The rest of the night was spent laying out a definitive plan of action against the savage Angel.
Although their motive was unclear and their identity unknown, Mai had somehow managed to find a lead. Using methods Lazzir decided not to pry on, she discovered the identities of two particular scum—the sole, fortunate survivors of the latest murderous rampage. Predictably, the two had been anything but silent about what they witnessed, spouting the details to anyone who wanted to hear.
The challenge was getting hold of those details without raising alarm.
In places where scum resided, commoners and outsiders brought along an air of wariness. Even two blabbering fools would be blatantly uninviting to faces that weren't familiar. They would have to be caught casually, like animals in a snare. And there was no better place to snare scum than in a bar.
Lazzir and Spoons were the chosen moles, each receiving specific instructions on how to get in and out without suspicion. Lazzir was so excited that she could barely listen to Mai's detailed strategy. In fact, she didn't hear a word anyone said to her until she returned home to the gym.
"Laz? Lazzir!"
She turned, startled as she made her way up the staircase at the back of the room. Misu glared up at her from the bottom, tilting his head curiously.
"Did you go deaf for a second there? I called you five times," he giggled.
Flaxen morning light flooded the gym below, shadows still clinging to the corners and crevices. She'd walked right through, wholly focused on the mission she had planned that night. If Misu had tried to wave her down, it was doubtful she would have ever noticed him.
"You got a call on the gym phone earlier," he explained, pointing a thumb toward his office. "It was Tori."
"Tori?" she repeated. That was the last name Lazzir expected to hear.
"I know, I was shocked, too," Misu grinned, turning to grab a broom off the nearby wall. "That boy has never woken up this early."
She hadn't heard from Tori in a week. No matter how obnoxious she tried to be, every text she sent him had gone unanswered. If she hadn't been too busy, she would have knocked down his apartment door by then, demanding an explanation.
Wondering why he hadn't called her personally, Lazzir reached into her back pocket before realizing she had left her phone upstairs all night.
"I'll go call him back," she nodded keenly, turning to climb the stairs once more.
"Actually, he said not to call him back. 'I shouldn't have called in the first place' is what he said," Misu let out a short chuckle. "He's so strange sometimes."
Rolling her eyes, she huffed. "Yeah, he's being weird. I'll handle it."
"You should invite him over! I haven't seen him in a while."
"We'll see!" Lazzir shouted down from the top of the staircase.
Pacing in her bedroom, the phone rang faintly against her ear. Three calls and zero answers later, she slapped her phone shut and threw it bitterly onto her bed.
"No surprise there," she grumbled as she marched toward her door. "Shouldn't have called in the first place, huh? Give me a break."
Just as she reached for the door handle, a vague buzzing sound vibrated behind her. She could see the small outer screen of her phone glimmering through the corner of her eye, and she paused. For a moment, she considered letting it go.
"What do you want?"
"I'm surprised you answered." Todotori's voice sounded muffled on the other line.
"Me too."
"Are you mad at me?"
Lazzir crossed her arms, keeping the phone on speaker as she plopped onto the edge of her bed and stared at the ceiling agitatedly. "Maybe," she replied dryly.
"Do you want me to hang up?" Todotori asked, caution in his tone.
"No," she sighed, letting a moment pass before saying anything else. "Do you want to explain why you've been ignoring me?"
There was no response at first. Lazzir looked down at her phone, impatiently waiting.
"No," he finally said. At least he was being honest.
She knew he'd been up to no good. There was no telling what scum he'd gotten caught up with recently. Every week, it was something new, causing fights and having to hide from whoever he mistakenly managed to provoke. She wished he would just be normal.
"You really piss me off, Tori. If you had any idea how much I had going on, you'd-"
He didn't let her finish. "What are you doing right now?"
"What?"
"Let's go get something to eat. I'm starving."
Furrowing her brow, Lazzir was puzzled. "No!" she cut. "Didn't you hear what I just said? I'm mad at you!"
"Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes," Todotori stated, unfazed.
"Tori-"
He had already hung up. Groaning, Lazzir tossed her phone and flopped back onto the sheets with arms spread wide. What a shitty friend. If he did show up, she would refuse to go.
