You Can't Lose Me || Shinso x Reader

Chapter 12: Open The Pod Bay Doors, HAL

Warnings: foul language, 

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(y/n)'s POV

"Would you like to explain to me how a hero of all people recognized you? How they knew your first name?" Kanata scolds 

He storms behind me while I briskly walk down halls and into the sitting room.

"I already told you, I don't know who he is. Why can't you believe me?"

"Because I can tell when you're lying to me. You're not exactly hard to read," he pushes, throwing his jacket onto a lopsided hook on the wall. "Are you really dumb enough to think I haven't noticed you pulling your puppets' punches on him, that you always find some lame excuse to cover up your guilty conscience?"

I ignore him, moving to the fireplace and igniting the fire-starter beneath the half-burnt logs. After ensuring that the fire will keep burning on its own, I stand noticing a hand-shaped space near the logs that is absent of any ashes. I sigh wiping the black dust off on my pants.

"Shinso Hitoshi. The name of that hero," Kanata says looking up from his phone. "Sound familiar, (l/n)?" 

He must be really annoyed if he's using my last name.

"Maybe I've seen it in the news or something, but it doesn't ring a bell." I insist, despite knowing that continuing to lie to his face will make things worse.

"Really? So, you've forgotten all those months you spent trailing him? We should get you checked for amnesia then." I sit on one of the chairs facing the fireplace. "What could possibly be bothering you enough to hide it from me?" 

My eyesight blurs slightly as I stare into the flames. 

"The look on his face when he saw me," I start, noticing Kanata's arms cross in front of him, "he was terrified of me. He looked almost as betrayed as I had felt way back when. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Am I doing something wrong?"

"Why the hell do you care? You're definitely an amnesiac," he says, rubbing his temple and sitting in the chair across from mine to look me in the eyes.

"You were thought to be dead, and what did he do? Doesn't show up at your funeral, goes about his life like nothing happened, and a year later, when you walked past him in the streets, not only did he not recognize you, but he was wearing a UA uniform. Even after so many years of watching you be mistreated because of the system, he decided to join it. What kind of a friend is that?"

"But he was always so kind to me," I argue meekly, "And we spent so much of our childhood together."

"Just add it to the list of things he forgot about. Your disappearance didn't even phase him. Sure, you spent years of your youth together, but then people grow up and they make up their minds on the world. I doubt he ever cared about you in the first place. 

"I've been your best friend for almost ten years now. I have been here for you, not him. I have cared about your feeling and beliefs, not him. So let him go already, or you might screw something up again!" he points out growing louder near the end. 

The door clicks open to reveal Mantani strolling over to us.

"We got the job done. Who cares about one person?" she questions, dragging a high stool over to sit near me. 

Sitting down, Mantani pulls an unopened glass bottle of iced coffee out of her hoodie pocket – a drink stolen from Kanata's personal fridge.

"Carelessness like that is how people get caught, so every loose end needs to be cut off. If you had any common sense, you would know that." Kanata growls.