Back.u.go

Shinsou trains every.single.day. Since high school, he’s had a riding schedule of training sessions that push him past his limits, both physical and mental—waking up in the early mornings, always beating the sun to start a morning run followed by rigorous sparing with Aizawa and ending the day with hours of self-practice and meditation. It’s been six years since, and it’s formed into a necessary habit. Once this routine was an outlet that allowed him to overcome his quirk’s insecurities, but now it was something he prided himself in. His results weren’t instant, but they were blossoming on the battlefield. Aizawa has noticed his growing confidence and allows Shinsou to patrol the neighborhood on his own individually. As time goes by, Shinsou has gained potential in his future as an underground Pro Hero while keeping his high school friendships afloat. Denki and Midoriya being the ones who come over often, whether to eat or share stories of their latest achievements, are deemed his best friends. Every so often, he will come across his old school mates and give a couple of hellos or offer to buy them a drink, but one strange relationship he has yet to define was his, with you.

He wouldn’t call you both friends, as a friend is defined as a bond of mutual affection. His affection towards you was confusing. He always had a strong feeling, a pull of attraction towards you that was unexplainable. He admired your standing within the Hero community, but his interaction with you was minimal. Not for the lack of trying. Even in school, as he could do was watch you from the sidelines as you struggled to cope with the lack of power your quirk held. Your abnormality was called Immortality.

It allowed your body to regenerate any limb, heal any wounds, and filter any potions. Of course, you were able to recover relatively quickly, depending on the degree of injury, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t feel all the pain that comes with it. In the school tournaments, he’d watch as your arm was broke in four places before your opponent cracks your skull against the concrete floor. His heart halted before shattering in pieces watching your limp body pinned down and twisted like a broken rag doll. Your entire body returned to normal within three minutes, but he could tell your spirit crushed. You gained the nickname of the 'Human Punching Bag' from that day forward, the persona following you into your senior year.

He always wished he could help you, hold you close to him, and tell you everything would be alright, but he was no better. To this day, he regrets never standing by your side to be your supporter instead of a bystander. Every time he sees you, he’s shocked. You beam with newfound confidence, not unlike himself, but your new skills were subtle to the untrained eye. He approaches you whoever you’re near, but he never got more than the usual ‘Hello’ and ‘Goodbye.’ Shinsou did not know what to expect. You were an acquaintance of each other’s agencies, never spending more than ten minutes in the same room, yet he wanted so badly to change that. Your undeniable aura was intoxicating to him. He could sense you a mile away and wait in anticipation while you make your way towards him, only for you to ignore him altogether as you pass him by.

However, today he would attempt to establish a strong relationship with you. Denki took it upon himself (was a nosy and meddling friend) to dig around and informed Hitoshi that you always trained in room 10 of Aizawa agency to practice hand to hand combat. After hearing this unwanted material, he took this opportunity as a chance to get closer to you finally. As he stands in the doorway, watching you stretch your arm behind your head, he feels his chest tighten. The fear of rejection starts to loom over. If he messes up this chance, would you ever give him a second chance? It’s all or nothing at this point.

He fixes his tank top strap, taking a moment to gather his thoughts before walking towards you. "Good morning." He watches you turn towards the direction of his voice, giving a slight nod before returning to your original position. He crouches down next to you, dropping his capture weapon to his side. "Do you want to spar together?" His head tilts to the side, observing you as you relax and return his gaze. You shrug your shoulders, giving off a neutral stance on the question, but it was all he needed. He had your full attention, no outside forces to interrupt or take him away. He stands up and holds his hand out, a friendly gesture that pulls a confused stare from you. When Hitoshi realizes your apprehension, he nervously rubs the back of his neck, contemplating if he was pushing you past your limits. As he starts to pull his hand back, he’s startled as your soft fingers graze his palm. You lift yourself, looking at him with a little concern, a slight blush dusting your cheeks. "Did I do something?" He takes a step closer to you as his protective nature is suddenly switched on. "Is something bothering you- is someone messing with you?" The thought that there are still people bothering you, possibly pushing you into an awkward position, makes his blood boil. Such a quiet person, you always keep to yourself, who would dare to tarnish what little peace you try to give yourself. 

"No ones have ever done that before."

His concentration breaks, finally harboring the first complete sentence you’ve even uttered towards him. Your voice so soft and sweet, without a hint of malice. He would replay it over and over for the rest of his life. "Done what? Say good morning?"

