Chapter Text
Shinsou never thought that people could be as utterly annoying as the people in his new class were, low and behold they were. The first week had been tame. Of course his peers were curious about him seeing that he was the newest member of their social group and had replaced a previous stain on the hero course's happiness and inviting reputation. There had been villain attacks and several other incidents that led to some backlash for the faculty, but the general consensus of the hero students remained mostly positive besides the opinions on Mineta. Although the purple-haired teen had little to no first hand experience dealing with the pervert the stories from the girls in 1-A, as well as a few of the boys such as Kirishima and Midoriya, had given him the perspective he needed since when it came to things like what they said Mineta had done. It didn’t take much to make Shinsou believe the accuser.
By the second week Shinsou was in 1-A, people tried to start inviting him to get togethers in the common room or at restaurants. The teen never accepted them, prefering to stick to statements like ‘I would honestly rather chop my left arm off and watch as my biggest enemy consumes it bit by bit’ when rejecting the person’s excited yapping about the ‘fun’ things they would be doing. Sometimes he was called out for being too harsh or in Kirishima’s words ‘unmanly’ which resulted in a half-ass eyeroll from Shinsou. Within a month the invites to things mostly stopped, only a few people like Kaminari and Mina persisting, and he was left alone for the most part, much to his appreciation.
Although he was willingly left out of most social interactions that happened between his classmates, that didn’t stop him from a few run-ins with the obnoxious and rather loud blonde, Bakugou. The first one was when Shinsou was making a bee-line for the library, half running trying to get out of Kaminari’s sight and he accidentally bumped into the blonde’s shoulder. His tray clattered onto the ground loudly although the cafeteria continued chattering on, much to Shinsou’s relief,
“What the hell is your damage Eyebags?!”
Shinsou huffed and then squatted down and started cleaning up the mess he’d made, ignoring Bakugou’s retorts,
“Don’t fucking ignore me Brainwash!” The purple-haired teen simply scooped up the last of the rice off the floor and dumped it into the bowl and then sat it on it’s previous spot on his tray. Shinsou managed to get away with blocking out Bakugou for only a few minutes before the blonde grabbed his collar and yanked him off the ground, causing the rice to fall onto the ground once again,
“Really-”
“You can’t just run into me then fucking ignore me after without an apology you shit eating bastard!” Shinsou gave him a blank stare of annoyance which pissed Bakugou off even more,
“Fucking say something you incompetent idiot!”
“Incompetent means idiot in retrospect, so calling me an ‘incompetent idiot’ is just calling me an idiot twice, so honestly I don’t think calling me the idiot is necciasarily true.” The taller teen responded dryly, not letting his apathetic look falter.
“I’ll fucking kill you, you worthless excuse for a hero!” Shinsou felt a pang in his chest, he let Bakugou get to him although he would never admit it to anyone but himself. The blonde dug deep into a century old wound that brought back a lot of pent up anger that Shinsou had so diligently packed into a box and shoved into the back part of his mind. The purple-haired teen calmly grabbed Bakugou’s hand and yanked it off him, grabbing his tray off the floor and picked up the rice once again. He didn’t like his emotions shown in his expressions or actions, his face stayed passionless and he didn’t slam anything around. He’d learned from experience that egotistical douchebags, as he so eloquently dubbed people like Bakugou a while back, got off on emotional outbursts and if anything he was way too stubborn to give anyone the satisfaction of letting them know that they got under his skin.
Bakugou went to grab him again, but the insomniac douged with ease then dropped his tray off at the designated area then left the cafeteria as he heard Kirishima run over to try and calm the blonde down. That wasn’t the last time that Shinsou had any ‘incidents’ with Bakugou. That was one of many occurrences that lead to their significant hatreds for one another. They were banned from being paired together during sparring because both of them would end up severely injured if not nearly dead by the end of it. Despite their teachers' efforts to get the pair together, each time they were left in a room without supervision for more than ten seconds one of them had sparked an argument and by the time one of the facility members stepped in, one of them had a bloody nose or split lip.
Aizawa wasn’t surprised that the two didn’t get along. They had polar opposite experiences in life and the only thing they had in common was being too stubborn for their goods, which in this case was most likely the cause of everything. Aizawa had never thought of either of them as violent as they got with one another, Shinsou’s stoic personality caused as many problems as it solved. He usually avoided conflict if he wasn’t actively trying to provoke someone which was pretty rare if someone wasn’t trying to bully or start stuff with him or if he wasn’t training. Bakugou on the other hand was nearly the opposite. He was loud, but never started any physical fights unless he saw it fit for the situation and unfortunately, Aizawa knew first hand how vexing Shinsou’s sarcasm was at times. To a teenage boy he was sure he thought it to be the most annoying thing in this world.
