A/N: Oof, I dreaded posting this one. I'm sorry in advance, but I haven't been super "in it" with writing lately. Not at all because I'm lacking motivation or bored or anything. Quite the opposite, actually. However, I just found out a couple weeks ago that I'M NINE WEEKS PREGNANT AHHH! (Which I've not announced to anyone in my personal life just yet so me posting this is actually a little insane but you know, sometimes it be like that.) My fiance and I are so excited, but as you can imagine, life has been a *tad* hectic as we've navigated this process. Obviously, I didn't get as much of a chance to focus on writing these last couple weeks, so this chapter's not my best work, unfortunately. The next one, though, is gonna go SO HARD I promise, please stick around for that! Thank you so much for reading, I love you all and I hope these next two weeks are full of joy and excitement like the past couple weeks of my life have been!
YAOYOROZU, WILL YOU GO TO THE GALA WITH ME?
The simple, handwritten note trembled between her fingers. How did she get here? Every other part of her morning happened in such a blur. At this point, she wasn't entirely sure she'd woken up and gotten out of bed. Maybe this is some sort of dream? No, it couldn't be. It all felt too real to be a dream. Then again, sometimes reality didn't feel entirely grounded, so maybe…?
"Well?"
Awase extended the pink rose toward her, hope shining in his kindhearted eyes. Clearly, this invitation took some inspiration from Sero's gala-posal, just on a smaller scale. One flower instead of a bouquet, a small note replacing the large sign, and no dramatic decor, just the two of them standing on the edge of the path toward the A dorms. Yaoyorozu held no doubt every single one of her classmates crammed themselves against the window to watch once again, though.
"Awase, you…" She could barely breathe. The rush of someone actually asking her out paralyzed her, leaving a strange sensation in her stomach that she'd never experienced until now. For once, something she wasn't sure how to process sat in front of her. Maybe it felt exciting. A touch terrifying, in all honesty. Mostly, though, she stood there disoriented, thrown by this sudden gesture, something between anxiety and genuine illness whirling around all through her limbs. Not in a bad way, of course. Just…a shocked way.
"If you need time to think, I understand." He assured her, refusing to break eye contact. "I just had to ask you…as soon as I could. You're not the kind of girl to bide your time with, you know?"
What did that even mean? Her confusion must have shown, because Awase's expression melted from smooth to panicked.
"Not that, you know, I'd ever mind waiting around for you or anything!" He stammered. "I just meant, you know, I don't want to risk, uh, losing you, or–"
"Yes."
"-you know, I'm sure a lot of guys would–what?"
"...Yes, I'll go with you, Awase."
The words leaving her mouth didn't feel real. Rather, she felt disconnected from them. She was well aware of what she'd agreed to, and had no prominent reservations about it. Simply put, she'd detached herself from the situation. Why? No idea. But elaborating on that had nothing to do with Awase asking her to the gala, and she saw no reason to dwell on whatever weird feelings that wanted to bubble up right now.
"Really?" Awase seemed floored, full to the brim with excitement but unsure what to say. "You sure?"
Yaoyorozu nodded. "O-of course."
"...Thank you!"
One moment, she faced Awase. The next, he'd thrown his arms around her back, squeezing her in a hug. Startled, Yaoyorozu's hands remained awkwardly in the air, unable to reciprocate the embrace. It felt like she should speak or give some sort of physical gesture as a response, but once again, she clammed up, the attention becoming too overwhelming for her to calibrate the situation properly.
Awase pulled away after a moment, natural, not a hint of paralyzation or fear plaguing him.
"This…I can't tell you how happy this makes me." He took her free hand in his, running his thumb across her knuckles.
Relaxing a bit, she allowed herself to smile. "You're excited to have a date?"
"I'm excited you're my date." He clarified. "You know, I've been…thinking about you a lot lately."
Oh. Wait, what did that mean? That feels like more than a gala-posal is supposed to entail. Yaoyorozu couldn't say for certain, though.
"H-have you?" She managed to scrounge up some sort of response, at least.
"Yeah." Squeezing her hand, Awase bit his lip hesitantly. "Look, I, uh…I don't want to take up more of your time since, you know, we have class soon, but…can we talk later?"
"Of course." Relieved that the interaction was ending, Yaoyorozu gave him a small nod. "And thank you for the invitation and such, I'm excited to–"
His lips pressing against hers cut her off.
Chastely, only for a second, barely counting as a peck. It was over as soon as it began, startling Yaoyorozu into silence. She didn't know whether to initiate a second kiss or accept what he'd given her, further anxiety freezing her in place.
"I'll see you later, then." One final smile and he'd turned away, scurrying off to his dorm quickly.
Yaoyorozu's free hand–the one clasped between Awase's fingers moments ago–instinctively raised to her lips. Somehow, that helped her wrap her head around what just happened to her. Moreso than the barrage of her friends pouring out of the doors of Heights Alliance, cheering and calling out encouragingly to both her and Awase's retreating back.
"Momo!" Hagakure squealed, throwing her arms around Yaoyorozu. "Look at you, kissing boys and getting dates!"
"Queen behavior!" Mina echoed her enthusiasm. "How do you feel?"
"I can't believe he just went for it like that!" Kaminari sounded impressed somewhere in the background.
"I know, right? That took some serious balls." Jiro agreed.
Had the two of them made up? Jiro hadn't told Yaoyorozu about any sort of conversation happening between her and Kaminari. And for some reason, her brain already cared way more about that than about getting asked out. Or kissed.
