Hey, guys! Damn it's been a while! I got caught up in A LOT of things that kept me too busy but, I'm glad to be back. I also saw the reviews on my olds fica asking to continue them
I promise, I will continue them but I've been working on this one for a while and had to share it. Hope you enjoy!
College life felt like a mismatched shoe for Shinra. While his roommates enjoyed the academic circus, he couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't his stage. Aspiring to be a top-notch firefighter, he never imagined trading the lively fire drills for the monotony of lecture halls.
Captain Obi's vote of confidence was nice, sure, but Shinra suspected the real MVP was the federation's scholarship. It seemed like Obi was on a mission to ensure that investment didn't go up in smoke. The whole college scene was dull, lacking the adrenaline kick he thrived on during base fire drills. Plus, being somewhat socially awkward, he'd found it hard to socialize and it tired him out — well, except for his quirky roommates who made the dorm bearable.
Living with these oddball companions was like finding a hidden oasis in the academic desert. The catch? They weren't always around, belonging to different departments and pursuing diverse courses. The only rendezvous happened during those obligatory general lectures or breaks, saving Shinra from drowning in the sea of snotty rich kids.
A knock on the door distracted him from the Angry Birds game he was focusing intently on his Ipad. As a result he lost trajectory of the ginormous catapult and the bird projectile flew up above his teammates before landing right on their base, destroying it and losing the game.
Ruined. Like his mood.
He groaned loudly in frustration as the pigs from the game cackled evilly. Stomping towards the door, he was ready to give this person a piece of his mind. With notable annoyance, he swung the door open fixing his burning crimson stare on the person on the other side but it immediately melted like ice afterwards. Shinra was stunned.
On the other side of the door stood the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. She looked a bit nervous perhaps noting how irritated he looked a second ago.
"Um…hi?" she greeted amidst the awkward silence and managed to smile, a smile that got Shinra nervous...nonononononono. He could feel his cheek bones giving into the tug at the corners of his lips and it happened.
That weird smile of his, he does when he's nervous.
"Oh…hi." He responded a bit flustered, realizing how off putting he was being. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I'm Shinra." Why the fuck did he just introduce himself?
The girl seemed surprised but laughed softly, at least now she felt comfortable. "I'm Iris, nice to meet you, Shinra."
Iris…the name fit her so well. With her blonde hair, the bluest eyes, and a face as soft as one, she exuded innocence. Shinra felt an unexpected protective urge, determined to shield her like one would safeguard a delicate bloom...
She tilted her head. "Is…Asta around?"
His trance immediately ended, what the hell was his problem? Yeah she was pretty but of course there was always a catch, she was Asta's girlfriend. It was really unfair because Asta was going to introduce her to them officially and he happened to have seen her first.
"Is that my package?" Asta's short ass popped up behind Shinra looking over his shoulder with a grin.
"Yes now get off my back." Shinra was back to his moody self. Could he ever be happy in this school? He basically floated back to the bean bag seat he was previously relaxing and playing Angry Birds. He let the SFX from the game drown out Asta and Iris's animated chatter and giggles.
It soon came to an end and Asta returned to the common room as excited as a Husky doing zoomies with a big ass carton box in his hands. Okay, Shinra had to admit that he got curious, the sight of carton boxes meant something was inside and he always wanted to know what was inside.
"It's finally here!" Asta whooped touching the box with a look of awe on his face like it was some oracle or something. Shinra was on the floor in front of the box mirroring Asta's expression. They faced each other with knowing looks.
At the snap of a finger they each tore at the carton box with manical vigor until all that was left was bubble wrap which they kept aside for later and then proceeded to unveil the package.
Their eyes widened in pure awe when the content of the box was finally unveiled.
"Woooooooah!" Both boys had their eyes beaming with awe as Asta picked up the content like an endangered specimen. It was a dark bomber Jacket customized with the Black Bull's crest on the back and a little one on the breast side. There was also a customized pair of rag jeans and sneakers but Asta was more excited to try the jacket first.
"Bro this is so cold!" Asta gushed as he tried on the band jacket, and Shinra was really impressed with the design and work put out into the customization. Seeing Asta jump around, threw him back to when they first met.
Asta never gave off the impression of a chill guy at all. Ironically, Asta grew up in a church that took care of orphans but he had to be one of the most devilish characters Shinra had ever met aside from, y'know...himself.
The guy was so loud and no, it wasn't even a figure of speech, Asta literally yelled whenever he spoke most of the time, even if they're not in a noisy place, the short fuck would shout like he was paid to but that probably went along with the fact that he was a literal Rock band vocalist, so he had to be loud.
Nonetheless, Shinra thought Asta was a pretty cool guy and a fun person to hang out with.
Asta had literal stars in his eyes not able to contain his excitement anymore. "What the fuck was Captain Yami on when he thought of this?!! This is so freaking fire, he's a fucking genius!"
Shinra scoffed. "Genius? The glazing is insane."
