Disclaimer: I do not own BNHA or any of its characters.
AN: Thank you so much for the support and advice! Your reviews make me so happy~
It takes a lot of courage to be Midoriya Izuku's friend. Shinso is somewhat aware that although he's been winging it all this while, surely, friendship isn't supposed to make his heart threaten to throw itself out of his rib cage so that it may lunge itself into Izuku's face in replacement of his fist, right?
Already, he can hear the satisfying 'splat'. By all things under the Heavens, it'll be a balm to his poor soul to see Izuku's mouth drop in horror; maybe then the green haired boy will understand a fragment of the sheer worry and fear (and oh Kami-sama please-) Shinso felt as he watches his best friend jump from the top of a tree that was at least three to four times their height without a care in the world.
"IZUKU!" Shinso screams, and he swears he actually blacks out for a split second.
Earlier in the morning:
Shinso opens his eyes with a foul taste in his mouth and a throb in his head that promises the end of the world. He swings his legs from underneath the blankets and quietly tiptoes to the bathroom. It's a holiday, but a quick glance to the cat-eared clock by his bedside tells him that it's the crack of dawn. How nice, even more reason to keep his footsteps silent.
With stealth even a cat will envy, he makes it to the bathroom peacefully. Shinso takes a quick shower and brushes his teeth- purple toothpaste squeezed a top a purple toothbrush also purchased by yours truly. Thank Kami-sama for the monthly allowance.
Throwing on a black hoodie and jeans, Hitoshi practically sprints his way out of the house, feet leading him to the boy who his happiness has been revolving around.
Time has flown by ever since meeting Izuku. A few months into trudging about unfamiliar territory and it's like in the blink of an eye, Shinso's waking up to the sound of spring birds harping each other for new nesting materials.
('Hurry! Hurry!' Shinso once liked to imagine them say when he's by his lonesome, 'We've got kids to love and responsibilities to keep!' Seeing the brown flight of feathers fret over the details of their homes made from scratch, the boy had also wished upon the newly risen sun that his parents would care for him like that too.)
In about a week, school will resume its bland, bland torture with old classmates and literally older teachers. Yet, despite the Hell awaiting him by his hands and feet, Shinso's heart isn't anywhere near there. Most days, it lingers where Izuku is.
They meet up at the same part they met. Izuku gives Hitoshi a football worthy tackle-hug and the boy is falling backwards into the sandbox. He's covered in sand; light grains in his hair and on his face. Hitoshi sneezes, sandy bullets flying and the sniffle after is uncharacteristically loud.
They're laughing by the end of it; there's snot, saliva and Izuku smothers a tissue in Hitoshi's face. Then in the midst of calming down from their giggling fit for reasons unexplainable, Izuku gives yet another hug that makes Hitoshi feel like he means the world.
Hitoshi loves it. He loves the hugs, the conversations, Inko's invites for lunch and dinner- he loves everything that has to do with being friends with Izuku and he honestly believes that death will be preferable than having to experience Izuku leaving. Who knew that the feeling would come to life so quickly?
It's ridiculous. Izuku drags him to one of the trees nearby and says "I wanna show you something, Hitocchan." while they're climbing to the top. Hitoshi nods, curious and full of anticipation.
Up on the highest branch, Izuku raises his arms until they're stretched out like a bird's wings in flight. "Watch." The green haired boy grins and maybe Hitoshi might've felt like there was something he might have missed in that context when his friend suddenly jumps, giving Hitoshi a good test on what heart attacks felt like.
The indigo eyed boy screams Izuku's name till he's hoarse. Panic seizes in Hitoshi's chest and he cannot remember how to breathe-
Air escapes his lungs as Hitoshi wheezes. His jaw feels tight and the logic behind it is that he's keeping the air inside even though technically, it meant that nothing else could get in either. Vaguely, he hears someone calling him. Cold sweat runs down his face, crawling into his hoodie which feels too hot all of a sudden. The surroundings feel like static and is that his nickname he's hearing?
"Hitochan! Hitocchan! Oh Kami-sama, are you okay? Look at me, please. You need to breathe!"
Izuku hiccups, tears on the verge of spilling and it makes Hitoshi cringes instinctively. He hates that sound, absolutely loathes the bitterness that spread throughout his dry tongue. The indigo-haired boy's eyes dart up to look into his friend's. Voice rough, he shakes Izuku somewhat jerkily. "Don't do that EVER again! What were you thinking, Izu? Were you even thinking in the first place? You can't just jump off the tree like that, do you want to DIE?!"
"N-No… No! I don't. I just- Can't you see them, Hitocchan? M-My wings! That's what I wanted to show you. I… I've finally mastered flying with them." Izuku says weakly as his petal lips tremble. Hitoshi immediately gives the green-eyed heart-attack simulation a fierce hug and presses an awkward kiss to Izuku's forehead. Aunty Inko did it all the time to stop her son from crying.
He grits his teeth, jaw aching. Wings? What wings? Hitoshi hadn't seen anything!
"Where?" the taller one of them tries kindly, "I can't see them, Izu. That's why I got so worried."
Izuku brightens, "Here!" He proudly exclaims. Hitoshi doesn't want to burst anyone's bubble, but only thin air continued existing behind his friend. "I can't see anything." He states bluntly. Goodness, he wants to sleep everything off under a tree while Izuku rattles on about some mundane thing like hoof painting- of all things.
