Note: Originally written when I finally got back into watching My Hero Academia. Shinsō reminded me way too much of Leo, aaaand I had a nice date with Leo at the time, so the idea came to me. This is based off of an experience I had while in Iceland. Let's just say there's more to things in life when there's no life-ending drama going on. And for once, the ninja don't even get more than a few lines of dialogue. :p

A direct sequel of sorts to the first chapter.

For a theme, I recommend Theister's piano cover of MHA's Peace Sign from Season 2. :)

Chapter 2: Hike Home

Out in the blazing sun, Shinsō can say with definite clarity: he doesn't know what to make of the girl known as the Chocolate Fairy.

Hoshino Tomoko wasn't his classmate, but a friend of sorts. And she was weird. And short.

She was a year younger than him, enrolled in the same class where he and Gekkō met a year ago, and somehow she was brighter and happier than anyone else there. Even Kayama-sensei could be put to shame with how many times her voice stood out in the crowd. A lot of the folks in General Studies could be summed up as "indignant and upset" because of the number of failed Hero hopefuls in their ranks (making him all the more grateful for Aizawa-sensei showing up when he did). And yet Hoshino easily smiled and said, in all seriousness too: "I'm happy being in General Studies! To be a Hero is not my calling!"

She gently laughed it off at the time, Gekkō rolled her eyes, proceeded to put an arm atop Hoshino's head, and that served as the end of that subject. Hoshino couldn't explain with her focusing on trying to tell Gekkō off for using her as an armrest.

Shinsō could do nothing but stare back then because he never thought he could hear a girl squeak so much in one day like an anime character, just in time with Gekkō's amused laughter. Now? He wondered.

Even now, on a hike that went wrong by the end of it…

"…"

The silence and flitting gaze pointed at him alone was starting to burn.

Hoshino wasn't saying anything. He wasn't even angry at her anymore; he knew it was an irrational thing in the first place. They went on a hike together, she wasn't looking, he went too far on a detour, and then once he came back to the main trail, the others had gone on without him.

Gekkō and Hoshino both did come back to look for him, but not before Gekkō noticed (as she always did, weirdly) and decided to leave them be. "Work it out with each other," she said aloud at the time, giving Hoshino a warm smile before clapping Shinsō on the shoulder. "And for you, Shinsō-kun," her voice went down to a whisper, "Tomo likes hugs."

With that said and done, before Shinsō could even ask why she gave him that info, Gekkō waved him off and ran away. Arms behind her back and all.

Leaving the situation he was in now.

For some reason, in spite of his combat training with Sensei and Gekkō, Hoshino was leading the hike back with a few paces ahead of him. She looked so petite, and yet skipping the occasional stream without breaking speed was something else. No wonder she was childhood friends with Gekkō. They were both nuts. The rocks underneath her hiking shoes were barely jostled once he got close to spots she had already passed, and even then, her figure seemed small on the horizon.

The difference between Gekkō and Hoshino was how, every now and then, Hoshino turned her back to fully glance in his direction. It didn't take a genius to know she was worried and trying to look after him. He could feel her stare into his head even when he kept his gaze downwards, trying not to meet her eyes out of frustration.

She shouldn't have gone in the lead. Maybe say sorry or something since she left him behind to catch up, but—

A memory flew through his head. "Tomo-chan's bad with anxiety. Plus she's really sensitive. I know, I know you read people, Shinsō, but take it easy on my sis. She's not good with people being angry. Or snappy."

Davy. Why was Davy so adamant on protecting her? What made Hoshino so different?

It took a minute of silent walking before he decided to screw it. There was a rock nearby and his throat was dry. He could wait.

So, he sat down, put in one earbud, and leaned back.

Sure enough, his other ear could pick up the sound of shoes crunching pebbles nearby. A single second was all it took for a blue hair ribbon to sit in the corner of his vision, accompanying a familiar black braid.

"Hi," Hoshino said, uncharacteristically quiet.

Shinsō keeps his one earbud in, but nods at her. This is weirder. "Hey." This isn't the Hoshino he knows. In spite of his dormant anger, he tries, genuinely, like Gekkō would for him, to ask, "You okay?"