"I'm not glazing, dude. Captain Yami's just that guy!"
"Sure, whatever you say, short stuff." Shinra chuckled and took out his phone before remembering Iris.
Shinra, you shouldn't, she's someone else's girlfriend! "Is Iris also in the band?" He went ahead to ask, just to feed his growing curiosity of her.
"Yeah." Asta answered absentmindedly and Shinra raised a brow as his mind immediately began to imagine what instrument she plays.
"Oh she does, that's cool. You and your girlfriend on the same band."
Shinra didn't see how Asta side eyed him until later. He gave the grey haired guy a shocked look. "What?"
"The hell you talking about?"
"It's...cool you and girlfriend are in a band together?" He answered in an uneasy tone, looking at Asta with a puzzled expression, why were they both confused right now?
"Ew gross, Iris is not my girlfriend!" Asta said now donning an irritated look, surprising Shinra completely. Iris was NOT Asta's girl?! Way to make an assumption, Shinra!
"She...she isn't?"
"Yeah, she and I practically grew up together in the orphanage, she's like my sister."
Shinra could not process this quick enough. "I...I just missed the perfect chance to shoot my shot?"
Asta was quite surprised that Shinra had actually made an attempt to ask a girl out. "Yeah, Shinra man. Yeah you did."
Shinra's groans echoed through the room.
"You can see her again, it's no big deal," Asta shrugged, methodically organizing his new outfit.
"How? This school is huge for no valid reason. It's like a goddamn city," Shinra whined, sprawled on the carpet, gazing at the ceiling with a distraught expression.
"So dramatic," Asta chuckled, crouching over Shinra. "She's literally in your department."
Shinra shot up like a Jack-in-the-box. "She's doing fire science?!"
"Yeah, she's majoring in Medics, though," Asta answered, now sitting cross-legged on the floor.
"How come I've never seen her before?"
Asta teased, "Can you name at least three of your coursemates?"
Shinra rolled his eyes. While he found it easy connecting with oddballs like Asta and the gang, mingling with others seemed like an alien concept.
"You know, Shinra man. I think it's time you started talking to people, or else you won't get with Iris if she finds out you don't have friends~."
"What?"
"I'm kidding. But seriously, you need friends." Asta said as he unrolled the bubble wrap they'd kept aside.
"Don't I have you guys?"
"You need others dude."
Shinra groaned. "But socializing is so... stressful!"
"No it's not, you just have to be yourself."
"But myself, is so gross!"
"No it's not I think you're cool. You just think you're gross cuz a few assholes told you that?"
"Sorta."
"I'm gonna be honest, those asswipes only treat you like that cuz they're jealous." Asta said honestly while Shinra scoffed.
"Oh please, spare me the glaze."
"I'm serious, do you know how talented you are?! Every guy wants to be you in physical fitness and then there's the tests and how you always ace them. You're cool, man."
Asta was telling the truth, Shinra was physically gifted because he worked hard for it. He was a freak of nature and now that he thought of it, Asta did have a point. He was actually oblivious to his own popularity, he did have a small crowd of haters but maybe he only saw them in large volumes because of his past trauma.
Wait...did this mean that all this time, he was...liked?
Was he...popular?
"I think you've been living in the past trauma in your head somewhere, my advice? Vodka."
"Dude." Shinra deadpanned and Asta laughed.
"Just kidding, you, need, therapy~" Asta sang while unpacking the bubble wrap. "Now, are we gonna pop this bubble wrap or what?"
"While it's so tempting, I'd rather wait till the guys get here."
"But they'll take too long," Asta whined.
"Oh yeah, where did they go again?" Shinra asked.
"Izuku went out with Tanjiro for a morning run, Yuji went to visit his brothers, and Boruto is very much still asleep," Asta summarized.
"Must've overdosed on those sleep pills, didn't he?" Shinra speculated about Boruto.
"Yeah, we should wake him up."
"Good idea."
In their university, each room had two Single beds on each side in three rooms each. Boruto shared a room with Yuji. Both of them had nearly similar tastes and but since Yuji was a more outspoken person, his bikini girl and anime posters filled almost the whole room.
There were two Sega game consoles scattered on the floor near Boruto's bed and one on his face.
"He fell asleep playing video games again." Shinra said in an amused tone and then he and Asta exchanged smirks.
They crept over to the sleeping blonde's bed and crouched next to him. Both of them snickered as quietly as they couldn't risk waking him up since he was a light sleeper.
"Aight, you ready?" Asta asked Shinra with a devilish grin.
"Yeah." Shinra responded with a devilish grin of his own.
They both raised their hands above their heads and wiggled their fingers ready for a tickle attack when one bright blue eye snapped open. The devil dudes froze in shock and met Boruto's narrowed eye with a nervous smile.
"Hey...goodmorning~" Asta greeted awkwardly.
"Hey..." Boruto greeted, hoarsely, his morning voice making his usual boyishly light tone of voice deeper. "What the hell are you guys doing up so early?"
