Hitoshi Shinsou | Pro-Hero AU | 172732014

A Hero's Example: Toka's Origins

It was an interesting afternoon when Shinsou placed that bet, the both of you trying your best to coax that cat to interact or even simply look at either of you. You chuckled at the recollection of Shinsou's attempts, simply staring at the cat as if he were trying to brainwash him. Then again, you caught yourself doing the same thing. It was unfortunate that despite your Quirk, you were unable to read animals' minds.

Most of the time spent at the cat cafe was just this. After treating yourselves, it was going through any means to coax this cat to warm up to either of you. Eventually the both of you gave up, sitting by the shop window next to each other while being approached by other cats in the cafe. At the time, there was only five minutes left with the allocated time you purchased for Shinsou's birthday gift, and so, as a truce, the both of you surrendered to just enjoying yourselves. That was until the very cat that you both gave undivided attention to waltzed up to both of your feet, and perched itself between the both of you.

You both agreed that it was a draw, and Shinsou, though he inwardly felt content to the idea, walked you back to the academy with your hands in his.

Months after that day at the cat cafe, you had been anticipating Shinsou's retelling about Toka, but had yet to receive that reward for a long time. You equated it to a lot of things - school, studies, the Joint Training Battle that occurred recently. In fact, spotting Shinsou amongst the Hero students both surprised you, and elated you, and though you weren't pitted against him, part of you was relieved that you weren't. Still, it had been months, and the anticipation was killing you.

You groaned while you scratched the back of your head, walking towards the 1-A dorms. It was another hard school day. Though Aizawa was a lethargic individual, the fact that he pushed all his students harder than most really took a toll. You smiled in defeat. After all, as the Class 1-A homeroom teacher for future heroes, he had to be disciplinary. And yet, you felt the muscles on the back of your neck and shoulders tighten. Your physical training was definitely something you needed to work on the most, being primarily mentally stronger.

"Hey Kitten," called a voice, causing your body to stiffen from the name and tighten your already sore muscles. You winced in pain before you turned to find Shinsou slow from his afternoon run, in his loose running shorts and that fitness tee that hung loosely on his shoulders.

"Hey Shinsou," you squeaked while rubbing the back of your neck.

"You okay?" he asked, while he pulled the bottom of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow. The fact that he did so in public without a care was his nature, but it didn't help your eyes being drawn to his washboard-

"Yeah, just another training day," you explained, while you tried to draw your eyes away from him. "I can't believe this whole time you've been doing this with Aizawa."

"Huh?" Shinsou hummed while he turned his tired gaze towards you, still holding onto his shirt.

"Training," you explained. "And I've been complaining how difficult it could be. I guess I sound a little self-centred, huh?"

"Hm, maybe."

"Hey!"

"It's alright Kitten."

A pout crossed your face while you looked away from him again. Ever since his birthday, he had been calling you nothing but... whether in phone calls, text messages, or worse, in conversation. And you started to like it. It did make your life a little difficult when your fellow classmates almost spotted your goofy smiles every now and then.

"I was hoping to speak with you actually," continued Shinsou, catching your eye again. "I've been overdue about my end of the bargain."

Your eyes widened at the very words he spoke. For a time between phone calls and the occasional cafe trip, he had not brought up about that bet he placed back at the cat cafe. You almost wondered if it had slipped his mind, with all of the training that the both of you ended up diving head-first into. For a while, it had been pushed back in the back of your mind every once in a while, but every text message that cropped up from Shinsou would always remind you again. You even thought to bring it up in conversation as well, but refrained from doing so. There were more important things that needed to be done from either side, as opposed to a simple story.