The Archive For Fandoms

Welcome to the Archive of fanfictions from all kinds of fandoms! I am a part of too many fandoms to chose just one to base my blog on so this blog is the bridge to all of my stans. If there is a particular fandom that you want to know I am a part of, please let me know! 

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Always Be My Hero Masterlist

Summary:

When Tenya and y/n were six years old, they were inseparable. Their moms were best friends at U.A and they just loved setting up little play dates with their children. Tenya would play the big and brave hero who would come and save the scared y/n. Don't tell them, but they often teased them about being a good-looking couple. The children never understood it, didn't they know it was super important hero training for Tenya?

A year later, the play dates had to end, as y/n and her family were moving to the States. They promised to stay in touch until Tenya got the news that his brother, Tensei, was paralyzed by a villain named Stain. And although he had unnamed feelings for his childhood friend, it was more important for him to focus on his journey to becoming a hero. And y/n knew that. So they grew apart.

Until eight years later, when y/n gets a job as the project manager for Suneater, a Pro-hero at Fatgum's agency, bringing her back to Japan. Unsure how she would feel seeing Tenya again after all these years, she attempts to reject Kirishima's invitation to after work bar visits. Will she be successful in avoiding him? Or will her heart break when she realizes they are completely different people?

Also read on Ao3

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20

IMPORTANT UPDATE

Please let me know if you would like to be added to the taglist for future updates. Or you can subscribed to the "Always Be My Hero" on Ao3.

Taglist (OPEN): @jujudadrippyomega31 @charityjoy22 @vynn01 @callmelovergirl

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Always Be My Hero Masterlist

Summary:

When Tenya and y/n were six years old, they were inseparable. Their moms were best friends at U.A and they just loved setting up little play dates with their children. Tenya would play the big and brave hero who would come and save the scared y/n. Don't tell them, but they often teased them about being a good-looking couple. The children never understood it, didn't they know it was super important hero training for Tenya?

A year later, the play dates had to end, as y/n and her family were moving to the States. They promised to stay in touch until Tenya got the news that his brother, Tensei, was paralyzed by a villain named Stain. And although he had unnamed feelings for his childhood friend, it was more important for him to focus on his journey to becoming a hero. And y/n knew that. So they grew apart.

Until eight years later, when y/n gets a job as the project manager for Suneater, a Pro-hero at Fatgum's agency, bringing her back to Japan. Unsure how she would feel seeing Tenya again after all these years, she attempts to reject Kirishima's invitation to after work bar visits. Will she be successful in avoiding him? Or will her heart break when she realizes they are completely different people?

Also read on Ao3

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20

IMPORTANT UPDATE

Please let me know if you would like to be added to the taglist for future updates. Or you can subscribed to the "Always Be My Hero" on Ao3.

Taglist (OPEN): @jujudadrippyomega31 @charityjoy22 @vynn01 @callmelovergirl

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Always Be My Hero IMPORTANT NOTICE

Masterlist | Also read on Ao3

ESTEEMED READERS AND FANS OF ALWAYS BE MY HERO! PLEASE KNOW THAT I HAVE MADE SOME EDITS TO THE STORY!

When I first started writing Always Be My Hero, I wrote it based on one scene that came into my mind, and that was the chapter where Tenya reunites with y/n at the bar. It was very angsty. But as I kept writing, it started unraveling into something bigger than what I intended. Because of that, I took shortcuts by cutting off descriptions that should've been there and rushed chapters just so I could get something out. 

I made grammatical errors. I repeated sentiments that didn't need to be repeated. I have been watching Branden Sanderson's creative writing classes on YouTube (haven't read any of his books yet, just needed a refresher on how to write), and he said to avoid the white room. Essentially, he tells his students to use the five senses to keep readers in the physical scene the characters are in. I have a hard time visualizing things, so I realized as I was writing this story that I didn't describe physical locations. 

So I went in and changed a few things. I brought in more in-depth details about relationships between characters. I also rewrote the story so that things flowed together more. 

I understand if you have read this story already and don't want to reread it. I promise, the core story is still the same, but I would appreciate it if you did because I think I made the story just a little bit better. There might be a few details that will confuse you in future chapters. So, to avoid that, and if you really don't want to reread, I have provided a patch note list of sorts for each chapter so you get the gist of what has been changed. However, if you didn't notice, the chapter number changed. This is because I added a completely new chapter between what was formerly chapter 6 and chapter 7. The new chapter is now Chapter 7. 

Chapter 1: 

Tensei is now in this chapter. Young y/n teases him for being a stinky hero, and he sticks out her tongue at him. 

Tenya got her a stuffed Kaola and not a penguin for her birthday. This is a connection to y/n's new nickname. 

Mention of Tenya and y/n eating Pocky at the airport. 

Tenya has a breakdown at the airport after y/n's plane left for the sky. 

When y/n and Tenya are 9 and 10 years old, she calls him crying about her being teased and bullied at school for being quirkless. She mentions that she tried to make friends by sketching her classmates' favorite heroes. 

Chapter 2 

During their conversation over the phone about Tenya's first week of classes y/n tells Tenya that she believes that being a hero means getting back up and doing your best. 

The biggest change in this chapter is that Tenya actually does call y/n after the U.S.J attack for comfort. He doesn't want to talk about the attack; he only needed to hear her voice. So she talks about how some of her art pieces have been accepted to be displayed at a Century Center, establishing that y/n has a great talent for art. 

Chapter 3

No major changes, mostly grammatical changes.

Chapter 4

y/n now draws little animals along with the snacks that she provides for Tamaki. 

She refers to him as Amikaji or Suneater until she was told otherwise

The ramen restaurant that y/n meets Fatgum and Tamaki in is now a ramen restaurant that is attached to Fatgum's agency. I added that he bought this building once his company got bigger because of the restaurant. 

Chapter 5

y/n's mom asks her if she has been doing her homework from her therapist, Dr. Terrelon. The homework is doing some small sketches, but the sketchbook that he bought her before she left for Japan was still unopened. 

Tamaki tells y/n that she can call him Amajiki

I put a little more detail on what kind of social media posts she made for Tamaki. 

The interview at U.A has more details

The interview was conducted in a classroom

The interviewee was a 3-year business student who is just as nervous as Tamaki. 

The interviewee asked him what inspires you to keep going. Tamaki answered, "Someone recently told me that being a hero was more than just saving people. It is getting back up and doing your best. I want to be my best. So now, I get up every day so I can do better than I did yesterday."

Tensei refers to y/n as Kaola. 

Some new information about Aoi's lunch scene

Some redundant conversation was taken out.

y/n now knows that Momo was the woman that Tenya was in a complicated relationship with. 

Aoi calls y/n out that y/n doesn't accept compliments about her work 

Aoi can tell y/n to refer to her as Aoi

Chapter 6

y/n refers to Mina Ashido as Ashido instead of Mina, as she is not familiar with Mina. 

Her conversation with Bakugo is reduced. 

Chapter 7

A completely new chapter. 

Because she was hungover from last night, she makes some huge mistakes at work

She forgets about a photoshoot they were supposed to do for the new merch that they wanted to launch 

Tamaki gets overwhelmed by all the scents and noises and faints while y/n is in the bathroom throwing up

y/n feels that Tamaki doesn't fully trust her anymore and gets him a gift to make amends. 

Added a natural flow that connects to the convention event 

Chapter 8 

Reduced some redundant details 

Changed the timeline a little bit

Tenya calls her Kaola instead of Tagalong

The assistant at the end of the chapter asks her to help with the vendors about Fatgum's merch instead of audio issues

Chapter 9 

The email that y/n gets that causes her to sleep at the office has completely changed

changed the half-assed reason that Tamaki needs to be at the Fan meet to Fatgum's PR manager asking y/n to take over a major Charity committee that Fatgum originally signed up for but can no longer commit to.

This committee was a U.A. alumni charity campaign to raise money for Quirk Counseling

y/n was asked to take their place, including her being on the committee. 

Chapter 10

Nothing major. Reduced some redundant details.  

Grammatical errors. 

Chapter 11

Changed some redundant details. 

more natural conversation between y/n and Patch. 

Chapter 12

Matched details so that the fan meet was for the charity 

 Phantom Thief is now the replacement for Shouto instead of Grand, as the Charity is meant for Alumni of U.A

There was a Makeup artist who glared at y/n before, and she is also the reason that the photo was taken and uploaded

Chapter 13

Changed some redundant details

Bakugo yells at her for being stupid for not running out of the crowd because she couldn't do anything. 

Chapter 14 

Changed some redundant details. 

Chapter 15

Tenya has a different reason to complain about the show

Changed some redundant details. 

Chapter 16 

A little more details about

During breakfast, Patch and Tenya overfeed y/n 

y/n doesn't clock Kirishima right away 

Patch is a little more clumsy when greeting 

Chapter 17 

Changed some redundant details. 

Made a more natural way y/n teases Kirishima for the charm 

Patch insults Double Take better

Patch gives more information about what happened back home

Grammatical errors

Chapter 18 

Nothing major

Changed some redundant details. 

Grammatical errors

Chapter 19 

A little more detail about Momo

Changed some redundant details. 

Grammatical errors

Chapter 20 

Minor grammatical errors. 

If I missed anything, please let me know, and I will update the list. During the editing process, I have been so excited to continue because now I feel like I have some sense of direction to the end. I didn't have any end in mind, and I just kept writing with no goal. Now with the Charity committee, I feel like I have a goal. 

Thank you to everyone's kind words in the comments. You guys are truly the fuel that kept me going. I appreciate and love every one of you. I hope that the edits didn't change the story that you love too much for the worse. I hope all I did was make the story better. 

Taglist: @jujudadrippyomega31 @charityjoy22 @vynn01 @callmelovergirl

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Always Be My Hero Ch. 7

Summary: When Tenya and y/n were six, they were inseparable, their days filled with playdates arranged by their mothers, where Tenya played the brave hero rescuing her, even as they were teased about being a perfect pair. But everything changed when y/n moved to the States a year later, and after Tenya’s brother, Tensei, was paralyzed by the villain Stain, he focused entirely on becoming a hero, letting their connection fade as y/n quietly did the same. Five years later, she returns to Japan as Suneater’s project manager at Fatgum’s agency, and unsure of how it will feel to see Tenya again, she tries to avoid him, left wondering if distance has changed them too much to ever reconnect.

Masterlist | Also read on Ao3

< Chapter 6 | Chapter 8 >

y/n woke up with a head-splitting headache. She groaned into her pillow, smushing her cheek into the soft silk fabric. Her limbs felt twice as heavy as they normally would. Her mouth was as dry as a river. 

She fumbled around her blanket to find her phone. She didn’t want to think about going into work hung over. Just the thought of being assaulted by the fluorescent lights or the light clicking keyboards made her throw up in her mouth. y/n knew she had to eat something, but her stomach churned. Her fingers clinched the cold metal of her phone and clicked the home button. She squinted at the blinding screen. 

No, no, that can’t be right. That can not be the time right now. Her eyes snapped open. y/n threw the blankets up, tripping in the process. Her knees banged on the floor. She hissed as she tried to get back up. Without a second thought, she grabbed some clothes from the hamper and threw them on before rushing out the door.

She had never overslept before. Not once. Not in college, not after all the all-nighters she pulled. But she managed to sleep through all four of her alarms. 

By the time she made it to the office, she was an hour and a half late. 10:30 am mocked her from the digital clock that sat at the reception desk. Some co-workers greeted her, but she ignored them. She practically jumped into her chair and dragged herself in front of her desk to wake up her computer. There were so many unread emails and missed calls. She only had an hour to take photos for socials. 

No, that’s okay. I can push that to a different day. I can fix this. y/n gathered her unbrushed hair into a half-assed ponytail. She can fix this. She just needed to play catch-up. 

The rest of the morning blurred together. She caught up with most of her emails, but at some point the words started jumbling together. She sipped her now cold coffee when her phone buzzed against the desk. 

Patch: Did Red Riot kill you at the bar or something? 

y/n snorted in her coffee. She smiled despite herself. She swiped to open her messages.

And then she paused. 

Because the most recent person she texted was not Aoi, as she thought. But Tenya Iida. 

Oh God…how was she able to do that? There’s no way after all of these years he kept the same number. This has to be some cruel joke. Maybe Bakugo changed the contact names when he took her home? Not that stupid. Why would he waste his time like that? Fuck, and they all had read receipts under it. 

y/n slumped into her hands. “Do I need to move countries again?” 

“What?” Rei, an assistant in the business department, materialized in front of y/n’s door.  

“Nothing. What can I do for you, Rei?” 

“The driver called. He wanted to confirm the address for the photoshoot today?” 

y/n snapped her head up to look at her, her eyes wide, almost owlish. 

“What photoshoot?” 

Rei blinked in surprise. It was rare to catch y/n off guard. “For Suneater. To promote the new merch we’re about to launch.” 

y/n dropped her phone. It made a loud thud as it banged on the desk. No, that can’t be right. That photoshoot was scheduled for the 17th. She clicked through their emails to find the thread that contained the schedule confirmation. 

Technology must have been mocking her today. Because she had confirmed a photoshoot for the 7th, not the 17th. And today was the 7th. The horrifying realization settled over her with all the grace of a piano falling from a building. She had been a little preoccupied when trying to negotiate with Ichiran, but she didn’t realize she was so distracted that she missed something this big. 

“Well, shit.” 

Rushing Tamaki to a photoshoot neither of them was prepared for set back his progress three steps back, and it was noticeable. The studio was busy when they arrived. Every small sound caused Tamaki to jump like a kid walking through a haunted house. Assistants moved between racks of clothing. Makeup artists hurried past carrying makeup bags and brushes. Somewhere, a photographer was arguing with the lighting guy. 

As soon as they entered, y/n was bombarded with questions. 

“You’re 15 minutes late! You have to get ready now, or we lose the photographer.” 

“I have a mock up of some poses we can explore. Do you know what side is your good side, Suneater?” 

“Do you know what look we’re going for today?” 

For the first time since becoming Tamaki’s PR manager, a completely unprepared Tamaki stood beside her as she scrambled to answer all of their questions. y/n felt her stomach lurch and immediately knew she had to get out of there. 

“I am so sorry,” She said to no one and everyone at once, “Give me five minutes.” 

y/n ran to the bathroom. Five minutes to ten to fifteen minutes. They couldn’t wait for her any longer, and because she had forgotten to reserve a private room, Tamaki had to wait in the middle of the chaos. It was filled with too many people.

The sweet scent of hairspray lingered in the air, mixing with expensive perfume, hot studio lights warming freshly steamed clothes, coffee that had long since gone cold, and the faint chemical smell of makeup products; it all melded together in a sick cloud that overpowered all of Tamaki's senses. Each breath carried something different, and he tried to just focus on one to stop the impending panic, but he was stuck in it. The air felt thick. It was overwhelming enough that he found himself taking shallower breaths without realizing it. Usually y/n made sure he had somewhere quiet, somewhere he could breathe. But he was suffocating. The room wobbled as they whispered in the background.

y/n came out of the bathroom, wiping the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand twenty minutes later. The panic and lingering hangover caused all the stomach contents to spill into the toilet. She knew that she needed to hurry, but it was like she was anchored to the toilet bowl until her body decided it was ready to behave. 

She heard someone gasp as she made her way back to where she left someone. 

“Suneater!” 

Tamaki’s knee buckled, and he hit the floor with a sickening thud. 

“Somebody call the ambulance!” 

People rushed in from every direction, drawn by the commotion as though the studio itself had sounded an alarm. y/n rushed with them, pushing through assistants and makeup artists to get through to Tamaki. 

“Please move.” The crowd only pressed closer. 

“I said move!” The sharpness in her voice startled enough people that they finally parted. 

She dropped to her knees beside him. His face was an unnatural color, paler than his already pale skin. The harsh studio lights made him translucent. She lightly tapped the side of his face. 

“Tamaki?” No response. Her stomach twisted again. "Tamaki, wake up!" The panic laced in her voice. 

She reached for his wrist with trembling hands, relieved when she found a pulse. Thank god. Someone knelt beside her. She acknowledged them, but she barely looked at them.

This was her fault. She overwhelmed him today, leaving him alone with all these people. She didn’t limit the number of people for the shoot, didn’t stop to vet their scents, just left him to fend for himself. All because she got wasted at the bar with no food on a work night. She swallowed hard against the lump in her throat. This was her fault. 

y/n watched the doctor examine Tamaki from the window, looking into the room. Her phone buzzed for what felt like the hundredth time in her pocket. Managers asking for updates, or probably the studio asking to reschedule in order to launch the merch in time. 

Vultures. Every last one of them. At least let me confirm the man can still breathe before you hound me.

She ignored every single one. Her arms were crossed tightly against her chest. The door clicked open. The doctor patted Tamaki’s arm and walked towards the door. 

The doctor closed the door quietly behind him. He took the clipboard out from under his arm. She unwound her arms. 

“Is he ok?” The doctor gave her a reassuring smile. 

“He’ll be fine. He was just a bit overstimulated. His oxygen levels are a little low, and he needs to pay attention to his blood sugar, but he can go home to recover with a little rest.” 

Relief washed over her; she clenched on the windowsill for support. 

“Thank you so much, Doctor.” He gave her a polite nod and went off to check on more patients. She slipped quietly into the room. 

Tamaki looked impossibly small in the hospital bed. His civilian clothes had been replaced with a pale blue gown, black hair flattened against the pillow from where he’d been lying down. Tamaki shifted slightly against the pillow. 

