✧ ✧ ✧

YOU WONDERED WHY YOU WERE put in this situation. You had a great weekend, you were doing well with the student council, you were (not as much as before) still failing Chemistry but you're getting better, but Hitoshi does not talk to you much at school. Sure, the weekend was filled with laughter and forgiveness but seeing him at school and him not talking to you felt like everything was thrown over the garbage can. And you did not like that one bit.

Yesterday, at the meeting, Hitoshi even stayed quiet while everyone decided to give ideas for the upcoming sports festival. With the two of you being student-athletes, you were sure that he would say something but throughout the whole time, Hitoshi was playing around with the pencil in front of him, twirling it on his hand or even spinning it on the table in front of him. This annoyed you to the extent that you, out of frustration, grabbed the pencil and broke it in half causing the male to hold in his laughter but easily regained his composure.

Truth is, you missed him.

And god, he missed you too.

But something was stopping both of you and it was mas making you feel uneasy. It felt weird not being able to communicate with the guy without banter or even the normal conversation you both managed to draw out of each other last weekend. Hitoshi was mortified by the fact that he tormented you enough to not trust him with his kind actions and even though he was willing to work for that, he just didn't want to shock everyone in school about his change of heart. Besides, the rumors about the two of you dating were still being talked about.

The bell signaled the end of the morning period and the start of lunch for other students and club meetings for those with extra-curricula. You decided to take a day off from school stuff today and the clubs you were part of know why you had to have absences. You chewed on your inside gums lightly while staring out the window, watching the leaves being blown away by the breeze. The audible sigh escaping your throat was enough to gain your seatmate's, Eijiro Kirishima, attention directed towards you.

"Hey, (your name)!" he greeted leaning on his desk, reaching out to poke your cheek. "What seems to be the problem, hm?" Eijiro was one of the people who easily noticed your negative emotions. He was also one of the people who noticed how close you and Hitoshi were when you were in the first year. You puffed your cheeks as your gaze fell on the male who was now right in front of you, who had placed his hands on your desk.

His red hair and toothy smile shining as he looked down again on you. "N-nothing, Kiri. I'm all good," you played with some of the strands of your hair, tugging on them lightly or pressing the strands between your thumb and forefinger and rubbing them. Eijiro gave a worried smile as he gave you a small head pat. "Really? Nothing? Are you still going to lie to me?"

You chuckled as you blushed at his head pat. "Dang, you really know when I feel bothered by something?" Eijiro gave a hearty laugh, one that echoed through the chattering noise of the classroom before wiping some of the fake tears off his eyes. "Of course I do! I always notice things. People just kind of take that for granted sometimes," your lips got pulled by gravity as it turned into a frown and the male waved his hands in front of him, telling you not to worry about it.

"Anyway, are you thinking about Hitoshi, (your name)?"

The way Hitoshi's name rolled out of Eijiro's lips made your ears tint some shade of pink. This was enough proof for him to know that you were thinking about him. You inhaled sharply as you placed a finger over your mouth telling him to quiet down a little as other classmates could overhear the conversation. "It's almost been a week since he talked to me and I'm guessing it was something I said..." you admitted, biting your upper lip softly. "He wanted to be nice to me again and I told him I can't...easily... trust it?"

The last part came as a squeal and Eijiro sighed, looking a bit disappointed over your decision but respected it anyway. "Why don't you just try to talk to him about it? I'm sure he needs it too, (your name)," Eijiro smiled at you while doubt fills your dark irises. "You think so?" you straightened your hair as you kept your things inside your bag to head home. Eijiro bowed his head while showing his sharp teeth. "I'll let you in a little secret."

You puffed your cheeks as you raised your eyebrows, tilting your head at the redhead. "About who and what about?" The male jumped up as he covered his mouth with his hand, careful not to draw any attention to your other classmates. "Hitoshi works at a cafe near your house. Pay him a visit or something," he winked as he started walking away, bringing his bag with him. You watched as the redhead waved at you, grabbing Katsuki by the shoulder and walking out the classroom for their basketball practice.

You watched the phone in your hand and sighed, making a decision.

Would it really be worth it?

