Song: Dear Society
Artist: Madison Beer
hwuehehehe
thanks guys
it took me awhile to figure out how to start off the story, but i think it turned out okay
long (somewhat) emotional chapter to make up for how long it took me to write this
She woke up to her normal loud ass car alarm; it was really the only thing that would ever be loud enough to wake her. She went to grab her phone, but she misjudged how far her bedside table was. She reached her arm out and rolled out of her bed, hitting the floor with a loud thud.
"Ow!" she exclaimed, soothing the pain she felt on her hip by rubbing it slowly. She sighed and stood up slowly, the pain quickly fleeing. Thanks to that rude awakening, she was ready to start the day.
She stretched her arms above her head, reaching for the ceiling. She took a deep breath before walking into her bathroom. The tile was cold on her feet, so she was thankful for the fluffy pink rug. It was a gift from her neighbor. Why Mina had so many extra bathroom rugs confused Echiko, but she was grateful for the gift anyway. She stepped out of her dorm bathroom (Each dorm room came with a small bathroom. The bathroom held a toilet, a sink, and a shower) and into her dorm room. It was smaller than her room at home, and it didn't have the same training equipment. Despite that, Echiko was very fond of her little dorm room. Especially because of all the stuff she put in it.
She had styled her hair up into a tight ponytail, not bothering to gel her horns yet. She brushed her teeth and washed her face. Finally, she was awake enough to be active. She went back into her dorm room and went to the white dresser against the wall. She rummaged through the drawers and found an old gray sports bra and leggings set to change into. The bra was a faded gray with pink and white accents. The leggings were the same, a faded gray with pink and white bands down the side. She threw on a pair of old running shoes and looked at herself in the mirror, accepting her appearance. She pat Eijiro's little hat and said goodbye. She grabbed her phone from the corner of her bed and left.
It's only been a few weeks since Echiko has been to Yuuei, and it's all seemed so perfect. She had great classmates and the work was getting easier. Slightly easier anyway. The only thing she really had to complain about was whenever Mineta tried to make a pass at her. It was satisfying watching Shoto throw a huge, sharp ice block at him though.
Then of course, there was Blasty McSplodes. She had been trying to get closer to Katsuki, but it seemed that he tried to shut her down every time she came close to him. And all after their trip to the mall. She had thought that they had been becoming friends. At least now, he was more used to her predictable company. It was slow progress, but progress nonetheless.
Her sister was strict with her promised phone calls. She always called around 10:00(pm) and reminded Echiko to have a great day and to take her pills. Even though her sister had no possible way of knowing whether Echiko took her medication or not, Echiko was still scared enough to follow her sister's instructions.
She closed the door quietly, making sure to not wake her other classmates. She hadn't actually seen the whole campus yet, and today seemed like a good day to experience it. In the hall, she noticed the sound of a door closing. She thought nothing of it, other than how thin the walls were. She skipped over to Mina's room; it was on the same floor. Mina lived on the fourth floor along with Ochako. Since there were two extra rooms, Echiko was put on the fourth floor in one of the rooms. Now, she and Mina were neighbors, and Ochako was only a door away.
Echiko was about to knock on Mina's door when she realized what time it was. Mina would kill Echiko if she was woken up at 5:30 in the morning. Echiko was going to ask for a running buddy, but it would be too much of a hassle to try and convince Mina to run anyway. The redhead thought about asking someone else, but she didn't feel too comfortable asking anyone else. She didn't know anyone else's sleeping schedules. She couldn't be selfish and wake up her dorm mates because she was scared. It wasn't heroic.
Dejected, she backed away from Mina's door, respecting her privacy, and headed for the elevator. Once she got there, she noticed that it was in use. She didn't have to wait long for the doors to open, but that meant that someone else was up. Maybe she could ask them to run.
No, don't be selfish Echiko! That's not right!
Echiko walked into the elevator and let it take her to the bottom floor. When the doors opened, she saw a flash of pale, spiky, blond hair. Why was Katsuki up so early? Was he going for a run too?Echiko ran out the door in hopes that she would actually have a running buddy. Even if it was Katsuki. Anyone is better than no one.
"Hey, wait up!" she called. Katsuki flinched but didn't turn around. He tried to ignore her, but she knew he wasn't that good at ignoring people.
"What are you doing being up so early shitty hair?" Echiko laughed; she had already gotten used to the nickname.
"I could ask you the same thing Blasty McSplodes," she teased. Katsuki tch'ed and rolled his eyes. Echiko scoffed. "What? You can call my hair shitty, but I can't call you Blasty."
"I didn't say you couldn't call me that," he mumbled.
"What?"
