#graywritesmha

[graydottir]

In your gaping, horrified state, you barely registered the folders slipping from your hands until the first clattered to the floor. It echoed loudly in the now silent hallway and you scrambled to catch the rest, cheeks heating to an uncomfortable degree due to the amount of eyes you could feel on your back.

Blue being among them.

And… oh god, when you heard whispering, you were just about ready to die, new career and relationship be damned.

Hugging the folders firmly to your chest, you whirled around and stiffly made your way over to him, looking like someone had just rammed a stick up your arse with how awkward your legs felt all of a sudden.

His smile was as wide and blinding as ever despite the concern showing in his eyes, and once you had backed him up around the corner, out of sight, he went to place his hand on your shoulder, opened his mouth to give voice to said concern, but-

“What are you doing?” you asked in a heated whisper, sending a worried glance over your shoulder.

He was silent for a moment, staring down at the top of your head in confusion. He didn’t recall this being a potential outcome of a lunch invitation, and he doubted you’d appreciate him whipping out his copy of Dating for Dummies to refresh his memory. “Uh…” He cocked his head to the side like a confused puppy. “Asking you to lunch?”

"No," you said with heavy exasperation because surely he couldn't be this dense. "Asking me in public, all cute like that-"

"You think I'm cute?" he interrupted, latching onto the completely wrong part. You gaped at him for the second time that day as he brought a finger to his chin and hummed. "Well, I suppose this relationship wouldn't work if you didn't…"

"Focus!" you hissed, slapping your folders against his chest. His eyes snapped down to yours, eyebrow quirking upwards, smile ever present, ever beautiful. Your traitorous eyes went down to his mouth briefly, heart skipping a beat, before you shook yourself and spluttered, "C-Couldn't you have sent me a text? Told me where to meet you? Instead... instead of… wanna eat together?" you mimicked his voice and pose, albeit a little frantically, then scrunched your eyes closed, feeling like you were about to combust. "I told you I wasn't ready to make our relationship public yet, a-and- and-"

You felt the familiar weight of his hand on your shoulder and sucked in a breath, held it, then released it slowly as the large, comforting appendage drifted behind you to rub between your shoulder blades, massaging the tension away. He then lowered his upper body so he was hovering over you, and when he spoke, you felt his breath brush against the top of your ear, playing with the loose strands of hair, sending a pleasant chill down your spine that had you clenching your thighs closer together.

"You worry too much," he said, and you could hear the fondness he reserved for you only in his tone. He leaned away to peer at your face and you gradually looked up at him, heart fluttering wildly in your chest. Mesmerising blue eyes flickered back and forth between your own, before his hand trailed up your neck, feather soft, and caressed your cheek. "I was just so happy to see you… I couldn't control myself."

[graydottir]

Villains are really stupid these days, you thought as you watched police cart several of them into their trucks. They had attacked you in broad daylight - in a crowded area, no less, and seemed genuinely surprised when other heroes had shown up to help you.

You mentally rolled your eyes.

Idiots.

It was a victory if you ever saw one, but still, you didn’t let your guard down, even as you leaned against the wall for support. Something could go awry in seconds, and you had to be ready for it.

Shouta had taught you that.

So, you ignored the pain in your side, ignored the fact that he was fighting somewhere, too, and instead focused your attention on your surroundings, eyes flickering around the area like a hawk - alert, ready, waiting for those seconds.

And then suddenly, they came.

There was a presence at your back, and you didn’t hesitate. You activated your quirk despite the pain in your muscles and whirled around, ready to knock whatever villain this was into next week. But then the pain was gone along with your quirk, and your fist was caught by a gentle, yet firm hand.

“You’re okay,” a familiar voice breathed out.

Shouta.

He lowered your fist, returned your quirk as he rubbed a warm, calloused thumb over your knuckles. You didn’t need to see his eyes to know the emotion within them - you were positive it was mirrored in your own.

Complete and utter relief.

“Yeah,” you breathed out, too, chest deflating with it, shoulders sagging slightly. “And you?”

He pushed his goggles up and rubbed his eye, smirking. “I’ll live,” he joked, looking at you again. He had one eye open… it looked so bloodshot, so sensitive, and your heart both sank and soared at the implications, hand turning upwards in his hold to grasp his fingers, to squeeze them.

You had lectured him in the past about this; had told him over and over again about how you hated seeing this… the raw pain in his eyes he usually downplayed as nothing serious. And now, as he continued to rub his eye, simultaneously glancing around for potential danger, you didn’t have the heart to scold him for it, because you just knew that here, today… he’d done it for you.

[graydottir]

“You get all that?” Shigaraki asked in a tone of voice that implied you were stupid, untrustworthy. You only nodded at him, keeping your biting retort barricaded safely behind clenched teeth. It wouldn’t do well to antagonise this guy - he was unpredictable, put you on edge. One wrong word and he’d put you five feet under, one way or another. He eyed you suspiciously, then nodded, pleased by your cooperation. “One more thing,” he said slowly, keeping his eyes on you to gauge your reaction as he pointed at something over his shoulder. “You’ll be taking him with you.”