"Hah?!" They chorused in unison, Boruto's obliviousness was mind boggling sometimes.
"Bitch, it is 12 in the freaking afternoon! Get your lazy ass out of bed!" Asta barked while Boruto rubbed at his eyes.
"Can you not yell, Asta. I'm having a headache, y'know."
"Oh sorry."
Boruto, slowly got to his feet off the bed and just sat on the edge staring at the ceiling with a far off expression. "I had a dream..."
"Here we go..." Shinra drawled.
"I was on the moon..."
"Sure you were."
"Then there was this white guy up there."
"You met a European on the moon?" Asta asked suddenly intrigued while Shinra grimaced.
"What the fuck, how're you sure he was white?"
"How else, he had the whitest fucking skin and...wait I dunno if he had eyes or not they were covered." Boruto muttered and Shinra found himself rolling his eyes. "I think he was a god or something, he kinda...had that aura and all."
"Wow..." Shinra shot Asta an incredulous look, the dude was way too invested.
Boruto dramatically looked at his palm and then slowly moved it to cover his scarred right eye. "This eye...he said it'll shoulder the fate of this world..."
"Yeah you're high." Asta deadpanned snapping out of his delusion.
"He's been watching too much Kagamasa." Shinra added, silently judging Boruto who rolled his one good eye.
His hand lazily ruffled the covers as he searched for something. "So what's up, breakfast ready yet?" He finally found what he was looking for, a black eye patch.
"Breakfast was ready four hours ago plus, we just got bubble wrap and wanted to -"
"Say less!" Boruto was out the door of the room in seconds, cackling like a manic convict on the loose.
Shinra and Asta only had time to recollect how fast Boruto had disappeared from the room before sprinting after him. He was going to start popping the bubbles for sure, Boruto couldn't give a flying fuck if the other guys were not here.
"Get him!" Shinra ordered Asta who, lunged at Boruto and successfully speared him away from the wrapping instrument.
"Let me go, dude!" Boruto yipped like a Chihuahua, struggling against Asta's firm capture.
"Fuck no! You're gonna pop the bubbles without the others!"
"Where the hell are they!" Boruto shouted back, clearly annoyed at Asta's direct assault on his eardrums.
"They're up and about doing Saturday morning stuff, unlike someone!" Asta grinned devilishly, tightening his hold with the advantage of his rugby-forward physique.
"Suck my dick!" Boruto spat.
"I'll bite it off instead!"
"You know what? Maybe I should give you some of my insomnia." Boruto shot him a death stare that could make anyone freeze. "Then maybe you'll understand what it feels like to go to sleep and have nightmares that haunt you for days, if you don't take sleep meds!"
"If you'd just suck it up and be a MAN instead of a whiny five-year-old who worries about nightmares, you won't needmeds!"
"Seriously, jump off a cliff and die!"
"I'll yeet you off the cliff before you can even think!"
To an outsider, this would seem tense and worrisome. Most people would try to intervene or yell for them to stop fighting. Instead, Shinra sat on the floor, casually observing the verbal onslaught without a care in the world. This was normal – in fact, less tense than their previous fights. In two seconds, they'd likely go back to sharing brain cells and laughing at cat videos on YouTube, as if they hadn't just threatened to bite each other's dicks off and cursed their future descendants.
Boruto had managed to slip out of Asta's iron clad hold and began wrestling with the grey haired guy on the floor while Shinra lazily watched. The door creaked open, and the sound caught everyone's attention.
"What the hell? I could hear you guys from down the hall." Two guys entered like they own the place, practically because they did. This was their room afterall. Tanjiro and Izuku were back from their morning run and looked like it. Although unlike Tanjiro, Izuku was out of gas and was on Tanjiro's back in a piggy back ride.
"Asta and Boruto are at it again?" Tanjiro remarked, his tone flat and tired as he exhaled deeply, watching the ongoing skirmish.
"Yeah," Shinra replied absentmindedly, scrolling through his phone.
Behind Tanjiro, a groan escaped Izuku. "Can they stop? I'm gonna get a fucking headache at this point," he whined, nuzzling into Tanjiro's nape, while the redhead patted his forest-green curls.
"There there..." Tanjiro soothed Izuku like he was a child of his. "What's the situation?"
"Bubble wrap."
"Bubble wrap?!" Tanjiro and Izuku exclaimed simultaneously. This time, Izuku, full of energy, instantly hopped off Tanjiro's back to hunt down the bubble wrap.
Boruto and Asta halted their wrestling match, witnessing Tanjiro and Izuku eagerly dashing towards the the roll of plastic bubbles. Determined to keep them in check, they tackled the two, pinning them to the floor.
Shinra, unfazed of the sight of his friends fighting like angry cats on the floor, pocketed his phone and stood up, preparing to answer the loud banging on the door. He'd called Yuji and he told him he was on the way just three minutes ago. He did not expect him to arrive so swiftly. Yuji wasn't nicknamed the tiger for nothing.