“I’m so sorry, this was all my fault.” Tamaki blinked slowly at her. 

“You didn’t make me faint.” 

y/n shook her head. “I caused it, though. I left you alone with all of those people. I’ve been distracted because of Ichiran, and I did not prepare for anything today. You fainted because I couldn’t even do the one thing I was hired to do.” 

Her normally put-together appearance was dissolved and unkempt. She smelled vaguely of vomit. Her pants didn’t match her shirt; her ponytail had hair sticking out from different directions. 

“I’m the one in the hospital gown, and yet you look like you should be the one wearing it.” 

y/n casted her eyes down away from him. His fingers grazed her wrist softly. 

The room was quiet. Only the sound of y/n’s sniffles bounced off the wall. The sun was setting low, shining through the window blinds.

She felt sick. She had never made a mistake this big, not even when her boss overloaded her with projects. And she could tell it affected Tamaki more than he let on. He’s too kind to say it, but he didn’t trust her as much anymore. She had to atone somehow. 

She got to the office earlier than usual. She combed all of her emails and calendars with a fine-tooth brush. She triple-checked- no, quadruple-checked- everything and wrote back up reminders both on her phone and her laptop and in her notebooks. There will be no surprises that she couldn't handle in the future. She has to make sure of that. 

A soft knock on her door caught her attention. Tamaki stepped inside, dressed in a cotton shirt and jeans. He looked better, though the faint purple circles beneath his eyes suggested he had a hard time resting at home. She swallowed tightly. 

“Good morning.” She tried to say cheerfully. 

“...Morning.” His smile was polite, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“How are you feeling?” The pen in her hand wrapped rapidly tapped on her desk. Tamaki shrugged slightly.

“A little tired.” 

She nodded, pressing her lips tightly together. “Understandable given the day you had yesterday.” 

The wince in Tamaki’s eyes made her realize they were not exactly at the stage where they could joke about it. She slid a calendar across the desk. 

“I also printed your schedule for the next few weeks.” Her top teeth scraped her bottom lip. “ I - I am unsure if I can honor our original two-week notice. You’ve gotten pretty popular since we started.” 

He reached for it and then paused. 

“...Can I…” he hesitated. “...Can I look over it first?” 

y/n’s skin ran cold. It was not an unfair ask. She screwed up. He wasn’t trying to accuse her of anything, but he’d never doubted her before. He trusted her. She forced a smile that felt too tight around the edge. “Yeah, of course.” 

She watched anxiously as he rifled through the papers. 

“Everything looks good.” He murmured, finally handing it back.

"You made sure I don't have anything scheduled for today, right?" He asked cautiously. 

She vehemently nodded her head. "Nope! You are as free as a bird. You won't even see me today, I promise." 

Tamaki got up to leave but gave her a concerned look, "Just...don't overdo it, ok?" 

She gestured an exaggerated sailor's salute, and he finally left her office. She let out a large, exhsutive breath that she didn't know she was holding.

His eyes lingered on her for a second before leaving. 

The rest of the day went by without incident. The office passed by her windows in a blur. During lunchtime, she went out without saying a word to anyone. Tamaki didn’t see her come back when he left for his patrol. 

The office was just beginning to shut down when y/n slid back in. She went to every bakery in a two-mile radius. She scanned the glass display to find what she was looking for. And when she finally found it, she rushed back, hoping to catch Tamaki before he clocked out for the night.  She held the package in both hands with great care. She found Tamaki shutting down his office for the night. She softly knocked on the door frame. Tamaki turned to look at her as he hung his costumes.  

“You have a minute?” She asked. No one else was in the office, but she spoke like she didn’t want to disturb anyone. 

“y/n. I was wondering where you were.” 

She held out the small box. He took it, confused. “What’s this?” 

“A peace offering.” 

He tilted his head, shaking it as he opened the lid. “I told you, you don’t have to apologize anymore.” 

His eyes widened when he saw the treat. 

“How did you get Ichigo Daifuku?” He picked it up delicately. 

“I remembered you said it was your favorite.” She said. 

It was hard to find the Strawberry Mochi treat. It's out of season at the moment, but she finally found someone who let her put in a custom, rushed order to create the traditional dessert filled with sweet red bean paste with a soft and chewy mochi exterior. It cost her a fortune, but she felt that it was worth it. 

“You told me that you don't get to eat it as much as you wished when it’s in season because you prioritize eating for tactical use. I figured you deserved to indulge a little bit for being such a patient client so far.”

She watched as he took a small bite and instantly melted. 

“I can’t promise I’ll never make another mistake.” God, she wished she could. “But I can promise I will do everything I can to make sure you’re safe.” 

“Everyone makes mistakes, y/m.” 

“Maybe,” Her fingernails cut into her palm, “But I don’t get to. Not with the people that I work with.” 

He gave her a nonchalant shrug and lopsided smile. “Well, being a hero means getting back up and doing better.” He smirked as he used her words against her. He offered her one of the treats. “So, we’ll do better.” 

She picked up the treat. The plush mochi bounced under her finger pads. 

“Is now a good time to let you know that we were invited to speak on a panel at a convention?” He let out a laugh deep in his chest. 

“Let’s talk about it.” He gestured to a chair. 

y/n placed her bag on the floor and took out her laptop to show him the details.

< Chapter 6 | Chapter 8 >

[fandomarchive00]

Always Be My Hero Ch. 20

Summary: When Tenya and y/n were six, they were inseparable, their days filled with playdates arranged by their mothers, where Tenya played the brave hero rescuing her, even as they were teased about being a perfect pair. But everything changed when y/n moved to the States a year later, and after Tenya’s brother, Tensei, was paralyzed by the villain Stain, he focused entirely on becoming a hero, letting their connection fade as y/n quietly did the same. Five years later, she returns to Japan as Suneater’s project manager at Fatgum’s agency, and unsure of how it will feel to see Tenya again, she tries to avoid him, left wondering if distance has changed them too much to ever reconnect.

Masterlist | Also read on Ao3

< Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 (coming soon) >

“Hey, “ Tensei threw a greasy towel in Tenya’s direction. It hit the wall and slid to the concrete floor.

Tenya looked up at him.

Tensei stood beside one of his luxury cars, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, hands blackened with grease as he wiped his forehead sweat. He had just finished changing his oil. Soft rock played from an old radio on the top shelf. Tenya sat on the workbench and leaned against his knees. 

“I asked you to pass the lug wrench like five times. Where’s your head at?”

Tenya blinked at the tool in his hand, only then realizing he was still holding it. 

“Apologies, Tensei. I was just thinking.” Tensei took the tool and started working on changing out his tires. 

“A dangerous pastime,” Tensei teased. “Want to tell me what’s got you all stressed? You look like you’re miles away.” 

The open garage door welcomed a nice cool breeze from the light rain outside. A nice reprieve from the hot summer days they’ve been having lately. At first, Tenya insisted it was nothing, leaving Tensei to work on his car by himself while Tenya stewed in his own thoughts.

Y’n’s birthday party was nearly perfect. He had slipped right back into orbit around her as if no time had passed at all. Their teamwork during Taboo had felt effortless. 

It felt like he was at home. Which only made the ending of the night more confusing. Because the worst part wasn't Yaoyorozu's question. It was the look on y/n's face afterward. Sometime between Yaoyorozu asking him out and y/n excusing herself to get another drink, something had shifted. He kept catching himself looking for her across the room. Making sure she was still there. But she was perfectly fine. For some reason, that bothered him more than if she'd been angry.

“Ok, spill. I’m starting to worry your face is going to be stuck like that.” 

Tenya didn’t have to ask what he meant. He could feel the worry wrinkles on his forehead ache. 

“Does this have anything to do with Kaola’s birthday party last night?” Tensei guessed. Tenya chewed the inside of his cheek. 

“I may have found myself in a…difficult situation.” 

“Ah oh, you have lady problems?” 

Tenya glared at him. “Tensei.” 

“Sorry! Sorry, continue.” 

Tenya leaned his head back against the wall. “ I introduced y/n to my friends. Everyone was getting along. We teamed up and beat everyone in a game of Taboo. We were having fun. But then Ashido started teasing me about Momo. She kept saying we should just seal the deal and become a real couple. And then Momo unexpectedly asked me to go on a real date…” he shook his head. 

“And you said…” Tensei’s tone indicated that he wanted Tenya to say the right thing. 

“I’ll think about it.” Tensei groaned and hid his face in his hand. 

“I didn’t know what to say! Everyone was looking at us.” Tenya tried to justify. 

“At least tell me that this conversation didn’t happen in front of y/n?” Tenya stayed quiet, because he knew better than to lie. If the moment had merely been embarrassing, he would've forgotten it already. Instead, every time it replayed in his mind, his attention drifted back to y/n. How quiet she had become. How her smile barely reached her eyes. How distant she felt even though she was right next to him. 

Tensei looked deeply unimpressed.

“You’re a complete dumbass. You know that, right?” That felt like a fair statement.  

“Mom and I told you, you should end things with Momo after that awkward dinner with y/n. I don’t understand you, Tenya. What exactly are you running away from?” 

“I am not running away from anything!” Tenya denied. 

“Tenya, you entered a fake relationship to avoid your feelings. You’re at full throttle.” 

Tenya shut his eyes tight. “We didn’t think we were hurting anyone.” His voice was pleading. 

“Only yourselves.”

Ouch.

It was hard being scolded by Tensei. It made him feel so small. But Tensei is one of the few select people that could call him out on his bullshit, and something tells him that this was a conversation that Tensei has been wanting for years now. 

“I get it. You and Momo were lonely. It was easier using each other than facing whatever you were hiding from. But you have to stop before you end up hurting both of them.” 

Tenya frowned. “What do you mean?”

Tensei groaned, “Come on, Tenya, you can’t be that much of an idiot.” 

Apparently, he can be because he did not understand what Tensei was trying to say.

“Why do you think Momo asked you to take her on a real date?” 

Tenya’s brain was short-circuited.  It can’t be. That was never in the cards for them, he thought. She’s in love with Todoroki and he… No. That was the simple answer. There was no way. 

“She just said that because our friends were pressuring us,” Which is the exact reason he reacted the way he did. “We had an agreement. No feelings.” 

“Have you ever seen a friends-with-benefits movie? No one ever follows that rule.” 

But he did. Tenya never developed feelings. Ever. Sure, Momo was attractive, intelligent, kind, and dependable. She would make for a great partner. But when he imagined searching a crowded room and immediately feeling calmer once he found his person, Momo's face never appeared.

Tensei’s expression softened as he watched the inner turmoil swirl around Tenya. Without a word, he grabbed two orange juice boxes from the mini fridge and tossed one over. 

“Can I ask you something?” Tensei’s tone was warmer, no longer lecturing him for being an idiot (even though he deserved it) 

Tenya struggled to punch his straw through the foil. “Of course.” 

“Do you want to be in a real relationship with Momo?” 

“No.” Tenya blinked. Even he seemed surprised by how quickly the response came. He tried to picture it. Romantic dinners. Building a future together. The image wasn't unpleasant. It just felt wrong.

Tensei shrugged nonchalantly, “Then there is nothing to think about.” He took a sip of his juice. “You’re in love with y/n. I’ve known that since you both barely came up to my knee.” 

The certainty in Tensei’s words made it hard to deny. Not that he intended to. He had tried to deny it once. He chalked it up to childhood nostalgia. Teenage Tenya didn’t know anything about love anyway. But reconnecting as an adult sparked that flame that refused to die. 

“It’ll be troublesome if I tell her now." Tenya admitted, "She has too much on her plate. Plus, she doesn’t feel the same.” 

Tensei barked out a laugh.

“What?” Tenya asked. 

“Oh, you’re hopeless.” 

“Tensei, I’m serious.” Tenya insisted.

Tensei held up his hands in surrender. “Fine. But whether she likes you or not isn’t the point.” 

Tenya’s eyebrows scrunched together. “It’s not?” 

“The point is that you’re deciding what’s best for her without asking.” Tenya’s mouth hung open, ready to protest, but Tensei continued. 

“You decided y/n was better off without you when you were teenagers,” Tensei stated, “And now you’re making her choice for her again.” 

And all it did was hurt them for almost a decade and lose all that time that could’ve been spent together. 

“Maybe you’re right. Maybe right now is not the right time to tell her.” Tensei said, “Be her friend. Support her in any way she needs. But stop acting like your feelings are some burden she can’t handle. You are too old to be playing games like that.” 

Tensei took one big sip of his juice box, draining it clean before throwing it in the trash can. 

“Now, what are you going to do?” Tensei asked. 

“First,” Tenya cleared his throat to exude more confidence, “I will speak to Momo honestly. She deserves that much.” He took a moment to breathe, “And then I’m going to support y/n through this whole Double Take situation. She shouldn’t have to do it alone.” 

“And eventually?” Tensei prompted. Tenya straightened his shoulders. His heart immediately accelerated.  

“And eventually, when the time is right, I will tell her the truth.” He admitted. 

Tensei clapped Tenya on his right shoulder. “I knew you weren’t a complete idiot. Just don’t give her a 15-minute-long formal speech.” 

Tenya looked away. 

“You were already thinking of one, weren’t you?”

“...I may have already mentally drafted it.” 

“Delete it. Now.”

< Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 (coming soon) >

Taglist: @jujudadrippyomega31 @charityjoy22 @vynn01 @callmelovergirl

[fandomarchive00]

Always Be My Hero Ch. 2

Masterlist | Read on Ao3

< Chapter 1 | Chapter 3 >

y/n was the first person he called when he got his acceptance letter.  She was so excited for him. She screamed loud enough to have him pull the phone from his ear. 

“Tenya! I am so proud of you!” She squealed, “You’re going to kick ass at the school, I just know it!” He laughed and chided her for her use of foul language. Again. 

“You know you can congratulate me without using profanity?” 

“Aw, but it’s so fun when you get all flustered after I do it.” 

He was surprisingly nervous for his first day at U.A. The engine keychain jingled on his school backpack. He heard a ding on his phone. 

Good luck on your first day of classes, Tenya! Can’t wait for those kids to learn just how much of a badass you are. I’m cheering for you!

Tenya beamed at the message. She probably stayed up all night so she could send him that text.

Thank you, y/n. I'll do my best. Go to sleep.

He quickly typed out his message before adjusting the straps of his backpack. The nerves were mysteriously forgotten. 

“Soooooo, how is U.A?” y/n asked. 

Tenya’s first week at U.A was a humbling one. He came into class with so much confidence. But once Aizawa-sensei had them do a quirk assessment, he was woefully unprepared for everyone’s strengths. He knew at some level that everyone in his class was going to be strong; he had to be to enroll in 1-A, but he was not prepared for how strong they would be compared to him. Yes, he might have had a leg up on some of his classmates from training with pro-heroes most of his life, but some were just stronger than him.

 What was he supposed to say? He couldn’t admit to her that he wasn’t the strongest. She was so invested in him becoming a hero, but would it be disappointing knowing that others could be better heroes for her to look up to? 

“Helloo?? Earth to Tenya?” Her voice snapped him out of his spiral. 

“Sorry y/n. I was lost in thought for a moment.” He said, “Classes are good. I have made a few friends already. Everyone seemed very nice.” Well…not everyone. But Tenya didn’t have the energy to delve into some of his classmates' questionable behaviors.

“Hmmm.” Ah-oh. That was her ‘I see through you’ tone.

“That’s it? Everyone seems nice? Come on, Tenya, you are clearly hiding something from me. Which is not cool. What is it?” 

Tenya sighed. Why did he think that he could hide anything from her? 

“Well…it’s just that some of my classmates are really impressive. One of them is the son of the #2 hero! Another has a quirk so strong that it broke his finger. I just…don’t know how I could compete with such heavy hitters like that.” 

y/n was silent for a moment, which made Tenya more nervous. 

“If you’re talking about Endeavor, he is a flaming pile of shit, so don’t you dare compare yourself to his spawn. And second, that kind of sounds like the kid doesn’t have control of his quirk. You clearly know your quirk very well, so you’re already better than that kid. Don’t let that be something that stops you. I know you will be able to run circles around those dorks. Pun definitely intended.” Tenya laughed. The pressure in his chest eased. 

“You think heroes are just the strongest people?” She added, “Because I don’t. Being a hero means you’ll always get up and do your best. So get back up, Tenya, and do better!” 

He let out a quiet laugh, more breath than sound, “You make it sound so simple.”

“Because it is you overthinking, idiot.”

  He smiled into the phone, already feeling better. She always saw things about him that he just…couldn’t. That mattered more than everything. 

“...Hey.” He said quieter. 

“Yes?” 

“Thank you.” 

“For what?” 

He hesitated. For seeing him. For believing in him. For having unwavering support for his dreams. 

“For reminding me,” he settled on. 

She hummed, satisfied, “You can trust me, Iida. I will always be there for you.” 

A warm silence stretched throughout the rest of the call. This time, they didn’t mind it; it wasn’t awkward, and no one was trying to fill it. In that silence, Tenya realized one fundamental thing. 

y/n was the only person who could steady his racing mind. Her opinion mattered more than anyone else’s, and if he failed, disappointing her would be the end of him. She was more important to him than he thought. He had to get better. He had to become better to be a hero. For himself and for…her. 

“I’ll do better tomorrow.” 

“I know you will,” She replied. 

A month later, y/n’s mom broke the news that U.A was attacked at the U.S.J. Tenya’s class was swarmed by enemies, and their teacher was badly injured. y/n’s never felt fear that strongly before. She tried calling him, knowing that he probably won’t be able to answer due to the time in Japan. The only news she got was from his mom.

