MHA: Villains Need A Hero Too

Yuno was glad he had gone home early. Seeing how Todoroki was so determined, he thought of it as lucky that he was released from the confines of his junior's goal to learn. They had spent almost three hours practicing, teaching Todoroki how to simply ride on a skateboard. Only because Todoroki had to be home by eight did Yuno manage to finally make it home. And he had many goals for the weekend. Unfortunately, none of them had been going the way he wants.

Even after all these years of putting all kinds of knowledge into his head, Yuno still couldn't find anything on All Might's Quirk. All he found was that it was a strength enhancement Quirk and he was just powerful. Yuno called bullshit, because a simple strength enhancement power couldn't change the god damn weather, that's impossible. This Quirk had to be so powerful, so raw, not to mention the talk of the hero society. And yet, all he found was this pitiful excuse of a Quirk explanation.

Yuno clenched the mouse in his fist, gritting his teeth as he read over the article over and over again. Nothing, no useful information, no knowledge of his Quirk, or even why it was like this. Surely, the media wasn't so incompetent as to not ask questions about him and his unique power. Unless, All Might had just been avoiding the questions.

"You're Quirk is like All Might's." Tsu had pointed that out on the bus. Perhaps that was related to All Might; Midoryia's Quirk was just like that to the number one hero's own abilities. They were completely the same when Yuno looked back to his notebook, studying the similarities another time.

"This is going nowhere…" he mumbled to himself and gripped the notebook in his hand, crinkling the paper. "There's nothing on the damn hero. Am I just…overthinking this?"

Yuno ran a hand through his hair, ruffling his already disheveled locks. He wasn't thinking straight anymore, couldn't; it probably didn't help that he hasn't eaten yet, the room is dark and cold, and he's been sitting in front of his computer for the past, what, two hours? This wasn't healthy for him, but god knows he'll never stop until he's found his answer.

Scrolling through the article again, rereading it, Yuno took each word and mulled it over in his head. No stone would be left unturned until he found his answer. As much as he hates heroes, despite attending UA, he needed to find out what made All Might tick, what his Quirk was, who he is. This project of his had been dropped, given up on, only until Tsu mentioned that Midoryia basically had the same power.

As of now, All Might and his side kick, Nighteye, have not been in contact. The two were rumored to have argued after a major battle and decided that they wouldn't work well together after the incident. Aftermaths of the explosion left a great deal of people injured, and multiple lives were lost. Despite this fact, All Might had disappeared for a short amount of time; his colleagues such as the principal of UA, Nezu, had been filling in for him at this time.

Yuno's eyes widened at the paragraph, he couldn't pull his gaze away. He read it over and over and over again; this had never popped up before, this was new. The date of the post was from at least a few years ago, barely any views, if any at all. What was this website? Where did this info come from?

"All Might disappeared after a major battle." Yuno read aloud, having to process the paragraph again.

That…that was huge, this was an entirely new discovery and Yuno dove right in. He scrolled further down, reading and taking in more. The puzzles in his head fell apart and put themselves back together over and over, creating new images again and again. New questions filled his head and they would soon have an answer if it was last thing he did.

At the very bottom of article, he has no idea how long he spent scrolling, there was a link. It was written in bold letters, but it looked invisible with its gray color and thin font. Whoever made this was very sneaky with their clues and hints.

Without hesitation, Yuno double clicked it. His leg bounced up and down in agitation, his fingers tapped his desk; the loading circle on his screen was spiraling infinitely. The words please wait a moment sat right underneath the loading circle and it only filled Yuno with more impatience as the website never loaded in.

This page does not allow public viewers, please try again later.

"Dammit!" Yuno pounded a fist on his desk, then reached up to his head and gripped the roots of his hair. He refreshed the website over and over again, and nothing happened. He received the same screen everytime.

Warning! Red letters flashed on his screen. Please do not try again, you're device will overheat.

Yuno shoved his desk, pushing himself away and rolling back in his chair; he let out a dejected and frustrated shout. The pencils on his desk rolled and fell onto the ground, the empty cans of soda were knocked over and the computer monitor wobbled. This shit was ridiculous, locking him out when he finally got something.

Yuno buried his face in his hands, leaning forward and slouching as he did so. He took in a few deep breaths to calm himself down, he certainly didn't want to be getting to the point where he would start raging; not like his father.

