BLOW.

SILENCE

jax's abstraction

The next morning, Hitoshi woke up first as light had begun to filter into the room. He shifted slightly before immediately noticing their still interlocked hands. A blush rose to his cheeks as he looked at the sleeping girl's face, surprised at their proximity yet embarrased at the same time. He debated letting go but ran out of time to make a decision.

Juniper felt the light on her face and slowly opened her eyes, stretching a bit as she woke up. She looked around the room with slight confusion until spotting the boy next to her. Her voice was groggy as she asked, "Hey Toshi. Sleep well?"

Hitoshi's heart wasn't ready for how cute she was. He didn't mind the way blood rushed to his cheeks, a fluttering feeling in his stomach. "I did. You look like you could knock out for a few more hours to be honest."

She laughed rubbing her eyes to clear her vision, "I probably could. I don't want to get uppppp!!" Her voice became whiny as she turned to face the boy, an expression on her face hinting that she wanted him to agree with her.

The boy was seriously tempted to push aside all his responsibilities for the girl. He knew that if he gave in then they wouldn't do anything productive for the whole day. He also knew that she would avoid being with her classmates, a possibility that he didn't want to be true. While he loved spending time with Juniper, he wanted her to get along with her class so she could be comfortable when school started. So, he put on a brave face as he rejected her request, "While that sounds amazing, I do have to go home and get my stuff together to move in. Are you gonna be okay on your own for a bit?"

Alone? Juniper sat up, biting her bottom lip at the thought of her first time alone since being kidnapped. She knew that heroes were still patrolling, she would be safe. But it was scary. She knew how strong she was, taking a deep breath as she made up her mind, "Yeah. I'll be okay. I'll be okay."

Hitoshi stood up, patting the girl's head as he grabbed his clothes, "I'll wash your clothes and return them soon. Don't miss me too much, angel."

She smiled softly, her heart tense, "I'll try. See you later Toshi."

"I'll see you later, angel."

He left. The room fell into silence with the girl alone in the building. Juniper felt uncomfortable, moving to sit in the corner of her bed at the corner of the room. The two walls hit her back, helping her feel more protected knowing what was behind her. She pulled her blanket over her knees, grabbing the white fluffy cat plush and hugging it tight.

Her eyes flit around the room, looking at every shadow and making sure nothing was coming. She worried that a portal could open up at any moment and swallow her away, dragging her to any hell the league had planned for her. Even with all of the protective changes UA had put into the dorms, Juniper couldn't relax on her own.

The silence was deafening.

Her mind began to race, alone with only her thoughts to keep her company. Any random creak caused her to flinch, keeping her constantly on high alert as she waited for something to happen to her. She couldn't turn on music to distract herself as the concern of not hearing an intruder shook her bones. Her breathing picked up pace, becoming uneven as fear settled in her system.

She tried to distract herself, looking at the gifts she had bought for the two boys the day prior. Juniper thought about what she should say to each person, how she could explain herself in a way that they would understand. Thinking about it didn't help, causing her anxiety to spike as she began to spiral.

What if they didn't want to talk to her? What if she had gone too far? What if she wouldn't be accepted by anyone?

A headache started to form as she stared at her room. She didn't have anything physical to anchor herself to as she tightly squeezed her arms together. For a moment, she looked at the quirk nullification brace on her arm, debating releasing her quirk. She quickly pushed away the idea, knowing it could only get worse if she did it.

She didn't know what to do on her own, stiff with fear and anxiety as she stared at her room and waited in silence. As long as she waited, she had to believe that Aizawa would come for her eventually, announcing the rest of the class' arrival to move in.

She just had to keep waiting.
Aizawa would definitely come for her.

She just had to keep waiting.
The silence would be okay as long as she stayed on high alert for any sign of trouble.

She just had to keep waiting

and waiting

and waiting

and waiting.