For the first time.
"How do you feel, Yaomomo?" Ojiro woke her up from her daze, placing a friendly hand on her shoulder.
No idea. Not a single emotion came to mind. Did a guy asking her out leave her in this much shock? Why did she feel so numb right now?
Despite hanging back behind most everyone else, her eyes found Todoroki's. Seeing him made her realize she'd been looking for him this entire time, hoping to feel his support somewhere in the mix of her friends. Finally, some sort of feeling managed to break through her haziness, her heart skipping a beat when he flashed her a small smile.
"I feel…a lot." She turned back to Ojiro, half laughing herself back to consciousness. "Honestly, it's hard to describe."
"Trust me." Ojiro squeezed her arm, glancing at Hagakure. "I know exactly what you mean."
No, he didn't. He had no idea what she meant. Why? Because she didn't, either.
XxXxX
"Ugh, come on, man!" Kirishima resisted the urge to punch his bedroom wall. "Everything's in place, this is literally gonna happen tomorrow! You're sure I can't even just tell Mina?"
Tamaki's voice trembled over the phone. "K-Kirishima, please, you know how I feel about that. It's already scary enough having to deal with tomorrow, please…I'm begging you, don't…."
Poor guy sounded like he'd start crying at any second. A dramatic sigh slumped Kirishima's shoulders. Though well-intentioned, he knew asking for this kind of permission was, at its core, selfish of him. Tamaki had the right to his privacy, and that's something Kirishima didn't have the grounds to violate.
"Alright, I'm sorry, bro." He relented. "It's just…it's hard walking around knowing she doesn't trust me."
"Believe me, I get you." Tamaki chuckled nervously. "Nejire's been on my tail ever since I hid that one letter from her."
"I knew we should have had that delivered to my dorm." Kirishima shook his head. "I know you were afraid someone else would have found it, but I could have–"
"Well, she didn't find out, and that's what's important." Tamaki cut him off, indicating they didn't have a lot of time left to chat. "You're still good for the last step tonight, right?"
"Huh? Oh, of course!" Kirishima's demeanor shifted from stressed to excited. "I'll text you as soon as I'm done. I know we said around ten, but honestly, just text me when Nejire's asleep and I'll head over."
"Sounds good." Tamaki sounded relieved. "God, I just hope I can pull this off."
"We'll find out tomorrow, brother." Sensing the conversation ending, Kirishima shouldered his bag. "Live on TV! You've got this, Tamaki!"
Maybe reminding him this would be televised wasn't the smartest move. Kirishima hung up the phone to Tamaki emitting something between a groan and a wail of pure terror. Unsurprising, given the stakes of the situation. However, Kirishima wished he'd relax and let himself get excited about this. After all, everything had gone according to plan so far. What reason did he have to freak out at this point?
"Babe?" A knock on the door caught Kirishima's attention.
"Hm?" He opened up to see Mina staring at her shoes. "Oh, uh…hey."
"Hey." Her voice sounded as melancholy as her eyes. "Did you, um, want to walk to class together?"
Ever since their fight, things had been rough. Kirishima knew Mina didn't fully trust him anymore, and thanks to Tamaki's anxiety, nothing he said could mend that rift in their relationship. He hoped tomorrow's announcement would clear everything up, but until then, she had every right to be on edge. Still, they did their best to keep up appearances, since they hadn't technically broken up.
That's the other scary part. If this turned out not to be good enough of an explanation by Mina's standards, she'd dump him. Just like that, poof, over. Oh, man, he didn't even want to consider that possibility.
"Of course, babe." He replied gently. "Can I…hold your hand?"
Mina gave him a small nod and let her arm fall from the books she carried. Kirishima removed the books from her arm and intertwined his fingers with hers, squeezing her hand lightly. She reciprocated, her palm tightening a bit against his. Before they fully started forward, he bent down and pressed a kiss to her temple.
"I love you." He murmured into her hair.
He meant that. She knew he did. And it killed her not to say it back to him. But she needed to hold it together until tomorrow. So instead of replying, or kissing him back, or acknowledging him in any way, she stepped forward, pulling him along, tears threatening to spring from both of their eyes.
XxXxX
Come on. Keep running, eyes on the ground, don't let up.
Miserable, Pony let out a small grunt of pain from the soreness shooting from the back of her knee to her calf. Normally she'd have stopped her run about half an hour ago. Broken off the trail and hopped into the shower or maybe done some reps in the training gym for a little bit. At this rate, her muscles kept up, at least, but the pain from overexertion crept up on her, slowing her down.
"You can't run forever, Pony Princess!" Mineta's lispy voice rang through her ears like nails on a chalkboard.
No. She can't slow down right now.
In hindsight, it had been her fault for venturing so deep into the woods for her morning jog. Mineta still definitely would have targeted her, but then at least it wouldn't have been such an ordeal to get back to campus with that little creep chasing her. Small as he was, the bastard definitely had speed on his side.
On top of that, he'd taken the liberty of littering the path she'd taken up the trail in a winding array of his stupid sticky balls. This (obviously intentionally) slowed her escape, holding the potential to stop it completely should she trip up even one time.
"Come on!" He sounded irritated. "I just wanna ask you a question, it's not like I'm gonna hurt you unless you want me to!"
…Ew.