“Tenya?” 

y/n didn’t sleep that night. She was waiting all day for his phone. The call barely finished its first ring before she accepted his call. 

“Hi, Koala.” y/n hasn’t heard that nickname in a long time. A childhood name that she earned by always asking Tensei, and then Tenya when he was big enough piggy back ride. Tenya rarely used it now that they turned into teenagers.

“Are you alright?” She couldn’t hide her concern. He didn’t answer. His shallow breaths echoed from the speaker. 

“Tenya? What happened? Can you please-”

“Can we please just talk about something else?” y/n was confused. His class was just attacked by enemies, and she had been worried ever since she found out. Why would she want to talk about anything else? 

“Tenya? No, I need to know if you’re ok-” 

“Please, y/n.” He sounded so broken. So defeated. y/n pressed down her own panic. Tenya needs her now. It’s not the time to fuss. She swallowed down as much as she could. 

“Did I tell you that I got a piece displayed at the Century Center today?” 

The rest of the night, Tenya just heard her talk about her art. Her soothing voice was enough to calm the nightmarish events that he experienced in the last 48 hours. They talked until he fell asleep, but y/n didn’t hang up when he heard his soft snores. She kept him on the line, listening to every snore just to make sure that he was still alive. That he was still there and he was fine. 

“Do we have to stay up for the whole thing?” y/ns mom yawned as she sank deeper into the couch. y/n threw a kernel at her Mom as she rounded the corner from the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn. 

“You should be ashamed. Tenya is your best friend’s son. You should be excited to cheer him on.” From the corner of her eye Mom gave her wiggly eyes. It took everything within herself not to roll her eyes.

“You mean it has nothing to do with the fact that you are worried about Tenya?” y/n was glad for the dark shadows, or her mom couldn't see the flustered expression on her face. 

“It’s not a crime to support a friend.” Her mom laughed, but let the subject go. Glad that her mom was done teasing her, y/n changed the subject. 

“I can’t believe they allow his class to participate after the U.S.J attack,” she grumbled, “Look at their teacher! He’s practically a mummy!”

Right on cue, the camera panned to the announcement tower, showing pro-heroes Present Mic and Eraserhead, who, in fact, was still bandaged head to toe. Mom giggled through her palm. She was promptly hit on the arm.

“Don’t laugh! That fight almost killed him. I’m surprised he could even get up to the tower.” 

Mom placed a hand on y/n’s arm, an attempt to slow her down. y/n was not worried for the pro-hero. Eraserhead was a seasoned professional. He’s probably used to getting his ass beat and having to get back up the next day. But the students? Must they really be paraded around for a vanity competition?

“y/n, you wouldn’t understand because you never learned the significance of the festival or U.A in Japan. It’s not just a school event. After the attack, people are scared. They need to know that the heroes can still protect them. If the top hero school looks shaken, what does that say to the rest of the country? That even the future heroes aren’t safe? That they can’t protect anyone? Tenya and all the other students choose to stand in front of the whole world and prove that they are not afraid, and that they are ready for whatever comes at them. Plus Ultra and all that, right?” Mom lifted her fist halfway into the air. 

She understood what she was saying, but it didn’t stop her from clenching the couch pillow as the camera panned to the students coming through the tunnel, announcing the start of the festival. 

Tenya’s classmates were impressive. At the start of the foot race, there was a clear difference between the students in 1-A and everyone else. They did not hesitate. They were confident and followed through with their plans. There was an obvious advantage, and Mom’s words really sank in to her as she watched on. y/n cheered on for Tenya, excited whenever the camera would catch his fleeting figure. Despite his engine quirk, which should give him an edge over most students, Tenya placed sixth in the race. 

“Jeez, the kid has gotten fast. I don’t remember his dad being that fast at his age.” 

Although y/n agreed, she could see Tenya’s tight expression. He was frustrated. 

The next challenge showcased their quirks on a different level. Each team for the cavalry race was strategically formed, and even though the winner of the last race was at a clear disadvantage with a disproportionate point count, his team held its own. Tenya teamed up with the second winner of the race, the son of Endeavor. He was the perfect teammate for this challenge. 

“Yes! Go Tenya! I knew you could do it!” You jumped off the couch. The popcorn bowl flew out of her lap, waking up Mom. Mom sleepily clapped, not knowing what they were celebrating. Tenya showed off a new move, Recpro Blast, one passed down by his brother, a move that she could tell he spent hours working on. Tenya’s team won, qualifying for the next stage. 

The first match with Tenya was painful to watch. It was a glorified commercial for his opponent, a girl from one of the support classes. y/n watched between her fingers as the girl showed off her “babies” using Tenya as an unconsenting model. When she was finally done, she voluntarily stepped out of the ring, granting him a hollow victory. 

His next match was faster this time. He immediately activated Recipro Blast to push the nature student out of the ring. It was not as flashy or entertaining as the matches before him, but the pride still swelled in y/n’s chest.

It was his last match that caused y/n to sit on the edge of her seat. Tenya easily dodged his opponent's ice wall. He was quick to cover his right side, freezing the ground, forcing Tenya between the two walls. Thinking he’s got Tenya trapped, he shoots another attack, but this time, Tenya leaped into the air. y/n’s heart stuttered at his determined face.

Tenya has always been her hero. There was no doubt in her mind about that. But watching him now, fighting with everything he’s got, pushing forward against an opponent who he claimed was stronger, it all felt real. He wasn’t the kid she grew up with. They were no longer pretending he was a hero. This boy was steady, unyielding. He demonstrated to everyone something y/n has always known. 

Tenya didn’t win, but Mom watched y/n be captivated by his fight. The glow of the tv screen highlighted the shift in her daughter’s gaze. When the match was over, she snuck a text to her best friend, poking fun at how she might win the bet. 

y/n cleaned the popcorn sprawled out on the floor when Mom’s phone lit up. She answered with a lighthearted tone, getting ready to compliment her son, when she was cut off with a cry.

“Aoi?” Mom questioned, “What’s wrong?” 

“It’s Tensei,” Aoi sobbed, “He’s been attacked. Sora…he can’t feel his legs.” 

Sora schooled all of her reactions to not alarm y/n. She walked to the other side of the house to comfort her friend in hushed tones. Sora didn’t let y/n know until the next day. It broke her heart to see her daughter cry as she continuously tried to call Tenya, but he never replied. The boy had completely iced her out.

When All for One forced Japan to hide, all she could do was tearfully watch as kids her age fought to stop an absolute evil. Every time the camera caught Tenya's bloody face, her breath hitched. Every stumble caused something deep to twist. But he stood back up, and he kept fighting, fear mixed with pride. She watched with silent tears as he pushed past his broken body to burst through miles of cities to launch Shouto into an inferno.

When the TV finally declared defeat, relief melted the tension in her muscles. Cheers from her family and the neighbors ran through her ears. The whole world was celebrating, but y/n couldn’t look away from his battered face. Her fingers grazed the screen, like she was trying to reach through the glass to cradle his face. 

He did it. Tenya’s a hero. She smiled to herself. He did that all on his own. After all these years, he never really needed her. She was happy for her friend. This generation’s Ingenium. The world has him now, has him to rely on. 

She laughed once, bitter & soft. She allowed the tears to fall on her lap. 

“You did it,” She whispered amongst the celebration. 

That night, she made a promise to herself. She resigned that he no longer needed her and that she could live with that; she had to. Her unacknowledged feelings would stay that way, buried deep where she could no longer access them, and she let everything go. His voice, his smile, the memories that they shared- a version of him she was no longer entitled to. She wrote it off as a juvenile feeling and hoped that was enough to make everything fade. 

I watched the whole thing. I always knew you could do it. I’m really proud of you. 

Send.

< Chapter 1 | Chapter 3 >

[fandomarchive00]

Always Be My Hero Ch. 1

Summary: When Tenya and y/n were six, they were inseparable, their days filled with playdates arranged by their mothers, where Tenya played the brave hero rescuing her, even as they were teased about being a perfect pair. But everything changed when y/n moved to the States a year later, and after Tenya’s brother, Tensei, was paralyzed by the villain Stain, he focused entirely on becoming a hero, letting their connection fade as y/n quietly did the same. Five years later, she returns to Japan as Suneater’s project manager at Fatgum’s agency, and unsure of how it will feel to see Tenya again, she tries to avoid him, left wondering if distance has changed them too much to ever reconnect.

Masterlist | Also read on Ao3

Chapter 2 >

“Oh, please! Will someone save me!” A small child dramatically called out, her hand resting on her forehead. She stood on a makeshift island of various blankets and pillows on the floor of the Iida's living room. Piles of toys were haphazardly scattered around y/n. Aoi Iida believed they were supposed to be flames or maybe building rubble. She struggled to hide her amusement behind her teacup as her son zoomed into the room, cape flying behind him.

“Don’t worry, lovely lady! Ingemium has arrived!” Tenya announced. His little voice boomed with bravery. His little fists balled on his hips, a wide smile painted on her face. y/n squealed with delight.

“My hero!”

Yn’s mom, Sora y/n, snorted in her tea. Aoi slapped her knee. Both women burst out in laughter at their children’s adorable play. The pair turned to their moms, clearly unimpressed.

“Mom!” Y/n whined, “You promised you wouldn’t laugh this time! This is very important training for Tenya when he grows up to be a great and fearless hero.”

Sora tried to control herself, but her daughter’s scrunched-up face incited another burst of laughter.  Yn stomped over and weakly slapped her mom’s thigh. Sora eventually caught her breath. She bent over and picked up y/n, whose bottom lip puckered out.

“You are right, my love. I am so sorry,” She apologized. “You are a very good friend for helping Tenya.” This seemed to have pleased the seven-year-old. Y/n snuggled into her mom’s arm, but kept her arms crossed and maintained a deep pout. 

“I am a good friend,” she mumbled against her mom’s skin, “And when I grow up, Tenya will save everyone! He’ll be a better hero than stinky Tensei!”

“Hey!” The older son protested from the kitchen. The poor young man only entered the kitchen to grab a juice box after his workout. y/n poked her head to look over her mother’s shoulder. She stuck out her tongue and pulled down her bottom right eye. He retaliated. 

Tenya, not bothered by his mother’s laughter and ignoring his brother, nodded determinedly. “I’ll be so fast nothing will ever harm y/n."

Aoi ruffled his midnight blue hair. “You are a kind, sweet Tenya. I just know you’ll be a stronger hero than  your father and brother.” 

“Is anyone on my side?” Tensei whispered to himself as he walked back into the garage. No one responded to him. 

The pride shone through Tenya’s eyes. The dream of a good future reflected brightly in his eyes.  To her side, Aoi caught the mischievous gleam in Sora’s eyes. Sora choked her head, warning her that they shouldn’t tease them, but Aoi couldn’t bite back her smile either. Wouldn’t it be so fun though? 

“Oh Tenya, I am so relieved to hear my daughter will marry such a strong and noble hero,” y/n’s mom squeezed the red cheeks of her child, “I can die happily knowing my daughter will be sooo well taken care of.”

Tenya’s cheeks bloomed bright red, the tips of his ears hot.

“M-marry?! Who said anything about marriage? Marriage is gross!” 

“Gross! Mom! Tenya has germs!” 

Both children paused and processed what the other said. Which led to them yelling over each other. One was offended that the other wouldn’t want to marry them, even though they also don’t want to marry. Aoi and Sora exchanged a knowing look. They continued to watch their children argue. Somewhere in the arguing, the children grabbed each other’s hands. Even when they were mad at each other, they were stitched together. An unspoken bet formed between the two women. 

One year later

“What do you mean you’re moving?” Tenya asked. y/n’s face was splotchy from constant crying. It felt like she had been crying for years.

“Mom said that she got a stupid job in the States and we have to move at the end of the month.” y/n struggled to say through the sobs. Her throat scratched from raw emotions. Tenya froze in the entrance of his friend’s house. His best friend, his only friend, was leaving him?

“But…but why does that mean you have to leave? You could just live with my mom and me. You can have Tensei's room! He doesn’t need it. Mom’s been begging him to move out! I’m sure she would say yes.” 

“I already asked. My mom said no.”

Tenya hated the tremble that took over y/n’s tiny frame. For once, he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know how to comfort his friend.

“But you’re supposed to watch me become a great and powerful hero?” Tenya’s chest ached. Tenya’s mom squeezed his shoulder as a comfort, but he shrugged her off.

He glared at the adults. How dare they separate them! He grabbed his friend’s hand and dragged her up the stairs to her room.

When they entered her room, he slammed the door shut. He turned around to check on her when he noticed the boxes. The room was practically empty. Only her bed and a bare desk were left in the room. He inhaled hard and squeezed her hand tighter. He saw the stuffed penguin he got her for her last birthday on top of one of the boxes, and he bawled.

y/n was startled. She wasn’t sure if she had ever seen him cry this hard. Not even when Tensei came home with a broken leg, and Tenya thought they had to cut it off.  For the next hour, both children cried on each other, clinging to each other until Sora and Aoi opened the door, only to find them passed out on the floor, clinging to each other.

At the airport, Tenya had a death grip on his mother’s hand. She told him he had to be brave for y/n. Moving to another country would be very scary for her, and it was important that Tenya was happy for his friend, so that y/n wouldn’t be sad.

Tenya didn’t want to make his friend sad. He also didn’t want to see his friend leave. But his mom told him that he had to be a hero today, to show her how to be brave.

At the gate, they would not let go of each other’s hands. They did everything to distract from the inevitable. They read each other’s favorite manga. They shared a bag of chips. They ran around the terminal and pretended to be anywhere but the airport. But nothing stopped the flight attendant from announcing that passengers were now boarding.

Tenya stood by the door, squeezing y/n’s hand.

“Promise you’ll call?”

“Every day.”

“...Promise to wait for me?” Tenya held down the tears burning his eyes. He put on a big wobbly smile. You have to be brave, Tenya. 

“I promise." She smiled back. It was small and bittersweet, but she gave him one last big hug. Before she boarded, she handed him a keychain. It was a chrome engine that revved when he pressed the button. A reminder that he was her hero.

He waved goodbye as he watched her walk down to the plane. When the plane took off, he ran past the windows, looking out to the runway. He ran faster and faster until the plane took off into the sky. Tenya dropped to his knees and let out all of the crocodile tears that he was holding back. He helplessly watched his best friend fly thousands of miles away from him. 

Tenya kept his promise over the years. He never stopped training, and his conviction to become a hero grew stronger since she left. Maybe if he got fast enough, he could run across the ocean and then separate them. He called as much as he could. There were times when one of them would fall asleep on the phone, while the other had to get ready for school that day. The different time zones make them miss each other often. But they managed to stay close. 

“They were so mean, Tenya.” y/n called Tenya early in the morning. According to his math, she just got out of school. y/n was 9 years old, and Tenya just turned 10 and a half. 

“ Everyone showed off their quirk, and everyone was so impressed, but when it was my turn, everyone laughed at me!” Through her rushed words, and the fact that he was still waking up, Tenya had a hard time understanding what she was saying. But he knew what she was referring to. Unfortunately, this was a challenge that y/n encountered with every new school that she would enroll in. And she changed schools a lot. 

“I am so sorry, y/n. What did you end up showing them?” 

“ I wanted to show them my sketchbook. I drew all of their favorite heroes, but they didn’t care. All they wanted to know was what my quirk was, and when I couldn’t show them, they just kept laughing. It felt like they were doing it for the whole period.” 

“What was the teacher doing?” 

“The teacher was fucking-” 

“y/n.” Moving to the U.S has made y/n’s language vulgar, and it was one of the only things he would change about her. 

“Sorry,” he could hear the shame through the phone, and it made him feel bad that he made her feel bad, “But the teacher was useless! All she did was yell at them to stop, but of course they didn’t let them.” 

y/n muttered something under her breath, which Tenya was not able to catch. 

“What was that? I didn’t hear you.” He asked. 

“If I had a quirk, do you think I would have a friend by now? No one wants to talk to me because of my accent, and if I had something interesting to show them, maybe they would notice me.” 

Tenya was never one to resort to violence, but hearing those words come out of her mouth made him want to run across the world to punch whoever was making her sad. 

“y/n, you are one of the most interesting people I know.” He stated. His tone was so sure. There was no room to argue. “You are funny. You tell the greatest stories. Your art should be hung up in museums. If those kids don’t see your worth, then they are not worthy of you. You don’t need a quirk to be somebody.” 

For a moment, he could only hear her sniffling on the other line. It hurt that he couldn’t hold her like he wanted to right now. 

“You’re my best friend, Tenya. I wish you were here right now.”

“Don’t worry. I’m going to be accepted at U.A and will become the greatest hero ever. And when I’m making a lot of money, I’ll bring you back home to me.”

Chapter 2 >

Author's note:

Hiiiiii! Thank you for clicking on my story!! I am a little frustrated with myself b/c I was inspired to write this from a song that randomly shuffled on my Spotify, and now I can't remember which one it was! If I remember it, I will go back and add it to the story summary or something.

Some of the chapters will be inspired by a song, and I will link it in the chapter notes in the beginning if that were the case.

I appreciate you giving me the time and day, and I hope to hear what you think so far in the comments. I'll see you at the next update!

[fandomarchive00]

Always Be My Hero Masterlist

When Tenya and y/n were six years old, they were inseparable. Their moms were best friends at U.A and they just loved setting up little play dates with their children. Tenya would play the big and brave hero who would come and save the scared y/n. Don't tell them, but they often teased them about being a good-looking couple. The children never understood it, didn't they know it was super important hero training for Tenya?