✧ ✧ ✧

HITOSHI WAS A SWEATING, BLUSHING MESS at the cafe he was working in right now. A junior from the school may have or may have not started flirting with the male upon noticing his existence at the register. His co-workers, Mei and Sero, were holding in their laughs as they worked on other customer's orders. The two have known about Hitoshi's big crush on you and was amused to see how he handles other people liking him in that way. He was stuttering a lot and scratching the back of his neck, trying to find a way out of this mess.

And just like that, the cafe's bell chimed to reveal a (Your name) Aizawa walking in.

Mei and Sero started nudging each other as Hitoshi's gaze locked on you walking near the register, your concentration glued to your phone. When you finally looked up from your phone, Hitoshi's violet eyes quickly looked away and that's when you noticed his uneasiness over the female near the counter who had heart eyes all over him. Hitoshi started smiling fakely at the junior and looking over at you, his eyes screaming for help. Now, if your reason here was just to get coffee, you wouldn't want to help him.

But he is the reason why you're here in the first place.

Your pace hastened so that you would finally reach the register. A wide smile was plastered on your face as you twirled your hair using your forefinger. The junior instantly widened her eyes as she realized who you were; the girl who Hitoshi Shinso was rumored to be dating. Hitoshi played along and smiled at you warmly. "What can I get you, miss?" Hearing his voice like that again suddenly made your heart race and you started to get nervous. Maybe this was just a side effect of missing him.

"Yeah, can I get a... hottie on the counter?" you rested your arms on the countertop as Hitoshi was taken aback by what you said. In all honesty, he was not expecting it to go down like that and hearing his long time crush say it was kind of breathtaking. The junior who had been watching the two quickly whipped out her phone--probably texting other juniors about what she just saw. Instinctively, you laughed flirtatiously while finally making your order. "I'm kidding. I actually want one large iced vanilla latte, please~?"

"And what name shall I put on the cup?" Hitoshi grabbed a small marker from the back of his ear, popping the cap open with his mouth and a large cup on his other hand, waiting for your response. "My girlfriend..."

"Your what?"

"My girlfriend. Oh, and make sure you're the one giving my order, okay babe?" You winked as you left money on the countertop, walking to a table near the cafe window. Hitoshi was left with his lips parted but twitching into a smile. The junior who had been pestering him finally went back to her chair rapidly typing into her phone. Mei, who had been watching from behind, wrapped her arm around Hitoshi's shoulders. "You know, your crush is kinda hot," Mei winked at Hitoshi while the latter pushed her arm away from him. Sero chuckled while preparing your order. "If it was her flirting with him the whole time at the register, I don't think he'll even ask her to stop."

"Shut up, both of you..." Hitoshi's cheeks were rosy as he slapped his shy smile away from his face with his hands. "She can't know I like her." He looked down while Sero placed ice cubes and covering your drink. "Then, when are going to tell her 'bout that thumping object in your chest, huh?" Mei said while pointing at Hitoshi's chest, the apron he was wearing moved along with his breathing. "I don't know, soon?"

"Soon?" Sero handed him the cup. "Bro, I know you were hurt with what she said but... she had every right to be..." Hitoshi accepted the cup and twisted it on his hand for a while. "I know, Sero I just don't know where to start."

"Maybe now is the chance for it, Hitoshi. Besides, Mei and I will cover up for you!" The duo laughed as they gave each other a high five causing the lilac haired male to scrunch his nose and shake his head. "Alright, fine. Just give me an hour." With that, Hitoshi turned around and took in a deep breath. "One large iced vanilla latte for my girlfriend~" Hitoshi emphasized the last words and your head, which was buried deep into your laptop, whipped up and saw that Hitoshi was staring at where you were sitting.

You stood up going near the counter and grabbed the cup, your hand and his slightly touching. The soft feel of your skin made Hitoshi hold back his breath, almost dropping your drink. "Thanks, babe!" Hitoshi saw the junior who was pestering him leave the cafe quickly as he let out a small sigh of relief. "How'd you know I needed that, (your name)?" He tilted his head, his violet eyes scanning you as you grabbed a straw and punched it on the hole of the cover. "Well, I know for a fact that you don't like being given attention by your juniors... especially in that way," you say after sipping on the drink, humming at how delicious it is. As you were going back, Hitoshi bit his lower lip before running to catch up to you, Mei and Sero gave each other wide smiles as he did.

"Hey, (your name)?"

