Part one of a double update! Votes and comments are appreciated!

Lani POV:

Shouto Todoroki - A Breath of Fresh Air
Article by Lani Hidaka.

Conventional. It's not a word I would use to describe Shouto Todoroki, and yet, that's only part of his appeal.

If you asked Shouto to tell you some facts about himself, I already know his answers would surprise you. While other heroes would speak about their nice smile or impressive physique, Shouto's too unique for that. He'd dig deeper and probably tell you about his weekly schedule, or those three little scars on his thumb knuckle that look like a star if you really glance up close.

Shouto creates his own rules - and he makes them make sense. You never question whether he'll be able to protect you with his strength, you just know. You know because he lets you know without saying a single thing.

It's the look in his eyes. The strength of his body. The intelligence of his mind. With a quirk as beautiful and strong as his own, he doesn't need to be creative. But, he is. He's more creative than any hero I've ever seen, using his stunning, glossy ice quirk in more ways I could have ever imagined.

There's another thing about Shouto though. Something that is so incredibly rare to find in the star studded hero world these days...

Shouto is himself. His pure, unadulterated self.
He doesn't sugarcoat words because he doesn't need to. His eccentric and charming personality speak for itself. His honesty is authentic, and it makes every word from his mouth that much more special.

When Shouto tells you you're safe, nothing can hurt you. When he tells you he'll protect you, he'll never take his eyes off you until you're out of harm's way.

So, no. Shouto Todoroki isn't conventional like every other hero out there. He's better.

This twenty-year-old hero has broken the mold like no one else has ever done before. He's won my heart with a simple 'hello' and I know as he shines this hero season, he will do the same to yours.

Hero Season has only just started...

"....and so have the amazing possibilities for Shouto Todoroki." I concluded my article, gripping the paper tightly as I stared at the words.

My heart feels like it's going to flutter out of my chest. No matter how hard I try to pretend, I always get the jitters when public speaking...

But, never in all the presentations I've been forced to do at the HPSC have I felt this affected by the words coming from my mouth.

Each sentence left my face hot and my mouth dry. My lungs dug into my ribs, and breathing became short and difficult. The twenty pairs of eyes watching suddenly felt like forty pairs. Even if the morning sunlight streamed in through the windows softly, there was an invisible spotlight atop my head, burning heat into the top of my skull.

I don't know why...I don't know why...but....

Deep down, I do.

It's part of the reason why I faced an internal struggle this morning on whether or not I should truly submit this version of the article.

It's different from anything I've written—well, anything I've shown the hero commission. That's because....

For once, I actually meant what I wrote. I put my own feelings onto the page. I...

I wrote the way I wanted to.

It was tempting to delete the entire thing once I finished it in the early hours of this morning. It's vulnerable in a way—actually trying this time. It's harder when you try because then rejection feels real. You can't say 'well, if I did my best, I would have succeeded,' because this is your best, and the reality is that it might not be good enough.

That's why I stopped trying at most things in the first place.

It was so tempting to backspace and keep things surface level and shallow like I always do. But, in that moment—even if it's my job on the line, I wasn't thinking about me.

I was thinking about Shouto, and how he deserves more than just the 'dreamy eyes' line. How his personality deserves to be celebrated. How he deserves to be respected.

The only reason I kept this version of the article was for him. For the sight of his face when he reads it. The way his cheeks would slowly tinge pink and his eyes widening at certain words. The way he'd probably stop every few lines to ask me if I was being 'serious,' and the way I'd tell him 'yes, yes, yes.'

I want people to like Shouto and see him the way I do. Because he deserves to be liked and celebrated by others.

With a sigh, I smiled softly at my thoughts, slowly lowering the paper in my hand and turning to my boss at the center of the room.

The area fell completely silent for a moment as the higher ups took notes and lower paid employees stared into space—probably judging they don't get paid enough to really listen to this, which I understand.

I kept my eyes on my boss Yuna, watching her stare at me thoughtfully before the pressure became too much.

"Well? What...what do you think?" I asked, feeling anxious sweat prick the back of my neck.

She kept her legs crossed, drumming her fingers atop her knee before tilting her head perceptively.

And then...

"I absolutely hated it."

Nice!

"H-Huh?!" I gasped, unable to stop my eyes from going wide in legitimate shock.

Of course, I expected Yuna to be critical, given the type of boss she is. But, I didn't think she'd hate it.

