Darkest Shade of Blue- Tamaki X OC

Chapter Three

Friday was a weird day. It had started out normal enough. Tamaki woke up to his alarm two hours before school started. He took a shower before getting dressed into his UA uniform and shuffling into the kitchen to eat whatever breakfast his mom had prepared before she left to catch the early train for work. He brushed his teeth, double checked the contents of his bag for the day, then slipped on his shoes and headed out the door.

His walk to the station was perfectly normal. He kept his eyes trained to his shoes—if he couldn't see their faces, it was easier to pretend the strangers around him didn't exist, and weren't silently judging him. He chose the emptiest car he could find and tucked himself into the corner away from the other early morning patrons, content to read over his homework until the train arrived at the station near the school.

Everything was perfectly normal until he exited the train station. A brilliant flash of silver caught his eye. He glanced over, and there was Ume. It wasn't strange to see her at the station in the morning. Usually, she was at school before him. He assumed her usual train arrived before his, so unless she was running late, he wasn't likely to see her until he entered the school. So, no. It wasn't weird to see Ume at the train station before school. What was weird was that she was walking towards him and smiling.

Instantly, he felt his cheeks flush and drew his shoulders up to his ears as he glanced around, looking for anyone else she could be headed towards.

Not me, surely. Why would she be smiling like that and walking towards me ?

"Good morning, Tamaki," she called once she was within speaking distance, giving him a small wave.

He simply stared at her, feeling his blush creep towards the tips of his pointed ears. He watched as her smile fell, and she stopped a few feet short of him.

Say something, idiot! Don't just stand here. Answer her!

"U-Ume..." he choked out stupidly.

Her lips quirked back up in the tiniest of smiles, and he could see just one little wrinkle disturbing the freckles on her nose.

"Do you mind if we walk together?" she asked, and he shook his head silently. "I must've forgotten to set my alarm last night. I didn't even have time to eat breakfast!"

Tamaki pulled his bag around to his side and fumbled around inside it as they began walking towards UA. He pulled out a protein bar and held it out to Ume, nudging her arm gently when she didn't notice. Her cheeks flushed when she looked down at the proffered snack.

"Oh, no!" she implored, staring up at him with wide eyes. "I couldn't. It's not your fault I was running late!"

"I-I want you to h-have it," Tamaki mumbled, nudging her arm again.

She took the protein bar, turning it in her hands a few times before tearing it open. She glanced back over at him and he thought his heart was going to escape from the cage of his ribs when she gifted him with a full smile.

"You're really sweet."

There was no doubt that he was red from head to toe, and he fought the urge to pull his collar away from his neck.

The rest of their walk was silent. Ume was eating the protein bar—the peanut butter flavor he had presented her with was her favorite, evidently—while Tamaki fought his raging blush and panicking heart.

He had finally managed to wrestle his heart back into its cage and fought his blush back down when they entered the front doors of the school. Tamaki hadn't thought it through, and he wasn't prepared for what ensued.