You Can't Lose Me || Shinso x Reader

Chapter 1: School Fucking Sucks

Warnings: bullying,

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(y/n)'s POV

The water from my classmate's bottle is icy cold as it splashes into my face. When I move to dry my eyes, another kid picks up a handful of the gravel beneath them and throws it into my hair. They snicker at this, shoving me into the side of the school building.

I get badmouthed and teased pretty regularly, but I've managed to avoid physical stuff like this for a full two weeks. It sucks having to deal with it.

"Hurry up and join those dead things you mess with, would you? We don't want you in our school. Nobody does."

As they grimace, I grip the textbooks in my hands, my brain switching between being sad and angry. Then, one takes a step closer to me raising their arm in the air, but it does not fall from this position. Shinso stands next to me holding the kid's arm tightly.

"I want her here, so shove off, already," he says with a threatening glare.

The kid's expression turns from fear to disgust as they pull their arm back and directing their group away from us. When they are no longer in view, Shinso turns around and frantically checks every inch of me.

"Did they hurt you again? Was I too late?" He sighs as I shake my head. "That's good, at least. Let's get you dry, and that gravel will be itchy all day if we don't get it out."

The moment the front door is unlocked, we traverse the hallways until we get to our secluded stairwell. Shinso grabs some paper towels from the bathroom. Handing them over so I can start drying myself off, he moves his attention to my head, meticulously picking out any gravel still in my hair. I gaze up to his focused purple eyes.

"You don't need to do this for me, you know?" I remind him, unconsciously fiddling with and crumpling the paper towel in my hands.

"Yes, but I want to help, and I will. You don't deserve this, (l/n), and it hurts me every time I see you like this."

His eyes remain fixated on my scalp while I try to dry my damp uniform. Then, the bell rings. I stiffen at the sudden noise.

"Let it be," I push, grabbing onto his arm. "I'll be fine. And I don't want you being late because of me again."

His form softens at my words.

"It doesn't matter to me how many times I'm late. It matters that you're safe and taken care of. I didn't regret it the last few times, and I won't this time either," Shinso says with a small smile.

My eyes allow a single tear from the cascades within to fall over my cheek. Shinso simply wipes it away with his thumb.

"Hey, it'll be okay."

I pause before responding, "Hitoshi, you're amazing."

His eyes grow wide at the mention of his first name, but he recovers with a chuckle and continues to work on my hair.

"I'm not sure why you think that. 'Amazing' is a bit of a stretch, don't you think?"

"Not at all. I don't know how you're able to continue standing against the world, but I know that it must take a lot of strength. You're practically my hero."

Without looking me in the eyes, he pauses again.

"You're a good person, Hitoshi."

He locks eyes with me. A flush a pink overcomes both of our cheeks. Then, the bell rings for the second time, and Shinso returns to my hair again.

"Thank you, (y/n)."

After somehow surviving another torturous school day, I wave goodbye to Shinso as he bikes away from the school gates – riding it to and from school is calming for him. On my route home, I notice a familiar person on the other side of the street: Sir Nighteye! Why would he be here in Musutafu though? It doesn't matter; I have the chance to talk to him and I'm going to take it.

Double checking that the road is clear, I rush to the other side and stop a few feet in front of him. He looks at me with the icy stare I expected from him, and I look back with the calmest face I can manage.

"Sir Nighteye, could I have a moment of your time?" I ask while my heart beats rapidly in my chest.

He offers only a stern nod.

"Thank you. I'll try to be brief," I say, clenching my fists at my side. "Your quirk isn't the flashy emitter quirk that everyone expects from a hero, yet you became one anyways, defying that stereotype. Your quirk and intellect are both so impressive that you've worked alongside some of the most powerful heroes to walk this planet. I look up to you."

I lower my gaze from his face as I continue.

"People say that my quirk is best suited for a villain – that it makes me an abomination – so I wanted to ask you: can I still be a hero? Will I succeed in that path, even if it takes a long time to do so? Can I be like you?" I finish, looking back up to him as my breath catches in my throat.

His expression softens slightly when our gazes meet again.

"You managed to catch me on my bi-monthly day off, so I can indulge you without wasting my quirk before something urgent. Now, just keep looking at me in the eyes." He touches my shoulder for a moment. "A middle school uniform. Ten years from now would be the appropriate timing."

I watch as his eyes turn to black and purple. He remains silent for several seconds, but when his eyes return to normal, they gaze at me wider than before. I tense up – is this a good sign or a bad sign?

"I will not lie, and the future will always right itself to its desired course, so I cannot and will not direct you down a different path. You do not become a hero. You become a villain."

My eyes blur. I can't cry here – I won't let myself be that weak.

"The lines dividing good and bad are nonexistent. This knowledge does not make you a bad person, only a misguided one," he says.

I'm sure that was supposed to help, but it does nothing for me. Everything people have said about me is true, and now I have the proof needed to convince me of it.

"Thank you for your time and words. Good day to you," I excuse myself with a bow and walk calmly down the sidewalk.

When I finally turn the corner, I break into a sprint and just keep going till I become lost just outside the city. What am I supposed to do with myself?

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A/N: Hello there. If you're new to the way I write, I generally have way to much to say about the things I put into my writing, so I reserve it for this spot down here. You can skip it, of course, but it's not going anywhere.

As for the chapter, there's no information about where Shinso grew up, so I picked the same city that UA is in. It does give a possible reason for why Sir Nighteye might be there though.

Something I'm kinda proud of myself for: I added in Shinso's liking of bicycling into this story long before I learned that it's canon. I already have a majority of this story sketched out, but I only just found out about this and I feel like a psychic.

Also, it's cute now, but it won't be quite as cute later. (there will still be some cute though)

Word Count: 1303