A year later, the play dates had to end, as y/n and her family were moving to the States. They promised to stay in touch until Tenya got the news that his brother, Tensei, was paralyzed by a villain named Stain. And although he had unnamed feelings for his childhood friend, it was more important for him to focus on his journey to becoming a hero. And y/n knew that. So they grew apart.

Until eight years later, when y/n gets a job as the project manager for Suneater, a Pro-hero at Fatgum's agency, bringing her back to Japan. Unsure how she would feel seeing Tenya again after all these years, she attempts to reject Kirishima's invitation to after work bar visits. Will she be successful in avoiding him? Or will her heart break when she realizes they are completely different people?

Also read on Ao3

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Author's Note: Hiiiiii! Thank you for clicking on my story. :) I am a little frustrated with myself b/c I was inspired to write this from a song that randomly shuffled on my Spotify, and now I can't remember which one it was! If I remember it, I will go back and add it to the story summary or something.

Please let me know if you would like to be added to the taglist for future updates. Or you can subscribed to the "Always Be My Hero" on Ao3.

Taglist: @jujudadrippyomega31 @charityjoy22 @vynn01 @callmelovergirl

[fandomarchive00]

Always Be My Hero Ch. 19

Summary: When Tenya and y/n were six, they were inseparable, their days filled with playdates arranged by their mothers, where Tenya played the brave hero rescuing her, even as they were teased about being a perfect pair. But everything changed when y/n moved to the States a year later, and after Tenya’s brother, Tensei, was paralyzed by the villain Stain, he focused entirely on becoming a hero, letting their connection fade as y/n quietly did the same. Five years later, she returns to Japan as Suneater’s project manager at Fatgum’s agency, and unsure of how it will feel to see Tenya again, she tries to avoid him, left wondering if distance has changed them too much to ever reconnect.

Masterlist | Also read on Ao3

< Chapter 18 | Chapter 20 >

With everything that has been going on, y/n completely forgot that today was her birthday. She was surrounded by familiar but unknown faces. Had all of Class 1-A come for this surprise birthday party? How’d they know? Apart from a handful of people, she knows nobody here. She plastered on her best polite smile, the feelings of being uncomfortable threatening to take over. When she scanned the room, everyone was watching with excited, waiting faces. She side-eyed Patch, who had her head in her hands in a disapproving manner. Kirishima had a wide, proud smile. 

y/n held up her hands, unconsciously shaking them like jazz hands, and let out her best excited scream. 

“Wow!” Her voice was a little strained, “Thank you so much!” 

This was apparently all she needed to do for everyone to go back to mingling amongst themselves, leaving her alone at the doorway. She turned to Patch, eyes communicating, “What the fuck is going on?” Patch shrugged, arms flinging in the air. 

“I am so sorry,” Patch said, “I told Kirishima your birthday was coming up and he said he would handle it. I thought that meant a small gathering with some of your co-workers, not the majority of the heroes on the top 20 charts!”

y/n tried to resist face-palming. Kirishima came up to them, swinging his arms to encase both of their shoulders; y/n cringed at the alcohol laced in his breath. 

“Happy birthday to the best PR manager in the world!” His words slurred with every vowel, and each word switched between English and Japanese. 

“Come on!” Everyone is waiting to meet the famous y/n y/l/n.” Kirishima pulled her towards the crowd. She watched as Patch mouthed an “I’m so sorry!” 

The music wasn’t loud, but it was enough to have a hard time hearing conversations. People were scattered all over the house. Some played card games in the living room on the couch, others were having conversations leaning against the wall, more were outside playing drinking games in the background. It was the very picture of a typical house party. The tour de y/n was overwhelming. Sure, she met some of his classmates at the bar, but that felt like forever ago. Kirishima got increasingly louder with each introduction, and with each one, he would exaggerate her accomplishments. 

Finally, Kirishima’s attention is pulled to the other side of the house, leaving y/n to be able to breathe and navigate towards the snack area. There she sees Fatgum holding his own bowl of nachos. 

“Hey, Boss.” y/n reached to grab her alcohol can of choice. 

“Are you enjoying the party?” The alcohol bubbled in her chest as she took a sip. 

“Yes, thank you for opening your home for this.” y/n did her best to sound sincere, despite the uncomfortable feeling of being paraded around to Japan’s best of the best. 

Fatgum smirked, knowing that she was just being polite. “I thought you deserved to let loose a little bit. You’ve had a hard week. Don’t forget to have fun!” 

He then pointed behind her. “I think someone wants to talk to you. He’s been sneakily looking over here ever since you escaped Kirishima.” 

y/n looked behind her. Tenya was leaning against a wall, talking to two people in front of him. She discreetly swallowed hard. He was just wearing a plain-collared shirt, solid blue with a few buttons undone at the top. Her eyes trailed the line of his broad shoulder, the curve of his muscles, his biceps. His triceps. His forearms. Just so many muscles. She had to rip her eyes away from his hands as she caught him staring as well. He gave her a boyish smile. His hands gave her a timid wave. y/n waved back, cheeks warm from embarrassment. God, I hope he didn’t catch her ogling him like that. She didn’t say goodbye to Fatgum before walking towards him. 

When she slid by his side, Tenya pulled her into a side hug. He leaned down towards her ear. Her skin tingled upon contact. 

“Happy birthday.” He whispered. His voice was low. She tried not to let her fluster become apparent. 

y/n already met one of his friends. She pointed a finger with the hand holding her can. 

“Hey, House Arrest!” Midoriya’s whole face instantly reddened. The woman next to him giggled girlishly. Her round face and big eyes made y/n guess she was the Gravity Hero, Uravity. Tenya also chuckled, his body moving ever so slightly next to hers. He hadn’t moved yet. 

“Oh, you’re the woman I met at U.A!” Midoriya finally connected, “I didn’t realize you were close to Iida.” 

“You two have met already?” Tenya asked. y/n nodded, taking a sip of her drink. 

“Tamaki was invited to do an interview back at U.A and we briefly met in the hallway.” 

“She was looking at our class photos. I should’ve known that you knew Iida from the way you were talking to yourself.” y/n coughed mid-sip, causing her drink to go down the wrong pipe. Tenya patted her on the back. 

“What were you talking to yourself about?” Was he teasing her?

“Probably that you had a stick up your ass during your time as a class president.” The woman joked. 

“Doesn’t he still?” y/n quipped back. The three laughed as Tenya stuttered to defend himself. 

“I’m Ochaco Uraraka.” She gave a slight bow, “It’s nice to finally meet you. Iida was just telling us all about you and how you grew up together.” 

“I hope only good things,” y/n pinched Tenya’s side, “Remember, I knew you in middle school. I know a lot of embarrassing things about you too.” 

“I wouldn’t dare make fun of you on your birthday. Tomorrow? We’ll see how nice you are to me.” He squeezed her closer to him, his fingertips lightly pressing to her side. 

“I don’t mean to be rude, but I swear I’ve seen you before.” Uraraka scanned her face inquisitively. 

“Well, have you been on the internet? I’ve been quite famous lately.” y/n tried to make light of the current situation. Uraraka just shook her head, inching closer until she was a breath away from y/n’s face. 

“No, no, that’s not it.” She mumbled. 

“I thought the same thing when I first met her!” Midoriya said. Tenya nearly choked on his drink. He realized something before they did. 

“ANYWAYS!” He said far too loudly, “y/n, are you enjoying the party so far-” 

“I got it!” Uraraka snapped her fingers, “You’re the girl from Iida’s pictures!” 

Tenya groaned, hiding his face with his beer can. y/n stared at her, face frozen in time. His grip on her tightened marginally. y/n turned her head to look at him. 

“What pictures?” y/n asked, more towards Tenya than Uraraka. Midoriya’s eyes brightened in recognition. 

“You’re right! Iida only decorated his room with like two things, and one of them was your pictures!” 

“Yes! There was one where you were in the park together as kids. Some selfies of you in front of a school. I’m pretty sure he taped a picture of him as Tuxedo Mask and you as Sailor Moon together too.” 

y/n remembered that day. She begged Tenya to do a matching costume for a Halloween party she was invited to. He didn’t understand why because he was obviously not invited, but y/n cried until he finally agreed. She spent the whole party showing everyone his picture to prove that she was part of a pair. It was brutal. She got made fun of, but she was so happy that she got to do something with her friend. 

Uraraka kept going, entirely unaware that with each description she was slowly killing Tenya. 

“Uraraka,” Tenya pleaded, “Please.” 

This time, Midoriya chimed in. “We used to study in his room all the time. Whenever we asked about you, he would get so cagey. I think the first time Ka-chan saw them he asked if he had a girlfriend. Iida was so flustered he couldn’t finish coherent sentences for hours.”

y/n couldn’t help but double over laughing at the image. Tenya was doing his best to keep hold of her, but her laughter took over everything. Her stomach felt warm, and she couldn’t exactly tell why. Maybe it was a mix of the few sips of alcohol on an empty stomach. But if she was honest with herself, the confirmation that he did miss her as much as she missed him was enough to wash away any leftover insecurity she had about their newly healed relationship. 

She eventually calmed down, straightening back up and wiping a stray tear away from her cheek. Tenya’s face was bright red. He turned his face away from y/n. She could tell that she was hiding behind his glasses. 

“Oh, Tenya, if I knew how much you missed me, I would’ve tried harder to reach out.” 

Still refusing to look at her, Tenya said, “Well, I also could’ve gotten over myself and replied to your texts.” 

y/n patted his chest in comfort. 

“I can’t believe you hid her away from us this whole time!” Uraraka said, pulling y/n towards her. The absence of his touch on her skin felt cold. Even when pulled into a side hug by Uraraka, he held firm on y/n’s fingertips. 

“ALRIGHT NERDS!” Mina shouted from the living room, as chaotic as a hurricane, “Who wants to get this party started with a round of Taboo!” 

Uraraka was already pulling y/n towards the couch, claiming her as part of her team. Obviously, Tenya and Midoriya were the other half of their team. y/n scanned the room looking for Patch. Sinking on the other side of the couch, Tenya leaned into her ear again. 

“Don’t worry, it seems Patch and Kirishima are in their own game in the backyard.” 

Sure enough, y/n could see Patch and Kirishima engaged in an intense beer pong competition behind the screen door leading outside. She leaned into Tenya, lips barely brushing his earlobe. 

“They look good together, don’t they?” she asked. Patch laughed, the bottom of her shirt soaked from Kirishima knocking over one of the beer cups. 

“Definitely an interesting pair.” y/n giggled, lightly slapping his arm. 

A terse “ah-hem” interrupted their moment, reeling Tenya and y/n back in a room full of people. She wasn’t sure who it was, but it came towards the area where y/n could see Momo sip her drink.

Mina went around passing out the cue cards to each team. She grinned tightly at Tenya and y/n. 

“Shaking up your partner choice, aren’t we, Tenya?” Mina asked, her tone lilting suggestively.  He gave her a nervous laugh. 

“You can’t blame a man for wanting to catch up with a childhood friend, can you?” Tenya was talking to Mina, but his eyes were elsewhere. Following his line of sight, she could see he was looking at Momo, who was very subtly glaring at him. y/n couldn’t help but feel territorial. I don’t care about whatever arrangement you made with Tenya. He’s mine for tonight.

y/n scooted closer to him, her leg particularly hanging off of his lap. 

“Doesn’t the Birthday Girl get to pick her teammates?” Mina held out her hands in surrender. 

“Touche.” 

With all of the cards distributed evenly and two teams having been established, they were ready to play. 

“Okay!” Mina announced, “Birthday girl’s team should go first!” 

A chorus of cheer erupted around the room. They moved around the room to better position their team. 

“Perfect! We’re totally going to win this!” Uraraka said. Tenya gestured to the front of the living room. 

“Will you do the honors?” y/n hopped off the couch and stood in front of her team. 

She looked through her selection of cards. This should be easy. She eyed her teammates. “You better get all of these.” 

Uraraka clapped once, getting in a ready position. Apparently, she felt very strongly about Taboo. Momo was on the other team and was tasked with making sure y/n didn’t say illegal words when describing a card. 

“One minute, starting now!” 

“You get sick when going too fast with this thing with an engine,” y/n rapidly said. 

“Car!” Tenya yelled out before anyone else. "Yes!" 

“Tensei used to put too much of this in your ramen as a prank!” 

“Soy Sauce!” Tenya called out again. "Yes!" The card was flipped down again. 

“Mom used to threaten this on me when I would misbehave.” 

“Slippers!” 

For the next minute, Tenya and y/n were playing their own game. Before y/n could even finish her clue, Tenya would immediately get it, not allowing any of their teammates to get a word in. They got every single card without a hiccup. 

The rest of the game played out the same way whenever it was their turn. It was like their minds were connected. Unique clues that only they could give each other. An unstoppable force that was undeniably a well-oiled machine. Momo’s team didn’t stand a chance against them, and y/n couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride knowing that the glare that Momo gave her at the beginning of the game had more heat behind it. Team Birthday Girl had won by a ridiculous margin. 

“Okay,” Kaminari said, pointing between them. “You two have cheated somehow.” 

“What?” y/n asked. 

“How does one cheat at Taboo?” Tenya chimed in. 

“You used clues that only you two could’ve gotten!” 

Tenya adjusted his glasses. "They were perfectly reasonable clues." 

"They were only clues that y/n would understand!" Kaminari argued. 

"Show me in the rules where that is not allowed!" y/n shot back. 

Tenya nodded in agreement; they both leaned towards Kaminari. “It’s not my fault that your team didn’t think to play that way.” 

Kaminari sputtered, unable to respond as he was being ganged up on.

“Yeah!” Uraraka shouted, more drunk than at the beginning of the game. “It’s not our fault that your team sucks!” y/n held out her hand for a high five. Uraraka gave it a good hard slap. 

“Oh come on, does nobody see that this is clearly unfair!” Kaminari cried. 

“Don’t blame us for your poor sportsmanship, Kaminari.” Tenya chastised him. 

The group dissolved into laughter. A few people chimed in with their own complaints and accusations, but after a long debate, it was decided they had not cheated.

The conversation eventually drifted away from the game itself. Groups splintered off naturally, old classmates catching up on years of stories and inside jokes. For once, y/n didn't feel like an outsider listening in. She settled into the couch beside Tenya, content to listen. Some stories felt familiar enough that she could predict exactly how he'd react. Others surprised her completely. She liked getting to see the glimpses. It was as if she was getting pieces of Tenya to finally finish the puzzle. 

A shadow passed in front of us. Momo stood over us, holding two drinks.

"I got you a drink!" She handed one of the cups to Tenya. He accepted it with a grateful smile. 

"Thank you, Momo." 

She naturally settled into the space beside him, completely ignoring the fact that there was very little room left on the couch. 

She started a completely different conversation with Tenya. One that excluded everyone, including y/n. Was Momo doing this on purpose? y/n hated how Momo would lean toward him to whisper in his ear, how he would turn to her automatically. y/n felt completely forgotten, despite his arm still circling her waist.

"Honestly," Mina called out from the other couch, "It is soooo cute seeing you two still so attached after all these years." Momo's cheeks flushed. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. 

"You've been doing this whole 'not dating, but absolutely dating' since the end of high school." y/n didn't realize how long this had been going on between them. Tenya straightened, parallel to the back of the couch. He snatched his arm off of y/n's waist. 

"Mina, it's not appropriate to talk about this right now." Tenya's eyes rapidly moved back and forth from Mina to y/n. y/n shrank into herself, shoulders slumping, suddenly interested in her almost empty drink. She remembered what Tensei told her. What they had wasn't real. Right? 

Kaminari slapped his knee, foam from his beer slushing out of his bottle. "When are you finally going to call her your girlfriend? Seal the deal already!" 

Tenya was as still as a statue. Both women stared at him expectantly. They were also waiting for his response. Someone in the background shouted something about wedding invitations. y/n laughed when everyone else did. At least, she hoped she did. She wasn't exactly in her own body right now. Everything felt so distant. The only thing in focus was Tenya, who hadn't moved a muscle since the teasing. His eye twitched behind his glasses. A layer of sweat shone from the edge of his hairline. Another person hooted. 

"Look at him, he's blushing!" This broke Tenya out of his stone posture. 

"I am not blushing." 

"Tell that to your face!" Mina hollered. Kaminari and Mina laughed into each other like a pack of hyenas. 

"Please put us all out of our misery, Momo, and claim your man," Kaminari begged.

Momo covered her face. Tenya looked moments away from spontaneously combusting.

"Well, what do you say?" Momo said, "Care to take me on a real date?" 

Tenya's eyes were impossibly wide. Apparently, he was as shocked at her sudden request as y/n was. His mouth flapped like a fish out of water. Please say something, Tenya. y/n internally pleaded, hoping that he would deny her. 

He took a big gulp of his drink. Finally, Tenya answered. “I’ll think about it.”

Momo’s mouth lifted ever so slightly at the end of her mouth. A smile that felt like she was saying, “I won.” 

Kaminari practically fell off the couch. "That wasn't a no! Progress, people!" 

It felt like someone knocked all of the breath out of her chest. Was Tensei wrong? Was there more to their arrangement than Tensei led her to believe? A dozen explanations immediately ran through her head. But maybe the answer was the simplest one. Maybe she'd wanted Tensei to be right because it was easier than facing the alternative. Maybe all those moments she'd spent holding onto had never been what she thought they were. All his little touches, his smiles, his concerns. 

