🌸Before you Read🌸

🌸There may be a question as to what happened in this chapter...more to come to that at the end and what I think was going on behind the scenes.

🌸Last crack ship in full bloom y'all!! Enjoy!!

🌸Lovestruck🌸

Aida had one job. It wasn't even a hard one, but seeing how Raiden threw Akiba like a sack of potatoes on top of Kita, I knew he screwed it up on purpose.

To think I had wasted 1000 yen on this‽ My request wasn't even that hard! All he had to do was make Raiden fall for Tami, or vice versa. At this point, I didn't care how it happened! One of them just needed to own up to their own feelings and confess. If they didn't, I was going to go insane.

"I told you this was a bad idea," Mori muttered once Raiden had dragged Tami across the hall, withdrawing his wing, so I could see them.

Part of me wanted to say it was successful, but seeing how wide Tami's brown eyes were and the scowl that was planted on Raiden's face when they passed by, I knew it was anything but. It was times like these I could see why people were so shocked when I said they were meant for each other. Raiden was so intimidating, which was so different from Tami who was so innocent and pure. Then again, it was kind of hard to picture her with anyone because no one wanted to see her heart break.

But those two were perfect for each other. The fact that he didn't just use his Quirk to throw Mori out of the way just so he could beat the shit out of me, was a testimony to that. I knew Raiden would love nothing more than that. After all, he was a different person when Tami wasn't around, but he held back just for her. Ever since those two started training together, the more I started to realize he'd hold back even if she wasn't there.

Tami brought the best out of Raiden, and likewise, I noticed Tami becoming more confident in herself. The way she was handling Akiba when she was alone with him was enough to tell that. She would've been so flustered otherwise, especially knowing that she didn't know him that well. I mean, none of us really knew Akiba. He just sort of hung around, but then again, he did so because of how close he could get close to Kita.

Kita.

I didn't realize it until that moment that Mori was no longer standing in front of me. He was standing at the edge of the hallway, not bothering to give me a second glance. Mori didn't peek into the other hallway either, but he did keep his ear pressed to the hallway, almost as if he was listening in on Akiba and Kita's conversation.

Just how much did I hurt Mori by trying to set up Raiden and Tami? Honestly, I didn't want to know. He had to watch and listen to Akiba flirt with Tami, only to be woken up from his trance when Raiden threw him over towards Kita. Being that both of them snapped out of it at that very moment, it just confirmed his biggest fear. It wasn't one sided; Akiba and Kita really did like each other.

My teeth tugged my bottom lip as I closed my eyes. If anything, I needed to walk away before I got hurt...again. This was one of the many reasons why I didn't want to fall in love myself. While I loved seeing other people fall in love, I had a bad feeling that the moment I let myself do the same, it'd be game over.

Besides, it wasn't like I was warding off Mori forever. This was just temporary. Like Mori said, if we still had feelings for each other after high school, then we'd try to make this thing work. We just would have to see what would happen then.

Mori didn't even seem to realize I walked away. As I looked back, he was still standing at the edge of the hallway, listening to Kita and Akiba's conversation.

Must be nice having ears that could hear everything, I thought to myself as I turned my head and tucked my hands into the pockets of my jeans. As much as I should have pulled him away, he had a point. This whole idea was a bad one. I screwed everything up. If anything, I might have pushed Kita and Akiba closer together, but the odds of that happening were still slim. Even if that happened, I'd break Mori's heart by doing it. While I thought Kita and Akiba would make a cute couple, I didn't want it to come at the cost of Mori's happiness.

Why did love have to be so complicated? I continued to think to myself. No. No more thinking about that. My internship was just over a year away. I needed to concentrate on my training and fashion much more than that. What I needed—

I never finished that thought as I felt something stabbing my arm. My right hand quickly slapped whatever hit it, but there was nothing. No fly, no mosquito, nothing. I blinked a couple of times, but my vision just started to get more hazy.

Maybe I was just tired, I thought to myself as I tried to continue walking out of the hallway. The moment I took another step, I felt gravity pulling me. I tried stabilizing myself by whipping my vine out of my wrist, but I wasn't even sure where the vine went, if it even went anywhere. My vision was too blurred for that, and being that I couldn't see what I was doing for a split moment, I squealed.

That squeal was much more shrill than I ever wished it could be.

"Sakura!" a male's voice cried out as I felt a hand clasp onto my shoulder. I turned back to see a dark face emerge from the fog. After blinking a couple of times, I could see Mori kneeling beside me, grabbing me by the shoulders and pulling me up into a seated position. "Are you okay?"

