Chapter Text
Kazuichi Souda, the Ultimate Mechanic.
His appearance of a brash punk oozes confidence and suave energy. Sharp and slender features decorate his face along with an intimidating glare from his pink eyes.
But, the moment something goes wrong everything goes out the window.
Hajime Hinata, a reserve course student at Hope’s Peak Academy, knows all about that.
When he had first noticed Souda, he was a bit nervous to even strike up a conversation with him. But the moment Hinata asked the most miniscule question about Souda's work, he became a big softie.
Seconds to minutes went by as Souda went on and on about his latest work while Hinata struggled to keep up with all of the mechanical jargon.
After a few weeks of hanging out, Souda had dubbed Hinata as his “soul friend”, which confused him to say the least. Soul friend? They met less than a month ago!
It didn't matter. Souda was always good company when he wasn't fawning over Sonia or complaining about Gundam. It was always funny to hear how he managed to get in these situations in the first place, like getting attacked by Gundam’s bear or managing to fall flat on his face in front of Sonia. Though, Hinata would never say that to his face.
Of course, being a good Soul Friend, Hinata had played the emotional support role plenty of times. He was surprised to see how easy it was to upset Souda. He even cried once when he thought Hinata wasn't listening to him talk about his newest work. It took him ten minutes to convince Souda that he was just tired.
Today, happened to be one of those days.
Hinata was in his dorm, about to start studying for his upcoming exams when there was a sudden frantic knock on the door.
Well, it wasn't hard to deduct who that could be.
When Hinata opened the door everything became a whirlwind.
Souda came in crying, blubbering nonsense, sat on Hinata’s bed and layed down. A few soft whimpers and hiccups escape his mouth as he cries.
“So..” Hinata says as he stands over his bed, looking over the mentally defeated mechanic that's taken over his space. “What happened?”
A few sniffles and cries later, he finally speaks up. “It's not fair, dude! It's just not fair!!” Souda cries out.
There was only so he could be crying over. Sonia? A machine? Lack of a love life? Did he seriously have to guess?
“Well, it's been a few months now. You can probably see that she's not interested.” Hinata explains.
Souda stares blankly at him, not fully understanding what he's saying. “What? What are you talking about?” He asks.
A pause.
“...What are YOU talking about?” Hinata asks. Better have him confirm it upfront instead of accidentally destroying some part of his self-esteem.
The mechanic sits himself up and wipes his face of his tears. “So.. I went shopping today. When I was in line to check out, this mother had her baby over her shoulder..”
Hinata sat completely still, unnerved that he wasn't able to tell where the story was going just yet.
“And…” Souda says.
“And…?” Hinata continues.
“I smiled at the baby.. and he started crying…!” Souda cries.
It finally clicks. Hinata knows Souda’s fashion is all for show. Sure, he tried to act like a punk with a carefree attitude, but he's easily shown himself to be quite the opposite in the right situation.
“I’M BEING JUDGED BY INFANTS, HINATA!!” Souda wails as he pulls his beanie over his eyes.
“He probably got scared by your teeth..” Hinata explains.
Souda messily wipes his eyes with his beanie and then tosses it aside, revealing his wild mane of hair. An array of wild pink locks fall softly onto the shaven part of his head.
“I've given so much time and effort into changing myself..! All for nothing..” Souda cries. He puts his head in his hands, looking aimlessly at the floor.
Well, it's not like he can just ask him to leave.
“Don't you think you're overreacting?” Hinata asks. He didn't want to be blunt, but he was never really good at sugarcoating things.
“Overreacting!? When have I ever overreacted!?” Souda snaps back, putting himself in the defensive.
Hinata just.. looks at him.
He deflates after a few seconds. “I'm just a big wimp, huh?” Souda sighs.
“You're putting too much pressure on yourself and your looks. Babies cry at anything and everything. Who knows? Maybe the next one will laugh at you!”
Souda opens his mouth to say something.
“In a good way.” Hinata adds.
“Ah.” Souda says softly.
An awkward silence fills the air. Souda still looks dejected, anxiously fidgeting with his fingers.
It was a shame to see him like this. Even if he wasn't any kind of Ultimate, he could still tell Souda had some deep rooted issues. How deep they truly went was something he just didn't know. He may never. The most he could do was just be his friend.
“I think you look cool.” Hinata says.
The mechanic immediately perks up hearing that. “Wh-- really?” Souda asks.
“Yeah.. you're the only guy I know who can sport a yellow jumpsuit with hot pink hair and make it work.” Hinata says, a smile dashing across his lips.
“And my teeth?” Souda asks.
“Unique.” Hinata says.
“Earrings?” Souda pushes further.
“Suits you.” Hinata adds.
“And.. myself overall?” Souda asks. His voice wavering with a hint of hesitation. He's terrified to know. Even if he's confiding in someone he considers to be his Soul Friend.. he just doesn't know..
“Worthy of being a Soul Friend.” Hinata says.
Souda leaps up and hugs him. “Aww, man!! You're killin’ me!” He laughs.
The two share a moment. Breaking the hug after a few moments.
“Sure would be nice to hear all that from a chick, though..” Souda says, blushing as he turns away.
“Well, it's me. So take it or leave it.” Hinata says.
“I'll take it!” Souda cheers.