AMATEURS [Tenya Iida x OC]

Chapter 17 - The One Where They Compromise

-

Tenya found Peri outside trying to hail a taxi.

He called one for them, considering that none were stopping. "Peri," he said softly, not wanting to startle her.

She turned, eyes unfocused, mascara-stained tears streaming down her cheeks. When Peri realized it was Tenya, and not any of her family, she gave him a weak smile and pulled him close, her fingers gripping his shirt as she cried into his chest. Tenya held her tight while they waited for the cab, not knowing what to say. He supposed saying nothing might be better than saying the wrong thing.

They rode back to school in silence, Peri staring out the window while she held Tenya's hand. He watched her, worried that this would be the final straw - the thing that broke Peri into a million little pieces - but he also had hope. Peri was strong. Resilient.

When they arrived at UA, he thanked the driver and tipped him extra, guiding Peri back to the dorms with a hand on the small of her back. He offered to give her a piggyback ride when she stumbled in her heels, but she waved him off, her mind elsewhere. With a swipe of his keys, he let them back into the dorm and, unknowingly, into a den full of their friends.

"Peri!" Tsu cheered, "How did it go?"

Tenya whipped his head around, gaze settling on nearly their entire class gathered on the couches in their pajamas. He shook his head, trying to get them to drop it, but they either didn't understand or blatantly ignored him.

Kaminari added, "Yeah, are your folks making you go home?" He hung over the back of the couch, attention on the two of them.

Peri froze, heels clicking to a stop on the hardwood. She hadn't realized she forgot to take them off. Right there, she peeled off her blocky boots and held them in her hands, raising her head to look at her friends. Her heart caught in her throat, making it hard to speak. Peri managed a trembling smile, and said, honestly, "I have no idea."

-

For the next three days, Peri slept in Tenya's room, afraid to be alone.

Afraid that her parents were going to take her home.

Afraid that her life was over at sixteen.

Afraid that there were more villains waiting for her in the shadows.

It was only when she showed up for class on the third day, still sore and shell-shocked, that things turned stranger. "Alarie," Mr. Aizawa grunted from the front of the room, "You have the day off today. Get out of here."

Peri raised an eyebrow, confused. She hadn't heard anything from her parents since the nightmare dinner. Bastien had only texted to show that he had taken her and Tenya's food back to their hotel to eat, and then sent daily updates on his increasing boredom levels.

Tenya watched as she packed her things, his pulse pounding in his clenched teeth. This couldn't be the last time he saw her. He wouldn't let it.

She stood to leave, and Tenya stood with her. They made eye contact across the room, and Peri swore the class collectively held their breath, waiting to see what Tenya would do. Even Aizawa watched with curiosity as Tenya followed Peri from the room without a word.

They stood in the sun-bleached hall, silence nearly tangible. Peri reached up to trace a finger down Tenya's cheek, memorizing him. "I'm not sure if this is goodbye," she said, swallowing against the emotions balling in her throat.

"That makes it all the more terrifying," Tenya said, his hands reaching down to cup Peri's cheeks.

She met his gaze and laid a hand over his heart, idly flattening out his tie. "I will fight tooth and nail to stay here, Tenya. I hope you know that." Peri pulled up a determined smile and added, "I'm not going down without a fight."

"I know."

Peri reached up on her tiptoes and pressed the tiniest kiss to Tenya's lips, well aware that he disliked PDA at school. "I wanted to squeeze one more kiss in, just in case it's our last," she whispered.

He rested his forehead against hers and sighed. With every second that passed, it felt more like his heart was tearing in half, trying to send part of itself with Peri in her bookbag. "If this is goodbye, we can make it work long-distance, right?" Tenya asked, running his thumbs under Peri's glasses and across her cheekbones.

Nodding, Peri smiled. "I'd like that, Tenya. A lot."

"Okay then," he said, straightening, "Bonne chance." He pressed a quick peck to her forehead and let his hands fall away from her cheeks, her warmth receding and leaving him chilled.

Smirking at his sweetness, Peri nodded and walked backwards down the hall, afraid to break eye contact until the last moment. She waved and took the stairs, willing the tears in her eyes to go away until she had somewhere safe to cry.

-

Peri stalled in front of the dorms, her dads and brother blocking the entrance.

Their rental car was parked out front, running.

The day should not have been so beautiful, so warm. She was frustrated that it wasn't raining like in a movie. That would fit the situation much better. But she trudged up the steps anyway and planted her feet wide, crossing her arms over her chest. "So? I've heard that I don't have class today?" she spat.

Her dads exchanged a sheepish look, and Bastien nudged the closest one with his cane. "We, uh," her dad said, righting himself by swinging up and away from the pillar he'd been leaning against, raking a hand through his blond hair, "We're not going to make you come home."

Doing her best to keep calm in case it was an elaborate trap, Peri squinted at her family. "Why?"

"Your brother made a very compelling argument in your favor," her father said, cracking his neck and yawning. He sipped at the large to-go coffee in his hands. "And we listened. We're going to hold off on the quirk marriage talk until you get home, too. So you can have a say."

She kept her arms crossed and her frown fixed. This sounded too good to be true. "Are you two on drugs?" Peri asked, "Why are you being so cool all of a sudden?"

Bastien chuckled from his place on the stairs and hoisted himself to his feet. "We're leaving," he said, "Hugs now or no hugs at all, dear."

Still skeptical, Peri held out her arms for each of her boys in turn: her dad, her father, her brother. When she went to pull away from Bastien, he gripped her arms tight at the last second, hissing in her ear, "You owe me." He held her at arm's length and plastered on a fake grin. "Enjoy the rest of your day off, Peri," he said, ruffling her hair and shuffling toward the rental car.

Her dad rolled down the window to speak to her once more. "If you need anything, let us know, sweetheart," he said. "We love you."

"I love you too," Peri said automatically. For once in her life, she questioned the words. Did she really?

The car pulled out of the lot and disappeared into traffic, window sliding up as it rolled away.

Peri pulled her bookbag up into her arms from where she'd abandoned it on the porch and wavered.

Why didn't she feel better?

She'd gotten what she'd wanted...

But something still felt off.

-

The class was stoked to see that Peri was still with them when they got back from class. She'd baked three kinds of cookies and a loaf of banana bread by the time they arrived, and was quickly swallowed by a group hug. But the grin she most needed to see was obscured by her classmates.

Tenya pushed through his classmates with the utmost politeness, focusing on the curly blonde head he could see in the center of their hug. Finally, his hand brushed hers, found her fingers through the tangle of limbs and friends, and he pulled.

Peri felt his grip and yanked, reeling him in.

His fingers found purchase on the curve of her elbow, the muscle of her arm, the hollow of her collarbone. His lips found hers over and over, until time became meaningless and the room melted away, until their friends got weirded out and uncomfortable and left them alone.

Until they felt safe again.