Before Shinra could reach the handle, the door swung open with force, and he swiftly sidestepped with shock in his eyes, watching the coat rack fall to the floor from the force of the tremors Yuji's entrance caused. He shot a glare at Yuji, who appeared disheveled and out of breath from his sprint holding a basket covered by a fluffy pink towel.
"Yuji, what the fuck! Couldn't you wait for me to open the damn door?!"
"You guys wanted to pop bubble wrap without me?!" The pink-haired boy retorted, ignoring Shinra's complaint.
The others looked up from their squabble at their hurt-looking roommate, starting to murmur excuses and apologies.
"Hey, are those muffins?" Boruto interjected amid the murmurs, pointing at the basket in Yuji's hand. Instantly, Yuji's demeanor did a total 180, from simmering anger to sunshine-like cheerfulness.
"Oh yeah, Choso made these, made about four batches so we could snack on 'em!"
"W big brother!" Asta cheered, and everyone flocked to Yuji for the delicious-smelling muffins.
Shinra sighed, mostly relieved that everyone was finally together. "Okay, let's get started then, shall we?"
All was calm for the next hour and after having fun with the bubble wrap, they proceeded to eat the muffins and talk aimlessly about stuff.
Izuku moaned for the umpteenth time at how good the sweet cakes tasted in his mouth. "Oh my god, Yuji your brother is amazing!"
"He should teach you." Shinra suggested.
"Yeah but he fucking sucks at teaching." Yuji laughed. "When he sees I'm doing it wrong, he just takes over and forgets to let me continue learning. I'm gonna have to learn from scratch by myself."
"Get the recipe from him, okay? Kats would love it," Izuku advised, knowing Bakugo Katsuki would throw a fit for the recipe if he got a taste of the muffins.
"Sure."
"So Ethan's throwing a party," Tanjiro brought up, indulging in his third fatass muffin.
"Ethan Carter, the guy from Intro To Lit?" Boruto inquired.
"Yeah, we met him on our run, and he's inviting us," Izuku added.
"I'm performing with the band there too," Asta disclosed, earning pleased expressions from his roommates.
"It's gonna be fire, then," Boruto concluded.
"So we're going," Yuji declared, receiving positive responses from everyone except Shinra, who groaned.
"Nah, I'll pass." The incredulous looks from everyone didn't deter him.
"Dude," Asta deadpanned, "You neverwanna go to parties with us!"
"That's because I'm a bad vibe," Shinra said offhandedly. "I'll be fine, guys. I'll just make sure the room is secure while you're gone."
"Nu uh, you're coming with us," Boruto disagreed, shaking his head.
"What makes you think you're a bad vibe anyway? You're really cool," Yuji stated casually, while Asta dramatically flailed his arms.
"Help me tell this dude!"
"You need to meet more people, Shinra, so you're coming with us," Tanjiro insisted with a frown. "I'm not taking no for an answer this time."
Shinra scoffed and pouted, turning his back to the guys. "This is peer pressure, which I will avoid at all costs. My 'No' means 'No,' and my 'Yes' means 'Yes,'" he smirked.
"Iris's gonna be there."
Asta smirked as Shinra visibly stiffened, facing them with an expression of internal struggle.
"Wait, Iris Amaterasu? That blonde chick from Fire Science?!" Yuji asked, looking surprised and sort of proud.
"Yo does Shinra got a crush on her?" Boruto asked as well raising a sly brow and Asta snickered and nodded.
"Yup!"
Shinra hissed as the blush on his cheeks grew redder by the second and he ruffled his hair with his finger roughly. "Fine! Just stop okay, it's embarrassing."
"Ain't nothing embarrassing about having a crush, bro!" Yuji interjected with a laugh.
"You wanted a second chance to shoot your shot, and now you have it," Asta said, coming over to Shinra and ruffled his hair even more.
"We'll be your wingmen, we got you, bro," Yuji chimed in optimistically with a huge grin.
Shinra sighed deeply; tonight was probably going to be a night he regretted.
By the time they arrived, the party was already in full swing and the venue was choked with people. Shinra was about to get a major panic attack and social anxiety began to kick in, causing him to breath with heavy breaths and that huge smile of his was pulling his face apart but then Yuji considerately placed a hand on his head to sooth him, sending him an encouraging grin.
As the big brother of their friend group, Yuji made sure his friends were comfortable with and safe. If anyone fucked with any of them, they automatically fucked with him.
"Like I said, we got your back, trust us!" He said with a goofy grin and a wink that made Shinra chuckle.
"Okay, whatever you say, Tiger." Shinra chuckled, sealing the assurance with a fist bump.
The strobe lights in the clubhouse slightly irritated Shinra's eyes, but he brushed it off, knowing he'd adjust soon. It was filled with students from different departments, they were very few Shinra could recognize, probably because he never paid attention but many of them SURE knew him. He couldn't count how many people dapped him or waved. This was all too new to him.
