Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Vongrak.
Taylor POV.
"Taylor! Hi! " I heard Victoria's voice behind me. I'd seen her coming toward the dining room, but I didn't think she'd speak to me, especially since there weren't any insects in here. People tend to get nervous when they see insects in the dining room. I turned to see Antares, accompanied by a woman who definitely needed a good night's sleep if the bags under her eyes were any indication.
The woman looked about our age, although the dark circles under her eyes made her look more worn than she should. She had short, curly brown hair, along with a large number of freckles on her face, and despite looking tired, she had a weary look as she looked around.
"Victoria, it's good to see you again." I said with a nod, still sitting at my table in the corner of the dining room, with a cup of tea in my hand.
"Vicky! Call me Vicky, it sounds like I'm being scolded for being called by my full name." Victoria said, shuddering before smiling. "Or Antares, while we're on a mission." She said cheerfully, too cheerfully for this time of night and for the mission we were about to undertake; still, I just nodded.
"I suppose you'll also be helping with Lung's transfer." I said more as a statement. Vicky nodded happily as she took a seat opposite me. The woman next to her frowned before sighing and sitting down next to Vicky. I glanced at her for a few moments before focusing on Victoria once again.
"Yes! They really want to get rid of her. They've called in all the cavalry," Vicky said cheerfully, though there was a slight tension in her voice. She couldn't blame her; ever since she'd arrived, the entire headquarters had been a hive of activity, everyone preparing for Lung's transfer and the ABB's ambush.
There was still some time before all the preparations were complete, so I had been sent to rest and get ready for the escort duty. I decided to go down to the dining room/cafeteria and have some tea to calm my nerves.
Apparently, the dining room was open 24/7, well, they had rotating shifts, and they didn't prepare full meals at all times, but there were some hours when there was a kind of self-service cafeteria for anyone who wanted to go down and needed a snack, even at 2-3 in the morning.
"Would you like some tea?" I asked Victoria as I picked up the small thermos next to me along with my cup. "And you…" I said, glancing at the woman next to Vicky.
"Ah! You haven't met her yet, have you! This is Amy! My sister! You must know her as Panacea." Vicky introduced me with a proud smile. I blinked as I looked at Panacea. Somehow, my… expectations had been severely damaged. This definitely wasn't what I'd hoped for. I guess I had this idea of Panacea being more … brighter? More luminous? And definitely not a jaded, terribly tired teenager/young adult who almost looked like a raccoon that had just rolled out of bed.
But hey, it's not like it's a big deal. I've seen Aizawa in worse shape, with worse dark circles under his eyes and literally sleeping on the classroom floor in the middle of a lesson, or anywhere really, I've seen him sleeping in some really weird places with my bugs, and that didn't take away from the fact that he's an excellent hero and teacher.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Panacea." I said immediately as I put down the thermos and glass, stood up, and bowed deeply. "Thank you for healing me and saving my life two years ago," I said as I bowed deeply.
"W-what... are you doing?" Panacea asked, completely confused. I slightly raised my gaze while remaining bent over.
"Thanking you?" I asked, confused. Panacea gave me a strange look.
"Bowing to me? The only people who did that were the—ah." Panacea realized, slapping her palm across her face. "Get up, you don't have to thank me, I was just doing my job." Panacea grumbled wearily. I stood up.
"Work or not, I wanted to thank you." I said easily, then sat back down and grabbed the steaming cup of tea.
"A simple thank you would have sufficed." Panacea blurted out, and I shrugged.
"It seems the Japanese infected you too much, huh? " Vicky asked. I shrugged.
"I've been living there for over a year and a half, my husband is Japanese, I attend a Japanese university, I have Japanese citizenship, and respect is the first thing you learn," I said curtly. There really was a learning curve to living properly in Japan, something I was sure would have taken me months, or even years, to learn on my own if Izumi hadn't taught me.
"Ryuma's grandson, right?!" Vicky said excitedly, I just nodded.