Hitoshi's voice made you jump and turn around right before you could reach your seat. "Hm?" you looked at him wide-eyed, still sipping the coffee in your hands. "Can I make it up to you?" Hitoshi's voice and gaze were brimming up with concern over his question, the way his heart was nervously rattling around his chest was making it hard for him not to turn red at your black eyes staring into his. With a subtle laugh, your lips slowly turned upward.

"Yes, Hitoshi... I think I'd like that,"

✧ ✧ ✧

A FEW YEARS BACK

HITOSHI COULD FEEL THE WARM TEARS running down his cold skin. He had been crying, sobbing silently for the past 2 or 3 hours now. He had just witnessed his parents breaking up and arguing, things in their old home broken into tiny pieces and the lights turned off. He was asked to stay inside his bedroom but he knew where this was going. He was only 12 years old for fuck's sake but he knew where this was going. When he heard the door slam and his father crying outside his door, he knew that his mother had just left them for another man.

And that was first of the many sleepless nights he had.

A month in, Hitoshi had never gotten close to anyone at school. He kept his distance as he thought that attachments might cause him another heartbreak. Hitoshi was never the type to cause trouble and he never wanted to hurt anyone just like how he hurt people in high school. No, he just didn't know how else he would try to show he cared. After his parents' break up, Hitoshi's father never knew what to do. He kept throwing their money away on alcohol and Hitoshi had to work 3 jobs (1 after school and 2 on the weekends) just so he could survive to live with him for 2 more years.

Hitoshi would still try to look for his mom though. He wanted to know what happened that made her give up on them just like that. Why was it so easy to just let everything go? He wanted to apologize and wanted to try to bring her back just so his father would be happy. When more time passed, Hitoshi's father got worse. One night, his father went home and trashed their whole house as it kept reminding him of his mother. Hitoshi tried to stop him from doing so, asking for him to calm down and was practically on his knees, crying for his father to come back to the way he was. The answer he got was found on the bruises circling around his neck, face, and body the next day.

But when he knew that it was impossible to fix his family again, he gave up on his search for his mother and all the hope he had left of his father and his heart was left to crumple itself in front of him as he cried himself to sleep to avoid his father's late-night tantrums. It was in his final year of middle school that he got the courage to leave the house without a trace. He had saved enough money to get himself his own apartment and one of the reasons he got in the school was because of Ms. Yshi. The woman had taken pity on him and had almost pleaded the board to take him in. Ms. Yshi became a sister figure to Hitoshi but sooner or later, he had respected her as his teacher and guidance counselor.

On the first day of classes, he was sure that he wouldn't make any friends because of the walls he had forcefully built around himself. He was so used to people being scared by how he looked that it didn't bother him anymore. But that was also the day his set of violet eyes saw you sitting in the back of the class, playing with your pen on the table. And because of the kindness that you showed him from that day on, he started to have hope again only to watch it burn down when a group of young boys wanted to hurt you because of your father's sentiments.

And he didn't want to see you get hurt in the hands of others.

So, he had to do it himself.

✧ ✧ ✧

YOU COULD SEE THE SADNESS SWIRLING around Hitoshi as he finished his side of the story. You watched as the droplets of your cup slowly rolled down the wooden table and listened to the silence that had engulfed the both of you after that. You could hear the chattering of the customers flooding your senses as you tried to think of something to say. You wanted to comfort him, give him a hug, or even try as far as to lie that everything was alright--but you can't.

Because even if you do all those things for good intentions, you can't even apply them to yourself; that would make you such a hypocrite.

His violet eyes stared out at the passing people and cars on the street. You could have sworn you've seen tears brimming up the edge but he'd blink them away in time, never letting them fall. You clicked your tongue, feeling the vibrations tickle your mouth into a small smile as you held out your hand to him on the table. "Hey, 'Toshi." Your smile never went away as he looked at you with curiosity. Slowly, his gaze went down on your palm on the table, gesturing for him to take it. "W-what?" Hitoshi kept looking back and forth from your hand to your face, trying to comprehend what you wanted him to do.

"Hold my hand for a moment, will you?"

Hitoshi slowly slid his hand and placed it on top of your palm, clutching it gently. "Why do I need to do this?" He tilted his head as he felt his cheeks warm up from his actions. Fuck, he was holding your hand and it feels so soft and warm! He took in a deep breath to keep himself from passing out of giddiness, his lilac strands slowly drooping on his eyes. You clutched his hand back, causing him to jerk up and chuckle. Your eyes traveled from your clutching hands back up to his eyes, which were already staring at you the whole time. "Uh-" you started to speak but you felt your throat clam up as you let out a sigh and an awkward laugh.

