Note: Trauma-versaries aren't supposed to be spent alone crying. Inspired by the times Leo has been there for me. Hints to Shinsō/Tomo, here? Also, trigger warnings for implied verbal and emotional abuse.

The theme song that I recommend for this chapter is the soundtrack titled Floating Feelings by Keiichi Okabe and Keigo Hoashi for the second season of Yuki Yuna is a Hero. For an alternative, you could also listen to Nezuko's Theme originally composed by Yuki Kaijura for Demon Slayer, if you'd like.

Staying up till almost midnight thinking on this was kinda worth it. Kinda.

The chapter title takes direct reference from a RWBY fight that I love very dearly. Go Bumblebee. :)

Chapter 6: Saving Each Other

Shinsō always thought that Hoshino — well, Tomoko to him now — was a loud sort of person. Not intentionally, considering how shy she could be around new faces, but it was endearing, if you asked him about it. Whether it was in class or at the occasional lunch break, her high-pitched voice was bright enough to rival Present Mic on her good days. She squeaked when happy, she squeaked when surprised, she just always squeaked. Mic-sensei and Midnight-sensei both always found her cute, but eh, it was an acquired taste, listening to Tomoko's voice. At least the voice alone let him find her in a crowd every single time they got separated; even if she was short enough to get lost.

Shinsō could've easily been fooled into thinking that was the bulk of her entire personality if not for one day. It took one day for him to find her as someone almost completely different.

It was after All for One had already been taken down by All Might, and the dorms were set up for all the classes. School had been finished for the day and for once, Shinsō wanted out of the dorms and room to just pedal. His bike had been neglected since his training with Aizawa started, not helped by the dorms' construction to begin with. Fresh air was supposed to be a good idea.

Tomoko wasn't supposed to be sitting at a swing set by herself when he went out.

The park itself was empty, uncharacteristic of the area considering the UA's security and the number of neighborhoods surrounding the school. Along with the setting sun, it would've been a prime time for kids to come and play.

Tomoko wasn't supposed to be the only occupant there, swinging alone with a sad expression on her face.

Shinsō stopped his bike almost immediately to walk it into the park, trying to read his friend's posture. She was hunched into herself, not projecting like she would in school, and her mouth was moving. It took an extra second for him to realize she was humming to herself. Not loud enough for him to make out the lyrics of the song, but there was no mistaking the loneliness in her normally bright blue eyes.

Yep. Screw this shit.

He bit his lip and walked close to the swing set, gently leaning his bike against the metal structure before taking a seat in the nearest empty swing. "Tomoko?"

Tomoko didn't jolt. Rather, she didn't even make a sound while blinking to look up at him, and it took all Shinsō had to not recoil at the sheer overwhelming relief in her eyes at seeing him. "Hitoshi-kun." Her voice was just as quiet as the humming that led him to her. Her smile that came afterwards felt and looked fake. "Hi. Where did you come from?"

"The dorms," he admitted, pushing his shoes into the sand underneath him to start swinging. The momentum was a good enough distraction for whatever was on the horizon of Tomoko's mind. "Wanted to bike and then I saw you here. And I thought you wouldn't want to be alone."

"Oh," Tomoko says, and then goes silent. She swings a bit too, the metal creaking underneath her weight. "Thankie, but…you didn't have to come," she adds, hesitant. "I was just thinking a bit."

"Oi. I wanted to," he replies, because now this has his hackles up. Gekkō and Davy both warned him to be careful when Tomoko was alone to think, because if Aizawa-sensei's own tiptoeing around her was any indication, this was delicate. "You don't have to be alone, Tomoko."

Tomoko's swing stops moving. She grips the handles a bit tighter. "…If you say that, I dunno what to say in response, Hitoshi-kun." Her feet drudge up some sand. "Because it's a day like this where I thought it'd be better to be alone."

This just sounds wrong, in so many ways. Gekkō's the one who's supposed to say troubling things, not Tomoko. What was going on? "Why?" Shinsō says instead.

