Darkest Shade of Blue- Tamaki X OC

Chapter Two

"So, how did it go after we left?" Mirio questioned curiously the next morning at the shoe lockers.

Tamaki grunted, shrugging his shoulders and attempting to hide the blush he felt creeping up his neck. Did Mirio really have to start in on him so early? He was so damned tired, and he wondered briefly, as he adjusted the bottom hem of his pants, if Ume had had as much trouble sleeping last night as he had.

Probably not , he admonished himself. Just because it had been an important day for me, didn't mean someone like her would feel the same way. That was wishful thinking—to believe that someone like me would make the same impact on a girl like that.

As if his thoughts had summoned her, when he stood back up, she was there. All radiant smiles and shining pink eyes, her hair gleaming like silver silk in the early morning sun. The very definition of bright eyed and bushy tailed.

No , he thought sourly. Definitely not important .

"Good morning, Tamaki," she greeted lightly, brushing by him on her way to her own shoe locker a few rows down. "Mirio," she added, throwing a grin to the duo over her shoulder before disappearing around the corner.

"Good morning, Tamaki!" Mirio exclaimed in a horrible impression of their silver-haired classmate. "So you're on to given names now?"

Tamaki groaned and shoved his head into his locker, desperate to escape but knowing it was useless. Mirio was relentless. He had been hounding Tamaki to talk to Ume since the beginning of their first year, when he had realized that his friend had a crush.

"Dude, this is a good thing!" Mirio assured the anxious boy, hauling him out of his locker by his shirt collar. "I know you like to think otherwise, but social interaction with people other than me and Neji is good for you!"

Tamaki slumped along, allowing his friend to drag him towards homeroom while he moped.

"What's good for our little kitten?" Nejire asked inquisitively as she caught up to them halfway down the hallway.

"Ume and Tamaki are on given name basis, now!" Mirio practically shouted, dragging his friend forward to clap him on the back as if he had won a prestigious award.

"Oh, really?!" Nejire squealed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Are you going to ask her out? I bet she likes udon! There's that place down by the train station that has great noodles and they have mochi! We already know she likes mochi! I can ask-"

"Can you guys k-keep it down?" Tamaki choked out, gripping the strap of his bag and hunkering back down into his shoulders as he glanced around. "Please?"

Nejire pouted. "Sorry, Tamaki. I'm just excited for you."

Tamaki wanted to melt into the tile floor beneath his feet. He knew his friends meant well, but that ball of self-doubt that had made its home in his chest kept him from appreciating it.

They're making a big deal out of nothing. Ume is just a nice person, it's not like she likes me back.

Classes were especially difficult for Tamaki that day. He was usually able to resist the temptation of looking over towards the window and the shimmering curtain of silver silk that beckoned to him. But after finally interacting with Ume the day before, he was finding it more difficult to ignore the unconscious shift of his gaze.

She knew he was an anxious person. How could she not with an amazing quirk like hers? And she had gone out of her way to make him feel better, even bending rules to do so.

A memory popped into his head as he continued to struggle to keep his gaze from wandering. It was during their first few weeks at UA, before he really knew Ume at all. Despite that, there had been something about her that drew him in. Maybe it was her bold words, or maybe it was just her . Either way, he could remember every word from that day and the shy, cute smile on her delicate face as she presented them with her hero name for the first time.