I glanced down, forgetting everything for a moment. A pool of blood started to form on the ground that I had to look up at where the source was coming from. My lips pressed together as I saw the prickly vine retreading back into my wrist. That wasn't why I frowned. The vine had penetrated through my purple sweater, ruining it.

Of all the things Mori could have seen, he had to see me make a fool of myself? I carefully covered the wound up, feeling the burning sensation underneath my hand.

Was it too much to ask to act cool around him? I felt like I always made mistakes around him. If it was anyone else, they would seem chill, calm, and collected with this guy, but every time I was around him, I just felt my heart beating out of my chest. Even now, I could feel my face flushing that I had to do anything and everything to avoid eye contact. I'd never say that around him. Not when that wasn't his type. Mori liked more confident girls, girls who were strong. While I had the confidence part down, I don't think I could ever come close to Kita's strength.

"I'm fine," I told him. "Just lost my footing for a moment."

Bet Kita would never have that problem, I thought to myself.

Something wrapped around my arm and pulled it. My eyes widened as I looked up to see Mori's head tilted down as he carefully pushed my hand off my wrist and examined the blood starting to pour from my hand. I didn't mean to summon a thorny vine, but I fell so quickly that I didn't really concentrate on what was going on. Because of that, I landed on the thorns way too hard.

While Mori examined my wrist, I looked up at his pointed ears that were tucked under his beanie. I never understood why he kept them hidden when he could. His ears were what made him Mori. Well, not really. It was just the way he was so kind that made him who he was. I just wish he had more confidence in himself, especially since he shouldn't have been ashamed of his ears. Honestly, they complimented his messy hair.

Mori opened his mouth to say something, but I didn't pay any attention. With my free hand, I grabbed his beanie and tore it off his head.

"Hey! Give that back," he cried as he held out his hand, almost expecting me to give up his beanie so easily.

I shook my head. "Why? You don't wear beanies correctly. If you did, you wouldn't be covering your ears with them," I told him.

The boy didn't seem happy with my answer as he quickly attempted to snatch his red colored beanie back, but it was not use as I pulled it behind my back. I lowered my gaze to his eyes, noticing something that seemed a bit odd about them.

Whatever the look was, I didn't like it.

"Just give it back," Mori whispered.

"But Mori, you look so handsome with your ears showing," I told him. "You shouldn't hide them, especially since they're what makes you, you."

But Mori seemed to think otherwise as he tore his gaze away from mine. "Yeah, well, not many people think that. They see them, my wings, and my tail and think I'm part of some circus freak show."

"That's not true. You're nothing even close to that. Besides, I love your bat-like features," I honestly told him. "They remind me of the bats that come to my moms' garden to help out. If anything, your Quirk just shows off how good of a person you are. People are blind if they can't see that."

It was true. Bats were amazing creatures, especially in my moms' garden. I just hope Mori didn't ask how though because I don't think he'd like the fact that bats helped by killing insects and other pests all without damaging the garden like a lot of insect killers would.

Mori snapped his head towards me. His eyes widened a bit as they did. But I didn't give him time to say anything as I dropped his beanie behind me and repositioned myself, so I sat on my knees, facing him. Once I was in a more comfortable position, I reached my good hand behind his head and carefully threaded it through his long locks. Part of me was surprised how soft his hair was, but I tried not to show it as I just stared into his dark gray eyes.

"You're not scary," I told him. "You're perfect just the way you are."

I noticed the boy's eyes trailing down to my lips that I didn't hesitate any longer. My eyes fluttered shut as I pushed myself closer to him. So what if he liked Kita? If that girl was the reason he was so self-conscious about himself, then she didn't deserve him. He needed to forget about her if that was the case.

Screw that deal we made about waiting. I couldn't explain why, but every fiber in my body needed Mori. Foxglove could find a different intern. I was certain I'd find some way to be a Pro Hero and a fashion designer, even if I didn't study under her during my third year of high school.

Right now, I wanted Mori. No. I needed him more than ever at that moment, and I wasn't going to question why. Feeling his lips press against mine was all I could ever want. I ignored the stinging sensation pulsing through my hand as I brushed my fingers through his hair, holding him close. The boy didn't seem to hesitate as I felt his arms reach behind my back, pulling me closer to him until there was no space between us. Feeling him so close to me felt right, like this was what I was meant to be doing.