Suddenly, a rumble from deep inside her empty intestines made her reconsider.
"So, you're siding with him, huh?" she mumbled, patting her stomach as she talked to herself. "I guess you're right."
Inevitably, she found herself walking through the shop door, the sun taunting her dry eyes through a wide window as they picked their seat. Fragrances of oil, batter, and garlic floated seductively through the air as the sounds of clanging pans echoed from deep within the kitchen. It was a local shop, vacant just like all of the others, and they only sold pasta. It had always been one of Todotori's favorite spots. The owners let him eat for free because he had once recovered some old family heirloom.
A woman with a beaming smile delivered their food to the table within minutes.
"Here you go, Tori. I reminded them to put extra salt for you. I know that's how you like it," the waitress grinned.
She was young, with blonde hair pulled neatly into a bun and a few intentional strands hanging down either side of her face. Always wearing a top that was too small and pants that were too tight, she consistently made it a point to flirt with Todotori every time they ate there but never bothered to learn Lazzir's name.
"Thanks," Todotori nodded blankly, oblivious.
The waitress slid Lazzir's plate onto the table and flashed her a swift, lifeless grin. "Enjoy."
She had to hold in her laugh as the woman walked away. "I know that's how you like it!" she mocked, kicking Todotori's shin beneath the table.
"Be nice," he replied, attempting to hide a smirk as he unraveled his silverware.
"To you? Or to her?"
"Both."
Glancing down at the food before her, Lazzir's jaw dropped. Cheese, sauce, and oregano masterfully decorated the supple noodles below, and the smell of tomato seasoning hit her nostrils as she practically drooled over the plate.
Swooning, she glanced at Todotori, who was waiting for her to take the first bite. "You didn't think food would make me forgive you, did you?" she asked, waving her fork at him.
"It's worked every other time," he shrugged.
He wasn't wrong. Truthfully, she forgave him the minute he showed up at the gym to bring her here, and it wasn't because of the food. Something about him made it impossible to stay angry. Every time he looked at her, she forgot what it was that she was so annoyed about. It had been that way since they were kids.
"You're still wearing that thing?"
"Huh?" She was too busy shoveling noodles into her mouth to notice him staring.
"It's so ugly. I'm shocked you didn't throw it away."
Finally, she realized what he was talking about. Reaching up, Lazzir touched the dark pendant that hung over the turtleneck of her shirt. A deep gray stone wrapped in a frail string, it was old and disenchanting, but she felt drawn to it. She'd worn it every day since he'd given it to her.
"I like it," Lazzir opposed.
"If you say so," Todotori shook his head, returning to his plate. "I guess it's a good thing you and Ms. Cohan have the same taste in jewelry. I'll ask if you can borrow her overalls next, then you two can be twins."
"Okay, smartass," she smirked. "I only wear it because you're the one who gave it to me. If you hate it so much, I'll stop wearing it."
He paused, glancing at her without lifting his head. Something was going on inside his mind, but she couldn't tell what it was. After a moment, he dropped his gaze once more.
"I take it back, wear it. I like it," was all he said.
Lazzir watched as Todotori finally finished eating. He seemed exhausted, his sagging eyes blinking slowly as he slumped back in the seat. Perhaps lack of sleep was what had him acting so abnormally. She wondered what kept him up at night, pondering the things that haunted his mind. A piece of him had faded since the last time she saw him, and she could tell he was trying to hide it.
Clearly overthinking, she returned to reality, gathering the utensils onto her plate. Reaching for the only napkin on the table, Lazzir's fingers brushed the side of Todotori's hand.
Instantly, he jerked his arm away, a sudden terror in his eyes. "What are you doing?!"
"What? I'm just cleaning up," she replied, stunned by his reaction. "You're acting like I stabbed you or something."
"Well... you..." Todotori stared down at his hand, a strange expression on his face.
"Touched your hand?" she sneered mockingly. "Oh no!"
He shook his head. "You just startled me, is all."
"Well, you're being weird," Lazzir stated bluntly. "Stop it."
