Hello, Goodbye [BHNA Chatfic]

chapter thirty-eight

Check out this awesome design and name from Alaly39 ! Feel free to use this design if you enjoy it more (and keep an eye out for more designs in future chapters
(人 •͈ᴗ•͈) )

One day earlier

If I had a dollar for every time I've had tea with an anthropomorphic mouse, I would have two dollars. Which may not seem like a lot but that's two whole times I've had tea with an anthropomorphic mouse in a single month. Try beating that.

"Would you prefer peppermint black tea or peach herbal tea?" Principal Nezu asked, grabbing a bag of peach and placing it in his own cup. Out of pure confusion on the difference between black and herbal tea, I pointed towards my preference with a swallowed 'This one please'.

To my left, an equally muffled voice said, "The black, please." Now, if I had a dollar for every time I've had tea with both and anthropemorphic mouse and a insomniac pro hero I would only have one dollar, but it would be a fucking wild dollar.

Nezu poured two more cups of tea with an ease I couldn't handle myself with on a good day. The room sat stiffly silent save for the water rippling inside the porcelain cups. I wanted to break the silence but found my mouth too dry to make a noise.

What? Need your mommy and daddy to speak for you?

No! They just make it easier... My dad is a lot better at talking to these guys. Probably because he talks to people everyday whereas I try to avoid any social situation I deem awkward. And any situation involving Aizawa means immediate awkwardness.

With his own cup nestled between two paws, Nezu leaned back in his chair with a soft sigh, "So, ___, how was watching the provisional license exam? Did it give the insight you were looking for?" I widened my eyes slightly, not expecting such a straightforward question before I've even tried my wet leaf juice. Aizawa stared into his cup of tea but it still felt as though he were looking at me, waiting for an answer as well.

So we're just jumping all the banter? This is the flattest conversation I've ever had to sit through.

Instead of answering the question, I grabbed my cup of tea and tilted it back. Searing liquid made me instantly regret the decision. My throat tensed in an attempt to block the burning intrusion but I forced the tea down as to not look like a total dumbass.

In other news, the tea tasted good.

Tears welled at the corners of my eyes as I lowered the cup. Nezu's lips tugged downwards with a pinch between his eyebrows. He looked as though he wanted to say something but couldn't bring himself to form the words.

Aizawa, on the other hand, didn't need to speak to voice his disapproval. The raised eyebrow and side glance was enough to flood my entire being with embarrassment.

"Um- Well-" I swallowed once again, pushing my nerves down with any leftover tea. Leveling my eyes, I mustered the most serious expression I could while ignoring the burning of my throat, "I accept your offer. I want to join the hero course."

Nezu's face lit up, hands (paws?) clapping as though this were a momentous moment in his life. His excitement made me feel slightly less shitty for thinking this was a good idea. I mean, if the principal thinks this is a good thing, why wouldn't it be.

A burst of courage built inside me, "On one condition." The mini-celebration paused. Nezu's hands froze mid-clap, his ear twitching slightly. A snort drew my attention to Aizawa, his face nearly inside the cup as he tried to avoid spilling any tea onto the ground.

"I don't think you're in the position to be asking the principal for any conditions." He said without looking over at me. The lack of eye contact made the embarrassment return, engulfing any empowerment I felt earlier in dark self-doubt.