**ON HOLD** Soft/Sharp (Kirishima x OC)

Chapter 14

At school the next day, Moegi was more energetic and smiley than usual. She hardly even noticed that Shinso was being extra quiet. However, when the bell rang letting them know it was time for lunch, he stopped her as she got up from her seat.

"Hey, Kiashio," he spoke softly, a look on his face like something was bothering him.

She perked up at the sound of his voice, looking at him with wide eyes. "What's up, Shinso? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I just... I have a question for you. But I don't want you to take it the wrong way, okay?"

Moegi's brows knit together, and she looked at him with concern. "Umm... okay? What is it?"

Shinso sighed, running his hand through his wild purple hair. "Did you... did you agree to go out with Sero because you actually like him, or is it just because you liked being asked out?"

This question surprised her, she was slightly offended but that was overridden by shock. "W-What... What do you mean?" She started to get annoyed as the question settled in her mind. "You think... you think I'm just so desperate I would've said yes to anyone?" Her nails dug into the palms of her gloves, and her eyes began to water.

Shinso realized that he hurt her feelings and tried to find the words to fix it. "No! No, I'm sorry... That's not what I meant. I just... as your friend, I want you to be happy."

Moegi sniffled a bit, but overall began to relax, the anger fading. "I... I appreciate you being concerned about me, but I can make my own decisions. Sero is a nice boy, and... he likes me for who I am. He might not be the love of my life or anything, but I like him enough to give him a chance and to want to get to know him a little better." She brushed her hair behind her ears, stepping away from her desk. "Just... don't say things like that, okay?" She turned and walked towards the door of the classroom, leaving Shinso sitting at his desk feeling bad for upsetting her.

She made it to the lunchroom, barely paying attention as she grabbed a tray and gathered food. She didn't care what she got, she didn't even feel hungry. After filling her tray, she swiftly walked towards the usual table for the squad. When she reached it, she set her tray down and dropped into the chair between Sero and Kamanari heavily. They looked at her, and then each other, trying to decide how to address her sullen demeanor. Sero spoke up first, gently placing his hand on hers. "Hey, are you okay?"

Moegi glanced over at him, forcing a small smile. "Yeah, sorry." She cleared her throat and straightened her posture. "Just lost in thought, I guess." Then Kirishima and Bakugo approached the table, taking seats on the other side of the table. Kirishima was right across from Moegi. He tried smiling at her, but she avoided eye contact, causing him to frown. He looked between her and Sero, then caught sight of their hands, and quickly looked away. Kamanari silently watched the situation unfolding in front of him, feeling helpless.

Breaking the tense silence, Mina came to the table, practically throwing her tray down and talking loudly. "Ugh, Aizawa is trying to kill me, I swear. Today's classes have been rough." Moegi, Sero, and Kamanari all looked up at her, smiling, thankful for the distraction her presence caused. "By the way, I can't wait for after school today! Kiashio, you're going to be so surprised."

Moegi looked at the pink girl curiously. "Am I really the only one who doesn't know what's going on after school today?"

Kamanari threw his arm around her shoulder, grinning at her. "Yup! You're gonna be blown away, I just know it."

She sighed, propping her head in her hand with her elbow on the table, her other hand mindlessly pushing the food around on her tray. "I really hate being out of the loop."

"Don't worry!" Mina spoke with such enthusiasm. "It's going to be fun!"

Moegi looked up at Sero now. "Why do I feel like I should be scared?" He grinned at her, then shut his lips, gesturing with his hands pretending to zip his mouth closed, causing a groan from the green girl. She was nervous about the hero course students having a surprise for her in their training gym, but she was secretly thankful for the distraction from Shinso's words ringing through her head. Did you agree to go out with Sero because you actually like him, or is it just because you just liked being asked out? The words stung, especially coming from her friend. She knew Shinso didn't look at her that way, but it felt like he was basically saying no one else did either.

After lunch, Moegi walks back to her classroom, unsure if she's more nervous about her afterschool surprise or to see Shinso again for the rest of their classes. When she enters the room, he's already at his desk. He looked up at her, eyes almost pleading. He felt so bad about what he said and how it had been received, and he worried she was still mad at him. To his relief, she offered a small smile as she sat down, looking over at him "Hey, Shinso..."

"Hey, Kiashio... how was your lunch?"

"It was alright. Hey, what are you doing after school? Did you want to come with me to the training gym and see whatever it is everyone has planned for me?" She smiled at him again, this time looking at him hopefully as if to say, "please don't make me go alone."

Shinso smiled back, chuckling softly. "Yeah, I can go with you. I'll make sure the hero students don't kill you." His words had a teasing tone, but it helped Moegi to relax. She was able to focus on the rest of her classes for the day, even with her imagination running wild over what was to come.