He could see Asta give him a side eye that literally said, "Told you so" he scoffed and rolled his eyes in response.
Navigating through the crowd was a challenge but they eventually and reached the bar. There were already six people seated on the stools available, and some seated on the couch provided in the nearby lounge, all wearing the customized attire Asta wore.
"What up, what up!" Asta yelled in leiu of greeting and the biggest member turned with a cold look in his eyes that froze the guys -except Asta who continued to advance- to the floor.
Yami Sukehiro was his name, a final year student also known as "Captain Yami", an alias given to him as he has been voted the best Captain of the football team. He had such a strong and huge build. If he decided to stand from that seat, they'd probably have to tilt their necks to their asses so they could see his face. The tobacco in-between his lips did nothing but increase his intimidating aura and it left the guys wondering how Asta could be so carefree with this type of person.
The short grey haired boy pranced towards Yami and his friends feared for him. Before Asta could say another word, Yami's huge palm landed on Asta's head, grabbing his hair by the scalp but to their surprise, Asta brushed it off and yelled at him.
"Oi, knock it off!"
"You're late you fucking, midget!" Yami roared back but it was in an endearing manner rather than actual annoyance.
"Well duh but I'm here now so you don't gotta yank on my hair or I'll go bald you overgrown, troll!"
While the two argued, Shinra spotted Iris, sitting by one of the band members, also wearing the same attire, trying to hold back a laugh. She looked so beautiful, Shinra couldn't take his eyes off her.
"Okay, that's enough." A taller busty woman grabbed Asta from behind and patted his head til he calmed and pouted with crossed arms. "Yami, you know calling him a midget hurts his feelings."
"Who are these guys?" Yami asked looking straight at Yuji and the others, completely losing interest and ignoring Vanessa and Asta.
"They're my friends, dipshit." Asta huffed and Yuji waved.
"Hi, I'm Yuji, I like girls like Jenifer Lawrence."
Yami gave him a nod of acknowledgement. "Good to know."
"Guys don't let Yami's looks intimidate you, he just has major RBF." Asta explained with obvious contempt for Yami laced in his voice.
"Funny how you glaze him behind his back." Shinra quipped, and Yami smirked.
"Ah, so the squirt is actually my secret fan."
"I'd rather admit that Dwayne Johnson is better than Vin Diesel." Asta said through clenched teeth.
Boruto chuckled at this. "Yo, and he NEVER wants to admit it."
"Whatever, we're performing in five, so go take a shit if you need to now." Yami adviced and Asta childishly mimicked him.
As the guys took a seat at the bar, Shinra made sure to locate the one near Iris.
"Hi." He took the chance to talk to her and thankfully she was glad to see him. It warmed his heart.
"Oh, Shinra hi! You actually made it!"
Shinra raised an amused brow. "What? you thought I wouldn't show up?"
"Asta says you're a "Bitchy hermit" and you don't like socializing." Iris said innocently but with hints of amusement in her tone.
Shinra's lips pressed firmly together as he smiled crudely. "Yep, that does sound like something he would say and he's right, I do prefer staying in."
"Why?" Iris asked.
"Well, there's my social anxiety and also the fact that I just feel uneasy around people in general."
"People including your friends?"
"I have very few exceptions." Shinra smiled. "I actually decided to come because Asta said you'd be here."
Iris was stunned silent and a slight red began to color her cheeks. "You came because of me?" She asked quietly to which Shinra responded with a nod.
"I...wanted to see you again."
They stared at each other, trapped in each other's gaze when, a hand patted Iris's shoulder gently, causing her to tear her cerulean gaze from Shinra's crimson ones.
The guy who just distracted them was of average height and the most noticable thing about his appearance was his brown hair with green frosted tips. He had droopy eyes and piercings on his ear. An apologetic smile drew out on his face once he looked at Shinra.
"Sorry, man but we need Iris on stage now."
"Ah, no problem." Shinra shrugged and witnessed Iris mout the words "We'll talk later" to him before waving goodbye and leaving with frosty tips.
"So... how'd it go~" Boruto sang by Shinra's side, prompting him to give the blonde a scolding look as he downed what Shinra feared was his fifth drink that night.
"T'was alright." He answered loosely while Boruto nodded, his head lolling to one side as his eyes drooped shut.
"Good, good." He responded calmly, almost too calm. He was probably drunk now, Shinra thought but then remembered that out of all of them, Boruto was the heavyweight. He hardly got drunk except he was really depressed. So Shinra didn't worry about him too much.
He went ahead to let his crimson eyes roam around in search of their friends who were currently missing from their seats at the bar.
"Where's everyone?"
"As you can see," Boruto used the cup in his hand to direct Shinra's line of sight to the dance floor. "Everyone's getting comfy."
By 'Comfy' Boruto meant vigorously grinding on each other as his so-called wingmen were dancing sensually with their partners.
