Supernova

Chapter Twenty Seven - And Then There Were Three

I sat in the change room in my ripped-up gym clothes for a long time. I'm not sure for how long. When the noises and chattering coming from every fucking vent and hallway within a fifty foot radius seemed to subside, I finally forced myself over to the sink where I washed as much of myself as I could and pulled my skirt, collared shirt, blazer, and tie back on. When I pushed my way out of the change room, Elias was outside, back in his street clothes and gloves, leaning against the wall of the quiet hallway. Waiting.

"Shall we find somewhere to get milkshakes?" he asked me, in Swedish, smiling. I cursed our tradition. This would be the first time we wouldn't have milkshakes after a fight, and it was the first one that hadn't really felt like a win. "To us, the evermore untouchable."

"What the fuck was that?" I hissed at him, forcing myself to keep my tone at a whisper.

"We remain undefeated, in two countries now," he said, his eyes showing some surprise. "You ought to be happy."

"That was humiliating!" I whispered harshly. His eyes widened more.

"That wasn't my intention," he said. I sighed and walked off.

"I don't want milkshakes," I scoffed. "I finished the contract. I'll bring it to you tomorrow."

"You'll bring it tonight," he told me back. "Three copies. I've arranged a meeting for the three of us. There will be a car outside for you."

"Some warning." I sighed. "Just give me some fucking warning."

"This is your warning," he told me. His eyes landed on my uniform. "Shall I send a dress for you, or do you have something on hand?"

I sighed again, and I knew without seeing it that I was glaring. "I can dress myself."

"Excellent," he said, his eyes doubtful and amused. "I'll see you later, then."

I got back to the dorm common space to a new symphony of whispers that I didn't bother tuning in to. Kaminari and Mina started trying to call me over, but when Momo stood, both of them immediately silenced. She was there again, blocking my path, looking furious with me.

"Are you done ignoring me?" Her voice was the harshest version I'd ever heard.

"Yes," I said, aware I was in need of a favor. I motioned towards the elevators.

Her expression immediately softened. "Should I make tea?"

"Would you rather waste your time making tea," I almost scoffed, walking off. "Or do you want answers?"

I hated myself for it, but it was the calmest I could manage under the conditions. Elias was so insanely talented in so many domains, including but not limited to, bringing out the worst in me. And, I mean, come on. You've met me. It's not like my baseline is sunshine and roses.

She made tea anyways. Up in her room, I gave her a surface version, focusing on the professional internship, omitting every instance of me being taken by surprise. She was raising her eyebrows and probing for how I felt about seeing Elias again, and I shrugged and told her it was just another job. She didn't believe me, but didn't pry. She asked yet again what happened between the two of us, why I ever left the SHA so suddenly, and I simply smiled and shook my head. She sighed, but she didn't pry at that either. I finally asked her if I could borrow a dress, nice but not too nice, and she handed me a garment bag out of her closet as she looked at me sadly. I tried to ignore it, but it made me sad too.

Luckily, I had private tutoring to distract me before too long. I made my way there, only to find the same kind of expression on Aizawa's face. He had some documents from my file lying out for rereading, which he normally did, and I took a seat at the round table across from him. For the first time, I looked down to make note what he was looking over. All of them were SHA files.