that's just how it works [REWRITING]

Chapter Ten - A Red Butterfly

. . .

   You groan, letting your head fall on the desk you were sitting at. Uraraka had just told you that you missed the rest of the battles, frustrating you. You had wanted to see how your classmates had tackled being heroes and villains. 

   Uraraka chuckled slightly, "Don't feel too bad about it, (last name)-Chan! Deku-Kun missed all of them, including yours." She rubbed your lower back as you glanced up from the desk, murmuring, "And that's supposed to make me feel better?" She laughed.

   A blonde with a horizontal streak of black and gold eyes comes over and asks Uraraka to help him with something. She agrees and goes with him, telling you briefly she'll be right back. You smile and lay your head on the desk, letting your thoughts wander. They drift to Midoriya

   You look over as the door slides open slightly, and Midoriya peeks in. Kirishima looks up too and exclaims, "Oh, Midoriya's here!" Some students immediately go over to crowd him. You sigh, feeling bad. 'Eiji-Kun... Everyone... Give him space...'

   The students surrounding him praised him and then rattled off their own names. You made a little 'tsk' noise and lay your head back on your desk as Uraraka and the blonde from earlier come back. You heard him ask her out to eat something and what she liked. She was about to reply when she noticed Midoriya. She gasped, running over. "Wait, Deku-Kun, she didn't heal your injuries?"

   Midoriya explained something about 'stamina' but you opt to stare out the window beside you. You perk up, seeing Bakugou leaving the building out front. A minute later, Midoriya comes running out, catching up to him. You crack the window open about an inch and peer out. 

   "Hey, you too, Deku! I'm just... I'm just getting started! You hear?! Here, I will become number one!" Bakugou was yelling at Midoriya. You watch with wide eyes as Bakugou turns to leave, wiping at his face. Your face contorts into one of worry-- for both of the boys. 

   "There he is! Young... Baku... Gou!" All Might appears behind Bakugou, putting his hands on his shoulders. You assume they exchange words, cause you can't hear anything else. Bakugou continues walking away. Looking to your side, you see that you have company--- Uraraka, the pink girl, and the frog girl. The pink one said to herself, "What was that?" Uraraka answers for her, "The fated battle between men." The frog girl looks over, "It looked like Midoriya-Kun was just giving one-sided excuses though." Uraraka just repeats what she said. "The fated battle between men!" You sigh, stepping away from the window and grabbing your bag. 

   "Hey, Uraraka-Chan, wanna walk home with me?" You turn to the bubbly girl. She looks over at you and nods, smiling. "Of course, (last name)-Chan." She gets her bag and walks out of the classroom with you. As a last thought, you grab Midoriya's bag too, hauling it with you as you and her head down the stairwells in silence. 

   Turning a sharp corner, you collide with someone. You gasp, falling to the floor. Midoriya's bag slips from your grasp, sliding across the floor. The person you bumped into also fell onto the ground. He was groaning, rubbing his head. "(Y/n)?!" 'Shit.'

   You sit up, looking at Midoriya. He blushes brightly, "A-Ah, I'm so s-sorry! I d-didn't mean to b-bump into y-y-you!" He stuttered out, looking down. You gulp, face burning, and stand up, offering your hand to him. He looks at it before slowly taking it, allowing you to pull him up. His face reddens at the contact, "T-Thank you, (Y/n)-Chan..." You grin, nervously mumbling, "No problem, Izuku-Kun..." 

   Uraraka looks between the two of you, brow furrowed. 'But... When (Y/n)-Chan and I are talking, and Deku-Kun comes up, she doesn't use the honorary... Same for Deku-Kun when he talks about her... But when they're in each other presence...' She couldn't figure it out. 

   You reach down and grab Midoriya's bag, handing it to him. "Here... We grabbed it for you..." He takes it, smiling at you. "Oh!" You and him look over at Uraraka in alarm, startled by her sudden exclaim. She blushes at your gazes, bringing her hand up to her mouth. "S-Sorry..." She sheepishly apologizes, looking down.

   You grin, "It's alright, Uraraka-Chan! Let's go." You start walking towards the front doors, glancing back to see them following. The three of you walk side-by-side, conversing about the battle trials earlier that day; Uraraka filling you and Midoriya in on what happened during the matches. You note that she hadn't brought your match up yet.

   As if reading your thoughts, Midoriya asked, "What about (Y/n)-Chan's match? Did she win?" He sounded hopeful, wishing that you had won. Uraraka shakes her head, "No, her team didn't win... But she fought bravely! Her match came right after yours. She was on the villain team, and went against the guy with multiple arms and the ice boy..." She rambled on, explaining just about everything. Your eyes widen, 'Just how much was she was paying attention?'

   When she finished the explanation, Midoriya's eyes were just as wide. "Woah..." You look over at him, biting your lip. You mumble, "It wasn't that awesome... I lost."

   He puts his hand on your shoulder, "Even if I wasn't there to see it, I know you were amazing, (Y/n)! It sounds like you fought bravely and thought quickly. You are extremely talented. You're... You're going to become an amazing hero, I know it!" 

   You stare at him, staring into his eyes. He blushes brightly, bringing a hand over his mouth. 'Did I just say all that...?! But... I mean every bit of it...' You smile, hugging him. He yelps, taken by surprise. You grin, nuzzling your face into his shoulder. "Thank you, Izuku..."

   'S-She didn't use an h-honorary?! W-w-what?!' His nervous thoughts were all over the place. He was flustered by your actions, more so by your words. He managed to get out a simple, "Y-You're welcome!"

   Uraraka feels jealousy bubbling up inside her. It must be nice to be hugged by you. It must be nice to be on a first name basis with you. She sighs, shaking the feelings away. 'Now now, Deku-Kun is your friend. (last name)-Chan is also your friend.' But still... why was she jealous of such silly things?

   You pull away, smiling brightly at Midoriya. But something else catches your attention. You gasp, facing the red butterfly fluttering near you three. You slowly approach it, holding out a steady hand. After a second, it landed on your finger. You hold back a squeal, inspecting it. 

   Midoriya shuffles forward, looking at the butterfly. It reminded him of something. The day you first spoke to him; the day he fell hard for you, he saw a red butterfly that looked just like it hovering nearby. He wondered what it meant.

   It had to symbolize something.

. . .

To be continued