Son of a-

A muscle jerked in your cheek - the only outward sign of your irritation as your eyes followed the direction of his stupid, skinny, pale finger. This wasn’t part of the plan. You specifically told him that you work best alone, and you just knew he did this to test your loyalty, to see how expendable you truly were.

That scheming, irritating little-

Blue eyes made you pause, stopped that train of thought in its tracks, and you just - stared.

Two blue orbs stood out amongst the darkness in the room, distracted you from the scars decorating the skin around them. They were just, so blue - Jesus - and so dangerous, set entirely upon you with an intense curiosity that had your toes curling in your shoes.

“Gotta say,” the newcomer spoke, breaking the silence. “I was real’ reluctant about working with a newbie, but you’re pretty easy on the eyes, stranger,” he rumbled, his voice deep, sexy, as he tilted his head to the side, looking you up and down. A beat of silence passed before those eyes found their way back up to yours. “The name’s Dabi.” He licked his lips, then smirked. “And you are?”

[graydottir]

You were the last one to get onto the bus due to your tendency to hang back behind everybody - a habit born from your desire to blend in with the background, to get through your days unnoticed. A habit that had, much to your chagrin, proven to be nothing but a double edged sword lately. You felt comfortable with the lack of attention on your person, but it brought with it the inability to reach out and make friends, which was lonely.

So very lonely.

So, you decided today was the day.

You’d search for the courage inside of yourself and bridge the gap between you and your classmates, try to replace your loneliness with friendship. You walked down the aisle, eyes scanning the area nervously for a seat, a friendly face, a welcoming smile, anything.

Unfortunately, the only vacant seats were either alone at the back of the bus, or near that angry, explosion boy, whose face was far from friendly, downturned lips far from welcoming. Deflating, you decided to go for the lesser of two evils - you’d rather be alone than sit next to that - but as you got closer, you spotted something to the left of you. There was a seat free next to that kid with the green hair - you’d forgotten his name, too lost in your own world you had been - but you found your courage, looking at that freckled face.

“Mind if I sit here?” you asked quietly, slowing to a stop beside him.

His head swivelled at the sound of your voice, his response catching in his throat the moment he looked at your face. There was an awkward silence - not counting the chatter of everyone else conversing around you - and the longer it dragged, the more confidence you began to lose. You were about to apologise and move elsewhere, but then he snapped out of it, cheeks pinking slightly.

“Ah, y-yeah, of course, yeah, g-go right ahead,” he said in a rush, gesturing towards the seat with a wave of his hand.

“Thanks,” you breathed in relief, throwing yourself down onto the seat, boneless. There was more silence between you, and once the bus started moving, you looked at him from the corner of your eye, wanting to break it, wanting to bridge that gap. “I’m (Name) (Surname), by the way.”

His eyes snapped to yours, then averted nervously to a spot in front of you. “I-I’m Izuku,” he said shyly, his voice changing in pitch midway through his name. “Izuku Midoriya.”

You smiled at him, finding comfort in the fact that he was just as nervous as you.

[graydottir]

From the moment his eyes caught sight of you, he was unable to control himself. His heart thudded wildly in his chest, cheeks pinking as he squirmed around in his seat.

He couldn’t believe this.

He could not believe this.

He brought his hands up to his mouth, letting loose a high pitched eeeee sound which resembled a kettle letting out steam more than an excited teenage boy. “Oh my gosh,” he gasped out, eyes shining. “It’s the ___ hero, ___! They’re amazing! They’re- They’re- oh my gosh, Kacchan, do you remember when they-”

“Shut up, nerd,” the blonde snapped, clearly agitated, but Izuku paid him no mind because you - one of his favourite heroes of all time - were here in person, and nothing could ruin it for him.

Not even Kacchan.

[graydottir]

You heard a crash behind you and spun around, ready to defend yourself, but then you paused, taking in the scene before you. That explosive kid stood a few feet away, his back to you as he admired his handiwork. You hadn't learned his name yet, but you'd recognise that hair anywhere, recognise those eyes. Just thinking about those fiery red depths gave you butterflies, the memory of them staring at you from across the room earlier that morning had your heartrate increasing a level. And when he turned them on you a second later, the knowing, cocky look in them telling you he knew you were there, sent your heart up into your throat.

He smirked devilishly, wiping the sweat on his chin with the back of his hand, wispy trails of smoke escaping between his fingers to match the scene behind him, as if to say, yeah, that's right, this is my doing. The display was reminiscent of a peacock displaying it's feathers, and you found that you couldn't look away.

[graydottir]

"I'll make you proud," you told him, trying to keep the emotion out of your voice, off of your face. You still couldn't believe he had chosen you, of all people.

All Might stared down at you, his piercing blue eyes a stark contrast against the blackness around them. He looked so serious, which made you a little bit nervous, but then he grinned lopsidedly, eyes softening. "I don't doubt that, kid."