In all the years Shouto has lived he has never felt more complete as he does right now. He finds himself in his third year, surrounded by friends, whom he considers family. Each classmate gives him a sense of belonging that he was neglected in his younger years. The amount of support his mentors and fellow comrades have expressed has molded him into a better hero. One person, in particular, has changed him, but into a better man. Every glance and laugh they share has only left a warm within him. The late-night conversations you both had are memories he fondly revisits when he feels low. He can’t help the smiles that threaten to show when the end of his high school journey approaches. His mind is filled with thoughts of his classmates, and if he will be able to maintain the strong bonds, he’s created with each of them.

As shouto glances at you, he realizes he no longer hides his smile. You naturally bring him into a happy mood without much effort. The memories you both share always warm his heart, each moment better than the last. This isn’t to say you both didn’t have your arguments. The smallest of things, but at one point, shouto made the mistake of taking his anger out on you. The stress that weighed on his shoulders became overbearing, and it showed. You being the wingless angel he knows, approached him to cheer him up, but unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished. He yelled a cold blast of wind, threatening your existence surrounded the room you’re in as he blamed you for his hidden insecurities and fears that quickly brought you to tears. It took weeks for shouto to get the courage to face you without crumbling, shame written all over his face as he begged for your forgiveness. He had never felt such a crippling fear, the thought of losing you made him sick, and he vowed to never let it happen again. He became more aware of his actions, always thinking before he speaks around you. At first, it concerned you as he looked like he was fighting an internal battle, but you both turned it into something healthy. You informed him that he can ask if he’s unsure, that as long as he didn’t yell, you would be okay with it. Little did you know he had so many questions, some that genuinely showed his innocence.

"If you're upset, would you prefer drinks first, then food, or food first then drinks? I don’t understand the protocol of comfort because depending on the level of anger, you might want something else….so? Which would you prefer?"

"I like it when you rub my head, but I don’t know if this is too intimate of action between friends; I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. Yet you have played with my hair on a few occasions, and I wanted to make it known that I enjoy it. Is it possible to do it more often? Should I ask you first or wait until you naturally offer?"

"If you’re obviously cold, should I provide you my jacket or hold your hand? My quirk is very useful in the winter, but if you prefer my jacket, I would happily offer it to you, but isn’t it more practical for me to keep you close and provide warmth?"

These cute questions are mostly concerning your boundaries; little did you know that you harbored Shoutos’ mind more than he’s willing to admit. It’s become a natural thing for him that he doesn’t find abnormal. It's similar to breathing in his eyes. Thinking of you provides a sense of peace; other times, it's genuinely just an enigma to which he just approaches you or Midoriya and asks to elaborate on his thought.

On this particular day, shouto finds himself puzzled. Something within him wants to express his feelings towards you, to show you how happy you make him and ask if he provides you the same joy.

He turns in his seat, watching you struggling to braid a section of hair. "Y/n, can I help?" Your eyes fix on him, and a bright smile reflects that his request is approved. He inches closer, taking the hair tie from your lips, and he runs his fingers gently through your strands. "Thank you, sho. My arm still hurts from fighting that burglar, so I can’t move it too much" He nods, finishing your braid effortlessly. He had watched you plenty of times fixing your hair, so he could copy your movements easily. As he tightens the hair tie at the end of the braid, he lays his hand on your shoulder and slowly lets the heat rise into his fingertips before massaging them into the strained muscle. As he applies pressure in circles, he hears a light sight escape your lips, a sign that he’s rubbing you properly. "Y/n? Do I make you happy?" he asks bluntly. The giggle that’s ripped from your mouth shocks him. He tilts his head in confusion as he fails to understand the humor in his question. "Of course, you make me happy. I’m the happiest person in the world when I’m with you, sho." 

He smiles as you lean on him, nudging your head against his cheek, another thing he’s grown to love. Any form of intimacy with you, he welcomed, physical or emotional. It always felt better when it’s from you. "I highly doubt you’re the happiest person in the world because that would be me." He whispers against your ear. He feels your body tense up, and panic starts to rise within him. Did he do something wrong? Should he apologize first or wait for you to tell him what he’s done wrong? A hundred thoughts fight against the walls of his mind as you lift your chin to make eye contact with him, a grin adorning your features.

"Is that so? I’ve never heard you admit such a thing sho. Please do elaborate on this topic?" You tease, nudging him a little.

Bakugou had feelings for you since his first year at UA, even though he would never admit it. At first, he thought the abnormal feeling was the result of nerves or lousy cooking, so he would go about ignoring his instincts. Two years have passed, and his sensitivity grows stronger. His actions towards you were beginning to become more evident without his knowledge. 

