Endeavor looked down at the sleeping cat like girl as the car slowed to a stop outside of a hovel of an apartment complex. He was tempted to take her to the Todoroki Estate but he had a feeling if he did she'd sneak out the moment she woke up. Though the apartment was pretty run down and in a neighborhood that didn't look the best, he saw a gathering of people around some outdoor tables. It looked as if they'd set up some kind of station at one of the tables. There was a young man sitting at the table that people kept reporting to, it almost seemed like a search party. Had someone gone missing?

He picked up the sleeping girl as his driver came around to open the door. The moment he stepped out of the car he heard a collection of gasps as the people began to murmur amongst themselves, recognizing him and wondering what he was doing there. The man who'd been sitting at the table being reported to, stood up as he spotted the sleeping girl. He had dark hair and pure obsidian eyes, that lacked any visible sclera, pupil or iris, they were nothing but darkness. His appearance was a little unsettling.

"He found her!" A college aged girl with long lavender hair squealed as she noticed the sleeping girl in his arms. "Craven! Our kitten has been found! Time to squeeze her!"

A young man with ginger hair and bright green eyes hurriedly caught the lavender haired girl and held her back, "Lavender! She's injured you can't squeeze her!" He groaned.

Endeavor looked down at the sleeping girl with a small smile. Seems she found herself a new family. The demonic looking young man approached slowly and offered him a polite bow of his head.

"Thanks for finding her, but why was the number two hero even looking for her? The police said they couldn't even do anything until she'd been missing for 24 hours." He asked with an untrusting frown.

Endeavor sized up the young man and smirked as he noticed him begin to tense. He had a foolish sense of bravery. "She's my ward." Endeavor said with a shrug.

"What?!" Everyone's jaw dropped, save for the demonic looking man. His frown only seemed to grow.

"If anything, she's our ward, we're the ones looking after her." The demonic man challenged him. "Where did you find her?" He asked and held his arms out to take the sleeping girl.

Endeavor liked him, he was tenacious and fearless, perhaps a little reckless but he could tell he cared for the girl. They all did. She was in good hands here. He handed her over with a smirk. "I picked her up at school."

"What?" Lavender giggled, "I really need to teach her how to play hooky better."

"No, that sounds like a terrible idea." The ginger haired man shook his head.

Endeavor turned to walk away realizing the cat girl was safe, "take care of her." He gave the demonic young man a nod before getting back into the car, his gaze falling on the vase of flowers Nikita had helped him pick out and arrange for Rei.

Nikita started to stir from her slumber as the car pulled away. She blinked a few times as she realized she had no idea where she was or how she got there until she met a familiar pair of pure obsidian eyes lacking any visible sclera.

"Craven?" She asked in a small tired voice.

"You're grounded." Craven grumbled as he carried her up the stairs.

"What?!" Nikita squeaked.

"So grounded." Craven huffed.

"Why? What did I do-?" She cut off with a yelp as he glared at her.

"I told you to stay home, I called your school and you snuck out the window! We were all worried sick ALL DAY! We had a search party out looking for you!" He snapped as he reached her apartment and carried her inside.

Tears welled in her bright golden eyes, her ears drooped morosely and her stomach twisted itself into painful knots of guilt. "I'm sorry." She sniffled.

Craven's stern gaze softened and he hugged the cat girl gently, "I forgive you, but you're still grounded." He smiled, "don't worry me like that again."

"I'm sorry, Craven." A single tear slipped from her hold as she realized just how much she'd worried everyone.

Craven wiped away her tear with his thumb, "hey, enough with the waterworks. I already said I forgive you, just don't do it again, okay?"

Nikita nodded before wrapping her arms around the demonic looking young man. He gently rocked her in his arms.

"Did you already get something to eat?" he asked her as he affectionately rubbed her back to console her.

Nikita nodded again.

"Good. Now, get to bed and get some rest and if you even think about making another escape, I swear I'm taking you to a vet and getting you microchipped." He threatened her seriously.

Nikita couldn't help but laugh at this, "that sounds unpleasant."

"Then stay in bed." Craven tried to keep a stern face but found it difficult as her light laughter filled the small apartment. He gently tousled her hair.

"Hey, Craven?"

"You avoiding bedrest?" He frowned.

Nikita blanched, "n-no."

He chuckled, "what is it?"

"How did I get back home?" She asked unsure, the last thing she remembered was sitting in Endeavor's fancy car after they'd picked out flowers for Rei.

"Endeavor dropped you off."

"Ah." Nikita frowned.

"Care to explain that?" Craven pondered.

Nikita shrugged, "my parents were his sidekicks and close friends, I guess he's technically my legal guardian until I'm eighteen."

"So, why are you here and not living in a fancy mansion?" Craven asked her curiously.

"My parents picked this apartment for me to stay in before they died...maybe he was just honoring their wishes..."

Craven accepted her response with a nod and hurried to catch the few stray tears that slipped from her hold as she thought about her parents. "Sorry, I didn't mean to get you worked up, I was just curious." After mopping up her face he steered her to her room, "get some rest."

"Craven?" Nikita stopped him as he turned to leave.