"I don't yell," Yuno reminded himself. "I never yell, not like them." His breath stuttered before it eased and he lifted his head again, looking at his computer that still had the same warning. He needs a break. Sitting in his room and sulking would never get him anywhere, he needed a few moments, maybe more, to clear his head.

Yuno shook his head and scowled at the floor before standing out of his chair. He left the room with a trail of frustration following behind him. He almost tripped in the process, no thanks to the dirty clothes, consoles and books scattered across the floor. He really needed to get his room cleaned at some point. He picked up a jacket on the ground and draped it over his shoulders, he realized now just how cold it was and he probably didn't turn the heater on.

Yuno heard clattering in the kitchen when he stepped into the hallway. His first thought was to just leave, too irritated to deal with whatever moronic being caused the sound. He second thought was to check, just in case.

"Oh, took you long enough to get out of your den, you lazy bear." Kisu's voice rang through his ears. She raised a brow when he came into full view and crossed her arms over her chest. "You look like shit."

Yuno gave a small glare before looking away. Admittedly, he would agree that he's not in the best state. He was still recovering from the USJ incident, he had been in a cold and dark room for two hours, his hair was a mess, his clothes were most definitely dirty too. He did look like a mess, one in need of immediate cleaning. By god, Kisu could practically see the gloom radiating off her messy friend.

"Have you eaten yet?" Kisu asked, opening the fridge to see what was in it.

Yuno was about to speak when his stomach answered for him. A low growl rumbled in the kitchen, and one would think it shook the entire house. Shocked and embarrassed, Yuno placed a hand on his stomach as a slight tint of pink appeared on his cheeks, flustered.

"Hah," Kisu laughed, shooting an amused look at Yuno. "You hungry? Can't make food for yourself?" She teased.

Yuno pulled a chair out and landed himself at the counter, an irritated scowl on his face. He pulled the jacket on his shoulders to wrap around his torso; the smell was more prominent now that it was within sniffing distance. His nose scrunched at the stench, well, maybe not stench, but it needed a wash.

"Can you quit that?" Yuno's brows furrowed as he spoke; that reply meant yes, so Kisu began pulling food out from the fridge to make breakfast.

Kisu set eggs down on the counter, then she leaned across the marble top and rested her chin in her hand, blinking at the brunette. "I heard you pounding stuff when I came in. What was that about?"

Yuno locked eyes with the other, counting every second that passed by. Eventually, he lowered his head and hid behind his hair. "Just got frustrated, that's all."

Kisu lifted her head out of her hand, then waved it forward in a gesture to keep going. "With what? I'd like to think that you know getting so upset to the point you're hitting things is unlike you."

"I was trying to look into All Might and Midoryia's Quirks." He was blunt, no reason to sugarcoat his words. "I remembered Tsu saying they were similiar, maybe the same. I didn't get far." Yuno brought a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I'm just overthinking things now. This is ridiculous."

While Yuno explained, Kisu had stood up again and continued bringing food out of the fridge; this time, she pulled sausages out from a drawer. She listened intently as she was spoken to, she could hear the way Yuno's voice faltered when he started thinking. She picked up on the way he grumbled about it being cold and the rustle of fabric being adjusted.

"What exactly have you been doing all morning?" Kisu asked, placing a hand on her hip when she finished pulling all the food out.

Yuno looked up at her again, tired eyes struggling to stay open all the way. They were half lidded and full of annoyance. "I went out, ran into Todoroki, then came back."

"Which was how long ago now?"

"Two- two and half? Hours ago."

Kisu sighed, taking in the sorry state of her intelligent friend, at least, he was usually intelligent. "You can't even tell how long you've been in front of your computer for. How on earth are you still alive?"

Yuno shrugged. "Because of you."

"Exactly," Kisu snapped. "And why do you keep shivering? Don't tell me you're sick again?"

"I'm not. I'm just cold. I forgot to turn on the heater. The least you could do is pretend I'm not a nuisance."

"I never said that, you're putting words in my mouth again."

Yuno's words caught in his throat, and then speaking became impossible. He leaned forward, laying his head down on the counter with his arms as a cushion. He stayed quiet, didn't make a single sound or complain, didn't spit back at Kisu. She walked around the island and sat down next to Yuno, repeating the same action of resting her head in her forearms, but she was turned to face the brunette. Upon hearing Kisu sit next to him, Yuno turned his head to face her back, he raised a hand to tuck a thin strand of white hair away Kisu's face before pulling back.

