Your Hand in Mine ((TOGATA X MIDORIYA X OC))

24

Rin arrived at the cafe the next day after Mina's rehearsal just as Dante had instructed.

She held two pieces of paper to her chest as she approached Dante, and returned his smile once he looked up at her.

"Hey," he greeted as she slid into the booth across from him. He eyed the papers in her hands. "How did writing go last night? Do we have anything good?"

"It went... fine, I suppose," she laughed sheepishly, unwilling to admit just how long it took her to finish her task. "I wound up writing two separate pieces... I couldn't make up my mind between the two, so I wanted you to look them over to see what you think."

"That's what I'm here for." Dante grinned, motioning that she hand over her work. She reluctantly did so, nervous.

She watched him look over the songs she had written in silent anticipation whilst fiddling with her fingers under the table. She watched the focused look on his face and the way his sharp brow narrowed as he read, and felt the anxious butterflies turn into a zoo as he slowly hummed.

"Y'know what," he said finally. Rin held her breath when he finally looked back to her. "I think I can make arrangements for both of these. It's easier to get a feel for a song when you hear it out loud, so once I get the background music sorted out for these, I'll have you come over and we can get a live sound for them."

"R-really? Both?" Rin didn't bother hiding her surprise.

"You're musically inclined, I'm not surprised you were able to write two in one sitting," Dante laughed with a grin on his face whilst writing something down on a napkin and handing it to her. "Give me a few days to get everything ready. In the meantime, here's my number. I've got yours from Togata, so once it's all settled, I'll shoot you a text and we can get started on the fun stuff. Sound good?"

"Yeah, that sounds perfect." Rin beamed and briefly clapped her hands in excitement.

"Awesome," Dante laughed whilst putting Rin's songs in his bag. "Something tells me this'll be a great show. I can't wait to see it live."

"Mhm," Rin hummed in agreement. "Me too."

__________

Rin continued to rehearse her steps for the 1-A performance in the courtyard of the dorms later that day. She had Mina's count in her head as she listened to music from the stereo she borrowed from Mina's room. She focused on the sight of the sun slowly sinking beneath the tree line as she moved her body, thinking of this and that, feeling a sense of peace that she had never felt before. It almost didn't feel real; as if her body was playing a trick on her. Before coming to U.A., Rin never even considered what normal life felt like, and now that she knew, she never wanted to let it go.

"You've pretty much got the moves down now, Rin." Deku's voice made Rin trip backwards, but before she could hit the floor, Deku ran forward and caught her from under her arms.

"Deku," she looked up at him, surprised. "You startled me."

"Jeez Rin, I'm sorry," he apologized whilst frantically hoisting her to her feet. She turned to face him whilst fixing her shirt. "I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay?"

"Thanks to you," she smiled at him briefly. "What're you doing out here?"

"Mina told me you were practicing," Deku replied, itching his cheek. "So I thought I'd come say hi."

"Is that all?" Rin asked skeptically, switching off the music on the stereo.

"No, actually," he confessed, seeming surprised that she doubted him. "Uraraka told me what you said to her."