Round 6: S-Rank.
I went home, the medal in my hand weighing me down a lot more than what I yelled indirectly at the love of my life. I went up to the door and already heard the shower going, soft singing emanating from the confines. I sighed and sunk into the couch, waiting for her to get out of the shower.
I felt like I got run over by a train. My body was one big minefield of cuts and bruises. I didn't like getting hurt but I felt gross, too. I smelled like I took a shit in a perfume factory that exploded into the smell of cannabis. I got up, the bandages on my arms falling off and I shrugged off my shirt, I didn't feel the flaking of Decay anymore. Ever since I got One for All the feeling of it lessened. I ambled along, drifting to the shower and finding that I unlocked the door.
I opened it, tired and just wanting to wash the primal stink off me. There was mist curling through the top of the curtain as I parted it gently and scooched in, seeing Ibara washing herself and seeing her peek over her shoulder at me.
"Well, that didn't take long," she commented.
"Shut up, I'm just gonna get my stupid bathing done." I said.
"Heh, how charming," she snorted, "I know you were angry, but that doesn't mean you have to take it out on me," I looked down at my feet.
"Look, babe, I'm sorry. Bakugo hurt you and I lost it, I didn't mean to say the things I did, but I had a point, you gotta admit that," I said. She laughed a little.
"Why yes, I'm quite stubborn, and I'm rather new to having a boyfriend so I apologize for intimidating you, it must've been quite a shock hearing that I planned so much," she said. I pulled her close, kissing her neck gently, Decay wasn't the main force behind my quirk. Yeah, I used to disintegrate a lot of things, but this time I had full command of it like I did Float.
Still, I wore my gloves just in case it goes outta control. Ibara let out a tiny gasp and I felt some of her vines press me closer to her, guiding my hand to rest on her stomach as we stood under the showerhead.
"Oh, uhm, you're not wearing your- your gloves," she stammered, I could just tell she was blushing, probably thinking about how soft my hands were.
"I can finally feel it," I whispered, "I can feel you with my entire hands," I felt tears sting my eyes, she was so gentle, hurting no one without regard. I could touch her without worrying that she'd be ash. Ibara let me, surrendering because she knew I was dreaming of this moment, hands ghosting over her skin and she leaned against me, she choked down another gasp, her body tensing as her hands touched my minefield of scars and rough decay-ridden skin.
"So rough," she commented.
"You don't like it, huh?" I mumbled, feeling her hand press up against the worst scar. The one on my chest from one of the other subjects at the lab. I got too curious and the damn thing almost killed me. She nuzzled it, her hand lightly brushing against it and making me blush.
She knew not to ask. I didn't want to stop. I heard her moan, and I backed off, "Shit! Shit, sorry," I said.
"Why? It felt good," she asked.
"Well, uhm- Well," I stuttered.
"Hate to break up this tender bonding moment, but… we got the fest to get to, and they're not here to see you two's cute little rom-com," he said.
"Save it for the bedroom," Togaru snarled, clacking his mandibles.
"Are you still hurting, Tenko?" she asked.
"A- A little, yes," I admitted lamely, feeling her lips on my arm, blackwhip curiously tangling with her vines a little. She giggled, seeing them tangled together.
"Oh! Hello!" she exclaimed, "Seems like this is another facet of that quirk, yes?" she touched them and it tangled around her hand, she giggled even more.
'Daigoro, what the hell?' I thought.
'Kiddo, this isn't me, this is the quirk, it likes her.' he answered, 'Dude, tap that.'
'I can't do that!' I thought.
'Bitch, I saw you fight that bastard without fear of death. What're you so afraid of?' he asked.
"Heee… hehehe…" Ibara giggled, the little tendrils tickling her. She looked so cute. Her hair was tangled around them too,
'I don't wanna mess this up with some dumb mistake…' I thought, 'like decaying her…'
'Kid, you would've done that already multiple times, the only limits you have are the walls you built yourself to hide behind…'that's not healthy at all. She's basically giving you bedroom eyes, letting you cuddle against her chest, and basically claiming you as her husband!' Daigoro ranted, 'So man the fuck up! You're not like that crusty dipshit! You won't hurt her, you don't even dream of hurting her!'
'Yer even using her lap as a pillow right now!'
"Just nothing, Ibby, let's just… haah… get some sleep," I sighed, "One for All kills my stamina and hurts me so I'm just gonna sleep it off," I got out, helping her out by wrapping her in a towel and setting her down on the floor. I was stronger than I looked.
