Chapter 83 - The Card

Katsuki wasn't worried when he didn't see Shoto coming to eat.

Of course, he was surprised because he ate at least as much as he did, and missing a meal was tantamount to unbearable physical suffering, but he wasn't too shocked.

He must have been training and lost track of time, that's all. Katsuki stayed at the table until everyone had cleared up, grabbed a piece of bread, a pear and a piece of wrapped cheese and brought them to him.

He went down to the beach and was surprised that he wasn't there either. He went to the dormitory, which was even more surprisingly empty.

Shark Teeth and the Retard had just come out of it and called out to him:

- Hey Bakugo, Aizawa-sensei gave us permission to have a party on the beach

- There's going to be a bonfire, and I think I heard the girls say they're going to wear bathing suits.

The idiot raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Bakugo ignored him, preferring to turn to Kirishima.

- Have you seen Shoto ?

- Todoroki ? No, actually, we thought he'd show up automatically if you came.

Katsuki frowned.

- I can't imagine why you'd thought that Kaminari clasped his hands.

- You've got to be kidding. You and him are so close we call you siamese twins. Kirishima gave Bakugo a worried look.

To his astonishment, Bakugo ignored Denki.

It was a trick Shoto had taught him: if he pretended the extras didn't exist, they would eventually get out of his life on their own.

Seeing himself ignored, Denki lost his cheerfulness and buried his head in his shoulders. Kirishima, smiling remorsefully, patted him on the shoulder. 

- We were on our way to the fire. Would you like to join us ?

Katsuki looked around the dormitory: empty.

- What time is it ? (The clock struck 9pm) I'll just look around and then go to bed.

His tone did not allow any negotiation.

- Definitely !

Kirishima put one arm on his shoulder and the other on Denki's and led them towards the beach.

- What the hell are you doing ? Let go off me !

*

Katsuki, who thought he wouldn't find Shoto, had already half devoured the pear.

He raised his eyebrows when he saw him sitting on a tree trunk, shoulders hunched and staring at the bonfire, the flames flickering in the mirror of his eyes.

The light cast moving shadows across his face, giving him an unsettling look.

A small group of teenagers gathered around him, chatting in low voices. Ochaco leaned over and whispered in his ear. Shoto didn't even blink in her direction.

A shadow appeared behind the teenager and circled the group, holding a portfolio of trading cards.

Ochaco stood up to let Kenta pass and laughed with the other girls as he waddled newt to Shoto, who gave him a quick sideways glance as the boy launched into a detailed presentation of his game. Katsuki finished his fruit in two bites and threw the core into the fire.

- This is my rarest card, the holographic shadowless Mewtwo first edition. My cousin kept it in the attic for a long time, but he'd forgotten about it and only found it when he moved his stuff to his new house. Katsuki slid in next to Shoto as Kenta started telling the story of a new card.

- ... my favorite is the fluorescent Shining Espeon. Besides, I laminated this one myself

- Shoto grabbed the bread and cheese the blonde threw him with a confused look. Katsuki rolled her eyes.

- Don't make that face, it's just stuff that would have ended up in the trash anyway.

The piece of bread was still warm.

- ... thank you Katsuki shook his hand.

- Yeah yeah A pleasant silence settled between them.

The fire shone brightly, illuminating the sand for a few meters around.

The remainder of the landscape was in darkness, so much so that if it weren't for the sound of the waves crashing on the sand, you wouldn't have thought there was an ocean.

All the students were chatting happily, glasses of fruit juice in hand and two-thousand-watt smiles on their faces.

The scent of perfume and cologne burned Shoto's nose, so much so that he forced the fire to produce more smoke so that the smell of burning wood would cover that of the others.

- Is it just me or is everyone dressed up for tonight ?

Katsuki continued his inspection of the place and saw that the boys had actually bothered to wear polo shirts that weren't too shabby and ironed shirts.

The girls wore dresses or shorts, their hair neatly braided or straightened. Even Yaoyorozu had gone out of her way to let hers down tonight.

Katsuki's red eyes lingered a second longer on Ochaco's skirt, brushing against her thighs as she bounced around. He forced himself to look away.

- Apparently Denki had been planning this for ages and has finally managed to convince the teach...

Katsuki wondered why neither he nor Shoto had been informed about the class's plans, but then he remembered that they were the two hermits who never talked to anyone.

- By the way, where's Monoma ?

- He went over there to pee.

And Shoto made a vague gesture that could have meant the sea or the forest.

- I've got an awesome group activity for everyone, Kaminari suggested with a smile, drawing everyone's attention to him. Let's take a bottle and make a-

Katsuki cut him off:

- I'm the class's president and I have veto power over your crappy suggestions

Denki deflated like a balloon.

There was a little laughter here and there, and Kirishima patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. Séro pointed to the small jetty between the forest and the sea.

- Hey, how about jumping off the cliff ?

The suggestion wasn't met with much enthusiasm.

