Back To The Start

With Doc Seismic handled, Eve and I stayed behind for a bit, watching as the GDA's cleanup crew secured the area. Civilians were still shaken, some hugging loved ones, others snapping pictures of the damage. Typical.

Cecil's voice crackled in my earpiece. "Good job, Kaito. You too, Eve. Get some rest—you're gonna need it."

"That's never a good sign," I muttered.

Eve stretched her arms, glancing at me. "Well, I should probably get back. Mark mentioned training with his dad. Bet that's going great."

I raised an eyebrow. "You really think Nolan's a good teacher?"

She hesitated. "I… don't know. But Mark trusts him."

I hummed, watching the last of the rescue workers carry off an injured tourist. "Yeah… trust is a tricky thing."

Eve frowned, studying me again. "You really don't trust him, do you?"

I didn't answer right away. Instead, I shrugged. "Call it a gut feeling."

Eve exhaled through her nose, not pushing further. "See you around, Kaito."

"Yeah, see you."

She took off, heading toward the city, and I followed suit, breaking away toward my own apartment. Something told me things were only gonna get worse from here.

I headed inside, peeling off my jacket and tossing it onto the couch. My place was nothing special—functional, a bit messy, but home. Kicking off my boots, I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and flopped onto the couch.

What now?

I could train and maybe work on refining my use of the Laws. But I wasn't really in the mood after the fight with Seismic. My mind was restless, not my body.

I pulled out my phone, scrolling through messages. A few from Cecil—standard debriefing. One from Mark, something about getting burgers tomorrow. And after that, I... slept. I don't know what the fuck is wrong with me. Who sleeps at 6:00 in the evening, right?

I woke up an hour later to the sound of a door knock. I looked at the door, wondering who was here. I got up and got my water bottle, and after taking a sip, I opened the door.

"Eve...? What're you doing here?"

She stood there, arms crossed, looking like she wasn't sure if this was a good idea. Her red hair was slightly tousled from flying, and she was still in her suit.

"Uh… hey," she said.

I raised an eyebrow. "Didn't expect to see you again so soon. What's up?"

Eve hesitated for a second before sighing. "I don't know. I just… didn't feel like going home yet."

That was unexpected. I leaned against the doorframe, studying her. "So, what? You decided to show up at my place?"

She smirked. "You make it sound weird."

"What happened? Surely, you wouldn't come to me for no reason." I asked her.

"Rex..." She told me.

"Rex what?" 

"Rex cheated on me... with Dupli-Kate."

Eve exhaled, rubbing her temples. "Yeah. Caught him red-handed. And, I don't know, I just… needed to clear my head."

I stepped aside, gesturing her in. "Yeah, well, that's unfortunate."

I shut the door behind her, watching as she wandered over to the couch and sat down, arms resting on her knees. The usual confidence she carried was dimmed, like a flame struggling against the wind.

I grabbed another bottle of water from the fridge and tossed it to her. She caught it effortlessly, twisting off the cap and taking a sip before sighing.

"You know, I knew we had problems," she admitted. "But I thought… I don't know. That we'd figure it out."

I leaned against the counter. "Some people aren't worth figuring out, Eve. Rex has always been a walking red flag."

She shook her head. "I just feel stupid. Like, how did I not see it?"

"Well, bad for you, I guess. But at least you don't have to be scared of your shit boyfriend cheating on you." I told her, with a reassuring smile.

Eve let out a short, dry laugh, shaking her head. "Yeah, guess that's one way to look at it."

She took another sip of water, staring at the floor. The way her fingers tightened around the bottle told me she was still processing it, still trying to push down whatever mix of anger, betrayal, and exhaustion was bubbling inside.

"But Eve, you're talking to the wrong person, okay? I don't know how to deal with this."

I sighed, crossing my arms. "Look, I'm not gonna pretend I know how to make you feel better. But… Rex is an idiot. And you deserve better than that."

Eve huffed a short laugh. "Yeah. I guess I do."

I nodded, watching her carefully. "So, what now? You planning on torching his car or something?"

She smirked, shaking her head. "Tempting. But no. Just… needed to get away for a bit."

I leaned against the counter, tapping my fingers on the surface. "Well, you've got good taste in hideouts."

Eve chuckled, taking another sip of water before leaning back into the couch. "Your place is kinda messy."

I smirked. "Functional. There's a difference."

She gave me a knowing look. "Uh-huh. If you say so."

Silence settled between us, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Just two people sitting with their thoughts. I could see the gears turning in her head, the way her eyes flickered as she processed everything.

After a moment, she sighed. "You ever feel like... no matter how much good you try to do, life just keeps kicking you down?"

I exhaled sharply. "More times than I can count."

She glanced at me, studying my expression. "How do you deal with it?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. You just… keep going, I guess. Because stopping isn't really an option."

Eve hummed, considering that. "Yeah. Guess you're right."

Another beat of silence. Then, before I could stop myself, I spoke again.

"For what it's worth, you really do deserve better, Eve."

She looked at me then, really looked at me, and for a second, something passed between us—something unspoken but heavy.

Then she smiled, small but real. "Thanks, Kaito."

I nodded, glancing away. "Anytime."

She shifted on the couch, pulling her legs up and getting more comfortable. "Mind if I crash here for a bit?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You planning on stealing my couch?"

She grinned. "You offering your bed?"

"Fuck no." 

"Couch it is, then." 

"Okay, make yourself comfy," I told her. I pointed to the couch. 

"You said you were doing jobs since you were eight, why are still living in this apartment?" She asked me.

I chuckled, "You should see my bank account."

Eve raised an eyebrow. "That much, huh?"

