Thankfully for (Y/n), the last lesson finally ended, the bell chiming overhead to signify the end of the day's classes. As soon as the teacher left the class, Katsuki raised his head from his desk, grabbed his bag and exited the class without a single look behind.

(Y/n), seeing this, blew out her cheeks in a relieved sigh as she sank in her seat. Folding her arms over her lap, she peered sightlessly at the open textbook that was on her desk and chewed on the inside of her cheek. Despite the fact that he had left class, she could still feel the awkwardness crush her from inside. It was like a boulder right in the pit of her stomach. Like something wasn't right. No, it was pretty much like the natural balance of the world has been upset.

She really hated that feeling.

"(Y/n)?"

(Y/n) raised her head to look up at the girl standing beside her.

"Are you okay?" Yaoyorozu inquired, concern written all over her face.

No. I wanna crawl into a hole and cry. The (e/c)-eyed girl forced a smile on her face and nodded. "I'm fine."

Yaoyorozu sighed. She was a girl and she was well versed in what 'I'm fine' really meant but since she knew better than to push, especially when the damage was still "fresh", she placed her hand on (Y/n)'s shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. Just relax your mind and don't let it bother you so much. Okay?"

(Y/n)'s eyes flickered to the side and she nodded once more. "Okay."

Yaoyorozu smiled and jerked her thumb in the direction of the door. "Well, I have to get going. I wish I could stay with you and help you get your mind off things but my parents requested I be home early," she took both (Y/n)'s hands in hers. "Will you forgive me?"

(Y/n) shook her head, the forced smile still on her lips. "No need. You go do what you need to do. But thanks anyway."

"Sure," Yaoyorozu said before releasing her hands and bending down to (Y/n)'s level to hug her. (Y/n) remained still for a moment, just simply staring at the nothing over her shoulder. She then sighed and wrapped her arms around the dark-haired girl, hugging her back.

"See you tomorrow?" Yaoyorozu asked while pulling away from her and straightening up.

"Sure. Later," (Y/n) nodded, her forced smile immediately falling the minute Yaoyorozu turned around to head to the class door.

The girl stared at the spot where Yaoyorozu was standing, already zoned out and replaying the incident like she had ever since it happened. When she replayed back Katsuki's words, she was overcome with the feelings of awkwardness and she cringed. She then sat up straight while groaning and smacking her cheeks repeatedly to try and "forget" the thoughts. When the wave of feelings subsided, she sighed and dragged her hands down her face, her guilt-filled conscience dampening her mood once more.

She tilted her head back and scowled at the ceiling. No, I'm not fine. How can I be when I was just the biggest asshole to my friend?

(Y/n) sighed and looked down at the open textbook. Frowning, she slammed it close and bent down to take her bag. She placed it on her desk before rising up from her seat.

"Hey. You okay?"

(Y/n) nodded without looking at the dual-haired while she grabbed her textbook.

Shouto slightly tilted his head at her impassiveness and hooked a finger under her chin, lifting her head up so that she can look at him.

The girl stared back at him, her expression still sullen. The male sighed and cupped her cheek lovingly, his dual-colored eyes boring into her own.

"Don't let it affect you too much," he advised, a soft smile ghosting over his lips.

The girl pulled away from his hand and packed the textbook in her bag. "I'm fine."

Shouto sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Just forget about what that guy said. It doesn't-"

"Will you please not talk about Katsuki right now?" the girl sent him a pointed look and she pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation. "I'm really not in the mood."

Shouto frowned at her words, a bit irked that Katsuki was the reason for her conflicted emotions. (Y/n) shook her head and let her hand fall down, instantly regretting snapping at Shouto.

"I'm sorry," she sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "I'm just...I still can't come to terms with the fact that Katsuki...has...feelings for me..."

As the words were out of her mouth, she grimaced. Saying it felt even more foreign than thinking about it. Accompanied by that was the weird feelings that bubbled up in the pit of her stomach whenever she thought about it.

