Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂
HER EYES WANDERED OVER TO HIM AS THEY SAT IN CLASS, AIZAWA DRONING ON ABOUT WHATEVER THEY WERE LEARNING. She could care less— at that very moment, she was preparing herself for the plan the girls had established. A sudden turn from him made her look away, opting to stare out the window instead. She let out a long sigh before looking back up at Aizawa. Her eyes met his own briefly before she looked away once more, trying to focus on the topic. Sero grit his teeth quietly before looking back at the raven-haired teacher before them.
Every few seconds, she could feel his eyes bore into the side of her head as she tried desperately to grasp what Aizawa was saying. Thankfully, the bell had rung shortly after, allowing her to take a deep breath of air. She noticed the raven-haired boy stand up suddenly, making his way up to her seat. Her hands grew clammy; what would she say to him? Was she being too obvious? How could he even prove she was ignoring him? They were in class after all!
Just as he went to speak, the girls rushed to her side, chatting up a storm within seconds. Sero could barely comprehend what had just happened, stepping back quickly to avoid crashing into them. He tripped over his own foot, making let out a small yelp. They all looked to him, Sero making contact with her concerned eyes. "Woah, dude, you good?" asked Kaminari, coming to his aid at the last second. Sero looked back to the blond boy with an awkward smile. "Y-yeah, thanks, bro."
The raven-haired male looked back to the girl he had fallen for only to find her gone. His eyes dashed to the door, finding her amongst them with a wide grin. He stared blankly at the girl who had begun to leave, her eyes suddenly looking to his. His face flushed as she looked away with a similar color painted on her cheeks. The words Bakugo had told him floated back to him, making him sigh.
She really was going to start ignoring him, wasn't she?
⇅
Just as Bakugo had predicted, the next day, she ignored him. And when he went to approach her, Mina or one of the other girls interrupted him. With each passing day, he slowly grew restless. He didn't do anything wrong— well, other than kiss her (which was completely consensual). It plagued his mind each day as the bags under his eyes grew worse and worse. He picked at any food in front of him and excused himself to get away from her.
Maybe if he ignored her too, she'd come back.
On the other hand, Ueki grew fearful with each passing second. She could see his worsening state and despite her attempts, she couldn't get the other girls to stop it. It wasn't their fault that Sero wasn't as outgoing as they thought he had been. However, she had. That day after the subway, it wasn't only her crying.
He had held her close, soothing her as he cried tears of his own. If this was what heroes went through every day, she couldn't even come to imagine how they felt. Just a small incident left her shaken and sobbing. An incident where she could have easily overtaken them ended with her crying into Sero's blazer. But the sight of his own tears streaming down his face brought her to ease. They were so busy crying that she had no idea what had led to their kiss moments later.
From what she had known romantically from movies, it could've been the desperation and relief. But there was something more there. There was a blossoming love that had been threatened to be cut off before their very eyes. The year they had spent pining after one another and being closer to finally make it happen; if it had been cut short, the pain would be too immense.
She could still vividly remember the taste of salt from the tears that had fallen as they tangled each other's hands into the other's hair. The breaths of relief that were taken with each feverish kiss. The warmth that emanated from both of them as they pulled apart. She remembered each and every detail of that eery day. A day that was supposed to be spent going home after being cooped up in the dorms ruined then mended.
"(y/n), I like-"
She knew what he was going to say. So why was she so scared of telling him she felt the same? The way they looked at one another in the middle of class, the jokes they told as they laughed at their lunch table, his smile as he attempted to show off his cool power moves; she loved everything about him. The way his eyes lit up at the taste of his favorite fruit, the way his black hair swayed in the wind on their walks to and from the dorms, the way he looked at her when she talked about her hobbies— why was she so hesitant?
His eyes were devoid of that joy as he pushed away his food and left the room. Kaminari and Kirishima tried to get him to stay with them but he pushed them away too.
She watched as his tired figure trudged towards the elevator, away from the cheery vibe of their classmates. Her leg bounced up and down as she watched him. She had to say something. "I-I gotta go to the bathroom, I'll be right back!" she stammered out, pulling away from the group of girls alongside her. They smiled and waved, calling for her to come back quickly before they started a new game of Jenga. She grinned hesitantly before running in his direction. This plan was going to end.
She turned the corner quickly, climbing the stairs as quickly as she could. Her heart pounded in her ears as she stumbled her way up. Was the staircase always so long? Her legs ached as she continued her way up— five flights of stairs certainly could make her break a sweat. What would she say to him when she saw him? She breathed heavily as she stumbled over a stair. She gulped, looking over her shoulder. Thank god she hadn't fallen. A faint ding made her perk up.
She was almost there. She knew what she'd tell him. Her eyes adjusted to the brighter lights of the hallway that laid right before her eyes. She saw him step out. "Sero!" He looked over as she smiled wide. She could finally tell him. Her feet shook as they clashed against one another.