Realistically, Mineta posed little to no actual threat. One of her hooves could crush him like a grape if the situation called for it. But the ickiness of being chased so vehemently, to the point that the creep actually set a trap, horrified her to no end. It made her feel like she was no more than one of the thrushes scurrying through the woods that her Uncle Gil stomped after at the start of open season. That visual worsened her mood tenfold. Anxiety built up in her chest as she wove down the path, feeling like a deer fleeing from the barrel of a hunter's gun. That's what Mineta reduced her to.
What most men reduced her to.
A prize to hunt. A conquest to complete. Something they can high-five their friends about when all's said and done. Tears stung her eyes, blurring her vision. Frustrated, she tried to blink them away. Emotions come second; escape comes first.
"Pony!"
That voice definitely didn't come from Mineta. Way too deep (haha, that's what she said.) It stopped her in her tracks, mostly due to the reassurance that she and Mineta weren't alone from the sounds of it. Good timing, too; had she remained running while distracted, she'd have stumbled right into the sticky ball half an inch from her hoof.
"Hey."
Shoji stepped into view from behind a tree, careful to avoid the Mineta traps. Overwhelming relief soared through her body the second she spotted him, so much so she almost darted forward to hug him (and would have had she not remembered they stood in a minefield.)
"Shoji!" She exclaimed, loud enough that Mineta hopefully heard her.
"Forgive me." He bowed his head to her, also talking at a pointedly higher volume. "I forgot this is where we'd agreed to meet for our run today."
It took her a second to realize his implication, but once she did, she perked up and nodded enthusiastically.
"Oh, no problem!" Her accent popped out a little, making her bite her lip in embarrassment.
"Did you wish to continue together?" He nodded downward in the direction she'd already been running. "We can always–"
"No fair!"
Ah. Mineta had finally caught up to them.
Swooping down from the trees, he landed directly between Pony and Shoji, whirling on the latter radiating fury.
"Back off, Shoji, she's mine!" He pointed a warning finger up at him. "I was here first!"
Calmly, Shoji pushed Mineta's hand back. "She's not anybody's. As Jiro said, you don't lay claims on women. Don't let me hear you say something like that again."
Absolutely no aggression in his voice. Not a single overt threat had been made. Yet the energy behind his warning felt menacing enough for even Pony to take a slight step back. That is until it dawned on her that he'd said this to Mineta in her defense. To keep her safe and stop Mineta from talking about her or any other woman the way he usually did.
Sneering, Mineta jerked his hand away from Shoji. "Fine, you can have her, if you need to so badly. Just pass her off to me when you're done, okay?"
Shoji's fists clenched. Mineta either didn't notice or didn't care, already bouncing his way down the path along his sticky balls which he of course didn't have the courtesy to remove. Shoji watched him go for a second, then turned to Pony with sympathy in his eyes.
"Don't listen to him." He ordered softly. "He's just jealous of you."
Swallowing her embarrassment, Pony gave a small nod.
"You alright?"
Damn his ability to read people. Pony wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and disappear for five business days, actually. But any emotions that came up about the situation weren't valid since, technically, she'd brought comments like that on herself. So she shook her head, flashing Shoji a wide smile instead.
"Of course, Tentacles!" She reached out and squeezed his hand. "I can't thank you enough for saving me on this one! Oh, boy, I owe you big time!"
Amidst their nerd conversations and training sessions, Shoji picked up on what he considered a crucial part of Pony's personality; she knew when to smile and wave and when to drop the act. D appeared to be her kryptonite, and the only time she ever truly let her guard down. Other than that, the closest to her true self he'd seen her was during training, when she internally strategized against her opponent. Generally, though, she presented as somewhat of an airhead. Not outrageously so, but enough for people not to read too deeply into anything she seemed to be feeling.
He couldn't deny the alluring cuteness of the perky blonde standing before him. But he also knew it to be a far cry from Pony's true personality. He wondered if she realized he'd picked up on that, or if she just pretended not to notice for her own sake.
"You don't have to pretend things like this don't affect you." He tried not to sound confrontational. "But you also don't have to talk about it with me. Just…don't be fake. It doesn't suit you."
Stung, Pony's smile dropped. "O-oh, I–"
"It's alright." His eyes softened. "I understand."
Somehow, she believed he did. It made her wonder what his life had been like before UA. The realization that she knew very little about him washed a wave of shame over her. She'd gone on and on about her dorky hobbies. Why hadn't she created any space for him to be as open with her?
"You do?" She settled for that, hoping it would crack the door and invite him to share something about himself.
He merely nodded and extended his hand to her. "Here. You've done enough running. And I've got a keen eye for Mineta's traps."
Hesitantly, she rested her palm in his, allowing him to hoist her onto his back. She noted how secure it felt to be supported by his arms, the warmth of his skin welcome against how cool her own had grown in the crisp morning air. Of course, if she'd gone running in more than a sports bra and spandex, she might not have gotten so cold. Shaking off her frustration, she curled up against his back, eyes briefly widening at how muscular he was.
"How did you know he'd be out here?" She asked once he started walking.
She heard Shoji scoff disgustedly. "He bragged so openly about this plan, everyone in class A knew about it. Plenty of people worked to talk him out of it, especially Mina and Jiro, but there doesn't seem to be any stopping him. He kept insisting this was the only way to get your attention since you aren't returning his texts."
Rolling her eyes, Pony pulled her phone from her bra, three new notifications from the little grape himself already lighting up her screen. Same routine: don't read, just delete.