I heard the soft laugh of my intern competitor Mai sound from the back of the room, causing shame to seep into my veins.

Ah. I just got humiliated in front of all these people.

Forced to stay at the front of the room and endure it, I tried to compose myself.

"Um..." I rubbed the back of my neck, suddenlyfeeling my pencil skirt too tight. "I apologize. Which part didn't you like?"

Yuna let out an exasperated sigh like I was inconveniencing her with my request for feedback, picking at her nails.

"I feel like you really missed the mark in capturing who he is, you know." She said carelessly, quickly flipping through the file folder on her lap. "Like—let's take another excerpt from Mai's article on—what's his name again?"

"Katsuki Bakugou, ma'am." My pink haired competitor said, sounding triumphant and proud.

Damn Mai...

"Right. Mr. Bakugou...." Yuna confirmed, scanning Mai's article for examples. "See, see—this paragraph right here. 'Katsuki's biceps are bigger than my head. His shirt is so tight, wow, I can see every bit of definition decorating his abs.'"

I raised a brow at her like she was insane. How in the world can she say that sentence is better than what I wrote? It's completely impersonal.

"But-"

"I want more spice, Lani." Yuna interrupted me, holding a lazy fist in the air to emphasize her words. "No one cares about his personality. We want the dirty details."

"Dirty-"

"What's his dating history? His sexuality? What positions does he like to do it?" My boss smirked, licking her teeth in sleazy, disgusting way.

Instantly, the words didn't sit well with me. To be honest, I don't know why. I knew exactly what she was looking for with this article, and in my heart, I knew what I wrote was not it.

'The dirty details.' I've always been the queen of dirty details. My sleazy talent for writing about these people like they're nothing more than objects is part of the reason I've been thrown into the ring for a promotion to begin with.

But, when it comes to Shouto...

I just....I don't know. Something about it doesn't feel right.

My words began to stumble, losing the artificial poise I spent years trying to perfect. "I...I-"

"I don't want the sweet Todoroki. I want the sexy Todoroki." Yuna pushed, sliding her glasses up from her flushing cheeks. "I want the Todoroki who's dripping in romance and completely in love with the idea of love."

....seriously? Shouto seems like he has the romantic IQ of a piece of corn.

I gave her a deadpan glare of annoyance now, huffing tiredly.

"I really don't think that's possible." I grumbled, feeling my feet starting to ache in my heels. "If you met the guy, you'd understand-"

"Then make it possible." Yuna's voice came out lower, cracking down on the authority whip now.

Whether it was for show in front of all these people or just because she's fed up with me....there's no denying that presenting this article today made her unhappy.

All eyes zeroed in on Yuna and I now, listening to every word. Of course. People love drama.

I gripped my article paper tighter, blinking a bit nervously now.

"Excuse me?"

Yuna shrugged and set the folder in her lap on the floor before rising to her feet. My chest stirred as she slowly walked up the podium, hovering a few inches over me with the help of her taller heels.

"I don't like the direction you're taking things, so you need to change it." She reiterated darkly, staring me down with vigor. "Starting now, I want Shouto Todoroki to be seen as a heartthrob. Sexualize him—sexualize everything about him and make him a ladies man."

Instantly, I felt uneasy—and guilty.

Shouto's trusted his reputation in my hands. Sure, he doesn't give a damn about the spotlight, but how I portray him is how he'll be known for the duration of his career.

Heartthrobs never have any substance. Their fans never really appreciate anything under the surface. They don't truly care about their hero idols.

But, I've already crossed the line once today.

Yuna looked pleased with my sigh of defeat, tearing me down further.

"It's not hard, Lani. We started sexualizing Hawks at every given moment from the time he turned fourteen, and he's been a total hit ever since-"

"Did—did you say fourteen-" My eyes widened in disgust, yet no one in the room blinked an eye.

Gotta love the Hero Commission. Always so corrupt.

"In the meantime, I'm giving this round to Mai." Yuna said, turning her back towards me and gesturing to my competitor in the room.

I groaned as the pink, curly haired girl instantly stood up from her seat, bowing and touching her chest as the room began to clap with courtesy.

Yuna glanced back at me as the room continued to clap and fawn over Mai, clicking her tongue with cold disappointment.

"You and your hero failed the first test, Lani." She stated. "One strike already means your job security isn't looking too great."

I nodded uneasy, attempting to hand Yuna a copy of my article so she could document my progress with Shouto.