Shoto's eyes wandered around lazily : no aizawa.

It took him another second to realize: no aizawa.

He stood up, his eyes shining with an evil gleam.

The others looked at him questioningly.

- I'm in

The discussions continued, the wind shifting in favor of Séro and his proposal.

- Well, maybe it isn't such a bad idea...

- Can we at least have a look ? It could be fun Shoto turned to Katsuki.

- Are you coming?

The blonde looked at Ochaco who was already leaving in the company of the other girls.

- Yeah

*

- I don't know, man, but I don't really feel like it anymore

All the boys stood at the edge of the pier, looking down cautiously.

The water was dark and the sea relatively calm : the problem was that the moonlight was so pale that it was impossible to see if there were rocks under the surface or not.

- I really don't want to crash into a rock and end up in a wheelchair

Denki looked at the girls chirping happily behind them.

- We can't chicken out...

Séro, who saw everyone's adrenaline level dropping, tried to convince them:

- I came earlier with Toko, and I swear that there isn't a single rock under !

Shoto's eyes darted around the circle of rocks hidden just half a meter under the water.

To dive without risk, you had to jump from the very top of the cliff, and without momentum : one meter to the right, or one meter to the left, and the charming evening would turn into a nightmare.

- Yes, but Tokoyami stayed on the beach...

- I'm first All the boys immediately turned their heads to Shoto.

- Are you sure ? aizawa adored his students. Shoto wanted to see the look on his face when he saw one of them with his femur piercing his thigh.

- Yes

He stepped back a few meters to undress. He kicked off his shoes and took off his watch. Everyone looked at him.

- Wow, wait, we know you're modest, so if you want to... 

- No need to

He pulled his white t-shirt over his shoulders and tossed it to Kirishima.

He unzipped his blue jeans and slid them down his thighs.

Yaoyorozu covered her face with her hands, red as a tomato. Hagakure pretended to pass out on the girls.

- This is the realm of obscenity! They all closed their eyes when they saw that his shorts were low on his hips, revealing the 'V' of his pelvis.

Shoto turned his back to them and squared his shoulders before approaching the edge.

The group of boys opened up like the sea in his path. Without waiting another second, he made a perfect dive.

He felt no adrenaline, no fear, no stress: five short meters were nothing to a ninja.

Kirishima whistled, impressed.

Barely a second after breaking the surface, Shoto swam back to a scree slope that provided a natural path to the pier.

- Who wants to go ?

The boys were nervous and excited, exchanging glances.

- It's me It was a shock to everyone to see that after Todoroki, it was Bakugo who wanted to go. Kirishima whispered to the others:

- I told you that if we baited Todoroki, Bakugo would follow! In no time, Bakugo took off his shirt and threw his shoes into an obscure corner.

Shoto had awakened his competitive spirit.

Kaminari, who was the most aware of the presence of female beings in the area, couldn't help but feel jealous when he saw the blonde shirtless.

He already felt bad because Shoto had decided to participate out of nowhere and all the girls (even Jiro) were staring at him... damn, did they eat testosterone bars for lunch to get shoulders like that ?

Katsuki looked at the water to get an idea of where to jump, but it was too dark to see clearly.

He stepped back and tried to gain some momentum like Shoto had just done.

- Katsuki

The blonde looked over his shoulder and saw Shoto coming towards him.

He had pushed his soaked hair back and steam rose from his skin in white wisps. Katsuki felt the temperature rise drastically when he leaned towards him.

- Don't jump too far ahead, there's a rock...

The other boys were too busy arguing about who would come next to hear him. Katsuki didn't even notice that Shoto had deliberately kept his voice low.

- Okay

Shoto stood aside and waited with folded arms for Katsuki to jump.

The blonde didn't waste a second hesitating: if Shoto could do it, he could do it too, morning, noon and night.

The icy water hit him hard - and that was the "hardest" part of this leap of faith.

He swam quickly to the rocks to clear the way for the next man. The boys jumped in turn, jostling and pushing each other as they lined up.

Katsuki and Shoto stood off to one side, still in their boxer shorts, talking in hushed tones.

In fact, as soon as a boy returned from his dive, he always positioned himself not far from Shoto to dry off - the latter acting as a sort of living radiator, raising the temperature in his immediate vicinity so that despite the cool wind, no one felt cold.

The only reason Shoto allowed himself such an escape from his quirk was because he was pissed off : with every healthy boy who came up, his mood grew darker.

Of course, he didn't show it on his face because Katsuki was sharp and he didn't want him to start bothering him.

Denki, who was standing at the edge of the cliff, looked down at the bubbling water below and suddenly turned white.

- Well, maybe another time would be best...

The other boys turned to him.

Séro put an arm around his shoulders and whispered so softly that the girls could not hear:

- Come on, weren't you the one who said that summer camp was the best way to impress girls ?

He moved his eyebrows suggestively.