"And other than that..." she trailed her gaze to the floor. "I still can't help but feel guilty. For hurting him like that. I just wish there was a way I could...make things better or turn back time or-"

"It already happened (Y/n)," Shouto interjected in a monotonous voice.

"I know but-"

"You can't do anything about it. He knew what would happen. It's his own burden to bear not yours."

(Y/n) looked up at the male and frowned. "Jeez, have a little sympathy at least."

Shouto remained unfazed by her comment and kept his usual aloof expression on. "I know he's your friend but he's not mine. Besides, why should I sympathize with the same person who tried to take you away from me in the first place?"

"Okay fine," (Y/n) sighed and shrugged, knowing that there was no changing his mind. She went back to zipping up her bag and slung it over her shoulder before turning back to him. "At least don't rub it in his face or anything."

Shouto arched an eyebrow as the girl continued.

"He's still my friend..." she paused and frowned. "Well, I guess. I'm not sure now. I don't know," she shrugged. "I hope so. But let's just pretend that it didn't happen," she sent him a pleading look. "Please?"

The dual-haired male nodded and took one hand from his pocket to lace it with hers. "Let's. But first, let's go out, take your mind off things."

(Y/n) nodded, plastering a small smile for Shouto, which was instantly returned.

They began exiting the class, being the only ones who were left as the others had already gone home.

"So, where are we going?" the girl questioned, deciding to push away the undesirable events from earlier to the back of her mind.

"Where would you like to go?"

"Anywhere that I can eat and eat and eat," she grinned. "I'm so hungry I could eat a whole horse."

"Well, I'm not stopping you," the male said in jest, earning a playful push from the girl.

"You're so mean," she giggled while shaking her head at him.

Shouto smiled, thankful that her previous grave aura was gone. Little did he know that (Y/n) was actually pushing herself to smile when in reality, all she wanted to do was lie down and think. Not that she was holding anything against Shouto but the fact was that she still wanted time to process whatever had happened.

To some, it may not seem like such a big deal but it dealt a huge blow to her. She needed time until reality sank in.

But here she was, accepting Shouto's invitation. But maybe that's what she really needed right now.

A distraction.

***

"Thanks for that, Shouto."

"No need to thank me," the dual-haired male smiled at the girl and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, bringing her closer to place a kiss on top of her head.

(Y/n) giggled, feeling warm and fluttery inside. She was never one to shy away from PDA and she was wasn't going to start any time soon.

After having that early dinner and spending more time just talking about random things, she had somehow managed to keep off thinking about the confession.

It was almost night, having spent a lot of time at the restaurant and at that moment, Shouto was escorting the girl home.

Shouto unwrapped his arm from around her and intertwined his fingers with hers as they walked in a comfortable silence. (Y/n) took the opportunity to hum as she looked around the lit up streets, literally at anything to keep her mind occupied. Meanwhile, Shouto would keep glancing at her, observing to see any change of expression or mood. Fortunately, there was none.

The two arrived at (Y/n)'s doorstep and Shouto turned to the girl. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

The girl pouted and fisted his school jacket. "Please stay."

Shouto's eyes widened slightly. "What?"

"Please. I just need a distraction tonight," she begged while looking up at him with pleading eyes.

Shouto tilted his head a bit. "It's a school night. You sure?"

(Y/n) nodded firmly, a smile appearing on her lips when Shoto sighed and accepted her request.

She let go of his jacket and knocked on the door.

"Coming!!" Nanami's voice called out from inside as hasted footfall approached the door before opening it.

"(Y/n)! And you brought Shouto with you!" the woman's face lit up and she wrapped her hands around the surprised boy. "I haven't seen you in a while."

(Y/n), who had moved out of the way to give way to the woman, offered the male an apologetic look.

Shouto looked lost for words as he awkwardly patted Nanami's back. (Y/n) chuckled and turned to head inside. Nanami finally let go of the dazed boy and turned to the girl removing her shoes.

