Suddenly Quirkless

The Principles of Training and Bonding

So. Hi.

Uh...I can explain. But. I'm too lazy for that unless someone actually cares...so...

Here?

*tosses chapters and flees the scene*

As a kid, Hitoshi had never had many friends.

His parents hadn't been the sort to push him into any extracurricular activities or to sign him up for summer camp in the hopes of him branching out. Instead, they'd been content with the introverted son that they had, even though his mother's attitude about it had shifted from nonchalant acceptance of Hitoshi's desires to an obsessive need to keep him locked up away from the eyes of the world.

At school, there were very few kids who wanted to be friends with him, and up until junior high, no one had been smart enough to try to manipulate him for their own benefit. Most of the time, Hitoshi's interactions with his peers had been cold and fearful at best, and outright hostile at worst.

So, Hitoshi hadn't had high hopes coming into U.A.

He'd been right not to expect anything.

His new classmates weren't anything all that special-- at least, not in any way that mattered to Hitoshi. They weren't the sort of people to corner him in the bathroom or beat him up in the hallway, but they also weren't the kind of people who would step in if they saw him being bullied. They simply weren't interested in getting involved in Hitoshi's life.

That was fine by him.

It was more similar to the way he'd been treated in elementary school than junior high, with everyone ignoring him as though he were a ghost. In any case, Hitoshi saw it as an upgrade and had accepted the circumstances easily. Then, he'd met Killua.

The encounter had resulted in a lot of personal humiliation and aching muscles, but it had also been the turning point in Hitoshi's exhaustingly lonely life. 

The few months that Killua had been next to him had been an all-time high for Hitoshi. He'd gotten to meet his hero and receive advice from him. He'd grown strong enough to be confident in his ability to fight his way onto the Sports Festival podium. He'd made his first friend since Neito and was under no illusions this time. 

The other boy had never put up many masks around Hitoshi-- at least, not compared to the oblivious, innocent hero-to-be that he acted as when around everyone else. But the masks he did wear weren't made of lies; they were made only to act as truth-obscuring shields. It was clear to see that Killua wasn't trying to deceive him, but simply didn't wish to bare his soul to Hitoshi-- which was exactly what the older student needed.

Where with Neito, Hitoshi had given hidden truths and painful secrets once the other had made his way through Hitoshi's barriers, with Killua, there was no need to. There was no expectation that the sleep deprived boy reveal anything to Killua, and thus there was no guilt when Hitoshi couldn't bring himself to speak about his past yet. Not when Killua himself remained just as hesitant as Hitoshi to talk about 'before's; it was relieving that they were on equal footing here, each waiting for themselves as much as they waited for the other.

Even with the things he was hiding, Hitoshi had always known that Killua had a lot of secrets, a lot of shadows trailing him from a past Hitoshi wasn't privy to; it was the genuine, if distant, sort of care the white-haired boy exhibited that made it so none of it mattered until Killua chose to talk about it.

For now, it was nice to just enjoy the little things that Killua let slip around Hitoshi. The purple-haired boy was satisfied to cherish small smiles and sapphire eyes narrowed in silent laughter. It was enough to be allowed to see how much Killua loved sweets and to note the way he subtly picked apart any food not from his own fridge with a sharp glare.