"So, would you like some tea? Some snacks? My husband prepared some," I asked, pointing to a small box she had already prepared.
"Oh?! Homemade snacks?! You're really going to share them with us? " Vicky asked, surprised. I shrugged. I took a sip of my tea.
"Apparently, I'm terribly picky about my food," I said slowly, eyeing the snacks. "The tea and coffee they have here are awful, and the snacks they serve are absolutely disastrous," I said dryly. The two girls snorted loudly.
"Yes, that basically sums up all the food in the Protectorate," Victoria said dryly. I chuckled.
"I mean, it probably wouldn't be so bad if I weren't so used to my husband's cooking, which he prepares every day. He loves to cook and bake. It was enough that I complained one day, and now he packs it in my suitcase every day, just in case." I said distractedly. I grabbed a snack and threw it into my mouth.
Delicious, as always. Izumi had really spoiled me; with his quirk and his cooking, it was impossible for my palate to be satisfied with something so... basic and cheap as the things I'd found at headquarters.
Even the food at Lunch Rush was a dozen times better than anything I'd found here. So yeah, my taste buds were totally ruined.
"Looks like you like to show him off." Vicky mocked, and I huffed loudly.
"I have to do it, he's not here to boast about himself, apparently, according to him, it's my sacred duty as his wife to boast for him." I said so dryly that it made Victoria laugh out loud, even Amy smiled slightly.
"Men." Victoria said, shaking her head playfully. I snorted at that. I was sure that Izumi's arrogance and narcissism had nothing to do with being a man; it was simply inherent in him, no matter what he was. He would be just as arrogant and narcissistic even if he were a worm, and possibly even more so.
Without hesitation, I moved, stood up, walked over to the dining room counter, grabbed two small disposable cups, and returned to the table. The sisters looked at me strangely, but I ignored it as I began to pour a little into each cup before offering them to both of them.
"Try a little, you won't regret it." I told them with a small smile as I sat back down. Vicky raised an eyebrow and took the cup, Amy wrinkled her nose as she sniffed it slightly, almost as if for a little while I couldn't help but compare it, then she grabbed the cup and looked at it.
"I'm more of a coffee person," Amy said without looking away. I shrugged.
"I'll bring you coffee next time," I said simply, grabbing the box of snacks and offering them to the sisters once more. The snacks were simple chocolate chip cookies, leftovers from a batch I'd made for Ruby, but he'd slipped some into my bag when I wasn't looking. "Try them, though, I'm warning you, once you do, you'll never be the same," I said with a glint of amusement in my eyes.
They both froze halfway through grabbing the cookies and gave me a dry look.
"It sounds like you're giving us drugs," Amy said dryly, still grabbing the cookie. I smiled shamelessly.
"Oh... Amy, this is better than drugs." I said with a wide smile. They both looked at me strangely, and my smile only grew. They both stared at the small, innocent-looking cookie in their hands before taking a bite at the same time. They both stopped abruptly before letting out a loud moan.
"Oh goddess, this is delicious." Vicky moaned as she shuddered and took several more bites faster. Amy simply started eating the cookie quickly and finished it in three bites before grabbing another. I chuckled.
"It's my husband's quirk, Food Enrichment; it makes all food more delicious." Explain humorously.
"You're one lucky bitch." Vicky grunted, but she still took a sip of her tea and grabbed a second biscuit. Amy grabbed two more and started eating them quickly.
"Aaaahh, that was delicious." Vicky said as she slumped down in the chair behind her.
"It was good," Amy said, her mouth trembling slightly. I chuckled and didn't mention that Amy had eaten more than Vicky and I combined.
"Izumi will be pleased to know that his food has gained new victims," I said playfully.
"Victims?" Vicky snorted playfully, and I smiled at her playfully.
"Oh yes... victims, especially when you know the food is made by my husband in Japan and you can't get your hands on it," I said playfully. They both froze and looked at me, almost horrified.