"To be totally fair, I haven't outright told him to stop." She sighed.
"But you haven't given him any signals to continue." Shoji pointed out. "He should understand the implications of being ghosted. And even if he didn't, going to these lengths is unacceptable. You've done nothing to deserve this."
"Eh." She sat back a little. "I kinda have."
"How?"
…Well, there's no way he didn't know her reputation. He must have heard something from Monoma or Kamakiri by now. And even if he hadn't, it's not like she could hide it forever, the way everyone at this school talked.
"By being a slut." She stated flatly. "You know, the kind everyone…knows about."
"Okay, why does that mean you deserve to be harassed?"
Taken aback, Pony blinked. "W-well, I mean, obviously I–"
"It doesn't matter what you've done." He already knew where she planned to take that sentence. And frankly, he was not about it. "You're entitled to respect."
They reached the bottom of the path, their school's main building now in sight. Mineta's traps became but a memory, with not a single sticky ball in sight from here on out. Pony prepared to be let down from Shoji's back, surprised when he kept walking while carrying her.
"You can put me down, if you want to." She assured him, resting her hand on his shoulder.
"Do you want me to?" He turned back to face her as much as he could.
"...No. It's warm back here." She snuggled up against him more, leaning her head on his other shoulder.
Grinning, he continued onward. "Then stay as long as you like."
XxXxX
Day four of house arrest.
Shinso's alarm merely let him know the time. In truth, he'd been awake for a while, replaying the moment he and Monoma shared the previous day. He desperately tried to shake it, writing it off as hormones driving him to think certain things. Yet still, he found himself replaying it over and over in his head, wondering what might have happened if they'd stood even just an inch closer….
Ugh, no. What kind of thoughts are these to be having about Monoma, of all people?!
He's just deprived, that's all. With such a limited pool of options, Shinso's body took any physicality it could get. That didn't make him attracted to Monoma specifically. He'd just fallen into close proximity with a guy and that…stimulated him. A little. Yeah, that's an appropriate word.
The silence as they cleaned, though, practically deafened him.
Shinso stepped out the door to go walk Monoma to the dorm (something he felt weirdly honor bound to do) and barreled right into said boy. Turns out, he'd made his way over alone, and judging by the look on his face, he seemed both startled and embarrassed to encounter Shinso. The two mumbled their greetings, forced their eye contact to the ground, and got to work on the same tasks as yesterday. Counterintuitive, as those spots had already been cleaned, but neither of them spoke up to try and delegate any new chores.
Monoma also failed to open his mouth and sing a single note, despite Shinso wishing he would, for once. Now that he'd gotten used to listening to him, cleaning quietly felt…wrong. Unnatural. How did he grow so accustomed to the guy's voice in only two days? Was this because of that stupid moment?
"I heard Awase asked Yaoyorozu to the gala."
Shinso jumped. "What did you say?"
"Awase." Monoma leaned against the fireplace. "I, um, heard he finally got to Yaoyorozu."
"Oh, yeah." Shinso recalled the scene his classmates made once they realized the two of them stood out on the path alone. "Guess they're dating or something."
Monoma scoffed. "A gala-posal doesn't mean they're dating."
"Well, he did kiss her." Shinso shrugged.
The sound of a windex bottle clattering to the ground snapped Shinso's head at attention. Beside the window, Monoma's jaw hung open, eyes wide in shock.
"He didn't tell us that part!" He yanked his phone from his pocket. "At least, I didn't hear about it! Wow, I can't believe he actually went for it, that's awesome!"
For once, it didn't feel like Monoma was putting on some sort of act. Rather, the way he eagerly scrolled through his phone indicated pure, genuine emotions. Positive ones, too.
"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were happy about two people from different classes getting together." Shinso cocked an eyebrow.
"Are you kidding?!" Monoma didn't look up from his phone. "Awase's had a crush on Yaoyorozu since like, our first year! Honestly, none of us really thought he stood a chance, no offense to him, it's just…she's so unattainable, you know?"
Maybe she was. It's not like Shinso had ever been interested in knowing that sort of thing.
"I guess." He replied to keep the conversation going.
"Wow, I'm so proud of him." Monoma half squealed once he sent the text.
"So you guys are friends, then?" Shinso found himself actually curious. What did Monoma's social life look like? His actual friendships, not just the people who whopped him on the head to keep him in line.
Monoma nodded. "I mean, he's definitely closer with Kaibara, but the two of us hit it off our first year and we've been friends since about then. He's actually the first person I called when I–"
Suddenly, he stopped, his expression dropping from serene to completely serious. Shinso frowned, unsure how to navigate the energy shift.
"When you what?"
Why? This obviously wasn't something Monoma wanted to talk about. Why did he try to continue this conversation?
"I, um…" Monoma stooped to pick up the Windex bottle. "Nothing. He's just kinda someone I turn to, is the point. You know what I mean?"
Shinso let him have that. Everyone has their secrets, and he didn't feel the need to pry. Slight curiosity nagged at him, though. The more time he spent around Monoma, the more he wondered how he ended up like this. Not necessarily in a bad way. But one doesn't lose all their hinges for no tangible reason. That's what interested Shinso. What actually sapped Monoma's sanity?
"I feel that." Shinso returned to sweeping. "That's how I feel about a few people in class A."
"Like who?"
Huh. Monoma also sounded curious. Did Shinso's life interest him, too?