She was taller, and she wound some of her vines around me, picking me up and holding me close, back to my little position. Curled into a little ball, head against her heart, hair being petted, vines around me.
Perfect bliss. She laid down in our bed, body still warm from the shower, new vines curling around me and hand petting my hair. A few vines scooched my head up to look at her. She kissed me.
"Sleep well, my little ashy cinnamon roll," she cooed.
"Yeah, you too, lil' angel," I yawned. I closed my eyes, in total bliss.
I woke up nestled against her collarbone, turns out I drool in my sleep, but she was still peacefully asleep, smiling. I felt sore, really, really sore. But hey, that comes with the level ups, right? Just being here next to her made things fade away into the backdrop of my mind. I imagined me coming home to her, a little boy or girl clinging onto her or maybe running full tilt at me. A boy with no quirk or a head full of vines. Red or green eyes. But what mattered was that they were safe. I heard a soft yawn and felt a kiss on the top of my head.
"Good morning, Tenko, you slept well," she said. I smiled.
"Yeah, nothin' but imagining a little kid running around here with my hair and your eyes, y'know, black? Before Decay." I explained.
"A son or a daughter?" she asked.
"A son, little dude was clinging to you and it was so cute," I said, I was in awe, it made me excited but a little worried. What would it take to see that little guy become something? Ibara had a shine in her eyes, squeezing me in a vine and regular hug.
A perfect set. She kissed me for a long time before pulling away, were her vines even longer? She got up and out of bed, her vines falling into place just above her legs. I looked away and busied myself with trying not to look at my amazingly beautiful girlfriend.
She tied a bunch of her hair back in a bun, kinda looking like Nana for a bit. She looked over her shoulder at me.
"Dear~ will you assist me for a moment?" she asked, grinning a little, "Which dress should I wear today?" she pulled out a white one and a blue one, I blushed and looked away.
"Why're you askin' me?" I asked.
"Because I don't know which one my little ashy cinnamon bun likes more," she stated, "It's very important to know that my Tenko-chan likes my outfits, he is going to be my future husband," she said that with full certainty and I knew there was no backing out so I rolled with it.
"White fits you," I stated. She smiled and pulled it on, looking so happy. She was living with me now and it still felt so weird. Wouldn't her parents get a little worried? Or suspicious? I grabbed her hand.
"Ibara, are your parents okay with this?" I asked, "with you living with me?"
"Yes, they were quite accepting of it, as were my siblings," she said.
"What? You have siblings?" I asked, blinking. I was in shock for a bit. I've never met her siblings before, but judging by Ibara's silence she didn't have much to say about them. She took a deep breath.
"In my father's religion, it is common for a man to take multiple wives, to create more and more powerful quirks, I was arranged to be shoved off to another man my father knew once I became of age, but my mother broke away and took me with her," she explained, "Then I met you, but that wasn't the concern at the time, the concern is what they worshipped."
"What did they follow?" I asked, "Or- who, did they follow?"
Ibara grew a little haunted, "A man they called… called All For One or Father. The crackdown on the compound happened the day my mother escaped with little baby me. I was just a newborn and my mother still has nightmares about my father and that day," she hugged me tightly.
"That's why I'm so protective of you, that's why I don't like seeing you with other girls, because I don't want you to leave me," she said. Ibara pulled back, tears in her eyes, "Seeing you so angry, tearing yourself to shreds? I wish I could do more!" she was sobbing, holding me tighter.
"You don't have to go at it alone, you don't have to bear the burden alone, let me carry some of it, please," she pleaded, "I can't take another heartbreak if you die when I could've saved you," she broke down in my arms again.
"Hey, hey, It's alright," I sighed, starting to hum a little tune, a familiar one that one scientist used to hum to help me calm down from all the shots and all the tests. She sniffled and calmed down. I noticed something earlier when I looked away. She had a number on her inner thigh, just like mine on my neck. Did the cult number the children they were going to use as sacrifices to All For One? I kissed her wet cheek with a fond smile.
"It's okay, Ibby, it's gone now. We survived, and we're here. And whatever that bastard's doing with the league? I'll be there to stop him. I got the power to do it, too! I saw that mark of yours, and I'm gonna avenge them all!" I exclaimed.