"Mina got you saying that shit too? She can burn in hell! Ya'll are disgusting" His tone changed. It must have been because of the early morning. Maybe he was a grouchy riser.
"You don't mean that," Echiko cooed. This whole 'being friends with the demon of class 1-A' was harder than she thought. He always seemed like he was in a bad mood and he was constantly yelling at people. Slowly, he had been warming up to her, but he still seemed aggravated with any presence.
He retorted with a, "yes I fucking do!", before putting in his earbuds. But Echiko wasn't done yet.
"I can tell that you guys are friends." She really could. Katsuki was definitely annoyed by 'the Bakusquad', but it was obvious that he had a soft sport for all of them, even Denki. Mina had said that Echiko was part of the Bakusquad, but she didn't feel like she deserved it. This group of friends had been together for a whole year and they made so many memories. They supported each other, rooted for each other. Echiko didn't have much to offer compared to that.
"No we're not shi-!"
"I think it's cute," she interrupted, putting in her own earbuds. Katsuki's neck got a little redder, but he hid it from Echiko and himself.
"S-shut up!" he spat. Katsuki cursed himself for stuttering. Echiko smiled, knowing that she made him embarrassed.
"Hey Bakugo," she said, changing the subject, "can I run with you?" Katsuki glared at her.
"Fuck no!"
"Please?!" she pleaded, "I'm not sure where to run and I don't know the campus all that well."
Katsuki was about to decline instinctively when he noticed the determination in Echiko's eyes. She wasn't going to stop asking him, even if he said no every time. Not wanting to deal with the hassle, he agreed, against his better judgment.
"Just don't fuckin' annoy me shitty hair." Her eyes lit up and she smiled. At least now she had someone to run with. She hated being all alone with just her thoughts; it was the whole reason why she ran in the first place. She was glad to get some sort of company.
The two stretched in silence on a patch of grass next to the dorm building. Echiko had a normal stretching routine, and Katsuki did all the stretches that came to mind. Now that they were coated in tranquility, Echiko could get a better look at her running partner. Katsuki was wearing a plain black tank top that showed off his biceps (especially while he was stretching) and a pair of black shorts that went down to his knees. Echiko wondered why he would choose such an attire, but she didn't want to bother him with her useless questions. Eventually the two finished their stretching and headed to Yuuei's track. (yes that exists now, don't question it)
The indoor track was just like any other school track, however it was much better quality. And indoors. It had on soft, red surfacing. Echiko felt as if she could bounce with every step she took. Echiko's eyes widened, but Katsuki didn't seem all that surprised.
"I thought that we were going to just run around the school, but this is so much nicer!" she exclaimed, looking down at the ground with a smile on her face. She was bouncing on her toes and being very distracted.
"Well no shit," he stated, "This is a prestigious school." His tone was always so mean, like he had a secret venom injected into every word. Echiko looked up from the ground and watched as Katsuki took a swig of water from a water bottle she didn't know he was carrying. Echiko decided to play around with him a little bit.
"Hey, just because I'm ignorant doesn't mean you have to be an ass," she said, in a tone more aggravated than she really was. She mentally let out a small cheer of victory as his face turned into a scowl.
"What'd you say punk? I'll kick you're ass Shitty Hair!" Echiko held in a laugh. It was too easy to piss off the hothead of 2-A. He was growling as he put the water bottle down and made his way towards the small girl. It was then that an idea came to Echiko's mind.
"Well then," she said, puffing out her chest with pride, "we should decided this with a race." Katsuki stopped in his tracks and glared at her. He was trying to see her motive, why she would ask something so trivial. He didn't take in account that she just wanted to have fun. He took a moment to think it through, but he eventually just gave in.
"Fine." Echiko let out another cheer of victory, this time it was audible. Katsuki rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. They both made their way to the starting line.
"No quirks." Echiko said, suddenly realizing that if Katsuki used his explosions, then she would definitely lose. The snarl that Katsuki's face shifted to was somewhat satisfying. It meant that he already accepted her offer.
"Doesn't matter Shitty Hair. I'll still win," he growled.
"I wouldn't say that just yet." Echiko said, putting on her own sadistic smile, "I love competition." They both got into a running position at the starting line. Echiko was in lane four and Katsuki was in lane five. That means Katsuki was just a bit ahead of her.
"First one done with twelve laps wins!" he yelled behind him. Echiko's smile didn't falter as she nodded her head in agreement.
"Deal!" she yelled, "Are we counting together?"
"I have to make sure that you don't cheat!" he spat. He licked his lips in anticipation. Echiko focused on the road ahead. If she was going to win, she would need to use some energy at the very beginning, save energy in the middle, and then use all of her energy at the end. It was a normal strategy, but a necessary one. If she was going to win, she would need to focus but not too much.
