A little later, Wolf opens the door to her house quietly and closes it behind her quietly. She looks around before noticing a small head sitting on the couch watching TV. She tries to sneak behind it when the floor creaks beneath her feet. She winces as she slowly looks at the head but it doesn’t flinch. She pauses for a moment before shrugging but when she turns to continue, a boy is standing in her way.
“Where were you?” He asks. Startling Wolf, she screams a bit and tumbles backwards over the couch and onto the floor, revealing a dummy with a wig on it sitting on the couch. Wolf groans a bit as Husky, her little brother, approaches her. “Why were you out so late?”
Wolf gets up, rubbing her head.
“What’s it to you?” She notices the clock on the counter. “And it’s not even that late!” She shouts at her brother as he crosses his arms and looks away.
“I was just concerned for my sister. Is that so wrong?” He asks with a pout. Wolf crosses her arms too and looks at him.
“You forgot the password to Disbow+ didn’t you?” She asks. Husky sweats a bit and looks away before turning back to her.
“It’s not my fault you made the password something stupid!”
“Well it’s not my fault you got a big fat head!” She shouts back. He looks stunned.
“Woah, you took it too far.” He says.
“You’re right, I’d like to apologize.” Wolf says, shifting from yelling to proper in an instant. They stand in silence for a moment before Wolf speaks. “Pussy.”
Husky turns and tackles Wolf angrily. They wrestle for a bit before their mother exits her room with an irritated look, awoken from a nap by their noise.
“Cut it out you two! Why are you always bickering?” She shouts. They let each other go and stand up.
“We’re not bickering, Ma. It’s how we show love.” Husky says.
“Even if he’s got a big head.” Wolf snickers, walking into the kitchen as Husky gets angry.
“I DON’T HAVE A BIG HEAD!” He shouts back. Wolf enters the kitchen and begins thinking about food as Jackal looks at her, slightly surprised.
“You gonna cook dinner?”
“Mhm!” Wolf answers with a nod as she goes into the fridge. She looks for a moment before standing up with an idea.
“How does sweet seared steak on steamed rice sound?” Wolf asks. Husky droops.
“You always make that when you cook…“ He mumbles from the couch as Jackal sits next to him, bopping him in the back of the head lightly with a disapproving look.
“Be grateful to your sister. Have you finished your homework today?” Jackal asks. Husky looks away.
“No..” he responds in a mumble.
“Then get on it.” Jackal commands as Wolf smiles and begins cooking. A little later, the three of them are eating together with Wolf and Husky on the couch and Jackal in a comfy chair beside it. Husky eats happily as Wolf looks at him.
“Not bad, right?”
“It’s pretty good, not as good as Ma’s cooking but still good.” Husky says. Wolf gets annoyed and starts rubbing the top of his head hard, intentionally trying to hurt him.
“Next time you cook then..!” She says with an irritated tone. Wolf’s mom sighs with satisfaction before getting up and kissing her on the forehead.
“Thank you, sweet pup. It was very good.” Jackal says warmly. Wolf smiles happily as her mom brings her dish to the kitchen. Husky pouts a bit before Jackal jumps behind him, kissing his head as well. “Don’t think I forgot about you!” She says playfully as Husky laughs.
“Ma! Stop!” He giggles.
Soon, the night comes to an end and everyone retreats back to their rooms except Husky, who’s stuck at the counter doing his homework. Wolf closes her door behind her and sits down on her bed. She looks around a bit with an almost lost or unsure look as she sighs and pulls out her phone. She gets a softly surprised look.
“Phoenix texted me a couple hours ago. Whoops.” She says to herself. She begins to reply when she hears a knock at her window. She turns around confused and crawls on her bed to her black curtains. She pulls them back only to see Phoenix at her window with a smile on her face. Wolf screams and falls back onto the floor, shocked by her sudden appearance.
“Sounds like Phoenix is here.” Husky says casually. Wolf groans on the ground as Phoenix opens the window and climbs through, giggling to herself.