"No matter what… we're here, and we're alive, and the best thing we can do is keep living. I may not have a dad, or a mom, or anyone who's in my family that I can trust, but at least I got you and tha-"
She kissed me, and it felt like my world was gonna explode. Because why was she so good at it?! I mean, she was crying, now she's kissing me like it's the last time she'll ever kiss me. She pulled back and smiled widely.
"You always know what to say, Tenko," she said, "I love you more than anything," I blushed and messed with my hair a little, she took me out of our room, with me wearing an old, ratty hoodie that was bigger on me and my even baggier cargo pants. I liked baggy clothing.
It was hilarious, here was Ibara. Pure, stately, and beautiful in her white dress. And here I was in clothes that looked like I just put them on from a bargain bin. I didn't care because I just didn't. Plus, it helped me lie low. It wasn't even dark colored. Ibara seemed pretty secretive about where we were going, but when I noticed that she had a bag with her I got a little suspicious.
"Hey, what's in that?" I asked.
"It's for later, please wait," she stated.
"Then where're we going?" I wondered, "We've been walking around for awhile, and I'm starting to die a little," I huffed.
"Oh please, stop whining. You'll like where we're going, I promise!" she exclaimed. I sighed and held her hand, seeing that there was an arcade she was making a beeline for. I smiled and we went inside. The cabinets casted everything in a multi-colored glow.
I walked towards a beat 'em up that I liked to play, it was a retro game called Streets of Justice. I didn't play it before so I had my hoodie pocket full of spare change as Ibara took up the second player spot and she wasn't too bad, I made sure she didn't use her vines though. That'd be cheating of the highest order and I'm not too sure she's into… whatever the hell Midnight's into.
We played for a good amount, Ibara was good for her first time, seeing as I've never seen her play one. She pouted when we lost, "Rigged. It's rigged. They should be ashamed,"
"Ibara, shelve the crusader act for a minute, babe." I cautioned, she crossed her arms and pouted. I sighed and guided her along to the cranes, my eyes dead set on the crane games. I was great at those.
She looked at the little cat plushies and seemed to want one. "It sort of looks like you, so soft and cuddly," she nudged me a little, making me smile and deftly win it for her. She hugged it, and it was even blue. I noticed that we both were pretty hungry and I decided to take the lead. I took her to a yakisoba stand I knew about from Juzo.
'Thank God for Juzo, I don't know what I'd do withou-' I thought, before getting cut off by a tap on my shoulder.
"Yee!" I yelped, my chopsticks becoming ash in my hand. I turned and saw that there was a little kid behind me, looking shyly down at his feet. He had a little poster in his hands of our classes on it. Already seeing that Ibara had signed her little square, he seemed to be blushing.
"U-um, M-mr. Shimura, sir?" he asked, "Can you s-sign my poster?" I smiled and took it, calming down so I wouldn't disintegrate it.
"So, what didja think of the Fest?" I asked.
"It was so cool! The way you broke the arena was AWESOME! Then the race, and the fight with that kid on fire! And… and… well, that fight with the explosion guy against that lady was sad," the kid admitted.
"Yeah, and I lost my cool there. I wasn't very heroic, don't get mad for no reason, okay? There's a lot of mean people out there, but that's a case where I had no other way, only do it when there's no way out other than that," I said, "You keep that in mind if ya wanna be a hero, kid,"
The little guy nodded, taking the poster and dashing off back towards his parents. I looked at him being lifted by his dad onto his shoulders and his mom listening intently on how cool I was and how pretty Ibara was. I sighed heavily, wondering what that felt like. Even if I had my parents around, they wouldn't care about me. One was some stupid scientist that wanted me made just to be disposed of later if I failed. Ibara ate patiently, her eyes looking at me.
"You're thinking again, and scratching too. How many times do I have to correct that? Don't make me kiss your number to get you to stop," she warned, her vines wiggling.
"Oh yeah? Then why's yours on your thigh? How will you react?" I teased, seeing her cheeks go beet red.
"I don't know!" she snapped, "And one day I don't want to know!"
"I'll find it out eventually," I hinted with a smirk. I peeked at the bag and she quickly grabbed it. I saw something I never thought I'd see. A bikini. If she wasn't blushing then, she was downright lobster-red by now.
"You know if you wanted to go for a swim you could've told me, I thought we were goin' out to lunch, so why'd you bring that?" I asked.
"I-It's not necessarily one, but it's for our future, and I brought it with me because I had something for you with it," she said.
"Which is?" I asked. She blushed and clasped her hands together.
