A Life Worth Living (Aizawa x OC)

35 - Oblivious

"At least the band's not as bad as expected, huh? I told you that you have to give them a chance to prove themselves. One song isn't enough to hate them, Freckles" Hizashi said, glancing down at the brunette in his arms with a smile so bright that it caused the crow's feet in the corners of his eyes to appear.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll give you that. I'm reluctantly willing to admit that I was in the wrong and you were totally right. Happy now?" Himari replied, a snicker escaping her lips as she saw the smug expression that formed on Hizashi's face after he had taken in her answer.

By now, they'd already been swaying across the crowded dance floor for four or five songs. Hizashi was a good dancer, taking the lead and knowing exactly what he was doing, which made it even more fun for Himari.

One of her hands was loosely holding on to his shoulder whereas the other was enclosed by his. Both let out a sigh of relief as the new song that started to play was a slow one, allowing them to take the break they both desperately craved as their movements adapted to the new rhythm echoing from the speakers placed around the hall.

Without a doubt, dancing had proven to be a better option to kill time than stuffing herself with free snacks or drinking herself into oblivion. It was perfect to force the time to pass a bit faster than usual.

Himari had truly enjoyed her evening up until now, being pleasantly surprised considering that she had been rather pessimistic before the evening had begun. Although she wasn't a fan of events like this one, she had to admit that it was indeed a fun night. Maybe she had been a bit biased. However, if she had the choice, her couch would always win over a fancy event.

People could be draining, especially when gathered in a large crowd. Even worse were all these people whose life centred around nothing else than money. The people who were currently filling this hall to the brim were exactly this type of people. To Himari they appeared to be like puppets controlled by numbers that promised them prestige and reputation in society. Naturally, it was not possible to generalize, but whenever she picked up something from people next to them it was the same stereotypical leery business talk.

Even though the number of people in there was incredibly draining for her and although she considered most of them as annoying, she somehow enjoyed observing them. It was like visiting a zoo, allowing her to catch a glimpse of all sorts of exotic animals. The behaviour of some drunks, fancy businessmen desperately trying to woo beautiful women, and heroes that attempted to blend into the masses, some of them more successful than others – it was like a free show of absurdities. Himari attentively scanned their environment as well as the interactions happening around them while they were moving to the rhythm of the music.

Hizashi's eyes were glued to the woman who was holding on to him, silently admiring her side profile, "Freckles?"

When she heard the nickname the blond had given her on her first day at the U.A., Himari tore her eyes away from the old couple dancing on their right and lifted her gaze to meet Hizashi's emerald eyes, "Hm?"

"When I said that you look absolutely beautiful earlier, I meant it", he said just loud enough for her to hear. The Voice Hero was unusually quiet and collected at the moment, barely resembling his everyday hyper and excited personality.

The corners of Himari's red lips tugged upwards until they formed a sincere smile as she processed his kind words, "Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself tonight, Hizashi. Suits you."

The butterflies in Hizashi's stomach decided that it was time to throw a party because of the smile decorating Himari's face and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks. He felt his knees go weak underneath him as he thought about what he intended to do. If chickening out was an option, he'd definitely do it. But the moment was too perfect - chickening out was equal to passing up a golden opportunity.