Chapter Text
She's beautiful. She cuts shorter hair pieces that frame her face like a Hime cut. She builds more muscles, and she trains against Eijirō often, and he learns that she could've been an Olympian level boxer.
They do a few school projects together, and Hanta gets to learn more about her. They watch her favourite movie on Hanta's tablet one sleepless night, and he dreams of Ponyo for a week.
He gives her a shark keychain for her birthday in November- it's a tradition in the class that everyone has a gift for every birthday. She doesn't seem to express much, but her eyes twinkle and Hanta can see the way her lips curl at the corners.
He feels shy about it, and he doesn't know why. When his friends tease him, he denies loudly that there's even something to be shy about in the first place.
He's good at gifts, he's always been. For his closest friends, he likes to make bracelets and bags with the sewing he learned from his mum. He doesn't do generic store shampoo : no, he'd rather scour the mall for a couple of hours until he finds something the person will trulylike. He keeps a list of things he sees all year long, and when a birthday comes up he usually has a few ideas to go by. He's become, by default, the person you go to when you're out of gift ideas.
Hae-Won is nice. She's kind, and open-minded. She likes to talk about sharks for hours, and Hanta is always happy to listen. He has practice, with his siblings.
They develop of sort of friendship. When they're on a day off with the class, they will inevitably find themselves next to each other at some point. They cultivate a quiet space, away from the noises and screams and rumbonctius laughter. Sometimes, others will join - Tokoyami, Koda or Shoji usually. They'll practice some sign language with Koda, or watch with amusement as Tokoyami acts out whatever poem he's passionately writing down. Sometimes, Shoji and Hae-Won will share gym tips.
But sometimes, it's just her and him. Sometimes he sits too close and she doesn't move away. Sometimes she rolls her shoulders and leans in his space, and he stays put. Sometimes she infodumps, and sometimes he tells her about the latest crazy thing he and Denki got themselves into - she always looks quite confused at their shenanigans, which is funny.
Every time he comes across something she might like or need, he can't help but get it. He tries to find excuses - she helped with homework, her advice let him complete his latest Cellophane Special Move, she did well in her internship... it's a lot of shark themed things, gym clothes, homemade food and handmade accessories. When her bangs get long, he gifts her a pack of little blue hairclips so she can pin it away from her eyes. The first time she puts them on, Hanta trips over his own feet. Totally unrelated, of course.
They text, too. He sends her shark gifs randomly through the day, and asks for advice on homework when Katsuki has had enough and stops texting back. In return, she sends him funny animal videos and texts him when there's a documentary she wants to see.
When it happens, Hanta puts an alarm, and they meet on the downstairs couch. Sometimes someone else will be there, and usually the TV is enough of a distraction for them to fall back asleep or get out of their head. Hanta doesn't mind sharing these nights : after all, the living room is a shared space, it's not just his and Hae-Won's. These aren't dates, even if he hasn't told his friends about them. It's just... a moment shared.
Sometimes they just watch Ponyo, because they both really like it, and the silence means Hanta is able to truly enjoy it. He invites her to watch it in his room one time, and when she declines he isn't hurt. He didn't expect her to say yes, but Denki insisted that he asks.
With time, he learns more about her. He learns about her arrival to Japan at fifteen, her life before and the struggle to adapt. She tells him about her boxing dreams, and how she got to UA instead. She gives him gym advice and smiles at him when they meet in the hallways.
He finally breaches the subject of autism with her, and he's relieved to learn that she's known since she was very little. He's seen the difficulty that no diagnosis can add, and he's glad for her parents who had her tested quickly. He tells her about his siblings, and he's touched by the way she listens. His siblings are deeply important to him, and anyone who likes him must like them too.
Hinata and Hoshiko both love her, despite having never met. He's gushed enough that both of his parents know he's got a crush, and Hoshiko is already saying that she wants to be as strong as Hae-Won when she grows up. It hurts a bit that Hanta isn't their favourite hero anymore, but he can't stay mad for long : after all, Dongmyeon is one of his favourite heroes too.