“Sorry, Wolfy, didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Nope, totally fine. Seems like it’s everyone’s thing tonight.” Wolf says from the ground. Phoenix sits on her bed in her a grey croptop and red leggings as Wolf sits up. “Came to get out of the house, huh?” Wolf asks. Phoenix sweats awkwardly as she rubs her head.
“Nooo, home life is great! Not a thing I’d ever want to change, never, totally.” Phoenix says unconvincingly. Wolf raises an eyebrow at her with a smirk.
“Uh huh. So how’s the family?” Wolf asks. Phoenix smiles softly as she lowers her head.
“They’re… fine.” She says. Wolf stares at her for a moment before speaking.
“They’re taking everything okay?” She asks. Phoenix nods a little before tilting her head a bit.
“As fine as they can. I mean, my sisters are a bit too young to really get that mom left, but my dad, he’s...” Phoenix says softly with a sad look. Wolf hums softly in response lowering her head.
“So, is that why you’re here?” She asks. Phoenix pouts a little, playfully.
“What? I’m not allowed to simply come over and visit my friend anymore?” She asks teasingly. Wolf stands up with a sigh.
“That’s not what I said..” She responds as she approaches her closet and opens it up.
“I had a feeling you got into another fight, so I came to check on you.” Phoenix says.
“Well, like I always say, does it count as a fight if I won so easily?” Wolf asks as she begins to pull off her hoodie, revealing her bare back. Phoenix blushes slightly as she falls back onto Wolf’s bed, looking away to the ceiling.
“Yes, Wolf, you know that’s a fight, regardless how easily you win.” Phoenix says. Wolf puts on a new shirt and turns to her.
“In that case, I did! And it was.. Well, not awesome, but I beat the guy with two punches!” She says happily until a pillow is thrown at her face.
“That’s not something to be proud of! How do you expect to get a proper job if you’re always getting into fights?” Phoenix asks, slightly annoyed. Wolf takes the pillow off her face.
“Hey, there’s lots of jobs involving fighting.” Wolf says.
“Would you take any of them?” Phoenix asks with a raised eyebrow.
“No way. They’re boring as shit.” Wolf says confidently before thinking about it. “Although, heroes do get to fight villains and Torn with their powers openly…” Wolf says with a smirk, rubbing her chin. Phoenix chuckles and looks at her in disbelief.
“You, a hero? If there’s one thing you hate more than bullies, it’s the idea of being a hero. Besides, you’d need powers to do that. Powers that none of us were born with.” Phoenix says confidently as Wolf laughs awkwardly, looking away nervously.
“Haha yeah, right…” Wolf trails off. Phoenix notices her obvious behavior and looks at her.
“Wolfy. Is there something you’re not telling me?” She asks softly as Wolf gets even more nervous.
“Well, I mean, I have lots of secrets! Things I don’t tell you.” Wolf says nervously. Phoenix gets off the bed and starts approaching her.
“That’s not true. You’re an awful liar and you never keep anything from me.” She speaks softly as she gently grabs Wolf’s hand causing her to blush and get even more nervous. “Wolfy.. Do you…” Phoenix speaks slowly, staring at her with her big blue eyes as Wolf shuts her eyes. She waits anxiously for her next words when Phoenix suddenly yanks Wolf towards her with a big smile on her face.
“Do you actually want to be a hero, too??” She asks excitedly as Wolf looks surprised and a little confused. Phoenix quickly composes herself a bit and backtracks awkwardly. “I mean, do you want to be a hero? Like, just you.” She lets go of Wolf’s hand as Wolf responds.
“If I did, why would you be so excited about it?” She asks plainly. Phoenix clears her throat and looks away defensively with a blush and a sweat.
“Is it something you’re interested in? At least it would be something to start you in the right direction. Any career is better than none.” Phoenix says. Wolf rolls her eyes a bit.
“Here we go…” She mumbles as Phoenix gets offended.
