Assassination Classroom x Reader | One Shots | (Seven Minutes in Heaven)

13. Tadaomi Karasuma (Part 2)

Continuation of Part 9

"You're what?!" Koro-sensei's voice attains a comically high pitch, making me want to laugh and wince at the same time.

"I'm quitting," I say evenly and firmly, staring him straight in the eyes.

"But...why?" he asks. He is clearly unsettled by my sudden announcement, his tentacles waving wildly in the air.

There are a lot of answers to choose from. Because I'm stupid. Because I feel so hopeless here. Because I don't think I'll be able to stand another moment with Karasuma by my side. Because I hate how my eyes always turn to him as my mind is invaded by flashbacks of a certain kiss at a party a few weeks back. Because I'm starting to feel this thing that might be love and it's scaring me. "Because it's what I do as an assassin. I shouldn't have ever allowed myself to stay at one job for so long," is what I say. Koro-sensei finally calms down. Finally. I send a prayer of thanks to the gods that I hadn't been accidentally struck and killed with one of his high speed tentacles. Though, the way I feel, it might've been better if he had.

"I see. That's reasonable," Koro-sensei says. I nod, a little too enthusiastically, glad that my excuse was at least a good one. "Have you talked to Mr. Karasuma yet? He's the one who manages the faculty." I don't flinch at his name, thank God.

"No, I haven't told Karasuma yet. I wanted to let you know first," I say.

Koro-sensei pauses and looks hard at me. I remind myself that despite his looks, he does have an IQ that's probably higher than mine and most other people who work here, and I pray he doesn't read right through me.

"Are you sure you want to leave, Ms. L/N?" he asks finally. "You're a valued member of the community here."

I can't help but feel a little sick. I work hard to keep my gaze on him, saying, "Yes, I'm sure. This is something I've thought about for a while."

"Alright," he says, his voice resigned. "You should probably tell Mr. Karasuma as soon as possible. Unless you don't want to, of course," he adds, his voice lifting hopefully at the end. I almost reconsider. Maybe I can just make it through the year, I think, and just avoid him as much as possible.

"Tell me what?" an all too familiar voice asks. I resist the urge to sigh, irritated. Of course. Of course he has to walk in now. At least it gives me no choice; I have to resign now. It must be fate, I decide. I'm meant to leave this place. My chest squeezes. I'm meant to leave him.

"I'm quitting," I blurt out, before I even turn around to face him. Koro-sensei's head tilts to an angle as he looks at me, puzzled. Whoops.

"Oh, I see," Karasuma says. Pressing my lips together as a sudden flash of inexplicable anger courses through me, I turn around and brush past him, staring hard at the floor. I stop myself from storming out of the building and making myself look like a fool, stopping in the hallway and waiting for Mr. Karasuma. He doesn't keep me waiting for long.

"Ms. L/N," he says from behind me. I turn around, keeping myself under control, and meet his eyes.

"Yes?"

"Let's talk in my office," he says before turning and walking toward the room down the hallway. I quickly follow him and hope to get this over with soon.

The room is empty and cramped, forcing me to be closer to him. Karasuma watches me closely as I shift uncomfortably. I feel like squirming under his gaze, but I force myself to stay still. It'll be over soon, I remind myself, and then I'll be free and everything will go back to normal. My stupid heart will go back to normal. It has to.

"Would you mind telling me why you'd like to leave?" he asks, as if he doesn't remember the kiss we shared, as if he doesn't remember cutting it off himself. Wow. He really is dense. I tell him the same excuse I told Koro-sensei.

"Really," Karasuma says, something in his tone sounding unconvinced. Maybe he isn't so dense after all. Still, I feel the need to convince him of everything but the truth.

"Yeah, you said so yourself, remember? At the party?" I hate mentioning that cursed party.

He nods. "Yeah, I remember." I swallow.

"You were right, I think. I've been here for too long." And I've been poisoned because of it.

"Is that really why you're leaving, though?" he asks skeptically. I bite down hard on the inside of my cheek, anything to keep me from snapping at him, from ruining my chances of leaving this godawful place.

It doesn't work. "Last time you asked me why I was staying, now you're asking me why I'm leaving! You're so confusing!" I snap at him. Whoops again. Karasuma looks at me with uncertainty in his eyes, as if he's struggling with something.

"Just...make up your mind," I say quietly, no longer talking about what I was before. Maybe he knows it too. Karasuma stares down at me, his eyes widened by a fraction.

Does he even remember the kiss we shared? It's burned in the back of my mind, appearing whenever I'm with him. Every time I get some time to think, it just blazes in the back of my eyes, turning my thoughts to places I don't want it to go. I want to forget it so bad, but at the same time, it's too precious. It's unforgettable, but I guess that's just me, and that's exactly why I have to leave.

"I'm sorry, Ms. L/N," Mr. Karasuma says, thankfully breaking into my thoughts. "It appears that I gave you the wrong idea at the party."

My heart seems to explode and break into a million pieces. The wrong idea. He's referring to the kiss; he must be. I mean, I already knew it wasn't that important, not to him, but I'm starting to feel foolish, my cheeks heating up. I feel a warm hand on my chin. Karasuma tilts my head up, making me look at him. I feel my insides shiver and turn cold. What...? He leans forward but stops with his face a few inches from mine. A feeling sweeps through me then, and I know that all I've wanted these past few weeks, and from even before the kiss happened, was him. Just to be like this, but when it happens in my mind, it looks different. A painful wrench of desire swells in my chest, but I can't make myself lean forward and close the gap between us, however much I want to do it.

"Karasuma...what are you doing?" I whisper, my voice hushed and vulnerable.

"Don't you understand?" he whispers back, his voice edging on desperation. "My priority is to my job. My own desires can't..." Desires. It's a word that shoots through me, making me nearly gasp. Stay strong, I tell myself.

"Mine too... that's why I have to..." leave. I can't bring myself to finish my own sentence. Karasuma's hand is on my cheek. His skin is rough, but his touch is tender on my face. Despite myself, I lean in a little closer, our faces almost touching, but not quite. I can sense the tension between us. We're so close, but the gap between us is too far. I tremble at our proximity, but also at our distance. As I wrestle with my own feelings, I can feel Karasuma doing the same.

He reaches a conclusion before I do.

"Don't leave," he says, his voice surprisingly rough, a command that sounds more like a plea. He leans in and kisses me, and it's every bit as magical as it was before. I feel the fight in me fall away dizzyingly as a blanket of fog settles on my mind. A bright, almost giddy feeling fills my head as I kiss him back. The feeling is heightened by the emotions flooding through me, leaving me gasping for breath. We kiss again, forgetting all of our self restrictions, kissing for the sake of the moment, for ourselves. Our bodies pressed together, as close as we can be, this is a feeling that I can never forget. I snake my arms around his body and keep him to me as I nibble the edge of his lips, gently grazing his skin with my teeth.

My eyes narrowed into slits, looking up at his face like this, I feel my resolve tighten, and I make my decision.

This is a feeling I will never let him forget.