Beneath The Smile:A Hero No One Knew (Nice x Reader)

Chapter Title: Tension Beneath Bandages

"I get it. I have a lecture to face. But why does it have to be with him?"

My eyes narrowed as I gave a side glance to the man beside me,the same man who beat me up earlier.

He glared back, just as intensely. Now that I could see his features more clearly, the mask he wore before was laid on the table before us, the crack I made on it still evident.

The man exuded a quiet, captivating presence. His deep raven-black eyes, calm yet observant, were framed by thick brows. Just beneath his left eye, a small beauty mark added a touch of intrigue. His wavy dark hair was partly tied into a loose bun, with a few strands falling freely to frame his face. A straight nose, soft jawline, and relaxed lips gave him an air of quiet elegance,like someone who spoke little but conveyed much through his gaze. Gone was the cape and armor; instead, he wore a simple black loose shirt paired with matching trousers.

Earlier, I had been saved by Nice. I was immediately brought back to the agency, where I received medical attention. When I regained consciousness, I was met with this. Currently also,we were occupying a private room in the agency.

"Why would you even say that? I'm as confused as you are."

His tone was sharp, tension still thick between us. Just hours ago, I had finally figured out who he was,also gaining some bits of information,the same name Nice had mentioned right before I passed out. Wreck. Apparently, he acts as a fabricated nemesis to Nice in order to raise Nice's trust value through staged fights. He was also the "best friend" Nice had been talking about.

Also,Miss J was also displeased about my situation when she heard it,making me disappointed at myself,yet,she didn't scolded me and only now lead to this.

"Are you two even paying attention?" Miss J's voice snapped us out of our silent war. Her glasses glinted under the overhead lights as she sat across from us with Nice. He no longer wore his cape, just a compressed black upper garment and his usual white pants. He was sipping something from a white mug as I focused my gaze on Miss J instead.

My hands clutched the blanket that had been given to me. Fresh bandages wrapped around my arms, and my once messy appearance had been cleaned up. A fever patch clung to my forehead, which was also bandaged,evidence of the blow I landed during my fight with Wreck.

The nurses told me I only needed more rest. My fever had gone down slightly, but it was still present. The scratches underneath the bandages still stung, though they were much better than before.

My eyes shifted subtly to the side, observing the man. I guess I dealt with my share of damage. His arm was in a cast from the kick I delivered,apparently, it was broken. His chest had sustained damage too, and most satisfying of all, the same kind of patch was stuck on his forehead, likely covering the fatal blow I'd delivered.

Clearly, neither of us was in stable condition.

How I wanted to punch him again.Like literally on the spot right now but i refrained to do so.

I lowered my gaze, keeping my expression unreadable.

"I am paying attention, ma'am. I'm just confused as to why he has to be here," I repeated, voice calmer this time.

The man beside me irked at my words, glaring daggers at me. I ignored him, eyes solely focused on Miss J. We were off to a rough start. To make it worse, we were sitting next to each other on the same couch,both of us leaning away to opposite ends, leaving a wide gap between.

Miss J sighed, crossing her legs. "As I said, this is to clear things up between you both... and to give you a chance to make amends."

At that, Wreck and I exchanged another cold glare,mine, judgmental; his, irritated.

Why should I make amends? I didn't even know who he was. Well... he didn't either, apparently. So I guess it was fair. Kind of.

"I have no intention of apologizing to someone who beat me up, took a child into custody, and called me a nosy and annoying woman."

He scoffed and looked away, casting a side glare. "Because you are. I was just planning to leave the child in the alley. And if you hadn't nosed in, I clearly said Nice's name,shouldn't that have made it obvious I wasn't some villain?"

My grip on the blanket tightened. I turned my head to face him fully now.

"Then what a lame plan you had.That's no valid excuse for you to involve the child who was innocent.How should i even be aware of that you are just someone pretending to be the enemy?"

My gaze hardened as i narrowed my eyes.

"Also, you almost killed me. Remember the falling billboard? Ring a bell? Or were you too busy and focused solely on playing the bad guy to notice?"

I heard earlier,yes,Wreck does play his role with stability in the previous orchestrated fights he and Nice did in the past,but he never intended to cause any innocent people harm nor take them hostages and only focuses on Nice.

He blinked,caught off guard.Oh. So... he didn't know.

Then came a loud, sharp clink. We both froze.

Our eyes darted toward the sound. Nice had placed his mug down on the table-hard. The smile on his face wasn't his usual soft one. It was sharp. Dangerous.

"You two, don't you think that's enough?" he said, voice smooth but laced with warning. "Wreck, that's new information. And what's this, (Y/n)? I also heard you have a fever but didn't want me to know?"He paused then continued,voice lowering."Both of you have some explaining to do"

My breath hitched slightly. Right. I had deliberately hidden my fever and snuck out. I was doomed. Miss J did say he'd find out eventually. I sweatdropped inwardly.I swallowed hard. I had hidden my fever and snuck out. I was so doomed.

Miss J had said to me that Nice would find out. Of course he did.

As for Wreck's part...

Right. I’d been told they were close friends. And I also knew Nice had been far from pleased with Wreck’s recent behavior,especially when it came to harming me and dragging innocents into the mess.

We both looked down, defeated and silent.

"Right. Understood," I murmured.

"I understand," Wreck echoed.

Our voices came out in unison. Nice hummed in approval, still smiling in that unnerving way.

"Alright. That's good to hear. Please continue, Miss J."

He leaned back into the couch with a smooth motion, crossing one leg over the other.

Miss J gave a tired nod and resumed her explanation, while Wreck and I sat in begrudging silence, knowing this was only the beginning.

————— |° Author's Note:

Phew,a double update of chapters for today.Just got motivated to do so!What a chaotic start they had,also Miss J being there made it more severe as she witnessed the chaotic conversation 😆.Also Nice just calmly sipping a beverage earlier and transitioned to harshly placing the mug on the table got me,poor mug.

Once again,thank you for the reads and votes,feel free to comment down below your thoughts.