"You're home late. How come?"

(Y/n) straightened up and shrugged. "Just went out to eat."

Nanami's smile fell. "And I just made dinner..."

(Y/n) flashed her a peace sign and grabbed Shouto's hand, who had also taken off his shoes and pulled him into the living room.

Nanami shook her head and returned to the kitchen, all the while grumbling about what a waste it was to cook only to have to store it until the next day.

(Y/n) pushed the male onto the sofa, confusing him at her sudden hurried state.

"Is something wrong?" he questioned her as she sat next to him, grabbed the remote from the table and turned the TV on.

"Just remembered that my show has a marathon tonight," she muttered while changing the channels to a specific one as she mentally prayed that it hadn't started.

"What time is it?"

Shouto glanced at the clock on the wall and back to the girl. "Six forty-five."

She sighed, landing on the specific channel she was looking for only to find that it hadn't started yet.

"Thank fuck..." she cursed under her breath, slightly turning up the volume and tossing the remote back onto the table.

"I still don't get how you're obsessed with this show," Shouto leaned back in the sofa.

(Y/n) looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Are you kidding me? Genesis of Anarchy is the bread of life. You're the one missing out."

Shouto smiled slightly at her. "Yet, you're the only one in class who watches it."

"No, I'm not," she scoffed. "Kats- I'm sure there's someone else probably too shy to admit it."

Close one...

Her little mishap though, did not go unnoticed by Shouto, who simply stared at the girl who avoided his eyes.

"Anyways," she abruptly stood up. "Lemme go change. I'll be back."

Shouto nodded and (Y/n) sprinted off to her room. Within the confines of her chamber, she let out an exhausted sigh. Her hand automatically went to her school jacket pocket to fish out her phone, only to remember that it was in her bag downstairs. She groaned and strode over to her closet to take out her clothes.

(Y/n) changed into a simple tank top and leggings before re-tying her unruly hair back into a ponytail. She left her room and went back downstairs.

She found Shouto lying back, his legs propped up onto the sofa as he crossed his arms behind his head. (Y/n) smiled upon seeing him and shook her head.

Look at him. Taking the phrase 'make yourself at home' to the next level... (Y/n) thought in hilarity as she took her phone from her bag.

She walked over to Shouto and move to lie on top of him, with her head laid on top of his chest. She pillowed her chin on top of her hands and smiled up at him.

"You look comfortable," she commented.

"You always made me lie in this position whenever you wanted to watch something with me," he said. "I just assumed the position as usual."

(Y/n) chuckled and shifted herself forward to peck his lips. She pulled back and laid her head back on his chest, head turned towards the TV.

"Don't sleep on me now," she smiled, her eyes glued to the starting show.

"Can't say I won't," Shouto sighed as he trailing his uninterested eyes to the TV.

***

(Y/n) broke into laughter as she continued watching the show. She was already in the second episode and already she couldn't get enough.

Shouto had fallen asleep twenty minutes into the first episode, the day's exhausting activities along with the fight catching up to him. He, however, remained undisturbed by (Y/n)'s fits of laughter. He was a really heavy sleeper.

(Y/n) wiped the tears that streamed down her cheeks from joy and sat up on her haunches. She grabbed her phone and opened up the message up to compose a text.

Her smile then immediately faltered as her fingers hovered over the virtual keyboard. The happy glint that was in her eyes faded away as the thoughts she had successfully managed to suppress flooded back.

"Oh...yeah..." she muttered softly under her breath as she exited the message app. Her (e/c) eyes fell on the phone charm swaying from the movement, its shiny surface glistening a bit.

Her fingers brushed against the letter 'K' and she pursed her lips.

The familiar pang of guilt hit her chest but it wasn't as strong as it was before. Though, it was still enough to dampen her mood.