"Kaminari's the first person who started fully talking to me." Shinso replied after a moment of thought. "And I fit in well with Jiro's group, with Tokoyami and Shoji. And obviously, Midoriya's everybody's best friend. I swear, you could tell that guy anything."
Stop talking. Don't talk about anybody too much more.
"Yeah, Midoriya seems like a sweetheart." Monoma smirked. "When he's not being overdramatic, of course."
Shinso had to laugh. "You have absolutely zero room to call anybody dramatic, man."
"I suppose you're right." Monoma fluffed his hair. "But see, I'm the theatrical, over-the-top, performative dramatic. The fun kind, if you will. Midoriya simply can't control his emotions, and it gets him into a heap of trouble all the time. No wonder he and Bakugo get along so well."
Shinso snorted. "You've got that right."
Nobody in class A liked to give Deku shit for the situations he got himself into because at the end of the day, they all knew him. Whether or not he made the right calls, he only ever wanted to help. To save people. Sure, it often caused a lot of collateral damage, and sometimes they had to shake their heads at the news channel while watching their classmate navigate yet another completely avoidable confrontation. But Deku's heart beat purely for justice, that much nobody could deny.
That didn't make his shenanigans any less of a pain at times, though.
Most of the reason class A's reputation of troublemaking ran rampant among the students was almost exclusively Deku, mixed in with Bakugo and Todoroki, of course. And frankly, it wasn't undeserved; those three nearly burned the school down on more than one occasion. It gave Shinso a headache at times, wondering what crazy stunt the three of them might try to pull next. All that is to say, though no one got mad at him for it, Deku could–and had–caused more than his fair share of trouble over the years.
"Ooh, actually agreeing with me, shadow eyes?" Monoma wiggled his eyebrows. "Goodness me, I think I'm finally getting through to you!"
"'Goodness me?' Who the hell says that?"
"Obviously someone with a more extensive vocabulary than you, pretty boy!"
"You don't get an extensive vocabulary by talking like you're from the eighteenth century or…whatever." Despite not being able to think of a good argument at all, Shinso had to admit the only reason he even spoke was to keep the conversation going. Silence would just bother him, at this point.
"Oh?" Monoma seemed all too happy to take the bait, at least. "And how does one grow their vocabulary? Hm? What sort of education do you need? The kind you receive in class A, perhaps?"
Again with this goddamn rivalry. "Vocabulary starts at a young age, genius. You learn that kind of stuff in primary school. Remember?"
Monoma paused, chewing his lip. Briefly, Shinso wondered if he'd accidentally hit a sore spot, but Monoma's reaction didn't imply that he'd gotten upset. More like he…pondered something.
"What kinds of things did you learn in primary school?" He asked after a moment.
Confused, Shinso blinked. "What kind of question is that?"
"I don't know." Monoma leaned back against the wall. "I'm curious about your life. What kind of stuff does a guy have to go through to end up like…this?"
"End up like what?" Shinso glared at him, expecting him to go on and on about his tired, monotone, emo disposition, possibly comparing him to Aizawa as everyone in their grade liked to do. To be fair, he wouldn't be reading his vibe wrong, per se, but it felt like such a cop out.
To his surprise, Monoma looked him up and down before responding. "Like the kind of guy who cares about even his worst enemy."
Immediately, Shinso's mind flashed to the previous day when he'd accidentally cornered Monoma. Truth be told, mostly panic fueled that interaction. He couldn't explain why; Monoma suddenly looked distressed, and Shinso just…worried. It was a knee jerk reaction. Nothing to dwell on, in hindsight (though he couldn't deny that he most certainly did on some parts.) Thinking about it brought a flush to his face, which he quickly hid by ducking behind the kitchen counter.
"I don't know what you mean." He finally stammered.
Part of him hoped Monoma remembered their moment and felt equally embarrassed about it, thus bringing the conversation to a stop. To his dismay, however, the sound of Monoma cracking up filled his ears. Damn it. Did this guy have absolutely no shame?!
"That's the attitude." Monoma continued after a moment. "So nonchalant, seemingly unable to spare even the slightest afterthought to anything. And yet, the moment someone's in need, you're there. Whether that be to defend or just lend a showtune-loving ear."
"Showtune loving?" Out of everything that had just been said, that stuck out to Shinso the most. He poked his head over the counter, incredulous.
"Oh, don't give me that!" Monoma tossed down a rag, making eye contact with him. "You don't just hear Broadway out in the wild, that's something you seek out to listen to. Tell me I'm wrong, I dare you."
Fair point. Shinso just hated it.
"Okay, fine, so?" He rose from his knees. "Why is that your business?"
Shrugging, Monoma crossed one foot over the other. "It's not. But it makes me curious. Also, why the hell didn't you finish 'Hazbin Hotel,' huh? What's that about?"
Too many questions. Had this been day one, Shinso might have felt inclined to start another fight and possibly prolong this God forsaken sentence of theirs. Today, however, he stopped himself, thought after thought running through his head. While Monoma's questioning did feel both persistent and invasive, he had to remind himself that he'd wondered a lot of things about his blond cellmate, too. Obviously, he'd asked him nothing, but maybe if he gave Monoma some answers…he could?
"If I tell you something," he started slowly, "you have to answer whatever I ask you. Deal?"
Monoma's eyes went a bit wide for a second, weighing the gravity of Shinso's proposal. "Nothing too personal."
"We'll see." Shinso couldn't promise that. Monoma's digs cut too deep as things stood already. If he got that kind of ammunition, it's only fair Shinso did, too.