But, she held her hand up and didn't accept.

"I don't need that. It doesn't count." She said, brushing past me and dismissing the room.

I closed my eyes stressfully, letting the paper fall from my hands and to the floor.

Make Shouto Todoroki a heartthrob? I might as well just throw in the towel now.

*

My head ached by the time work was done. Yuna's words about my article hadn't left my mind for hours.

Turning a hero into a heartthrob. That's not where my problem lied. I've had plenty of experience doing this and there hasn't been a time where I wasn't successful.

It's doing it without exploiting him that's the problem.

Isn't there any way I can play both sides? I guess not, huh....

My heels clacked wearily as I walked through the lobby of the HPSC Headquarters. It was closing time and the area was crowded with workers and heroes alike, all of whom were either going home, or coming in to take over the night shift.

The setting sun filtered in through the windows of the high ceilings. Chatter and laughter filled the air as people walked and talked, leaving me to probably look like an emo rain cloud on everyone's sunshine.

Whatever. Who cares about sun...

The people walking in front of me didn't bother to hold the exit door open, causing me to quickly catch it with my hand.

Before another hand instinctively reached for it at the same time, brushing their knuckles against mine as they grabbed the bottom of the door handle.

The person and I both looked at each other simultaneously, causing my stressed, tight shoulders to soften.

"Ah. Shouto." I greeted with a smile, unable to hide the fatigue in my voice. "Hey..."

It's interesting. Shouto and I have worked in this same place for over a year. I wonder how many times we've passed each other and never realized it.

I don't think I'd forget his face though.

His eyes flashed with a glimmer at the sight of me, slowly trailing his gaze down my appearance before back up to my face.

"Hey." He uttered back softly, leaving the greeting open like he wanted to say more.

I smiled at him lightly and waited, but he didn't say anything else and we were starting to hold up the line of people trying to get out behind us.

"Let's talk outside." I said quickly, pushing on the handle of the door.

Shouto pushed on it, too, and I found that a little funny. It doesn't take two people to open a door, but neither of us removed our hands so we ended up pushing it together.

We're both a bunch of stubborn brats, aren't we?

The outside wind ruffled through his hair as we shuffled out of the busy building. I walked to the side and Shouto followed me down the street

A little lost in my own head, Shouto and I walked in silence for a moment. I could feel his eyes on me with question and I don't blame him. I'm usually the talkative one. If we were both quiet, nothing would ever be said.

Heh. That's also a little funny. I just don't feel like laughing.

The late summer air had slowly transitioned to fall, leaving me to button up the top of my coat.

Shouto kept his hands in his pockets as we walked. He was in civilian clothes and held a briefcase in his left hand, so I assume his hero suit was in there. He must be going home for the day.

With me always talking his ear off, there haven't actually been many silences like this between us since meeting. It didn't feel awkward surprisingly. Actually, it was kind of peaceful and nice to walk with him.

"You never texted again." His voice surprised me after a few, long minutes, blending perfectly into the soft evening.

Between the setting sun and the orange leaves falling off the trees and into piles on the sidewalk, everything had a nice, blissful hue.

Lazily, I swung my briefcase back and forth, looking down at the cracks in the pavement as I uttered a small "Hm?"

Another breeze ran through us. It came from the side, blowing the fresh scent of Shouto's presence right into my face.

"You said earlier that you'd text later." He said, instantly reminding me of our text conversation earlier.

Ah. I forgot about that. I'm surprised he remembered.

He didn't seem upset, and why would he considering he despises me? He just seemed curious.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." I smiled sheepishly, lightly swinging my body towards him as we walked. "Work kinda had me...distracted."

His face softened a bit at my natural mannerisms, looking down at my heels as they clicked against the pavement.

Slowly, his body veered closer towards mine, nudging my shoulder with his own and keeping his eyes on my feet.

"How did your presentation go?" He asked, radiating soft warmth into my side.

He also had a jacket on and he smelled even better being this close. After the shitty day I've had, he felt cozy to me.

I could lie in response to his question and say the presentation went great. But, I don't really want to. Not with Shouto.

"It....well, it...." I tried, giving up on sugarcoating things. "Hah....not very well."

I felt Shouto's shoulder slump against mine, lightly kicking a pebble out of his way.

"They didn't like the article you wrote about me?"

I shook my head and Shouto studied my dampened features carefully now, trying his absolute hardest to figure out the look on my face.