"Oh sweet merciful father, forgive me…" she sighed. I sighed and she grabbed my hand, my cheeks heated up as I paid and was led back to the house. I flinched at the speed we were going. Once we got back she went into the bathroom without a word.
I sat down and waited, 'Did I do something wrong? I didn't make her mad, did I?' Then it hit me like a megaton bombshell. That wasn't a bikini at all, it was… was lingerie?!
'Uhm… Nana? Daigoro? Team Huddle right quick? Guys? Fuck! The one time I need you two and you're floating somewhere in my head doing god-knows-what to my brain junk!' I thought, 'Okay… time to fucking panic.' I started to scratch again, breathing rapidly. I felt a vine curl around my wrist, lowering my hand.
"Tenko, tenko, tenko, my love why must you do that?" she asked, she was in her robe from battle training. It really suited her but I got up.
"Uhm, ahh- I'mma just… go. I ah… need to- need to- hooo boy, is it hot in here? Didja turn on th- the heater?" I asked.
"Oh? The heater? It's summer, darling~" she cooed, sashaying closer. She had on her white robe, but she didn't have shoes on. She sat down, pressing her hand to my cheek, leaning in and kissing me, unwrapping her cloak and pulling me in, the feeling of warmth and safety calmed me down, her warmth, and her safety. I never knew how much I needed her. I was lonely, crippled by my fear of touching something and having them torn apart in an agonizingly slow ashen spray. I stayed away from the people I loved because I was scared of hurting them.
Feeling so loved, and safe, and warm. I realized that Ibara was my ride-or-die girlfriend. She went from a cute little friend that I jokingly called my wife to the girl I wanted to marry. She just cradled me. I kissed her on the neck, making her kiss me back on the number. I flinched a little, but she shushed me, petting my hair and kissing me again. She and I continued to kiss, and she squeezed me in a hug.
"Mm, I love you," she said, "I love you, I love you, I love you…" she whispered that in my ear and kissed me passionately. Her robe's remaining layer was all I had between me and resting fully against her warmth. I undid it and it fluttered to the couch like a sheet. She looked up at me, cupping my face between her hands.
"You're the most handsome man I've seen in my life," she smiled, "I belong with you and only you, and even if you hurt me, I'll still love the man you are," She guided my hand to her cheek, pressing it with a smile, holding down my pinky, and she didn't flake away, or scream out in pain, or fear, she accepted it, kissing my palm, it never once went away except for now because One For All assimilated it.
"See? You don't have to fear it anymore," she said, "It's over now, it tickles," she groaned a little as I kissed her again, the feeling of her pressed up against me never got old. She was a little nervous, her vines were hesitant. I was too, but I nuzzled her chest, looking up at her with an awestruck smile, she was beautiful when she blushed like she did. Cheeks aflame as I moved, a tiny whine entered my ears calmly. Feeling the beautiful flawlessness of her body under me, kissing her and feeling little jolts course through her.
She was sensitive. Very sensitive.
"So beautiful, Ibara," I said. She pulled me up, covering her face with her hands, she laid me back down, petting my hair, pushing me back up and wrapping her robe back up, blushing and sputtering.
"Did I take it too far?" I asked.
"I'm just… not ready," she mumbled, "Don't get me wrong, I do want to have you, but it wouldn't be right." I hugged her, foreheads touching, her hands brushing my hair out of my eyes.
"It's alright, babe, I'll wait for as long as it takes," I picked her up and carried her to bed, she looked up at me with a little surprise glinting in her eyes. She never expected me to pick her up, huh? I laid her down and she pulled me down with her, hugging me and laughing. I noticed that Blackwhip was tickling her. She started to wiggle and the vines wound around the little whips and pulled me on top of her, the rest tickling her as I watched her thrashing and laughing, kicking her legs gently.
"Hahaa! Hahahaha! I- I guess, your little tentacle friends like me!" she exclaimed, Laughing harder.
"St-staaaahhhp! Ahahaha!" she howled, the tendrils wrapping around her, "Ahaha! Haha! Ahh… ohh…" she calmed down, "Mm… I love you so much, my sweet little Tenko," she sighed, her vines forming that blanket again, curling around me and having her arms wrap tightly around me. A soft, rhythmic petting motion on my head, resting right where her heart was, looking up at her, "I love you too, my angel," I sighed. There was nothing that would ever tear me away from her, not even my brother's Decay. Not even any villain foolish enough to try.
I'm her's.
Now and forever.