PYROMANIA (Endeavor X Male Reader)

Chapter 38 - KFC

"Fuck you're fast!" You shouted as you evaded the frighteningly sharp feathers.

"So are you, Jesus Christ just stand still."

"The hell? Of course not!" You swerved again, diving lower and forcing Hawks to follow suit.

You took this opportunity to come to a screeching halt that Takami didn't expect and exploited his shock by slicing along his right wing. Honestly, you were at a higher risk of a maneuver like that, your wings having a larger surface area and all.

Hawks cursed but didn't seem to have too much difficulty flying. He hovered mid air, glowered, and you braced yourself. You knew what he was about to pull.

Naturally you intercepted. Using your electromagnetic quirk, you used the chains in your choker to hook onto both his wings and his limbs, rendering him almost helpless. For your own sake, you thrust him father away and quite literally left him hanging.

You'd be able to dodge the feathers easier if he was farther away. Ah. There they are.

Tiny red projectiles were flung your way. The first wave, you blocked with your knives but following the second, you opened a pouch on your belt and with a shit-eating grin visible on your face, dozens of metal feathers intercepted their authentic, red counterparts. Not giving Takami any more leeway, you slammed his prone form onto the ground and pinned him with your knives pressed threateningly against his neck and the metal feathers rotating in a circle over his slender frame.

He mirrored the action, leaving you at a stand-still.

You stared at each other until the vicious gleam in your eyes vanished. You whistled.

"Shit they weren't kidding when they said you were hot," you stated.

The man rolled his golden eyes. "Of course you'd only say that after we've fought."

You scowled. "You sound like my therapist."

"Maybe they're on to something," he joked.

Enji cleared his throat. Both of you turned to him. He looked down at Shouto.

"So what's the verdict?"

Shouto put his hand on his chin. Acting like he was deep in thought. "Well, (Y/N) played dirty so I think its Hawks by default."

Enji simply nodded at that, satisfied. You, quite frankly, felt betrayed. "Naurrr come on Enji."

He shrugged, a smirk barely visible on his face. "I don't make the rules."

"Takami. You suck," you whined.

"Oh come on. Don't be a sore loser," he threw his arm over your shoulder. "And call me Keigo."

"Keigo Fried Chicken."

"Wow that's a new one."

~~~

You and Enji had a habit of meeting in the kitchen at midnight. To be fair, that was usually the time he got home when he worked late and you preferred to make yourself some snacks when you spoke to the spirits.

"Oh come on Heinrich. The guy is like a decade younger than me," you argued.

Heinrich pouted. You'd have never guessed he'd have the kill count of a particularly dangerous mercenary but the facts didn't care about either of your feelings.

"I mean, to be fair, we haven't got any in a while. But still. We hardly know the man," you added, somewhat wistfully.

Heavy footsteps accompanied by an incredulous statement of, "Are you talking about Hawks?" echoed through the kitchen. You blushed and handed Enji his cup of tea.

"Yeah. Heinrich is sort of into him."

Enji huffed. "Don't think he would appreciate being lusted after by a dead villain."

You laughed. "Oh my God, the way you said 'lusted' was so funny," you nudged him with your shoulder. "Are you a bit of a prude, Enji?"

The blush that settled over his pale skin was gorgeous, frankly. You couldn't bring yourself to look away.

"How was work?"

"Good."

"Anything interesting happen?"

He looked at you intently before saying, "I teamed up with Gang Orca today. It was a lot more taxing than if I'd just done it myself but I think it was fun?"

You beamed at him. "I'm really glad. Work should make you happy. Otherwise, what's the point?"

"I would like to team up with you, when you have your license," he offered. You stared at him, shocked for a moment, before giving him another radiant smile. "Oh hell yes. I can't wait."

He was quiet for a while but you could feel that there was something being left unsaid.

"Enji?"

"I got you something," he hurriedly muttered, pulling something that looked like a large silver scale out of his pocket. He loosened his grip on it and a dozen identical scales appeared, forming a long, snake-like structure.

"It's for your back," he clarified. "I figured it'd be a good idea considering how reckless your fighting style is."

"For my back?"

He nodded. "Put it over your spine. It has spikes that you can control using your quirk in the event that you're pinned and it is made to absorb shock. Now you're practically invincible, considering as long as you can move, you can heal."

You stared at him, in a total daze. The knives and now this? Both gifts were super thoughtful and definitely not what you expected to gain out of this friendship.

"Will you put in on for me?" You asked, sensing you could push your luck. He froze momentarily before nodding apprehensively.

"Uh," he hesitated. "Take off your shirt."

You complied, with some hesitance of your own, being reminded that he had yet to see your scars.

You heard his breath hitch. "Prison?"

You nodded. Why was this so much more nerve wracking compared to showing Shouto?

You reached around your waist, tracing one on your hip. "This one was from a scuffle in the showers. The dumbass found a piece of broken tile. Ended up hurting his hand more than me."

You touched another, a large bite mark on your shoulder.

"There's not much they can do about mutant quirks and it's a bit inhumane to muzzle a person so they threw the guy back into solitary. He'd just gotten out and decided I was his best bet. Think the guy might have been a cannibal to be honest."

Out of his own volition, Enji touched one on your lower back. A wound that looked like an eight centimeter wide cigarette burn. You shivered as he touched the sensitive scar tissue but explained, "So, this one guy had drill hands. Like just really thick drills for hands. It was insane. Anyway yeah, he impaled me. Had to get my kidney removed.

He moved his hand away. "You're very nonchalant about it."

You gave him wry grin. "There's no point in being bitter, plus, I think it looks pretty cool."

He didn't say anything else, simply smiled in return and brought the cold metal to the skin over your vertebrae.

The individual scales fit into place, pinching the skin. It wasn't uncomfortable and you could tell you could still move very well. It allowed for flexibility.

"Geez, you really thought of everything, didn't you, Enji? Thank you. Really."

He looked away bashfully, with an almost imperceptible smile on his face.

And if his warm hands rested on your upper back for a little too long, then, well, nobody has to know.