Tomoko sighs, a broken sound to the breath. "…It's a long story," she says, and her voice cracks at the words. "And if I say it, I'm not sure how you're going to react, Hitoshi-kun, and I'm scared of that."

"I'm not going to hurt you, if that's what you're thinking," he protests, but once his voice raised in volume, Tomoko's flinching and he winces. Argh. Not the right tone. This wasn't the time to get angrily defensive. "Tomoko, we've known each other for a while now and I know you wouldn't hurt me. So why are you scared of me possibly hurting you?"

Tomoko shakes her head, shrinking into herself. The swing creaks under her compressed weight. "It's… kinda part of that long story. And before you say anything, it's not your fault. It's just me. Remembering someone I wish I didn't know."

The fuck? There was someone Tomoko didn't want to remember? This was starting to hit a note he didn't realize he had in common with Tomoko, and it was honestly shitty to even think about.

What else about her did Shinsō not know? What else was she hiding?

At Shinsō's questioning stare, Tomoko sighs a long, deep sigh before raising her head to look at him in the eye, a sad frown tugging at her lips. "I'm sorry. For sounding mysterious, I mean. It's not exactly something I talk about with everyone. Heck," Tomoko laughs dryly, "Only Kei really knew the whole story up 'till now. But if you want to, I can explain. The only thing I'm concerned about now is whether you're able to hear me out or not. I can cry during this thing. So." Tomoko smiles wryly. "Are you up for the story?"

He wasn't really sure. These kind of things reminded him of his time in middle school, and those were days Shinsō was prepared to take to the grave. Even then, Shinsō gestured to his bike nearby with extra exaggerated motions. "Whatever you feel is okay. But when you feel like going back to the dorms, I can drive. And get you to the convenience store for tissues."

The joke, as horribly-timed as it is, gets a small laugh out of Tomoko. The sound cuts through the thick air enough for Shinsō to crack a grin. It still sounded like Hoshino. "Y-You dork, that's a bike, Hitoshi-kun, not a car. I'm now worried that I'll be too heavy to ride on it with you." Still, she's smiling again and Shinsō relaxes. That's how Tomoko should be. Not depressed like this. Her smile should've been bigger, but he'd take what he could get. "You silly friend."

"Had to get it from Davy and Kei sometime, Tomoko," he snarks, and Tomoko giggles. At least she's smiling. "We're all dorks, so don't deny it."

"I-I'm not," she giggles again and then her shoulders straighten. "I'm just…" she goes quiet once more, much to Shinsō's displeasure, ducking her head. In spite of his own misgivings, Shinsō waits. This was definitely delicate. "I'm just grateful. That you and everyone I know won't turn out to be like the person I'm about to talk about."

"The… person." Shinsō repeats.

Tomoko nods, looking downwards while kicking up some sand with her shoes. "He was my first friend. Way before I met Kei. Let's just call him 'Ty' for now, since that's what he went by." Shinsō digests the name, but can't help feeling apprehensive. And, sure enough, Tomoko gulps a breath. "And, as sad as it makes me think about it," she visibly swallows, "I think he was my first love. I… I cut him off about a year or so ago, before coming to UA."

Shinsō freezes just in time with his heart stopping in place. "He…" There was no way. Did this Ty guy, whoever he was, hurt Tomoko? The girl who happily gave parts of herself away in the form of chocolate to everyone? The General Studies student that all the teachers loved? How? How could someone hurt— What the absolute fuck—

Tomoko sighs again.

Shinsō forces himself to breathe. "Did he hurt you?"

Without a single beat in-between, Tomoko looks up at him. The sheer amount of emotions swirling in her blue eyes confirmed the answer to his question, but before he could say anything, she opened her mouth. "Not… not initially. We were friends, in the beginning. We liked the same things, we got along a lot to the point of hanging out at each others' houses." She laughs, and this time the sound is bitter and hopeful all at once. "Mama and Papa even liked him at one point. It's just…" Tomoko trails off.

"He fucked up?" he offers.