"Damn bitch!" Vicky said, completely indignant, but without any annoyance in her voice. I burst out laughing.
"Yes, that was the reaction I expected," I said playfully. They both glared at me. "So, you're calmer now?" I asked casually. They both froze.
"You—" Vicky tried to say before sighing. "You don't seem nervous about yourself despite also being part of the patrol. Did fighting and taking down Lung take away all your nerves?" Vicky said, crossing her arms, although I could see less tension in her body.
"Oh no, I'm terribly nervous, but I'm cheating," I said honestly. "We have half an hour before we go straight into the ABB trap, so... yeah, I'm nervous, but we still have to do it." I said with a sigh. Vicky just nodded.
"Yes... I suppose so," Vicky said gently before smiling broadly. "Don't worry! Everything will be fine! And if anyone gets hurt, Amy will be on guard all night just in case! " Vicky said confidently.
"I'd prefer if no one got hurt." Amy hissed, and Vicky smiled cheekily.
"You know me, sister, they won't!" Vicky said confidently. Amy snorted, grabbed my thermos, and refilled her glass with tea, then sipped it calmly. I chuckled.
"So... if you don't mind me asking, and you don't have to answer, but what happened to New Wave?" I asked, unable to contain my curiosity. I almost grimaced when they both stopped abruptly.
New Wave was a family-run hero group, with… 8 or 10 members if I remember correctly? It was rare to have a hero group here, well, not that rare, not many heroes did, but they existed. Independent heroes worked alone or in small groups of 2 or 3 people; the vast majority joined the PRT in some way, but a group of 8 or more forming an independent hero group? Now that was rare.
It really struck me as odd that everyone was under the PRT when in Japan each hero group had its own agency, some even with only two or three members if possible. You could really see how different the hero scene was from one country to another.
But going back to New Wave, as far as I could remember, they had been active when I left Brockton Bay almost two years ago, so whatever happened, it had happened recently.
"That-" Vicky tried to say while making a face, then looked at Amy almost questioningly, she just shrugged while drinking tea.
"I really don't mind telling you," Amy said, shrugging. "After all, the PRT gave us very detailed information about your family," she added dryly.
"Amy!" Vicky said, almost horrified; I just snorted.
"Don't worry, I know everyone knows, Vista told me." I said, shrugging. "That's... in the past. At this point, it really doesn't matter. I prefer to focus on the present, and my present includes starting a family with my husband rather than with my... biological parents." I said easily, smiling slightly.
"Wow, you must have a really good psychologist," Amy said dryly. I scoffed.
"I have a psychologist at my university, I talk to him from time to time, but the real therapy I needed was having sex with my husband every day." I said mockingly, Amy choked on her drink while blushing slightly.
"Ha! I'm sure it helped." Vicky laughed happily, Amy rolled her eyes.
"So, short version of events, I'm adopted, my father is a villain they caught, my adoptive mother hated me my whole life for being my father's daughter, and she abused me, the moment I turned 18 I left that house and never looked back." Amy said it so easily it almost made me grimace, but that didn't stop Vicky's grimace.
"I'm sorry, you deserved better," I said honestly. Amy shrugged.
"You too, but it is what it is and what we have to live with," Amy said dismissively.
"There was... a lot more that happened, but yeah... it's like Amy said." Vicky said sadly as she looked down. "I... wasn't that aware of Carol's abuse of Amy. I thought Mom was just strict and a little controlling, but I thought it was because of Amy's quirk. When she decided to leave home without explanation, well... there were a lot of arguments, a lot of truths came out, and a lot of fights."
"It's safe to say that New Wave practically died at that point," Vicky said, looking worriedly at Amy, who rolled her eyes.
