Villainous

Chapter Eight - Suit

"What? Did you finally realize how deep you're in?" Toga smiled. She reminded Ochako of the Cheshire Cat, with her eyes illuminated by the rising sun and fangs gleaming.

"Huh? Uhm.." Ochako gulped. How was she supposed to react to someone telling her that they thought killing people was "kinda funny"? It often seemed to slip her mind that the hero was dealing with a serial murderer. Toga wasn't her friend, or ally, and never would be.

She was the enemy.

"You don't have to answer that, little hero." Toga shrugged it off, not seeming to be affected by Ochako's sudden urge to distance herself from the villain. The blonde yawned, fangs making their appearance again. Ochako wondered if there was ever a time she tried to hide them, despite them being so prominent.

"Sorry for keeping you awake." Ochako still felt the need to apologize to Toga, despite her mixed feelings about the girl.

"It's fine. Not like you're getting any sleep either." Toga joked, standing up from the bed. "If I don't go now, I'll pass out in your room. That'd be awkward." The blonde seemed to blush lightly. "Just move on from that old dead lady, she doesn't matter, she's dead." Toga headed to the balcony.

"Thanks." Ochako mumbled, following behind Toga. "Bye."

"See ya later, little hero." Toga gave her once last smile before jumping back into the sprawling branches of the oak tree, quietly maneuvering her way down. Ochako watched, making sure she got over the gate safely. She continued to watch, even after the villain had long since been in her sight.

There was something about her that made her incredibly hard to detest. Ochako knew she should hate Toga and everything she stood for, but she couldn't quite. Of course, she didn't condone Toga's actions, far from it, she was traumatized by them. But that didn't stop the villain from being herself, and there was something admirable about someone who could be themselves without much thought. Ochako silently looked up to Toga in that way, and wished she possessed the same skill.

- - - - -

Ochako awoke in yet another cold sweat. She couldn't remember her dream, but knew it wasn't good. Try as she may to take the blonde's advice, she couldn't rid her mind of the woman's face. Pale skin, unfocused eyes, blood dripping. The hero sighed and got out of bed, checking her clock as she did so. 1:52pm. Well, she didn't go to bed until 6:00am, so it only made sense.

She'd gotten a text on the burner phone and five missed calls on her personal one since she'd fallen asleep. The text was from Toga, letting Ochako know she'd be waiting at the park at 8:00pm. Almost six hours from now. She stared at the missed calls, hoping nothing bad had happened. Two were from Tsu, two more from Mina, and a final one from Deku. They'd all tried to contact her that morning, each around 11:00am.

The last thing Ochako wanted to do was talk to Deku, not because she disliked him, but because he had appeared in her dreams. He'd insulted her, and brought up points her subconscious had been trying to put in the light. Honestly, she didn't feel up to talking to any of her friends, but it was important to. Maybe it would make her feel better, or at the very least, pass some time.

Ring Ring, Ring Ring.

Tsu picked up the FaceTime almost instantly.

"Ochako! Are you alright?" Tsu looked nervously at the screen, her expression relaxing after visibly confirming her friend was okay.

"Yeah. I'm fine." The gravity hero smiled. "I just slept in really late. I just woke up. Sorry."

"It's alright. We all tried to call you, we were worried when you didn't pick up!" Tsu seemed to be in a crowded food court, based on the loud talking and advertisements for different meals behind her.