Tomoko, again, shakes her head. "N-No. I did." She ducks away, looking smaller and smaller by the second. "I couldn't help him. When he needed it, I couldn't do anything. And he yelled and yelled and yelled at me for it. I-I think he hated me for it." She shivers. "I-I cut him off before going to UA, because it hurt hearing him say all those things and not care if I was crying or not, but I still miss him and," this time, there's a sniffle, "I hate it because he's gone and I can't help but miss him."

What the absolute fuck. "I call fucking bullshit on the fuck-ups," Shinsō proclaims aloud. "There's no way you could fuck up, Tomoko. He did first." Yep. Now she's flinching and looking up at him like he said something that went against God, but Shinsō could care less about that. He said the truth. Why couldn't she believe that? Instead of protesting, he adds, "People are horrible, and bullies are the worst of it. He shouldn't have taken it out on you."

"I-I wish you wouldn't use that wording—"

"I get that, but Tomoko." She goes quiet at that. Shinsō reaches over to hold her shoulder past the swing. It was still Tomoko. It was still the Hoshino he got to know, and she was way more of a survivor than anyone gave her credit for. She was far too kind than anyone gave her credit for. Ty was already dropping into the deepest parts of his mental hell for simply abusing that. "I get it. You don't have to explain."

"You…" her blue eyes are wide enough to reflect his figure in the irises. "You get it? Hitoshi-kun, did you…" Tomoko stumbles. "Did you…"

Did you get hurt by people close to you before?

Shinsō pauses, feeling his heart clench in that not-so-great way, but nods anyway. There's no mistaking that familiar shame in the air, no matter how many years it's been. "You can't help what you long for, no matter what everyone else says," he admits, and even if the words are recycled from his first Sports Festival, they are making a visible effect. Tomoko's staring at him. Like she wasn't expecting him to understand. Why wouldn't he? The shitty ideas of other people isn't something foreign to him. He really needed to teach her how to cold read others. Still, he continues with an equally honest addition of, "And it doesn't matter what Ty said to you in the past. I know you couldn't fuck up badly when you were one of the first people who believed I could be a Hero."

Tomoko blinks, her braid brushing her face, and then pink colors her cheeks. "Y-You have all the heart for it, being a Hero," she says, her voice cracking, "so, I mean…"

"So this Ty guy needs to have his face punched in, once we graduate," Shinsō finishes for her. "Or to be mind-controlled." For once, as villainous as the idea is, he doesn't think he'd hesitate to use his Quirk if he ever saw any visage of Ty. The guy was already a douchebag for making Tomoko cry and try to hide it.

Shinsō did not want to think about Ty possibly being the cause of Tomoko's main anxiety problem. Because if he was, there would be words exchanged. Many words.

"E-Eh?" Tomoko's blinking rapidly and then she's turning away to wipe at her face with her sleeve. "No, wait. Hitoshi-kun, did you—"

Shinsō sighs and pulls Tomoko in for a full side-hug, not even caring about the swings between them. "You deserve better," Shinsō says, even if his heart protests at the thought of her not being here with him. Someone was going to make her happy one day. He had to focus on that, not on some whim his heart was playing at with feelings. "It doesn't matter what he did. He still hurt you. And you don't have to linger on him when he never deserved it. He hurt you and lost the chance to be with you. So there's better ways of spending your time than crying yourself a puddle over a jerk like him."

Tomoko freezes. "You…" she sounds close to crying this time, and she leans into his side, visibly gulping. "You knew?"

"You're an open book, Tomoko." The position they're in is awkward, no thanks to the swings' metal bars clanking against each other uncomfortably, but Shinsō still can't find it in himself to care. "And my Quirk made it so I had to read other people. You're just really easy to read."

"Uuuu," she murmurs instead, and Shinsō pretends to not see the tears prickling at her eyes as she wipes at her face. She needs space. "I-I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or an insult."

"It can be whatever you want it to be," he squeezes her shoulders in what he hopes is comforting. His heart isn't helping, but he still ducks his head and presses his nose into her hair. "It's still something that I like about you."