"I'm sorry." He apologized, quiet and soft. "I haven't been the greatest of friends to you, have I? I'm sorry for that." His voice faltered when he apologized again. "I promise, my apology is genuine. I don't-" Kisu frowned at the way Yuno choked on his words, the way he wanted to hide his face but refused to. "I don't want you to leave me, Kiichan."

Kisu reached to wipe at the corner of his eyes, wet tears forming. She prayed that they didn't fall, that they stayed where they were as she wiped them away with her thumb. She hoped with her entire being that she wouldn't have to see that expression of sadness again, not after they were finally doing so well.

It's all Meiyi's fault, that damn aunt of his.

Kisu put that thought aside, for now at least, and paid her attention to Yuno again. "I'm not going to leave you." Her words were so sincere, it made Yuno sob quietly like he was trying to hold the sounds in. "You can't ever make me leave you, nor can anyone else. You're stuck with me until the day we're buried into the gound. Please, don't cry in front of me."

Yuno pressed his eyes into his arms, soaking the tears into the fabric of his sleeves before they could fall. He could feel a hand on his back, rubbing up and down a few times before it moved to the top of his head, petting him like a cat. It felt nice, comforting, and his mind felt more at ease with the gentle tenderness. There knots in his hair, he realized, as Kisu kept stroking his hair while avoiding tugging on the tangles. He wanted to laugh at the pitiful attempt, she wasn't doing a very good job at keeping her fingers from pulling on them.

"Better?" Kisu asked, pulling her hand away and sitting up, stretching her arms over her head. "After breakfast, why don't we take a walk around the neighborhood?"

Yuno lifted his head in response, his voice rough when he answers. "The neighborhood?" Anxiety flashes in his eyes.

It doesn't go unnoticed by Kisu. "I'll be with you, you're safe with me. Besides, it would do you some good to get a little sun on your skin. You're always as pale as a sheet."

"That's due to my Quirk, not a lack of sun." Yuno argued, doing everything he could to stay inside his home. "I don't want to go outside, something could happen."

So much for cheering up. Kisu was at a loss for words when he began furrowing his brows and tightening his fingers around the fabric of his jacket. She listed all the possible scenarios Yuno could be thinking of, they all ended terribly. The problem Kisu had with Yuno staying inside is one: he needs fresh air and sunshine, and two: staying in his home for too long could make his state even worse.

"I know you don't like going outside," Kisu made sure Yuno was listening, watching her as she spoke. "But, staying in here will hurt you much more than going outside will. This place makes you feel alone and scared, I know it does. You can tell me this is your safe zone all you want, but all the times you've placed a blanket over spots on the floor says so otherwise. You have to remember, this wasn't your home to begin with."

Yuno clenched his jaw, gritting his teeth as his eyes narrowed. Kisu was right, this wasn't Yuno's home to begin with, it belonged to his family, his parents and his sister and himself. It was his parents that paid the bills, made sure that the house was child proof enough so no one would come in or come out unless they let them. He remembers how life was when the four of them lived in this house, miserable and scared.

When his parents finally left, Yuno began placing blankets and jackets on the floor, any sort of fabric that could spread across the ground. He would lay them across the wood floor to cover puddles of blood only he could see. He'd scrub at the tiles for hours upon hours with bleach, cleaning blood only he could smell. Being truly honest with himself, he was a complete lunatic back then. Ever since then, Kisu would take him out with her, somewhere away from the house so he wouldn't fall into a frenzy of cleaning hallucinations.

"You think I'll start cleaning again," Yuno said; a statement, not a question. "You think I'm hopeless, and I'll start having hallucinations again."

Kisu corrected him as soon as he finished. "I don't think you're hopeless. It just scared me when you started doing that. You didn't even know I was there until I stopped you. You looked…" she trailed off, not even wanting to say what Yuno looked like during those years. "I don't want to see that happen again. I had nightmares everyday for a week after I saw you."

Yuno huffed out a laugh. "That explains why you didn't come over for a while."

"Don't laugh!" Kisu scolded, she came so close to smacking Yuno out of spite; he noticed how she clenched the fabric of her pants. "You may be laughing now, but you didn't see how you looked. I saw every moment you fell and couldn't climb back up, and I hated that all I could do was offer you my home. And even then, you were so worried about being a problem. You even told me that you were going to be burden, which means you didn't trust me enough to lean on me."

