Electric blue eyes soften when they turn their gaze away from the cityscape to Kyo. They had been sat on the roof of his complex since sunset- enjoying the view, and each other’s company. As the sun went down, and the lights went on- the conversations became deeper.
Teeni couldn’t help but adore the fellow hero next to her. Working together led to being friends, and friends led to.. here. With her heart singing just being near him, with being content in silence for the first time in ages so long as he’s next to her.
Her hand would gently lay overtop his, a small reminder that she was here for him. In a rare moment, though, Teeni hesitated- trying to find the words, and the proper courage to speak them.
“..Maybe you just need someone to remind you.”
This was the first time in... a while since he had a deep conversation like this. Always, he was a smiling hero, calm and reassuring to those lost. He was the friend always offering help. Always the one that was lighthearted. It seemed to shift when he and Teeni were together.
It was so strange, he never saw himself falling for anyone, yet here he was, confessing a sad fact. He hasn’t seen his family in a long time. He never had friends besides someone that was now a villain (and someone he fell in love with those years ago), so now he felt... rather alone. A clawed hand gently held a flower from a little pot that was inside. A Forget-Me-Not, and he looked at it with some sort of longing he didn’t know he still had until he talked about it.
When her hand took his, he was surprised, but it oh so carefully moved to hold hers.
“Remind me..?” He asked quietly, his onyx eyes looking at her and his head tilted. He wanted to think it was her wanting him, but... that would be too good to be true, wouldn’t it? “I... wish I could, but... I don’t know. A-are you implying something..?”
Of course she did. Her quirk is destructive, it’s not befitting a hero. People can talk about good intentions all they want, but the fact of the matter is someone got hurt, because of her. Not very heroic, is it?
Those downtrodden thoughts halted temporarily, however, when her mentor came up to her. The first thing to come out of her is an apology, followed up with how she should probably just give up- that he should give up on her. It had slipped out without much thinking, though, nothing quite prepared her for what he said in return.
iIm not giving up on you
not ever
Yellow eyes widen, and it didn’t take long for tears to start welling up. Was that true? Did he really think that way? Why about her, what made her so redeemable?
“Not.. ever..?” Her voice came out much quieter, definitely sounding like she might cry in the next few moments.
She messed up, of course she did. She was a child. Kyogoe couldn’t fault her for inexperience when it was his internship that was supposed to help with that and let her make mistakes. It was the fact that she said she should give up on heroism is what made it so heartbreaking.
The winged hero felt his chest tighten at the tears, and her question made him nod.
“Not ever,” He repeated with concrete certainty. He took her hands, gentle with his own dulled talons, even though he knew she was wearing her metal-tipped gloves. Poor girl...
“This is supposed to be a learning experience. Demalion, it’s alright. We didn’t know that this would become a more serious situation. Even then... you handled it wonderfully. It’s your first time. One hospitalization, but no casualties. It may sound awful, that one case, but truly... it could have been far worse.” He offered her a smile, warm and encouraging. “It was just one mistake. I don’t even need to scold you since you feel awful about it. Instead... you can just take this learning experience for next time.”
He gave her hands the gentlest squeeze. “I’m so proud of you.”
@knifelizard sent: "hey, it's uh — it's really nice of you to let me crash with you." shuichi looks awkward, out of place. he curls his tail around his legs and tries to keep his shoulders hunched, his stature small. "you really... didn't have to do that. i wouldn't want put you in a weird position. i know this whole thing is... weird." WOOPS redemption verse childhood best friends (to enemies even tho they never encountered each other) to friends again to lovers, slow burn 100k
Kyogoe had heard he was going to help train a new search and rescue hero, which he was more than happy to do. Yet he didn’t expect it to be Shuichi, someone who told him to ‘go on, fly away!’ and left when the rescue hero didn’t come back to Urugi in time. It all hurt, still feeling similar stings of back then, but...
It was easy for him to forgive.
Hell, he even offered his own flat for Shuichi to stay in. It was large and spacious, enough for his wings to stretch out if need be, and had a bit of a cottage feeling. Plants in places, some walls of cobblestone, it seemed homely.
“It’s alright, Shuichi,” The man smiled. Really, he was just... happy to have his best friend in his life again. “Truly. I know it’s an odd predicament we’re in, but... if I can help you, I’m more than willing to do so.”
