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༺𓆩✮𓆪༻
The sun had already started setting, casting long shadows over the pavement outside the theme park gates. The once lively and crowded entrance was now mostly empty, except for a few families waiting to be picked up. You stood there with Haruko, her mom, and Shoto, the energy from the day still buzzing in the air.
Shoto was gripping your hand, his hold warm but a little too firm, while Haruko clung to her mom's leg like a stubborn child who refused to go home. The two of them had been bickering on and off the whole time, mostly because Haruko had noticed Shoto holding onto you and took it as some kind of personal offense.
Not that you were paying much attention to them. Your mind was somewhere else entirely.
All Might.
You thought about everything you had seen today. The way he had saved you without hesitation. The strength he carried in his presence alone. The way his smile made everything feel like it was going to be okay, no matter how scary the situation was.
That was the kind of hero you wanted to be.
Your grip unconsciously tightened around Shoto's hand. Feeling the newfound pressure, he suddenly turned to you and—whack.
You lurched forward, choking on air as your whole body jerked at the force of his palm slamming into your back.
"What the heck was that for?!" you wheezed, whipping your head around to glare at him.
"Don't say heck," Haruko's mom called out in the background, but you barely registered it.
Shoto blinked at you, his face completely neutral. "I was patting your back."
You stared at him in disbelief, still hunched over with a hand on your now very bruised spine. "Yeah, I know you were patting my back, but why?"
He tilted his head slightly, his brows pinching together like you were the weird one. "My sister does it when I feel down."
You opened your mouth, then closed it again. "Shoto," you started carefully, "I think you seriously underestimate your own strength."
Before he could respond, Haruko suddenly wedged herself between the two of you, placing a much softer hand on your back as she gave Shoto a smug, satisfied smile. "See? This is how you pat someone's back without breaking their ribs, you brute."
Shoto just stared at her blankly while you sighed, deciding you'd need an ice pack as soon as you got home. Before you could fully recover, the sharp screech of tires tearing across the road made you flinch. The sound was so loud it practically rattled your skull.
Haruko immediately slapped her hands over her ears with a loud "What the hell—" while the car skidded to a stop right in front of you. The driver's door swung open so fast you thought it might fly off its hinges.