"Did they...." His voice traveled softer, taking one more glance at my bummed state to be sure. "...did they hurt your feelings?"

I was surprised when Shouto's words tugged at a specific string in my heart. One I didn't realize was a little sore until he brought attention to it. I've been bummed today about the article. But, I attributed my deflation as everything to do with making Shouto into something cheap and shallow.

I never really stopped to think how Yuna's words personally made me feel.

She picked apart my work—my writing in front of everyone. It didn't feel good. My ego is definitely bruised.

I gripped the handle of my briefcase tighter between my fingers as we walked, lifting the collar of my jacket over my mouth when a chillier breeze ran through us.

"That really doesn't matter." I tried to deflect. "I knew going into it I wasn't providing what they wanted. It's my fault."

His brows furrowed in focus as he absorbed my words, looking at me in genuine question. "If you knew it wasn't what they wanted, then why did you write it?"

It's a good question. One I've been pondering all day and mentally beating myself up over every hour.

Why did I put myself in that situation when I didn't need to? Never have I felt the need to do that since my time at the HPSC.

But, it was only when Shouto asked the question that the answer came to me. It wasn't even a good reason, but it made sense in my head somehow.

"Because I wanted to, Shouto." I uttered softly, letting out a weak laugh.

The subway station came into our sights now, leaving me to look up at the pink streaked clouds before the sticky concrete ceiling would replace them.

"Writing and being a journalist for a company like the hero commission was always a dream of mine." I smiled a bit nostalgically, hearing my voice going quieter with each word. "But, ever since joining, the only thing that's happened...is that I fell out of love with writing."

The endless clouds disappeared after I spoke, leaving the cage of metal and pipes above our heads. The fresh air now smelled like pollution and sweat. The laughter of children leaving school turned into the harsh screech of the subway's brakes in the distance.

I sighed tiredly as Shouto and I descended the final few gum littered stairs of the subway station. He didn't respond right away and I didn't expect him to. I didn't need him to. It's been ages since I ever told anyone how I truly feel about my job and my writing.

Shouto's a good listener. So, even if he didn't say anything, I knew he listened. That's enough. For me, anyways.

We reached the subway right on time. I felt his hand on the small of my back when we approached the doors, gently nudging me in front of him to ensure I'd get on first.

People hurried on the subway and found their seats. Shouto followed close behind me as I made the way to my usual seat, sliding into the one next to me.

With a content huff, I unbuttoned my coat and set my briefcase in front of my feet, watching Shouto do the same.

The outside of his right thigh melted into my left one—incredibly snug thanks to the narrow seats of the subway. Even through my tights, I could feel the hard muscles of his leg, making me wonder how strong he probably is.

He's not super buff and bulky. He's lean and not much taller than me. But, I've seen him in action. I know for a fact he's strong.

I cleared my throat slightly at the thoughts, content to entertain the subway ride with my own imagination before Shouto had other ideas.

"Hey." He murmured, seeming as if the question was on his mind for awhile. "Can I read your article?"

The subway jolted with movement now, with the chaos around us quieting down as people got settled.

"Considering the article was a failure, I'm not sure why you'd want to." I muttered sad, yet musing, before remembering the reason he probably wanted to read it.

It was about him. Duh. He probably wants to see what I wrote about his character. Anyone would.

"Oh. You know what, I threw the paper draft away." I told him. "But, if you want, I can dig through my trash files when I get home and email it to you-"

"Any article is fine. It doesn't have to be that one." His voice went a little quieter.

I looked up from my lap and glanced over at him, seeing his eyes were already on me.

The crappy, cramped subway suddenly disappeared around us, with Shouto and I in our own little box again.

Just like that night at the bar.

His messy hair spilled onto his forehead as his head nodded down a bit, looking at the collar of my coat.

"I just...I'd really like to see your writing." It almost sounded like he was admitting, murmuring quietly like he was sharing his own secret.

My eyes glimmered a bit at his words, feeling them reach a deep place inside my hollow chest.

He wants to see my writing. Someone...wants to see my writing.

As an author, it's one of the biggest compliments we can get.

"Oh. Uh—sure." I uttered, finding myself rarely awkward.

Suddenly, I felt a little nervous as I pulled up my work folder on my phone, scrolling through the countless articles I've written for the hero commission.

