Izuku lay in his bed, kicking his feet on the edge to get rid of his anxiety by smacking the softness of his mattress. Of course, his classmates had to see him with Nejire. Especially the part where she handed him the candy.
It all went into chaos as he tried his best to explain everything, but some of them went quiet as he went into detail. Was that a good thing? He couldn't tell because they still seem convinced that Nejire was his sister.
Flipping over on his bed and rolling off, Izuku accidentally lost balance and smacked his face on the ground. "Ouch..." Rubbing his nose, Izuku poked his head up and grabbed his phone from his desk. When he opened it, he saw a few texts from his friends asking him where he was since school was going to start in a couple of minutes.
Izuku scooted over to where his backpack was and swung it over his shoulders and jumped up, only for his anxiety to come back full force with one question. What would happen if he met Nejire again?
It was draining his energy since every accidental confrontation resulted in his demise. Maybe he could use everything in his power to avoid her. It was always easier to ignore and run away from the problem.
So as the day slowly passed by, Izuku would do exactly that.
When he saw her in the hallway, he would quickly slow his pace, receiving some glares from students walking behind him. If he saw her going to her respective dorms after school, he swirled around and got lost in the crowd to escape her view, just in case she looked around.
During lunch period, he quickly grabbed his favorite lunch item from Lunch Rush and make himself at home in the supply closet where he could eat in silence. It was quite nice since he was a natural introvert, though he could quickly change into an outgoing, leading person on the field when people were in trouble. Though the supply closet should probably be locked if anyone could access it so easily.
When he finished his lunch, he quietly exited the closet and made his way back to the cafeteria.
But as he wandered about, he suddenly saw Nejire walking around with Yuyu. However, her eyes were fixated on her friend. With a frightened expression, Izuku watched as Yuyu gazed at him for a few seconds, drawing Nejire's attention toward what Yuyu was supposedly looking at.
But there was nothing other than a questionable green blur. Turning back to look at Yuyu, Nejire tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, hey! What were you looking at?"
Shaking her head and focusing on Nejire, Yuyu just smiled and changed the subject. "Nothing! But did you hear about the latest news about the upcoming beauty products that pro hero Uwabami is advertising?"
"No, what is it this time?" Nejire asked happily.
Izuku breathed out a sigh of relief as he slumped down on the ground from the corner he hid behind. That was close. He owed Yuyu for saving him.
Staring at the other side of the wall while several students passed by his vision, Izuku stayed completely still as scenarios of what-ifs played in his head. What would happen if Nejire saw him right there? Or what would have happened if Yuyu gave his position away?
"Ahh..." Izuku huffed out in annoyance as he scrambled his hands through his hair. It was annoying trying to run away from Nejire's so-called affection, and it also stressed him out when he met her through unforeseen circumstances like the past few events he had experienced.
Picking himself back up from the floor, Izuku wandered the hallway until he made it down to the cafeteria, all while his brain churned out questions like a computer. He returned the tray to Lunch Rush, who snatched it up in a quick second and cleaned it in a matter of seconds.
It felt oddly weird that Nejire was giving him so much attention when he felt like someone who was far below her level. She could technically choose anyone she wants to mess around with since she had it all. A powerful quirk, being in the top three of their school, and her cute looks.
In the end, Izuku promptly decided to avoid Nejire. It wouldn't take long for her to graduate, so he just had to hold out until then. It was pathetic, but he didn't want to face his problems head-on.
Slowly trudging back to his classroom, Izuku figured he would meet her eventually. It was inevitable, but when he got to that bridge, he would cross it. Though he didn't expect to cross it so soon.
It unfolded when Izuku was walking back home after talking to All Might about his quirk. He didn't expect it to drag on for so long, but it was already dinner time.
Izuku took his sweet time going back to the Class 1-A dorm because the sun setting over the horizon was spectacular. The clouds were positioned in such a way it outlined a fiery glint off the clouds hanging from the sky. Taking it all in, Izuku smiled at the beautiful view before he noticed something warm pressing up against him.
Looking around in shock, Izuku noticed it was Nejire Hado, the one person he didn't want to confront today. "N-Nejire?" Izuku stuttered as he gently tried prying her arms off his body. Though his fear of hurting her overruled the option to continue.
"Hello, baby brother~." Nejire sang, a cheerful smile lighting up her face. After a few silent seconds of staying in that position, Nejire peeked into his vision. "So... Can you tell me why you were avoiding me today?"
