It was pretty late by the time I made it downstairs, my classmates already seated at the imposing dining table, talking and laughing as they ate. There was a single spot open right at the end, next to Sero. The butterflies in my stomach fluttered happily at the thought that he may have saved that seat for me. I forced them to calm down. Last' night's kissing was amazing but I shouldn't get my hopes up. Until Sero said otherwise, there was no reason for me to think he reciprocated my feelings.
I sat down and Sero instantly handed me the pan of scrambled eggs. After we discovered that Bakugou was surprisingly good at cooking Western food, we often demanded that he make us foreign breakfast. I thanked Sero and he nodded. He wouldn't look me in the eyes but since he wasn't avoiding me anymore, I surmised it was because he must feel embarrassed.
After breakfast, we went our separate ways. He didn't wait for me and we didn't go to school together. When I sat down at my desk, he didn't ask me for my pencil. I smiled sadly, understanding that our relationship was still stuck in that uncertain gray area. It stung a little but then I told myself that the best things were hard-earned in life.
When Midnight walked into the classroom, announcing that we were about to participate in a trust-building exercise and asked us to pair off, I leaned forward in my seat, anticipation coursing through my veins. This was an opportunity to work through the uncertainty – or at least to grow closer.
I watched as Sero turned to his right but Kirishima was already out of his seat and pestering Bakugou while Kaminari was trying to convince Kyoka to work with him and Koda was systematically avoiding attention. There was no one there he could ask, unless… I was out of my seat before I even noticed and slammed my hands on his desk. He jumped in surprise and swiveled around to look at me with wide eyes.
"Pair with me," it was more of a demand than a question.
Sero mumbled something unintelligible but before he could outright refuse me, Midnight's voice rang through the classroom.
"All right, all the groups have been formed so time for your assignment."
Kyoka had evidently rejected Kaminari in favor of Toru, leaving the electricity user to pair up with Mineta. Mina, Ochaco, and Tsuyu were the only three-man squad.
"The exercise is simple: one of you will wear a blindfolded and trust their partner to lead them all the way to the dorm. There, you'll find a list of questions to fill in and then I want you to pick up something you believe your partner likes. Once that's done, you swap blindfolds and come back here."
Everyone was starting to get worked up, which prompted Midnight to hastily add, "There won't be a reason to use your Quirks since this is not a race."
The class erupted into excited chatter as Midnight handed out the blindfolds.
"I'll go first, then," I said, plucking the green strap from Sero's hands and tying it securely around my eyes.
He didn't seem to be in a place where he would let me lead him around campus blindfolded, which was why I chose to go first. I just hoped he wouldn't let me walk into a wall or fall in the stairs. I was startled when he spoke, his voice closer than expected.
"Can you see anything?" I shook my head. "How many fingers am I holding up?"
"You better not be flipping me off, Sero Hanta," I warned in a huff, my words eliciting a chuckle.
"I'm not," he assured, warmth spreading from my chest to my extremities at the sound of his laughter.
His hand enveloped mine and I barely managed to stifle a gasp.
"Ready?" he asked with an almost imperceptible hitch in his breath and I nodded weakly.
Sero led me out of the classroom, careful to keep his pace slow and measured. When we reached the stairs, I felt him take hold of my other hand as he guided me down with softly voiced encouragements. My heart swelled so much that by the time we reached the bottom of the staircase, I thought it would burst. The way he held me and spoke could almost be considered tender. Was this really just my infatuated mind playing tricks on me?
Once we reached the dorm, I felt his hands reach for my blindfold, the sleeves of his uniform brushing against my temples. I held my breath as he worked at the knot, his fingers partially tangled in my hair. I kept my arms anchored to my sides, lest I do something stupidly impulsive like wrap them around him. When he finally managed to pull it off, I blinked against the sudden brightness of the world. By the time my eyes adjusted, Sero was already sitting on the couch with the questions.
"Do you have something to write with?" he asked sheepishly and I grinned as I pulled out the pencil I'd lent him on numerous occasions already.
I waited for Sero in front of the dorm, blindfold held in one hand and an orange in the other. I felt kind of stupid but I couldn't think of anything else to get. Sure, I could've just stood in the middle of the classroom and decreed that what Sero Hanta actually liked were his friends – which was true –, but then I'd have to deal with the massive cringe-fest that would follow. So I settled on the dumb orange.
Sero had also gone to find what I liked and I had to bite down on my tongue so I wouldn't tell him that there really was no need to try so hard. All he had to do was exist. He returned empty-handed and didn't bother to comment on it as he extended his palm. I handed him the blindfold which he promptly put on.
I reached for his hand and his reaction to it was much more composed than mine had been, his shoulders tensing minutely when we touched. He relaxed instantly and smiled, sending my tummy into a display of acrobatics. How little did he have to do to drive me crazy.
I wasn't gallant or polite like Sero. I was a selfish taker so where he'd lightly clasped our hands to help me walk, I threaded my fingers through his.
"It'll be harder to walk this way," he said, his cheeks turning pink.
"I wouldn't let anything happen to you, Hanta," I said and he tensed. "Relax, there's no one here but us."
"That's not it," he said as his smile fell.
He didn't get to say more because I started walking, gently tugging him along. Just like he did for me, I kept my strides even and measured, informing him ahead of time of the smallest of obstacles. I unwound our fingers when we reached the bottom of the staircase and took both of his hand in mine. The climb went smoothly and when we reached the top, I dropped one of his hands and held the other one casually, so as not to arouse any unwanted attention. Dealing with my feelings was enough, he didn't need the added stress of our classmates' teasing.
Unexpectedly, we were the first ones back. I reached for the blindfold and to my surprise, Sero lowered his head to grant me easier access. He'd used a simple knot but I pretended to have trouble undoing it so I could savor the feel of his hair under my fingers and his breath on my cheek.
When it was finally off, Sero blinked to adjust his sight and I made sure to be the first thing he saw. He pulled away with an expression I couldn't quite decipher – his teeth were showing but it was neither a smile nor a scowl.
We presented our paper and objects to Midnight and I couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the lollipop. I plucked it from Sero's fingers and popped it in my mouth while he played around with the orange, a small smile on his lips.
We leaned against the wall of the classroom, waiting for the others to arrive and hand in their assignments.
"This was kind of fun," I said, twirling the lollipop around in my mouth.
"I guess," he said with a shrug.
I playfully bumped my shoulder against his. "You had no faith in me getting you here safe, did you?"
"Of course I did," he retorted hotly.
I glanced up at him and the laughter died on my lips. He was staring intently at me, a spark of something I couldn't identify in his black eyes. Resolve, maybe? In any case, it made my heart beat faster. I held his gaze, wondering what he would do next.
Sero did absolutely nothing in the end, as Kaminari wandered over to us and slapped him on the shoulder with an exaggerated sigh, complaining about being paired with Mineta for the exercise. Sero turned to look at him and that was my cue to join Kyoka and Toru.
Yes, I am taking my sweet time setting them up. No, I have no regrets. :p