In reality, he was the one who startled her. The way he jumped, the way he reacted, she was now convinced that he was losing his mind. Reaching for her coat at the end of the booth, she started to stand. She knew better than to think he would tell her what was truly going on, but maybe she could somehow snap him out of it.
"Get up. We're leaving."
"What?" Todotori blinked.
"Let's go do something fun," Lazzir prompted, turning for the exit before he could object.
Of course, there was nothing fun to do in Renu. It was mostly trash and decaying facilities. She had another idea, something the two of them used to do all the time as kids.
Video games.
Dragging Todotori all the way back to the gym, Lazzir lugged out the decrepit gaming system they used to spend every day on years ago.
"You can't be serious," Todotori grumbled, watching as she waved away the dust atop the console.
"Oh, I'm serious." Lazzir handed him two controllers, both tangled in a muddle of wires. "Undo this."
He only hesitated momentarily before letting out a deep breath and accepting his fate. Within minutes, they had the system set up, one of them clearly more ecstatic than the other.
"You ready to get your ass kicked?" Lazzir licked her lips in anticipation, practically bouncing in her seat.
"I always am," Todotori said plainly.
She disregarded his lack of enthusiasm as the game began, two characters popping up on screen at the launch of a countdown. It was a fighting game, one of her favorites, and he'd never won a match against her. After each inevitable win, she would torment him with taunts and mockery, just like when they were kids. She only did it to get a reaction out of him, but he would never give her that satisfaction.
Before long, the afternoon sun painted the living room in a faint orange-purple hue, a lazy breeze finding its way inside through the partially opened windows and ruffling the thin curtains. Somehow, the day had managed to allude them, snacks and drinks piling on the coffee table as if two unsupervised children had gotten hold of the space.
"I'm tired of losing. Can we do something else?" Todotori yawned, tossing his controller onto the couch beside him.
Lazzir glared out the window, realizing that soon she would have to leave for her mission, and realizing that she hadn't even slept. "It's getting kind of late, don't you think?"
"It's not that late," he opposed.
She raised a brow at him. "Oh, so now you want to hang out with me," she cut playfully, poking him in the forehead. "What happened to the guy who didn't want to answer my texts all week?"
"I don't know." Todotori snatched her finger from the air before she could draw it back. Staring at their messily twined hands, he seemed to become confined within his thoughts again.
Cautiously gliding her hand away from his, she observed him suspiciously through the corner of her eye as she grabbed the remote.
"Fine. We can watch one movie, then I'm kicking you out."
A faint smile found its way onto the corner of Todotori's lips. "That's okay with me."
Flipping through the channels and finally picking a movie, Lazzir realized everything was as it had always been. Local noodle shops and childhood video games were things that only they had, and, although life had been completely changed in the past week, she could always count on some things to stay the same.
There was no pressure to unlock her Angel ability, no draining exercises or confusing expositions. For the first time in a long time, she hadn't thought about Spirits or mysterious powers. She even forgot about the mission she was so eager to partake in just hours before.
In that moment, it was just her and her best friend.
Lost in her thoughts, Lazzir almost didn't realize that she'd fallen asleep. Her head rested on Todotori's shoulder, her hands wrapped around his arm as his hand lay gently on her thigh. The movie was still playing. She'd probably only been asleep for a few minutes.
Her first instinct was to sit up, embarrassed by how quickly she had nestled into him in her sleep. As she slowly lifted her head, Todotori's fingers pressed into her leg ever so slightly.
"Don't get up," he said.
She froze, staring as he gripped the inside of her thigh.
"This is the most normal I've felt in a long time," Todotori stated, his voice soft. "Please... just stay there."
Stunned, Lazzir allowed her head to settle onto his shoulder once more. She held onto his arm a bit tighter, embracing its warmth.
It was as if he'd read her mind. She felt more normal in that moment than she had in days, and if she could, she'd never move from that spot again.
A minute of silence passed, the two of them watching the television but neither truly paying attention to what was playing.
"Laz," Todotori's voice cut through the quiet. "I need to tell you something."