At home, Shinsou was still closed off. He hadn't grown up in exactly the right situation to be able to learn how to convey his emotions in a healthy way, but he was definitely more open to his parents and little sister than he was to his classmates. When things got overwhelming or too much for the teen to handle on his own, he usually at least tried to express how he was feeling. Even if he had to resort to writing it out. Bakugou wasn’t exactly helping his mental health. The blonde said things that he would say to anyone else, but when he dug at Shinsou’s heroism or his worth as a human being. it hit the purple-haired teen right in his heart and sent years of rage to the front of his mind.
Shinsou never let his emotions show, but Aizawa knew the look his son got very well when he'd been hurt. It wasn’t something that you could see if you didn’t have experience looking for it. It’s not that his eyes watered up, it was more of the way they looked at things. Like something in his mind shifted and made him see things differently. Aizawa wasn’t sure if Shinsou was aware of it, but he didn’t think telling him would be a good idea since hiding his emotions is something he seemed to take pride in from the dark-haired man’s perspective. The class had long since become accustomed to the pair's constant squabbling. Kirishima was usually the one to step in before anyone else if a teacher wasn’t present and to his surprise, neither of the boys got bitter about it. The most the red-head got was a dirty look or one of them smacking his hand away.
Outside of class hours, the two of them never really fought. They both preferred staying in their dorms compared to dealing with their peers chattering in the common room. After three hours of non-stop cramming for an English assessment, Shinsou went into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee. He walked down the stairs lazily, not bothering to take his hands out of the pocket of his hoodie. He got into the kitchen and saw Bakugou and Kirishima were talking about something by the counter and Shinsou chose to tune it out as he started looking through the various piles of teas and other drink choices for the coffee grounds that he’d stored. He spotted the red bag and grabbed it then went to pour his usual two scoops into the top of the machine but found the bag to be empty. I just bought this two days ago there’s no way that I plowed through a family sized bag in less than two days his eyebrows furrowed as the thought crossed his mind.
“Oh yeah! Kaminari found that bag and started making himself a cup then everyone else joined in because they thought it was free game-” Kirishima said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly,
“I’m the only one in the dorms that drinks that brand because it has as much caffeine as twenty shots of espresso in each cup- who in their right mind would think it was free game ?” Shinsou responded, tossing the empty bag into the trash can then opening the fridge,
“I don’t know man, but I’m sorry! I’ll give you money to replace it-”
“Keep your money, it’s not worth it. I’ll just get energy drinks from the vending machines until I can afford to buy more,” Shinsou huffed out, dragging his hand down across his face,
“Are you sure bro?”
“Yeah, it’s fine I don’t care enough to start shit about it,”
“If you say so my guy, can I at least buy you a few energy drinks to make up for it?”
“It’s fine Kirishima, you weren’t the one that drank my life-line don’t get out of your way to apologize for something you didn’t do,”
“Please just take the fucking offer Eyebags, he’s going to annoy me all goddamn week if you don’t just let him buy you the stupid drinks,” Bakugou cut in,
“That’s even more reason for me to not take the offer.”
“You bastard I’ll kill yo-”
“Woah guys let’s not start anything- I just got my nose healed from the left hook I got in the nose that was aimed at Bakubro-”
“Right- I never apologized for that, sorry Kirishima.”
“It’s really okay Shinbro, but you can make up for it by not fighting-”
“Whatever you say, I’ll take the offer if it’ll make Bakugou shut up, only for a few days though.” Shinsou hated the idea of being given things by people in general, but Kirishima, Bakugou’s best friend, really rubbed him the wrong way. Although, he really wasn’t in the mood for arguing, he could feel a migraine coming.
“Yes! You won’t regret it bro, I’m going to give you the manliest energy drinks ever!”
“Whatever you say Kirishima,” Shinsou yawned, opening the cabinet and retrieving a bag of corn chips then walking out of the kitchen, holding up a peace sign as he left.
“Bye Shinbro!”
The next few days in class, every time he walked into the classroom there would be at least four energy drinks sitting on his desk, all different flavors from the last set he’d received. He’d also find a few sitting outside his dorm. By the end of each day Kirishima had given him at least ten drinks give or take. He’d only be able to drink at most five, so he had a collection of full cans on his desk that was ever increasing every few hours. By the time Kirishima had stopped actively giving him the drinks he’d had at least a two weeks supply sitting in his dorm. It’s not that Shinsou was annoyed by the red-head’s actions, he was more surprised that he would go out of the way to invest so much money into someone that caused him trouble constantly.
It’s not that Shinsou suddenly wanted to be buddy-buddy with Kirishima, that was honestly the last thing he wanted to do, due to the fact that he was always around Bakugou. But Kirishima had earned a spot on the ‘You aren’t as annoying as the other people in your class, I’ll tolerate being around you’ list that had previously only featured Jirou and Tokoyami.
