Heart of a Lion
Chapter 9 Kindness and Virtue
Shinso x Reader
Rated M for Future Mature Themes (Not Explicit)
Tags: slow burn, mutual pining, secretive quirk
Summary: You never wanted to be a hero. You come from a long family of heroes, so why not just be a normal person? That’s what you hoped, until you re-connected with your old High School friend/crush.
Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 /
Once upon a time, around when quirks first started appearing, there was a family that was cursed to be quirk-less. It did not matter who they tried to mate with, even if they had the most powerful quirk holder, their child would not inherit any power from their parents. In the beginning, this was fine, as more than half the population was quirk-less. However, as time went on, they were slowly becoming the minority and being the outcast of society. In response to this, one generation decided to move away from the city into the country, away from society to live in peace.
One day, the mother and father decided to go for a walk. They walked along the river that ran behind their home into the forest. It was a peaceful walk, until they ran into some people who were beating up a poor animal. Quickly, they rushed to it’s aid, running off the wretched humans. They got a closer look, and to their surprise, lied a lioness breathing and whining heavily. They carried the animal back to their home to heal the lioness and allow her a peaceful place to sleep.
As the father was returning home with food for the lioness, a strange light surrounded her as she stood and jumped down from her bed. They stepped back in shock as they heard a voice call their names.
“I am eternally grateful for saving me. You have proved that you have hearts of kindness and virtue. I am a guardian spirit. The family line I have spent years watching over has ended and I require another family to share my power with. If you accept, I can grant you great power that is stronger than any quirk in this world.”
The father and mother looked toward each other, as if thinking the same thing. “We humbly thank you for the opportunity,” the father said first. “But if you surely can grant power, then we do not wish it to be for us.”
“It is our son.” The mother added. “He was born very weak. Without a quirk, we fear he may not be able to protect himself. He is twelve years old but has only truly lived half that. If what you said is true, then we beg you. Please, give him a chance to live a good life.”
The lioness nodded. “You are more selfless than I thought. My power shall start with him and will be shared down the family line. Your lineage will no longer have to worry about living a weak life, for strength will only be a call away.”
The father and mother smiled and hugged each other, relieved that their son could truly start living his life. However, the lioness gave a warning. “My power is granted to those with kindness and virtue. If this power is used for anything other than good intentions, then your family will lose this power forever.”
They agreed to the lioness’s terms, happy just to even have a chance to give their son a better life. “Go to him.” The lioness said. “Teach him how to be kind and to not take this life for granted.”
“Yes, of course.” The father said.
“Thank you for this gift.” The mother said. “We will not waste this opportunity.”
And so, they went to the hospital where their son was. Everyone was astonished to see this once weak boy who could not get up from his bed, suddenly was sprinting down the halls with glee. Everyone was so happy to see the amazing progress and the parents were overflowed with emotion.
However, they had only just begun to witness what the power of the lioness could truly do.
Weeks passed since the boy’s recovery and he was joyful with every step he took. One day, the boy was on a walk with his family down the river side. They had reached an area where the river turned into whitewater rapids. They were just about to continue until they heard a scream from the river. They ran to see that a child had fell into the river and was about to be swept into the rapids. The mother and father tried to find a branch to reach them, until their son suddenly jumped into the rapids. His mother and father scrambled to save them, only to see him fight through the force of the river, grab the child, and carry her to safety.
His parents were so astonished. Was this the true power the lioness offered?
After everything was settled, they went home to discuss this new phenomenon. The son said he felt a strong will to save the girl and he simply asked anyone to give him the strength to do so.
“It is just as the lioness said. Her strength will only be a call away.”
That day the son made a vow to honor this new spirit within him. He vowed to unlock and discover any power he could so he would easily have access to the strength he has been blessed with so he can save everyone he can, just like the girl in the river.
For generations this power has been passed down and shared throughout the family line, every member working hard to unlock their own special power and use it for the good of the people.