He could recognize most of their partners, Kanao Tsuyuri from Bio Chemistry; Tanjiro had introduced her to them once in citizenship class. He didn't know they were likethat with each other, though.
Kasumi Miwa from Business Admin; wasn't she dating some dude with a ponytail from Mechanical Engineering?!
Yuji's dick was gonna get them in trouble again.
Bakugo Katsuki from Chemical Engineering...oh boy, this is gonna be one of those nights where Izuku and Katsuki hook up and then go back to pretending they don't have feelings for each other.
He resisted the urge to face palm at his roommates...two of them to be precise.
"Looks like they're having fun." He commented dryly before turning back to face Boruto. "What about you?"
The blonde scoffed. "Not interested."
"Oh, okay," Shinra nodded, recognizing not to delve too deeply into Boruto's personal life. Trying to pry into his past had triggered a manic episode before.
Boruto was the most enigmatic member of their group. None of them, not even Yuji, knew much about him—his full name, his parents, his true personality, or how he got the scar on his eye. He was a closed book with a securely locked cover.
As far as they all knew, Boruto grew up and lived in a small town called Konoha and he was managing mental issues, from Mania, Insomnia, Bipolar disorder and Suicidal Ideation. Boruto never even once told them what the nightmares that kept him awake most nights were about and would only tell them dreams that didn't make any sense.
Nevertheless, under all the messed up pile of shit the guy goes through, he's a kind hearted person.
A resounding chord from an electric guitar snapped Shinra out of his thoughts, grabbing the attention of everyone in the club. Glancing up at the stage, he could observe Asta being as confident as ever, devoid of any trace of anxiety. On the contrary, Iris appeared slightly nervous; he noticed her palms rubbing together as she stood behind the keyboard, he knew that had nothing to do with the temperature.
Shinra kept a constant eye on her, and when their gazes met, he flashed an encouraging grin and a thumbs-up. In response, she smiled back as she got a rosy tint on her cheeks. The drummer timed them in with his drumsticks, and the music began. It was loud at first, something Shinra wasn't used to, but it was also undeniably impressive. He'd never seen The Black Bulls play live since he never went anywhere if it wasn't for lectures and now he was so damn grateful that he came along. They made rock music sound good.
The crowd was thoroughly immersed in the performance, jumping and waving their arms to the rhythm. Some even took the liberty to scream out the lyrics so loud that Asta laughed and stopped singing completely letting the crowd finish up the song. The atmosphere pulsated with the energy of the band, and Shinra could see Iris was enjoying the moment.
By the time they were done, the clubhouse shook with the roars of the crowd cheering for them.
"Cheers to a great finish!" Vanessa proposed a toast once the band reconvened at the bar and settled down.
"To the last performance," Yami added, and they all clinked their shot glasses. Shinra did his with a puzzled expression.
"Wait, what?"
"Hm?" Yami grunted as he downed his shot.
"Last performance?"
"Oh yeah, this was our last gig because Captain Yami's gonna be having final exams soon," Asta explained to a disappointed-looking Shinra, who struggled to accept this reality.
"So... I only get to hear you guys play once?!"
"You can stream on Spotify," Finral, the guy with green frosted tips and the band's drummer, helpfully suggested.
"But the live experience hits different; everyone knows that!"
This led to nods and murmurs of agreement from everyone.
"Eh," Yami shrugged. "I mean it was a fun ride, but I always knew it was gonna be short-lived." He smiled lopsidedly as he poured himself another shot and sighed. "Now it's time to take over the family business."
"So, you finally agreed to take over your asshole of a family's business?" Asta more stated than asked.
"Fuck 'em all," Yami laughed. "I don't really have a choice; if I don't take it, they'll gangbang my little sis."
Silence...
He guffawed at the horrified looks everyone donned on their faces at what he said, tears streaming down his face.
"Just kidding, I'm kidding!"
"Ugh! I fucking hate your ass!" Asta griped while Yami continued to laugh.
"They're making a mistake thinking they can control me once I take over. As the new leader of that business empire, I'm gonna make a lot of changes."
"Well good luck with that." Yuji sincerely wished Yami who smirked confidently.
"I won't need it but thanks anyway."
By the time the party progressed, Asta's girlfriend joined them and he finally introduced her. Noelle Silva, she was what you'd call prim and perfect, certainly not someone that Asta would go for and Asta was certainly not someone she would go for either. It left Shinra silently wondering how it happened not how it works because they definitely looked so in love with each other.
He quickly abandoned that thought as it was not in his place to decide what kind of person anyone should date in the first place.
Everyone got comfy once more, cuddling their dates, sitting and taking shots. Yuji and Miwa were engaged in a sloppy make-out session that Shinra wished they'd take somewhere else, Tanjiro and Kanao sat close together, his arm around her and resting on her hip, Noelle sat comfortably on Asta's lap and they talked in low tones -which was surprising considering the fact that Asta was not a quiet guy- he assumed Noelle brought that out of him. Izuku and Bakugo were no were to be seen, probably left the party together already. Those two...
