Love and Hate ‒ ʰᶦᵗᵒˢʰᶦ ˢ.

twenty one

Chapter Twenty-One:
I Have Faith In You

✧ ✧ ✧

YOU WERE NERVOUS TODAY. It felt like the nerves inside your brain were pushing themselves together as you walked with Hitoshi to school. Your uniform and your school things were left at home so you had to wear casual attire and you borrowed some of Hitoshi's things for the day. The thing is, you could easily catch up over all the missed works and assignments you did but what you weren't ready for was the idea that your father would be in the same building as you.

"You look a bit nervous," Hitoshi opened up as soon as both of you arrived and walked past the school gate. "Who wouldn't be? I disappeared for two weeks and said nothing. People thought I died, Hitoshi..." you retorted as you looked back at him, your voice lower than usual. Hitoshi glanced at you before he stopped walking, his hand placed on your shoulder to make you stop and look back at him as well. "What are you really afraid of?" It was like he can automatically see right through your doubts, making you purse your lips. "I'm afraid they'll ask me and I don't want my dad to look like the bad person here even though he is..." 

"Just tell them you don't want to talk about it," he suggested. "Tell them you had a lot in your mind and that you just needed space from everything." You smiled warmly at Hitoshi before grabbing his hand and holding it tightly making the lilac haired male hold his breath. "Promise me you'd be there when I need you, though? I don't think I can handle the pressure and any time I could break..."

"Always, (your name)." he grinned, finally dragging you to the front doors of the school. "Let's get inside before we're late, okay?"

✧ ✧ ✧

QUESTIONS DARTED FROM THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE CLASSROOM TO THE CAFETERIA WHEN PEOPLE PASS YOU BY. A few students gave you a concerned look while others seemed like they just heard bad rumors about you once again. For a while, it didn't really matter to you but when lunch was about to end, your classmates especially your friends started asking all about what happened to you. Apparently, they had theorized (all thanks to Shoto) that your father was the cause of all this mayhem and that they think the two of you had a big argument that led to you having to disappear. You were stuttering and struggling to give a proper response, your heart rate quickening with every person speaking as they got closer. 

It was a good thing one person decided to step in and drag most of the circling vultures out of the way.

"Katsu?" your voice was merely a whisper and the rest of class 3A decided to hush their tone as Katsuki spoke. "You idiots better learn how to distance yourself or all of you are going to get it. She's been through enough and she's probably still scared as shit. Can't we just be happy that she's back?"

Katsuki knew all about the fight you and your father had, thanks to Hitoshi. Hitoshi denied everything he knew and decided to keep quiet about the whole ordeal but his calmness with you disappearing burned a fire inside Katsuki that urged him to drag him outside of the classroom--trying to get some answers out of him. The lilac haired male never intended for himself to break down in front of the blonde like that but just seeing your classmates trying to know where you are and trying to pinpoint your location, Hitoshi couldn't help but feel useless at the time--so, he cried and confided in front of Katsuki.

The blonde's loud voice echoed throughout the classroom and that seemed to have done the trick. Momo, Shoto, and Eijiro apologized since they were the ones who really pushed you to answer their questions; the rest just jumping in the conversation as they wanted to know the answer. Minutes passed and somehow, you were able to create small conversations with them again.