"I'll let you count then." Her voice echoed under the large roof.
"3!" he yelled. Their arms twitched in anticipation.
"2!" Echiko focused on her breathing; Katsuki focused on his goal.
"1!" No backing down now.
"Go!" he yelled, both of their feet leaping off the track. They both moved their legs as fast as they could, quickly forming a rhythm between their footsteps and breathing. Katsuki had taken an easy lead, but Echiko was only a few yards behind him. They made a whole lap before even thinking to slow down. Of course, their bodies had other ideas. Echiko slowed down first, remembering her plan. She had a lot of practice with running, so she knew what to expect.
As if on cue, a pain shot through her left side, residing right under her lung. She didn't slow down her pace, but she did focus on her breathing. Every four steps she would breath in, hold her breath for four steps, and then release her breath after four more steps. Slowly, the knot in her side started to fade away, as did her concentration on breathing. She continued running, focusing on the spiky blond hair in front of her.
Continuing with her plan, she started saving her energy, preparing for her big finish. Running (especially racing) was just as mental as it was physical. She had to think enough to keep herself at a good pace, but she couldn't think too much or she would overthink the run. She had to find a comfortable balance. That was the true key to running.
Without even realizing it, she had finished her fourth lap. A whole mile. She only had eight laps to go. Now that she was finally in a comfortable rhythm, she let her legs continue running as her mind continued to think of other things.
Running always gave Echiko time to think. If she had to compare it to something, running gave her shower thoughts. Sometimes they were memories to reflect on, other times, they were just recollections of random thing she saw on Toombler (yes. not tumblr. just go with it.). There wasn't much to see in the indoor track, so it wasn't like she could focus on scenery.
Her lungs started to burn around lap eight. Of course, she new this would happen; it always does. She wondered if Katsuki was dealing with the same problem or if it was just her. He seemed so calm, almost like he had the whole situation under control. It was a difference from the normal demeanor Echiko was used to seeing. It was a welcomed change. She looked at him for a bit longer, barely being able to see his face, but still being able to see the lack of tensed muscled on his cheek. Once she finished her tenth lap, she decided to focus a bit more.
The whole run, she had tried a new technique called drifting. She would focus on a person in front of her (aka Katuski) and follow their running patterns. She would run at the same pace as them and stay right behind them. What it would do is give Echiko a break mentally, as she prepares herself for a sprint to the end. This was the first time she tried it, as she was used to running alone, but she was happy to say it worked. She would use Katsuki's energy instead of her own. Instead of wondering whether to go faster or slower, she would just base her running off of Katsuki. That meant he had to focus on running faster or slower for the both of them.
She was halfway done with her eleventh lap when she sped up. These next few moments were the most important. She was actually a little surprised that she had kept up with the top student of 2-A, but she wasn't complaining. She was actually quite proud.
Pushing that nonsense out of her head, she focused on the task at hand. In order to beat Katsuki, she would need to start speeding up and then use up all of the energy she had left. She started to move her legs faster, disrupting the peaceful rhythm she had created earlier. She didn't focus on anything else, only how fast she was moving her feet.
Her breath quickened and her lungs grew tighter. Her throat was dry, and the mucus in her throat felt like fire. Still, she ignored the pain and ran faster. Finally, she passed the finish line.
One lap to go.
Katsuki was also ready for this as his legs sprinted ahead. He didn't expect the red hair from his classmate to suddenly come flashing in front of him. It was distracting to say the least, but what was even more distracting was the fact that the distance between them started to grow, the red hair getting farther and farther in front of him. He slammed his heels against the track with each step; his lungs were on fire. He kept at it, shortening the distance between them once again. They were both struggling but neither were willing to give up. Not like they could anyhow.
Echiko was increasing her pace, nothing else was in her mind. Her legs were hurting, her throat was hurting, her chest was hurting, her sides were hurting. Everything was hurting.
She slammed her feet on the track, no longer feeling the bounciness of the track anymore. Not like she was paying the ground much attention. She could see the finish line (which doubles as the starting line). The distance between her and the line shortened, as well as the distance between her and the blond.
Her heart was in her throat and it was pounding in her ears. Nothing else mattered, only the line ahead. She could hear the heavy breathing of her classmate behind her and she could she his shadow approaching. She shut her eyes for a second, ignoring the raging migraine in her head as she sprinted across the finish line, Katsuki only two steps away.
They ran a whole other half a lap trying to stop themselves. Once they stopped, Echiko let out a loud sound of victory.