Shinra was served another shot and as he took it, it burned. He was at his limit, he observed and made a cut throat motion as he squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head.
"Aight, I'm out." He definitely sounded "out" once he heard himself slur and now the world was spinning. He stood from his seat on the bar stool to test his balance and nearly fell over.
"Woah there," voices became muddled, and he couldn't easily decipher who was who through their voices. He rubbed his face and shook his head, using his eyes instead. Thankfully, they were still functioning right, or maybe even better.
Iris held him steady, but there was something different about her – she shone so bright, her hair, her eyes, everything about her.
"...Iris?"
He could see her smile and he smiled back, mostly in awe. He cupped her face in his hands and she giggled and asked what he was doing.
"Are you real?" Was the next thing that came out of his mouth and she giggled, he could hear everyone laugh as well but he paid them no mind. "You an Angel or something?"
"No I'm not." She answered in an amused tone. "What about you? Are you an Angel?"
Shinra's faced scrunched up and he snorted before removing his hands from Iris's face. "Nah, everyone thinks I'm the devil." He didn't see how Iris's eyes widened and then softened. "Everyone's so scared of me, are you scared? Don't be scared, okay?"
She shook her her head gently and cupped Shinra's face this time. "Don't worry, I'm not. I don't think you're scary."
Shinra smiled lopsidedly and gave out a weak laugh. "I like you a lot, go out with me, Iris." He suggested loosely while Iris blushed.
"Really?"
"Yeah, I like you, and you're not scared of me. So let's go out on a date or something." He slurred out and she giggled.
"Okay, I'll go out with you."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"That makes me so fucking happy." He sighed as his eye drooped closed. Iris still held him even when it seemed that he'd gone to sleep. She carefully moved him back to sit and studied his sleeping face. He looked so calm and peaceful, almost angelic honestly. How could someone who looked like this be considered a devil? She wondered.
"Looks like he's done for tonight." Yuji's surprisingly deep voice pulled Iris from her thoughts, her eyes flitted up to meet Yuji's soft brown gaze though it was a bit hazed by the drinks.
"Oh, yeah. He's had too much." She replied still staring at Shinra's sleeping face, Yuji's smile widened.
"Thanks for looking after him, we'll take it from here." Boruto arrived sounding unbelievably sober. "Up up." Boruto coached as he patted Shinra's shoulder to get him to wake up. The dark haired guy groaned in response but stood anyway, with his eyes still shut.
The guys started to leave, their laughter and banter echoing through the club as they made their way toward the exit. Before they departed, Shinra roused himself enough to say goodbye to Iris. He looked at her with a sleepy yet content expression.
"Hey, Iris," he mumbled, his words slightly slurred. "Thanks for not being scared of me. It means a lot."
Iris smiled warmly, brushing a strand of hair from Shinra's forehead. "No problem at all. Get some good rest, okay?"
Shinra nodded, his eyes struggling to stay open. "I'll see you around. Promise."
As Iris watched Shinra stumble away with his friends, a mix of emotions crossed her face. She couldn't help but feel a connection with him. In a way, she could relate with him and he was so interesting she wanted to know much more about him. Why he avoids people, why he stays indoors, why people think he's a devil. She wanted to know all that. As the club's lively atmosphere continued around her, she couldn't shake the thought of Shinra's loose words that night.
The next morning, Shinra groaned as he woke up with a raging hangover, finding solace in his bed for a few more minutes. Suddenly, Yuji bursted into the room, armed with ice and water.
"Morning, sunshine," Yuji greeted with glee, crouching next to the bed and handing Shinra a glass of water.
Shinra gratefully takes the water, "Thanks, man. I think my head is about to split open."
Yuji chuckles, "You really went all out last night. So, spill, how was the party?"
Shinra shrugs, "It was alright, I guess. I'd go out with you guys again."
Yuji's face lights up, "That's awesome, Shinra! You're really making progress with that anxiety of yours."
"Yeah, slowly but surely," Shinra replies with a sigh. "So, what's the plan?"
"We're having breakfast in the living room. Come join us when you're feeling human again," Yuji says before adding a cautionary note, "Oh, and heads up, Boruto's in a really pissy mood, so watch where you step."
Shinra smirks, "Asta would prolly drive him crazy before I do."
As Yuji leaves with a laugh, thoughts of Iris flood Shinra's mind, causing his cheeks to flush. He wonders what happened after he blacked out at the party and he sure that one way or the other he screwed up. He shouldn't have drunk.
Entering the living room, Shinra finds his roommates already eating breakfast that Boruto cooked. Boruto, however, looked like he found the mini demon who kept eating his socks, Shinra knew the hangover caused his salty mood. The ice bag on his head was a clear sign to fuck off.
"Morning, guys," Shinra greeted, joining them at the table.
Izuku was there too, and Shinra asked where he was all night.