Yuno frowned. It disturbed him, how Kisu's voice almost cracked. He could hear the concern and sadness in her voice as she tried so hard not to get mad. He let out a breath as he took his jacket and put it on correctly, then crossed the fabric on top of each other.

"I'm okay now." He said simply. "It's not as bad as before."

"Are you though?" She was stern, placing a hand on Yuno's thigh and squeezing. She didn't let go, like he was a lifeline and the correct answer would be the only thing to make her let go. "I want you to tell me the truth. Don't lie right to my face, I want to help."

Yuno's expression softened at that. The sincerity in her words was enough to make his heart open up, allow trust to come into his life again. He took Kisu's hand in his and wrapped his fingers around them; they were significantly colder than Kisu's, she noticed. She rubbed her thumbs over his knuckles, creating her own warmth as she awaited a reply.

"I don't think you can fix whatever goes on with me, Kiichan." There was that name again, almost a whisper. "I just let it happen, because if I choose to stop it, I'll have bigger problems. I'll hurt myself if I try to stop it."

Kisu's eyebrows curved up like upside down arches, shock written all over her features. She looked around the room, examining every piece of furniture in the living area and kitchen. Everything was sparkling with cleanliness and smelled of Clorox and FeBreeze, mint leaving her tongue sour and not rescreshed.

"You're not still doing it, are you?" Her head snapped back so fast, she might've pulled a muscle. Yuno was quiet for the first few seconds. "Answer me. Are you still seeing things?"

Silence was enough of a reply for her.

"Since when? Why didn't you tell me? Actually, you haven't told me much about how you've been doing and it's- it's making me feel nervous and left out." She began rambling out of frustration. "Please, I need to know what you've been seeing and what's been going on with you. Please."

She sounded so desperate for words that he couldn't come up with. Again, Kisu was correct and Yuno was starting to hate that. She was right because he has been acting different from his usual stoic self. She's right because, yes, he hasn't been telling his closest, most trusted friend about how he's been holding up. Actually, he doesn't think they've spoken about his condition and state of mind ever since the school year started, which was a while ago. She was right, because he was starting to hide again, and she found him right as he found a spot to make himself scarce.

"I'm sorry." Was all Yuno could before he himself started rambling. "I only have dreams, that's all. And, even when I do see blood, it's not like I start cleaning it up."

"Then what do you do if you happen to see it?"

Yuno swallowed the lump in his throat, it hurt. "I accidentally mark my face with it, because I know that I can't clean it off. I wipe it on my clothes and scratch it off my skin."

Not a second later, Kisu gripped Yuno's wrist and began unwrapping the bandages that went up his arm and disappeared into his sleeve. She held his wrist in an almost deathly grip and he felt trapped by the hold. Despite the way he began to tremble and bite his lip to hold in his whimpers, Kisu just kept unwrapping his arm.

Eventually, she managed to unwrap the white fabric enough to see pale skin. The bandages dropped to the floor, quiet as a feather. All Kisu could do was stare at Yuno's arm, tracing a finger over red scratch marks and raw skin. There were small, light colored scars that faded, healed, but would they ever go away?

"Yuno," the brunette flinched at the sudden change in tone. "What is this?"

I'm going to be punished. "It was me. I started scratching at my skin when I was in the infirmary." She's mad, she's going to hurt me. "Please, please, don't hit me. Don't touch me, I'm sorry."

"You need to stop doing that." Kisu let go, but her voice didn't change at all. "Don't scratch at your skin, you're going to damage it."

It wasn't like his skin wasn't already damaged; he had scars everywhere on his body, from his feet to his legs, his hips to his arms, from his chest to his forehead, even on fingers. He was a walking scar that had scars. There was so much damage to his hands, sometimes he couldn't form a fist the right way. It's not like a couple more will do anyone harm, everyone except himself anyway. He honestly didn't think there was a point in stopping him when the habit would never die, it'd probably stay with him into adulthood, everything he currently had most likely would, overthinking, hallucinating, nightmares and all.

"And, I'm sorry." Kisu said, the train of thought in Yuno's head coming to a screeching stop. "I didn't mean to scare you, I know you don't like it when I do that."

At least she apologized, father never did that. "It's fine. I wasn't hurt, it was stupid to be afraid when it's just you."