She sighed and laid back on the sleeping Shouto's chest, her eyes still glued onto the charm. She slightly shook her phone, making the charm swinging wildly back and forth. Her mouth twitched as she watched it.

(Y/n) placed the phone down back on the table and went back to watching the show she had momentarily forgotten about. She wondered if he was watching it just like he said he would. She wished she could ask him but she doubted that he wanted to talk to her. Besides, even if she did talk to him, what would she say? She still felt awkward even by simply thinking about it.

But still, that didn't stop her from wondering if he was okay.

***

Shouto spent the night over much to (Y/n)'s relief. She wasn't willing to spend the night alone, even if Shouto spent three-quarters of the night sleeping. Said boy left early in the morning for his home to change, also promising that he'd pass by to walk (Y/n) to school much to her resistance.

(Y/n) dragged her feet to the kitchen, dressed in her uniform and looking like hell with purple bags under her eyes. She rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand, yawning as she propped herself on the counter chair.

"You look like a lovely ray of sunshine," Nanami beamed at the lethargic girl sarcastically and placed (Y/n)'s plate and a cup of tea in front of the girl.

A bitter laugh escaped the girl's lips as she stared at her egg and toast with indifference. With a sigh, she picked up her fork and dug in.

Nanami folded her arms over the marble counter and smirked slyly. "Didn't get any sleep?"

(Y/n) reached for her cup while shaking her head. "Not that kind. I had a lot on my mind."

The woman knitted her eyebrows together in concern. "About what?"

The girl took a sip of her tea before continuing to chew her food, all the while contemplating on whether to tell her or not. Deciding on telling her, she swallowed and placed the cup back down.

"Okay," she began. "What would you do if a really good friend of yours confessed their feelings to you but you didn't return their feelings back?"

Nanami fell silent momentarily as she pursed her lips in thought. She then let out a hum and shrugged. "Just tell him the truth but try to maintain the friendship, I guess. Why?"

(Y/n) sighed wearily. "Coz, Katsuki did. Remember him?"

Nanami's eyes widened as her lips parted in an 'oh'. Her eyes fell on (Y/n)'s plate and she shook her head. "That poor, little angry boy," she sent her a curious look. "How did he take it? Not good, I'm guessing."

She scoffed. "Not good? He took it horribly!" she turned her dejected gaze down to her plate and pushed around a piece of egg with her fork. "He looked so...hurt..."

"Well honey, of course, he'd look hurt. You did break his heart."

(Y/n) narrowed her eyes at Nanami. "Could you not. I already feel terrible as it is."

Nanami thinned her lips into a straight line and nodded in apology.

"So what now?"

(Y/n) pulled her lips into a pout, her shoulders sagging. "Can I skip school today?"

"Because of that? No," Nanami declined instantly, her expression turning hard.

"Please. I don't think I can see him again like that," the girl whined. "He sits just next to me. You can't do this to me."

Nanami sighed and gently placed a comforting hand on hers. She smiled at her. "You can't avoid him forever, dear."

"But I can avoid him today," (Y/n) mumbled, still hopeful that Nanami would accept her request.

"Think about this, if he shows up today and you don't, how do you think he'll feel? Hmm? Like shit, if you ask me," Nanami explained, gently patting (Y/n)'s hands.

The corner of (Y/n)'s lips twitched at her aunt's cuss but nodded nonetheless in understanding.

"And also that'll only show that you're a coward and can't face your feelings," the woman added, earning a defeated groan from (Y/n).

"Why do you always have to be right?" the girl scowled at her food and stabbed at her toast.

"Because I'm the adult," Nanami smiled, pushing off the counter to go back to her work. "Now finish your breakfast and get your guilty little ass to school."

(Y/n) wilted in her seat, her stomach twisting in dread at the mention of school. Her lips curled in distaste as she turned back to finish her food. After she was done, she hopped off the chair and trudged back to her room, a frown still on her lips.

She really didn't want to go.

She really didn't want to see him.

***