"Fine." Honestly, Monoma's curiosity got the better of him. "Don't worry, I'll start small. Who's your favorite 'Hazbin' character?"
"Easy, Angel." Shinso replied without thinking.
Monoma's eyebrows raised. "Whoa, really? I expected you'd be, like, all over Husker's dick. Angel Dust, though?"
Did he absolutely have to phrase it like that?
"Angel's story is…meaningful." Shaking his head, Shinso grabbed a broom. "I don't know, I like characters with depth. Is that such a crime?"
"I suppose not, he's just…so not your vibe, I guess." Monoma chewed his lip.
"What, dark and gloomy?"
"Uh…yeah."
"...My turn." Shinso gave his question some thought. Pointless knowledge wouldn't do him any good, but if he tried to dig too deep on the first try, he'd get nowhere. "Hmm…how'd you get into theater?"
"Hah! Easy." Monoma squared his shoulders, more than ready to detail out his entire childhood. "My mother ran a small theater company for kids when I was a youngster. I became positively spellbound by all the sights and sounds, and when I turned five, I simply had to be part of the action! Mom and Dad jumped at the chance to include me, and I've been hooked ever since!"
Finding out that Monoma's parents sounded every bit as dramatic as their son put a lot into perspective already.
"That's…kind of a sweet story, actually." Shinso sneered. "Had no idea someone who grew up in a well-adjusted life could turn out so unhinged."
At that, Monoma cackled. "Theater kids are anything but well-adjusted, my friend! You should know this, you're a closeted thespian yourself!"
"Thespian…?" Frowning, Shinso stared at Monoma questioningly. "Is that like, slang for bisexual or something?"
Monoma opened his mouth, about to correct Shinso for his absolutely dreadful mistake, when another part of the sentence caught his attention.
"Wait, bisexual?"
"Is that your next question?"
He sounded so matter-of-fact, Monoma wondered if this was some sort of trap. Yes, he wanted it to be his question (at least, now he did) but asking something too personal of Shinso might make him stop the game altogether.
Meaning he'd have to stop learning about Shinso. Which Monoma absolutely didn't want.
"...Is it okay if it is?"
To his surprise, Shinso's face lit up in a smirk, his eyes gleaming with amusement. Thank goodness; he didn't seem angry, at least.
"Yeah." He actually met Monoma's eye. "And…yeah. To your first question."
First question? Oh, right. Bisexual. It took Monoma a moment to process, but once he did, it fully sunk in. Shinso's bi. And he'd just admitted to it, right there, no hesitation, no anger or fear whatsoever.
Monoma could learn a thing or two from him.
"Oh, wow." The realization that Shinso now had the liberty to ask him something just as personal dawned on him, suddenly filling his chest with fear.
"Are…you okay?" Once again, that sweet, concerned look crossed Shinso's face. And once again, Monoma's face heated up at the sight of it.
"So, you've got gaydar, then?" He grinned like a cheshire cat, tossing all discomfort to the side. "That's opening up a whole new vault of questions I have for you."
Shinso didn't like where this was going. "Oh? Like what?"
"Between Midoriya and Bakugo, who would be the top?"
"...That's it, no more questions."
XxXxX
If anyone searched "how to break up without actually breaking up," a huge picture of Kirishima and Mina would pop up on their screens.
Since their fight, they'd obviously stayed together, but their communication flatlined completely. They hadn't hugged or kissed after that day, and she'd only held his hand a couple of times. He let her control all the physical contact so that fell entirely on her, which she internally berated herself for. But after what she saw and the lack of an explanation, she couldn't bring herself to kiss him. She wanted to, of course. She hated what she'd decided to put both of them through.
Tomorrow, she'd find everything out.
Full of hope, she clung to that painfully hard. If she deemed his explanation good enough, things could reset back to normal. She'd apologize, jump into his arms, and give him the biggest kiss ever. And at this point, someone would have to die in order for her not to accept his situation. Maybe that's unhinged, she didn't know. She just wanted him back–fully back–bad enough to excuse…well, kind of a lot.
"Mina, you okay?"
Beside her, Jiro patted her shoulder. The Sidekick Award viewing party was tomorrow night, so the girls had moved their sleepover to Thursday night. Normally, they might have felt more inclined to cancel it, but everyone's latest dating endeavors interested the friend group too much to miss out on a night dedicated to discussing them. Mina tried to let it distract her, but as Hagakure rambled to the rest of the girls about her latest date with Ojiro, she found herself disengaging. Still, Mina didn't want to get too into it, so she rested a hand on Jiro's and nodded.
"I'm fine. Just tired, I think."
Jiro sensed something deeper in Mina's voice, but let it go for her sake. Kirishima no doubt played a huge part in her mood tonight, something Jiro hadn't deciphered whether or not she should be angry at him for. She also understood, though, that Mina had every right to space and privacy, and if she wanted to, she'd open up in her own time without anyone having to coax her. Plenty of subjects Jiro wished not to discuss got brought up here and there, and she knew how it felt to be poked and prodded unwillingly when the last thing she wanted to do was talk about whatever she'd been trying to avoid.
"So, Jiro, who are you gonna ask to the gala since these boys can't get their shit together?"
Like now.
Her face went red at Hagakure's question. "W-what?"
"Come on!" The invisible girl insisted. "The rest of us are pretty well spoken for, you're the only one who doesn't have a prospect!"