Izuku avoided her gaze and pretended to look at something else like the way the ground looked. How did she know? Did his plan to avoid her fall apart this quickly? Did Nejire realize Yuyu was lying to her?
"Not going to answer me?" Nejire pouted, but the mirth sparkling in her eyes told him she was having fun with this. "Come on, you can tell your older sister everything!"
"I-I'm not avoiding you! I swear! I just haven't met you at all today!" Izuku lied as easily as he wrote notes on heroes.
"Yeah, yeah. I can hear your alibi from a mile away."
Letting out a groan, Izuku told the truth. "I, uh... I just didn't want to get embarrassed by my friends, so I avoided you throughout the day... Not because you were annoying or anything. I just wanted some peace and quiet for a day where I don't have to meet you, but I guess now that's coming off as insulting, uh… Ignore the last part."
Izuku stayed still, waiting for a response, but when all he received was silence, he was afraid Nejire was upset at his reason for evading her. Instead, she laughed.
"That's the only reason you were avoiding me? Gosh, who would have thought it would be slightly cute while you're doing that? I had a feeling that green blur was you a few hours ago while I talked to Yuyu in the hallway, though I just chalked it up to my eyes playing tricks on me. Still, why didn't you tell me you didn't like it? I would have stopped teasing you to death! It's not like I can read your mind, so communicate with me to help me understand you!"
"Uh, heh heh..." Izuku chuckled nervously. It was that easy to stop her from embarrassing him? Maybe if he was more confident, he could have figured that out. "I didn't think you would actually listen to me..."
"Why wouldn't I listen to you? I'm your older sister after all!" Nejire chirped, giving him a wink.
"Yeah, I don't know about that... "
Nejire laughed and released him from her grip, trusting him to stay with her, which he did. "You're a funny person, you know that, little brother?"
"Yeah, I don't know about that either. I was never a comedian to begin with…" Izuku mumbled, glancing at a second-year passing by their position. "But why do you keep calling me little brother?"
"Well, that's a bit of a funny story. It all started when someone called my older sister out of nowhere. And who could it be other than a person I met during the Big Three's introduction to Class 1-A? I was mildly perplexed and even a little embarrassed, but when I saw how you were dealing with it, I made it into a small joke and it worked for like two seconds before your classmates probably embarrassed you to death! So for that, I'm sorry, but not sorry!"
"Ah, no! You're fine, I guess!" Was it really fine, though? At least, he wasn't in a life-threatening situation. It was just a little misunderstanding that spiraled into a grand mess, but it wasn't anything too bad, right? "Then when you meet my classmates, can you tell them that you aren't my sister?"
Nejire looked up at the sky in deep thought for a few seconds while Izuku waited in anticipation for her answer, only for his face to fall in disappointment. "I don't know... What will I get to tell them the truth?"
"What are you talking about?! You won't get anything in return for causing me so much trouble!" Izuku cried out, trying his best to keep his composure around her, but failing ever so slightly while she flashed him a smile. But after giving it some thought, Izuku tried to compromise. "Sorry, I didn't mean to shout like that, but maybe we can work something out?"
Nejire stared at him, waiting for him to spit out some solutions. "Is this the part where I offer something beneficial for both parties or is this where I wait for you to say some?"
"S-Sorry!" Izuku apologized. "But I know nothing about you, so I don't know what to suggest! Is there something you have in mind?"
"Well, there is one thing! Can you call me big sister again?"
Izuku must have expressed his lack of excitement because she burst out laughing. "I don't wanna…"
"Nah, I'm just joking about all of this, but you really are funny!" Nejire exclaimed. "But it'll mean the absolute world to me if you called me big sister again! As for me, I'm going to do what you say and stop teasing you because I feel like your poor heart won't be able to handle it."
"Hey, I'm not that weak..." Izuku protested.
"Your red face tells me otherwise."
Izuku covered his face with his hands as her giggles reached his ears. "Thanks for pointing that out… Big sister… Are you happy now?"
Nejire's face lit up with joy as she relished the few seconds he called her big sister. "I think I am!"
Even through the embarrassment, Izuku also laughed, albeit for a few seconds.
Author's Note: I had a nice trip to the beach with my friends while getting sunburnt so yay!
With love from your favorite writer, Out4Lunch!
