Muted Voices (A BNHA/MHA x OC Fanfic)

Chapter 62: The Party (Part 1)

We approach the party in groups, blending in with the crowd of teenagers. It's already in full swing, people dancing to the loud music and already sufficiently drunk. I walk in with Yaoyorozu and Mina, both moving easily through the chaos. I have to struggle to keep up with them.

I notice Shoji already standing in the corner, talking with Midoriya as they try to look inconspicuous. I do my best to look around, but there's no sign of Koto's red hair anywhere. I glance at the faces of a couple redheads, but none of them are her. I move onto anyone with curly hair next, trying not to seem too suspicious, but after a while, it's apparently obvious it's not working.

Mina grabs my arm and brings me to the kitchen, mumbling just loudly enough for me to hear, "loosen up! You look too out of place. You're almost as bad as Bakugo. He's been interrogating every person in here with even a similar bone structure. Ochaco had to yell at him to go outside and cool off."

In reality, I'm not upset with Bakugo. I'm just hoping that if we can easily find Koto, that means she'd be ready to leave with us. I don't want to worry about everything Ma had said, but I find myself overthinking it. Mina pours herself a drink from the large bowl, but I have a feeling the stuff inside isn't punch. She offers me the sticky ladle, but I shake my head no as she takes a sip from her drink.

She winces, but laughs anyway, pulling me close to exclaim, "it's horrible! This is awesome!" She tries to pull me back to the dancefloor, but I get a feeling she's given up on looking for Koto and just wants to party. I take my arm from her grasp and point to the back door.

"I need some air!" I say in English over the music. I hope it reminds her that we're still technically on a mission. I walk out before she can respond, looking around the green lawn, littered with plastic cups. The large pool glows with light as cups and cans float on the surface, long forgotten.

Way in the back of the yard, I see Bakugo standing near a campfire. Voices rise with the smoke, singing joyfully. I jog up to him.

"Hey man," I say in English. "Good thinking, this is definitely where she'd be hanging out."

"Shut up, idiot," he snaps. "Look."

I examine the faces around the campfire as a boy strums a guitar and he sings with the platinum blonde next to him:

"Well, I know that you're in love with him
'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues"

I notice the brunette on his other side bears a mild resemblance to Koto. She has the same long curls and she's also wearing a choker, like Koto always does. Her eyes are a deep blue. Maybe contacts, I think.

I notice her standing up silently to leave, as does Bakugo, but he's only staring at the singing blonde. "C'mon, man!" I exclaim.

"What?" He snaps.

"Aren't we going to follow her?"

"She's sitting right over there!" He points to the blonde still at the campfire.

"You're not serious," I say in absolute disbelief. "She's singing."

"Or using her quirk!"

"She doesn't move her mouth when she does that." I rub my face. "Look, do whatever you want, but that's not her. The other girl looks more like her and she didn't actually speak. For all we know, she's mute, which would mean it's probably Koto. So I'm following her."

I look back once to the girl with the long blonde hair, shaking my head. No way is Koto actually singing. That's not her. Besides, she doesn't have a scar, I think sadly. I'm still offended that she didn't tell me about it and that I had to learn about it from Todoroki of all people. I run back to the house as the girl's song follows me.