From The Sidelines.

Sequel Outline.

WARNING

Do NOT read if you currently like the ending of From The Sidelines.

This sequel outline has a lot of continuity errors with FTS, and doesn't really continue with the story well because their characters in here are VERY out of character from FTS. It's basically a different story. AND IT'S NOT A REAL SEQUEL. So don't take it as one, please!

This is a very brief outline. Doesn't really go into detail much, but depicts generally what goes through my head when I think of a potential sequel. It's not really what happens though, because this is alllll hypothetical.

*** I sometimes shorten Deku to D, and Katsuki to K so that I can type faster. 

Outline picks up in the middle of their second year in university. At the status quo, the two are still together, obviously. Healthy relationship, aside from the bickering but they've always been like that. They always go home to Ise during Summer and Winter breaks. And it's a nice time when they're home. Everytime they go home, it feels exactly like how it did when they first fell in love. It was a lot of work getting to where they are now, and sometimes when they're back home, they'll sit on a seaside cliff or on the ledge of Izuku's window laughing at the stupid things they went through just to be together. But when they're in college. It's a little different. Of course, it would be though. They're going from a podunk town near the sea with a slow pace and plenty of beautiful outdoor things to do, to a concrete jungle that's fast paced and they'd have to be a little more creative with their dates. It isn't as if there are creeks just around the corner, or abandoned train tracks to follow, or 80s diners they can hop into. After 2 years of being away from Ise, Izuku has grown a lot in terms of getting out of the small town mentality, but the transition is a bit harder. He's still learning to let go of his past habits, but he's come a long way. Katsuki acclimates to the city well. Perfectly well, because even before college, he's always been exposed to travelling and the city, having been and is a competitive pole vaulter. And so, he fits right in, and helps Izuku in the process as well. Although Izuku can tell that Katsuki has a much easier time than he does, but that doesn't deter him from studying and enjoying the experience of going to university. If their relationship back in Ise felt more bittersweet, nostalgic, and remindful of being young and carefree, then their relationship in university is that of a couple growing up. Because the city can do that to people. The city doesn't have time to take it slow, to enjoy the sunsets on the horizon over the ocean, or jump off boats at lake parties. Instead, the city is different. The parties are in condos & dorm rooms, and the stars can't really be seen. Instead, there's twinkling lights that never sleep, and traffic that never stops. And the environment definitely morphs their relationship from a youthful one to a mature one. Of course, they still have their fun. Sneaking onto rooftops of skyscrapers to see if they can touch the stars, climbing scaffolds to get into abandoned buildings, or exploring a new lunch spot that's in the area of where they go to school. They go to school 20 minutes away, which is an easy commute back and forth. Izuku comes over pretty often when he has time, and vice versa.

Izuku makes a nice little group of friends at Waseda. There's this guy there. Let's call him Jae. Jae is a handsome, tall, and an all around good guy, who has an enjoyable personality and isn't toxic or anything. Good guy. Anyways, he's one of Izu's friends.

And Katsuki is constantly surrounded by people at Keio. He's more dedicated than ever to pole vault, and he's progressing ridiculously fast that it's scary. They make time for each other, and that's nice. They love each other, they do. But things are just a little different. That's fine. Izuku thinks it's fine. Katsuki's sure it's fine. When they hang out, Izuku likes to do things that kind of remind him of the things they used to do in Ise. Of course, he loves exploring new things too, but there's something he deeply misses about the quiet, small town love that they had back in Ise in their last year of high school. And so, when they hang out, Izuku wants to do something reminiscent, like drive an hour or two out of Tokyo to go to the lake, or hike out to a mountain nearby, even if it's a tourist mountain. Meanwhile, although Katsuki does enjoy those reminiscent things, he is constantly pushed by school, coaches, etc. to move forward in the world with his vault. And so, he doesn't understand the point of reminiscing. It won't be for a long time that he'll be able to go back to Ise, and so he doesn't really understand why they're trying to recreate things from the past, when there's nothing wrong with the present. But he doesn't say anything, because it's fine. He loves Izuku to death, and seeing the other happy is good enough for him. Katsuki gets busy. Actually they both do. Izuku is neck-deep in a research lab for a project he's passionate about. (also, Jay, slowly expresses more interest in Izuku, but Izuku makes it clear that he has a boyfriend. And Jay respects that.) And Katsuki is really deep into competition season and improving his PRs. Izuku goes to every single tournament, wearing K's jersey, with a bottle of cherry gatorade waiting for K. Who always gets mobbed for at least 30 minutes before he's able to make it to where Izuku is. And Katsuki squeezes time in his schedule to make room to hang out with Izuku. Sometimes though, they're be settled, watching a movie or doing something, and the blonde will have to leave for an event or meeting he needs to be at. Whether it's with his coach, a promoter/sponsor, someone. And he promises Izuku that he'll get to stay longer next time. Izuku understands, even if he's a little sad inside. He knows that this is Katsuki's dream, and this is the life that entails dating practically a super-athlete. That being said, Katsuki does get busier and busier, which means that sometimes, plans are cancelled regrettably or cut short even more or are infrequent in occurrence. But that's okay, Izuku tells himself, because it's worth loving him and worth seeing Katsuki shine brighter and brighter as he flies in vault. But sometimes, it does feel a bit lonely. Especially when it's starting to feel like he's finding some things out about Katsuki from the news first before he hears it from the blonde himself. "I didn't know you just signed with redno." Izuku tells him one day when Katsuki found time to hang out, and they are laying in bed cuddling. Katsuki groggily hums into the boy's neck, "Oh yeah. I signed with them the other week." And there's just this weird feeling in the pit of his stomach, because he doesn't like this. And he realizes very clearly the difference between life in the city and life out in the countryside. And although he wouldn't trade the education and opportunity he and Katsuki are getting for the world, it does feel a little sad knowing that there are sacrifices to be made in terms of time to be with each other and the things that they can do. But Izuku and Katsuki know that they can make this work. This goes on for a while. When one day, Katsuki and Izuku both find time to hang out. And Katsuki kisses him deeply, having missed him a lot. They both internally wish that they didn't have to say they missed each other in the first place. It was getting to the point where Izuku knew more about the lives of his day to day friends than he did of Katsuki's, even if they texted a lot and called most nights that Katsuki didn't have a mandatory event to go to. And Katsuki probably was more updated with his teammates and the parties and whatever that is going on in Keio than he was with what Izuku was doing, simply because the schedules didn't align. Anyways, so K asks what D wanted to do. And D thinks about it, and replies that he wants to get out of Tokyo and maybe go to a shrine or up in the woods? And Katsuki is quiet for a moment. But ultimately nods, and tells him let's go. However, while getting ready to go, Katsuki speaks up. Asks Izuku why he feels the need to recreate the past so much. Katsuki says this because of his internalized fear that Izuku isn't satisfied with the present and that this will lead to Katsuki losing him, and so, Katsuki wants Izuku to be okay with the present even if it's a bit miserable just so that he doesn't lose the other. And Izuku is a little confused by the question, and asks what he means.