Walking on the bus, Izuku shifted his eyes. "Toshi!" rushing up to Shinso's side, Izuku stole the seat beside him. "I miss you. Why haven't you come by the hang out recently?" Izuku tilted his head, trying to look into Shinso's shifting eyes.
Shinso rubbed his shoulders, turning away from Izuku. "Sorry, I've been very busy."
Izuku huffed, knowing Shinso wasn't saying something. "Fine but remember, you're stuck here with me for the next two weeks. I will find out eventually.” Izuku grinned, leaning against Shinso’s shoulder with a yawn.
Shinso bit his tongue, trying to not flinch away as Izuku laid down against his wound. So focused on not letting Izuku find out what Shiggaraki did and said, Shinso didn’t notice that they began moving or that Izuku had fallen asleep.
Cooing, Kaminari looked over the back of his seat, smirking. “You too are really cute, you know.”
Shinso blinked, glancing at Kaminari in confusion. “What?”
Mina giggled, hopping up as well. “You and Izuku, silly. It’s so obvious you two are together.”
Blushing, Shinso lowered his head, pulling his hood over his eyes. “We… we’re not together.”
Snorting, Mina smirked, poking Shinso’s nose. “I would believe you but, you’re a blushing mess and Izuku is clutching onto your arm while sleeping on your shoulder. The evidence fights against you.”
Shinso blushed more, slumping in his chair. This was apparently the wrong thing to do as Izuku grumbled in his sleep, tucking his knees close to his chest as he nuzzled further into Shinso’s side.
Mina and Kaminari laughed, turning away from the blushing mess that was currently Shinso. Shinso did not know what to do. He didn’t want to wake Izuku but… he was pressing against his wound and it was starting to become agony. Carefully wrapping his arm around Izuku, he subtly tried to push Izuku into his seat.
He was very unsuccessful. Izuku grumbled once more, grabbing Shinso in his sleep and changing their position. Izuku cornered Shinso at an angle against his seat, sleeping against his chest. Izuku refused to let go of Shinso’s arm, holding it in his hands and forcing it to stay draped over Izuku’s shoulders.
On the bright side, Izuku was no longer forcing Shinso to endure the agony of the wound. On the downside, Izuku was practically sitting in his lap and was holding his hand. Shinso wasn’t sure if his heart would make it the whole trip.
Kaminari and Mina were not making it any better.
Shinso slowly calmed down, letting his mind wander. Why was Izuku so tired anyway? …Oh… Right. Pausing, Shinso bit his tongue, a pang of sympathy hitting his heart. Izuku was like this last time Toga went missing.
Shinso wondered if Toga made it back to the LOV. Maybe she didn’t and he’s been worried. Sighing, Shinso had one thought bouncing through his head. He should have been there, regardless of Shiggaraki’s threat.
Wrapping his other arm around Izuku, Shinso began stroking Izuku’s arm, his thumb snagging at the long sleeve.
Was… was that…?
Gulping, Shinso held Izuku’s wrist tighter. He really should have been there.
~~~
Eventually, the bus pulled over, announcing a break. Shinso reluctantly looked at Izuku. Part of him wanted to leave him here to sleep, the other part of him was highly aware he stopped feeling his leg twenty minutes ago and was pretty sure they might die if he didn’t do anything. “Zuku? Time to wake up?”
Izuku grumbled, nuzzling further into his pillow. “No…”
“Come on, it’s time to get up.” Shinso brushed Izuku’s hair to the side as the boy reluctantly opened his eyes, glaring at Shinso.
“You’re just lucky you’re hot or I would burn you to a crisp, right here and now.” Izuku groaned, pushing himself up and standing up.
Shinso… Shinso was malfunctioning. “W-What?”
“You heard me.” Izuku walked away, unbothered in the slightest.
Jumping up, Shinso had to grab the bus seat to steady himself, his leg completely numb. He cursed slightly, unable to go after Izuku and question him further.
Stumbling out of the bus, Shinso shook his leg, doing his best to ignore the pins and needles that were currently hurting more than the shoulder wound. Uraraka was a little in front of him, talking to the heroes that stood on the cliffside.
Stepping closer to Izuku, Shinso leaned close to Izuku’s side. “What’s going on?”
“They’re the heroes that own this place.”
“Isn’t it weird that they’re here as this is an impromptu stop?”
“It’s Aizawa.”
“What?”
Before Izuku could react, the ground whipped around, chucking them off the cliff.
“As I said, it’s Aizawa.” Grabbing Shinso, Izuku held out his hand, the golden, fire covered strings embedded into the cliff wall, stopping them in their tracks. “Glad you know me now?” Izuku grinned cheekily, glancing over his shoulder to look at Shinso.
“Always,” Shinso breathed out, staring intently. The fire behind Izuku lit up his face, highlighting the sharp bone structure and beautiful eyes that Shinso found himself staring in.
Shinso was snapped out of his thoughts when Kaminari, ever-so-gracefully shouted at the top of his lungs, “Gay!”
Blushing madly, Shinso lowered his head as Izuku chuckled. “Like what you see,” he joked, keeping a firm hold on Shinso’s hand.
Crack.
Izuku blinked as he and Shinso began falling, the rock he had been holding onto snapping off the cliff. In pure instinct, Izuku rolled Shinso to the side, encasing him in a hug as they plummeted to the ground.
Slap!
Uraraka let out a sigh of relief as he cancelled her quirk, dropping Izuku and Shinso the remaining two feet she had saved them from. “Are you okay?”