She had no right to be jealous. At the end of the day, Tenya wasn’t hers to covet. He never had been. They just got back to being friends. Good friends. She had no right to interfere with whatever happened between him and Momo. Especially while there was a very real chance y/n wouldn’t even be in Japan in four months.

Someone suggested Mario Kart, and everyone moved on. Someone stole Kaminari's controller; Mina is yelling about being blue-shelled. y/n was stuck outside of her own body. She needed out. She felt suffocated from being squeezed against Tenya.

“I need a refill!” y/n announced, getting up from the couch. She didn't care how abrupt and loud she sounded. 

“I'll come with you!” Uraraka hurried after her, nearly tripping over her own feet in the process. 

“Maybe you should slow down!” Midoriya suggested. Uraraka gasped like he just slapped her across the face. 

“How dare you say that?”

The moment they reached the kitchen, y/n opened the cooler and focused entirely on finding a new can, anything to keep her hands occupied.

“You know, you and Iida make a really good team,” Uraraka said y/n laughed; did they run out of her favorite drink already? 

"Sure, we've been friends since diapers." 

Uraraka snorted. “Sure, friends.” 

Her smile slipped slightly. She finally found her drink and popped open her can. 

“What is that supposed to mean?” y/n asked, picking up Uraraka’s tone. Uraraka poured herself some of the spiked punch. 

“Come on, you'd have to be blind to not see how he looks at you."

y/n immediately shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about." 

"No?" 

"No," y/n answered a little too firmly. Uraraka looked at her, then burst out laughing. 

"Oh, wow. You really don't see it, do you?" y/n shook her head, refusing to speak. She couldn't let Uraraka's words get to her. 

"There is absolutely nothing significant about how he looks at me." Uraraka just shrugged. 

"Okay," she said sarcastically.

Heat crawled up her neck. Uraraka's expression softened. "Is it because of her?" No response. 

"For someone that Tenya says is incredibly smart, you're unbelievably oblivious." 

Uraraka was wrong. She had to be. Because believing that there could be something more meant she had hope, and that hope will kill her. She finally got Tenya back; she's not going to lose him again. Even if that meant lying to herself. 

"We're friends."

Uraraka sighed.

"If that's what you need to tell yourself."

The words followed y/n for the rest of the night. She moved through the party in an out-of-body experience. She watched herself smile, laugh, and converse with people, even if she couldn't tell you what they were talking about. At one point during the night, someone brought out a cake. She vaguely remembered thanking someone - she thinks his name was Sato - for taking the time to make her a birthday cake. Everyone crowded her. The shadows of the candles danced off the frosting. Her eyes focused on nothing as they started singing the Happy Birthday song.

"Make a wish already!" Kirishima shouted.

y/n blinked. She took a deep breath and made a wish. The room exploded into applause. Her wish was forgotten as she watched Tenya and Momo stand shoulder to shoulder. Someone gave him some cake, and they shared a slice. The sight dug under her skin. That was her cake. How dare he feed Momo her cake? y/n swallowed the rancid feeling down. It burned her throat as it settled in her stomach. 

The rest of the evening passed in fragments. By the time people started leaving, y/n felt exhausted. Tenya found her near the front door.

"Want me to drive you home?" 

y/n forced a smile. "Oh. Kirishima and Bakugo already offered."

Tenya peered over her as he watched Bakugo struggle to get Kirishima in the car, who was being egged on by Patch. A flash of disappointment crossed his face. "I see." 

y/n held her arms close to her chest. The imprint of his hand holding her tightly earlier burned on her skin.

"Are you ok? Today must've been a hard day for you."

Her fingers tightened around her sleeves. "Yeah, I'm just tired." 

His eyes scanned her. He couldn't place it. Something had changed since the beginning of the part, but like the idiot he was, Tenya couldn't figure out why.

"If you're certain." He chose to let it go.

"Goodnight, Tenya."

He placed a warm hand on her shoulder. "Good night, y/n." His voice barely above a whisper.

Hours later, she sat cross-legged on the edge of her bed. The apartment was quiet except for Patch snoring lightly on her bed. She stared at the floor. At twenty-four, she thought she'd have answers. A sense of direction, purpose. But everything was fucked. Her job was a mess. She brought them into an international lawsuit. She had no sense of joy outside of her job. She only had one friend.

For a moment, she thought she'd at least find a clue about what her purpose was when she moved to Japan. But here she was, sitting on the cold floor feeling emptier than ever. The only thing she was sure of was that she wanted Tenya in her life. But wanting something didn't mean you could have it. The thought sat heavily in her chest. How sad was that? That y/n had nothing but her job, Patch, and Tenya. And someday, it will all come to an end. It always does. Nothing stays forever. 

“Happy birthday to me.” If only she could remember what she wished for. 

< Chapter 18 | Chapter 20 >

Taglist: @jujudadrippyomega31 @charityjoy22  @vynn01 @callmelovergirl

[fandomarchive00]

Always Be My Hero Ch. 18

Summary: When Tenya and y/n were six, they were inseparable, their days filled with playdates arranged by their mothers, where Tenya played the brave hero rescuing her, even as they were teased about being a perfect pair. But everything changed when y/n moved to the States a year later, and after Tenya’s brother, Tensei, was paralyzed by the villain Stain, he focused entirely on becoming a hero, letting their connection fade as y/n quietly did the same. Five years later, she returns to Japan as Suneater’s project manager at Fatgum’s agency, and unsure of how it will feel to see Tenya again, she tries to avoid him, left wondering if distance has changed them too much to ever reconnect.

Masterlist | Also read on Ao3

< Chapter 17 | Chapter 19 >

y/n clenched the strap of her work bag as she stared at the double doors to her office building anxiously. Patch spent an hour giving her a pep talk back in her apartment, reassuring her that her team had her back, but after finding out what had been said about her online, it made her think her friend was full of shit. 

 Patch only gave her back her phone if y/n promised not to look at what they were saying online, but as soon as she got it, she hid under her duvet and scrolled until the sun rose. What professional company would want to work with her after all of THAT? 

How was she supposed to come back from this? All that hard work that she did to help elevate Tamaki’s reputation was flushed down the toilet, and she had to start from step 1 all over again. That is, if they let her anywhere near Tamaki after all of this. Just the idea made her skin feel cold. 

She squeezed the strap of her work bag one more time, hoping that it would jump-start her to move her legs towards the entrance. As she let out the breath she was holding, someone suddenly placed their hand on her shoulder. y/n jumped so hard she felt like she leapt out of her skin. 

“Wow!” Fatgum ripped his hand away. “Sorry, Pal. Didn’t mean to scare you.” y/n gave him a tight smile. Out of all the people, other than Tamaki, Fatgum was the last person she wanted to see first thing in the morning. 

Fatgum's eyes scanned her up and down. He squinted as he noticed how tired her frame looked. Her shoulders shrugged into themselves, her hair looked limp and dull, and the bags under her eyes were dark and puffy. Despite the few days he gave her to rest, she looked like she had already given up. And he couldn’t have that. 

“Are you afraid the doors are going to bite or something?” he joked, trying to lighten the mood to make her feel comfortable. He hovered a hand over her back to guide her towards the building. “Come on, not a moment to lose!” 

y/n begrudgingly followed him into the building. She physically winced as the bright lights of the reception area welcomed her. The assistant who was stationed at the front desk beamed as she saw her. 

“Welcome back, Miss.y/l/n!” The assistant stood up from her chair and bowed low. “Your presence has been missed.” y/n watched her cautiously. She had walked past her desk many times, and not once had she received such a warm welcome from her before. She glared up at Fatgum. Did he send out a company-wide message or something?

y/n gave her the same tight smile that she gave Fatgum. “Thank you,” y/n said through gritted teeth.

The assistant just stared at her with very wide eyes. Fatgum let out a very awkward laugh and guided y/n up the elevator. She let him puppet her around until they reached his office. 

“Take a seat.” Fatgum offered. 

Here we go. Butter her up with a warm welcome so that letting her go won’t hurt so much. 

y/n lowered herself into the chair slowly, hands twisting together in her lap. She had a good run. Better than she ever expected, honestly. She established a good foundation for the next person who will replace her. Sure, she would be leaving them with a mess. But once everything settled down, Tamaki’s reputation would recover without her being attached to it. Still, the thought made her chest ache. Tamaki had been her first real friend after moving here. 

“y/n,” Fatgum started carefully, leaning forward in his chair, “I want you to know that all the work you’ve done has been more than appreciated.”

The pit in her stomach tightened. “I’ve never seen Tamaki warm up to someone as quickly as he did with you.” 

She tried her best to ignore the burn in her throat. Maybe that’s what got them in this situation in the first place.  

“And with everything going on,” Fatgum continued, “I honestly couldn’t think of anyone better to help Tamaki through this-”

“Wait!” The office door slammed open. 

Tamaki stumbled into the room so quickly that he nearly lost his footing. His chest heaved for breath beneath his hero uniform, hair damp with sweat and sticking to his forehead like he had sprinted the entire way there straight from patrol. 

“You can’t fire y/n!” y/n stared at him wide-eyed. Tamaki never burst into rooms, and he most definitely never yelled. 

“Tamaki, this isn't-” Fatgum tried. 

“No, you don’t understand!” He cut him off, louder this time. Fatgum blinked. Tamaki pointed wildly between the two of them, words tumbling out faster than y/n had ever heard him speak. 

“Those rumors about us are absolutely ridiculous, and you know that. You know y/n, Fatgum!” His voice cracked slightly, “ You know how hardworking she is. She has never once been anything except professional with me!” 

y/n’s eyes widened further with every word. 

 “That photo was taken out of context,” Tamaki was breathless, “and I refuse to let a gesture of goodwill be interpreted as anything other than a friend helping their friend come down from a panic attack. If you are going to believe some second-rate hero desperate for attention over everything y/n has done for this agency,” he swallowed, “Then you’re wrong, sir.” 

Fatgum stared. Tamaki’s hands shook at his side, but he stood his ground anyway. 

“And if y/n leaves,” Tamaki said firmly, “I’m leaving too.” 

y/n could only blink up at him, mouth slightly parted in shock. Tamaki admired Fatgum more than anyone (Well, except for Lemillion). In all the time that she knew him, she’d never once seen him openly challenge his old mentor like this. Fatgum looked equally surprised. Then, slowly, a prideful smile softened across his face. 

“Oh, I-”

“And another thing-”

“Tamaki-” 

“You know that this is unfair-”

“I AGREE WITH YOU!”  

Tamaki stopped mid-rant. Fatgum’s words echoed through his office. Fatgum had half-risen from his chair, one hand held out as if he were trying to calm a very distressed cat. 

“I agree with you.” He repeated, calmer this time. 

 “Oh.” Tamaki awkwardly sat down in the chair beside y/n. “Continue,” he mumbled. 

Fatgum let out a tired laugh, dropping back into his seat. “Jeez, kid. If I knew you felt this strongly, I would’ve had this conversation much sooner.” 

Tamaki sheepishly looked down; all of his fire drained out quickly. His shoulders curled inward as embarrassment finally caught up to him. Fatgum shook his head fondly before looking back at y/n. 

“Now,” he said, gentler this time. “As I was trying to say. Nobody in this agency believes in Double Take.” 

y/n felt the air suck out of her lungs. Fatgum leaned back in his chair with a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“The legal team’s already handling the situation. We’re collecting a paper trail of your communications with Tamaki. And your friend offered to get some character statements of your work ethic at your old agency. We’re working day and night to get enough evidence to build a strong lawsuit against him.” 

Tamaki visibly relaxed beside her, but y/n tensed up. 

“What? You’re suing him?” She asked, “Sir, I don’t think this is that serious. Can’t I just make another statement?” 

Fatgum shook his head. “What Double Take did was more than just petty gossip. He harassed one of my people, and no one is allowed to do that without consequences.” 

“But he’s just making up lies. Surely that’s not enough to sue him? And you’re taking this lawsuit internationally. I don’t want to cause more trouble for the agency.” 

Fatgum grasped y/n’s shaking hands. 

“Harassment and defamation alone would be enough to take him to court. But he took it further than just making up words. He’s been doctoring prior conversations that he had with you, editing photos, and it is causing real harm to our company as well. Sponsors for the charity campaign that we’re involved with, U.A have pulled out. Not to mention he’s encouraging people to put you and everyone in this building in danger. Unfounded threats or not, we can’t let him get away with that.” 

y/n is grateful that she didn’t encounter any of that when she went on a bender last night. But it just means there was enough hate for her that it filtered out the fake evidence that he had created. Something in her loosened, though. Someone believed her and was actually taking her seriously. 

“And as for all those rumors about you two?” Fatgum waved a hand dismissively. “Anyone with eyes can tell that this kid would do anything for you, but not once have either of you crossed a professional boundary. You have nothing to worry about. You’re not being reassigned, and you are certainly not being fired.” Fatgum gave her a soft, reassuring smile. “If I threw away every good person for being the subject of hate online, I wouldn’t even have a job.” 

A weak laugh escaped her, and tears that were tittering on the edge fell.

“However,” Fatgum added, pointing a finger towards her, “I am officially ordering you to stop trying to do everything by yourself.” 

Her smile faltered. “Sir, while I appreciate that, I have already divided everyone’s attention away from their regular work. Himari already had to pull out of the campaign committee because she’s too busy. I don’t want more people to rearrange because of me.” 

 “I know when you first introduced yourself, you said that you were here to just support me. But that doesn’t have to be true. “Tamaki spoke up, “We can work together. We can be a team. You will be there for me when I have my panic attacks, and I will be there for you when you need to go to bed at a reasonable hour.” 

She wasn’t sure how to work in a team. She had never really had to, outside of the forced group projects that she had to do in college. And even then, she did most of the work while everyone else took the credit. Just the idea of someone else helping her clean up her mess made her skin crawl. But as she looked at the two men in the room, she thought maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to ask for help.

 They looked at her, faces waiting for an answer. She just gave them a small nod. It was the most she could give them without letting go of the major flood she was holding back. 

Fatgum gave her a nod back and stood from his chair with a grunt. 

“Now since nobody’s getting fired or leaving today, we’ve still got work to do.” 

Fatgum gave her a cheeky wink. “But we must keep moving. Moving forward is the best way to handle this.” 

y/n didn’t think that she could just move on. But the rest of the office seemed to. People greeted her like it was just a normal day. And somehow, y/n found the energy to keep going.

She spent most of the afternoon answering her emails. Being gone for so long, it felt like a herculean task to catch up with everything, especially when most of the emails were regarding the incident. Fatgum assigned the same assistant who was at the front desk to help her answer the emails that didn’t need too much detail. It was not a smooth going day. Despite how hard the team tried to help fight the fires while y/n was gone, she couldn’t fix everything with an email reply. Some of Tamaki’s sponsors agreed to meet with her to set the record straight, but most didn’t bother. They’d rather cut their ties now, washing their hands free from the unnecessary drama. It hurt how hast her hard work to build those relationships fell through her fingers like sand. But she tried to move forward as Fatgum advised. 

When she found a moment to breathe, she observed the assistant. She was cute. Young-looking with a nerdy, mousey vibe. The assistant’s glasses fell off her nose, and she pushed them up quickly, her tongue sticking out to keep focus.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I ever got your name?” y/n said, wanting to get to know this assistant more, especially if Fatgum is going to keep assigning her to help y/n with her workload. The assistant looked up at her, bewildered that y/n even addressed her. 

“Me?” Her voice was so innocent.

y/n bit back her amused smile. “I don’t see anyone else in this office. Unless I just suddenly forgot my own name?” 

She looked down at her keyboard and shyly and quietly gave her name. y/n had to lean in to hear her. 

“But most people just call me Taro.” She offered.

y/n tilted her head. “Why would they call you that?”

She could see the blush spread throughout her whole face. “Umm, do you know who Hamtaro is?”

y/n had to think about it for a moment, but she remembered where she heard that name. 

“You mean that little mouse thing that is sold in the convenience stores?” Taro gave her a small nod. 

“I collect Hamtaros. And I guess people say I kind of look like him, so they call me Taro for short.”

y/n’s eyes immediately caught at the cute phone charm sticking out of Taro’s pocket, and she could see the resemblance. It was in her big, sparkling eyes. 

“Would you like me to call you Taro?” She asked, not wanting to accidentally offend the girl.

She enthusiastically nodded. “I would be honored.” 

Between the two of them, they were able to get through her mountain of emails by the end of the day. And even though y/n wanted to do more than just answer emails, Fatgum was firm that that was the only thing she was allowed to work on today. 

“If I even so much as see you look at the stairs to the legal department, I will drive you home myself.” 

At exactly 5 pm, she decided to leave her office and check on Tamaki. He was in the kitchenette (he is just full of surprises today) with a familiar blond towering over him. 

“I can’t believe you yelled at Fatgum!” The man gasped, “I am proud of you. You’ve really come out of your shell.” 

“I thought I was going to throw up,” Tamaki’s face tinted green just by thinking about it. 

“You still did it!” 

y/n turned her head when she heard the ding of the elevator. Patch walked out. 

“What are you doing here?” y/n asked as she met her at the closing doors. Patch wiggled her phone in the air. 

“I’m here to rescue your ass, obvi.” She said matter-of-factly. “I’ve been with Legal all day, giving them everything I have on that sorry piece of shit. I’m going to make sure to bury him with all of this incriminating evidence.” 

y/n immediately reached for the phone. “What do you even have?” 

