"Where are we going, Tendo?" You hum as you ride the train with him. 

             "Shhh! No spoilers ___!" He puts a finger to your lips. 

             "... This is going to be a trip isn't it? I have a curfew, Tendo." You frown slightly. 

             "Don't worry. We're being tailed so you won't be the only one in trouble." He chuckles. 

             "You're kidding… Who?" You ask, glancing around.

             "Dunno. But one of your friends is definitely following us." He hums hugging you and resting his cheek on your shoulder. "Oh well. Right now you're all mine." He murmurs happily.

             "Sounds like you really missed me." You tease lightly. He just hums and cuddles you in response. You blink and purse your lips, this really reminded you of your time as kids.

*~*~*~*

       For a while. You were all alone. Sitting against the building holding your right hand tightly and staring at the ground as the other kids played far away from you. All alone.

        Until his shoes stepped into view, making you look up at the redhead with a bowl cut. He was in a grade above you, and he was taller than some students you knew. He grips the bottom of his shirt awkwardly.

          "They call you a monster." He murmurs with a slight head tilt. 

           "... I am." You respond, eyes going back to the ground. He shifts, moving to the wall and squatting beside you.

           "Me too." He says quietly and you look at him. He rests his arms on his knees and then his cheek on his arms as he meets your gaze. "Want to be friends?" 

           "I don't think that's a good idea." You respond, looking away. 

           "I'm Satori Tendo. What's your name Monster?" He asks lightly.

           "Monster is fine. I deserve that name." You whisper, the sense of grief coming back to your chest.

            "Okay… Are you going to cry?" He peers at you carefully.

            "Just leave me alone Tendo." You sniff looking away from him.

            "No. I want to be your friend." He replies watching you with a small smile.

            "___, it's time to go back." A stranger with a familiar face calls. You get up, going to the adult as they hand you a black glove to slip over the one already on your hand. "Say bye to your friend."

             "We're not friends." You respond dryly. Your caretaker frowns softly before leading the way to the place you dwelled when you weren't forced to go to school.

              "Friends are a good thing to have ___, and you only need one." Your caretaker says. 

               "I don't need them." You grumble. The two people that had been assigned to be your caretakers were a couple, and you didn't even know their names. You just answered when they spoke to you. They didn't know how to approach you, so they just left you alone, because that's what you wanted. 

            A day after meeting Tendo, he showed up again, at your dwelling place. "___, there's someone here to see you!" Your female caretaker was clearly overjoyed by this development, as she swings your bedroom door wide open with a grin. You blink at her before getting up from your desk and going out to the front door, to find Tendo holding a manga and blinking at you. 

             "Hello." Tendo murmurs lightly. "I just finished this. It's really good! You should read it-"

             "Why are you here?" You interrupt.

             "Because I want to be your friend." He answers with a small smile.

             "Go home." You shut the door.

             "... ___… Maybe you should try?" Your female caretaker murmurs.

             "Leave it Elinor. That kid seems odd anyway." Your male caretaker steps in. 

             "Really Hitoshi? You're judging kids now?" Elinor gives him a frown. Oh right… That was their names.

             "I'm going back-" You stop as a knock sounds on the door. Really? What was with this boy? You open the door, giving him a glare.

              "Never mind about the book. Want to come see a waterfall with me?" He points to himself with a hopeful smile. You blink at him, taken aback. Elinor takes this chance to nudge you out of the house and shut the door behind you. Glancing back you frown heavily before sighing and looking at Tendo.

               "Fine. But you have to leave me alone for the rest of the day." You sigh, folding your arms.

                "That's okay. I was going to come back tomorrow anyway." He says gesturing for you to follow him as he starts off. You frown at his back, following grumpily. 

              Just out of town, and up a mountain a bit is where he takes you, pushing past some overgrowth. You follow him, up a stream to a small waterfall. It wasn't anything extraordinary or anything, but it did bring you some peace of mind. You plop down on the ground, watching the water as Tendo watches you nearby with a small smile. 

            "My mommy used to collect… Things with waterfalls… She might still do it…" You murmur distractedly. Tendo blinks before tilting his head.

            "Why don't you live with her?" He asks lightly.

