Ruin My Life

Shoto exhaled slowly, a cloud of vapour materialising before him in the warm, opulent ballroom. He focused on regulating his body temperature; his left side had involuntarily heated during the confrontation with his father, the warmth seeping through his crisp white shirt. Lowering the temperature of his right side came easier, a practiced motion to bring himself back to equilibrium as he hastily exited the gala.

He strode through the grand foyer of the hotel, the gentle murmur of partygoers faded as he approached the main doors, their ornate handles cool beneath his touch. Outside, the night air hit him like a refreshing wave, carrying the faint scent of nearby cherry blossoms.

As he descended the stone staircase, Shoto loosened his black silk tie, the fabric sliding smoothly between his fingers. His dual-toned hair, that striking divide of crimson and snow white, ruffled gently in the evening breeze. His heterochromatic eyes scanned the driveway until they landed on Ren's limousine. The sleek, midnight-black vehicle gleamed under the streetlights, its polished surface a testament to the Ishikawa family's wealth. Shoto approached swiftly, glanced around to make sure no one noticed him, opened the door and ducked inside.

"Ah!" Ren jumped at his sudden appearance as the door shut with a muted thud. "Everything okay?" she asked softly as the car began to move off. Ren sat across from him, a vision in her black velvet dress. The gold peacock brooch on her right shoulder caught the dim light filtering through the tinted windows, casting intricate shadows across her collarbone. Her dark hair was uncurling gently, a few strands framing her face in soft waves. Shoto did not look at her, simply nodded, his gaze fixed on some unseen point a few feet away, somewhere near the partition separating them from the driver.

Ren's stormy grey eyes softened as she studied Shoto's face. She could see the turmoil behind his mismatched eyes, knew the look of him retreating into himself all too well. It was Shoto's way of processing, of grappling with the emotions he so often kept locked away.

As the limousine glided through the neon-lit streets of the city, minutes ticked by in silence. The lights outside painted fleeting patterns across Shoto's face, highlighting the scar over his left eye - a permanent reminder of his complicated past. His father's words echoed in his mind, a persistent, unwelcome presence: "She knows she's not one of them, right?" The implication stung, a sharp reminder of the expectations that had shaped his entire life.

But as he sat there, acutely aware of Ren's soothing presence beside him, another thought began to take shape. It started as a whisper, growing louder with each passing moment. He didn't want to be the person his father wanted him to be. His gaze drifted to the window, watching the blur of city lights reflect off the polished surfaces of skyscrapers. He thought of Endeavor, of how his father had prioritised heroism over everything in life, discarding his wife, forsaking his children, ignoring Shoto's pleas for mercy. Who was Endeavor, the pro-hero, to dictate how Shoto should live his life?

With a subtle shift of his body, Shoto turned to Ren, really looking at her for the first time since entering the car. He took in her pretty face as she blushed a little under his intense gaze, the way she bit her soft lips as she became coy, the way her grey eyes shimmered with the want of him. In that moment, he realised that she had become more than just a rebellion against his father or a rejection of the expectations facing him, more than a physical, lustful distraction.

"Ren," he cleared his throat, his deep voice breaking the silence. He watched her eyes sweep across his face, searching for the thoughts he was lost in. She waited patiently, watching him try to put words to what was happening inside his head. What should he say? Why was this so difficult? An idea sprung to mind, a small smile of triumph crossed Shoto's face. "When you're in the same room as me, I can't see anything else," he said, choosing to ignore the way confusion slowly crept onto Ren's face. "If my hands aren't on you, something inside of me is hurting for you, waiting for you," he continued earnestly. "It's like I can't function normally if you're not around me." As he finished, he felt a small swell of pride in his chest at overcoming this hurdle for Ren, but she simply furrowed her brow and nodded slowly, her earrings catching the light as she tilted her head.

"Yes," she acknowledged his words but her voice was tinged with bewilderment, "you said this-"

"But now I mean it romantically," Shoto interjected, his eyes silently willing her to understand the significance of his words.