There's a pause. "T-Trying," she says, still quiet, and her right shoe kicks up some sand behind her. Then there's a shaking of a bottle. Why was she— "Need a water break?"

Shinsō blinks, leaning forward to glance at her. Hoshino's actually fidgeting. She's not meeting his gaze, she's not being forward, she's just offering her own water bottle to him. Her hair's in the way of her face, but she's still there. "Sure, thanks," he allows, taking the bottle from her hands and tipping the cap back for a quick waterfall. The liquid is nice and cool in his mouth, but it's only when he's finished that he notices the sogginess of the bottle's label. And Hoshino was holding onto it, so—

He hands the bottle back and it's then that he sees Hoshino's hands shake.

"You'll know when it's not good when she starts shaking."

Shit.

He takes out his earbud. "Hoshino?" he tries again. "You okay?"

Hoshino shakes her head, using the returned bottle and her long black hair to hide her face from view. But there's no mistaking the other tells of her shaking legs and trembling hands. "A-Again, I'm trying, Shinsō-san." Her voice cracks. "B-Because if I look at your face right now, I-I think I'm going to cry. And I don't want to cry right now."

Double shit.

Even with the alarms going off in his head, Shinsō can't let this go. This isn't normal. This isn't the Hoshino he first met. He can't help but feel apprehensive because this girl can't be real. She can't be close to crying. She can't. "It's not because you're afraid of being brainwashed, right?"

Hoshino shakes her head violently, and it's thanks to the lack of distance that Shinsō knows she's being genuine. "I-It's because I know I upset you," she says, fiddling with the water bottle in her hands. He doesn't miss how her fingernails scratch at the label he noticed earlier. "Because I messed up." Her voice cracks again, louder. Shinsō can already hear the incoming tears in her reply without needing to see her face. "A-And I don't want to cry when I know it's my fault I left you alone. Th-There's no excuse for it, but— but—" Hoshino cuts herself off. There's a sniffle.

Fuck.

She is close to crying. And he properly felt like a jackass.

It had to be now of all times that he figured out why Gekkō was insistent on their making up; why Davy was so protective.

Hoshino reminded him of a delicate flower and he was literally the wind about to blow her over.

Shinsō sighed. Maybe Gekkō was rubbing off on him, he didn't know, but he at least knows that Heroes aren't supposed to let people cry. "Hey," he says, awkwardly, "need a hug?"

The words are like sandpaper in his throat, but Hoshino is looking up at him and her blue eyes have red rims to them. She noticed. Gekkō was right. "Wh-Wha?"

"You look like you need one," he elaborated in spite of his burning cheeks, turning his head away but still keeping his arms open. "The issue now is whether you want to take me up on one."

It doesn't even take a second for Hoshino to run over and wrap her arms around his neck. Shinsō would have to wrangle Gekkō's hand in thanks later because for once, this is the Hoshino he got to know. The normal Hoshino never hesitated in tackling loved ones in hugs, and this Hoshino did indeed tackle him in a hug.

It was still Hoshino.

Even without her pressed up against him, Shinsō can tell Hoshino's been worried. She's sweaty, she's hot, and she's crying. She's actually crying into his shoulder. What was the point of being angry when she's the one breaking down first? "I-I'm sorry…" she whimpers into his T-shirt, wet drops soaking into the fabric. From their closeness, Shinsō could make out the first sound of a sob. "I-I'm so so so sorry…! I-I should've come back, I know, but I didn't know where you went, thingshappened, Ijust—" Hoshino shudders and her hands clutch the back of Shinsō's shirt to the point of wrinkles. "I'msosorry. Youdeservebetter."

The remaining anger burns out almost immediately and Shinsō hesitantly reaches up to pat her head. There was no point in apprehension when Hoshino already proved she wasn't afraid of his Quirk. The sad thing was turning out to be how she was apparently afraid of him being upset. He owed Davy one now too. "It's okay," he says, taking a slow breath. Thank god the rock was beneath him to ground him and Hoshino. She was heavy but he couldn't say that. "I shouldn't have gone off like that either. I've… been a jerk to you."

Hoshino sniffs, but pulls away enough to touch her nose to his. Her hair is sticking to her face and her eyes are still watery. "I never once thought of you as a jerk, Shinsō-san." Her gaze is shaky but focused on him, and she smiles crookedly. "I deserved it with my lacking in the surveillance department."