Without thinking, Kisu wrapped her arms around Yuno, pulling his head into her chest and hugging him tightly. A soft gasp escaped his lips in surprise, he could feel Kisu's hands on his head and stroking his hair. The embrace was warm, comfortable, and he was on cloud nine for a brief moment. Lifting a hand, he gripped the the fabric of Kisu's shirt at her side, clenching his fingers in the soft cloth. Her hands contrasted to that of his cold body, he liked it.

"Stop apologizing," Yuno couldn't see her expression, but she must've been furrowing her brows and drawing her lips in a thin line. "It's not like you at all. It's so uncharacteristic and, I don't like it when you do that."

Yuno felt a giggle bubble in his chest at that. "So, you don't want me to apologize for being rude? That's an odd request to ask someone."

"Don't take it like that, you know what I mean. And before I forget, I have something for you."

Yuno lifted his head at that. To say he was confused was just the right way to put, he never expected a gift. It wasn't his birthday, he doesn't even celebrate it, nor was it a special holiday; he highly doubted that today was a give-your-close-and-traumatized-friend-a-gift day either. Did that exist?

Yuno watched as Kisu reached into her pocket and pulled out a small box, it was black and was just a bit bigger than a ring box. He really hoped Kisu wasn't going to ask him of any sort for a relationship. With gentle and slender fingers, she tipped the lid of the box back and opened it, revealing thin black fabric folded neatly within the box.

"What is this?" Yuno examined the cloth, and when he felt the fabric, it was smooth like silk and soft like cotton. These looked and felt expensive.

"They're gloves." Kisu answered, a small smile beginning to spread across her face. "And don't worry, I actually bought them with my hard-earned money."

"Hard-earned by me."

"Way to spoil the moment." She huffed under her breath before shaking away the sass. "But that's not the point. I saw them and remembered that…you're always saying how your hands are dirty when nothing's there."

He knew what she was talking about, he wasn't dumb; there was a reason his hands had so many scars, most of them due to his own actions. Years of scratching and tearing at his skin to get blood only he could see off his skin. He would run them under hot water, scrub at them with dish soap until they were raw, even using bleach to try and clean his hands; it never worked. He learned to live with it, mostly, not without difficulties though.

"I thought that if you're wearing gloves, then maybe you wouldn't so inclined to try and hurt your hands." Kisu explained. "And if you ever see blood on your hands, you can just peel the gloves off and it won't damage your skin."

That was…actually really thoughtful. Yuno had never come up with the idea, but Kisu didn't expect him to with how often other, more important things were always on his mind.

"Put them on." Kisu was rather enthusiastic about the gift being used.

So Yuno took the gloves out of the box and unfolded them. Looking at the design, it was rather simple; black with a small purple flower button on the outer part of the wrist, it reminded him of Yume. He'd probably end up fidgeting with the gem while thinking to himself. More importantly, Kisu made sure that every detail of the gloves would put his mind at ease.

Yuno slipped the gloves on easily, they glided across his skin and concealed his pale fingers. The fabric was thin, yet thick enough to filter the stench of blood that he always smelled on his hands. They covered the tips of his fingers that would always mark his face with thick, red liquid. He liked the way they felt on his hands, and it brought him a sense of comfort to know that the gloves significantly dulled his senses to the blood he hallucinated.

"Thank you." Yuno whispered. "It helps, it helps so much."

"It does?" Kisu sounded hopeful, the words feeding her enthusiasm. "You like them?"

Yuno nodded. "I like them. Thank you, I don't deserve you."

Closing the box, Kisu's eyes softened and she took Yuno's now gloved hands in hers; she'd have to get used to that feeling now. She leaned her forehead against his, their tempature contrasting as she rested her eyes closed. "You'll always have me, even if you think that forever."

—————

Yuno had to admit, it was rather nice outside today. Now that it was closer to the afternoon, it wasn't as cold. The sun was out, partially hidden behind clouds as if it were peeking out, a light breeze blew his hair out of his face, and the sand underneath his hands and feet was soft and warm.

The ocean water lapped at the sand, wakes pushing the minerals forward and then pulling them back into the water. He had half a mind to pull his pants up to his knees and dunk his feet in the water like a child. Would that be fun? He's never done it before, but, surely Kisu has.

"What are you thinking about now?" Yuno sees Kisu from the corner of his eye, she was leaning forward and had her arms hooked under her knees.