"Hey, I don't, either." Tsuyu piped up, hoping to help out a bit.
"Oh, please." Uraraka nudged Tsuyu teasingly. "You and Tokoyami are practically inseparable these days!"
"Hey, yeah, wait a second!" Hagakure's energy redirected toward Tsuyu, relieving Jiro. "What was with the way he saved you the other day? Are we just not gonna talk about that?"
"Ooh, I know, right?!" Mina leaned forward, newfound energy washing away her sadness. "Did you guys see how tightly he grabbed onto her? What did it feel like, Tsu?"
"It did come off pretty cozy, Froppy." Uraraka lowered her voice a bit. "Be honest, is there something you're not telling us?"
Tsuyu froze, unsure how to take all the questioning. She knew the interactions between her and Tokoyami would become subject to scrutiny eventually, but that didn't prepare her to answer anything. Mostly because, well, she didn't know what was going on between the two of them.
At all.
They trained, talked in between, joked together, started walking to class together, even sat at the same tables during meals now. If they walked together, he always held doors open for her and made sure she had a seat before settling down himself. During their lifts, his hands remained exclusively in respectful places, and he constantly asked if she was uncomfortable. She never said yes; he didn't make her uncomfortable in the slightest. In fact, quite the opposite at this point. Him saving her (which they hadn't talked about yet) proved he cared for her safety and well-being. But did any of that mean that he liked her?
More importantly, did she…like him?
"I don't think there's anything to talk about." Tsuyu replied, pressing a finger to her chin in thought. "I mean, we're friends, but–"
"Girl, come on!" Mina interrupted, slapping her hands on a nearby pillow. "Did you see the way he looked at you when you fell?"
Tsuyu blinked. "No, I was busy falling."
Mina huffed. "Well, he's totally crushing on you! He can't possibly not be, with those survival instincts. Jiro! You're friends with him, tell us what's up!"
Up to now, Jiro kept her mouth shut. Whatever she did or didn't know, it wasn't her place to start rumors or instigate suspicions. But this conversation kept the spotlight off her and her dating struggles, and she wanted to keep it that way.
"I, uh, I don't know." She stammered a bit, locking eyes with Tsuyu. "Tokoyami…doesn't really talk about stuff like that. At least not with me."
"Liar! You totally heard something!" Hagakure jumped to her feet.
Heard something? No. Suspected something? Absolutely. Her, Shoji, and Shinso had all noticed quite the change in Tokoyami lately, something they all collectively attributed to his newfound alone time with Tsuyu. That said, nobody discussed it with him, and she didn't want to confirm or deny anything that would give Tsuyu false expectations one way or the other.
"Alright, that's enough." Yaoyorozu sipped her tea calmly, sensing her friend's discomfort. "Allow people their personal lives, ladies. They'll come to know their feelings in their own time."
"Like you did with Awase?" Uraraka smirked.
Yaoyorozu's face flushed. "I suppose so."
"Wait, what's the tea there?" Hagakure dropped back down to the floor, eagerness in her voice.
"Hm? Oh, this is basic jade and lemon–"
"Jesus, Yaomomo, are you guys talking or dating or what?" Jiro pinched the bridge of her nose, sounding exhausted.
Her blush fading, Yaoyorozu shrugged. "No idea. We did have lunch together today, along with Kendo and Tetsutetsu."
"Ooh, double date action, nice!" Mina rocked back and forth excitedly. "Did he make any more moves?"
Modern slang truly confused Yaoyorozu sometimes. "Like, did he move at all?"
"No, like…romantic moves." Hagakure tried her best to help.
"Like, did he kiss you again?" Uraraka cut to the chase.
"Oh, I see." Yaoyorozu pondered for a second. "Well, he did kiss my cheek a couple of times. Does that count?"
The room erupted in gasps and squeals.
"Yes, that totally counts!" Hagakure shook Yaoyorozu's shoulders violently. "Girly, he is so into you!"
"Why didn't you tell any of us this happened?" Uraraka joined in the shoulder shaking, much to Yaoyorozu's dizzying dismay.
"Yeah, seriously." Jiro didn't participate in any rowdy behavior, but it still surprised her that her best friend hadn't spoken a word of this even to her.
Bewildered, Yaoyorozu gently shook her friends off. "I didn't think it to be such a big deal. It's not like he's my boyfriend or anything."
"But he likes you!" Mina echoed Hagakure's sentiments. "That's exciting enough, don't you think?"
Yaoyorozu thought about it. A guy liking her definitely made her feel…something. She didn't quite understand what, though. It boosted her confidence for sure. The fact that someone wanted to kiss her, hold her hand, and take her to the gala gave her a sense of pride. But other than that, she didn't see what the big deal was. Maybe she'd done this dating thing wrong somehow?
"I suppose so." She hid behind another sip of tea.
"This is so adorable." Hagakure sighed. "And here I always thought you and Todoroki would end up together, but Awase's a cutie, too!"
Startled, Yaoyorozu choked on her tea.
"End up with Todoroki?" She asked after a moment of sputtering. "What on earth do you mean?"
"Huh? Oh, well…yeah." Hagakure adjusted her legs a bit underneath. "I mean, we all kinda thought that, right, girls?"
The chorus of "oh yeah's" spun Yaoyorozu's head a bit. Not a single person in the room disagreed with this assumption. Mina even muttered something about 'not quite losing hope' about it, whatever that meant.
"You…all of you really thought…me and Todoroki?"
