Title: Solicitude, Chapter 4

Pairing: Aizawa/Shiraishi

Summary: Just an annual school trip in which our Hero and Heroine were helpless in their own ways.


"Oi Aizawa, stop being sullen and join us!" he heard his name called loudly by the resident nosy-guy Fujikawa. He was just being his usual self, doing things on his own, but that Fujikawa must have decided everybody on the class should stay together. It wasn't like they were toddlers, and he could only roll his eyes and sigh.

It was their annual school trip for the second-year students, one that Megumi had been very excited to go to (she had started preparing for this journey a month ago, he could practically hear all the buzz coming from her room). He didn't really have any opinion about it, because it was just a routine, one that he took for granted. The only reason he was joining this trip was because it was counted on the attendance mark, or else he'd be in his room doing all productive things he could.

The only thing that made him bear following the entourage was that he could keep watch of her -not that he would tell her in person what he did because it was quite creepy- but where was she again, he lost track of her because that unnecessary clamor.

They were passing by a local market with all the festivities offered, street food stalls and shops decorated every nook and cranny he could see and he couldn't find a way to locate her. All the noise his classmates made was too loud for his liking, proving their immaturity as they goofed around splashing whatever water from random stalls at each other like there'd be no tomorrow. He really need to find her, the one person he could actually tolerate, and be himself with. He needed to get away from all the chaos that had sucked out all his energy. Not even chemistry equations got him this troubled.

Fastening his steps, he walked ahead of the group in search of peace. When he could hear all the noise fading, he felt his insides calmed slightly though not completely. Megumi, he needed to know her whereabouts. She was not in some kind of trouble, was she? He knew she's capable of protecting herself, but sometimes her obliviousness could led her to unsettling predicaments.

Kosaku let out a sigh of relief voluntarily when he saw her crouching down in front of a little girl, presumably lost in front of a balloon booth under a big tree. He approached her silently in haste, finally stopped a few steps before her and she looked upwards facing him as she felt a shadow hovering above her.

"What are you doing?" He asked nonchalantly, a way for him to show his concern. And then he felt a soft tug on his trousers, causing him to look down unto the little girl.

"Ah! Kou-chan! This little girl lost her mother, I was just going to bring her to the nearest security station," her eyes lighten up as she saw him, then she continued with a hint of uncertainty, "but, she didn't seem to welcome my help," she sighed in exasperation. As he looked into her eyes, it was as if it was saying "please save me!" in utmost desperation.

He merely raised his eyebrows at her and mimic her, crouching down to meet the little girl's eye level. "Are you lost?" asking the girl tenderly. The girl nodded enthusiastically with a frightened look on her face, cheeks red of blood rushing and tears on the tips of her eyes, on the verge of breaking down.

"Let's get you to the security..," he assured the little girl and pat her head softly. He turned his attention towards the balloon seller, (somehow going on the autopilot mode) get his wallet out from his trousers' pocket and bought one. He handed the balloon to the girl and the action seemed to calmed her a little. That earned him a look from Megumi as if he had grown two heads, her eyes opened wide in amazement and confusion. Then he offered his hands towards the girl, which she took in eagerly. He signaled the older girl to also stand up and led them towards the nearest security station, safely escorting the former towards her mother who was magically already waiting.

The pair of best friend bowed in respect to the older woman who continuously thanked them for

keeping her daughter safe, to say the crowd in the market was jammed was an understatement. Shortly after, they left the security station just to find their entourage was nowhere to be found.

"Megumi, I think the group left us," he stated as-a-matter-of-factly, observing the street-market that was full of their group just a few minutes ago has now become considerably more reserved but still bustling.

"So it seemed like it, huh…" she replied absentmindedly, breathing on the lively market air with eyes engrossed in her surrounding. She was trying to take in as much vista as she could as moment like these that allowed her to let loose was limited. She didn't know when they'd be able to experience such thing again, and that decided her resolve.

"Well, let's enjoy ourselves, shall we?" she said with a hint of playfulness, very unlikely of her exaggerated honor student personality.

Kosaku merely shrugged and continue walking with her, dragging her arms as to not lose her in the crowd again. He supposed this was better than to follow the group's schedule, nothing interest him, truthfully. Besides, he's sure Megumi had memorized the way to their accommodation perfectly so he knew they'd be alright.

"You know I could really use a balloon too, Kou-chan," Megumi chimed in playfully, with a grin on her face. "The ones sold were very pretty!"

"I'd rather buy you something else," Kousaku scoffed, "Poor balloon would be deflated even before this trip ends."

"You're definitely no fun," she mocked as she locked her arms he dragged on his, closing the gap of their bodies closer.

"Likewise, Megumi," and a small smile was painted on his face, the kind that he could only show before her.


Notes: IM SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING THIS FOR NEARLY A YEAR

this has been sitting in my draft for such a long time and I was planning to write more stock-chapters first before updating but somehow my brain stopped working properly and I completely failed, so this lame of an excuse has to materialize. I really want to continue writing this AU so if you guys could be patient...I'd be very glad! Oh, and also, do drop me high-school tropes (or what you want to see in this AU haha) I need inspirations. I hope you guys enjoyed this short chapter.