Yuno shakes the thought away; he isn't a child, he was just…thinking what it would be like to play in the water like children did. "Nothing. It's nice out here."

Kisu frowned, but didn't pry. She mumbled out a "you're changing the subject again," and Yuno assumes she thinks he didn't hear when he actually did, very clearly, hear her.

There was never escaping Kisu's communication skills, no sir. "I was just wondering what the water is like. I don't recall ever going to a beach like this. Besides passing by or just walking on one, I've never actually played at a beach. It's dumb, I don't know why I suddenly started thinking about it."

Yuno felt Kisu's hand lightly slap his shoulder, and he saw her puff her cheeks in annoyance; playful annoyance. She reached for her bottle next to her and opened it, twisting the cap off. She gave one last huff and puff of her cheeks before dousing Yuno's clothes in water.

An embarrassing surprised yelp escaped Yuno's lips as he brought his hands up to cover his face; he failed to keep the water from splashing his cheeks. His clothes were now soaking wet with Kisu's bottled water.

"Why would you do that?!" Yuno wouldn't be surprised if the entirety of Japan heard him.

Kisu laughed heartedly, holding her stomach and kicking her feet against the sand. "You can't just say that it's dumb to not have a childhood. What's so wrong with wanting to play in the water?"

Abruptly, Kisu pushed herself off the ground, bouncing on the balls of her feet when she stood. She stretched her arms for a moment, then reached down to touch her toes; a few grunts escaped her lips in the process. Then, she gripped the hem of her shirt and pulled it up and over her head. After tossing it aside, she placed her hands on her hips and stared down at Yuno.

"Take your shirt off."

The sudden demand startled Yuno, and his eyes snapped to lock with Kisu. His hands subconsciously gripped his shirt and he crossed his arms across his chest. The pinch in his brows was funny to look at along with the lines of confusion on his face.

"Why?" Was all that came out after a few seconds of silence.

Again, Kisu laughed. "What else? We're going to go play in the water. Or are you too chicken? Come on, I'll protect you from the water."

"I'll have you know, I almost drowned the last time I was in water. You better not be joking around about that."

"Of course I wouldn't! Now, take you're shirt off and lay it in the sun."

Yuno deadpanned at Kisu, and she would've laughed again if it weren't for the fact that he still was not taking his shirt off. "You still haven't explained why I should?"

"Because!" Kisu groaned. "We can leave them out in the sun, yours will dry, and then when we get out of the water again, we can use them dry off a bit so we're not tracking water into your house. Is that a reasonable explanation enough?"

Halfway through the explanation, Yuno had started pulling his shirt over his head and had tossed it to the side with Kisu's shirt.

"Oh, now you decide to do that?!" Kisu almost turned into a raging dinosaur with sharp teeth at that moment. "Oh, whatever." She took ahold of Yuno's wrist and pulled him to stand up. He had barely any time to kick his shoes off as Kisu dragged him to the water.

Right as they reached the water, Yuno managed to escape Kisu's grip and he stared at the water. He stared at it like it would jump out at him; he knows full well it won't happen but you can never be too careful. Upon noticing this, Kisu made her way back to him, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"You okay?" She asked. Her fingers felt his shoulder trembling ever so slightly. "What's wrong? Did I do something?"

Yuno's breath hitched before he spoke. "No, you didn't do anything. It's just- it's only me."

"What's only you? You need to tell me what's wrong or if I did something?"

The brunette was obviously scared out of his wits despite what he was saying. Kisu could see as clear as day that he was trying to force himself to stop trembling, stop the shaking in his voice; he was fine. Nothing was hurting him, and as long as Kisu was around, nothing would hurt him. And yet, Kisu could see just how his eyes never left the water, trained irises never letting their guard down as they studied every movement the water made.

"I won't drown, right?" The question came out shaky and quiet, Kisu had to strain her ears to hear it. "You won't let me drown, you'll make sure?"

Kisu mentally slapped herself; of course he'd have a bad association with water! He literally almost drowned just last week and his shithead parents waterboarded him nearly everyday.

"God, I'm such an idiot…" Kisu muttered to herself, and she's glad Yuno didn't seem to hear it. "Hey, you still with me?"

Yuno gulped down the spit pooling in his mouth, nodding in response. Kisu took his hands in her own, squeezing them lightly; you're here, with me was left unsaid. Not back then; here, right now.

"I'll- I can- just…" Yuno stuttered and tripped over his words. "Just, if I want to go back, I can?"

