Her Forgotten ~Tomura Shigaraki x OC AU~

Chapter 25: The Cold Distance

Illika

The thunder bellows, shaking the windows.

Glass rattles as the ground trembles. The rain is heavy and thick, falling in dense sheets from even denser clouds. The storm rages, not yet yielding or showing any signs of clearing.

I watch, almost feeling the lightning reflect in my eyes, but it is his presence I do feel.

Tomura stands at my side, the two of us watching behind thick glass as the storm throws her fit. We are on one of the upper floors of the building, standing in an empty yet open seating area furnished by expensive leather sofas and oversized chairs, though neither of us sits. We stand – both choosing to remain on our feet with a distance between us.

There is a certain coldness that surrounds me. It hovers and lingers, nipping at my nose and chin as chills run the length of my spine. And though I do not want to admit it, I suppose I understand why. As I stand here, watching him stand there, my body quivers, missing his touch.

It feels as if it has been an eternity since I last felt him. Since I last touched him. My fingers itch to feel him, practically begging for me to reach over, but I refrain. I push back that longing and retrain my focus on the scene outside.

Silence lingers between us, the only interruption being the thunder. Then, his voice breaks through it all, smooth and low, running through my ears as he speaks. "It's pretty nasty out there."

I nod. "Yeah, it is." There is this strange lump in my throat. I swallow it down and turn, looking at him. "But you didn't really bring me here to talk about the weather, did you?"

He doesn't look at me. He doesn't even turn in my direction. His eyes remain fixated on the angry sky, the storm practically reflecting in his stare. Or maybe, the storm I see is the storm within himself. Regardless, he doesn't look at me.

Then: "No. No, I didn't."

My muscles tense. I figured as much. "Then why did you?"

Curiosity pumps through my veins, filling my bloodstream with this anxious energy that gnaws at my mind, chewing each thought. Uneasiness falls into my stomach. I'm in this crazy tango between wanting to know why we're here, and being too scared to actually learn the reasoning. I mean, I have my theory...I'm just nervous.

Nervous to hear what he has to say. Nervous to know I've added to his brokenness. Nervous to learn I hurt him.

After all, I had asked about those scars. I asked about their origins. That was where it all started. After that, he was gone. Leaving in a hurry, never looking back. Never uttering another word.

Truth be told, part of me is eager. Dare I say, hopeful. Hopeful we'll talk about that. That I'll be given the opportunity to say my sorry. Maybe even have my questions met if he allowed. But at the same time, I am anxious. There is no saying what he wants to discuss, nor no way to predict how this will go. So, I hold my breath, biting back my anxiety.

He inhales sharply, still not looking at me. Not even a little peep. And I almost think he might not reply when he does. "I haven't had a chance to speak with you over the last several days."

Slowly, his eyes fall on me. Finally. But they are unreadable. I can't make heads or tails of what's going through his mind. That vast red sea has been frozen over, hiding every little thing that could be going through his mind. Still, I wait patiently with bated breath but still nod.

"Yeah. You've been pretty busy." I try to remain lighthearted in my tone.

"Yes." He nods, once again turning to the raging storm. "I figured we could have a little debrief. Have you had a chance to speak with Compress?"