Izuku groaned, rubbing the back of his head as he sat up. “Y-Yeah. Thanks, Uraraka!”
Squeaking, Uraraka turned away as Izuku tilted his head. He followed her shifting eyes, suddenly becoming aware that Shinso was laying on top of him.
“Toshi, are you okay?” Izuku lifted Shinso’s head, worriedly using his other hand to push back Shinso’s hair and check for injuries.
Shinso nodded, carefully clambering off Izuku and trying to pretend that he was totally fine with what just happened.
Izuku laughed, standing up and wrapping his arms around Shinso’s neck. “I’m so glad you’re okay, Toshi!”
The class had a simultaneous thought, watching the two. ‘Let the poor boy breathe, Izuku.’
From atop the cliff, Manadeley announced the challenge. Get through the forest by lunch. Seems simple. Izuku groaned, glaring at the forest. “Ah, my arch-nemesis. Forests.”
Shinso raised his eyebrow. “What’s wrong with forests?”
“I’m a very flammable person and that a very flammable place and put together usually equals a lot of fire.” Izuku chuckled a little as the class paled. “Don’t worry, I’ll try not to use my Quirk so we don’t all die.”
Turning, the class began the trip through hell. As the sun was setting, the ghouls once known as class 1A, dragged themselves out of the forest. Izuku- one of many- could barely stand and was ready to collapse.
Shinso groaned, rubbing his shoulder, desperately trying to avoid the purple fingers he had gathered throughout the task. OFA hurt!
Falling to the ground, the class was highly relieved to see the banquet waiting for them. Shovelling down the food, 1A didn’t wait to breathe. They were so hungry.
Izuku leaned against Shinso’s good side, wrapping his broken fingers in white tape as he subtly let his fingers glow a soft green.
Shinso blinked, bending his fingers in relief before dropping his voice. “I didn’t know you had a healing Quirk,” he whispered as Izuku nodded with a yawn.
“Father gave it to me after the third time we almost killed Seiji. It was too problematic to have to keep giving them blood transfusions.” Izuku yawned once more. “But it's exhausting. I can’t move my arms. Feed me?”
Smiling softly, Shinso scooped up some rice, feeding Izuku piece by piece. They were acutely aware of the other classmen who were talking to each other. The second the meals were finished, the students were chased away and allowed to take a bath before sleeping. Izuku glanced at the lone boy who stood away from everyone else. Who was that?
~~~
Izuku sighed heavily, relaxing in the water.
“You know, considering your whole thing is fire, I didn’t expect you to like water this much,” Kirishima observed, watching Izuku relax more.
“You kidding? My Quirk makes me so hot most of the time, it's so nice to cool off.”
“That is unless you overdo your quirk and end up with hypothermia,” Shinso interjected, making Izuku chuckle.
“Then I just have a hot bath,” he claimed, rolling his head to the side. “So nice.”
Chuckling, Shinso sat by Izuku resting against the edge. “Just don’t fall asleep, we wouldn’t want you to drown.”
“Shouldn’t I be saying that to you with the number of times you’ve fallen asleep at mine?”
Shinso blinked. “You drugged me those times.”
“It got you to sleep didn’t it.”
“It’s still weird watching you two,” Sero jumped in, floating a little away from Kaminari who was playing in the middle of the pool. “Suzuki is so bubbly and energetic and shy around everyone else, you seem to bring out a whole other side of him.”
Shinso blushed at Sero’s words as Izuku hummed. “That’s cause he’s better than you,” he stated rather bluntly.
Sero coughed, covering his mouth. “I don’t like this Suzuki, you should leave so we can have our ball of sunshine back.”
Izuku snapped up, wrapping his arms around Shinso. “Don’t you dare,” she growled darkly, glaring at Sero who backed up quickly. “He is mine now.”
The group of boys chuckled at Sero’s misfortune, resting back when something caught Soji’s eyes. You couldn’t see it when Izuku rested his arms and side on the side but now they were on clear display. Scars. Too many scars.
There was a scar on Shinso’s shoulder too. Something Izuku spotted with a frown. He knew that scar pattern. Shiggaraki. Izuku sighed, standing up. “I’m going to bed,” he announced, only Shinso noticing that something was wrong.
Cautiously following Izuku, Shinso glanced at Izuku. “Zuku?”
Izuku spun, his head lowered as he walked towards Shinso, placing his hand on Shinso’s shoulder. Without a word, he healed the wound completely before stepping closer and placing his head against Shinso’s chest.
“Z-Zuku?”
“I’m sorry. I should have known. I’m sorry.” Izuku’s eyes welled with tears, falling off his cheeks.
“Zuku! It’s not your fault. It’s ok.”
Izuku took a deep breath, wrapping his arms around Shinso and pulling him close. “I know it’s going to be okay. I’m going to protect you.” Izuku pulled back, standing on his tip-toes to press a kiss against Shinso’s forehead, sealing the vow.
Shinso gaped, blushing as his legs gave out. “You need to stop doing stuff like that, Zuku,” he gasped out, covering his face as Izuku chuckled.
“You know what makes it worse,” Izuku asked, tilting his head innocently as Shinso shook his head. Izuku smirked, leaning closer and whispering in Shinso’s ear. “We’re both still naked.” Izuku grinned as Shinso short-circuited. Izuku hopped up, turning around. “That’s payback for not telling me,” he sang, leaving without another word.