"Still stalling?" He smirked.

Nikita shook her head.

"What now?" He asked with a sigh.

"Thanks for taking care of me." Nikita smiled.

"Anytime." Craven smiled. "Now get some rest." He waited until she hopped into bed before taking his leave.

Nikita yawned before stripping out of her school uniform. She pulled the oversized UA t-shirt she usually slept in over her head before nestling into her bed and pulling one of the blankets around her. As she was about to close her eyes, her phone started to vibrate from within the pocket of her uniform.

She stretched, managing to keep most of her body on the bed, and snagged the phone from her pocket before looking at the screen. A picture of Shoto flashed across the screen. Her heart sank a little as she sent it to voicemail. Though he'd probably made the right decision, it still hurt that he'd gone behind her back. Even if he did think it was for her own good, he shouldn't have surprised her like that. She'd been completely caught off guard.

Her phone vibrated again. Shoto's face appeared on the screen. He was calling again. Tears welled in her eyes as she sent him to voicemail a second time. Her phone buzzed once and a message flashed across her screen.

S: Niko, talk to me

Nikita looked to the message. She almost unlocked her phone to reply and tell him she wasn't ready to talk to him. Instead she turned her phone off and set it on her nightstand before curling into a ball.

"Sorry, Sho-chan...I'm not ready yet..." She sniffled softly as she buried herself in blankets. She cried herself to sleep. Her dreams were plagued with hurt and betrayal.

Nikita was startled out of a nightmare by the sound of someone knocking on her door, loudly. She sat up and searched for her phone before realizing it was turned off. She glanced at the battery-operated alarm clock atop her nightstand, it was almost ten at night.

The knocking got louder. Nikita rolled out of bed and noticed the tenderness she'd been feeling in her ribs all day had finally subsided. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and let out a big yawn as she trudged to the door in her oversized sleepshirt.

She reached the door and pulled it open. Her heart stuttered in her chest as she spotted Shoto looking somewhat breathless, as if he'd run all the way here. His two-toned hair was dripping wet from the downpour of rain falling from the sky. He breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted her.

Nikita's eyes widened surprised to find him on her doorstep at this hour, "Sho-chan...what are you doing?"

"I was worried about you." He replied but made no move to come inside sensing she was still upset with him.

Nikita pursed her lips together in a frown and moved away from the door motioning for him to come inside. He stepped inside and Nikita went to fetch him a towel. She stood back, leaning against the kitchen counter as he attempted to dry himself off. He sensed her gaze and turned to her.

"I'm not going to say I'm sorry for what I did..." Shoto remarked quietly.

Nikita tensed at this, her tail flicked in annoyance and her ears twitched.

"I did what I thought was best for you, and I'd do it again, if the situation arose."

Her ears tilted backward, another sign of her displeasure.

"Niko...say something." He held her gaze almost desperately pleading for her to speak to him.

"I don't have anything to say to you." She retreated to her room, turned on her phone and texted Endeavor.

N: Pick up your son.

She forwarded her location before setting her phone back down on her nightstand, she had a few more missed calls and messages from Shoto.

When she returned to the kitchen Shoto's phone started to vibrate. He looked down and realized his father was calling him. He looked to the cat like girl in awe.

"It doesn't feel very good, when someone you love betrays your trust, does it?" She forced herself to stay strong, fighting back tears.

"Niko-."

"I'm going back to bed. Lock the door when your ride shows up." Her composure started to slip; tears welled in her eyes as she turned to retreat to her bedroom.

Shoto saw the crack in her cold hard mask and reached for her hand. He caught her hand in his and gripped it tightly, "I didn't want to hurt you, Niko. I only did what I thought was best."

"...but you did hurt me..." her voice was no more than a whisper. A single tear dropped onto her cheek.

Shoto felt his heart constrict in his chest as he saw the tears welling in her eyes and starting to slip from her hold. He pulled her toward him and wrapped his arms around her. He cradled her gently in his arms. "I'm sorry I hurt you."

Nikita gave in and leaned into his embrace. "Sorry for retaliating." She sniffled.

Shoto smiled, "it's okay, I deserved it."

"You did." Nikita nodded as she struggled to blink back tears.

"Forgive me?"

Nikita looked up at him through tear filled lashes. No matter what, she couldn't stay mad at him. She'd forgive him for anything. She nodded again. "I forgive you." She wiped away her tears, "but you owe me some fishy snacks."

Shoto chuckled at this, "I can manage that." His phone buzzed again; he ignored his father's call with a sigh. He'd send a car to come get him, so he just had to wait until then. "Are you feeling better?" He asked the cat like girl as she closed the door to her apartment and went to lay on the floor in her small living area. Shoto followed her and sat beside her.

Nikita nodded, "it doesn't hurt anymore." She laid her head on his lap and curled into a ball next to him.

Shoto felt heat spread across his face as he looked down at her curled up form. The oversized t-shirt she was wearing rose dangerously high revealing a good portion of her legs. He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away from her revealed legs. He turned his attention to her head resting on his lap and placed a gentle hand atop her head.