“Excuse me, dumbass! It’s not my fault you’re either indecisive, incapable or just flat out won’t tell me what you want to do!” Phoenix says harshly.
“That’s not what I meant…” Wolf puts her hands up in defense.
“Well, that’s what it sounded like! All I’m doing is caring about you and everytime you just blow me off. It doesn’t always feel great, you know.” Phoenix shouts. She turns away with an upset look. Wolf looks at her with a conflicted look, unsure of how to make it better.
“I’m sorry, Phoenix.. It wasn’t supposed to be mean, I just…” She trails off as Phoenix slowly looks back at her. She looks at Wolf struggling to find the words and sighs softly.
“It’s fine. I’ll just.. try to remember not to ask so often.” Phoenix says softly, a little upset at the situation. Wolf pauses before looking at her with a soft smile.
“Sooo you gonna spend the night?..” Wolf asks as Phoenix chuckles softly.
“Sure, but you get the floor tonight for being such a dumbass.” Phoenix says. Wolf smiles wide and salutes her.
“Understood!”
The girls eventually prepare for bed and turn off the lights, Phoenix laying down in Wolf’s bed and Wolf under some blankets on the floor. After a bit, Wolf looks at the bed where Phoenix lays and peeks over the edge. She looks at her with big eyes before hastily crawling onto the bed with her blankets and curling up on the base of the bed by Phoenix’s feet. Phoenix looks at her before rolling her eyes and smiling as they both fall asleep.
At school, in a large field and in their physical education uniforms, Tadashi throws a ball at Wolf casually as she catches it.
“Did you hear Killian talking about the ASA again last night?” Tadashi asks.
“Pff, yeah. He mentioned it at training a couple days ago, too. I guess the thought hasn’t left his head.” Wolf responds.
“What do you think about it?” Tadashi asks. “The ASA?” Wolf asks with a raised eyebrow. Tadashi nods. “I dunno, nothing? Is that an answer?” Wolf says abrasively. Tadashi raises an eyebrow at her, giving her a look as she chuckles a bit. “Right, well, I don’t really think much. I mean, getting in there without being a Prospect would be the equivalent of getting in some mega college, wouldn’t it? Like, ultra hard.”
“If you don’t get scouted, it can be. Although, they do have classes for students of all ages.” Tadashi says. Wolf droops a bit at the comment.
“Yeah, since kids born with their powers get taken in immediately. Same to those who awaken in their childhood. If their whole idea is taking in everyone who has powers, they better have classes for all ages.” Wolf says. She then straightens up and gets an unsure look. “That kind of… abductive behavior, I guess? It just rubs me the wrong way.” She says, tossing the ball back to Tadashi.
“Learning how to help people and become a hero rubs you the wrong way?” He asks, kind of sarcastically. Wolf glares at him.
“No, dickhead, I mean the status. You have nonProspects literally killing for a chance to get in and others who literally worship the ASA like it’s some next coming of god. You don’t think that idea goes to their heads? Why wouldn’t they just let anybody who wants to be a hero in? Aren’t more heroes a good thing?” She questions, spilling her thoughts to her friend. Tadashi pauses for a moment and looks down, still catching the ball they’re tossing with ease.
“I suppose, but the Prospect population is incredibly small as is. And maybe it could go to their heads but that would go against being a hero, wouldn’t it?” He looks at her with a smirk. “Have you even met any heroes who are full of themselves like that to backup your claim?” Tadashi asks. Wolf nods, taking his point.
“Fair, fair, I haven’t but don’t tell me you haven’t seen those hero superstars on the internet, some of which are from the ASA. And they aren’t the only one who makes heroes, after all.”
As she speaks, a boy walking on the path close by around the field whistles at her in a toxically flirtatious manner. Wolf gets a slightly upset look before turning and throwing the ball at his face, hard, knocking him over. Wolf turns back to Tadashi and shrugs.
“Now we don’t have a ball.”
