Chapter Text
Silence. Breath in, breath out. Absolute control and… Jump!
The sharp sound of his blade hitting the ice once again. With each time becoming less and less heavy. Well, of course, it was, after all, he had been aiming for perfection since the beginning. The blond took a sharp turn and proceed to skate towards the side of the ice rink, leaving room for others to practice their routines. He stopped right next to a girl with wavy, dark green hair who was currently busy texting on her phone.
- Any updates? – Neito asked bending over the wall to grab a water bottle from his bag on the other side.
- Long track just started. If they screw this one, they're out of the quarterfinals.
Setsuna put her phone into her hoody pocket and looked at the blond with an exaggerated frown, as she was trying to mimic the crying emoji. Neito almost choked while he snorted.
- We have our own problems, ya’ know? – he said.
- Oh, I know! You still need to work on that last axel jump of yours. – she responded mockingly twirling her finger in the air – So unprofessional.
- Says “the” unprofessional. – Neito responded right back.
They could have gone on like this for at least an hour if they wanted to. Since the first week of school, they shared a familiar need of picking on each other, though they never meant any real harm. However, now wasn’t the time for a friendly roast competition. Even though they believed their friends could easily defeat any challenge, the “Heroes” speed skating team have lost their two previous raises and everybody knew their self-esteem was dropping.
Eliminations season was the most stressful time of the year at U.A High, at least for the sports course. Students were required to maintain their school work, along with practicing, rehearsing, and constantly pushing over limits. Not that Monoma minded any of this, after years of his parents training him more than raising him. No, it was the… other parts of high school life that were… intriguing to him. Stuff like: “having genuine friends” or “chilling out”. It turns out, not everyone is after your head if you succeed at something. Who would have guessed?
- Seriously though… – Setsuna turned and begin to slide slowly next to the wall. He followed – Why are you always so “fiddle-faddle” about everything?
- It’s only natural that a perfectionist would only aim for perfection, is it not? – he smirked as the girl rolled her eyes.
- I swear, if you weren’t this pretty, I’d give you black eye months ago.
They both knew she was only half-joking.
- Look, I know for a fact how addicting this stuff can get, but your mental state is also important.
- I don’t recall asking you to be my psychiatrist - Neito joked.
- Someone’s gotta do the dirty work, while Kendo is out, winning medals.
They finished one circle and begin another. On their left three students: Ibara Shiozaki, Tooru Hagakure, and Momo Yaoyorozu were practicing their routines. Of the ice Ochaco Uraraka, Yui Kodai, and Shoto Todoroki chatted as they did after practice warm-up.
- It’s just… - Neito hesitated as if he was unsure if he should proceed with that topic.
- Just? Something on your mind? – Setsuna asked.
- When I focus on training, I don’t bother thinking about… other things.
Yeah… other things, or rather one other thing.
Before she could respond, the door to the ice rink hall violently opened, startling nearly everybody present.
- Hey! Get back here you TINY BASTARD!!! – shouted a voice from the hallway.
It was none other than Mineta, running for his life once again. Annoyance spread across both of their faces, what in the hell was he up to know?
- Guyyssss, ssomebody sstop them. They gonna kill meeee! – he cried. Unsurprisingly, nobody did.
Four more guys ran into the hall, all of them belong to the hockey team. Leading the chase was angry ash blond, Katsuki Bakugou. Right after followed: Yosetsu Awase, Eijirou Kirishima and… oh… him. Neito’s eye froze focused, as the last boy ran after the culprit. Suddenly, he turned left, entering the ice rink. He used his speed and begin to dangerously slide on his shoes. It looked both hilarious and fucking awesome. When he managed to pass Mineta he grabbed the sidewall of the rink and jumped over it parkour-style, blocking the way of escape.
Neito was wonderstruck. This whole chase scene looked like out of a fucking movie. What the actual fuck?
Setsuna speeded towards the action, which made him snap back to reality. He quickly followed. It wasn’t unusual for Mineta to cause trouble, but for something like this to happen, he had to messed up bad!
They both exited the rink and walked towards them to see what’s going on.
- I sswear guyysss!! I’m innocent!! – cried shorty, clenched to a wall for dear life.
- I swear I’ll cut your balls OFF!! – shouted Bakugou hold off only by Kirishima, probably so he wouldn’t act upon his words.
- Look, if you're innocent, just show us your pockets. – Awase tried to control the situation, even though he too looked like he wanted him dead.
- N-n-nooo! You h-have no r-right… - he began to speak but choked halfway through.
- Hey, what’s going on? - Neito spoke, a bit tired from this whole fiasco.
- DIE! DIE BASTARD PERVERT!!!
- Bakugou, stop shouting! – pled Kirishima.
Neito rolled his eyes. Clearly, there was no help from these two. He turned to Awase seeking an explanation. Awase was unsure at first but spoke nonetheless.
- He apparently… stole one of the girls… underwear. – with every word his voice volume dropped.
- He did WHAT?! – great, now Setsuna was shouting.
- I-i-itss n-not t-t-t-true!!! – Mineta exclaimed as he could actually convince anyone.
- Then show us!!!
- NOOO!!!!!
The blonde released a deep sigh. This was going nowhere and all those people shouting give him a headache. He looked towards the main door to see Kodai and Uraraka comforting some girl (probably the one whose underwear was stolen). Monoma would have ignored that, it wasn’t his problem and for sure not his place to say anything. But once he recognized, who the victim actually was, he snapped. Pony Tsuntori, a for-exchange student and his classmate, was crying tears of distress and embarrassment because this sonovabich decided to choose her as his harassment target.