"Of course," the other assured. "If you want to go back, we can. But, let's just try, okay? We don't have to go too deep. We won't go any deeper than waist-deep, is that okay?"

Yuno nodded. "Yeah, that's- that will be okay. Don't let go, please."

"I promise."

With that, Yuno nodded and Kisu took that as her cue to slowly guide Yuno into the water. Baby steps, that's always a good way to get someone to overcome a fear, so that's what they did. Kisu allowed Yuno to take as long as he needed, even if they'd be here all day; none of it mattered if Yuno felt unsafe. The water was at their knees when Yuno had to completely stop for a few minutes.

"What's wrong?" Kisu asked on instinct; her feet sunk into the sand a bit when they stopped.

"It's cold." Yuno looked as if he were almost glaring at the water. "And it keeps trying to knock me over."

Kisu adjusted her grip on Yuno's hands and positioned her hands to hold onto his forearms. This way, she would be more steady in case Yuno tips over. "Is this better? This way, I can catch you if you fall."

Yuno gripped Kisu's forearms, and she could feel his nail digging into her skin through his gloves. Terrified would be the only emotion she could describe, the only emotion she could see clearly. The fact that he was even giving the ocean a chance makes her feel so proud of him. So, they began descending into the water again, baby steps. Everytime Yuno yelped and tripped, Kisu caught him and held him steady. The difference between herself and Yuno was such a big gap, anyone could see the way Yuno fought with himself to stay in the water.

Everything seemed to come crashing down when Yuno tried looking back to shore; all that hard work, down the drain. She quickly turned his head back to Kisu, then the water, and then the shore again.

"Wait." Yuno tugged at Kisu's arms, closing his eyes and trying his damn hardest to make sure his feet were rooted to the sand beneath him.

"What's wrong?" This time, the question rang with more concern.

Yuno began tugging his arms away from Kisu, whom wouldn't let go or else he'd fall and he knew it. He argued with himself to not pull away from Kisu, so he opted to grip tighter at her arms.

"Don't let go." He reminded himself more than he reminded Kisu. He repeated it like a mantra, as if it were his lifeline. "Don't let go, don't let go, don't let go, please."

"I won't," Yuno's eyes snapped opened and he locked eyes with Kisu. "You're okay, I won't let go."

Yuno shook his head and turned to shore again. One of his hand pulled away while the other held onto Kisu, he reached for the shore desperately. "I- I want to- please. Can we go back? I want to go back now."

Well, they got this far. That had to be something.

"Okay, we'll go back. You did a good job."

And so, they made their way back onto land with Kisu guiding the other. The moment they got back onto land, Yuno gasped and sighed in relief. His hands didn't shake as much and his shoulders stopped trembling. Kisu pat his back and uttered words of a good job, shushing him when he tried to deny the facts.

"Hey, it's a start." Kisu waved her finger to mak a point while Yuno all but toppled over into the sand. "There's always next time, Y'know? I'd say you did really well for not wanting to do it."

"Who said I'm ever getting into the water again?" And he was back, the usual sarcastic, steady voiced Yuno. He picked himself up to grab his now dry shirt which had been laying in the sun to dry. "I think I'm fine staying on land, thanks."

"Aw, come on." Kisu dragged in the 'o', complaining. "Then it'd be no fun to go to play with you in the water. I'd be bored out of my mind!"

Yuno shoved Kisu's shirt into her face, plugging her mouth up. "You're such a five year old."

"Says you who wouldn't even try to swim over his dead body."

"Exactly. Over my dead body, you're not getting me back into the water for a good long while. And don't try throwing me either, I'll actually die."

"No, you won't; I won't throw you either. You're such a piss baby too."

"For a good reason." The brunette picked up their things, bags and bottles, and slung his shirt over his forearm. He shook his head to get the small droplets of water out, then put his shoes back on before giving Kisu an amused smile. "Can we go back now? I spent my time outside. I even tried to get into the water like you wanted."

Kisu chuckled, tugging her slippers on and took her bag out of Yuno's hands. She fixed his gloves, pulling them up to his wrists so they'd fit better.

"Yeah, we can go home now." She ruffled his hair with a rough hand, and he tried escaping to no avail. "At least I get to annoy you when we get home too."

"Yeah, no. I'll kick you out if you do."

No, he really wouldn't. Because he will always love Kisu and her company.