hold my own.

“Oh, what do they say instead?” He asks, only half interested in the answer as the second slice of his attention is drawn to the collection of seashells presented before him. An approving nod is given towards Shinsou’s elected colour scheme, which aligns nicely with his own preference for muter shades.

“Nice job.” Haru plucks a few of the shells from his palms, careful not to damage any in the process.

“You can start if you want, I’ll copy you.” He decides it’s only fair to let the other take the reigns for a bit, especially after Shinsou had let him add a dungeon guarded by killer crabs to their creation.

❝Yeah, I guess copying is what you've been doing these days, huh?❞ 

It was supposed to be an offhand comment but when Hitoshi’s realizes that his words stem from a very bitter place— a place he refuses to dwell on in front of Haru of all people— he quickly shakes his head and starts placing his carefully selected seashells onto the sandcastle with practiced ease. He had accepted Haru’s invitation to go out today solely to make sense of the appeal the guy apparently has but so far, Hitoshi is still at a loss.

Which isn’t an insult at by all means.

Haru is what most people would describe as “easy on the eyes” but surely there is something more to that...? Hitoshi isn’t sure. Maybe Haru isn’t letting him see what Monoma is clearly seeing. In a way, he could understand that.

Hmmm… well, they had been at this for quite a while. Even Viktor was starting to get a little stiff from sitting there for such a long time. He really needed to make a better note of the time and track how long they’ve been studying these things for… Taking breaks between makes studying go smoother and all, doesn’t it? He doesn’t really remember any proper tips, he’s been out of school for so long.

But he’s trying his best to improve as a makeshift teacher for Hitoshi!

…Oh well. For now he gives a big stretch and tucks his hair behind his ear with something of a sigh.

“Of course, you can ask for a break at any time you know? These aren’t really official classes, so it’s fine.” He thinks. “Take a break, stretch, have a bathroom break if you wish. Do you want tea… or, maybe coffee?” He’s not sure a teen will go for either, but it doesn’t hurt to try. And if not, he’ll offer something a bit more suited to a young person’s taste.

He puts his pen on the spine between the pages of his notebook before shutting it closed. Seeing all those English words is just giving him a headache which is starting to throb right between his brows. He reaches up to smoothen the wrinkles even though he’s pretty sure his attempt is futile when his brows are just gonna bump back together in a frown. 

He’s not usually like this, or at least he thinks he isn’t. But when your mind is being constantly attacked by a flashback you wish to bury into the deepest darkest depths of your recollection, focusing on a single task isn’t particularly easy.

Apparently, Viktor is looking a little bit drained himself and yet he still does his best to not only be a decent teacher but a decent host as well— even offering the teen a smile and a beverage.

@hypnotictrance​

“Did you find any good ones?” He’s referring to the seashells he’d sent Shinsou out on a mission to find while he continued stacking the extra towers of their sand fortress, complete with surrounding moat and spiked defences made of twigs and other washed up debris stabbed into the wet sand bed.

“It’s ready to start pimping up.”

Pimping up? 

❝You know, people are usually happy when they see fireworks.❞ He couldn’t help but point out the sour look curling this guy’s features. Even on his worst days, the mere sight of bright colors splashing the vast night sky with vibrant life is always enough to make him feel a little better. In fact, that is exactly the reason why he stopped by one of the parks on a weekend night. After hearing that there will be a firework show on the stroke of midnight, he knows he has to see it in an attempt to distract himself from how shitty his entire day has been.

Luckily for him, it worked.

He, unfortunately, can’t say the same for the stranger standing next to him. Hitoshi would normally mind his own business but what kind of hero would he be if he deliberately ignores someone who is in clear need of something positive to light up his day? As much as he doesn’t want to, he knows his conscience will eat him up.

“How could I not stop myself. The smell wasn’t half bad when you opened it. Now you have to retract your offer just because I said I didn’t want any?” It was a small attempt to guilt trip the other, but he knew well enough that he wasn’t going to fall for any of that. If that was possible then this would be way too easy.