Let's see what we have here—shallow....money grab...shallow....money grab....shallow....oh—look, this one's shallow and it's a money grab.

Ugh.

Not only did I feel nervous, but also self conscious, too. Self conscious that Shouto would find my work immature and lacking depth.

For some reason, the thought of Shouto not liking my work hurts my feelings more than anything Yuna could say.

Which is why I paused the rapid scrolling through my work files, staring at my phone in contemplation.

I don't even let Kai see my original work. I'm not talking about my trashy fan fictions. But...

My deep writings. The things I write when I'm alone. When I'm emotional and vulnerable.

I can't say I wasn't hesitant to show these things to Shouto as well. But, at the moment, they were the only things I was actually proud of creating, even if no one else had ever seen them.

If I have to sacrifice a little comfort and privacy to get his approval, I'm okay with that.

Closing my phone, I opened up my briefcase instead, pulling out the tiny, little notebook I usually carry around with me.

I know. I'm a nerd.

The pages were wilted and falling apart. It would be time to get a new one soon.

Shouto kept his eyes on the notebook, watching me flip past the pages completely filled to the brim with words.

I'm not ready to share the deepest words with him. They give away too much. Too much...about the past.

I flipped to the most vague and neutral page I could find, remembering the day I wrote this poem.

It was after Raiga's birthday. His last healthy birthday.

I was happy that day.

"You...you can read this one if you want." I uttered barely audible, handing Shouto the notebook.

I didn't realize my hands were shaking as I did so, but Shouto did, looking at me in soft question.

Now my face began to flush. My coat felt heavy even though the subway was freezing and his close proximity made me feel incredibly small.

Wow. This is stupid. I'm actually nervous.

"I'm warning you....it's probably boring." I chuckled, continuing to hold the book towards him as I facepalmed with my free hand.

His eyes traveled down to my smile, gently reaching his hand up to take the book.

His fingers brushed over mine. There was nowhere else to grab considering I was cupping the book by the spine. His digits slid up my knuckles, aligning against them and filling my entire hand with his warmth.

"I don't believe that. I think you're too annoying to be boring." He murmured lightly, causing me to chuckle.

His lips barely curled up when I laughed, seeming proud of himself for the joke.

It's always adorable when he tries to mess around. Especially because I know it's out of his comfort zone. It's something he has to think about harder than others, and yet he still does it.

Carefully, he took the fragile book from my hand. I nodded and smiled, turning my attention away from him as his eyes landed on the page.

You know how embarrassing it is to hear your own voice over the phone? This is kinda what that feels like. I can't bear to watch.

I actually wish I could just leave so I wouldn't have to endure the torturous silence as Shouto started reading. But, with his body caging me in against the window seat, there's nowhere to go.

Agh.

Starting to feel fidgety, I rubbed my hands back and forth on my thighs, feeling the itchy texture of my skirt and tights tingle into my palms. I looked around the subway to try and distract myself.

But, it didn't make Shouto read any faster. From the moment his eyes landed on the page, he never looked away, giving each word his full attention.

After a few passing minutes, the jitters slowly began to ebb away...getting the courage to barely peer towards him for the first time since he started reading.

I didn't think there were many things that could keep Shouto's attention for very long. Honestly, I assumed he'd just skim the page...but I was surprised by the sight I was met with.

His dual colored eyes scanned each word slowly and carefully, seeming as if he was worried he'd miss a single one if he went any faster. Cupping the book's spine in his left hand, he had his right pointer finger gliding along the lines, ensuring he wouldn't lose his place amongst all my tightly knit together scribbles.

My face slowly began to shift in awe at the way his brows furrowed in focus. How locks of red and white hair spilled into his eyes, the edges of it hanging off his cheekbones as he tilted his head lower towards the book.

But, the thing that really made my heart flutter was the movement of his mouth. Even if he didn't say them aloud, he was one of those readers that silently mouthed the words as he went, morphing his lips together lazily.

He's genuinely immersed in my writing. He's respecting my vulnerabilities and treating them with more fragility than anyone ever had—and he doesn't even realize it. Because he's Shouto.

The corners of my lips barely turned up into a shy smile as I watched Shouto closely—a little too closely as he looked up at me when I wasn't expecting it, catching my eyes on him.

Instantly, my cheeks flushed with embarrassment, coughing awkwardly and fiddling with an excuse.

"Oh—sorry-"

"I loved it." He said instantly, shocking me into silence.

