Rody!," Izuku called out to him, running back down the escalator and waving him down. Pino continued straight past Izuku, almost crashing into Senji's chest. The girl caught the little bird, who flew out of her hands and landed a little peck on her cheek. Rody called out to the bird, his face flushed. Bakugo took Senji's bags from her and pushed her forward, urging her to go see Rody one more time before leaving. He clicked his tongue when she broke away, and Burnin' found her target. Senji skipped the last few steps, and made her way over to the other two boys. Pino flitted over to Izuku, who held out his hands to catch her. The boy focused on the little bird for a moment, standing somewhat apart from the other two.
"Sorry. She, uh, got excited?," Rody apologized for Pino's sudden little kiss, knowing full well that Senji wasn't going to be convinced with that. The girl smiled, laughing a little, and glancing around the room.
"Um. Sorry...for leaving stuff so weirdly the other night," Senji apologized, long overdue, for how she left Rody in the aftermath of their steamy exchange a few days prior. His lips curled, the nervous grin just barely held back, and glanced out the window.
"It's..don't worry about it. Um," he brushed that aside, and stumbled into a new problem. He hated goodbyes, even if he did have a strong connection with the girl in front of him and the boy standing a little further back. It wasn't forever, and there were strong ties holding them together, but he still felt a wave of sadness crashing over him.
"Hey," Senji leaned over into his view, her voice soft. He turned back toward her, letting the grin loose while fighting back something worse. Senji studied his expression, then nodded to herself before speaking again. Her own voice trembled slightly, but she was resolved to say this.
"Keep working hard, so we can meet up again. And remember, I'm just a text or call away. If you have time to feel lonely," she tried for a mischievous grin, but her rosy cheeks gave away her own embarrassment. Rody laughed, somewhat less tense than before. He suddenly became keenly aware of the stares and whispers from around the large room, and struggled with pangs of intense anxiety.
Senji looked at him, then glanced at the people who were barely concealing their curiosity across the room. Her lips pursed for a moment, and she shot a glare in their direction. Some flinched and looked away, embarrassed. Then her expression suddenly changed, and she grinned sheepishly over at Rody. He was following her look up until then, and was startled when she suddenly skipped closer and beamed at him. She gripped the edges of his shirt, pulling him closer and planting her lips onto his. Her tail had curled up, just barely concealing the intimate gesture while some of the crowd gasped and shuffled awkwardly.
She pulled back, satisfied with herself, and shot another huge smile at the red-faced boy. She spun around, hiding her own red face, and said a quick and cheerful farewell before bounding back up the escalator. Burnin' teased her relentlessly, and Rody laughed as he saw her crouch down behind the glass barrier of the upper floor while hiding her face. The blonde boy beside her glanced down at him, then engaged in a heated exchange with the the sidekick.
"Ahem," Rody cleared his throat, finally acknowledging Izuku who stared hard out the window. Pino chirped up at him, from her perch in his cupped hands, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"Sorry, that's...Uh," Rody fumbled hard. Izuku chuckled uneasily, then changed the subject.
"So, I guess this is goodbye for now," the freckled boy started strong, and Pino flew back over to her counterpart to rest on his shoulder. Rody looked back out the window, unable to say what he needed to if he was looking straight at Izuku.
"I've decided to go for both. What I want, and what I need to do," Rody's words were a little confusing, but Izuku smiled gently back at the boy. He noted how the little pink bird's eyes overflowed with tears.
"So go finish up your school, and become that hero you wanna be. Don't bother comin' back here, stuff gets real messed up when you're around," Rody continued. His voice cracked toward the end, but he maintained his goofy expression and looked back toward Izuku. The boy smiled back, and Rody nearly broke. Izuku stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his new friend, promising to come visit sometime. Rody jokingly told him not to, but hugged Izuku back and held tight for a moment.
The speaker overhead clicked on, announcing the final boarding for the flight back to Japan. Izuku broke away, waving back to Rody and rejoining his group. The air was much livelier with them than before, with the more fiery of the group poking each other's buttons hard while Endeavor tried to maintain some kind of order.
YOU ARE READING
Strays (WHM)
Action"Hey lovebirds, hate to interrupt but-Oh shit." Senji had let go of the cave mouth and fell forward into the dirt, coughing up a little bit of blood and clutching her side. Izuku, half-dressed, rushed to help her but tripped over his loose pants and...