“Everyone in the family forms their own unique power that reflects themselves. Some of them uses her animal form, some simply calls upon the power to make them stronger… some even learned to breathe fire or ice.” You said. “However, because someone can easily take advantage of this power, the first one made a rule to not use the power in vain.”
“The first one?” Shinso tilted his head.
“That’s how we refer to the boy that was first granted the power. Technically, my however-many-great grandfather.” You groaned a little, remembering practically being forced to study your family history. “Don’t remember though. I think I fell asleep during that lecture.”
You observed Shinso to see he didn’t move at all during the time you were telling your family story. He practically sat there in confusion most of the time. You hoped it wasn’t too much for him. The last thing you needed for him was another reason to leave you again.
You shuddered at the thought. You just got him back. It would be a cruel world if he decided to not talk to you again. Oh god, would he do that? You thought as you looked over at Shinso who was staring at the floor in thought. You wanted to know what he was thinking. “Um… Shinso?”
He jerked his head with a “Huh?” and locked his indigo eyes with yours.
“What… what are you thinking?” you dared to ask.
“A lot.” He replied. “Everything is starting to make sense.”
You tried so desperately to stop your hand from shaking from anxiety. Your heart was practically waiting for him to either understand or tell you off for not trusting him. Before you could get your answer, a nurse knocked and walked in. “Shinso? I’m sorry to tell you this, but we need you back in your room to do some more testing.”
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll be there in a bit.”
The nurse took her leave and a heavy silence fell in the room as you still waited for his opinion on the matter. He took a deep breath and stood up. “I should get back.”
“Okay.” Your body was frozen in place as your thoughts screamed Just ask him! as he started to make his exit. “Wh-wait!” you shouted as he reached for the door.
“Y-yes?” he stuttered, startled by your sudden outburst.
Your fists clenched as you tried to find the right words. You’ve been waiting years for the opportunity to tell him this and you doubt he can even comprehend the significance of this moment. Of course, he wouldn’t. You remembered the many nights you spent just talking with him. He shared everything with you. His dreams and his thoughts were no secret, yet you wouldn’t even spare a conversation about your day, always steering the conversation back to him when you had the chance.
“Um… have a good night.” Was all you said as you let him go. You figured he’d been through enough for the weekend and you didn’t want to push him to be emotionally available, especially with what he had to go through just the day before.
You just hoped he could understand.
This… is not good, you thought as you awoke in the stairwell of the agency you currently worked at. You run your hand through your hair and sighed as you made your way back to your department with a blanket that you seemed to have taken from the lobby room. For two weeks at random times, you found yourself forgetting time or waking up in random places. Thankfully, the episodes didn’t last long, and you’ve managed to stay in the good graces of the boss despite this setback. Yet still, it is a mystery why it kept happening.
You dropped off the blanket in the lobby, trying to avoid questioning glances at your slightly bed head as you made your way to the elevators to get back to where you worked. Entering the elevator, you didn’t even notice another person was with you until you heard a deep voice call your name. You looked to the person to see clear indigo eyes that you had not seen in a while. You missed them.
“You don’t look too good.” He looked at you, concerned. “Have you been sleeping at all?”
You debated on whether to tell him the full truth or just tip-toe around it. “I’m still getting used to the new job. I’m sure it’s just temporary.”
He clenched his jaw. He was sure that wasn’t the case as he heard rumors that you had been spacing out lately. But he didn’t want to intrude if it was personal. Besides, if you needed his help, you would tell him… right? “Well, you went through a lot in the last couple of weeks. Don’t push yourself.”
The air felt heavy. You knew he knew that you were holding something back. You didn’t want him to worry. He’s a pro hero and he’s already busy enough. You decided you could handle it alone. “I won’t.”
The doors opened and you gave him a small smile before you left. Taking a seat at your small desk, you checked the time to see you stayed five minutes over your break. You groaned as you resumed your work, but your thoughts never strayed from those indigo eyes. Shinso never really held a full conversation with you since that day. Of course, meetings and villain attacks kept him busy, but you couldn’t stop the negative thoughts that flooded into your head, wondering if it was just an excuse to not see you.