"What?" Ren bit back a laugh, her shoulders shaking slightly with the effort. Shoto's brow furrowed in utter confusion; it was as though they were two people with no common language, trying everything they could to communicate effectively.

The young hero racked his brain, his hands clenching and unclenching in his lap. What would this beautiful, rebellious, only-attracted-to-trouble girl understand? His eyes widened as he realised the answer was obvious. He turned to her sharply, his eyes narrowing on her in determination, making Ren jump again.

"I'm asking you to ruin my life." Like magic, his words did the trick. Ren's grey eyes softened, her long lashes fluttering as she processed his declaration. A small, mischievous grin spread across her face, lighting up her features. With a grace that seemed effortless, she slid across the plush leather seats to sit next to him, causing a breath to catch in his throat. He could feel her temperature increasing beneath the black velvet of her dress, could feel the heat of her blood contrasted with the cool leather beneath them.

Something sparked between them as Ren looked down and knocked her knees into his, he followed her gaze to where her fingertips gripped the hem of her black dress. Suddenly the limousine felt much smaller, the air much warmer, something was crackling in the air between them as Ren pulled up the hem of her dress, revealing her thighs slowly. Her body was pressed into his side, as he looked down he could see the curve of her eyelashes, the way her black dress hugged her curves, the soft flesh of her thighs tremble a little as the car moved.

Ren reached over for his hand and parted her legs as she pulled him towards her. Shoto's hand was mere inches from reaching under her dress when he held his hand still, not letting her pull him in any further. Ren looked up to him, a small pout making her full lower lip glisten deliciously. Shoto licked his lips before his eyes flicked over to the partition between them and the driver.

"Ren," she smiled as the young hero was unable to maintain his usual commanding tone; he spoke her name with a slight tremble, like something was completely throwing off his authoritative nature, like he was moments from giving in to her. "We will be home in five minutes," he was practically pleading with her but Ren was having far too much fun watching him become completely undone in the backseat of her limousine.

Shoto's temperatures diverged, as they usually did in these circumstances, his left side hotter, his right side colder. On Ren's left side she felt his heat send small sparks like flames deep into her bloodstream, on her right side his lips kissed her until her own were numb from the cold. He affected her more than he should and she knew why. She knew it was their quirks interacting; her body responded to him as though she conducted or amplified his two quirks. To him it felt like she could take a little pain, take all of him despite the small trembles of discomfort. Occasionally she could dampen his affect on her, weaken him, take away his strength, much like she did outside of sex. They affected one another like a drug, deep down on some molecular level, they could spark nerve endings into life, send sharp bolts of electricity through each other.

A hour later, Ren rolled into Shoto's embrace as they lay on her bed. Her arm reached out and wrapped around his middle, his muscular chest rose and fell with each breath, his skin still flushed. He held Ren in his arms, her smaller frame fitting perfectly against his side, her dark hair cascading over his shoulder.

The temperature in the room was slowly evening out as Shoto's quirk settled back to its normal state. The air around them, charged with the heat of passion just moments before, now held a comfortable warmth. Their breathing, initially heavy and rapid, gradually slowed to a more relaxed rhythm.

Ren tilted her head up, her stormy grey eyes taking in Shoto's profile, a small smile and triumph played on her lips. She took in the strong line of his jaw, the curve of his lips, the scar that marked his left eye - all of it was achingly familiar and yet still the best thing she'd ever seen. Whoever thought the boy next door would be naked, entwined with her on her bed like this? A small giggle escaped her lips before she could stop it.

Shoto glanced down at her, his mismatched eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity and affection. "What's funny?" his deep voice sent a pleasant shiver down Ren's spine.

She grinned up at him. "What do you think our younger selves would think if they saw us now?"

A look of mild alarm crossed Shoto's face. "I don't think children should see us like this," he said seriously, causing Ren to burst into laughter.

"No," she laughed and kissed his chest affectionately, "I mean if they knew we were together," she clarified, her laughter subsiding into a soft chuckle.

"Oh." Shoto's brow furrowed as he considered the question, his fingers absently tracing patterns on Ren's bare arm.