“Fine, how about this; you just give me one piece and you have the rest. Don’t tell me you’re going to have every little piece right now. Are you going to stuff it down like a bag of nearly empty chips?” It’s not like Shinsho would actually eat the whole bag… right? It was his own fault for denying a piece when it was offered. Now there is no doubt that the other hero would just dangle whatever was in the bag over the blonde’s head. How very cruel indeed.

“You really are greedy.”

❝I wouldn’t exactly call myself greedy. I’m just being fair.❞ A pleased smile stretches Hitoshi’s lips, still keeping the bag away from the blond’s reach. Of course, he’s just teasing. He doesn’t care much for desserts no matter how nice their packaging looks. But is it to be expected that Monoma would somehow devise a deal out of this instead of just simply insisting him to give him a piece. The guy truly has a knack for making things complicated. So instead of buying into that unnecessary deal, the taller teen finally gives in and hands him the bag.

But then he stops when he notices an odd skip of his heartbeat followed by something hot and sharp spiking up his spine as though liquid impulse is being injected right into his bloodstream. That’s odd. He pays it no mind though and continues on. ❝Stop being cute and just get a piece—❞ He pauses and blinks twice.

❝I’m tired. Can we take a break?❞

Hitoshi doesn’t normally ask for breaks during their English tutoring sessions but today is an unfortunate exception. He couldn’t concentrate. It’s hard to when his mind is currently occupied by what could be the most humiliating memory he had ever been reduced to. He feels bad though seeing that Viktor has been nothing but patient with him no matter how many times he’s had to repeat himself just for Hitoshi to understand what he’s trying to explain. It’s embarrassing enough to ask the guy if he could teach him English in his spare time, but to waste his time by not paying attention at all is just plain rude.

❝You look exhausted.❞ Hitoshi points out in spite of the fact that he looks just as tired himself. He knows he should have kept that thought locked up in his mind but keeping quiet hasn’t been helping him in trying to stay awake. Some loud kids playing badminton nearby or the obnoxious chatter of families and friends having a great time on their picnic mats should have been good enough to keep him attentive and focused on this English essay he’s been working on. But sleep has been weighing on his eyelids with every passing second.

❝Are you here to hunt whatever is lurking in there?❞

Wow. A soccer ball to the face shouldn’t hurt as much as it just did and yet here he stands, initially minding his own business when fate had chosen him as the target of some girl’s mighty kick. He can’t tell if the attack had been intentional or not but he’s not going to let it go easily. He picks up the ball that has rolled down next to him and hands it to his likely assailant.

Nonverbal RP Starters | 😠 Death Glare at my muse | accepting!

He’s been glaring at me for a while.

It’s hard to ignore when this guy isn’t exactly discreet about it. Hitoshi doesn’t really know him that well anyway so he couldn’t find it in himself to give a damn. What he does know is that this person hangs around Aizawa-sensei a lot so he couldn’t help but wonder if that has something to do with his pissy mood. If so, why glare at him?

Hitoshi considers flipping him off but then realizes how rude that would be and how Aizawa-sensei might whack him on the head for that.

So he returns the glare instead.

Nonverbal RP Starters | 👗 Fix/Straighten my muse’s clothes | accepting!

That is the last time he’d let Haru take him shopping for clothes.

Hitoshi has been tugging and loosening this damn turtleneck sweater throughout the day and now he’s compelled to just rip it off and walk around shirtless— Red Riot style. But he is not as self-assured as that airhead so he keeps himself fully clothed. Maybe if he hadn’t skipped laundry day, he wouldn’t have to put up with the feeling of being strangled by something as trivial as a sweater. 

It isn’t long before Monoma takes notice of his discomfort though and suggests they buy a shirt from a nearby store. Hitoshi is embarrassed, to say the least. He’s meant to help the blond run some errands and yet they have to pause that for now just because he couldn’t be responsible enough to remember when it’s time to do his laundry.