You wanted to see him.
You grabbed your head as it felt like white noise was spreading through it. You massaged your skull in an attempt to make it go away. Seriously, what the hell is going on? You didn’t even notice your team leader quietly walking up to you until he put his hand on your shoulder. You jumped and let out a small embarrassing yelp and tripped over your words as you asked him if he needed anything.
“You seem stressed. I know it’s your weekend off tomorrow, so why don’t you head home early?”
You pursed your lips. If even your team leader could tell something was off with you then Shinso definitely could. “I just haven’t been getting a lot of sleep, Sei. I’m fine. I don’t want people to pick up my slack over such a reason.”
“Such a reason is why we want you to go home.” Sei responded. “Go home and get some rest. We can cover you for today.”
“But-“
“No buts!” Another coworker chipped in. “You went through some crazy shit a couple weeks ago. You haven’t even given yourself a chance to rest. Just take the weekend and go get a massage or something.”
“Or get laid.” Everyone glared at the girl who said it. “What? It’s what I do to relax!”
You chuckled at everyone’s efforts to cheer you up. “Thanks. You all have no idea how much this means to me. I promise I’ll be much better by Monday.”
You gathered your things, said your goodbyes and left the office. As you made your way down the hallway you felt yourself go light headed again. What the hell is happening? To avoid staring eyes, you shuffled into the bathroom and splashed water on your face. You wished Shinso was here.
What? You questioned the intrusion thought. Why is he coming up in this situation? You groaned as the fuzz in your head started to grow fierce, becoming a full-on headache. So many thoughts suddenly flooded your head that all lead to the same person: Shinso.
Stop, stop, stop! You tried to control your thoughts and the sudden increase in blood pressure. Please just make it stop!
And then you felt everything go black.
“Thank you all for the hard work this month and enjoy your early weekend!”
Shinso lightly massaged his neck as he made his way to the elevators. He was elated to finally have an early weekend, although, he was sure it would pass unceremoniously. Entering the elevators, he hovered his finger over the ground floor button. Would it be okay to visit them? Shinso debated in his head if it was okay to see you. Worry for you filled his mind the entire meeting, wondering if what you said was true or if there was another reason for you spacing out. He decided you probably wouldn’t mind and he had promised to do more for you anyway, visiting you could be a start. He pressed the button to your floor and made his way to where he knew your office was… except you weren’t there.
“Hey, Professor X, what’s up?” Sei, your team leader, asked.
Shinso smirked at his antics, amused that he still poked fun at the pro-heroes, despite his position. “If you’re referring to my vast intellect, then thank you.”
Sei chuckled at Shinso, also amused that he still puts up with his teasing. “Seriously, what’s up? It’s not like you to stop here.”
“Where’s the newbie?” Shinso asked. “I just saw them before my meeting.”
“The newbie looked like they haven’t been resting well so I sent them home early.” Sei answered. “Why? You interested or something?” He nudged Shinso with his elbow.
Shinso averts his eyes and anxiously rubbed his neck. “Something like that.”
“Then you better get going. I just sent them home not too long ago, you might be able to catch them.”
Shinso thanked the man and quickly made his way down the hall. He had no idea how he would be able to find you, but he knew he had to try. Hopefully you-
“Ahh! Help!”
Shinso’s thoughts were cut short when he heard a womanly scream from around the corner of the hall. He immediately clutched his capture device, ready to face a villain but as he turned the corner, he saw… the lioness?
He was confused to see the spirit was sniffing a woman who was trapped against the wall. The lioness growled and turned her nose up, as if repulsed with her smell. The lioness continued down the hall until she spotted Shinso. Immediately, the lioness charged him.
