Feather Bound

Chapter 55

One by one, they filed out of his office, paying no heed to the curious glances from the office workers they passed. He'd need to come up with an explanation for them later, but he was reasonably confident that a few strategic bonuses would suffice. A couple of workplace shenanigans during the annual New Year's party, fueled by top-shelf alcohol, and the current commotion would likely fade into the background of office gossip.

Approaching the elevator, Mamoru and Haruki entered first, positioning themselves inside. Y/N was on the verge of stepping through the doors when he gently grasped her arm, halting her progress. Confusion painted her expression as she turned to face him, but his attention was fixed on Haruki, who responded with a smile and nod. She leaned forward, pressing the button to send the elevator down to the lobby.

"Can we talk for just a second?" he asked gently, and she blinked up at him before inhaling deeply.

"Oh my god, what happened to your cheek?" she asked, reaching forward to touch the warmth of the bruise. Had she really just noticed it? Well, she had a lot on her mind at the time; it was only reasonable that she'd miss some things. He winced at the sensation of her touch, gently grasping her wrist and lowering it from his face.

"Jiro caught me in a lie in our meeting this morning. I got punished, but that's nothing new. When he told me about Himari, I fucking lost it. That's why my office was destroyed. I didn't know what else to do, how to tell you about what was happening. But do you fully understand now why I said I don't want kids, why I didn't want to go through with all of this?" he asked, and she nodded, avoiding his gaze. He reached forward, cupping her face and tilting it so she was looking at him

"I don't regret anything, though. I love you, I really, really do. You've made my life enjoyable, put something real into it. Something that nobody can take away from me even if they tried, and god, are they seriously trying. But, I wouldn't change anything. I just wanted to make sure you knew that I had nothing to do with this, Y/N. I would never keep something like this from you," he whispered, and she turned her head, giving him a sad smile.

"I get it, I really do," she said softly, leaning against him, and he didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her, squeezing gently. "I'm sorry I snapped at you—"

She was cut off by the sound of the elevator dinging, signaling its return. He leaned down, kissing her gently before grabbing her hand and tugging her into the elevator. She opened her mouth to try to finish her sentence, but he cut her off, leaning over and kissing her again. He broke it, chuckling slightly as he smiled down at her.

"Don't apologize. Besides, it was kinda hot watching you shove Mamoru up against that window," he admitted, and she burst into laughter. They were still giggling as they stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby. He was stopped, thick material smacking him in the face.

"What the hell?" he snapped, grabbing the hoodie that had been tossed at him and looking at it in confusion. He recognized it easily; he saw them every time he walked into the lobby. It was merch that they sold in the gift shop, and he blinked at Haruki in confusion. Why the hell was she giving him this? He might own some hero—well, Endeavor specifically—merch, but he most definitely didn't wear his own. He wasn't that conceited.

"You're going to need to blend in," Haruki explained with a shrug, walking over and handing him a face mask. "We don't want to draw any attention. If they know you're in the building, it'll make Jiro suspicious. Make your wings small enough to be covered by the hoodie; we can put the extra feathers into a duffle bag to take with us. Put on the mask and pull up the hood. Keep your head down until you get into that room."

She unzipped the duffle bag, and he sighed as he stared at it. It made sense, but he couldn't help but worry about needing his feathers. He supposed he would have to make do though, there was no way to shove his wings under that hoodie otherwise. He started detaching them, the feathers swiftly stacking and curling themselves into the open bag until finally, he could slide the hoodie over himself. His wings pressed tightly against him, but it didn't look horrible. He put on the face mask and pulled up the hood before sighing. Though it wasn't as good as the time Y/N had hidden his markings at the amusement park, it would work for what they needed it to.