꧁༒𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊༒꧂ ~𝓜𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓪𝓶𝓪

🌸 Chapter 15 🌸

"Can't this thing go any faster?" I droned, repeatedly slamming the heels of my converses against the chair like an angry toddler. "While we're sitting on our butts, wasting time, who knows what's happening to Ta... Ta..." I paused, sucking in my lower lip between my teeth, it was getting harder and harder to say that name "him".

Fatgum exhaled a short terse sigh and it was only now, when I closely examined his features in a clearer light, did I notice how beaten and warn down he looked. Darkening circles hung from his eyes and his skin had paled to an almost sickly white. The loss we shared weighed down on his shoulders and as he was his adviser I'm sure he felt some what to blame. "The commission weren't supportive of our decision, Mirio, they say it's 'rushed and we're not ready'. We have no back up, it's just the two of us."

How reassuring.

I began to grate down at my lower lip, still wedged between my teeth, "Being a hero isn't about being ready, no one was ready for the USJ attack, no one was ready for the attack at the the heroes summer camp; as heroes we're never ready. Being a hero isn't about being prepared, it's about rushing in to save the people you care about, be it the stranger down the street or a l-loved one".

A grim smile twisted at Fatgums lips and despite only knowing me through Tamaki a fond endearing look crossed his eyes as he cast a glance at me, patting my arm in a rather fatherly manner. "Well said, you obviously care a great deal about him."

My eyes shifted to stare at the whirl of dull grey as shops merged into one another, flowing one by one out of view. "You could say that, what about you? You seem ruffed up about all this."

"Of course, I was his adviser and his friend. He's a quiet... nervous, boy. That doesn't make him a bad hero though, he's capable and'll have a bright future ahead of him but hey, the spotlight sure does suit his pretty face." He spared me a quick glance from the road, "I have faith in Tamaki, he'll be okay."

I picked at a stray sweet rapper wedged between the window and the car door "I think he shines brighter than the spotlight" I hummed quietly.

He chuckled, eyes now glued to the road, "I stand corrected".

We fell into a tense silence, busied only by our nagging doubts and the buzz of rush hour traffic. Eventually the cleanly cut tarmac grew indented, potholes littering the street causing the four by four to vibrate and splutter in distaste. The brightly lit shops with their gold and red hue had been replaced with long abandoned restaurants eaten away by erosion and time.

The scratchy squeak of brakes assaulted my ears as I lurched forward in my seat held back by the woven polyester that was now digging uncomfortably into my neck. We had swerved into a backstreet and before my mind could click I was being lead out, following Fatgum like a lost puppy as he strode through a maze of twists and turns. The trail opened out onto a roof terrace, barred from the sides by waist high railing and decaying vines that twirled loosely around the bars, all framed by the serene glow of the now setting sun. He continued to stroll until his figure loomed over the barring and I was left with no other choice than to once again trail after this large man. "This is the one" Fatgum gestured to the apartment building in front of us with a cock of his chin. "Three stories. Thirty rooms. Concrete walls and two of us". He surveyed our new found battle ground with narrowed eyes, "Here's the plan. We're on limited resources and men, we only get one shot at this and we need to get it right. I'm gonna need you to scout out the building for any sign of Tamaki, you do that by phasing through the walls. Got it?"

"Yes".

"It's possible that this is the perpetrators home base if so you get out of there and report back to me. It's also possible that they've dumped his hero suit and fled the site, If that's the case report to me and we search the place together. Run into any hiccups on the way, again, report to me. In any case report to me".