Patch pulled it away and pressed a finger to her lips. “Secret. You’re not allowed to know. We can’t stress out your pretty little head any more today, can we?” 

“Are you y/n?” The voice came from behind her. 

y/n turned to face him. If she had to crane her neck to talk to Tenya, she would have to snap her neck in half to even attempt to meet this man’s eyes. Patch let out a low whistle behind her, muttering something wildly inappropriate that y/n prayed he didn’t understand. If he did, he certainly did not pay attention to her. Instead, he simply smiled down at y/n, bright and warm enough to rival the sun itself. 

“You must be Mirio.” She guessed. 

Somehow, his smile got wider.  “Wow, good guess. I’ve been told you’re good with people. You must have if you were able to get this one to speak in front of a camera.” He jabbed a thumb at Tamaki. 

y/n waved a hand dismissively. “That’s nothing special. It’s not like I can grow wings like Tamaki, or go through walls like you.” 

“Oh, you think that's special?”

Before she could answer, Mirio instantly sank straight through the floor and popped up behind her. 

“I can’t even do this without losing my clothes.” y/n turned around before he could finish his sentence, and immediately slapped her hands over her eyes. 

“Don’t worry!” He assured her cheerfully,  “I wear special underwear now, so I am not completely naked. You should’ve seen me in high school.” 

“I’m seeing you right now,” Patch shamelessly got an eyeful. Tamaki stretched a long octopus arm to cover his friend.

“I told you that it is not as funny as you think it is.” Tamaki reminded him, exasperated. 

Mirio let out a hearty laugh. “I got her to smile, though, and that’s a win in my book.” 

Annoyingly enough, he was right. It is impossible not to find him amusing. Maybe it was because he would make himself look foolish just to make someone else feel less awkward. Thankfully, his clothes were in a pile from where he was standing, so he was able to quickly get changed again. 

“I just needed to meet the famous y/n!” Mirio struggled to put his leg through his jeans. “Any friend of Tamaki’s is a friend of mine. Plus, I just had to thank you for everything you’ve done for him so far. I especially love the plushes you made of him. Now my plush has his own best friend.” 

Tamaki’s face has been the same shade of beet red for a minute now. 

“Well, you’ve met me,” y/n said. 

 And what an eventful meeting it has been. A few hours ago, she thought she was about to lose her job and be shipped back to America. Now she was standing in the Kitchenette with her best friend, Tamaki, and a half-naked number 1 hero of Japan. Can you get whiplash from fast-changing events? y/n sure felt like she did. 

“Well, a couple of our old friends from high school are going to meet up at Fatgum’s house. It’s actually why I’m here. Nejire told me if I don’t drag Tamaki there, she’d destroy all my special clothes.” He paused thoughtfully, “And after today, we all know that would be a problem.” 

“I don’t see a problem with that, do you?” Patch whispered in y/n’s ear. y/n jabbed her elbow sharply in Patch's rib. Patch let out a sad ‘omph.’

“You should come with us! It will be fun. Everyone is so curious about who you are.” Mirio offered. 

“I would love that, but it’s been a long day.”

Tamaki shook his head. “If I must go, then you need to come too,” Tamaki stated.

  y/n’s mouth hung open. “What is that supposed to mean?” She asked. 

 He shrugged. “We’re a team now.” He simply pointed out.

 Mirio nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly! Back when we were the Big 3, Tamaki had to go everywhere with us, regardless of whether he wanted to or not. You can’t leave any team members behind. That’s just how teams work.” 

“That sounds incredibly made up,” y/n muttered. 

“It’s not.” Mirio insisted. 

y/n let out a sigh. She had a feeling that she wasn’t going to be able to talk her way out of this, especially with the way that constantly poked her back. She flung up her arms in defeat.

“Why not!” she declared, “Sounds like fun.”

By the time they arrived at Fatgum’s house, y/n was already regretting agreeing. Not because she didn’t want to spend time with strangers, although that did play a big role in things. It was because standing in front of the front yard, tucked away in a quiet neighborhood, made her suddenly, painfully aware she had no idea what she was walking into. 

Warm light spilled from the windows, music drifted faintly through the front door, along with bursts of laughter enough to be heard from the outside.

Tamaki stood beside her awkwardly, “Don’t worry. They’ll like you. It’s hard not to.” 

They walked through the yard and up the stairs to the front door. Suddenly, the lights behind the door went out, and she could hear shuffling from the inside. Someone shushes another person as the music cuts out. She looked back at the house number beside the lamp. They had the right address, right? 

Before she could question it further, the door was flung open, the lights flicked on, and every single person inside screamed, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!” 

< Chapter 17 | Chapter 19 >

Taglist: @jujudadrippyomega31@charityjoy22@vynn01@callmelovergirl

[raindropsonglasss-deactivated20]

[fandomarchive00]

This is a horrible combination when your on adhd meds bc you want to write but don’t have the words to write

[fandomarchive00]

Always Be My Hero Ch. 17

Summary: When Tenya and y/n were six, they were inseparable, their days filled with playdates arranged by their mothers, where Tenya played the brave hero rescuing her, even as they were teased about being a perfect pair. But everything changed when y/n moved to the States a year later, and after Tenya’s brother, Tensei, was paralyzed by the villain Stain, he focused entirely on becoming a hero, letting their connection fade as y/n quietly did the same. Five years later, she returns to Japan as Suneater’s project manager at Fatgum’s agency, and unsure of how it will feel to see Tenya again, she tries to avoid him, left wondering if distance has changed them too much to ever reconnect.

Masterlist | Also read on Ao3

< Chapter 16 | Chapter 18 >

Kirishima promised them that it would be a quick tour. They would only visit “the highlights.” 

It was, in fact, not a “quick tour.” 

Wherever they went, fans would bombard them with requests for selfies and autographs. Even in civilian clothes, Kirishima and Tenya could be spotted from a mile away, a side effect of being in the spotlight since they were fifteen. To Kirishima’s credit, he did try to get through things fast. He led them through the crowded streets with bright signs and narrow shopfronts, past vendors calling out over the hum of the flow of the crowd. He didn’t slow down; he was a ball of energy, and whenever they passed by an attraction, he would jab and finger in its direction and rush a description for Patch. She cooed and awed when prompted, which pleased Kirishima immensely. 

 Their last stop was a Shinto shrine painted with bright red walls and columns adorned with intricately made bronze lanterns down a long, stretching outdoor hallway. At night, the lights lit up in a way that felt like y/n was on the threshold between worlds. The amber glow felt warm on y/n skin. y/n inhaled the smoke of cedar that woofed the area. The smoke instantly calmed her nerves, leaving her in a new state of tranquility. 

“Wow! What are those?” Patch pointed to a display of handmade charms hanging on the window of a small shop. The shop was just beyond view behind the Kagura performance, Japan’s oldest sacred to depict battles between the gods and demons. The dancers moved with slow and deliberate movements. Their striking wooden masks showcased the beautifully painted characters of demons, gods, and mischievous foxes. 

Kirishima lit up as he followed her finger. “Those are called omamori! They are what you would call luck charms. Each amulet is designed with the shrine kami, or deity, and provides specific forms of protection.” He unconsciously placed a hand on the small of her back as he led her closer to the window. He pointed at each charm and explained the different kinds of protection. 

y/n watched as they got sucked into their own little bubble. It reminded her of the first time she met Patch. It was at a welcome party for new employees. y/n stayed near the wall for most of it, exchanging pleasantries when needed, but was mostly overwhelmed with the number of new people she had to meet. A wallflower new to the corporate world, plucked fresh out of her graduating class. Patch was talking with a group of people; her smile confident yet closed off.

The first thing she thought when she saw Patch was that she was elegant and so grown up. She gave off an air of professionalism, but her slighted eyes made you know that she was not to be messed with. She remembered thinking that she wanted to be like Patch. To be so composed, you couldn’t tell what cards she was dealing with. She was independent and reliable, but it was hard to get past that layer of protection before you got to know the real her. 

So it was shocking to see her be so open with someone new. But y/n guessed it’s because that's who Kirishima was. He was so open and honest. It left people defenseless.  Unknowingly leaned towards Kirishima as he explained. Her eyes fixated on his finger. And she didn’t interrupt him, didn’t feel like she needed to say anything back to him. She just let him talk. And boy did Kirishima talk. 

y/n watched them with an amused expression when Tenya stepped next to her side. He wordlessly pressed a Taiyaki in her hand. She accepted it and took a bite of the delicious crispy waffle outside mixed with a delectable combination of vanilla custard. She tried to hold back a moan, but she couldn’t help it when she took another bite. Tenya chuckled and took a bite of his. 

“I didn’t know Kirishima knew so much about spiritual items,” Tenya commented. She couldn’t stop the sly tug on the edge of her lips. The sharp, piercing wail of a bamboo flute cut through the cool night air, closely followed by the deep thud of the drums. She swallowed the rest of her big bite to respond. 

“I’m pretty sure he’s making shit up now,” y/n pointed out, “I think he just likes talking.” Tenya pulled her to look at him. His thumb grazed the corner of her mouth. Her face flushed hot instantly. Her eyes widened as she watched him lick the vanilla custard off his tongue. Her heart was going to burst out of her chest. 

“Sorry,” He said, “You had a little something there.” 

She shook her head and let out a quick and nervous giggle. “They are so obvious. Don’t you think so?” She snapped her face away from his and tried to change the subject. 

Tenya straightened to look back and squinted at them, scanning them with a critical eye. Though he couldn’t pick up what y/n was insinuating, he could tell that there was something different about the two. Mainly, that Patch wasn’t trying to bite Kirishima’s head off every time he tried to speak. Which was the only frame of reference Tenya had. 

“Yes, well, it does seem like they have been rather focused on each other.” 

“That’s one way to put it.” She muttered. Ahead of them, Kirishima and Patch had already drifted into the store, oblivious to the fact that they had left the other half of the party behind. For the first time that day, Tenya and y/n were alone together. A quiet pocket in the middle of a crowded space. 

Tenya cleared his throat. “Are you enjoying yourself?” 

She glanced up at him. “Yes, I am.” 

The evening sun shone down on their faces, the chill wind cooling down their burning cheeks. y/n felt a sense of familiarity, the closest she had felt at home in a long time. 

“Do you remember the first time our families took us to a shrine for New Year’s?” 

Tenya looked down at her. He hasn’t thought about that day in a long time, but he does remember it fondly. “I remember that you would fuss about how uncomfortable your kimono was.” 

y/n’s face scrunched as she remembered. “It was so hot, and there were too many layers.” 

Tenya nodded as he remembered the way y/n would fuss and pull on the fabric. “You toddled around loudly with your sandals. You looked like a penguin when you walked.” 

She swatted his arm. He barely flinched. 

“Well, you looked silly whenever you bowed. Your little head would basically be on the floor whenever you passed by a monk.” She fired back. 

Tenya straightened his spine. “It was the respectable thing to do.”

y/n rolled her eyes. 

“Do you remember what you wished for that year?” She asked. Kirishima and Patch were now on the other side of the window, picking out which charm they would like to take home with them. 

Tenya tilted his head thoughtfully. “I believe I wished to be a strong hero.” y/n nodded. “You wished for that every year.” 

“Well, good thing I did, because my wish did come true.” y/n wobbled her head.

“I don’t know. You’re not even in the top ten.” Tenya scoffed.

“Do you remember what you wished for?” He asked, choosing not to engage. y/n looked at him, eyes saying, Fine, I’ll let this one go.

“I probably asked for a unicorn or something stupid like that.” 

This time, Tenya let out a loud and hearty laugh. She watched in glee as his normally collected face was replaced with unbridled joy. His laugh was so nice. Like a warm fuzzy feeling squeezed her bones nicely. 

“What would you wish for now?” she asked when he calmed down. 

“I think,” he began quietly, “I would wish for clarity.” She tilted her head and urged him to explain. She took another bite of her snack. 

“There was a time,” he explained, “when I believed the most logical course of action was to move forward without looking back.” His jaw tightened slightly. “But now, I don’t know what to do, or if that is the best course of action.” 

Tenya exhaled slowly. The tension in his face revealed deep wrinkles in his face. He turned to her. “What about you? What would you wish for?” 

y/n’s face screwed in contemplation. For this moment to never end, she thought to herself. But she definitely could not say that out loud. 

“Hmmm, I would wish for an extra-large plate of my favorite meal.” She said instead. “We have been walking around all day, and while this is delicious, I need a real meal right now.” y/n finished off the rest of the taiyaki and licked off the custard that stuck on her fingertips. Tenya’s eyes darkened as he watched her savor the last of her snack. 

When she looked back at him, Tenya gave her a slow and lingering smile. His soft eyes glazed down on her. His gaze made her fidget. She didn’t want to look away, but she knew that if she didn’t break away now, she might not ever be able to. 

“Hey!” Mercifully, Kirishima interrupted them. They tore away from each other quickly, eyes looking everywhere, pretending to be interested in the surrounding area. Patch’s eyes narrowed on them, a knowing look towards y/n, which she pretended not to notice. 

“Did you guys want anything in the gift shop?” Kirishima asked, pointing back at the store they just left, “They have some reasonably priced items in there.” 

y/n shook her head and reached out for Patch’s bag. “No, I’m ok, but I am curious what you guys got.” 

She pulled out the first amulet that brushed against her fingertips. She pulled at an en-musubi charm. The red silk pouch felt soft against y/n’s palms. The Kanji was threaded in the pouch with high-quality gold thread. The delicate white flowers. She eyed it curiously. y/n catches Kirishima’s from the corner of her eye. His cheeks were flushed so deeply you could see the red hues despite the evening sun setting. She smirked at him, but did not fully turn to him. 

“Oh, this is lovely.” She said, louder than necessary, “Do you know what the kanji translates to, Kirishima?” He squirmed under her knowing eyes.

“Yeah, he said it was good luck for new beginnings!” Patch answered, Actually, it roughly translated to tying fates, and usually was given as a matchmaking charm to ensure a long-lasting relationship. . y/n hummed in agreement despite the very wrong interpretation of intention. 

“Well, you know you it would be bad luck to open the bag,” She informed Patch. “We wouldn’t want Kirishima’s wishes not to come true, now would we, Kirishima?” 

y/n was being a little shit. She knows that. She wouldn’t be Patch’s friend if she weren’t. She just stared at Kirishima, daring him to say something. He coughed uncomfortably. 

“We should go find somewhere to eat now,” Tenya interrupted. Kirishima sighed in relief. 

“I know a great place to get sushi!”

By the time the sun had fully set, the group just meandered slowly through the streets of the city, getting closer to y/n’s apartment.

Patch stretched her arms above her head as she walked slowly by Kirishima’s side. “You need to re-evaluate your definition of a quick tour.” 

Kirishima grinned, “Yeah, but it was totally worth it, right?” 

She tapped her chin, dragging the moment out for just a second longer than needed. “It was.” 

Patch took her phone out of her pocket, eyes widening when she noticed the time.

“Shit, it’s so late,” She muttered. “Don’t you have to go back to work tomorrow?” Patch asked y/n. 

Tenya stopped abruptly. 

“You’re going back already?” He asked.

y/n shrugged. “Well, I’m recovering enough to go back, so why not? I'll probably have a mountain of stuff to catch up on tomorrow,” y/n whined into the cold night air. 

“But, is that ill-advised? Don’t you need more time to recover?” y/n gave him a strange look. 

“I just walked half of Esuha City. I think I’m okay.” She pointed out. 

“Well, shouldn’t you at least wait until everything dies down? There are still some fans demanding answers at the front of Fatgum’s building.” y/n shot a quick look at Patch, who informed her that everything had settled down since her online statement. 

“Patch?” She asked, eyes quirked. Patch chewed the bottom of her lip. “It really isn’t that bad,” She tried to explain, "But…unfortunately, Double Take has been saying some shit online, and it kind of rekindled the fire. I thought it would be better if you didn’t see what she was saying.” 

“Who’s Double Take?” Kirishima asked. Both girls whipped their heads to look at him. Their intense stares gave off the impression that he shouldn’t have asked. 

“He’s-how do I put this? A narcissistic shit-turd that uses women like tissues and throws them away once he’s done.” Patch started, words flooding out of her mouth like hot steam. y/n pulled on her shoulder. 

“Patch don’t-” Patch shrugged off her hand. “No, they should know when someone is taking advantage of the title hero when they don’t actually deserve it.” 

Y/n held out her hands in defeat. She really didn’t want anyone knowing about Double Take, but you can’t stop a Patch rant when she gets started. y/n translated for Tenya as Patch ranted to Kirishima.

“Double Take was a sidekick at Sparks Agency, the place we both used to work at, when he was assigned to y/n. Because y/n was the ‘fresh meat,’  our boss kept giving her too many clients, and Double Take was her tenth one. He was told that if he was placed in the top 50s, he would be promoted from sidekick to hero. But y/n didn’t have enough bandwidth to focus on every client all the time. 

“He didn’t care, though. He had a goal in mind. But then one of y/n’s clients, Green Dragger, blew up to one of her past clients, and she took a completely unknown hero into a household name, and he shot up in rankings. Double Take wanted her to do the same thing for him. All her clients wanted the same thing, and she couldn’t focus on everyone at once.  And he decided that he wanted that too. So, to guarantee that she would focus solely on him, he pretended that he was into her. Said all the right things, love-bombed her until he was the only person she focused on.” 

y/n trailed off as she translated for Tenya. Shame warmed her upper body as Patch explained. Tenya waited for her to continue, but she avoided his gaze. Her arms wrapped around her middle for comfort. Tenya looked at Kirishima helplessly. Kirishima translated in his ear, and anger immediately filled his blood.  