Shinso was frozen in place. He could barely make out the voices advising him to run, or even react when the lioness pounced on him to the floor. Shinso shut his eyes expecting his face to be chomped off but it never came. Instead, he felt a wet muscle run up his cheek. He opened his eyes to see the lioness licking his face and then burying her head in his shoulder, letting out a deep purr as she nestled on top of his body.
“Well this is quite the predicament.” Sei said, observing the situation before him. He tried to get close, but the lioness growled at him when he took a step forward. “You two know each other?”
Shinso was about to question him if he knew about you but stopped himself. If you didn’t want to tell your team about your quirk, then he probably shouldn’t. “In a way, yes.” He simply said, petting the giant cat before him. “I can take care of it.”
“Should probably do it fast. Before someone calls animal control.” Sei chuckled before walking away.
Shinso groaned at his attempt at a joke, but he was right. Shinso figured he should probably get you out of there before someone tried to take control of the situation. He pushed the lioness off enough so he could stand. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” He started to walk toward the elevators and easily enough, the lioness followed him inside, everyone else refusing to ride with them.
Eyes were trailed on him the entire way home. Even in a world filled with quirks that make people look like animals, people are still afraid of lions? Shinso questioned. He looked toward the lioness that was happily trotting next to him, her tail bouncing back a forth. Shinso wondered what to do with you. He could try to take you back to your apartment, but he didn’t know where that was. He decided the best thing to do was take you to his apartment. It was a builder floor that had plenty of room for a lion to live in. Reaching the apartment, he opened the door and the lioness immediately pounced inside, sniffing and rubbing on everything in sight. Shinso chuckled to himself. If only you could see this.
But Shinso didn’t know if this was you or not. From what your team leader said, you weren’t sleeping well and when he saw you in the elevator you looked far from okay. Was this the reason? He felt a little saddened that you didn’t confide in him with your struggle. He thought you were beginning to trust him again.
He decided to put the situation in the back of his mind and go to the kitchen to find something to eat. As he was rummaging through the fridge, he could feel the lioness rubbing against his thigh. “Are you hungry too?” He asked, petting her on the head as she made happy growling noises. “I’m not sure I have enough to feed you but hopefully this could hold you over until you change back.” He pulled a chicken from his freezer and set the oven to preheat. The lioness hummed as she laid down on the kitchen floor, her tail still happily moving back and forth. As Shinso made dinner, he pondered why you would change into that form. Perhaps too much stress from what had happened… or maybe summoning lioness the first time did something to you.
He finished cooking the chicken and placed a large portion on a plate. He placed the plate on the ground and the lioness ate it in just a couple of bites. Although she finished fast, she looked satisfied. Shinso set his plate on the counter and ate while the lioness sat next to his feet, occasionally pawing at his toes. He couldn’t help but reach down and ruffle his hand on her head. Despite being a ferocious beast, in this state, she looked just like a house cat.
He finished his meal and cleaned up his kitchen. As he was finishing, he realized that the lioness wasn’t in the spot he left her. He searched the apartment to find that she had cuddled up in his bed, her whiskers twitching as she slept comfortably in his spot. Shinso smiled as he grabbed extra blankets and pulled them over her form. He stroked her as she cuddled herself under the blanket.
It was so strange to think that this was you but in a different form. Even still, he was happy just to be next to you, even if it wasn’t really you. Or maybe it was you. Shinso wanted to ask you so many questions about your quirk, how it worked, what are the drawbacks… (Midoriya must have rubbed off on him.) He wanted so desperately to see you and make sure you were okay after the villain attack, but he found himself busy at every turn. At least now, you were where he could see you, and he wasn’t going to let you go until he knew you were okay.
He decided to let you rest as much as you could. He started to leave, but then grunted in embarrassment when he remembered what happened when you woke up from your quirk. He searched through his dresser to find a sweater and sweat pants that looked to be your size and left them on the edge of the bed. He left the room but not without giving one last look and a quiet “goodnight,” leaving you to get a good night’s sleep.