He keeps out the thought of wanting to pummel Ty into the ground. Even if he wants to, especially since Ty hurt Tomoko to the point of her still agonizing over him, that kind of thing wouldn't help. Tomoko was still here and she needed a friend first, not a revenge-seeking Hero-hopeful student.

Tomoko seizes up this time. "Uuu… Uwah." Then she's slowly getting up and out of her swing, and Shinsō lets her, watching as she slowly makes her way to stand in front of him, hands gripping the hem of her skirt. She's looking everywhere but him, she's fidgeting, but Shinsō can't deny how she actually looks cute. "H-How could you… you just say that without even minding…" there's a sniffle. "H-Hitoshi-kun, could you…" Tomoko visibly swallows and through her bangs, Shinsō can see the beginnings of a waterfall. She opens her arms to him, shaking. "Could you…?"

Shinsō sighs this time and gets up from his swing, opening his arms in return. He wasn't Gekkō, and he certainly wasn't any Davy, but he could try. Leonhart could do it, so why not him? He could be a good rock for once. That was what Heroes were for, right? "Come here, you doofus," he says gently.

Tomoko's lip quivers and then she's barrelling into his chest. The impact hurts, Shinsō's reeling from the momentum, but Tomoko's actually hugging him. Her hands are clutching the front of his T-shirt and something starts to soak the front of it. What the — Oh. Oh. She's crying for real this time. "I can't believe you sometimes. I-I thought, I thought," she's shivering, her voice muffled by his shirt, "I thought you weren't going to believe me."

Undiagnosed anxiety. Goddammit.

Shinsō presses a hand to her hair, petting it softly. "You haven't given me a reason not to believe you," he points out rationally, exhaling as deeply as he could. "You're fine, Hoshino."

Tomoko laughs shakily. "Wh-Why are you going back to my last name?"

Shinsō pretends to think on it before shaking his head and hugging her a bit tighter. "You're still the same person you were when we first met. So, whether it's Hoshino or Tomoko, it's still you. And you're okay."

There's a distinct sob in his shirt as Tomoko hugs him back tighter. "Aye… Aye…" she sniffles. "Y-You really are a Hero, Hitoshi-kun."

Shinsō for once scoffs, shaking his head. "Says the girl who has all the heart in the world. I still want to insult Ty, by the way." Tomoko tenses in the hug, but Shinsō holds her down with an extra squeeze to her waist. "But what was it that Gekkō said…?" He pauses, pretending to think on it again. "Ah. That."

"That…?"

"Your heart saved the world, Tomoko," Shinsō repeats from memory, and before Hoshino can respond, he finishes with a duck of his head and a smaller, heartfelt admission into the crown of her black hair. "…And you saved mine. You still do."

A pause. Then Shinsō hears a surprised giggle out of Hoshino. It's warm and for once, hopeful again. She's still hugging him, but the wetness isn't getting any bigger on his shirt for once and the shivers have stopped. "You helped me too, Hitoshi-kun," she says in the same amount of quiet. "You saved me too."

The thought suddenly occurs to him, so he says thoughtlessly, "Is this the part where I'm supposed to say 'we saved each other'? Because I'm not good at those cheesy lines like you."

Tomoko laughs again, happier in the gesture. The sheer relief in her laughter is palpable and, honestly, contagious. "J-Just hug me, you silly friend of mine."

Shinsō hides a cheeky grin and presses his cheek to Tomoko's hair. He can still smell the rosemary. "How's the weather down there? Better?"

"Mm," she murmurs absently, and he can feel her snuggle him. "Hitoshi-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"Th-Thank you. Really. For saying all that. It… It helps convince that irrational part of me that still is on Ty's side to shut up." There's another giggle, albeit watery and shy. Shinsō's heart could leap out of his chest or do a dumpster dive into his gut — he's not sure anymore. "Though, Hitoshi-kun, c-can I ask you one more thing?"

Shinsō loosens his hold to give her agency. "Sure."