Patch’s jaw ticked, “And the second he got what he wanted? He dropped her. Told her that she stopped being useful to him, and that he was never really serious about dating her.” 

Kirishima scoffed, incredulous. “Wait, what the fuck? Why—”

“Because she’s quirkless,” Patch finished. The words weighed heavily in the air. y/n avoided their pitying eyes. It was the most humiliating moment in her life, and she still could not believe she fell for any of it. 

“Why would a hero like me shack up with a quirkless loser like you? I would never wish that upon my children.” His words echoed through y/n’s brain, tone sharp as a knife as he cut open her heart. 

Kirishima and Tenya stared at Patch with disbelief. They could not fathom the fact that anyone who calls themself a hero would do that to someone. They only knew of one rank-obsessed hero, and look where that got Endeavor. 

Patch’s chest was rising up and down rapidly as she tried to rein in her anger. 

“He used her, and now he has the nerve to ruin her reputation by feeding into the lies?” Kirishima asked incredulously. 

“What kind of things has he been saying now?” asked y/n, although her voice was small and detached. 

“He’s going around telling news reporters that you were also so weird with him. That you gave him special attention because you wanted him, and when he rejected you, you threatened to ruin his career. He said about how he feels bad that he hasn’t said anything until now, that Tamaki’s injuries could have been avoided if he had.”

 All y/n could do was scoff at his audacity. 

“That’s—” Kirishima dragged a hand through his hair, pacing once as he needed somewhere for the energy to go. “That’s not even— that doesn’t make any sense! She’s—” He stopped himself, jaw tightening. “That's what he did to her! He doesn’t get to turn around and act like she’s the problem.” 

“You moved across the ocean to avoid him, and yet he still feels the need to degrade you further?” Tenya couldn’t understand why anyone would intentionally hurt y/n. 

Kirishima let out a frustrated breath. “Yeah, by making it sound like she’s collecting heroes like Pokémon? That’s—” Kirishima roughly raked a hand through his hair. “That’s fucking ridiculous.” y/n flinched. She didn’t know Kirishima for long, but she had never heard him curse this much before.

She watched helplessly as the two men absorbed the information. They were all having such a nice time. She needed to save it so they didn’t get angry. 

“I should’ve known better,” y/n said quietly in Japanese. 

Tenya and Kirishima looked at her as if she had lost her head. 

“I should’ve known that someone like me would never be with someone like him.”

Patch had reassured her over and over again that this was not her fault, that he was the bad guy. But there was a deep wound that he left behind. His words reinforced an insecurity that was so rooted in her identity. One that she made sure no one knew. 

Tenya was the first to react. “y/n, anyone would be lucky to be with you, regardless of your title.” Her eyes snapped back to him. 

“You are so kind and so attentive. You see things in people that they don’t even notice.” Tenya continued, walking closer to her, hands bracing her shoulders softly,“ You make me want to be better. You’re right. Someone like you shouldn’t be with someone like him, because he doesn’t deserve you. He couldn’t handle you. You are a star that people want to orbit around, and he didn’t want to be overshadowed by your light.”

The tears glistening in her eyes threatened to fall. His words were thick with warmth, and he said it with such vigor that she felt that she couldn’t dispute him at all. She bit her lips and stared down at the ground.  

“What he chose to do, both in the past and now, is unacceptable.” His jaw tightened. “But I want you to understand something clearly: this will not be simply overlooked. You will not have to face this by yourself.” 

y/n’s body felt hot under his intense gaze. Looking behind him, Patch and Kirishima had the same expression of determination. It was evident that they would do everything to make sure that she didn’t have to fight alone. 

Tenya brushed his thumb on her cheek gently. 

“Let’s get you home.” He said gently, and she just nodded. He took her hand in his and guided her the rest of the way. 

Patch and Kirishima walked a few steps behind them. She knew that y/n needed this more than she would admit. So Patch bit her tongue, as their hands were stitched together throughout the rest of the night. 

Next to Kirishima, she suddenly remembered what day tomorrow was. 

“Shit.” She said under her breath. Kirishima looked at her with an upturned eyebrow. “What is it?” He asked.

“It’s her birthday tomorrow.” She whispered to only him. The cogs in Kirishima’s head were already turning as he processed the new information. 

“What am I going to do?” She asked, “If she’s going to have a rough day tomorrow because of this mess. I don’t want her to be sad on her birthday.” 

Kirishima looked down at his new friend, smiling widely with mischief. “Don’t worry, I think I have an idea.”

< Chapter 16 | Chapter 18 >

Taglist: @jujudadrippyomega31 @charityjoy22  @vynn01 @callmelovergirl

[fandomarchive00]

Always Be My Hero Ch. 16

Summary: When Tenya and y/n were six, they were inseparable, their days filled with playdates arranged by their mothers, where Tenya played the brave hero rescuing her, even as they were teased about being a perfect pair. But everything changed when y/n moved to the States a year later, and after Tenya’s brother, Tensei, was paralyzed by the villain Stain, he focused entirely on becoming a hero, letting their connection fade as y/n quietly did the same. Five years later, she returns to Japan as Suneater’s project manager at Fatgum’s agency, and unsure of how it will feel to see Tenya again, she tries to avoid him, left wondering if distance has changed them too much to ever reconnect.

Masterlist | Also read on Ao3

< Chapter 15 | Chapter 17 >

y/n woke up with her body aching, protesting from having fallen asleep in an uncomfortable position all night. She blinked multiple times, both to wake herself up and to focus her blurring vision. Did she fall asleep in the living room? A soft sizzle of eggs cooking in oil and a dull churn of a coffee pot filled the background noise.

She attempted to stretch her arms above her head, but a heavy body groaned beside her. When she turned to her side, horror spiked in her blood. Tenya Iida was asleep on her couch, using her shoulder as a pillow. Rogue tendrils of hair stuck out from his usually clean, combed head. His glasses tilted off his nose. She watched as his chest softly moved up and down as he blissfully slept through this very awkward moment.

A quiet but rough grunt interrupted her thoughts. y/n whipped her head around, only to find Patch giving her the most disgustingly sweet fake smile she could muster. She slowed on her coffee, purposefully slurping. y/n flinched at the sound as she tried her best to give Patch a sheepish, lopsided grin.

“Good morning.” Patch’s tone was very much not indicating it was a good morning. She could feel her friend’s judgment five feet away. y/n hummed in agreement, trying her best to peel off the dense hero, but he practically pinned her to the couch.

“How’d you sleep?” Patch asked sarcastically, head tilting in defense.

“I slept amazingly.” It was an obvious lie, but she didn’t want to give Patch the satisfaction of lecturing her. Patch buzzed in amusement. Two can play at that game.

“Really? I wouldn’t imagine it would be comfortable sleeping next to a dead battery robot.” y/n tilted her head, a hint of disappointment in the movement.

“Patch, don’t start,” y/n pleaded, but Patch was relentless.

“I just find it funny that just last week you were crying about how much of an asshole he was, and now he’s just about moved in full time.” y/n sighed. It was too early for this.

“It’s not like that.” She tried to impress.

“Yeah, that’s hard to believe when he’s about to use your lap as a pillow.” y/n looked down, and sure enough, Tenya had slid down far enough she could feel his morning stubble tickle her thigh. She had to stop herself from brushing away the hair strands from his eyes.

“What happened last night? I left you alone, thinking you would say some polite commentary, and then he’d lecture you about how the inefficient method of staying home and having ice cream for dinner will not speed up your recovery.”

y/n just shrugged. She wasn’t really sure what happened. Obviously, something had changed between them. She couldn’t believe that they were here now compared to where they were two weeks ago. But she didn’t have anything to say to explain or defend herself. She smiled to herself as she smiled down at Tenya’s peaceful and sleepy face. 

y/n just guffawed in response. “You’re being ridiculous.”

Patch pointed the spatula in her direction. “And you’re in denial if you think you two can ‘just be friends.’” Patch turned back around to make sure the eggs didn’t overcook. She glared at Patch’s back, but truthfully, she couldn’t argue with her. As she looked back down at Tenya, she knew she was utterly fucked when it came to this man.

Slowly, but surely, y/n was able to successfully peel herself out from under him without waking him up. She carefully padded through the living room to the kitchen to look over Patch’s shoulder. She grimaced when she saw what she was cooking. Well, actually, she couldn’t tell what she was cooking, but it looked like it was a pan full of burnt bits of eggs.

“What is that?” She whispered. Patch slightly turned her head to face her and huffed in defeat.

“I was trying to make omurice rice.” Patch said sourly. y/n winced as a piece popped from the hot oil.

“Why?” y/n questioned. Patch threw the pan back down on the burner and flipped the heat off aggressively.

“You know what they say, when in Rome,” Patch muttered, clearly embarrassed.

“Burn the shit out of their beloved breakfast meal?” y/n finished. “This doesn’t even look edible.”

Patch shoved y/n away from her. “You make your own eggs then!”

“I will! I don’t even like omurice rice. It’s too complicated to make at the crack ass of dawn.”

“It’s 11 o’clock.” It was? y/n peered at the clock on the microwave. The last time y/n had ever slept in this late was when she pulled an all-nighter during her fall final exams her first year of college. It was horrible. She completely missed her exam time and received her first failing grade in her academic life.

A groan came from the couch. Tenya slowly sat up, the palm of his hand rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“Is something burning?” He asked, his voice low and groggy from waking up.

“Nothing is currently burning, C-3PO.” y/n hit Patch’s arm. Tenya just looked at y/n for translation.

“Everything is fine. Nothing to worry about.” She decided that she was not going to directly translate for him. It was too early to tease him like that. He nodded, accepting her answer even though he could hear that Patch’s tone was harsher than y/n’s translation. 

It took him a minute to realize what had happened, but she could tell the exact moment all the pieces clicked together in his mind. He jumped off the couch like he was set on fire and bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle. 

“I am sorry if I put you in an uncomfortable position,” he apologized to the floor.  “I did not intend to sleep the night.”

He did not remember that they fell asleep on the couch together. Perfect. There was no need to explore that further than it needed to be.

“It was no problem. I just hope that no one was expecting you today.” Was it a loaded question? Maybe, then again, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear the answer. He shook his head in response.

“I don’t believe so. I have the day off, so I am not needed at work. Although I’m sure my mother is wondering why I missed our daily coffee.”

No mention of Yaoyorozu. y/n couldn’t help the satisfied grin grow on her face. Patch smacked her with the spatula again.

“Well, we’re out of eggs,” Patch announced. y/n peered at the kitchen trash. It looked like she used a whole carton to test out her new culinary skills (which Patch had none). “What do you want to do for breakfast?”

y/n turned back to Tenya, who was slow as he ran his hand in his hair to try and tame his tendrils.  Cute.

“Do you have any good breakfast places to suggest?” She asked him.

“We can go to the cafe I go to with my mom. It’s not far from here,” y/n said that’s a great idea and rushed to get changed, leaving Patch to openly glare at Tenya as he squirmed under her gaze. 

Breakfast was awkward. Mostly because she continued to glare at Tenya as he tried to hide in his breakfast order.  She tried to talk, but y/n knew that if she translated it would be productive. Tenya and Patch did have the same plan to ignore each other. They fussed over y/n eating enough food. When one offered a bite of their food, the other would push the food away, insisting y/n would enjoy their food more. y/n tried to deny each new bite. 

“You guys, if I eat another bite, I think I might explode” 

“y/n?” y/n turned when she heard her name. She immediately smiled when she spotted Kirishima on the sidewalk. She jumped out of her chair to greet him.

“Hey,” She greeted. He held out his arms as an invitation for a hug, and y/n happily accepted. Kirishima is never stingy with his hugs, and they always felt so warm and inviting. He didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around y/n and squeezed generously. 

Tenya watched from the brim of his cup. His eyes locked on the placement of Kirishima’s hands. He knew that Kirishima was a friendly guy. He was one of those people that you couldn’t help but be friends with (ex., Katsuki Bakugo, the most unfriendly man in the world). But something about his familiar relationship with y/n made an ugly ache fill his lungs. 

“You're looking good, PR Queen.” He said as he pushed off to examine her. “I heard you got out of the hospital, but no one has heard from you since, so I was starting to get worried.”

y/n finally stepped out of the hug and gestured to her table. “You can blame my friend. She’s made sure I couldn’t access my phone until I’m fully recovered,” said y/n.

Patch dropped the breakfast sandwich on her plate and brushed off the crumbs from her hands and chin. Patch cleared her throat, which caused some crumbs to go down the wrong pipe, which caused her to choke a little. She downed her drink, which burned her tongue, and all y/n could do was watch in confusion. She had never seen Patch this flustered…ever. 

“K-Kon'nichiwa,” she stuttered, hands curling nervously as she bowed low. “Watashi Patch desu.”

y/n watched her carefully, waiting for her to get embarrassed. She placed a hand on Kirishima’s upper arm.

“Kirishima, this is my best friend, Patch. She’s visiting from America to take care of me after the whole Fan meet problem.” y/n rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out as they both recalled the unpleasant event.

“Ore wa Kirishima Eijiro. Yoroshiku na.” Without missing a beat, he placed his arms to the side and dipped into a confident and lower bow to Patch. y/n was grateful for the person Kirishima was. 

Patch stared at him for a moment, the translation running through her mind. She knew what he said, but she didn’t know how to respond.

“I-I’m sorry. That’s as much as I know how to say.” She switched back to English. Kirishima shook his head lightly.

“Don’t worry about it. I can speak English too,” He offered, switching languages effortlessly. His words were slower, and his accent was heavy, but it was understandable. 

y/n stared at him, shocked at how fluent he was. “I didn’t know you spoke English, Kirishima!”

He rubbed a hand behind his head. “Ah. It’s kind of dumb, actually. “

Y/n tilted her head curiously. “Oh, well, now I have to hear this.”

“Back in my senior year of high school, there was a cute exchange student from America, and I wanted to impress her.” His grin tugged at his mouth. “I just wanted to be able to talk to her, you know?” Kirishima added defensively, “So I asked Bakugo to teach me. He was the most fluent in our class.”

y/n nudged his shoulder. “Kirishima,” She teased, “That is ridiculously romantic! I can’t believe that Bakugo actually agreed to it.”

Kirishima’s face reddened. Tenya watched the two talk, but is not able to follow the whole time. He couldn’t help but feel like he was being left out, and he felt like an idiot for not taking his English studies seriously. Patch glanced between the two of them, a curious smile as he watched Kirishima stumble over himself.

He groaned, “He obviously didn't want to!” Kirishima went on, “But I kept bugging him, so he finally agreed. But he did not make it easy. It’s Bakugo we’re talking about. He would just start quizzing me out of nowhere as some sort of punishment.”

A slight smirk settled on y/n’s mouth. “Yeah, that sounds like Bakugo.”

“Yeah, well, he still does it sometimes,” Kirishima hung his head low. “There will be days when we’ll be in a debrief, and then he’ll suddenly switch mid-conversation. Insults follow if I don’t reply correctly fast enough.”

Patch made a small noise. It could barely be considered a laugh, but it was enough for Kirishima to glance at her, gleeful as he watched her try to hide it behind a cough. 

“Did it work?” y/n asked. Kirishima looked back at her wildly like his thoughts were interrupted. 

“Did that work?” 

“Were you able to impress the exchange student?” Kirishima laughed uncomfortably. “Unfortunately, she left before I was fluent enough to try. But I learned a new skill, and it’s super helpful when we have to partner with foreign agencies.” 

“Or to talk to cute Americans,” he added quietly in Japanese, his eyes lingering on Patch. y/n stained to hear him, but she was sure she heard him right, and couldn’t help but look between Patch and Kirishima suspiciously. 

Kirishima leaned back on the balls of his feet, hands now tucked in his back pocket. He tore his eyes away from Patch, flickering behind them.

“Oh!” he blinked, surprised, “Iida?”

Tenya was the only one who didn’t get up to greet Kirishima yet. He distracted himself by pretending his pastry was so delicious. The last time Kirishima remembered seeing him was at the bar. He might be misremembering, but he thought that Tenya and y/n were not very close to each other. So seeing them together was not something he would expect.

“What are you doing here, man?” He asked, coming towards him to offer him a bro hug. Tenya finally dropped his food and got up, brushing the crumbs off her shirt. 

“Oh, well. I was checking on y/n after her hospital visit, and they asked for a good breakfast recommendation.” Tenya conveniently left out that he had slept overnight. “My mother and I come here often, and it has excellent brunch options as well.”

Kirishima nodded slowly. It doesn’t explain why Tenya cared. Again, Kirishima didn’t get the impression that they were close. The opposite actually. But there seems to be something happening in the background that Kirishima was not aware of, and something tells him it’s not the time to push.

“So what is everyone doing today?” They didn’t really have any plans after this. They figured that they would grab their meal and go on their merry way.

Tenya moved to adjust his glasses, but immediately stopped when he caught y/n’s teasing eyes. He lowered his hand. It’s ok. I didn’t need to see properly through my lens anyway. y/n’s mouth crinkled as she noticed. 

“I do not believe we have discussed any further plans for the day,” Tenya answered. Kirishima clapped his hands together loudly.

“Excellent!” Kirishima said loudly, “I also have a free day today. Let’s all hang out!” He turned back to Patch, maintaining eye contact. She pulled back a little, surprised by the constant intentional attention. 