Embarrassed, Denki avoided his gaze.

Iida adjusted his ghost glasses.

- If comrade Kaminari doesn't want to jump, it would be inappropriate to force him to do so.

Denki surveyed the small group of boys gathered in an irregular semicircle around him.

None of them seemed to look at him with contempt or mock him - they seemed... nice.

And then he met Shoto's gaze.

- I didn't take you for the fag type.

Denki flinched and looked down at his feet.

Katsuki looked at Shoto, confused.

He found him surprisingly involved.

- Don't be a coward, Denki

He approached the blonde calmly and put his arm around his trembling shoulders.

He whispered to him :

- Right now, all the girls are looking this way - even Jiro. It would be stupid to waste such an opportunity, wouldn't it ?

Denki glanced over his shoulder: the girls were indeed looking at them, at him, then exchanged glances.

Shoto squeezed his shoulder.

- Gather some momentum and jump.

And off Shoto went.

Denki looked at him, hoping to find some comfort or support in his face.

His face was closed, his arms crossed over his chest.

He motioned with his chin for him to go on. Séro decided to encourage his friend:

- Come on, Denki, you can do it !

The boys began to chant his name in encouragement.

Katsuki still looked at Shoto strangely.

- Den-ki ! Den-ki ! Den-ki !

The boy felt his heart racing; his hands were clammy and shaking, his breathing was jerky. He looked up at the moon.

If I don't jump now, it'll be shameful.

He gained momentum and dove.

Shoto followed him, looking indifferent but already anticipating what was to come.

He had gained a little momentum... he hoped it would be enough.

Gravity had lifted his blond hair and his arms were stretched vertically behind his back, as if someone was pulling them back.

At the last second, a gust of wind blew him off course.

He fell with an audible splash.

- Damn, what belly flop !

- Ooh, I wouldn't have wanted to be in his shoes !

- It hurts just to look at him.

Shoto's dark eyes remained fixed on the misty surface of the water.

Waves crashed against the rocks in a spray of white foam, the cold wind creating whirlpools.

He didn't come up.

Other boys approached the edge of the cliff. - Is he doing it on purpose or...? - If he's dead, Sensei will kill us. Then everyone fell silent, worry gradually replacing the relaxed atmosphere.

Shoto's eyes reflected the dark, shimmering surface of the water. He was impatient, but not for the same reason as the others.

Air bubbles broke the surface of the water. A head appeared. Denki spat out the water and coughed several times.

- I almost fucking died! The boys laughed in relief. - You're a total loser, Denki.

- Climb the rocks, there's a way back up...

The blond climbed up to a ledge. The other boys had resumed their merry chatter.

Shoto's eyes didn't leave Denki's dark form until he sat down on some rocks to catch his breath.

The teenagers were already talking about what they wanted to do now that everyone had jumped.

- Todoroki ? Leaving already ?

Séro whined like a child:

- Oh no, stay, it's not often that we get the whole class together like this!

There were murmurs of agreement and shouts of protest against his departure.

Shoto pulled on his pants, which rubbed his damp skin, deaf to their cries. He struggled to fasten his fly and his t-shirt stuck to his skin.

His eyes met those of Katsuki, who stood behind the bulk of the crowd. He felt the need to explain himself:

- ... I left Kenta by the fire and his mother wanted me to bring him back...

Lies slipped off his tongue more easily than truth.

- Oh, well, someone muttered disappointedly.

- And you can't come back afterwards ? Katsuki looked away.

Shoto walked away with his hands in his pockets. The other students watched him go until his outline disappeared in the darkness of the night.

- ... he's grumpy, but he's a real sight for sore eyes

- Toru ! cried Momo, her cheeks flushed.

The invisible girl raised her gloved hands.

- All I can say is that I really enjoyed the striptease session earlier: he's built like a pro swimmer.

Yaoyorozu looked from side to side, ashamed to death, hoping that none of the boys had heard her.

- I hate to say it, but Toru is right, Jiro said. Beneath his tormented, mysterious exterior-

Shoto turned a deaf ear to the girls' chatter.

He reached the campfire and paused to see Aizawa sitting on a log with a book in his hand. His eyes fell on the dark form of Kenta, who had curled up into a ball and was sleeping on the sand.

A few students who hadn't wanted to come to the cliff were talking in low voices and sitting in a circle. Shoto made sure to stay hidden in the darkness before making his way around the camp to the dormitories.

The entire building was bathed in darkness, with only a few rays of moonlight shining through the windows, giving the place an eerie air.

Shoto went to the corner where he had set up his futon earlier in the afternoon. He had to take a shower, because the sea water-

He paused to see what had been placed on his pillow.

On top of his carefully folded Anbu outfit was his tanto, its blade shining with an eerie glow.

*

Author's note :

Power stones goal : 250

If you want to support me/read ahead of schedule, you can do so on my P@treon, Nar_cisseENG

See you in the next update everyone !