"Ha! I destroyed your ass!" (insert gay joke but it can't be gay bc they aren't gay.) She should have timed herself. It would have been helpful to see how fast she ran. It definitely felt like her fastest three mile ever.
"I fucking let you win! There's no way that someone as weak and pathetic as you could beat me," Katsuki snarled, really pissed off that he lost. How could he loose to such a small little girl? It just didn't make any sense.
Weak. Pathetic. Small. Little.
Echiko was used to those words coming from all sorts of people. She believed them, and they hurt. Still, she swallowed her misery and continued with her cheerful front. She should be happy that she won; she shouldn't care about Katsuki's inevitable accusations and insults. She should have been used to them by now.
"Oh come on, you have to be somewhat impressed," she teased, a huge smile on her face.
"Fuck no. Wipe that shit eating grin off your face!" he yelled, already walking back to the bench he put his water bottle on. Despite the order, Echiko kept her smile and followed behind him.
Katsuki plopped himself down on the bench and held the water bottle up to his lips. Before he could taste the refreshing liquid, he noticed a panting, dazed Echiko looking at him longingly.
"The fuck are you doing Shitty Hair?!" he growled, not having the energy to yell. Echiko's half lidded irises looked at him longingly and her pink cheeks were pushed up into a weak smile.
It was kind of hot.
Y'know, if she wasn't an idiot extra.
"I just remembered....that I forgot...my water bottle," she said with a slight chuckle. Her hand made its way to the nape of her neck in embarrassment. Her skin was burning as well as her throat.
"Sucks to be you." Katsuki smirked as he put the water bottle up to his lips, letting the water fall into his mouth.
"Wait! Before you drink all of that! Can I have a sip?!" Echiko asked without thinking. Not only was it a stupid request, but it also meant that she was being a burden. It was her own fault that she didn't bring a water bottle. Hell, it was her own fault that she and Katsuki had done this whole race thing in the first place.
"Why didn't you bring your own water bottle?" Katsuki condescended, pulling the water bottle away from his lips once again. His breathing was heavy, as he was still tired from the race, but he was controlling it. His hands were sweating like crazy, and his neck felt drenched.
"Yeah, sorry. That was dumb of me. I just-"
"Waterfall," Katsuki held out his water bottle and ignored Echiko's confused gaze, "You touch that with you're nasty ass mouth and I will blast you through the roof of this gym." Echiko graciously took the bottle before she could give herself time to reject the idea. Somewhat scared of Katsuki's empty threat, she didn't let the bottle touch her lips. Not wanting to be greedy, she only let a little enter her mouth, but she was grateful for it anyway.
(please don't drink out of other peoples' water bottles. backwash is disgusting. this was just indirect kissing...so....indirect kissing in itself is nasty anyway.)
"Thanks Bakubro." Echiko said as she handed the bottle back to its owner. Katsuki nodded and took the water bottle from the girl, ignoring the nickname she gave him.
"Do you run like this all the fucking time?" It was obvious that Echiko ran a lot. She beat him, and he ran every other day. And he was a guy.
"No, I do run everyday. Just never like that." Echiko said with a chuckle, her breath almost completely steady now. Katsuki nodded understandingly. Maybe he would start running everyday.
"Why the hell do you even do this so much anyway?" It was a question the Echiko didn't expect. She didn't expect Katsuki to want to talk to her at all. Maybe he was trying to be friends. Maybe he was finally opening up to her. Her eyes lit up in excitement. She focused on the question, not wanting to make him regret asking it. She was going to befriend this angry Pomeranian.
"Oh, well," she thought for a moment, brushing a few strands of red hair out of her face, "I think that, in order to be the best, you have to work hard for it. I just, don't wanna let anyone down y'know?" She paused to watch Katsuki nod, almost as if it was an encouragement to continue. "My family sacrificed so much just to send me here. And I wanna be a hero that saves people." Her voice grew a bit softer, and she avoided Katsuki's strong gaze. "I can't be weak, because then you get hurt. When you're weak, you can't help anyone." She looked down to her hand as she fumbled with her fingers. "Sorry, I'm rambling."
"Yeah, I didn't ask about all that," he said, this time with less venom in his voice than before. It was a subtle difference, but a difference nonetheless. His words contradicted how he felt. He didn't mind her rambling. Her voice was so soft and easy to listen to.
"I know and I'm sorry," she said with a quick bow. There was an uncomfortable silence between the two.
"You might as well continue!" Echiko was confused. "You obviously have some shit to unpack. You might as well let it all out in the open now!" Katsuki growled.
Echiko was somewhat grateful.