“You probably haven’t had time to explore yet! There are some pretty cool spots in the area that I think you’d enjoy. We could see some shrines or check out the food vendors. There are a lot of awesome claw machine arcades, too, if you’re into that stuff.” Kirishima mainly talked to Patch. 

Patch found that he was very intense. And loud. But she wasn’t exactly scared off by his outgoing personality. Kirishima noticed her slightly scared eyes pulled back slightly.

“If you’re fully recovered, I mean.”

Patch and y/n communicated in a way that two strongly connected best friends could. 

“Please help me.” Patch urged with her eyes. y/n responded back with a slight shrugged her shoulder. 

“I don’t know what you mean. It sounds fun.”

It would be good to have another English speaker for Patch’s sake. She also couldn’t help but notice how Kirishima hadn't really looked at anyone else but Patch, and she was curious what would happen. It would be nice to keep hanging out with Tenya, too. She thought to herself.

Everyone looked at Patch as they waited for her answer. After all, it was up to her, being the tourist in the group. “Sure.” She answered weakly. Patch couldn’t help but feel like she was bullied into the decision. 

Kirishima pumped his hit in the air, “Alright! That’s what I’m talking about!”

< Chapter 15 | Chapter 17 >

Taglist: @jujudadrippyomega31 @charityjoy22 @vynn01 @callmelovergirl

[sunwornink]

i've never done crack but i assume it feels like when you get comments on your ao3 fic

[fandomarchive00]

Its is the lifeforce that keeps my fingers typing. I love my comments and wish I could frame every last one of them 🥰✨

[tokkibean]

when youre stressed about your current wip, start a new one! now you can be stressed about two wips instead!

[fandomarchive00]

It is taking all my will power to not start a new fic spin off of Always Be My Hero with Patch’s character right now 😤

[luxfuxxvii]

not now kitten. daddy only planned the first half of his wip, and now he has to figure out what the fuck to do for the other half.

[fandomarchive00]

Me right now because all i want to do is fast forward to the scenes im desperate to write but i have to write all the chapters inbetween 😭😭

[fandomarchive00]

Always Be My Hero Ch. 15

Summary: When Tenya and y/n were six, they were inseparable, their days filled with playdates arranged by their mothers, where Tenya played the brave hero rescuing her, even as they were teased about being a perfect pair. But everything changed when y/n moved to the States a year later, and after Tenya’s brother, Tensei, was paralyzed by the villain Stain, he focused entirely on becoming a hero, letting their connection fade as y/n quietly did the same. Five years later, she returns to Japan as Suneater’s project manager at Fatgum’s agency, and unsure of how it will feel to see Tenya again, she tries to avoid him, left wondering if distance has changed them too much to ever reconnect.

Masterlist | Also read on Ao3

< Chapter 14 | Chapter 16 >

Once y/n was discharged, she did not have a moment to herself. Patch has decided that her new life mission is to make sure y/n never has to lift a finger during her time off. It was funny to watch, actually. Especially when they decided to get food delivered. Patch insisted she could place the order. Never mind the fact that her level of conversational Japanese is a couple of hours on Duolingo and a few Google translation searches. 

It was nice to have her friend with her. Her rented apartment had a new glow to it every time Patch laughed. She also made sure that y/n had no access to her phone. Fatgum’s team really did pull through for her. They collected the evidence they needed to prove that y/n and their team had no responsibilities for the event and that the chaos was in direct cause with the unprofessional decisions made by the event planners of the venue. And after y/n wrote out her statement recalling the events and addressing the rumors, Patch sent the email and stowed away her phone for the next 48 hours. 

“Are you sure it's okay with you taking this much time off?” y/n asked with a spoon full of ice cream in her mouth. Patch snorted as she scooped her own tub of ice cream. 

“Of course, they are not ok with it. You remember how they are with time off.” Patch said. Patch popped the spoon in her mouth and smirked at y/n. “So I just quit!” 

y/n coughed on the ice cream that accidentally slid down her throat too fast. She looked at Patch with wide eyes. 

“What do you mean you quit?” Patch just shrugged nonchalantly. 

“I mean, I quit,” She repeated. y/n stared at her incredulously. y/n could not fathom not working. “So what are you going to do now that you don’t have a job?” Patch eyed her. 

“Take care of you, of course!” Patch shook her head like it was obvious, “That is, until you actually don’t need me to take care of you. After that, I am actually not sure. I just knew that I could not handle another moment at that insufferable place.” 

y/n quirked her eyebrow like she made a good point. She took another bite of her sweet treat as Ouran High School Host Club played on her TV. 

“Maybe I could get a job here, with you.” Patch tossed out. “I’m sure there are heroes in Japan who need help managing their money.” 

“You can’t even order Ramen Patch.” Again, Patch just shrugged, “I’m a fast learner. Plus, math is math. It transcends language.” 

y/n just scoffed and rolled her eyes. She can admit to herself that Patch would adjust well to the country. The language would be a hurdle to get over, but it would be nice to have someone here with her while she is here. 

“I don’t have to make any decisions right now,” Patch pointed out, “My visa expires in three months, around the same time your contract ends. I might not have to find a job depending on what you do.” 

“Are you saying you’re willing to leave everything behind if I decide to stay?” Patch gave her a dirty look. 

“Of course I will,” She answered matter-of-factly, “Besides, it’s not like I’m leaving behind a lot. You know you’re the only family I have that matters.” 

y/n couldn’t help but smile at that. She reaches over the couch and swings her arms around Patch’s shoulders. Patch groaned and tried to shove her off. 

“Ahhh, you love me soooo much!” She gushed. Patch rolled her eyes. Her attempts to get y/n off of her were weak. 

“Yeah, yeah. Tell anyone else, and I’ll take your tongue.” y/n squished her cheeks against Patch’s. 

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. y/n peeled herself off of Patch, and they looked at each other, confused. 

“Did you order something?” y/n asked. Patch shook her head. Another knock, a little louder this time. 

y/n climbed off the couch and softly stepped in front of the door to look through the peephole. 

“It’s Tenya!” she whispered back to Patch. Patch leaped off the couch, the blankets flying with her. 

“What?” She hissed back. y/n just shrugged. Patch flung her arm out, “Well, do you want him here?” 

y/n hesitated for a second because that was an excellent question. But before she could answer, Tenya spoke. 

“I can hear you through the door,” he announced, “If you want me to go, I will. I just wanted to check if you were ok.” 

y/n’s eyes widened at Patch. “What did he say?” Patch asked. 

“He knows we’re here.” Patch lifted her hands in surrender. 

“Ok, well, I’m going to go to the bedroom, because I still have some not nice words to say to him.” Patch immediately booked it to the y/n’s bedroom and shut the door. 

y/n turned back to the front door. Yes, she did agree to be friends again. And yes, this is what friends do when they are concerned about their friend. But she can not help the feeling of awkwardness based on the situation. This was their first time interacting since the hospital, and she can still feel the tension through the flimsy wood door. 

She took one deep, grounding breath, smoothed down her pjs and her hair, and unlocked the door. 

Fuck did he look good. y/n tried to ignore the thought, but how does one do that when all you can focus on is how tight the Henley t-shirt clung to his chest? Or how his sharp jawline could cut through metal, or how his arms were probably the same circumference as an old oak tree? y/n knew how handsome Tenya was growing up. Sure, when he was a kid, it was understated with the overall nerdy vibe he had in high school, but now as a fully grown adult? y/n fought off the urge to bite her lip. 

Unbeknownst to her, Tenya was also having a hard time not openly checking her out. He swallowed the lump caught in his throat. Her hair was tossed in a way that looked effortless, but did amazing things to complement her facial features. She was wearing a cute pajama set, both top and bottom matching with a cute cherry print on a cream background. It looked comfortable to say the least, and it emphasized all the right curves. His heart lurched at her innocent, wide eyes looking up at him. 

He had to cough into his fist to clear his head. It is improper to think of your friend that way, Tenya, he chastised himself. y/n just stopped in the doorway, holding the door wide open, mouth pursed as she waited for him to say something. 

“Hi.” He really needed to work on saying more words. y/n let out an airy laugh.

“Hi.” She said back, voice laced with a question. Tenya adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose. 

“Can I come in?” She nodded and stepped to the side to make room for him.

Even with him stepping into the space carefully, they still brushed against each other on his way in. y/n prayed that her blush was not obvious on her face. 

Seeing him in her tiny apartment was comical. His head barely touched the ceiling, and the furniture looked like Barbie toys next to him. The TV was still playing the show that Patch and y/n were watching. For some reason, having Tenya watch it passively made her embarrassed. 

“Isn’t that the guy that you said reminded you of me when we were kids?” Kyoya Ootori flashed on the screen. y/n looked down at her feet, focusing on the paint on her toes instead of answering him. Yes, actually, that is the character that reminds her of Tenya, and yes, she had a huge crush on that fictional character when she was a pre-teen, but she would rather admit that she kicked a baby before she admitted that to Tenya. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, talking to the floor. Tenya squints back to the show, contemplating for just a second before he decides to let it go. He turned his attention back to her. 

“You look good,” he said. y/n’s face snapped back at him, surprised. His body was hot when he realised the implication. “I-I mean that you look like you’re recovering well.” Nice. That was definitely a smooth save. 

y/n chuckled nervously. “Thank you. I’m sure Patch would breathe for me if she could.” 

Tenya went rigid. Although he did not interact with her American friend for long, and the moments that he did, they could not talk with each other, but he could still tell that Patch was a very serious, very scary person to know. y/n could see the fear in his face and laughed, smile wide and toothy. 

“Don’t worry. She’s locked herself in the bedroom. You don’t have to interact with her if you don’t want to.” Tenya was being ridiculous. He has fought literal villains, and yet the idea of talking with her very intense friend made him want to break out in sweat. 

The next few moments, Tenya and y/n just stood in her apartment, silently, looking everywhere except each other. y/n rolled on the balls of her feet as she tried to find something to say. The show still played in the background, and Tamaki (the one in the show) had just called the rest of the club the “homesexual supporting cast.” 

y/n gestured to the couch, “Would you like to watch it with me?” In truth, Ouran High School Host Club was one of the last shows that she wanted to show Tenya; it was one of the kinds of shows that if you didn’t watch it when you were a kid, you’ll have a hard time liking it as an adult. But y/n was unsure what to do next. 

He nodded rather stiffly. He was also not sure what to do next. Honestly, when he clocked out of work today, his feet just naturally brought him to her apartment. He told himself it was just to check in on her. That was also what he told his mom when he asked her for the address (at the cost of being teased relentlessly by the middle-aged woman). But now that he was here, and he could see she was doing well, there was nothing else keeping him there. He just wanted to stay in the same room as her. 

So he accepted her request to watch a show he’s never seen before. He moved to the couch rather robotically, taking a seat at the very end of the couch. His arms are straight and stiff at his sides. y/n took the other side of the couch, hugging her knees close to her chest for comfort. For a few episodes, they just sat and watched the show. Every once in a while, y/n would laugh a bit, finding Tamaki’s exaggerated antics funny. Each giggle made the tension in Tenya’s shoulders melt. He ignored the buzz of his phone in his pocket, choosing to stay in the moment in this cramped apartment instead. 

Without realizing it, the two gravited towards each other, inching closer to the couch until they were shoulder to shoulder. 

“So…the girls pay to talk to these ‘hosts.’” Tenya asked wearily. y/n nodded, “Yes, beautiful ladies who have way too much time on their hands.” 

“And they are paid to flirt with the ladies?” 

“They also have way too much time on their hands.” Tenya’s eyes scrunch, his logical mind trying hard to understand the show. 

“And the ladies like it?” y/n shrugged. “Sure, why not? At the end of the day, they all know it was just a fantasy.” 

“But it’s highly illogical,” y/n laughed. 

“Tenya, it’s just an anime.” 

“But I don’t understand the structural frame of the hosts. How much do the customers pay to speak with a host? Are there different price points if you talk to a pair like the twins, or is there a fixed rate? How long can a guest pay to see a host? Can someone just pay an exorbitant rate to monopolize a host’s time? And how do they navigate jealousy-” 

y/n tried to bite back a laugh, but it slipped through her fingers. Out of all the things he could criticize the show for, he decides to have a problem with the structure of the club? Tenya paused to look at her, “What?” 

y/n gestured towards the TV, giggles taking over her chest, “You sound just like him.” Tenya’s head tilted. 

“Like who?” Kyoya flashed on the screen again, a clipboard planted in his hand. 

“Like him!” When she was younger, she only thought they were similar because of the glasses and the voice. But watching him dissect the show down to the most minute detail made her realize they could’ve been copies. 

“I do not see the resemblance.” 

y/n snorted, “Come on. It’s so obvious.” 

“How so?” 

“You both wear glasses.” 

“Approximately 73% of people in Japan need corrective eyewear.” 

“You both judge people.” 

“I do not!” y/n pointed in his face, “I have it under good authority that you still call Deku House Arrest.” Tenya’s mouth hangs open, “How did you-” 

“And you both love to be secretly in charge,” y/n interrupted. 

“I do not love to be secretly in charge!” Tenya protested, a little more flustered now, “If I were in charge, it would be explicitly clear.” 

y/n gave him a knowing look. “I fear that makes it worse.” 

And as if the TV could hear their argument, Kyoya adjusted his glasses with a mischievous smirk. y/n snatched the remote and paused at that exact moment. 

“Look!” She pointed widely at the screen. “You even do the glasses thing!” Tenya looked at the TV. 

“The ‘glasses thing?’” y/n sat straight up on the couch, copying Tenya’s exact posture. 

“You know,” She teased, mimicking the motion, pushing imaginary frames up her nose with an exaggerated glance, “The ‘I’m super serious so take me seriously’ look.” 

“I have never done that,” Tenya said firmly.

“I’ve never done that,” she mocked, still holding the pose.

Tenya lectured that it was rude to mock people. Y/n just teased back that it's not mocking if it's true.

Then she dropped her hands, laughing again.

“You’re literally him.”

“I am not.”

“You are.”

Tenya was pouting now. “I am nothing like him.” He insisted, though there was less conviction now. He really wanted to point out that he clearly has more muscles than a cartoon character, but that felt like it was beneath him (and an obvious fact that did not need pointing out)

y/n laughed bright and unguarded, placing a gentle, concerned hand on his arm. “It’s okay, Kyoya. I accept you.” She could not dent how absolutely adorable he was. She wanted to kiss that pout off his face. STOP THAT! She immediately screamed internally. Friends do not think about kissing their friends.

Tenya couldn’t help but laugh with her. His eyes caught hers. Unknowingly, she was leaning towards him, body angled to hover over him slightly. He frantically looked back and forth from her eyes to her lips. His mouth opened slightly, following her lead.

But Honey screaming in the background broke them away, the spell broken. They both faced the TV, but they didn’t pull away as their arms rubbed against each other.

As the rest of the show kept going, Tenya continued with his colorful criticisms. Move on, he urged himself. There is no need to address a moment when it didn’t happen. You are her friend, just be happy with that.

“They allowed a student to accumulate an unpayable debt and are using it as leverage for labor? That seems highly unethical.” He paused, frown deepened, “Possibly illegal?” 

“What are the qualifications to select someone as the president?”

y/n shrugged, “His vibe.” 

“That is not a valid measure for leadership potential." 

“What a major oversight to have those unsavory characters on a private beach to put the students in an unsafe environment like that,” Tenya mumbled as they got to the beach episode. 

As the show played on, the tension between them eased little by little, worn down by shared glances and quiet commentary, until it settled into something that felt achingly familiar. 

The apartment was quiet when Patch stepped out of the bedroom; the dim glow of the TV was the only light in the room. The show was still playing, the credits rolling as Netflix asked if they’re still there. y/n was asleep on the couch, and so was Tenya. Patch leaned against the wall, face contorted as she took in the scene. 

Sometime during the night, y/n had shifted closer to Tenya, enough for her head to be resting on his shoulder. Tenya was still mostly upright, posture just as stubborn as ever, glasses slightly crooked, head tilted just enough to rest lightly against hers. 

Patch’s lips curled in disgust. 

“Seriously?” She whispered to the air. She tiptoed closer to them, making sure not to wake them.

Patch leaned closer to Tenya’s face, squinting as she inspected his face. She didn’t get it. Just from looking at his face, Patch could not understand what about him made y/n resort to a blushing schoolgirl whenever his name was brought up. But she looked at her friend, and Patch’s expression shifted. y/n had no tension in her face, no tightness in her shoulders. She looked peaceful. 

Patch sighed and clicked her tongue. 

“You better not screw this up.” She warned the sleeping man. She reached to turn off the TV, and with a quiet sigh, she grabbed the blanket draped over the back of the couch to toss it over them. y/n shifted, but only to pull the fabric over her shoulder. Tenya was as still as a turned-off robot. 

Patch rolled her eyes before going back to the bedroom. At least she gets to sleep on the bed tonight. She paused at the doorway, glancing back at them one more time. She is going to have to find a way to talk to him tomorrow, because she clearly needs to. But for now, she left them in their own little bubble, letting them have the moment they both clearly needed.

< Chapter 14 | Chapter 16 >

Taglist: @jujudadrippyomega31 @charityjoy22 @vynn01 @callmelovergirl

Author's Note: AHHAHAHAHA, how did you like that little crossover with Ouran High School Host Club? I thoroughly loved teasing Tenya with his similiar personality to Kyoya, and I could not help myself. I thought to myself, "what is the best way to bridge the gap between y/n and Tenya's new friendship? Tease the hell out of Tenya of course!" I think Tenya would be such a fun person to tease.