"Don't worry, Vicky, I told you it wasn't your fault, and if it was, you made up for it by taking my side and moving in with me away from Carol," Amy said with a small smile. Vicky sighed wearily before smiling weakly to herself. Immediately, Ruby, Azula, Darkness, and the other girls came to mind. Yes… they were the first ones I thought of when I thought of sisters. I expected to feel a pang when I thought of Emma, but right now, I simply felt nothing when I thought of her—no hate, no sadness, no affection, nothing. She simply… wasn't important to me anymore.
The only thing that would cause me would be annoyance if she somehow came to bother me or interfere with my life, but other than that, I really didn't want to see her again; I couldn't worry about her anymore.
"It's good that you have each other, so you live together?" I asked, moving to safer ground.
"Yes! We live together! " Vicky said with a wide smile. Amy snorted.
"Vicky and Dean live together in their own mansion that Dean paid for with his fortune, I'm renting a room in their mansion," Amy said dryly.
"It's not a mansion," Vicky said, puffing out her cheeks. Amy just raised an eyebrow.
"It has 3 floors and more than 10 rooms." Amy said so slowly and dryly that it made me chuckle.
"It's not a mansion! It's a house... a very big one! " Vicky insisted, Amy scoffed.
"Why are the library, game room, movie room, and swimming pool so normal in a normal house?" Amy said mockingly, making Vicky blush.
"It's a mansion." I agreed with Amy, smiling. Vicky puffed out her cheeks and huffed as she crossed her arms.
"They're bad, it's no good if they unite against me," Vicky said with mock annoyance.
"I guess you're not dating Dean, are you, Amy?" I asked curiously. Amy burst out laughing, so loud it startled me.
"You don't have to laugh so loudly at my husband!" Vicky snapped.
"I'm sorry! Just thinking about it makes me laugh!! " Amy laughed almost to the point of tears. I blinked. "Where did you get such a ridiculous idea?" Amy asked, wiping away her tears. I blushed slightly.
"Well…" I said, squirming uncomfortably. "My husband had this idea that you'd been influenced by Vicky's quirk aura, causing you to be obsessively infatuated with your sister, and that you'd take advantage of being with Vicky's husband just to sleep with her at the same time, or even try to steal her away from him." I said quickly and breathlessly, my voice higher than it should have been. Both Vicky and Amy stared at me wide-eyed before bursting into loud laughter, making me blush even more.
Damn you, Izumi, for filling my head with nonsense!!
"Oh goddess, that was funny!" Vicky said, laughing. "My aura doesn't work like that, besides, I had to train it as a child. I haven't lost control of my aura in over a decade!" Vicky said, wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes. I blushed even more.
"Ha, I really needed that laugh," Amy said with a wide smile before pausing slightly. "Wait... I think I've heard that story before." Amy frowned. I watched her curiously as she tried to remember something. Then her eyes widened. "Kinger!!" Amy shouted loudly, and I felt myself blush once again. Damn.
"Who the hell is it?" Vicky asked, confused.
"A lesbian fanfiction writer! Actually, he's one of the most famous writers, he has like, hundreds of stories of all kinds." Amy said, her eyes wide. Vicky looked at me incredulously.
"Does your husband read cheap lesbian fanfiction?" Vicky asked incredulously, about to burst out laughing again.
"Cheap your clothes." Amy said immediately. Vicky looked at her indignantly. "Kinger is one of the best writers, I've followed his work for years! He's amazing! " Amy said excitedly.
"Wait, you read lesbian fanfiction? You read lesbian fanfiction about us?! " Vicky asked in shock, Amy shrugged with laughter.
"You know I'm bi with a preference for women, and those fanfictions were well-written, it's very rare, it was quality smut, it's a good way to pass the time." Amy said unapologetically, Vicky looked at her strangely before sighing.
"You're weird, my sister," Vicky said dryly. Amy didn't seem offended, she just smiled.
"Wow, I really didn't expect to run into someone who knew Kinger, even if it's secondhand. It's a small world, really," Amy said with a sigh. I made a face.
"Izumi doesn't read Kinger fanfiction." She said with a grimace, Amy snorted.