            "She… Doesn't want me anymore…" You look down at your gloved hand. "I touched daddy and he turned into a red cloud and went away. Now she hates me." 

            "... I know that. I was at the playground when it happened too." Tendo tells you. "You didn't mean to, you were just hugging your dad." 

            "I didn't. I loved him sooo much… But he's gone now. And it's all my fault." You stare at the waterfall, starting to cry. He frowns and moves closer, hugging you. "Stop… Stay away or you'll disappear too." You sniff, leaning away from him. He blinks and peers at your hand before taking it in his and making you freeze with a horrified squeak. He places your hand against his chest and tilts his head with a smile.

             "I'm still here. See? So. Be my friend… Please?" He watches you, hopeful. 

             "... Okay. Let go of my hand." You say shakily. He lets go and you swiftly clasp your hands together. "I don't get you… Everyone else there screamed and called me a monster… They won't talk to me… Won't smile at me…"

            "You didn't do that. Your quirk did." He shakes his head. "I'll smile at you if it makes you happy." 

             "Why?" You look at him. 

             "Because we're friends." He smiles. 

             Then you two were inseparable, even though you were a year apart, Tendo made time for you. He noticed everything you soon discovered, your different hairstyles, when you were happy or sad, and…

             "You're watching him again." He says, making you stiffen and look away.

              "I don't know what you're talking about." You cough.

              "Yeah you do. Ever since everyone started avoiding him, you've been watching him." Tendo points out. 

             "... I went to help him up when he fell that day. He looked really worried that I was there… He's good. I understand him." You peer at your hand. 

             "Then go talk to him… Sakusa." He nudges you. 

             "M-Mm." You shake your head swiftly, looking at the ground.

              "... Why?" He tilts his head. 

              "I don't know… I get nervous…" You grumble. "Plus… I don't want to do something that makes him hate me."

               "Oh… Well, I don't care so I'm going to go talk to him." He decides heading off to speak with the lone boy in the corner of the playground. You blink and watch him, smiling a bit though you felt a bit jealous. 

             Tendo only started being cuddly with you after the break between grade school and middle school. You had been apart for about a month due to your caretakers taking you to visit another country. When you got back, Tendo spent a week at your house, so happy to see you again. You were happy to see him too, but every time you asked about his personal life he would cleverly change the subject to you. 

~*~*~*~

           "We're here! Come back to this world." Tendo chuckles, mushing your face.

            "Hm? We're here…" You blink and pause, looking up the unpaved road that led up a mountain. 

            "Really… Where did you go?" He tilts his head curiously.

            "I was just remembering when we were kids…" You admit, rubbing your neck.

            "Oh right! You were such a little cutie!" He gushes.

            "And you were amazingly persistent… If I had been you I don't think I could have been my friend…" You shake your head in awe.

            "Oh. You were remembering that far back?" He chuckles. "I already decided I wanted to be your friend. Getting through your armor was the only problem." He jokes.

             "Armor huh…" You raise an eyebrow as he leads you up the trail. 

             "Well most people call it a wall. But you weren't really hiding, just putting up a cool hard front, warning people to stay away." He looks ahead smiling thoughtfully. "You know… It took you a whole month to smile at me after we became friends? Then I couldn't stop thinking about it for the longest time. I still think about it." 

          "Eh? I don't even remember.." You frown slightly. 

           "That's okay. Means it is a memory only for me. Oh but you know what was even cuter?" He grins, looking at you a bit mischievously suddenly. "When you had a crush on Sakusa."

           "... Tendo! You promised we wouldn't talk about that!" You gasp turning red while he laughs.

           "But you were sooo cute! You'd get all pink if I caught you looking at him. That day I told him to walk past you was the best! You fell over trying to avoid him! Fell in a patch of flowers and everything!" He teases.

             "Ugh!" You groan, covering your face as the embarrassment over it comes back. "You're so mean."

             "I can't help it. I want to tease you when you're being cute. Somehow it gets even better." He snickers and you send him a half hearted glare. "That's a nice look." He pats your head. "So… You still got a crush?" 

            "On Sakusa?... I don't think so… Think it kinda went away before middle school…" You murmur.

            "Are you sure about that?" He hums. 