If you wanna make friends, then you have to introduce yourself. This is no different.
Echiko needed someone to vent to, and if anyone was going to take it seriously, it would be Katsuki.
"Well, I was a kid when my dad left. I don't remember him, and my siblings don't talk about him much." Katsuki stiffened. He wasn't expecting that. Even though he had barely known this girl, he knew that she was always smiling. She always looked happy. Even now she was smiling. It was a small sad smile, but it was still a better smile than she should have right now. "When my siblings do talk about him," she continued, "it isn't anything good." She chuckled to herself, but it was pained and pitiful. "I remember that I used to eavesdrop on their conversations, but they only ever talked about how late he was on child support funds. Apparently, he left us from some whore on the street." Echiko winced at the word 'whore', but she continued. "My mom started staying out late and coming home drunk. My siblings tried to protect me from it, but I was going to find out eventually. I missed my mom," she paused and bit her lip, bringing her arms around herself in a hug, "but I don't think she missed me. We don't see her much anymore. She stays the night wherever she wants," she clenched her fist and her voice began to tremble, "especially since Aimi turned sixteen." She took a deep breath, calming herself. She felt like crying, but she was not going to cry in front of Katsuki Bakugo. She held in her emotions, but decided that she should stop there, feeling as if she already said too much. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling again, we should get back to the dorms. People are going to start waking up now."
"I guess I'm the same way," Katsuki interrupted, finally speaking up. He avoided Echiko's eyes. His tone had softened, but he was still holding up a front. Echiko was now definitely intrigued.
"Hmm?" she hummed, trying to keep her voice steady. There really wasn't a point since her eyes were practically begging him to continue.
"My dad," he paused, thinking to himself for a moment. Echiko waited patiently and avoided eye contact; she didn't want to make him uncomfortable. "My dad's gone too," he started, swallowing and trying to keep his composure. Whatever he had to say, it couldn't have been easy. "I guess I'm a bit luckier than you. I actually know why my dad left." Echiko turned her head slightly with an eyebrow raised. She was giving him her full attention. "He died. Two years ago. He had a heart attack."
Echiko's mouth stayed agape, her eyes widened in shock. Before she could release any words of comfort, Katsuki started to talk again.
"My old man was weak. I knew that much. But.." he swallowed again, keeping his eyes low to the ground, "He was compassionate, maybe too compassionate for his own damn good. It was easy to take advantage of him. Still, he was smart and empathetic and all that shit a good father should be." When it seemed like he finished, Echiko let out a long breath. She could tell that Katsuki really cared about his dad and he missed him a lot. Although Echiko couldn't exactly relate, she knew what it was like to miss a parent. She missed her mom a whole hell of a lot.
"He sounds like he had a good heart," Echiko said, not thinking much of it. When the words finally sunk in, she slapped a hand over her mouth. "OH MY GOD! I-I didn't mean to say that! I mean, what I meant to say was that he sounds like a good man. It was just a poor choice of words!"
Yes, the man who had a heart attack has a good heart. Great job Echiko. That was fantastic! You're such a freakin' idiot sometimes! I'm a terrible person oh my god!
"I get it dumb hair. Jeeze, you talk too much." An embarrassed smile etched itself into Echiko's lips, and her hand scratched her nape. The reddening in her cheeks had subsided ever so slightly, but she had started biting her lip instead. Katsuki noticed but said nothing of it.
"Thank you for telling me Bakugo," she said, a sense of peace growing in her heart as she lowered her arm, "I feel like I know you a bit more." Katsuki looked to her, his expression unreadable. He opened his mouth to say something, but he quickly bit his tongue, a sour expression plastered against his face.
"Don't pity me," he spat.
"O-oh I wasn't trying to."
"You weren't trying to what? Look down on me!?" He started to raise his voice.
"No, I.."
Katsuki let out a sigh, signaling for Echiko to stop. Echiko shut her mouth and her stance stiffened a bit. The words he said next surprised her.
"Look, I won't pity you if you won't pity me." Echiko looked up, her eyes widening a bit before realizing that this was Katsuki's compassionate side. She smiled and nodded, forming somewhat of a deal with her blond classmate. She didn't want to be pitied for her past either. That's why she knew she could trust Katsuki.
"Deal." He nodded before quickly standing up.
"We should head back. We don't want to be late, and I still need to take a shower." Echiko agreed, taking one last second to bask the warm early sunlight, before trailing right behind Katsuki. The two made there way back to the dorms.
She took a breath of fresh air, preparing herself for the tough day ahead.
Word Count: 4,913
edited
sorry it took so long. i had some writer's block..
but it's finally finished!
also 100 views already?
thanks so much