Burning~

Chapter 29~

Y/N's POV

It was the night before the provisional hero licensing exam, it was also the night where I had to show all my improvement to Shota if I wanted to learn how to use his scarf.

He stood in front of me nonchalantly with his hand inside his pockets.

It's now or never.

I carefully shifted my leg, getting into the position that I had been practicing for about a week, and let out a deep exhale.

1...

2...

3...

Go!

My eyes shot open, just as my leg lounged itself towards Aizawa's figure.

My leg made contact with the air just as Shota jumped back from his previous stance. "Impressive, still you'll have to think rationally if you want to defeat me,"

I just had to land one punch, one single scratch and everything would be over.

I smeared off the sweat from my forehead on my navy cotton pants.

If I want to land a hit on him, I'll have to act fast and precise, draw him in. I looked around noticing any place where I could enclose him. There were the corners of the gym,sure, but they too far away to be a reliable source.

Perhaps what I need to do is...

"Fight me." I said.

"What?" He sounded a little lost.

"In a real battle, my opponents won't just wait for me to land a hit, you are training for the real thing aren't you? So let's go!"

"Hold on Y/N, I don't think that's the safest choice."

"Safe it Shota. I'm not some fragile doll that can't take a punch or two." He frowned at my remark.

"I won't hit you Y/N." He said sternly, as he came closer to me.

I reciprocated and stepped closer to him as well. "I don't care if it's with you little pretty scarf Shota, I want you to come after me, fight me, and the perhaps I'll feel motivated enough to land a nasty punch to your gut." I looked him up in the eyes while smirking.

His own lips started lifting in a menacing way. "Then we'll have it your way." His hands clenched around his now floating grey scarf.

Perfect.

I jumped two times back, gaining distance between us both, and readied my position like before.

It looked like Shota had other plans, judging by the way that he leapt over to where I was within seconds, his scarf stretching far enough to capture my body in it. Its grip tightened around my waist and hips almost grazing the underside of my chests, but my arms were still free, just like I made sure of it.

He started pulling me towards him, our bodies mere distance from one another, from this distance I could feel that radiated from him, his shallow breath. Our eyes met, his own ruby sparkled eyes with my own. His finger clenched further on the scarf, and I couldn't help but imagine him clenching those same fingers against my body, as he whispered sweet little nothings into my ear and-

Damn, I'm getting too distracted.

I blinked and snapped out of my trance, pulling my arm back to gain as much momentum as possible.

His eyes were still on me, but this time they were half lidded and diverted.

Just like than I clutched his scarf with my left hand and pulled him closer just as I brought my other hand to greet his face.

For the first, I landed a hit!

His head roughly shook to the side, then he stammered a few steps back recollecting himself.

I still held on to the scarf waiting for his reaction.

Do I...keep hitting him?

Then I heard a low almost nonexistent laugh originating from him. "You finally landed a hit on me." He said turning his head back to me, with a soft, proud smile.

His eyes spoke a truth that my heart could understand, it gave me a reaction so foreign yet welcomed.

My breath stuck on the back of my throat.

What is this feeling?

I looked down from his face and quickly unbounded myself from his scarf.

The air shifted around us. "Everything alright Y/N?" He sounded worried, which made this annoying feeling pump harder inside me.

"Sorry I need to get going."

I didn't wait for a reply, I couldn't.

His laugh and that sweet toothy smile of his, were killing me.

No one in my live ever looked out for me, my safety much less, which was how I knew that I really appreciated Shota for all the times he had saved me. But this beating in my heart did come about appreciation, it was something deeper.

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