Feeling how good everything was going, I tried to push deeper into the kiss. It just didn't happen. The moment I felt my lips move against his, Mori pushed away from me. My eyes peeled open to see him sitting beside me, no longer sitting so close to me as were just moments ago. His right index finger brushed over his lips for a moment, almost as if he was wondering if the entire thing was a dream.

"Did I take things too far?" I asked. "I'm sorry if I misread the room here. I just thought—"

"It's not that," Mori grumbled, taking me off guard. I looked in his dark gray eyes for a moment, seeing a flash of annoyance in them. Seeing that look made my heart drop.

Maybe I pushed things too far, I thought. Gosh, why was love so hard?

Love? Did...did Mori even like me that way, or was what he felt about me was just some crush? Maybe I read the entire situation wrong. Maybe I was the mere crush and Kita was the one he truly had feelings for. Honestly, I didn't want to think about it further that I just sighed. Part of me wanted to leave, but all at the same time, I felt as if I'd be lost without him.

His hand brushed over mine. I glanced down, noticing his long fingers slowly intertwining with mine. My lips twitched into a smile, knowing I didn't offend him completely. I mean, I couldn't if he was willing to hold my hand. That counted for something right?

"You didn't do anything wrong," Mori explained. "I just don't want you doing anything you'd regret later on."

I lifted my head after he said that. "Trust me, I won't."

"You will," Mori said as he stood up, helping me back to my feet. "You're not going to remember anything that happens, and I don't want to do anything while you're like this."

"What do you mean I'm not going to remember anything," I asked, genuinely confused. "You're a memorable person, Mori. There's no way I would've given my first kiss to someone I'd just simply forget."

Mori opened his mouth to say something, but I didn't give him the chance to do that. Instead, I let go of his hand and grabbed his beanie that was laying on the floor. When I turned around, I quickly grabbed the collar of his shirt to lower his head closer to mine. I wasn't going to go in for him to say anything else as I pulled his beanie back on top of his head. My fingers slipped through his thick hair that was much softer than one would expect, placing them in places that made the beanie look much more natural on his head.

More importantly, it allowed his ears to poke out from underneath.

"There," I told him. "I wish you could see how handsome you are. Maybe then you wouldn't be so hard on yourself and say that you're forgettable. You're not. I just wish I could be lucky enough to be by your side all the time."

A crimson blush brushed over Mori's dark cheeks as his wings ruffled a bit. I couldn't help but smile at his shy actions. It was times like these I really did wish he could see how handsome he was. Honestly, I wish everyone could.

My eyes glanced over at his wings for a moment. How could people be so terrified of him? His wings were just so sleek. They weren't terrifying at all. Even with him just standing there, anyone could tell how strong they were. His wings would have to be when he was strong enough to carry other people.

There was nothing I wanted more than another flight, but I didn't want to push Mori to where he was uncomfortable. I also didn't want to leave his side either.

"Do you want to go out for a walk?" Mori asked. "I think you could use some fresh air."

I didn't hesitate to grab his hand and pull in close to Mori. My head rested on his arm as we walked out of the building we were in.

Sadly, Mori was the only person to ever have any memory that this happened, but while that was the case, I was just happy I could be by his side without having to worry about what could happen to us next.

🌸The End🌸

🌸So, what happened? If you couldn't tell, Sakura was, indeed, struck by Aida's Cupid Quirk. This was the only one that Aida had planned unlike the other ones.

🌸See...Sakura may not know everyone, but everyone sure does know Sakura. Seeing how he witnessed what Sakura did to get him to use his Quirk, I'd say he was afraid she'd come right after him after two failed attempts of trying to help her get Tami and Raiden together, so he used his Quirk on her as a distraction, and ran.

🌸I would think he did make an honest mistake as to whom Raiden and Tami were because at first, she would've told them they'd be the only people close to the gym. Who was there? Tami and Akiba. With those two gone, she would've told him that wasn't even close to Raiden, as he was muscular, tall, and just so different from Akiba. She wouldn't have noticed that Tami left that she would've pulled the door open and forced the boy to use his Quirk. Aida, Sakura, and Mori would've waited out of the door when he would've heard Kita's voice on the other side...which would've made Sakura upset, finding Tami and Akiba to try and fix things.

🌸There you have it! End of the story! Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to share what you liked about this story!

🌸Character Spotlight: Hiroto Mori🌸
Book: Kita's Legacy
Likes: Strawberries

🌸Character Spotlight: Sakura Sakai🌸
Book: What Makes a Villain
Likes: Mint Ice Cream

Song: My Dearest by Animenz Piano Sheets (at least, by my understanding, the youtuber created the arrangement).