A blush spread across Nikita's cheeks as he accidentally brushed against her furry ears and an embarrassing involuntary purr sound escaped her. "Sho-chan!" She squealed and swatted his hand away.

Shoto looked down at her curiously as her face flushed scarlet. He smiled somewhat mischievously as he remembered her making him meow like a fool for her own amusement. Once she'd recovered from her fit she relaxed again and closed her eyes. Taking advantage of her vulnerability, Shoto reached out and gently rubbed her ears. They were softer than anything he'd ever felt.

The cat girl let out a soft helpless gasp as a shiver rolled down her spine instantly reducing her to a puddle. She felt momentarily paralyzed as he stroked her furry ears before a tingling sensation started at her core and began to spread throughout her entire body. Her face turned a bright shade of scarlet as her entire body grew hot.

Shoto stared down at the vulnerable teary-eyed cat girl in awe. His heart raced in his chest. Something about seeing her in such a fragile state made him want to tease her more. He knew her ears were sensitive and she didn't like people touching them, but he had no idea it was this bad.

"Sh-Sho-chan, stop." Nikita whined helplessly, unable to squirm away from him.

Shoto reluctantly stopped teasing her and held back a laugh as she scrambled away from him, red faced and panting softly. She buried her burning face in her hands.

"Sho-chan's being mean." She sniffled adorably.

"Sorry, Niko." Shoto offered her an apology, "I couldn't resist."

She kept her hands over her sensitive ears and continued to pout.

"It's cute." He smiled.

"I-I don't care, it makes me feel weird so don't do it again." Nikita protested weakly. Though it did feel weird, it wasn't particularly bad, in fact it had felt quite nice but she wasn't about to admit that to him.

"No promises." Shoto smirked, "I still owe you one for making me meow...twice..." He teased her.

"Th-that's mean!" Nikita whined, keeping her hands firmly over her ears to protect them from him. Her ears twitched as she heard a car door outside. A moment later she heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming up the stairs.

There was a knock at the door followed by the gruff angry voice of Endeavor, "Shoto!"

Nikita kept her hands protectively over her ears and avoided Shoto as she scrambled toward the door. She pulled the door open before quickly covering her ears again and stepping aside. Endeavor spotted the cat like girl protectively covering her ears. There was still a blush clinging to her cheeks. Despite the bright redness of her face she looked like she was feeling exponentially better than she had been earlier. His aqua gaze flicked to his youngest child and he sighed.

"Get in the car." He growled sternly.

Shoto barely acknowledged his father's existence. "Goodnight, Niko." He bid farewell to the cat girl and side stepped his father, heading for the car.

Endeavor sighed and resisted the urge to massage his temples. His gaze fell on the cat girl, "any advice?"

Nikita bit her lip, "I'm not sure, that one's going to take quite a bit..."

Endeavor nodded, "I thought as much...you look like you're feeling better..."

Nikita nodded, "did Auntie Rei like her flowers?" She asked hopefully.

Endeavor smiled somewhat somberly, "I'm sure she did, she didn't want to see me, so I left them with one of her nurses."

Nikita saw hurt in his eyes and frowned, "maybe you should try again..."

"I might need help picking out flowers again..." He glanced down at her curiously.

Nikita let out a dramatic sigh, "I guess I'll help you, for auntie Rei.

Endeavor accepted her response with a nod while trying to fight off a smile, "Thank you for your help today."

Nikita bit her lip, "don't be too hard on Sho-chan...it's my fault...I ignored him and turned my phone off, he must have been worried..."

Endeavor frowned, "why did you ignore him?"

Nikita shuffled her feet nervously, "I was upset with him, about earlier."

"Yet it seemed to have worked as you're now feeling better."

"I know." Nikita huffed.

"Was it so bad?" Endeavor asked feeling somewhat hurt. He was trying to make amends with everyone and he'd thought he'd made progress with the catlike girl but was now second guessing himself.

"No..." Nikita shook her head, "it was..." she paused trying to think of how she wanted to phrase it, "...nice."

Endeavor smiled and reached out to pat her on the head. He was surprised when she didn't recoil from his touch. "If it wasn't terrible, and it worked, why are you upset?"

Nikita bit her lip again, "because, he still went behind my back...and it hurt my feelings..."

Endeavor looked uncomfortable thinking the girl was going to start crying. While he was making progress, he wasn't sure he could handle a crying teen at the moment. "Did he apologize?" He asked unsure as he scanned the room for tissues just in case she broke down. He'd remembered Nikita saying apologies helped.

"For hurting me, but not for going behind my back." Nikita sighed before tilting her head to the side as she noticed him scanning her apartment, "what are you doing?"

"Huh?" Endeavor realized she wasn't as upset as he had originally thought and cleared his throat, "I could have a talk with him?" He offered.

Nikita choked on a laugh, "that'll go well." She replied with sarcasm before realizing all of his questioning had been a way for him to try and help her since she'd been helping him. She smiled, "we already worked it out, but thanks for wanting to help."

"You can come to me, if you need help..." He noted sincerely.

Nikita smiled, "thanks."

Video- "Sorry Not Sorry" By New Years Day (totally random, haha just what I was listening to)