He wished he could those years ago.
“Anyway! Do make yourself at home. I have a spare bedroom you can check out. Second door on the left down that hallway. It has a nice view of the city.”
HE IS making small little dancing friends to help soothe the scared children. Sandy for a moment turns to look at Kyogoe and creates a search light symbol over his head. Their head jerking to the side signaling movement for the young hero.
Kyogoe is thankful to be working with Sandman on this one; it was easy for the two of them to maneuver and work together to get people out of the situation. The symbol was seen and he didn’t even need to think before he nodded. Wings unfurled, he was there, then gone, shot into the air and going high where he was sure to be seen by others.
“HEEEY! WE NEED HELP HERE!” He called out, his voice only the slightest shrill. He lowered in altitude just a tad, to make sure Sandy and the kids were still able to see him. Others seemed to be coming over to help, so he flashed a smile and thumbs up to his ally down below.
Uh oh, caught! “Oh, no-! Not at all! Just, sorry if this is weird to say, they just look so soft.”
“My wings? Oh, well, you’re not the first to think that. I do try to upkeep my wings as often as possible. The softness is just because I fly silently.” He pauses for a moment. “Did you... want to touch them? You may, but, ah... don’t preen them, please.”
Help was coming for you, but their efforts were in vain. You're dead, and you've likely brought your friends into an ambush by the enemy in their rush to save you. On the bright side, you know you were important enough to be saved, and any fight with the villain is one that the heroes can win.
Writing Wednesday — Imagine you found out one of your loved ones or someone who is otherwise close to you was a wanted criminal, perhaps a villain even. How would you react? Would you postpone a decision by ignoring it? Would you inform the authorities and have them arrested? Or perhaps instead help them hide from the law? How difficult is that decision for you to make?
The sight was unmistakable. Even so, the young hero wished that it wasn’t the case, but there was only one man he knew that had wings as black as coal and a screech that terrified him when he was younger.
“Shuyo?”
Dammit, dammit, damn everything that caused this to happen. A battlefield of the thousands, many lives already lost from pure destruction by Shigaraki himself. Kyogoe wasn’t much of a fighter, but there’s no telling if he was going to come out alive if he didn’t adorn his talons in battle claws ( things he made he didn’t know how long ago, it was a spur of the moment and yet now he regrets that he did ).
But now this nightmare was much worse. He only wanted to rescue, but this?
“SHUYO!”
If it wasn’t for him yelling the name, people wouldn’t even know he took off like a bullet, wings beating against the air desperately. The harpy-quirked man’s eyes were locked onto him, and Kyogoe veered to a destroyed, burning area that licked their feathers with the brightest hues of cerulean.
It was dangerous for the both of them, but if a place where they would both get antsy worked, then so be it.
Out of the two of them, the elder was the faster flier. Shuyo always wanted to be the one towering over Kyogoe, as if losing anything to the younger was anything worse than shame. He felt a claw dig into his back.
“Hello, dear brother.”
The rescue hero gasped as he veered into the ground, screeching as he tumbled and rolled a few times onto the scorched earth. His battle-claw-armed feet went up in the air as he haphazardly tried to swipe at the calmer, yet hate-filled man above him. A squawk was earned and the younger was quick to lift himself into the air but was quickly pulled down and swung, tumbling again and this time into a burned, searing stump of a fallen tree.
“Shuyo— What are you doing..?!”
“What am I doing? What do you mean, Soaren?” The words came out sickeningly sweet in the roar of the fire. No, not sweet, too much excitement. The manic grin on his face said it all. “Are you still living in your dreams? Where I’m just your ‘begrudgingly supportive brother’? That’s funny! That’s really funny!”
“Shuyo, please— Just stop, you know this is wrong, why are you doing this? Please, go home-! I don’t want t—”
“—to kill me?”
“I don’t want to fight you!”
“That’s fine, I CAN KILL YOU INSTEAD!”
Thank any god out there for fast reflexes, otherwise, Kyogoe’s heart would have been sliced. Instead, though, his wing was now stained red from the slash of the ragged claws piercing under his feathers. An agonized screech left the harmed hero.
“What makes you think I want to go back home?”
“What even made you like this-?!”