Monoma chooses a shirt for him. Not to his surprise, it’s an ugly yellow one with a cheesy text that says, ‘Zombies eat brains so you’re safe!’ The guy clearly thinks he’s clever for choosing a brain-related shirt but Hitoshi still refrains from rolling his eyes. He’s just trying to help after all. 

Even after he walks out of the fitting room, sporting the tacky shirt, his friend still looks pretty pleased with himself. He frowns.

❝Shut up.❞

“I didn’t say anything.”

❝I can tell what you’re thinking.❞

“Oh? So you’re a mindreader now too?”

❝No, I mean—❞

“Ah you’ve wrinkled it!”

The blond is quick to his feet and skips to Hitoshi’s direction just to straighten the shirt as though smoothing the wrinkles out would make it look better. It didn’t. Still, the look of deliberate concentration on his face is enough to shut Hitoshi up and just let him fix what he apparently thinks is a masterpiece. 

Some color dust the taller male’s cheeks at the feel of his fingers tugging and brushing his shirt though. He’s never stood this close to him before after all. Luckily, Monoma stays unsuspecting. Like he always is.

“There. Better. Honestly Shinsou-kun, what would you do without me?” Despite the teasing tone that laced Monoma’s voice, Hitoshi catches a fragment of endearment in it. He knows better than to mistake that sliver of fondness for anything beyond platonic though (the guy is dating someone) so he just finally gives in and rolls his eyes.

❝You’re paying for this trash.❞

Nonverbal RP Starters | 🌸 Put a flower in my muse’s hair | accepting!

❝Hold on.❞ Hitoshi tugs the back of his companion’s shirt to pause their walk for a bit the second he catches sight of his own reflection in some store window. He lets go of the thin fabric and draws closer to the glass, his fingers reaching up to feel the dark circles that are starting to feel heavier than they used to under his eyes. Geez, has he always looked this bad? He never really cared for his looks before but ever since waking up in this damn city, he’s been losing more sleep than ever.

And apparently, his looks are now paying for it. 

He frowns at the sight but when his reflection frowns back, he realizes the downturn of his lips just makes him look a couple of years older which is not a good sign. But then his dwelling on his securities comes to a standstill when his eyes flicker up from his reflection’s face to see Haru standing behind him. Without a word, the shorter male reaches up to place what appears to be a pink flower on his head— clearly picked from the store’s flower shrub nearby.

Hitoshi can’t tell if this is Haru’s way of telling him he looks fine or he’d look better with a flower in his hair but either way, the bright flushed color of the petals just makes his eyebags look even darker. Not helping. He turns to face him.

That was tempting. It was a rare occasion for Monoma to decline something sweet, but even after having lunch, to have some dessert would be a crime to reject. Seeing what they had already, it would go great with a cup of hot tea. By the time they were to go on their own way, the hero might not even want to have anything and just relax until it would be time for dinner. The cookies Shinsho was holding would really be nice with tea. “You really are driving a hard bargain here. Are you perhaps, trying to help me gain a few more pounds? If I were to break my own training diet, Aizwaw-Sensei will never let me hear the end of whatever ramble he’ll have in this place. Just eat it fast before I can’t help but snatch it out of your hands.”

Using one hand to cover his own eyes, Monoma waves off his friend to quickly eat it. He might not be joking about taking it from him. 

…

“Too late, I’ll just have one piece.” Well that resistant didn’t last as long as he wanted!

❝One cookie isn’t going to ruin your diet, Monoma.❞ Although Hitoshi is under a strict regimen of his own, he knows that indulging himself in a snack or two every now and then wouldn’t be the end of the world. Aizawa-sensei wouldn’t have cared anyway. It’s just one snack. He opens the bag but just before he could even pick up a piece, he sees Monoma covering his eyes as though to shield himself from the temptation. Geez, the guy can be so dramatic at times. But he isn’t going to act brand new and ask him what he’s doing. He has somehow grown used to the blond’s... eccentricity. 

Finally, he takes a small piece and realizes the cookies are bite-sized. He plops one in his mouth before hearing his companion finally give in. Hitoshi is petty though and draws the bag away from the other.