The Burden of Time [Aizawa x OC]

- twenty two -

I woke up the day of the Tokyo outing with the students feeling nervous. Spending the day with Aizawa in such close proximity with no others for me to default conversation or attention to, caused my body to involuntarily shiver. I had done so well with avoiding completely facing him since my panic attack. I desperately wanted to keep it that way, but I was sure that today would throw a wrench in all my hard work.

Hanako had stopped by around 7am, placing my long hair into two Dutch braids and applying light makeup to my face. This caused a twinge of anger nestling in my - already - shot nerves. Apparently, I couldn't even go to a carnival without America wanting me to look my best. "You never know when an opportunity to market ourselves will be." Mr. Smith had always said. As if heroism was a product to be sold, media to be consumed.

I stayed silent while Hanako worked, though, not wanting a repeat of our first encounter. She was a kind woman, just trying to do her job. Ultimately, I knew who - and what - to blame... None of which was her blame to hold. And although I might not have had a decision in my hair and makeup, I decided to forego the pre approved outfit from the American officials in an act of defiance. A small one, but an act nonetheless.Thankfully, Hanako did not say anything.

Now sporting the Gran Torino shirt July had gifted me tucked into a pair of high-waisted jean shorts, pulled together with a pair of black converse, I felt as ready as I could be. The feeling of selecting my own outfit empowered me more than I thought it would, my mood improving slightly.

With ten minutes to spare, I walked into the common kitchen area and began to brew two cups of coffee into travel mugs. The students started to filter into the adjacent common living room, bustling with energy. Conversations of their plans and hopes for the day replaced the previous silence.

Just as I fastened the lid onto the final to-go cup, Aizawa made his entrance. "Alright, class." His hands were lazily in his pockets, his tired eyes scanning the room. His voice was extra gravely, giving the indication that he had quite literally just rolled out of bed. "The bus is outside. I don't care where you sit, so long as you board it in an orderly fashion."

The class wasted no time in responding to his orders, filing outside with excitement. I grabbed the travel mugs and followed suit. "AS YOUR CLASS REPRESENTATIVE, MAY I SUGGEST BOARDING ALPHABETICALLY." Ida was standing in front of the bus doors, waving his hands in a robotic way. The class seemed to ignore him, stepping around him and walking onto the bus casually. "THIS IS NOT ORDERLY AS OUR TEACHER REQUESTED."

"It's fine, Ida." Aizawa grumbled, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "I didn't mean it literally. I just didn't want a commotion of pushing and shoving."

"Oh."

Class 1-A continued to board the bus and I walked over to Aizawa, handing him a travel mug. His tired eyes widened in surprise, a soft smile gracing his lips. "You just saved my life."

I chuckled lightly, trying my best not to fidget with my own travel mug. "Won't be the last time, I'm sure." I say, stepping onto the steps of the bus. The first row of seats are completely open on both the right and left side. I chose to take the left side, assuming that Aizawa would take the row of the seats behind the bus driver. My surprise is evident when he takes the seat next to me.

He eyes me for a second, but says nothing and takes a sip of his coffee.  I don't know whether to be thankful or wary of his silence. The bus doors closed and the driver shifted gears, and our trip began.

I looked out the window and watched the scenery pass by in a blur, thinking about this day trip. Of course, I knew what a carnival was... from a quick google search last night... but I was still curious about experiencing it for the first time.