“Like this? Like this?!” Shuyo let out a burst of roaring laughter to the torrents of flames. “This is just me! The liberation front let me be who I am, isn't that just a wonderful thing, brother? To finally be yourself, to be believed in for what you can do? I mean, that's why you left, isn't it? To get away from it all, to be your true self? Well, really, it was just you trying to think you were the solution to a problem when you just became the problem itself."
He beamed with disgusting pride and leaned down to the man in his grip. His foot slammed down on a wing, gripping it to the point blood was being shed again. A scream left the younger Hoshiba brother as he felt his wing go slack from the muscled being scratched apart by such a mere action. "They believed in me when no one else would. Not even you. The strong triumphs, the broken are pushed aside and never fixed. Your little dreams, your trust, your friends, your meek little heroism... you know that's just weakness in a dog-eat-dog world, don't you?"
My god... what have you become? Kyogoe asked himself. He looked into the amber eyes of his kin, trying to see some sort of semblance of what used to be there. A cynic, a begrudging and sour boy, but one that just wanted the best for his family.
Someone that just wanted Kyogoe to not be reckless.
"I know... I know you don't think that..." He whispered softly. His voice was so weak, almost unable to be heard within the chaos of the heat and burning around them.
A brow quirked. "I don't, do I?"
"Shuyo, please, there's still time. What about Hikoko? What would she think? Mom, Da... You know they're worried about us both... You can still turn back from this. I know you can. I know haven't changed to this..!"
"Soaren, Soaren, Soaren..." The villain sighed, clicking his tongue. His winged arms drooped for a moment, clearly disappointed in what had been hoped for. What a vile little thing to hope for. "You really haven't changed, have you?"
"...I haven't..."
"Well, I let you in on a little secret, okay?" The talons gripping the useless wing went to Kyogoe's ask-covered face, looking deep into the teary, hopeless, onyx eyes. What life they held, to have gone through so much, see the stars and skies first hand so high in the air after fleeing capture. After everything that had happened to him. The taunts, the disapproving gazes, the whispers. The question was thrown at him again and again. Can someone like you really be a hero?
Every time, Shuyo saw his little brother say, without care, "Yes I can!"
He abhorred it all.
"Soaren... You knew Shuyo, but you don't know me. Although... The last thing you will know is that."
"Shuyo, please..!" The beg was weak, Kyogoe's voice cracked with the weight of it all.
"Please, know me, dearest hero," Shuyo chuckled. He let go of Kyogoe's face.
Only to drive the talons deep into the hero's chest. Blood looked like a dark red under the flames, the same red choked out through the wounded's mouth.
"After all, the one who killed you is Stryker, not your brother."
you were born into your loneliness, your family always had better things to love. you're a hopeless romantic, of your friends there's only one or two you haven't fallen for. it's a pattern, you don't want to think about that, though. every person you get close with, your heart locks them into your life. the chains are too tight, or too heavy because they always become overwhelmed and leave. you're too much, a violently bright fire trying to be held by gentle human hands. it's no wonder you burn them. you just aren't meant for love like humans are.
“Yeah! For now though, I have these” She pulls out a pair of circular pink tinted glasses, putting them on. “Maybe..! That one support course student from the festival was talking about some high-tech stuff, but- honestly, as long as I can see and read well, I’d be happy with it..!” She smiles as she adjusts her suit “Are we going to do anything today? It looks like you could use some rest..”
“Well, they look nice on you,” He mused softly. A soft ‘churr’, a noise akin to a chuckle when it came to his family, left him in amusement and he tilted his head. “I can get that. I was never really all about tech myself. I’m from a very small village, almost like it was stuck in last century!”
At the question, he shook his head. “Maybe just a smaller patrol in the city. Nothing too big, unless you’re really raring to go. I still got some energy in these wings.”
Ruru smiles brightly at the head pat, “I’m glad you were safe despite the weather..! And nope- it’s never boring at UA honestly.” She chuckles lightly, before suddenly realizing “Oh! I’m getting my suit changed up! Nothing major, but I’m adding a visor- apparently looking through something colored really helps with that issue I was having with reading so- I can read street signs and stuff easier once that gets approved..!”
“A visor, hm?” Kyogoe thought for a moment before he nodded. “Would definitely be a good upgrade. Not only with the reading, but who knows, you might be able to see someone before anyone else does when it comes to hero situations. Glad you were able to get that done! Can’t wait to see how it looks.”
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