__________
Shinsou loaded up his bag onto the bus then took his spot beside Shoji, pulling his headphones almost immediately to try and block out Kaminairi’s whining about the purple-haired teen ignoring him. He grabbed his phone then switched on a playlist and turned the volume up to glass shattering levels in a failed attempt to at least obstruct Bakugou’s screaming. Shinsou huffed and leaned his head back against the seat, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. Shinsou somehow, probably by the grace of whatever deity was watching over him, managed to fall asleep for most of the bus ride out to the forest. The students weren’t given any details besides the fact that they would be completely safe and only the faculty knew where they were going.
Everyone was even more on edge when they arrived in the middle of a forest with no cell reception what-so-ever Dad why did you think this was a good idea again-? Shinsou thought bittersweetly as he grabbed his duffle bag and started making his way to the central area where class 1-B was meeting their group. Shinsou desperately wanted to put his headphones on so he didn’t have to hear whatever Monoma was going on about, but Aizawa and Vlad King were about to start giving out instructions soon. Eventually Kendo managed to shut the manic blonde up by whacking the back of his head with her enlarged hand, much to everyone’s appreciation,
“That was so manly Kendo thank you!” Kirishima said, putting hsi hardened fists together in front of him, a common motion that everyone was used to seeing by this point,
“Yeah thanks Kendo, so about that date-” Kaminari cut it,
Kendo grabbed the back of her neck and smiled slightly, “Sorry I’m really not into guys, thanks thought I’m flattered Kaminari,”
“Damn, kill them with kindness I guess,” Shinsou said snarkily, shrugging and pulling out his phone,
“Shinsou! How could you? You’re supposed to be on my side here, you know guy to guy?” Kaminari half screeched,
“Dude- I thought he was-” Sero said, glancing in between Shinsou and Kaminari wide eyed,
“Thought I was what?”
“That you uh-” Sero mumbled something incoherent after the first two words. Shinsou just rolled his eyes and decided to brush it off and start paying attention Aizawa and Vlad King,
“Alright class! Today we are going to be playing capture the flag in pairs! One member from each class will pair up with a member from a different class and each pair will face off against one other pair! The rules to win are simple: capture the opposing team's flag and bring it back to your homeroom teacher! Points will not be deducted unless we see fit, so do whatever it takes to win! Good luck students!” Vlad King yelled,
“Are there any questions?” Aizawa asked tiredly, Tsyu raised her hand then asked,
“Will we be picking the person we are paired up with or the team we’re facing up against, kero?”
“The teams and matches will be selected for you all while you’re changing into your hero costumes you’re all dismissed.” The teens separated into two groups, boys and girls and were led to their designated changing areas. While Shinsou was lacing up his boots he felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned his head to see that it was Monoma. He raised an eyebrow to the look on the blonde’s face then took his foot off the bench in front of his and leaned his weight one leg, crossing his arms,
“Do you need something?”
“Well I was wondering if you’d be available for a private conversation Shinsou-san,”
“Uh- sure? Mind talking to me after we do this training exercise?”
“Of course, Of course!” Monoma said chipperly,
“Okay then, I’ll be off-” Shinsou said, pulling up the hood of his hero costume then walking out to the field.
He was one of the first ones to be done getting ready so he walked over to Aizawa, who was out of ear shot of everyone else, “Hey Pops,”
“Hey kid, listen Vlad King insisted on putting you and Bakugou against each other, I tried to talk him out of it, but you know how he is when it comes to trying to fix things that aren’t his to fix,”
“Got it, I won’t start anything if Bakugou doesn’t, but no promises that we won’t get into a fight,” Aizawa sighed then pulled his hair up into a low ponytail,
“You are just as stubborn as I am and it’s kicking me in the ass,”
“I’m adopted, so it can’t be genetic, also watch your mouth, no potty words around the children Shota,” Shinsou said, putting on his best Hizashi impression,
“That was pretty spot on kid, you’re getting better at impersonating people, keep it up and I think you’ll be more confident using your voice modulator during battle,”
Shinsou pulled his hood down subtly, covering the red that was spreading across his face, he still wasn’t used to people, let alone adults, believing that he could be a hero and he was still embarrassed easily when someone complimented his abilities. Aizawa smiled slightly then said,
“Come on, aren’t you planning on kicking the other team's ass to capture the flag?”
“If Bakugou doesn’t try to murder me in the middle of the match then I will one hundred percent be kicking their asses.”
Shinsou and Aizawa walked silently back to their class and parted ways when the dark-haired man had to go towards Vlad King. After their teacher’s rattled off all of the partner assignments and pairings, Shinsou made his way over to Tetsutetsu and started coordinating a fool proof plan. It was simple, Shinsou handled Komori while Tetsutetsu distracted Bakugou. Shinsou would get the flag and create a diversion while he passed it to Tetsutetsu so he could get it to Vlad King. As long as Tetsutetsu created a barrier between Shinsou and Bakugou, there shouldn’t be any issues.