Infectious

ch. 53

Chapter Fifty Three;;-

Some time later, the two dragged themselves back to the hotel and buried themselves in their respective sheets, both almost immediately falling asleep.

[name] woke first when the sun managed to worm through the blanket she had pulled over her head. It was about ten o'clock, she realized as she ran a tired hand through her messy hair. Four hours of sleep wasn't bad for her, but she wondered if Aizawa would be waking up any time soon.

She slipped out from her covers, immediately cringing at the sight of her reflection in the wall mirror that was next to the dresser where she had dropped her suitcase off. Peeking into Aizawa's room through their connected doors, [name] saw him still sleeping soundly in his bed with one arm thrown over his face. As quietly as she could to avoid waking him, she gathered her toiletries and clothes from her suitcase and tiptoed into the bathroom.

Unusually enough for her, [name] took her time getting ready. She washed her face, put on the light touches of makeup she usually did to cover the dark circles under her eyes, attempted to tame her hair into something presentable, and brushed her teeth before pulling on her casual clothes for the day-- only a t-shirt and blue jeans, she didn't actually own many casual clothes since she spent so much time in her hero costume.

While she dressed, her mind returned to the night prior. It was a bit embarrassing, actually. She felt so out of sorts, but was that really an excuse to drag Aizawa around to nowhere in particular, then watch the sunrise from her shitty childhood treehouse?

Even if it was embarrassing though, it really did help her sort out her thoughts. Seeing all the places she remembered from her bumpy adolescence... it made her really appreciate what she had now. [name] had friends, her students that she adored, and someone she could genuinely say she held true, fond feelings for. It was new and exciting for her, as pathetic as it sounded to say at 28, but [name] was happy where she was in all of its new and exciting glory.

And she was sure it wouldn't have been nearly as smooth as it had last night if Aizawa hadn't been there.

[name] hadn't really thought about her feelings for him since she sorta confessed them. She knew they were there—evident by the comfort and safety she felt in his presence, despite hearing that for most people it was the opposite feeling[1]—but they simply didn't bother her. Being friends and being able to be near him as much as she could was more than enough for her.

He was an emotional support for her, but she wasn't under any impression that she needed him. She was an independent person. His support was appreciated, but not necessary.

And-- today was the wedding. It started rather late in the afternoon, so there was plenty of time for [name] to think about everything that could go wrong. A bit selfishly, she hoped that Aizawa would wake up soon so that she could invite him out to do something instead of sitting around and worrying.

As if on cue, as [name] left the bathroom, she immediately met eyes with Aizawa. He had poked his head through the connected doorway between their rooms as she exited with her arms full of her folded clothes from the night before.

"Oh, there you are," he murmured, his voice still gruff from sleep. Aizawa ran a hand through his hair, looking away.

Why did he seem bashful? Was he worried when he couldn't find her or something?

"Here I am," [name] confirmed, going to her suitcase and crouching to put away the things she had taken out.

Aizawa retreated a step back into his room. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants (his pajama pants had pockets? Was that weird or was he wearing real pants to bed?) and glanced over at the clock. "It's today, huh?"

[name]'s hands paused as she put stuff away, seeing the fabric of the clothes for the wedding. "It's tonight." She dropped onto her butt from the crouching position, slumping her shoulders as anxiety swarmed in her stomach.

Quiet, nearly inaudible footsteps padded up to [name]. She was about to turn around and look to see what Aizawa was doing, but before she could, a heavy hand landed on top of her head. Aizawa rubbed her hair comfortingly and [name]'s cheeks quickly grew hot.

She felt like she was a kid again, with some trusted adult assuring her she would do fine in whatever she was fretting about. But Aizawa didn't speak. He just patted her hair gently and the worry vanished. A moment passed in silence, [name] leaning back slightly on Aizawa's hand until he hesitantly removed it.

"I'm going to go get ready now..." The footsteps returned and eventually vanished as Aizawa went into the bathroom.

[name], a bit embarrassed, fell back onto the floor and covered her face with her hands.

a/n: this is so, embarrassingly short but its kinda just to put some space in between last chapter's shit and the shit coming

i hope u all have a great week and work hard in school since it'll be the end of the semester soon ok sweetie i love you