"I really don't know how to comfort you, Hitoshi."

Hitoshi stayed silent, bowing his head slowly and raising it up again as he gave a small smirk. "It's alright, (your name). You don't have to-"

"But I want to... I guess Kiri was right about trying to talk to you. I had my doubts because I was scared you'd hurt me again but..." you closed your mouth, pursing your lips together, running your tongue across them as you find the words to say to him without sounding weird. "... I'm really happy you did that to protect me but I was really hurt when you did that because I truly cared for you, Hitoshi."

"I know and I'm sorry about that. I really still want to fix things, (your name)."

"And I want to fix things too, Hitoshi!"

✧ ✧ ✧

IT WAS AROUND THE THIRD WEEK of the month when you realized that something was going on inside of you. It started when both of you agreed to keep meeting at the cafe every Friday afternoons to get work done for student council papers. Every Friday seemed like a new experience and sooner or later, the two of you felt closer than you ever had before--maybe even closer than when you were first years. You also started to notice how a smile would twitch from your lip as people would say his name to you or how your heart races when he smiles at you in the hallway. Sometimes, at meetings, you would find yourself staring at his face often and found yourself liking the sound of his voice.

Was that weird?

You felt a brush crept into your cheeks as you slowly walked the road down the cafe, each step was getting heavier for you as if gravity was trying to slow you down. What was going on with you? You entered the cafe and saw Mei waving at you, ushering you to come closer to the counter. "Hey, 'Toshi said he'd be kind of late because of their track practice," Mei informed you, her pink hair moving along as she tilted her head smiling. "It's okay, I'll wait for him at the usual seat. Thanks, Mei!" you quickly made an order before going to your seat by the window.

You turned on your laptop and tried to concentrate but your thoughts started going back to all the little things Hitoshi has done for you lately. You remembered how he cooked for you at home and how he baked while you did your homework. He even goes as far as to take you home after class or meetings and tries to calm your nerves when meetings get too stressful. You remembered how his lilac hair would bounce as he laughed or how it would cover his eyes when he looks down. You remembered how he smelled like lilac flowers in spring and how soft his skin feels like when you give him a small slap.

You shook your head as you watched your trembling fingers on the keyboard. Why were you thinking of him? Why were your thoughts filled with small details about him? Your heart started to race and your chest tightened around your shirt. Slowly, you felt like the oxygen around you was being sucked out of you. Why? Because Hitoshi was approaching your table and smiling at you like he usually does.

Gosh, how are you able to have this effect on me?

"Hey, (your name)! You alright?" Hitoshi asked while you quickly closed your laptop, still trembling of nervousness. "I want to go home. I don't feel well," your vision started to blur and you felt yourself gasping for air. Hitoshi's eyes widened as he wrapped his arms around you, his warmth quickly surrounding you.

How do I tell you you're the reason for this?

You thought as you pushed him lightly. "It's okay, just stay here and-"

"No, let me walk you home. You might pass out."

"Hitoshi, please!" you shouted and you could hear your throat tightened, you wanted to cry. You didn't mean to shout at him. Most of the people who could hear the two of you looked for a while but glanced away as both of you stayed quiet again. "Just let me be, okay?"

"(Your name)..."

And with that, a confused Hitoshi was wondering if he did something wrong again. He watched as you packed up your things and watched as you were breathing heavily. Your cheeks were flushed and he saw tears brimming up your eyes as you turned around to leave. And damn, that sight was enough to break his heart in pieces again.

Just when he thought he was fixing it.

✧ ✧ ✧

NAOMI AIZAWA AND ERI AIZAWA WERE at the kitchen the next day making apple slices. It was a good thing Naomi decided to go late for work today since Hitoshi hasn't shown up on time for the babysitting job and you just left for an English Club activity. Naomi's golden eyes watched as her daughter chewed on her apple slices, smiling warmly as she felt her heart flutter. "Eri, where do you think Shinso is? I'm starting to worry about the child and-"

Naomi was cut off by a knock on the door. She parted her lips before walking up to the front door with a smile, opening it and revealing a flushed face Hitoshi. "Miss Naomi, I'm really sorry, I had to practice for athletics and..." Naomi ushered him inside, watching how the lilac haired male was panting for air with every word. "It's okay, dear. I was starting to worry about you." Naomi admitted as she made her way back to the kitchen, Hitoshi following afterward.