Except he didn't say anything. Moments stretched out like years, the stillness rattling through her violently. She didn't know what it was that she anticipated so deeply.
Lazzir sat up, pulling herself away from him and watching him warily. "What?" she asked, anxious for reasons she could explain.
Todotori turned his head slowly, his gaze finally matching hers. After so many years, she still couldn't read those reticent eyes. "I-" he paused, his face unreadable. "You-"
Why did he have to stutter? Didn't he know that she was tethered his words like a rope?
Suddenly, he moved his body closer. Much closer. Todotori leaned in gently, sliding one hand onto the small of her back while the other cupped the inside of her knee. Lazzir impulsively drew away, startled by his assertion, but he continued pulling himself near. She thought she might roll off the couch in shock, but his grip on her body was firm, holding her desperately.
"T-Tori, what are you-"
Lazzir's heart was pulsing rapidly within her chest. She held her breath, his face inching towards hers carefully. In the past, she and Todotori had been intimate, but that relationship was short-lived. They'd decided long ago it was something that shouldn't happen again, and they managed to keep a close friendship since. So, what was he doing now? Why did he look at her like that?
Todotori's fingers spread tenderly on Lazzir's back, paralyzing her with their touch. He was so close she could feel him breathing against her, his heartbeat so much calmer than her own. Staring, his eyes roamed her face, moving from her hair, to her eyes, to her lips.
"Thank you," he said in a whisper.
It might have seemed small, but she understood what he meant. He had always been deficient in expressing his feelings and unable to say what he truly meant, but this time, he'd nailed it.
He was thanking her for existing. It was odd and unprecedented, but she could see the implication between his words.
Staring into his eyes, Lazzir was still too stunned to move, unable to say anything as Todotori moved one hand to caress her neck.
His face was nearly touching hers now. "And... there's something else-" Todotori hesitated, the intensity seemingly compounding.
She followed his gaze, which was fixated on the side of her neck. He glared at where his fingers had slipped under the neckband of her shirt, his expression utterly blank.
"What?" she begged. Feeling unexplainably tense, the crushing weight of his stare was like a thousand pounds resting on her heart.
"What... is that?" Todotori faltered.
"I don't understand-"
"On your neck," he suddenly snapped, a steely edge in his voice. He promptly pulled away, shattering the wall of delusion and fantasy within seconds.
Her Angel mark.
Instantly, Lazzir's hand shot up and covered the side of her neck in panic. She'd gotten so used to hiding her mark, she nearly forgot it existed.
"It- It's nothing," she lied, sitting up as he moved further away. "It's a tattoo."
"A tattoo?" His face twisted from confusion into repulsion, disappointment in his eyes. "Since when do you get tattoos?" he questioned critically.
Not knowing what to say, she grabbed Todotori's hand beseechingly. "It's not that big of a deal."
She didn't understand why his reaction was so intense. Of course, Lazzir knew he would be disapproving if he thought it was a tattoo, but she didn't expect him to be so apprehensive about it. She was glad he didn't know what the mark truly meant, or else his response would have been drastically worse.
Todotori ripped his hand from hers. He looked betrayed and utterly deceived, speechless. Swiftly, he stood from the couch and swiped his jacket off the coffee table, hurriedly pulling it over his arms.
"W-where are you going? What's wrong?" Lazzir asked. She tried not to sound devastated, tried not to sound guilty of something.
Stepping past her, Todotori briskly headed for the front door. "I'm sorry," he answered, his tone dry and withdrawn. "I shouldn't have come over."
"Tori..."
He didn't look back as he slammed the door shut behind him, the sound echoing into a chilling, isolated atmosphere. Lazzir could do nothing but stare at the door in disbelief, a crushing feeling overwhelming her as his final words shuddered through her.
Raising her fingers to touch the cursed mark of her neck, a lump began to form in her throat.
All within an instant, she once again felt small, forsaken, and the opposite of normal.
----
Everything was spinning. The sidewalk began to twist and turn on its side, dizzying thoughts running through his mind. After running for as long as he could, he clutched the wall of a nearby building to steady himself, still panting heavily. It was as if the air had been ripped from his lungs, fear and duplicity threatening to suffocate.