It takes him many, many months before he feels brave enough to ask if they can meet up during the day, just the two of them. She says yes immediately, and later, Hanta asks Mina to make sure Hae-Won knows he meant it as a date and not just a friend thing.
She does. That's great. He spends two hours agonising over an outfit, only to end up in his usual brown shirt and comfortable pants. He puts on a tone of deodorant because he's already anxious about it, and he's a sweaty guy. Teenage hormones, and all that.
He doesn't care much for the way he looks yet, but he's been putting a bit more care into his hair and skin lately. He will neither confirm nor deny if it's because he has a crush. Please talk to his lawyer for any further inquiries.
(The lawyer is Denki. He's not a very good lawyer. He yells Shibal through the cafeteria like, every day. He swears up and down it's just because he wants Hae-Won to look over and see Hanta, but Hanta knows that it's just because he's a chaotic hyperactive who talks before he thinks. He loves the guy.)
Anyway, he's stressed for the entire week before the date, so his acne flares up. He tries a dab of concealer, and he washes and styles his hair, refreshing the shaved sides and making sure his moustache is neat- yes, he has one, you just have to look closely. Very closely.
She looks beautiful, as usual. She likes to wear blue, and Hanta secretly thinks that it's meant to be- his favourite colour is orange. Complementary. She likes to wear sleeveless shirts, too, and he always feels a bit flushed when he sees her arms.
They meet at the entrance, and then Hanta leads her to a cute café he likes to go to sometimes. They have superb bobba teas, and their tiramisu is to die for.
He feels awkward at first, like he's just a lanky and kinda stupid guy and she's strong and smart and beautiful. It's Hae-Won, though, and they've fought together. Nothing can be quite as scary, once you've survived a war with the person at your side.
Their conversation trails off, and Hanta looks at the worn shark keychain that hangs off of Hae-Won's bag. It's been a while since he gave her that- almost a year, now. He hopes she'll like his next present.
"I didn't have a favourite hero until recently," she says suddenly.
"Oh yeah ?"
"I mean, I didn't idolise anyone. I think it is because I didn't intend to become one myself."
He hums, but she stops. The wind blows, and her bangs stay in place. What kind of glue does she use for that ? He should ask Mina. Maybe he can buy her some more when she runs out.
"So ? Which one have you picked ? Eraserhed ? Mirko ? Mirko's cool."
"You're my favourite hero, Hanta."
Hanta. It rings in his ears, because she's never said his name before. He calls her Hae-Won in his head but Ho in real life. He hasn't asked if he's allowed the familiarity of using her first name, and here she is, telling him he's her favourite hero. He feels his face erupt in flames, and he chokes on nothing.
"I'm sorry ! Are you okay ?"
"Yuh-" his voice cracks, "yeah. I'm good. So good."
She hums, looking at him doubtfully as he catches his breath. Her fingers drum against the table, tap-tap-tap-tap, and he wonders if she's anxious.
"Thank you, Hae-Won."
Her name feels nice in his mouth. He could say it for hours, he thinks.
"You're welcome."
"No, really. Thank you. I feel very touched by that. I'm a big fan, too. And my siblings. My siblings love you very much. Hoshiko, especially- she wants to be like you when she grows up."
He shuts his mouth with a click. He's rambling, which he always does when he's feeling wrong-footed. In front of him, Hae-Won blinks, and then he watches as her cheeks darken.
"Thank you. I feel honoured. I will do my best to be up to their standards."
"And I'll do my best to be up to yours."
They share a smile, and then unanimously decide to take a drink. Quite convenient to hide a blush, would you look at that.
Hanta comes back feeling more confident than he has in a while. He can't stop smiling, and it's all the confirmation his friends need to know how the date went. Hopefully, there will be many more to come.
Who is he kidding - he knows there'll be more. Maybe one day, even, he'll get to marry her.