𝐖𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐇 || ᵇ.ᵏᵃᵗˢᵘᵏⁱ

XXII

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Aeri received a lot of attention from the public whilst out on patrol. There were high school students out for lunch who would ask to take pictures with her, little children with their parents who would point excitedly and other pros would come up to her to congratulate her on her win in the sports festival. After the first few, Jinyoung ended up having to usher them all away since they were running behind schedule.

"Someone's popular." He joked as they walked. Thankfully, nothing had happened so far that they had to jump in, so in reality, patrolling was just like taking a stroll with her brother in a cool outfit.

"Well when you're as beautiful and talented as me, you're bound to get a lot of attention," She bantered, flipping her hair. He gave her a deadpan look as they turned the corner, almost bumping directly into two familiar faces—kind of.

"Oh excuse us," Best Jeanist apologised, stepping aside to avoid a collision. Bakugou stayed put. Aeri gaped at him, blinking once, then twice. "Your—"

"Don't even fucking mention it," Bakugou said, oddly calmly, though Best Jeanist still scolded him for his language. "Don't you dare laugh either, I can see it on your face," Aeri pursed her lips to keep her amusement at bay.

"Nice shiner. He give you that?" Bakugou nodded to the deep purple bruise on her jaw and then to her brother who had engaged in quiet conversation with Best Jeanist, glancing over at the two students every so often.

Aeri clutched her jaw with a frown. "I can't believe he aimed for my face! He has no sparring etiquette." She shook her head angrily, Bakugou looked amused.

"A villain won't care about aiming for your face. I was just preparing you for the future." Jinyoung cut in, Best Jeanist nodded solemnly from beside him.

"Do villains shave people's heads in their sleep? Because that's what I have planned for you." Aeri stuck her tongue out at him and he rolled his eyes, smiling.

"Well we should get going," Jinyoung told Best Jeanist and Bakugou. They both nodded and Bakugou said a quick goodbye to Aeri before he was ushered away by his mentor. Aeri laughed as their matching hairstyles disappeared around the corner.

"Did you see what Jeanist did to his hair?" Aeri covered her mouth. Jinyoung nodded, a small smile of his own decorating his features.

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Aeri didn't get home until 6 p.m. that evening. After the patrol, Jinyoung had her helping him with paperwork and then another two hours of training before he drove her home. She showered and changed at the agency, not wanting to sit in her own sweat and grime for the 20-minute car ride. Aizawa invited Jinyoung in for dinner but he politely declined, claiming he had plans with a few other pros.

She collapsed onto the couch next to her dad as soon as she got in, resting her head on his upper arm and closing her eyes. He glanced down at her tired form and adjusted his position so he could wrap an arm around her shoulders. He didn't often get to spend time with his daughter like this; they weren't the most affectionate of families, but Aeri got cuddly when she was tired so Aizawa assumed that Jinyoung really put her through the wringer—As expected of him.

"Have you heard from Jungwon?" Aeri asked, snuggling further into the comfort of her father's embrace.

Aeri had insisted that Hyoseop give him an offer from the company that Hyoseop and Dohwan were under which made Aeri feel a little less guilty for taking Jinyoung's offer. The only downfall was that the agency was in Korea, meaning that for the first time in their lives, the twins had been separated for more than 24 hours at a time.

Her father hummed, not taking his eyes off his phone. "He called at around 3 PM. He told me to tell you to call him when you're back." Aeri nodded and closed her eyes once more. She should really go and ice her bruises and call her brother, but she was tired and very comfortable right now.

"Don't fall asleep. Dinner will be done in 15." Aizawa warned her.

"I'm not," She murmured but she didn't open her eyes. Her muscles were sore and her eyelids were excruciatingly heavy. She wanted nothing more than to turn in for the night.

"Yes, you are," Aizawa argued. He pulled her up by the shoulders. "Come on, you need to eat before you sleep," Aeri whined but she let her dad pull her up and lead her to the dining room. She lazily helped Hyunjin set the table just like she did every night and then her father brought in the dishes.

They ate with minimal talking, Hyunjin started conversations every so often but Aeri was more concentrated on not falling face-first into her food. After helping with clean up, she excused herself to her room with an ice pack in hand.

She changed into her comfiest set of pyjamas and sat down at her vanity to do her skin care, facetiming Jungwon at the same time. He answered after the first ring.

"Hey, how's Korea?" She asked pressing the ice pack to her jaw. "Have you seen Dohwan?"

"Korea is so good! The hero system here is so civilised compared to Japan and the crime rates are lower. Dohwan is on an important mission apparently, he's been undercover for nearly three months now so no one's heard from him since he went." Jungwon rambled happily. Aeri smiled at his enthusiasm and took out her skincare products. "How is training with Jinyoung? Is it as ruthless as I imagine?"

"Absolutely. He doesn't hold back and I guess that's a good thing, but it's only the first day and I'm so sore." She pouted, patting the product onto her skin and wincing when she pressed too hard on her bruise.

"I don't think I ever could've gone with Jinyoung, Hyoseop is so much gentler and he doesn't aim for the face." He gave her a pointed look. Aeri huffed, amused.

"I have something to show you," She said reluctantly, not knowing how he'd react. She reached over to her bag and pulled out the golden dagger, flashing it at the screen for him to see.

"Oh my god!" Jungwon yelled. "You got a golden dagger?" Aeri nodded. "Don't worry, I'll catch up with you before you know it."

"You wish," Aeri smirked. She picked up her phone and moved to her bed, flopping down on top of the comforter.

"I have to go, Hyoseop is taking me out to eat. Text me in the morning!" Jungwon said cheerfully but Aeri could tell he seemed disheartened.

"Okay, have fun and say hi to Hyoseop for me," she said with a tired smile. Jungwon nodded and ended the call. Aeri didn't bother climbing under the covers or putting her phone on charge. She curled up in the centre of her bed and fell asleep instantly. Her dad would surely scold her for leaving the light on in the morning but that was at the back of her mind as she drifted off.

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