'I.'
The first Angel.
The one that Rene was searching for.
The person he was supposed to hunt.
His best friend.
Todotori didn't know what he had been thinking in that moment. He was foolish to touch her, irresponsible to believe that he could get so close. His touch hadn't been as poisonous as he thought, though caving into his impulses resulted in something much worse than a burn to the skin.
He didn't want to see her. He didn't want to allow her anywhere near his ruinous hands, terrified that one wrong move would lead to unavoidable harm. But then he heard her voice. And then he saw her face.
It was as if a switch had flipped, a sudden, visceral realization hitting him as Lazzir fell asleep in his arms. He needed her in his life.
However, that feeling was stripped away the moment he saw that mark.
"My, my, do you look petrified?"
Still holding onto the side of the brick building, Todotori didn't even need to look up to know who it was.
"Are you having a panic attack?" Halo's tone feigned concern. Standing next to him, she tilted her head to look at his face as he stared at the ground, still heaving.
"Do you ever mind your own business?" he snapped between breaths.
The pestilent woman always showed up at the wrong time. He didn't have the capacity for her games or exasperating quests. If there was ever a moment that he needed to be alone, it was right then.
"I dislike your tone," Halo scoffed, standing straight and looking down on him imperiously. "Have you already forgotten which of us is the master, and which is the pet?"
Finally, Todotori willed himself upright, his eyes lifeless as he ignored the Shadow before him. Continuing down the street, he walked through her like she was nothing but a cloud of mist.
"As if you would allow me to forget," he sighed, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.
Of course, he knew she would follow and continue to pry. Faking sanity was all he could do.
Halo glided alongside, seemingly unaffected by his insubordination. "I know what you did last night," she stated, her serpentine voice suddenly tainted with amusement. "You killed an innocent man."
Blowing his cigarette smoke in her face, he shook his head. "No, I didn't."
"Are you denying that you killed him, or are you denying that he was innocent?"
Todotori cut his eyes at her, emotionless. He refused to respond.
A victorious grin crawled onto Halo's lips. "It's not a bad thing. In fact, I am pleased to see that you're handling such tasks without my guidance," she assured him. "However, our friend, Rene, seems to be very upset about the whole situation. Apparently, the man you murdered was one of his minions."
He didn't care.
"The man was scum. He got what he deserved."
"I agree with you, darling," Halo nodded, seemingly delighted by his response, "but I cannot allow my pets to grow resentful of one another. You'll have to work it out and apologize."
Todotori was unable to contain the short laugh that escaped his mouth. "Yeah, that's not going to happen," he said, exhaling smoke.
"You will apologize."
Her words were a command he felt in his very bones. A chill slithered down his spine, every muscle growing rigid. His eyes flashed with ink for just a moment before returning to normal. Feeling as if his heart had stopped beating, Todotori's steps staggered as he sucked in a deep breath.
An order for the future.
He didn't know that was possible.
Halo closed her eyes, satisfied with herself. "Anyway, I'm not here to antagonize you. I thought you would like to know that the Angel Rene was searching for has been found."
Trying not to appear tense, Todotori kept his eyes on the sidewalk ahead. He wasn't foolish; he knew what finding another Angel meant. Rene had made that part very clear.
They were to be disposed of.
At first, that didn't seem like much of a problem. He didn't know anything about the other twelve Angels, assuming that each of them were just like the few he'd encountered so far: selfish and dishonorable. There was no problem with opposing people like that. However, learning that Lazzir was one of them changed everything. How could she possess the same mark as such monsters?
Regardless of the answer, he refused to believe that she was like the rest, and he certainly refused to be the one to hunt her down.
"Is that so?" Todotori asked, fighting to maintain a disinterested expression.
"You will be the one to handle the task of eliminating them, of course. Your abilities are the most suited for it," Halo stated frankly.
"Who is it?"
That was the question he was truly concerned about.
"You'll find out soon enough," she smiled devilishly. "Actually, why don't we visit her right now?"