The girls exchanged worried glances. Yaoyorozu seemed surprised at their notion of her and Todoroki becoming a couple; had they been wrong to insinuate such a thing?
"It's not a big deal!" Uraraka insisted quickly.
"Yeah, just kind of…mindless shipping, I guess." Tsuyu backed her friend up. "You guys just always had this chemistry we noticed, and he seemed to like you, so we just–"
"Him? Liking me? What makes you think that?" Yaoyorozu tried not to speak too quickly, but her mind reeled a mile a minute. Had they seen something she hadn't? Did they know something she didn't? Why did she suddenly care so much?
Tsuyu and Jiro side eyed one another, while Uraraka shrugged. "Just, you know, the way he talks to you."
"And the way you talk to him!" Mina pointed out mischievously.
"What…way?" Yaoyorozu's stomach started doing backflips.
"Ugh, you know!" Hagakure rocked back and forth. "Just…little things. Compliments, blushing when you're around each other, working perfectly together, stuff like that."
Something in Yaoyorozu's chest felt…funny. Suddenly, she became well aware of her heart rate, which may or may not be what made her feel dizzy. Emotions akin to giddiness and excitement swirled in her stomach, an energy she struggled to contain. Biting her lip to hide the grin threatening to form on her face, she stared down at the carpet, embarrassed.
"I just…didn't think anybody might have thought–"
"Wait, do you like him?"
Hagakure needed to stop clocking everyone so hard.
Widening her eyes, Yaoyorozu lifted her reddening face. "W-what? That's ridiculous!"
"Is it?" Mina wiggled her eyebrows. "I don't know, he's a pretty dreamy guy, Yaomomo. I wouldn't blame you at all."
"And he's a total sweetie once you crack him!" Uraraka put in. "But you already know that. I mean, you guys talk all the time."
How did they manage to notice all this? The butterflies in Yaoyorozu's stomach did their best to extinguish themselves. Her friends insisted on her having feelings for Todoroki, and despite the weirdness that made her happy about that prospect, for some reason, she felt a vehement urge to deny it. Why, though?
"Well, even if that's the case, I've made my decision." She thought of the perfect cover up as she spoke. "I've accepted Awase's invitation to the gala. We've kissed and been on a so-called double date. I think that solidifies my position on the matter of Todoroki."
"Oh, of course!" Hagakure backtracked immediately. "We didn't mean anything by it, Yaomomo, just gossiping, you know?"
Harmless gossip typically didn't leave Yaoyorozu feeling so…confused. Feelings didn't align with words, her friends saw things she clearly hadn't picked up on, and everyone calling Todoroki dreamy fogged her head up for some reason. She accepted her friend's reasoning, though, wanting to preserve the positive vibes of the sleepover.
"I'm aware." She smiled a bit too broadly. "It's quite alright! Just need to make sure we're all on the same page."
Yet she had a sinking feeling everyone else had landed on a page she was far, far away from.
XxXxX
Several days passed without a word from Tsukauchi. At this point, All Might began to worry. Either this case broke into something so top secret even he couldn't know about it, or something concerning happened that hadn't been made public yet.
He scrolled through the latest interviews with Thunderstrike and Eclipsa, both of whom looked nothing but tired and defeated lately. All Might's heart ached; their son had been missing for so long, even they seemed to be losing hope. Which made sense. Their only lead so far was a girl that both he and Endeavor found impossible to track.
The Hero Network didn't include anything regarding the Hyakusekai Syndicate. Unsurprising, since according to Endeavor, they'd been handled exclusively by police. That part felt strange to him: erythroglass sounded like a large enough problem to warrant calling in at least a couple pros, even if they didn't want him specifically involved. Perhaps any media attention was determined to be a huge risk, which All Might could get behind. Still, some hero assistance might have helped them catch one of these shoot out guys. Then maybe they could dig deeper and find some more answers.
Next, he tried researching the Nagase name. For the most part, he came up empty handed save for a few sparse social media results. Possible leads, but nothing incriminating popped up overall. He'd already scoured specifically Megumi's Instagram (which felt nothing short of creepy to engage with at his age) after finding absolutely nothing out of the ordinary in her school files.
What confused him now was the lack of arrest. The obvious connections between her and both missing people pointed to her at least being called in for questioning, something that might have happened, to be fair. But why would Tsukauchi keep that from All Might after admitting to him the police stayed hot on Nagase's trail? The more he thought about certain parts of the case, the more suspicious he grew. Who is this girl? What does she have to gain through these apparent kidnappings? And where does erythroglass fit into all of this?
So many dots sat before him, unconnected, urging him not to move from his spot until he'd solved the puzzle they formed. It felt perfectly within reach if he could just grab hold of the last piece that brought everything together. What hid in the shadows barely outside his grasp? When would this information come to light?
The sound of his phone vibrating on the coffee table jolted him. Adrenaline soared through him to see Tsukauchi's name lighting up his notifications.
Tsukauchi: Sorry I've been so out of touch, but this case no longer concerns you, Mr. Number One. I'm going to ask you to cease all investigations from here on out and leave this to the pros.
What?
In all his years working with law enforcement, he had never, ever been dismissed from a case. Especially not over text, for goodness sake. Something wasn't right. It couldn't be. The feeling he'd gotten from the previous day about things falling into place fled his conscience, replacing itself with a wave of urgency. He needed to get to the bottom of this before things affected the students negatively.
More than it already had, at least.