"Actually I was-"
"Didn't you see him and Katsuki in that car?" Asta cut in and Izuku yelled for him to stop.
Emerald eyes widened in embarrassment. "Guys, it's not what it looks like."
Asta cut in again laughing. "I was just kidding but...you guys really did it in a car?"
Izuku glaredat Asta who was snickering behind his hand. He got him good...he got him real good.
"Honestly, Izuku can you stop with the secret hookups already?" Tanjiro asked as he slurped on his noodles.
"At this point, it's not even a secret anymore, you guys should just date like normal fucking people." Shinra added.
Boruto's phone interrupted the conversation, ringing loudly as Boruto's fave K-pop song played. Before Tanjiro who sat by him could see the caller ID, he snatched it up and strode towards the door. "Sorry, I gotta take this." He muttered. As he opened the door, he was met with Iris, who was just about to knock. Boruto greeted her with a friendly but brief wave and smile before stalking out, leaving everyone curious about the mysterious call.
Just as Shinra was about to question the chaotic exit of his roommate, Iris entered through the door. Their eyes met and locked, both of them feeling their cheeks flush.
"Hey," Shinra greeted softly as he stood up, and Iris reciprocated the greeting with a gentle "hi," their gaze still fixed on each other. Tanjiro interrupted with a loud throat-clearing,
"Well would you look at the time, we haven't even done the laundry and we're already out of clothes." He subtly signaled for the others to follow him.
Yuji's brows disappeared into his hairline as he quickly got the message. He swiftly stood from his seat and backed away from the table. "Yes, Tanjiro. You are soright, sorry but we gotta go take care of chores." Yuji practically rapped the last part. Asta was puzzled, failing to read the room.
"Isn't Shinra supposed to come with us?" Tanjiro swiftly whacked Asta upside the head and guided him, along with the others, out of the living room, leaving Shinra and Iris alone.
The room fell into an awkward silence, both unsure of what to say. Shinra broke the silence, apologizing to Iris for getting drunk at the party and for any possible inappropriate behavior. "I'm really sorry if I acted weird. I had a bit too much to drink."
"It's fine and you weren't being weird." Iris assured him and he sighed in relief. "I could tell you had fun, though considering you like to stay indoors." She added and he blushed.
"Okay, I will admit that it was fun and plus your performance with the band. I thought you were amazing up there."
"Thanks."
"You're welcome, maybe you could teach me how to play sometime?" He found himself asking and then raised his brows. "Oh shit, I had a dream that I asked you out, can you believe that?"
Iris responded with an amused smile slowly stretching out on her face, confirming that Shinra wasn't dreaming; he did ask her out at the party. Shinra's jaw dropped, "Wait, that wasn't a dream? I... I actually asked you out?"
Iris nodded as Shinra's eyes widened in pure horror. "You mean...I actually asked if you were real...?"
Nodding in affirmation, Iris chuckled, prompting Shinra to pace three steps away from her, holding his head in shame as he repeatedly cursed at nothing in particular before quickly returning. "I am SO sorry if it seemed too much. I -I didn't mean any of that."
Iris's amusement faded, and Shinra noticed. It worried him, did he say something wrong?
"Hey..." He began to say when he noticed Iris wasn't saying anything or smilIng anymore. "Iris I..."
"You didn't mean it? when you said you liked me, and asked me out?" She inquired of him and his cheeks flushed.
He stayed silent, finding it hard to hard to answer the simple question. Because he was scared, what if, she hated him like everyone in his past ended up doing but what if she didn't, he had to take a chance. "I...did mean it..." He finally answered her, his face taking on a serious expression. "I do like you Iris, I like you a lot."
He witnessed her face morph from a distraught look to one of elation. She grinned widely and even let out a small laugh. "I'm so happy, Shinra. I like you too."
Shinra's stomach did flips in joy. Nobody had ever made him feel this happy before, it lifted a weight of his shoulder and made him feel new. Maybe the world and people weren't as bad as he thought, Iris was proof of that.
Iris suddenly remembered something, "Oh, by the way, I brought Captain Yami's Jacket for Asta." She hands Shinra the bag she's holding. "He said Asta would probably want to keep it."
Shinra nodded. "Oh I know he'd love this." He commented, knowing Asta admires even though he insists that he doesn't.
His eyes meet with Iris's again and he doesn't fail to sieze the moment to officially ask Iris out. "Would you like to go out with me sometime?"
Iris, though looking surprised smiled and bit her bottom lip. "Yeah, I'd love to go out with you. I'm looking forward to it."
And that's a wrap for Chapter One!
Just so you know, this is a multi fandom crossover work so you're gonna be seeing a lot of anime characters making appearances here and there but it's mainly focusing on six anime of which for six chapters, I will be going into depth on the main characters so you can understand them better starting with this chapter!
(We just finished with Shinra)
Yeah so, Fire Force is one of the main anime focused on here.
I really hope you guys liked it so let me know what you thought.
Thanks for reading!
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