            "... I… Don't know." You look down, tilting your head. "I don't think I even look for that sort of thing now." 

            "Hm? I noticed that actually. You don't really look at people when we go out now." He says. 

             "I feel pretty content… But also, I don't even know what I'm thinking anymore. I thought it would clear up once I came to Raizu… But nothing is really clicking." You tell him. He suddenly turns to you leaning to the side in a goofy fashion, hands behind his head.

              "Then maybe you should be bad!" He smiles. You blink at him, taken aback.

              "How bad are we talking about here?" You question.

              "Thats up to you. Doesnt have to be anything big right off." He says pointedly. He wiggles a bit humming a song to himself. "But I would like to see you be bad sometimes." 

               "... You always did get an odd kick whenever I told a lie to someone when you were around." You shake your head.

               "Yep. It's a rare gem for me." He hums. 

             "Rare gem huh…"

             "Yeah… Like that time you lied to the sensei about being Sakusa's neighbor so you would be sent to his house with homework while he was sick." Tendo snickers.

              "You told me to do that! You said monsters had to stick together!" You snap, red returning to your cheeks.

               "You didn't even try to argue with me about it! And the lies you told that teacher!" Tendo laughs cheerfully. 

               "Why is that the one that sticks out for you? It was only about Sakusa once." You grumble.

              "Because when you came back from his house you impersonated him and I loved it." Je chuckles.

              "... He shouldn't have been so rude that time…" You grumble. 

              "It was great!... And so cute. I kinda want you to impersonate Wakatoshi now…" He snorts. You stop, putting on a serious face, making him pause and give you his full attention.

              "You shouldve come to Raizu, Tendo. Your talents are wasted on Kuri." You tell him, trying to mimic Ushijima. Tendo blinks before putting his hands in front of his mouth to contain his laughter.

               "Brilliant!" 

               "Ugh… My throat hurts from that. Did I get the tone at least?" You huff rubbing your throat.

               "Almost." He smiles, pulling you off the trail suddenly. "Oops, nearly passed it." 

               "So what is it? Something scary?" You ask.

             "No…. But now I wish I had thought of that… So cute when you're scared." 

             "I'm starting to think you find everything cute." You comment. 

             "About you, yes." He nods, the trees getting closer together. Tendo pushes through the dense underbrush, revealing a hot spring. A steamy waterfall cascades into the spring, ripples making some flower petals dance over it. "Ta-da!" 

         "... You've outdone yourself Tendo." You breathe. 

         "I know! So lets get in!" He chimes, tossing off all of his clothes except for his boxers. You chuckle, shaking your head before following his example and you both climb in. You pretty much melt into the water with a hum. Tendo reaches out, pulling his hoodie close to the spring and retrieving his phone. "Picture time!"

          "... Why did you wait until I took most of my clothes off?" You frown.

         "I don't have any pictures of you like this." He smiles. 

          "Fine." You stretch a bit before getting comfortable.

          You spend some time there, chatting and taking pictures together. It was nice, but it didn't seem like Tendo was really there. He kept bringing up random memories.

           "We should head back." Tendo hums suddenly, getting out. "It'll be late if we stay longer.."

            "How did you find this place anyway?" You ask, getting out as well and grabbing two towels from your backpack [always prepared for spontaneous Tendo]. 

            "I flew over it. Then rolled down part of the mountain." He states. You give him a shocked and horrified expression so he quickly adds. "I'm okay though, kinda got into a fight." He waves

            "When did that happen? You never told me…" You comment frowning. You never knew him to get into fights, he was too clever to get into one.

            "Little bit ago. I didn't want you to worry. Besides, it worked out. I found this place after all." He smiles getting dressed.

            "... Sure." You murmur getting dressed as well.

            "You're not happy with me now." He guesses.

            "You never tell me anything important." You grumble as he takes the lead back.

            "Hm? Nothing important really ever happens to me though?" He tilts his head.

            "That's your opinion." You huff. "You've always been like that though. Like you're hiding from me." He turns his head, peering at you from the corner of his eye. But for once, he doesn't have a response. That silence sticks, making you feel heavy as you board the train and head back to Raizu.

