Running On Caffeine Not Adrenaline

Chapter 13

TW: Trauma

I unlock my apartment door. I go in and see that the place is quite neat. I swore the Heroes would've torn the thing to shreds, though I do have new curtains now. "Welcome back." I see Nova come out of the kitchen. This place seemed a little too clean. "Hey...Why do I have new curtains?" I slowly scan the room. I note that other things are moved and in places they've never been. Even the pillows are rearranged. "Why has everything moved?" I look up to the Villain who smiles sheepishly. "After you forgot me at the Target," I knew I was forgetting something, "I came back here. I did have to wait a few hours but when those Heroes left, they kinda left the place trashed." His tone sounds somewhat scared. "Oh, and you cleaned up? That's so nice of you! I'll have to rearrange some things back to where they were but thank you. You didn't have too. I would've cleaned it up myself." I search for my broken lamp. I notice it's completely missing. "They broke a few things...The lamp, jar, a picture frame, and the bathroom doorknob." I look at him with a confused face. He checked the door handles. I set my stuff down while my head tries to figure out what made him check the handles. I can understand the front door but not the others. "Oh, your traumatized!" That left my mouth without me looking over it in my head. Our eyes meet and he's just staring at me. "W-what?" He coughs. "Who would check the door handles inside the house if not the person is traumatized! How old are you anyways? Like eighteen? Nineteen? You act like a twenty-year-old, but you seem too young." Somehow me saying how old I thought he was made it seem creepier. He could be an adult and I just invited him into my apartment, I'm fifteen after all. "I'm fifteen." It is no longer weird nor creepy. "Oh, were the same age!" "Uh, where are your parents? Do they live in a different apartment or something?" I set my stuff on the coffee table. "Parents this, parents that..." I mutter. "Hey, I cleaned your apartment, don't give me that tone." He sounds like a dad. Unluckily for him I don't want one. "Don't use that against me, I can easily hand you over to the Heroes." I walk into the kitchen. I grabbed myself a glass, I turned back to look at him. He has a gun pointed at me. "You won't." I smile. His hand tenses up. "You can't because at the moment you're not having to worry about Heroes searching for you here. They've already searched, and you cleaned up the apartment, so I'd let you stay." I turned back to the sink. I fill my glass with water. "How..." I take a sip of my water, slowly turning back to him. The gun is to his side. "How do you know so much? Why do you care?" His eyes are on the floor. He's afraid. Afraid of attachments, someone caring for him. It's sad he's expecting me to betray him so quickly, I'm not that low of a human being. Although I threatened to hand him over was just to get him to shut up about the parents' thing. "Nova your easy to read, I'm not fucking stupid," I raise my glass, "ain't nothing stupid about me." I take the glass to my lips again, but I don't take a drink. "I care because I know how it feels for no one to care for you." I lower the glass. I look up at him, "I've been in foster care for years, I got on the shitty side of the system. Of course, I'm not there now." I put the cup off to the side. I lean against the counter. "Anyways. Hungry?"

...

We ended up getting takeout. Neither wanted to cook but I don't blame Nova. He probably used a lot of energy cleaning this damn place. "Were gonna have to figure out sleeping arrangements and other shit I guess..." I set my fork down in my Chinese. "I take the couch- "I stare at him. I stopped listening.

When he stops talking, I speak my mind. "No. Someone can easily look through the window. Too many Heroes come knocking on my door anyways. As you are aware I'm being investigated- "We hear a knock on the door. I look to Nova. I get up from my seat. I see that his Chinese is empty. I throw his fork in the trash and make it look like I was just eating. I went to the living room and grabbed my gear; I had taken off the bag. "Go to my closet, there's a vent up top. Take the bag with you." He nods and does what I say. I will wait until I see my bedroom door close. I go to the front and answer. "Hey- "I get pushed in. Is it Dream and Bomber. "What the hell man!" The Hero came in as if he owned the place. "We know he's here." He grabs my collar. I look at him with curiosity. If Nova cleaned up the place, that meant the Heroes placed some trackers. One who is not a wanted criminal wouldn't check. A villain would, he would be far too paranoid to- he doesn't know if it was there or not. Yet he's still too cautious. "Based on what?! I told you! I didn't know the guy was a villain. I haven't seen him since." He sits me on my recliner. I look at the half-dressed other Hero. Bomber, he looks depressed. His mask is half falling off. "You should fix yourself up Tubs. You look awful half-dressed." He didn't even seem surprised that I knew his identity. "Based on your food order, two different types of Chinese? You think were that stupid?" Dream goes off into the kitchen. "Yes, I do think you're stupid. I can't have too different Chinese. I got hungry; variety is good." I got up to follow him. I lean against the arch way. "Bomber. Search the apartment." I look behind me. "Destroy my apartment again and I expose your identity." I gave him a petty smile and he went off to search in my bedroom first. "You can't expose his identity." I look at Dream, a small tilt of my head. "Sure, unless it's in my will." He looks at me with wide eyes. "Also, no wire taps." I saw his hand slip under the table. I'm not stupid. I walk over, bend down to look under the table. Wiretap. I grab it and crush it. "Where is your caseworker kid." I scoff. "Caseworker?! HAH! Oh god no. I'm not in the system anymore." I look up at the Hero. He's starting to irritate me. I hate having my space invaded. "Then your guardian." "Don't got one." "Your fifteen. You can't be alone, there ain't a way." He walks past me. "Bomber! Let's go." I see the short king run up beside the rather tall guy. I feel as though Dream is a hypocrite. There is no way he doesn't know Quackity, Sapnap and Karl's husband, is a villain. Nosy bastard. They leave, even closing the door behind them. I am sure to lock it.

"It's safe!" I shouted. I am waiting for Nova to appear.

He doesn't show. I creep into my room and see him out cold on my bed. I walk up and check his pulse. It's scarily faint. I run my hand over his hair, it turns a dirty blonde instead of brunette. I must envision his eyes for them to hopefully have changed colors. I love being able to manipulate matter, everything is matter.

I get myself ready, grab my wallet and keys. I put on a heavy hoodie; hospitals are cold. I put a hoodie on him as well before I got him on my back. I walk to the door with his arms dangling over my shoulder. I unlock my door, shut it behind me and lock it. Then I started my way to the hospital. I can get that bruise checked too. I just need to be careful.

...To Be Continued