I smirked, leaning back against the counter. "Let's just say I could live somewhere a lot fancier if I wanted to. But I like keeping things simple."

She hummed, rolling her water bottle between her hands. "So, you're just hoarding money for fun?"

"Something like that." I shrugged. "I don't need much. A roof, a bed, and enough to keep myself from going insane."

Eve shook her head with a small smile. "You're a weird guy, Kaito."

I grinned. "Takes one to know one."

She chuckled, but her expression softened after a moment. "You know… I kinda get it. The whole keeping things simple thing. It's easier that way, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Until it isn't."

Silence settled between us again, comfortable this time. She pulled a pillow onto her lap, staring at nothing in particular. I could tell she was still processing everything with Rex, still trying to put the pieces together in her head.

"So," I said after a moment, "what's the plan? You gonna tell the others?"

Eve sighed. "I don't know. I mean, I'll have to eventually. But I just… I don't want to deal with it right now."

I nodded, understanding. "Fair enough."

She yawned, stretching her arms before slumping further into the couch. "I'm too tired to think about it anyway. Hope you don't mind me knocking out here."

I smirked. "Just don't drool on my couch."

She raised an eyebrow, looking at me. "That is offensive, for some reason."

"do what you want, order some food or something?" I offered.

Eve smirked, shifting to get comfortable. "Dangerous offer. I might just drain your entire bank account on takeout."

I chuckled, pushing off the counter and grabbing my phone. "Yeah, well, I could afford it." I scrolled through a delivery app and glanced at her. "What are you in the mood for?"

She hummed, considering. "Something greasy. Burgers sound good."

I snorted. "Guess Mark was onto something with that burger plan." I tapped in the order, adding extra fries just in case.

Eve leaned her head back against the couch, watching me with a faint smile. "You know, I didn't expect you to be this… chill about me showing up out of nowhere."

I shrugged, setting my phone down. "You're going through some shit. Not like I'm gonna turn you away."

She studied me for a second before exhaling through her nose. "You're a good guy, Kaito."

I smirked. "Don't spread that around. I got a reputation to keep."

Eve laughed softly, shaking her head. "Yeah, wouldn't want people thinking you're secretly a softie."

I grabbed a nearby chair and turned it to face the couch, sitting backward on it with my arms resting on the backrest. "So, be honest. You still hung up on him?"

She hesitated, then sighed. "No. Not really. I mean, I was mad, and yeah, it stung. But if I'm being real with myself, things were already falling apart." She rubbed her temple. "Maybe I was just holding on to what we used to be, not what we actually were."

I nodded. "That makes sense. You wanted it to work, even if deep down you knew it wouldn't."

"Yeah…" Her voice was quieter now, more thoughtful.

Then she shifted slightly, looking at me. "You ever been in love, Kaito?"

"That... wouldn't suit me now, would it?"

"Why not?"

I leaned back in my chair, resting my arms over the backrest as I studied Eve. She was watching me, waiting for an answer, but I wasn't sure what to say.

"Because love is complicated," I finally said. "And I don't do complicated."

Eve raised an eyebrow. "That's a cop-out answer."

I smirked. "Maybe. But it's true."

She tapped her fingers against her water bottle, not letting up. "You're avoiding the question."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Alright, fine. Have I ever been in love? No. Have I cared about people? Sure. But love? That's... different. It's messy. It's risky."

Eve tilted her head slightly. "Risky how?"

I exhaled, my gaze drifting for a second before locking onto hers. "Because when you love someone, you give them power over you. And in this line of work, power can be dangerous."

Eve considered that her expression was thoughtful. "Yeah… I get that. But isn't that kind of the point? You trust someone enough to give them that power and hope they don't use it against you."

I let out a dry chuckle. "That's a nice thought, Eve. But trust isn't something I give out easily."

"I lost that when I was eight and my father basically handed me over to the GDA."

"I... didn't know that," she finally said. Her voice was softer now, careful.

I shrugged, leaning back. "Not exactly something I bring up in casual conversation."

Eve shifted on the couch, pulling her legs up and resting her chin on her knee. "That explains a lot about you."

I let out a short chuckle. "Yeah? Like what?"

"Like why you keep people at arm's length. Why you act like you don't care, even though you obviously do." She gave me a knowing look. "You try to act all detached, but I see right through you, Kaito."

I smirked. "Dangerous skill you've got there."

Eve rolled her eyes but smiled. "Seriously, though… I get it. Being handed over like that—by your own father? That's… that's messed up."

I exhaled through my nose. "Yeah, well. It is what it is. I learned early on not to expect much from people. So, fuck him, I guess."

She frowned at that, her fingers tightening slightly around the fabric of her suit. "That's a pretty lonely way to live."

I met her gaze. "Maybe. But I have you, and Mark."

A knock on the door broke the moment.

"Food's here," I said, pushing off the chair. I grabbed some cash from the counter, opened the door, and took the bags from the delivery guy.

When I turned back, Eve had already cleared some space on the coffee table, tucking her legs underneath her as she sat up. I dropped the food down, grabbed a burger, and tossed one to her.

"Thanks," she said, unwrapping it.

I took a bite of mine, chewing for a second before speaking. "So, what's the plan for you now? Just taking it one day at a time?"

Eve exhaled through her nose. "Pretty much. I mean, what else can I do? Rex is an asshole, but I can't let this screw up everything else in my life."

"Good. He's not worth it."

She smirked. "You always this blunt?"

I smirked back. "You always this stubborn?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "Fair enough."

After finishing her burger, Eve leaned back against the couch, letting out a deep sigh. "I needed this," she admitted.

I raised an eyebrow. "A burger?"