A Life Worth Living (Aizawa x OC)

17 - Uncertainty

Yamada, Aizawa, and Kayama were currently enjoying their break in the teacher's lounge, each one of them respectively savouring their coffee as they were discussing the upcoming final exams when Himari silently entered the room.

The new addition to the U.A. teaching staff headed directly to her desk without acknowledging her colleagues' presence in the room, slumping down on her seat with furrowed brows and her eyes glued to the screen of the phone in her hand.

Aizawa and his blond friend were fully engrossed in a heated discussion about the strengths and weaknesses of their students, following Himari's example, not even taken notice of the new attendee in the room.

Kayama was the only one to spot the freckled brunette sitting at her desk from the corner of her sapphire eyes. Quickly glancing at the two men and concluding that it wasn't worth the effort to interrupt their conversation, she rose to her feet and approached Himari, nonchalantly planting herself in the seat next to her, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she waited for a reaction.

But that reaction failed to appear.

"Hello? Earth to Himari – are you there or are you only blessing us with your physical presence today?" Kayama frantically waved her hand in front of Himari's face in an attempt to attract her attention, wondering why she seemed so absent.

Their new colleague had been a bit shy at the beginning, but over the course of the last few weeks, she'd lowered her barriers and had become a pleasant person to spend time with, someone she'd gladly taken a shine to.

The wild gesturing roughly a centimetre apart from her nose caused Himari to snap out of her thoughts. She jolted up in her seat, eyes widening in bewilderment as they darted to Kayama.

The two men curiously turned around to inspect the source of the sudden noise, both acknowledging Himari and sending a greeting in her direction before they reluctantly continued their conversation. Aizawa and Yamada, unknown to each other, both wanted to use the opportunity to talk to the brunette, even though neither of them would admit it.

The loudmouthed blond already had the impression that he was too intrusive, trying too hard, which caused him to tune down his efforts – at least a bit. After all, he wasn't eager to appear desperate. Unfortunately, he felt like he was falling more and more for the brunette every time they spent with each other. He couldn't deny that he was disappointed about the fact that she hadn't reacted to his advances yet. She didn't even seem to take notice of them.

His black-haired and less energetic counterpart also found himself struggling. He'd accepted the fact that he was attracted to their new colleague, but he'd prohibited himself to even think about falling for her – for various and obvious reasons. First and most importantly, he knew that his best friend was already head over heels for that woman, even though this was the pinnacle of irrationality. Second, there was still something off about her, and he needed to find out what she was trying to hide from them. Third, he wasn't even interested in pursuing a relationship. He'd never been. His life was already busy enough with his night shifts as hero and his job as a teacher. He barely had time for himself. He wouldn't make the same mistake as his friend. It would be an irrational waste of time.

The Erasure Hero was exhausted. His own thoughts were working against him, and the more he fought them, the more difficult it became to withstand the urge to enjoy her proximity whenever it was possible. He'd already reluctantly accepted the unpleasant fact that he'd a weak spot for that woman.

Over the course of the last weeks, he'd given in the temptation several times and had broken his own rules. The seemingly always tired man had actively spent some of his lunch breaks with her, admittingly enjoying it more than expected, too much for his share. Every time, he forced himself to be more distant the following day, but eventually, the whole situation mutated into an unnecessary back and forth, a tiring fight with his own willpower.