(They talk about everything and anything underneath the sun except their Quirks. Hitoshi can easily tell that Izuku is proud of his when the lines come close, but since Hitoshi doesn't feel the same about Brainwash, the green haired boy has stopped bringing it up in their conversations.
Guilt aside, Hitoshi's grateful to find out Izuku refrains from talking about their Quirks in consideration of him. He guesses that Izuku's Quirk has something to do with his emaciated appearance, though. No one's that underweight without something going on behind the scenes.
Plus, he may or may not have spotted Izuku chowing on raw meatballs once. It had been the first time he used that bad word Dad said when he argued with Mom the night before.)
"That's weird." Izuku voices out loud. Hitoshi wants nod along in agreement, but he really doesn't understand anything that's been going on since Izuku jumped off a tree. "Kaa-san can see them just fine."
Hitoshi settles for a lazy shrug instead. He knows how to play the I'm-totally-chill-about-it game. No biggie, really. They climb down the tree, Hitoshi watches Izuku fidget once they're on solid ground and can't decide if it's impatience that's churning in his stomach, or pure endearment of the green bean.
"Um, Hitocchan." Izuku tugs on his friend's sleeve. "I hope you won't mind, but can I show you my Quirk to check something out?"
"Sure." He smiles, "You don't have to hold anything back for me, y'know. I haven't said it before, but I want to know more about your Quirk, Izu. It's just- I don't like talking about mine." Whispers Hitoshi at the end. Izuku's mouth draws into a thin line, concern lining with the pinch tightening on Hitoshi's clothes.
At that moment, without warning, Izuku disappears. Gone. 'Poof!' into thin air. Hitoshi spots neither head nor hide of his best friend. "IZU?!" His tongue slips. Only to come into greeting with a nudge of something solid and real to his chest. Hitoshi looks down. There's nothing there.
A long whistling chirp is all he gets. Hitoshi raises his arm forward, hovering over an approximate location from where the nudge came from. He drops his hand, and beneath his palms lied something silky. Solid. Like the head of a dog. "What…?" Hitoshi wonders with no little awe. "Izu? Is that you?"
Another chirp, this time less eerie than the last. Hitoshi hears a throaty chortle and back where he last saw Izuku, appears the boy himself. "Was that your Quirk?" Hitoshi asks, brain whirling. What he touched certainly wasn't Izuku's hair; it hadn't felt like any parts of another human, either.
"Yeah!" Izuku exclaims happily, lifting his arms in motion. "I don't know why you can't see me, but I turn into a horse! A really cool one with wings and everything."
"Wow, Izu. That is pretty cool. Still don't get why I couldn't see you, though."
Izuku hums, thoughtful. "I know! We can visit the library. Maybe we'll find out why over there. Kaa-san brought me there once. Have you seen it, Hitocchan? It's so big and cold and-" And "Okay," Hitoshi says, because who's he to deny the boy who is seemingly made from the personalities of the angels themselves?
Angels, Gods, divinity. Hitoshi mentally laughs to himself. Izuku even said he had wings just now. Truly, it takes a lot of courage to be an angel's friend.
They hold hands when they walk to library. Afternoon sun shining strongly as the bright blue is smeared with fingers of white. It's the start of the beautiful day despite the earlier commotion, Hitoshi asks if he can come over to Izuku's house for dinner as the boy brightly agrees.
"Hey, Izu." Hitoshi calls.
"Yeah, Hitocchan?"
"We're friends, right?"
"Of course! You're my best friend, silly."
"That- That's good." Hitoshi stutters. "I think I'll tell you my Quirk over dinner tonight. You'll still be my friend, promise?"
"Promise. Cross my heart and hope to die,"
"Stick a thousand needles in my eye." They both finish, giggling.
"Thank you, Hitocchan." Izuku smiles, eyes wobbly with a fresh wave of tears. For trusting me, for letting me stay by your side. You're one of mine, now; part of my family, part of my herd. Death is kind to Their children, They will not touch you.
(They spend 2 hours in the library. Leaving with more horse care knowledge than a child ought to know. Izuku had drawn out a sketch on what he looks like as a horse, Hitoshi shakes his head because nothing of the sort came out in the Japanese section.
Maybe they'll have better luck when they get to the European part another day.)
School officially starts.
Hitoshi is an hour away in a different school; His hair is unkempt, bags heavy underneath his indigo eyes. The hatred once subdued comes up bubbling with vengeance. Hitoshi looks out from his window seat feeling like a shaken soda drink. He longs for a friend, and hopes that his light doesn't dim from the demons than lay in human skin. At least Hitoshi sees his class and knows that he is not a villain.
Izuku sits nervously in his first class on his first day of school; there are eyes on him- curious, but not unkind. (Yet, Hitoshi would've remarked bitterly were he there.) Izuku meets a boy whose personality is brighter than a star with palms full of sparks and sweet smells. Izuku calls him 'Kacchan,' and the blond boy growls.
Katsuki is hurt on the inside, but he doesn't- cannot- let it show. Irritation shoots in his veins and he wishes that all these extras in his new school will shut the hell up. Katsuki's just watch his grandma die and everyone's acting as if everything is alright. It isn't, but nobody understands that and it makes him so. Very. Angry.