Shinsō scoffs in spite of his burning cheeks. Why did she have to be so close? He makes up for those thoughts with a dry remark. "Hey. You hike like a rampaging bull, y'know. Where did you get that leg strength?"

This time, Hoshino laughs. She ends up pulling away from the hug entirely and Shinsō lets her, but not without holding onto her free arm. She was already tittering on one foot, like she was about to fall. "Th-Thank Kei's mom for that," she says, flashing teeth in her smile. "I had to learn how to run before I could wield a sword. Hiking became a fun hobby for stress relief."

"That's… good?" Shinsō finds himself replying, because there's no good answer to that. What kind of person was Gekkō's mother? "Do I want to know?"

"Sugar coat or honest answer?" Hoshino offers instead.

What the hell. No wonder Gekkō likes her. She's just as annoying in choices. Shinsō rolls his eyes. "Y'know what, never mind." He stands up from his rock seat, brushing off his cargo pants before tugging on Hoshino's arm. "Let's just go."

"Eh?" Hoshino is stumbling, but she's following him. Her arm is warm. "Where to?"

Shinsō adjusts his grip so he could be holding onto Hoshino's fingers. They couldn't repeat the previous incident when it made Hoshino cry. "Back to Gekkō and your dork of a brother. They'll kill me if we come back late, and that can't happen if we want to work on your observation skills."

Now Hoshino is the one blushing. "We?"

Shinsō pauses his walk, just in time for Hoshino to bump her nose into his arm. She winces, he tugs at her hand again. "Yes, we," he insists without looking back. It had to be said. This girl was too innocent. Too child-like. The world would eat her up like the chocolate her Quirk created in a snap. "Who else is going to look out for you when Gekkō and Davy aren't here?"

"S-So then," Hoshino wipes her face with her other hand, avoiding the water bottle and looking up at him with the same sparkles. Muted sparkles, but sparkles. "You're not angry?"

Shinsō pauses, looking forward. "I… I was," he manages dryly, but he refuses to let Hoshino run off by holding her hand tighter. "But not anymore. It's spilled milk now, so we've gotta stick together on the way back. Can't let the past repeat itself." He turns his head to meet her eyes and he grins wryly. "Gekkō stuck us together anyways, so let's pass the time by hiking."

Hoshino blinks, and she smiles again. Finally, the Hoshino he knows is back. He could've sworn a rainbow grew behind her head with the gesture. "Okay," she says quietly, squeezing his hand back. It's still warm. "I'll be right behind you."

"You're not going to run off?"

Hoshino pouts, but nods her assent to the question. "I'm not leaving you again. Accident or not."

Shinsō smirks. "You better. Being alone sucks."

Hoshino pauses her trotting behind him, bumps his shoulder with hers, and squeezes his hand. "I'm not gonna let you be alone now if you say that."

For some reason, it's a nice thought. His ears feel hot, but he can't find it in himself to care. "Whatever you say, Hoshino. Whatever you say."

"Aye." Hoshino sticks behind him. At one point, when they trek up a hill, Shinsō could've swears he felt her lean against his back. "Thankie."

Maybe it was just him. It was sweltering hot out here.

It took another hour of walking together for Shinsō to realize he was still holding her hand. It took an extra ten minutes for him to let go.

Even then, Hoshino never stopped following him until they got back to the car.

"Hmmmm?"

Shinsō sighs, crossing his arms over his chest. "What, Davy."

His classmate grins from the front seat of the car. "You and Tomo made up?"

"I wasn't even all that angry," Shinsō points out, rolling his eyes. "But you were right. T—Hoshino's way too sensitive."

"And? And?" Davy's grinning, oh god, no, "Are you going to admit she's cute?"

This again. Ugh. "Not on your life. Cats are cuter."

"Tch, stubborn," Davy clicks his tongue, but lets it go. Gekkō's helping Hoshino with something, so it's just them in the car, but before Shinsō can plug his earbuds in, he hears Davy add teasingly, "I will hunt you down if you date my sis!"

"I'm not looking to date her. Stop that already and start the car. It's hot."