On occasion, he would catch himself staring at you across the room, taking in every detail of your character and locking onto your presence. Slowly drowning out the sound of the teachers’ lecture, your existence is isolated from the rest. Bakugou watches as you attentively copy notes off of the presentation. You bite your bottom lip, obviously indicating you were struggling at the concept being discussed. 

Bakugou is a natural-born genius, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t study. He just looks smarter, not harder. This is why he is unsympathetic about why so many topics are considered difficult when it becomes easier for him after a few hours of revision. 'Maybe I should offer to teach her?’ He looks at the notes he prepared a week in preparation for this course and stopped himself. Why should he care? If you wanted his help, you should come and grovel at his feet. He was a top student in all fields, after all. Who would do a better job at guaranteeing you high marks on your next exam? His gaze is once again pulled to you as his thoughts continue. He had never found himself so mesmerized by anyone else before, curious as to what exactly is it that he likes about you. 

You weren’t the strongest nor the smartest. You were NOT the most popular, but you were the favorite among his friends. Denki was always raving over how you encourage his jokes, Kirishima about your bravery, and Sero about your willingness to pull little pranks on the others. Did Bakugou like you for those things, no? Not at all. He admired you in his unique way. You’ve fallen more than anyone in the class, easily apart of the bottom 5 in class 1A, yet he had to give you credit for how you have grown. Your scores are getting better, studying with him and his friends every chance you get, even without exams approaching. 

The skills you have acquired within such a short time amaze him; he looks forward to every sparing session with you. You were never able to beat him, let alone even come close; however, you always asked for his opinion on doing better. A couple of times, you’ve surprised him by offering some suggestions on his form, and they’ve worked. Of course, he’d never tell you that. He would have figured it out; eventually, you had just beaten him to the realization first. Yet, Kirishima has pointed out that his physical intimacy with you has evolved. His once disgusted demeanor with being in the same room as you have grown into a soft appreciation. Every little moment of you silently sitting next to him is something he cherishes as most don’t give him any peace. No physical altercation had progressed until last night. He sighs, letting his mind replay the same incident over and over. You, Kirishima, Sero, Denki, and Mina decided to invite yourselves to his dorm room to go over a few questions that weren’t understood from the day before. 

Bakugou found it a tedious chore to continually be the only intelligent one of the group, but the thought of you being in his room was an opportunity he wasn’t going to pass up. He even went out to buy snacks for the group in question just to give an impression on you that he indeed wasn’t all bad, even though his delivery of the words, "Yeah, so what? You all are stupid enough without being hungry. I only bought these so you guys wouldn’t whine about how your God Damn stomachs are practically eating themselves to get out of a math question. Plus, you all can’t say dumb shit that pisses me off if your mouths are full. So here, eat and shut up"could have put a negative spin on his genuine gesture. When he holds out a bag of your favorite chips, your fingers brushed against his palm, stunning him before your lips connected with his cheek. Your lips forming into the beautiful smile that gives him butterflies as he felt his cheeks heat up. "Thanks, Suki. These are my favorite. You’re the best," you praise before returning to Mina’s side. So what if he memorized all your favorite snacks? It’s not like he could help it with your constant need to stuff your face at all times. It wasn’t hard to notice, but your sudden display of affection came as a shock to him. His chest clenched at the realization that he has never had such a delayed reaction before, and he hated it in all honesty. He loathed the effect you had on him. He condemned that his body would betray him by allowing his cheeks to become flushed every time you approach him since then. His logic is always interrupted when you compliment him for even the most basic of things. He hated you entirely, but he knows he has to have you. Time is running out. You both are eighteen, ready to graduate, and work full-time at your hero internships. When that happens, he doesn’t know if there will ever be a juncture in your hero careers  where you’ll meet again. You may take a position farther from him, but if his feelings are known now, he hopes you’ll think about staying. 

The thought of you moving even a city over makes his heart feel hollow, his mind in anguish with so few memories of you together. The ears on the sides of his head perk up at the faint echos of the dismissal bell. He sees you staring back at him, your face expressing great concern as you rise from your chair to rush over to his hastily. He couldn’t hear what you were saying because he just couldn’t focus. His state of mind wasn’t coherent when he went into a dark hole; he found it hard to pull himself free from his insecurities. Especially when in public, he just tends to shut down and ignore people until he feels better internally, but the firm grip on his shoulder steals his attention from you for a split second to the sight of both Kirishima and Deku. They both shared the same aura of uneasiness at their friends’ unusual state of stillness. Their lips move, but all that’s heard is muffed vibrates that carry his name. He stares at them with an empty feeling, no desire to yell and threaten for them to leave him alone.