"Please, I know it's weird that your husband reads that, but I'm pretty sure I remember exactly that, he definitely read it from there," Amy said dismissively. I grimaced as I blushed even more.
"No, you didn't understand, he doesn't read them." I emphasized the phrase once more. Amy frowned and was about to speak again. "My husband writes them, he's Kinger." I confessed honestly. Amy stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening.
"You're kidding me." Amy said incredulously with her mouth open. I blushed slightly and squirmed.
"I'm not kidding, he's Kinger. I could talk to him and find a way to prove it to you?" I asked awkwardly. Amy stared at me before climbing onto the table and placing her hand on my neck, against my skin—the only patch of skin available since I was wearing my costume, just like the two sisters.
"Say it again." Amy said firmly, and I looked at her confused.
"Izumi is Kinger." I said uncertainly. Amy looked at me and opened her eyes wide. She slowly released my neck and sat back down heavily, then looked at me with such intensity that it made me squirm.
"Does he accept requests?" Amy asked fervently, making me jump.
"Excuse me, what?" I asked awkwardly.
"Requests, ideas, write on demand? I'll pay." Amy said immediately. I blinked several times.
"No... it's not necessary." I said slowly.
"I'll pay whatever it takes, with a cure, with anything, I could even offer you a cosmetic enhancement," Amy said, almost frantic. I shook my head. Amy was about to open her mouth.
"He likes to write that... filth, I'm sure if you ask him, he'll do it for free." I said immediately, interrupting her. Amy shut her mouth.
"Wait, what?" Amy asked, confused. I shrugged.
"Do you want his number? I'm sure he'd like to talk to someone who reads his writing. I tried, but some of them are just too much." I said dryly, and Amy's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Seriously?! You're not kidding?! " Amy asked, almost bouncing in place. I shook my head.
"My husband is too proud of everything he does, even if it's something as pointless as lesbian fanfiction, he'll love talking about it or coming up with new ideas." I said dryly. Amy started bouncing harder.
"Thank you! I have so many ideas! There were some couples I wanted Kinger to write years ago!" Amy said as she pulled out her Scroll and began to manipulate it rapidly, then handed it to me. "His number, please!" Amy pleaded. I sighed, grabbed the Scroll, and entered Izumi's number from memory.
"Just send him a message, I'll let him know I gave him your number," I said playfully. Amy looked at the number as if it were her most prized possession. Vicky, standing beside her, shook her head.
"I really can't believe this is happening," Vicky said, slightly stunned. "Doesn't it bother you that... your husband writes that?" Vicky asked curiously, looking in my direction. I sighed.
"Of course not, it's his hobby, he can do whatever he wants," I said easily. "Besides, even if he's not writing that, his head is always full of filth. Sometimes he thinks about sex more than we do. If you ask her what her fetishes are, she'll say 'yes,' so no, writing lesbian fanfiction is actually quite normal," I said dryly. Vicky stared at me, wide-eyed.
"I really find that hard to believe," Vicky said, surprised. I sighed. They really didn't know Izumi. I didn't say anything, just changed the subject, and we continued talking while we waited for them to call us.
Author's Notes: And Amy's here. First, a few things. If anyone remembers, there's an Amy POV about the UA sports festival reaction, and there were several things I decided to change. In that POV, there were little comments from Amy about liking Vicky and a bit about family distribution—well, I'm completely ignoring that.
The main changes are that Amy and Vicky are just sisters and there will be nothing more between them, as always, Carol is a terrible mother, also, as mentioned, Amy will be Bi and now there is a line of connection between Amy and Izumi.
So, where is all this going? I haven't the slightest idea.
I like Amy; I've always liked her as a character, but I haven't decided yet whether to add her to the harem or not. I wanted to have the option if I ultimately decided to add her. Besides, if I do decide to add her, it'll still be a long time before that happens. Izumi won't be going to Brockton Bat anytime soon, so it's a problem for my future self.