Time Before Tragedy

Chapter 3

As yellow-orange sunlight streamed through the windows of the second floor, the librarian made his normal rounds to pick up dropped or forgotten books. He noticed Ojiro sleeping in a window seat and smiled softly. He'd come to know the boy as a son and walked over to him.

The librarian shook him softly, causing Ojiro to wake up, looking up at the silver-haired male standing over him. "Are you closed?" He asked softly

"For nearly two hours now." The librarian answered. "You should go home Ojiro. There's still school tomorrow no matter how tired you are."

In a slight panic, Ojiro carefully placed a bookmark in the book. "May I check this out?" He asked politely.

"Just take it. I'll write it down and put it in the system in the morning. Enjoy the book Ojiro." He said, smiling.

"Thank you so much, sir!" He smiled happily and bowed to him, hugging the book to his chest.

The bookworm of a boy hurried into the dorm building and realized that everyone had once again forgotten him. Mezo Shoji was doing dishes with Fumikage Tokoyami and the girls were playing Twister with Iida calling out instructions.

He went up to his room and flopped onto his bed, curling up next to the window and opening the book. He had so many questions about it.

He finished it as the sun was setting and the moon showed it's face. He yawned and went through his nightly routine, wrapping the covers over him and closing his eyes.

...

Ojiro woke up and went through his morning routine of showering, eating, brushing his teeth and hair, and combing his tail fluff.

He stepped into the kitchen and grabbed a protein bar, nodding to Momo and Todoroki who were enjoying some coffee.

Taking his time, Ojiro walked to the training gym. It was open at all hours, so he was sure he'd be able to use it. He wanted to train before class.

After arriving, he went to a training dummy and practiced some complex martial arts techniques that he'd learned. It wasn't long before he'd worked up a sweat.

Stopping to get some water, Ojiro noticed a familiar head of purple hair walk in. He gave a small wave, as one does, and took a large drink of water. He recapped his bottle, wiping the sweat from his face with a towel.

"Hey, Ojiro. Working out?" Shinsou asked, not making direct eye contact as he ran a hand through his hair. Surprisingly, they were the only ones there.

"No. I'm practicing my martial arts. Why?" He asked, looking Shinsou up and down suspiciously. Was he planning something?

"Ah. I never could find someone to teach me. I always wanted to learn. Mostly for self-defense since you can't exactly ask questions when someone is beating you senseless." said the lilac-haired boy, his eyes darkening from something. A bad memory was most likely.

"Shinsou, are you okay? You seem upset. Did I do something wrong?" Ojiro asked, worry creeping into his voice. Despite not liking Shinsou, he hated seeing people upset. It always made him think it was his fault.

"No, just a memory. Sorry to bother you, I'll take this as a cue to leave." He said, head hanging as he turned to walk away.

"Wait." Ojiro surprised himself, grabbing Shinsou's shoulder. "I'll teach you what I know if you want me to." He offered, trying to completely forgive him. He'd been trying to win for his own reasons.

Shinsou's lavender-colored eyes sparkled and he nodded, his lip twitching slightly upward. "Yes, thank you so much. I'll be a great student, I promise."

Ojiro tossed him a water bottle from his bag, glad he keeps extras. "You're going to need this. Also, don't call me Sensei or anything like that because of this. It makes it weird."

"Alright. May I still call you Ojiro then?" He asked him, taking the water graciously.

"I suppose so. Think fast!" He only gave him those two words before throwing a left hook. Shinsou wanted to learn, he'd learn. Ojiro wanted to know what he had to work with and this was much more entertaining than asking.

Shinsou dodged it by ducking down, Ojiro's fist ruffling his hair. The lilac-haired boy cursed silently and jumped up at him. Ojiro was quick, using his tail to keep him at bay.

Shinsou kicked at Ojiro, landing it on his calf as the blonde male blocked it. He didn't think someone who read books as a hobby would be this strong.

Ojiro slammed him into the wall, grabbing his shirt, and using his body to keep him there. Normally, at this point, he would say they'd lost but he saw something in those lavender eyes.

Panic. Pure raw terror. It seemed that Ojiro hit a soft spot when he pinned him. Not letting his guard down while seeming like it, he backed up.

"Shinsou, are you feeling okay?" He asked, a frown settling on his lips as he examined him. The poor guy was shaking like a leaf, mouth dry, and muscles tensed. He'd shut his eyes tight, almost as if preparing to be hit.

Did Shinsou think Ojiro would hit him? Well, he had been trying for quite a while now. The shorter male did the only thing he knew helped, he hugged him. He let his guard down and wrapped his arms wrapped around his waist and his head rested against his chest.

"Shinsou it's okay. You're safe. No one's going to hurt you, not here." He tried his best to he comforting but wasn't sure how. Sure he knew the words, but he didn't know how to say it.

"O-Oj-Jiro?" His voice stuttered as he spoke, looking down at the slightly sweaty boy. "C-can I pet you?" asked Shinsou, too overwhelmed by emotion to speak correctly.

Ojiro smiled softly and put his tail on his shoulder. "I don't mind Shinsou. Whatever helps you calm down." He said softly.

"Th-th-thank you." He pets him. At first, his hands were really shaky, but he was soon petting him with smooth motions. The pair stayed like that for a while, enjoying the presence of the other...