Tadashi shakes his head with a smile before casually reaching his arm out and stealing a ball from someone who backstepped next to him, preparing to throw the ball. He lifts it up to Wolf as if saying ‘Problem solved.’ as the boy walks away with an upset look. They continue to toss the ball as Tadashi speaks.
“So you think Killian shouldn’t want to join the ASA?” Tadashi asks.
“What he does with his life is none of my concern. Besides, you need Type powers to get in-”
“That’s not true, remember? Technically anyone can join.” He cuts her off as she rolls her eyes.
“Okay, yeah, sure but if you want a real shot to join, you need to be special in some way. Otherwise, good luck.” Frustrated a bit by his logic, Wolf’s tone gets slightly more irritated. “Either way, why should I care if he wants to join a stuck up academy that gives you permission to do good? Just another reason heroes are so-”
“Are so boring. I know, you say that everytime the topic comes up.” He says, mocking her a bit. Wolf pouts as Tadashi smirks at her. “Speaking of which, Phoenix told me that might all be an act.”
Wolf grunts and drops to the ground, sitting while covering her face with her hands.
“It’s not an act.” She then looks up at Tadashi. “Phoenix is just being stupid-” As she finishes, Tadashi pelts her in the face with the ball, knocking her onto the ground.
“So caring about your future is stupid?” He asks with a sharp tone. Wolf sits back up and looks at him with a conflicted look before looking down.
“No…”
“She only keeps asking about you and your future because she cares about you, despite the fact that you repeatedly duck her questions to the point it hurts her feelings.” He says. Wolf looks at him with a surprised and concerned look as Tadashi looks more serious. “And she only lets it slide because she’s so kind, especially to you. But I am not.” He approaches her and looks down at her with a serious look. “I really care about you and want to see you succeed in life. What is your purpose? What is it that you want to achieve?” He asks, really pressuring her to answer, not allowing her to ignore the question anymore. Wolf gets a conflicted and stressed look for a moment before answering.
“My only purpose in life is protecting the people I care about.” She says softly while looking away.
“Is that all you want?” He asks. She looks at him with a serious look.
“That’s all I need.” She stands up. “And the strength to do so.” She says firmly. Tadashi gets a slightly frustrated tone as he sighs.
“So why do you bother going to training? You seem to have all the strength you need. Why waste the time and effort? There’s got to be more to it?” He asks, knowing his friend well and being as observant as he is. Wolf hesitates with a nervous look as she looks down at her palm. Tadashi notices her hesitation and stress so he takes a breath and steps back a bit.
“Look, I only mean to help Phoenix and you.” He looks at her softly. “She’s starting to get really worried about you. Every year that passes only brings us closer to adulthood, after all .” He says. Wolf looks at him softly too. “And of all the years she’s known you, she’s only ever seen you do one thing that even remotely relates to a career, act heroic in her eyes.”
Wolf nods a bit and rubs the back of her head.
“Yeah…” She says with a conflicted look before sighing in frustration and throwing her arms behind her head. “Main, emotions are hard. What am I supposed to do?” Wolf whines. Tadashi adjusts his glasses a bit.
“I don’t know but maybe showing her something, anything you’re interested in would help.” He says. Wolf’s face lights up as she gets an idea.
“That’s a great idea! I’ll just show her!” She says enthusiastically before rushing off. Tadashi watches her and sweats a bit.
“I know that look. She’s about to mess things up.” He says with worry on his face before following her. As Wolf jogs off the field, someone calls out to her.
“Hey, mutt!” He shouts. Wolf doesn’t even have the time to turn when a ball is slammed into the side of her head. Wolf stumbles a step over as the students laugh. “Nice catch! Maybe use your mouth next time like you’re supposed to, dog! Ha ha!” The students mocks her as Tadashi quickly approaches and puts a hand on her back, glaring at the students. They notice his gaze.
“And what do you want, four eyes?” They ask with attitude. Tadashi tenses up as Wolf continues forward.
“Don’t bother. I’ve got better things to do.” She says as her eyes stay focused ahead. Tadashi nods and follows her lead with a concerned look.