Ren watched the play of emotions across his face as he contemplated the question. She stirred beside him: "I think little Ren would be insufferably smug that she finally got to you," she said, a hint of pride in her voice.

"You are insufferably smug about it," he pointed out, a small smile on his lips.

"Hey!" Ren exclaimed, feigning offence. She propped herself up on an elbow, looking down at him with mock indignation. "What do you think little Shoto would say?"

Shoto was quiet for a moment, his eyes distant as he contemplated. His hand moved to Ren's arm, rubbing it affectionately. "I think he'd be pretty annoyed that I gave in to the bratty, spoiled princess next door," he said finally, his voice fond despite the words.

Ren's lower lip jutted out in a pout, a flicker of genuine hurt crossing her features. Shoto, noticing the change in her expression, quickly added, "Actually, I think he'd be amazed I forgave you."

The words hung in the air between them, heavy with implication. Ren sat up fully, the sheet she had wrapped around herself now pooling around her waist as she looked down at Shoto, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Forgave me? For what?"

"For leaving."

The words seemed to suck all the air out of the room. Ren's eyes widened, a mixture of surprise, hurt and dawning understanding crossing her face. "What?"

Shoto sat up, running a hand through his hair, indicating his discomfort. "When you left to study abroad, I felt like you were abandoning me," he explained, trying to keep his voice calm but Ren could hear the old pain he was holding onto. "Running away from me because... I don't know, I wasn't worth the trouble."

Ren's heart clenched at his words, she suddenly lost a little strength and lay back down, her hand coming up to cup the side of his face. Her touch was gentle, almost hopeful that she could erase years of hurt with a single caress. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "It wasn't my idea-"

"No, I know that now," Shoto interrupted, leaning into her touch. "But as a child, it was hard to understand."

Ren's grey eyes searched his face, taking in every nuance of his expression. "I thought about you every day," she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. "I wondered if you were happy..." A thought struck her, and her eyes widened. "This is why you didn't come to say goodbye to me, isn't it?" He nodded.

As the realisation sank in, Ren felt tears begin to sting her eyes. The weight of those years apart, the misunderstandings and unspoken hurt, suddenly felt overwhelming. She had left him to be so unhappy, so alone, without even realising it.

Shoto, noticing her distress, covered her hand with his own where it rested against his cheek. His touch was warm, comforting. "It's okay, Ren," he said softly. "We were children."

Ren blinked back her tears, determination replacing the sadness in her eyes. "I won't leave again," she declared suddenly.

A smile spread across Shoto's face, soft and genuine as she said something he had longed to hear from so many different people in his life. His eyes softened suddenly with something Ren may have dared to call love. He moved over her, clearly intending to make love to her again, but Ren stopped him with a gentle hand on his chest. "I have something to tell you," she said, her voice suddenly hesitant.

For a moment, Ren considered telling him about her quirk. The secret weighed heavily on her, a constant presence in the back of her mind. But as she looked into Shoto's eyes, saw the trust and affection there, she found she couldn't bring herself to shatter this moment of connection between them. The fear of how he might react, of how it might change things between them, was too great. She told herself it wasn't the right time, that she needed to find the perfect moment to reveal such a significant part of herself. Deep down, she knew these were excuses, but they were comforting ones.

Shoto, noticing her prolonged silence, grew impatient. His body was still poised over hers, and the desire to be with her again was evident in his eyes. "What is it?" he prompted, his voice husky with want.

Ren took a deep breath, deciding to share a different truth. "Bubbles... she knows about us," she admitted. "It's a long story, but she figured it out. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

Shoto's eyes widened slightly, surprise evident in his features. He sat back, giving Ren space as he processed this information. "Do you trust her not to tell anyone?" he asked.

Ren nodded slowly. "I think so," she said, though there was a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

As if struck by a sudden thought, Shoto's expression changed. "That reminds me," he said, a hint of nervousness creeping into his voice. "My mom knows too."

Now it was Ren's turn to be shocked. "What?" she exclaimed, sitting up straight.

Shoto rubbed the back of his neck in discomfort. "And she wants to meet you tomorrow," he added, his words coming out in a rush.

"WHAT?!"

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