Monoma, since the school year began, took a great liking to Pony and vice versa. She was pure and naive, but also incredibly eager and opened. At the start of a year, she communicated mostly in English, which is why he was one of the few people who she could speak to. And even though the language barrier was slowly fading, she continued to follow him, like a baby duckling. Oh, this… this was personal now. Neito opened his mouth to say something.
- Everyone QUIET! – a low, deep, sharp voice cut through the shouting like a spear.
The whole group turned towards a tallboy with indigo hair, who stood silently his entire time.
He looked at Mineta with the coldest, heartless face expression imaginable and continued, no emotion present in his voice.
- What do you think will happen if the coach hears about this? – he paused.
- Y-y-y… - Mineta choked – You wou-u-dn’t dare. I-if you’d g-get me-e out of te-e-am could eassily d-do the sssame to anyone. The p-pact would b-e o-over!
The pact, that Mineta was referring to was a “secret” pact between boys from the hockey team. Tetstutestu mentioned it once to him and made Neito promise not to tell a soul, especially teachers. Basically, since most of the members of the team weren’t exactly angels, they all sworn not to snitch on each other. Apparently, purple boy took it as a free “escape the jail” card from harassing girls.
- I know that – tallboy continued, not bothered by the threat – but you forgot that I’m not on the team, yet.
Mineta didn’t respond. Good.
- You have two options Mineta, either you return the thing and apologize to Tsuntori or we do it “an eye for an eye” kind of way.
It took a solid three minutes for Mineta to agree that apology might be a good way out of getting beaten by Blasty and others. He put his hand into a side pocket of his khaki short pants, and slowly took out a pair of white panties with pink stripes. Awase looked away, trying to save his honor as a straight male, cute. Kirishima, who finally calmed his boyfriend down grabbed them and walked towards Pony to return them. Right behind them followed Blasty and Awase, who wanted to make sure the pervert keeps his part of a deal.
Neito exhaled. That was unnecessary but… wait… if they all went there… then…
- Well, that was unnecessary. Sorry about that.
The blond's gaze once again froze on the boy with indigo hair, like it has many times before. And once again, his heart skipped a beat.
Hitoshi Shinsou, a name he’s gotten so familiar with, writing it down on any piece of paper like a twelve-year-old (pathetic). He was tall, thinner than most hockey players, yet still fairly muscular. Those hockey outfits always made people bigger and beefier, it made them look ridiculous. Right now though, Shinsou's choice of clothing left very little to the imagination, with this grey, tight, sleeveless shirt hugging his torso. His pale skin covered in minor bruises and scratches from practice, his lean face, his eyes…oh god, his eyes. They were just hypnotizing. His thick eyebrows made him look mad half the time, which surprisingly made him even hotter. Even his hairstyle (rather lack thereof) or his eye bags, that Monoma would not tolerate on anybody, bizarrely suited him.
- Y-yeah… - he said.
- I swear this guy is annoying!! – Setsuna’s voice shook him back to reality. Fuck, he forgot she was still there – How come he is on the hockey team?!
- Beats me. – Shinsou put his hand on the back of his neck – Anyway… Sorry again.
- You don’t have to apologize. – Neito responded, finally getting his composure back – You stopped that guy.
- Oh, yeah... – the other seemed to suddenly realize something – I bet I looked downright hilarious when danced on the ice like that, ha? Must’ve looked stupid.
- It was crazy cool.
He shouldn’t have said that, but he did. Many things didn’t make sense right now. His face was hot, his cheeks were burning and his mouth was broken. And after he finished, he swore his eyes were deceiving him too, because there was no way that Shinsou just blushed.
- I see… - the boy scratched his jungle of untamed hair in a bashful manner - That’s good.
How come this man was being all shy and intimidated, when just ten minutes ago he was chasing some punk “John Wick” style? To be fair, quite a lot of things about Hitoshi Shinsou didn’t make logical sense. That was partially why Neito took such interest in him since the school year began. Most people he could read, figure out how they worked but it was never easy with that man. He continued to surprise Monoma at every turn, and it drove him to insanity and beyond. And every time he tried to focus on other things, his thoughts came right back to the hockey player wannabe.
- Haaaaa… - Setsuna smirked at him, tilting her head slightly to the side. Oh, great, now she knew too.
Before he could tell her politely to ‘fuck of’ he heard a forced couth.
- Sorry to bother you Monoma… – said Uraraka – but Pony has been rambling in English this entire time. She mentioned your name so we figured…
- Momo!!
Pony run-up to the blond and hugged him tightly around the torso, hiding her sobbing face in the process. A little embarrassed, he returned the embrace to calm her down.
- Momo, he saw. Everybody saw! It’s so embarrassing I wanna die!
- Pony, it’s okay, it’s over now. Shhh. You’re fine… - he spoke in English and turned to Setsuna – It may take a while here.
Uraraka and Shinsou decided it would be best if they leave. As they did, Monoma couldn’t help and stare at the indigo boy. There was a pinch in his chest. He felt it every time he saw him walking away, or talking with someone else. It was stupid, irrational, inconvenient, yet it was still there.
Three of them sat down on a bench, Pony still hugging onto Neito like a little sister, who got scared by thunder. In the meantime, Setsuna smirked at the blond.
- Other things, you say. – she said, suspiciously loud enough for him to hear.