The Female Officer (Stand My Heroes Various x fem reader

Chapter 10

First POV

Sousei took me over to a separate area where we could talk. Why was he now starting to care? It's not like he's fully acknowledged Rei and I or anything. But, his expression seemed genuine, so maybe. We finally made our way over to an area where there was a small bench against the window. It was raining outside, very fitting for my mood right about now. I sat down on the bench, putting my elbow on the windowsill and setting my chin onto my hand, staring at the rain falling from the sky.

"Well, you gonna tell me what's on your mind?" Sousei asked as he looked at me.

I sighed before I started talking.

"You know, as much as I hate to say it, Hattori was right about Rei this whole time, and that's the worst part about it. I truly believed and wanted her to be a true asset to STAND, and more than just a recruiter. I thought maybe the resistance that her body has would be helpful for the team," I started while keeping my gaze on the rain.

Sousei stayed silent for a few seconds before I heard him sigh a little.

"She works hard, and takes this job seriously. But, she's dangerously naive," he began.

"You don't think I know that? I know Rei can be naive sometimes, and I realize that could be a burden for the team. But, why can't someone just give her a chance? It's frustrating. I want someone to recognize her sense of justice," I told him as I looked to him with frustration written all over my face.

He looked me in the eye before he closed them and turned his head. I don't think he was expecting me to burst out like that. I'm a hard head, I know. The next thing he said, made my mind stop for a minute.

"I don't think this is just about Izumi. I feel like there's something more to this," he told me as he looked at me again.

My eyes widened a little. Was I that easy to read? The truth is, I kinda felt like people were underestimating me a little bit as well. Maybe they thought, I couldn't handle myself anymore since my accident.

"To be honest, I kind of feel like people have been holding me back a little bit too. I mean, some I understand but, I can handle myself perfectly fine and I feel like...." I trailed off.

Why would Sousei care about how I felt? He and I really haven't connected that much, so why was he so concerned now? I turned to look back out the window. He wouldn't care about how I felt anyway, so why try?

"You feel like you can do more if they trusted you to do so, right?" He asked suddenly.

Damn, he was good. I nodded slowly. I couldn't shake this feeling now. But there was still one thing about how he was acting.

"Why do you care all of a sudden? You and I have barely had a real conversation. Heck, we're basically at each other's throats, so why now?" I asked him.

I think he was caught him off guard a little bit. His cheeks turned pink, but he covered it a bit with his hand. He cleared his throat a little before he began speaking.

"That night, on the cruise ship, when I saw you take down that guy with your powers, it's been on my mind ever since then. You're a strong person, someone who is more than capable of taking care of herself. But, that strength can only go so far. If you can't get your feelings out at some point, it'll slowly begin to destroy you," he explained.

I blushed a bit. He thought I was strong. That's probably the nicest thing he's ever said to me. But, my feelings. Had I really bottled them up this much? I continued to listen as he began talking again.

"I've seen other officers completely destroy themselves by not talking to anyone, and I don't want to see you go through that, (L/N). I'll admit, I underestimated you at first, but honestly, I can say now that you are a valuable asset to STAND, both you and Izumi."