His words were curt and to the point, spoken in typical, blunt Shouto fashion....

And it meant everything to me.

A simple three words. Vague and lacking detail to some, but coming from him, he couldn't have said anything better.

Shouto makes even the simplest things special because he means every single one.

I blinked slowly, absorbing his words and watching his eyes barely soften from my clearly awestruck gaze.

"Really?" I breathed out after a few silent moments, causing him to nod.

He didn't need to say anything else. The question was rhetorical. But, he chose to elaborate, looking down towards my skirt as he spoke. "I don't read a lot, to be honest with you. But....it's the best thing I've read. Ever."

Bubbly warmth filled my veins from the compliment. It reached from the tips of my toes, all the way to the top of my head, giving me the annoying urge to giggle and hide my face.

You won't catch me doing that though. Not in this lifetime.

Instead, I kept my gaze to my hands, tucking my hair behind my ear and preparing to thank him.

But, he spoke up again before I could.

"Um....Lani..." He uttered barely audible, causing my heart to jump out of my chest at the mention of my name.

That's the first time since I've known him that he's said my name.

I looked at him in surprise, seeing his face rosy—like saying my name embarrassed him somehow.

He sighed softly, running a hand through his hair as he tried to find his words.

"You seem...like a really great writer—well—I think you're a really great writer." He said clearly, keeping his voice low and quiet. "I mean it."

Unable to take anymore compliments out of the sheer redness of my face, I nodded and patted his toned thigh, keeping my gaze out the murky subway window.

"I know you mean it. Thank you, Shouto." I said softly, giving his thigh a small squeeze. "Thank you so much."

*

It wasn't until Shouto and I were walking up the trek to my apartment that I realized we'd taken the same route home, instantly turning to him on the stairs.

"Wow. All this time we've been going the same way." I chuckled at the coincidence, lazily grabbing onto the railing. "You must live around here, Shouto."

I continued walking up the stairs, hearing his footsteps following closely behind me.

"I don't." He shook his head matter of factly. "I actually live on the other side of town."

What?!

My eyes widened in surprise, mentally recounting the last forty-five minute journey we took together.

He lives the opposite direction. Did he mean to follow me home? Ah—maybe he felt like he couldn't leave cause I never really said goodbye? That sounds like him.

"I'm sorry about that." I said once we reached the top of the stairs, finishing my thoughts out loud.

Now he looked confused as we walked up to the door of my apartment.

"Why are you sorry? I didn't mind it." He said casually.

He also didn't seem surprised he followed me all the way here, making me realize he must have been consciously aware of it the entire time.

Wow. He basically...walked me home.

I shot him a light smile, gesturing to the door of my apartment. "Well, you traveled a long way. Do you wanna come in? I can make you dinner."

"Yes." He said instantly, voice still blunt and neutral.

And, yet he sounded eager, causing me to laugh as I turned around and stuck my key in the lock.

"After you then-"

"Oh—no, I want to. But, I can't tonight." He clarified, gesturing back towards the stairs. "My sister's expecting me at her place."

I let out a small 'oh' of realization, "Gotcha. When do you need to be there?"

"Fifteen minutes ago." He said dismissively, causing me to groan.

"Ahh, Shouto." I clicked my tongue with discipline, pulling out my phone to call him a ride quicker than the subway. "You can't be walking me home if you made plans with other people. Let me call you a lift."

He walked a few steps closer to me, looking down at the ground with heated cheeks.

"It's...it's just my sister." He tried to play off. "And no need about the ride. Hawks said he'd fly me there. Apparently, Fuyumi promised him a pair of my father's socks for picking up her groceries the other day. So, he's coming to get them."

My nose scrunched in confusion—but, knowing Hawks, it wasn't that much confusion.

Still, I....don't even wanna know what that means.

From Shouto's lack of care, it seems this happens a lot.

"You better get going then." I nodded towards the stairs, putting my phone back in my pocket.

Shouto nodded, placing his hands in his pocket before turning on his heel to leave.

But, as I watched him go, the stress of the day began to build up in my head. Between Yuna's words, and Shouto—and him reading my writing on the subway—and walking me home, and being so unapologetically himself, I just...I...

I really don't think I can do this to him. I can't manipulate him and disrespect him by turning him into something so cheap. He at least needs to be aware of what's going on.

"Shouto, hold on." I said, hearing the weariness in my voice.