Tomoko slowly pulls out of the hug, looking up at him with red-rimmed eyes while still gripping his shirt. "Even with my dark parts, even when I'm oblivious and clueless, are you…" she paused again, looking down before meeting his stare. Her blue eyes aren't wavering, but they definitely show hesitance and vulnerability. A side of Hoshino Shinsō doesn't think he's seen before. "Are you still okay with me?"

Oh. The answer is immediate. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Tomoko fumbles, and her hands shake as she tries to find some kind of steady grip on his shirt. "I-I mean, I'm not exactly Hero material, Hitoshi-kun! I can talk a lot, I'm only really good at chocolate with my Quirk, and—"

Shinsō is very tempted to roll his eyes. "And? That's supposed to relate to this in what way?"

The pink on Tomoko's cheeks spreads outwards to be a light red. "Um. I wasn't exactly finished…?"

Shinsō decides to take a page from Gekkō's book by flicking Tomoko's forehead. Ignoring her protesting "AH!", he pulls her in by her shoulders to bump foreheads. He might have yanked too hard, but he still has something to say. Especially to that shadow hanging over her head. "You're still my friend, Tomoko. Quit listening to whatever voice is in your head and listen to mine, will you?"

Tomoko is still staring at him. "Hitoshi-kun…"

Shinsō closes his eyes. "I have no clue what Ty did to you. I don't think I want to know if you came here by yourself, missing a jerk like him. But you were able to cut him off. You made it here, and I…" his cheeks are burning too, but he still bites it out. "I'm still glad that I met you. No matter what."

Tomoko stills. Then she shudders again. "O-Oh," she says, her hands are still clutching the front of his shirt and her voice shakes, but there's a smile in the sound. "Y-You are good at those cheesy lines after all, Hitoshi-kun."

Shinsō opens his eyes and looks into bright blue. Tomoko's eyes could've been like the sky. "I got it from you, you doofus."

A single, lone tear rolls down Tomoko's cheek as she nods. "A-Aye, aye." There's another pause and Tomoko nods again, as if confirmation to herself before smiling wider at him. "I'm glad I met you too, Hitoshi-kun."

Shinsō grins wryly and reaches over with his right hand to wipe the tear away. "Yeah, yeah. C'mon, Tomoko. Let's go back home to the dorms. I'll drive."

"Y-You mean," Tomoko reaches up to hold his hand in one of hers, leaning into it with a fond smile, "You'll bike and I'll be riding with you?"

"Don't harp on it." He returns the grip even if he's blushing, but Tomoko's smiling and now things feel like how it's supposed to be. Warm and just right. "Unless you need tissues?"

Tomoko laughs again. "N-Nah. Just one thing."

"What's that—"

Shinsō feels himself turn to granite once Tomoko leans over to press a kiss to his cheek. Did that just—

The warmth disappears as quickly as it came and Tomoko smiles at him, still pink in the face. Did she just— "Now we can go home!" she declares happily, and without a single second to spare, she pulls back to start skipping towards his bike, waving at him once she arrives. "C'mon, Hitoshi-kun!"

Yep. His friend just kissed him. Whoop-de-fucking-do.

Shinsō covers his cheek with his other hand, blinking rapidly. "H-Hoshino, what the heck—"

"Just a form of gratitude!" she chirps and he doesn't know if he's fooling himself or not, but she's still blushing. Just like him. "C'mon, Hitoshi-kun, let's go!"

"…What the hell," he says in tired disbelief before shaking his head. Maybe he could talk about that later because she couldn't just do that and expect him not to react. "I hope you're not heavy, unless you want to be dropped."

"Hey!" Tomoko's pouting. "I'll hang on! If you don't mind me hugging your waist and all!"

Shinsō scoffs under his breath, shoving his hands into his pants pockets. "I will so beat Ty's ass for you."

"Fweh? What was that?"

"Nothing. Let's just go, Tomoko."

The Chocolate Fairy beams. "Aye aye then, Cap'n."

Doofus.

Shinsō could talk with Aizawa-sensei later. There wasn't really a handbook on how Heroes handled romance, anyways. Maybe he'd have the answer another day. For now, he'd take this much.

For now.