"Hitoshi!" Eri exclaimed as she grinned at the male who had ruffled her hair with a scrunched expression on his face. Naomi watched the two, resting her chin on her palm and her arm on the table. She smiled at how the two interacted but quickly frowned as she remembered you panicking last night about seeing Hitoshi and feel things you didn't feel before. Naomi knew you were falling for the guy and it was clear, with what you told her, that he had taken a liking for you too.

Besides, Hitoshi would always be the one to take you home past school hours after your meetings and he always made sure you were safe. "Mama, are you okay?" Eri tilted her head as she watched her mother drifting off with her own thoughts. "Mhm," she nodded as she rubbed the child's hair with her soft hand. "Eri, darling, can you promise me one thing?" Naomi asked as she pinched the bridge of her child's nose, causing the latter to giggle and nod. "Whatever you hear here, you don't tell anyone else, okay? Especially your sister."

Hitoshi looked at Naomi confusedly as he heard the last part. As soon as Naomi's gaze fell on Hitoshi, he felt the shiver run down his spine. "M-ma'am?" Hitoshi sat straight while feeling his nervousness turn into sweat dripping on the side of his face. "Hitoshi, it's about (your name)." Naomi could see the drop of expression on his face as he quickly apologized but she cut him off, shocking the male in the process. "You don't have to apologize. I need to apologize for whatever happened back at the cafe..."

"W-what do you m-mean, Miss Naomi?"

"It seems like my daughter just can't process emotions properly." Naomi's expression softened as she saw Hitoshi sigh in relief. "I apologize if this is causing you unnecessary stress. Having to work lots of jobs just to get by must be hard for a student, Hitoshi."

"H-how do you know t-that?"

"You see, she may not tell you but she talks a lot about you with me and Eri." Naomi chuckled gently as she grabbed Hitoshi's hands that were on the table, caressing them lightly. "Dear, she cares a lot about you and even though she tells me--and that's been a lot of times--she hates you, she can never seem to just forget about you."

Hitoshi blushed at your mother's words and awkwardly smiled, shrugging his shoulders while he talked. "I don't know. I thought I did something wrong. We were just fine the other week and yesterday, she was shaking a lot and I thought-"

"Let me be the one to tell you that you did nothing wrong..." your mother's eyes started to fill up with tears but she quickly wiped them away with one hand. "You make her happy. I can see that. I haven't seen her glow as much as she did when she started being friends with you again. I don't want that to change between you two."

There was silence for a few minutes and Hitoshi was looking down on the table, counting the cracks he could find in it. Naomi struggled to find the words to say to him that would make him more comfortable but when Hitoshi finally spoke up, she felt like a burden in her chest was just lifted. "I don't want things to change between us again too..." Hitoshi's confirmation seemed more like a promise and Naomi was thankful for it.

"Also, Hitoshi..." Naomi held on to his hand tighter while Hitoshi listened intently, humming in response. "There are 2 things I want you to do for me while you're babysitting Eri for us." Hitoshi gulped as he raised his eyebrows, still trying to count cracks on the table with his peripheral vision. "One, I want you to call me 'Mom'. I know you didn't have a mother figure when you were younger and that must be hard. I want you to know that I'll be your mother for a while until you marry my daughter, of course."

Hitoshi blushed at the word 'marry' but was only to give out a genuine laugh as he smiled, nodding. "What's the other one, m-mom?" Hitoshi wanted to cry, the tears threatening to fall from his eyes as he had finally been able to call someone that. The way his heart was thumping on his chest was enough to make him all shy and nervous. But the second request made his heart drop, in a good way.

And he was sure, he would keep his word for it.

For you.

"Second, she may not say it but please, keep her happy always. I don't want her to be hurt anymore, Hitoshi."

✧ ✧ ✧

A/N: LATE UPDATE BECAUSE MY BODY WAS ACHING FOR SLEEP AND MY BRAIN WAS LIKE NOPE NOPE NOPE BUT ANYWAY, I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER AND STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT ONE!