           Tendo stops just outside of the campus, looking at your school quietly. "Maybe I do hide from you… I think, if I say too much you'll say we can't be friends. And I'm not ready for that."

           "Tendo…" You frown heavily, reaching for him. He steps forward, dodging your hand before turning about with a warm smile, closing his eyes slightly.

            "I tell you this when we text all the time. But, I do love you ___. I'm proud to have you as my best friend. So, don't go dying in your hero work- okay?" He tilts his head slightly.

           "Ah…. O-Okay… But Tendo-" 

           " 'Youre scaring me, you've been saying some troubling things lately. Are you alright Tendo?' " He recites what you had been about to say and chuckles. "I'm fine ___. We're just growing up, and it feels like we're going to grow apart." 

           ".... Don't give me that shit Tendo!" You snap. "We're not!" 

           "Oh. You got angry this time..." His eyebrows raise in surprise. "Sorry ___, stop making that worried face. Everything is going to be fine." He cups your face and kisses your forehead. "I'm still here." He then takes your right hand hand, placing it to his chest. "See?"

            Why did your chest suddenly hurt? "I see." You nod as he releases your hand.

            "Have a good night ___." He adds before heading off with a wave.

            You watch him go, mind fading into a daze after the storm it was in earlier seemed to subside. You head inside, going upstairs and walking into your room. Sakusa looks up in the process of draining his fangs. 

            "Knock." He sighs. You pause and look about the room.

             "Sorry… I thought it was my room…" You say. Sakusa blinks at you before getting out of his chair and closing the door behind you. 

             "Something happen?" He murmurs as you look up at him.

             "Not… really…" You rub your head.

             "Is that a lie?" 

             "... Yes…" You sigh, taking off the backpack and your jacket, rolling onto his bed. Sakusa watches you for a moment before going back to his chair and continuing his activity.

             "Then talk." He says simply. So you tell him a bit of what Tendo said, and how it bothered you. 

              "I just feel like I'm in a fog." You turn over playing with your fingers. 

              "It does sound unsteady." Sakusa admits. "I cant say it'll be alright or that its going to get better. If he's preparing for that day, maybe you should too." 

               "... I don't want to…" You grit your teeth.

               "Then what can you do? Do you have an idea of how to save this?" He points out.

               "Not yet… But I can try whatever pops into my head until something works." You say, eyelids feeling heavy.

               "That's just like you." He seals a few vials before cleaning his face. You mutter something, making him look over as you drift off. He pauses, wiping his mouth as he watches you. He gets up going over and crouching beside the bed, reaching for your face then pausing, looking at his hand and pulling it back. He sighs quietly, putting on his gloves before retrieving one of yours from his backpack, slipping it over your current glove before going out 

                He walks into your room, stopping briefly when he finds the twins playing a card game on your bed. "What are you doing?" He questions.

                "Waiting for ___ to get back." Osamu answers.

                "___'s back, wandered into my room and fell asleep on the bed… I'll allow you on my bed this once- vermin." Sakusa tells them.

            "Huh? I'm surprised at you Sakusa. I thought you wouldn't mind cuddling up to ___." Atsumu smirks.

            "... Even if I ever wanted to do that. You realize I could kill ___ by doing that, right?" Sakusa informs in annoyance.

            "What? You can't be serious…" Atsumu huffs. "You make it sound like that's happened before."

            Sakusa shifts before looking at your desk. "It has." He confirms. The twins pause, exchanging a surprised look. 

            "... Listen. I know you don't like us. But are you okay man?" Osamu asks in concern. 

            "Huh?" Sakusa looks at them oddly.

            "It's not like we care but… ___ will worry about you if you're not feeling well…" Atsumu tells him, scratching his cheek. "I mean, we hear enough about you already."

             "... Get out. Now." Sakusa glares.

             "Fine fine. Freaking cactus." Atsumu scoffs going out. Osamu hesitates on his way out.

              "Seriously though. We got your back Sakusa. Whether you like it or not." Osamu breathes before heading out, shutting the door behind himself. Sakusa blinks at the door, before chuckling a bit and taking off his mask. 

              "___'s affecting all of them…" He murmurs shaking his head in amusement, laying on your bed. He looks up at the ceiling, smile falling. "Sleep well."