He turned around on the stairs and glanced at me, looking so adorably innocent in a way that caused my guilt to grow.

With a sigh, I settled my back against the door of my apartment, rubbing the bridge of my nose with a headache.

I'll definitely be losing him as a client after what I'm about to say. But, being honest with him about this is more important than winning Hero Season.

I don't know why I suddenly decided to spawn morals and a conscience.

"The reason the hero commission didn't like my article..." I started out, digging my heel into the little crack on the floor. "...is because it wasn't shallow enough."

His brows furrowed in confusion, "Shallow? What do you mean-"

"They don't care about your personality, or...anything other than your looks." I said clearly, speaking a blunt language I knew he'd be able to understand. "I'm probably not supposed to tell you this, but....they want me to...basically, they don't want you to have substance. They just want you to be a heartthrob who's sexualized over everything."

His face was unreadably neutral as I spilled some HPSC secrets he really wasn't ever supposed to hear. But, I don't care. It's only right he knows what he's getting himself into by doing this.

I'm positive he'll walk away and say no. He already didn't like this arrangement to begin with. It's his perfect way out.

"If you want to abolish our partnership, I understand." I gave him a small bow of my head. "Truly. I won't force you into something you're uncomfortable with."

His pupils barely shrunk in surprise for the first time since I brought this up, seeming more interested in that part than the heartthrob stuff.

"Abolish our partnership....?" He muttered more to himself, looking down at the ground as the pieces clicked in his head.

Yeah, we wouldn't see each other anymore. We'd have no reason to.

Shouto looked at me once again, blinking his face back to neutral and shrugging his shoulders without care as he said...

"I can be a heartthrob for you."

Yeah, that's what I thought-

Wait...

Huh!!??

My eyes widened in surprise for the unexpected, looking for any subtle signs of teasing on his face.

But....he was serious....

"W-What-"

"It's really not a big deal." He said genuinely, seeming completely unbothered by the idea. "Hero Season lasts eight months. After we win, I'll just stop being a...heartthrob?"

I pulled myself off the door, blinking at him in disbelief.

"Shouto, I don't think that's how it works." I said, but mostly because I wouldn't be sure how that would work myself.

Usually people don't just..stop being a heartthrob once they've claimed that title. But, I guess if someone out there has the ability to squash romantic fantasies with a single look, Shouto would be the guy....

"I believe I could make it work." He was surprisingly persistent. "I won't be able to keep up that image without your guidance, so people will lose interest in that aspect of me soon enough. Then the focus can be on my skills."

I mean....he does have a point, I guess. It takes more than eight months of publicity training for someone to be able to keep up their heartthrob status. They need to be naturally charming and seductive, otherwise that particular reputation usually does fizzle.

And, as I've said before, Shouto has the romantic IQ of a piece of corn...

He's not wrong in saying the focus can be on his skills. Once he wins them over with his looks, all eyes will be on him and people will see he's more than just a pretty face. He's someone with actual experience, and talent, and so much substance.

I just want him to be a hundred percent certain.

"Are you sure?" I pushed again. "I mean...ugh, I don't want to make you sound shallow-"

"After reading your writing, I think you'll be able to make it not 'shallow,' as you say." He uttered purely, bringing heat to my cheeks.

He only read one work from me, and already he has so much faith in my abilities.

"I—yeah, maybe you're right." I started to mull over the idea, stroking my chin in thought. "And I can have you read over all the articles I write about you before sending them off. Just so you can make sure you're comfortable with everything being said."

He nodded and seemed content with the direction things were going as he said, "Sure, if that's what you want."

I let out a small sigh of relief at how this turned out. Sure, I'm still not thrilled about turning Shouto into some romantic casanova, but at least now he's aware of it, and he brought up a great point...

I can still make him desirable without diminishing his worth. If I focus equally on his appearances and who he is, maybe I can scoot by with Yuna and win her over.

Especially when she sees how handsome Shouto is in person.

"Well, alright then." I chuckled in surprise, holding out my fist for him to bump. "Starting tomorrow, we begin the next phase of this plan."

He looked at my fist and smiled faintly as he knew what to do this time, lightly bumping his own into mine before we opened our palms against each other's.

His hand was warm and soft, filling up my chest as I looked at him with newfound determination.

"It's time to make you a heartthrob, Shouto."

~ end of arc one ~

A/N: You've read 61,000 words of this fic already! Continue on to the next chapter for a double update ❤️